Ageless Passions by Karen Putz

Tag: hard of hearing

  • Are You Comfortable Being Deaf/Hard of Hearing?

    “My son has some issues with being hard of hearing,” a mom recently shared with me. I glanced at her son. He seemed ill at ease.

    I nodded.

    And I understood.

    Because you see, I was in that kid’s shoes many years ago. I grew up hard of hearing and when I received a hearing aid at the age of nine, I rebelled. I didn’t want anything to do with it. Frankly, I didn’t need it. I was fine, thankyouverymuch.

    I wore it during school hours, partly because I was told that I had to and partly because it made things louder, not necessarily clearer–but louder. I was embarassed about that hearing aid. I hated it. I hid it. That piece of plastic reminded me that I was different from my peers. That I stood out. So I did my best to blend in. I wore my hair down. I smiled and nodded and laughed along with jokes and conversations that I either caught snippets of or had no clue at all what was being said. When confronted with the idea that I was hard of hearing, I responded with, “Oh, sometimes I can’t hear what you say.” Never mind that I was lipreading to comprehend conversation, as I had little ability to understand words via auditory means alone.

    So I understood where that mom was coming from, and I understood that feeling of being uncomfortable. I wrote about Embracing the Identity of Being Deaf or Hard of Hearing previously. Ironically, just this weekend, I came across two articles that talk about learning to accept being hard of hearing:

    From Mail Online/Disability Alert, Liz Jones shares her experience of finally labeling her hearing loss and coming to terms with it:

    I received some bad news two weeks ago. After years of refusing to accept I had a problem with my hearing, I finally decided to go to a clinic and find out the worst, which is that I have, at best, 30 per cent hearing in each ear.

    It was weird, hearing (if that’s the right word) that I am officially disabled or impaired.

    But I suppose I can at last tell people I am hard of hearing – which hopefully they will understand and make allowances for – rather than doing what I have been doing up until now, which is to try to appear normal.

    This has only made people – friends, colleagues on the phone, shop assistants and so on – think I am merely mad, rude or eccentric.

    I first noticed I had a problem at school. I could barely follow what the teachers were saying, although they never seemed to notice.

    I avoided parties and school discos because I could never join in the conversation. I would just stand there looking awkward.

    Over at the Dallas News, Jeanna Mead shares her experience of “coming out of the closet” about being hard of hearing:

    This is a hard column to write – I have to let go of years, decades, of hiding my hearing loss, and now I am about to “come out of the closet,” so to speak. I am hearing-impaired, practically deaf – but that is only part of the story.

    That is not who I am; I define myself by so many other things, and way, way, way down on the bottom of the list is “hearing impaired.”

    I lost my hearing when I was 4, which explains why my speech is so good, but I have to give credit where credit is due; my Mema worked tirelessly to coach me to speak correctly, holding my hand to her throat while repeating words over and over until I could say them the right way.

    It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized there were hearing people in this world who could not pronounce Mexia, Rowlett, Louisiana, Tawakoni or even “congratulations.”

    Getting comfortable being deaf and hard of hearing is often a journey and over at Tania Says, Tania Karas shares a life-changing day that occured when she stepped into a deaf classroom for the first time:

    Hale has a pretty big deaf program, spanning from preschool until 8th grade. The students have a wide range of hearing loss. All use sign, but all use their voices as well. The classrooms are unbelievably deaf-friendly; there is one teacher for every 3-4 students, a combination of sign and speech, resource and speech pathology teachers, and a whole bunch of kids who just understood each other. I had never seen a deaf classroom before, so this was all like a dream world to me. Communication just flowed so seamlessly, much unlike the constant confusion I have encountered all my life in mainstream/”hearing” classrooms.

    But what got me the most was that these kids were happy. They had crazy-colored ear molds and bright cochlear implants on display for the whole world to see. The philosophy behind the instruction at Hale was to take pride in one’s deafness. The students’ hearing loss was just a small part of their vibrant personalities – when I saw them in class, I didn’t think “deaf kids,” I thought “happy kids.” And I kinda wanted to be like them.

    And that’s what I wish for every deaf and hard of hearing child or adult– to become so comfortable with being deaf or hard of hearing that you’re happy as well.

  • Guest Blogger–Another Mom’s Journey

    Today’s post is from a close friend of mine, Sue Klytta. Sue and I met back in college and we’ve shared a lot together, including raising deaf and hard of hearing kids. We’ve had many conversations over the years about our kids and we’ve shook our heads at the twisting roads that we’ve gone down on together. We’ve made decisions involving our kids that we never would have imagined making at the beginning of the parenting journey. It goes to show that sometimes you’ll make difference choices at different times in your children’s lives. More than once, I’ve told Sue, “you need to share your story.”

    So Sue kindly gave me the day off and here she is as a guest blogger:

    Today, I am writing from the heart, as a deaf adult and as a mom to three children, one hard of hearing, one deaf, and one hearing child. Raising two children with a hearing loss, I often find that their journey is similar to mine growing up hard of hearing and deaf.

    Lately, there has been so much joy on my oldest son’s face. Alex’s eyes light up. He smiles and laughs more. He signs more now. It’s so different today than it was a year ago. My son is hard of hearing. Last year, he started going to the Illinois School for the Deaf. He has been mainstreamed all his school years, he has never been in a self-contained classroom. His elementary years in school were fine, interaction with other kids focused more on physical play. In middle school, he had one friend who moved away. Once he started high school in our hometown, it was a whole different ball game. He became increasingly more isolated. He made less and less eye contact. He came home every day looking more discouraged. He cried tears of frustration after coming home from school. He stayed in bed and refused to get up. Today, he says he is liked by his peers. He can’t wait to go to ISD. I talked with Alex about his experiences at ISD. He summed it up for me very well, he said “Mom, I am liked”. He talked about how much fun it was interacting with other kids and how this school was changing his outlook on life.

    My son Matthew also attends ISD. The first day I dropped him off at ISD, he looked so content. He now talks about his accomplishments with pride. His self-esteem has soared. This was a kid who previously hated to go to school. I had to drag him physically out the door and drive him to school. He said he felt invisible at his old school. He struggled to pay attention in classes and was diagnosed with ADD. I took him to a psychiatrist and therapist every two weeks. He was on medication. He suffered from poor self-esteem. No more! He loves ISD and his teachers are so positive about Matthew’s progress. I suspect that the deaf school works so well for Matthew because the environment fosters more cooperative learning and interaction. After a long talk with Matthew about his school experiences, I figured out why this new placement has made such a difference for him. At his old school, direct instruction was primarily used. Direct instruction is a type of teacher-centered learning in which the teacher is teaching a lesson and there is less interaction between students. Direct instruction is only beneficial when it is supplemented with cooperative learning methods. Group interaction is very important for learning. Matthew has told me that he feels free to interact in the classroom and he likes interacting with the other kids. He shared that he feels he is learning more. So with Matthew’s ADD, this type of learning environment has been very beneficial for him. As for the socialization issue, he is much happier. He has larger pool of friends to interact with. He is a social butterfly and this environment suits him well.

    I feel like I know what both of my sons were going through. I myself was mainstreamed in my first year of high school with no support services and was the only deaf/hard of hearing student there. I was miserable. I transferred to a high school with a deaf program my second year. I quickly made friends with other deaf/hard of hearing peers.

    Looking back, I realized that I never brought up my story in meetings with my sons’ teachers. I felt that this was about my sons, not me. But this is not just our story, it is the story repeated by many deaf and hard of hearing people.

    This experience has been recounted many times by deaf and hard of hearing people like myself who grow up never meeting another deaf/hard of hearing peer. We talk about the experience of meeting other people like ourselves as “coming home”. One deaf adult I know talks about the feeling of coming home when she started meeting deaf and hard of hearing people at college for the first time. Another deaf adult was so lonely in high school, he transferred to the school for the deaf and learned sign language for the first time.

    When I was visiting ISD, I attended the awards/graduation ceremony. I truly felt that we the deaf/hard of community were being acknowledged and honored. I felt valued. And I know both my sons feel the same when they are there. I did not feel this way when my sons were mainstreamed here in their home schools.

    I am a deaf adult, I have traveled this journey. I was once hard of hearing, able to hear on the phone at one time. I have been in self-contained classrooms, I have been mainstreamed. I have been considered a “successful” oral child, I have learned sign language. I am now learning more ASL. I feel that my experience and the experience of many other deaf/hard of people is authentic and valid and I wish more people would reach out to us. Learn from us. We need to be heard. When I was growing up, I only met one deaf adult. And I am sad to say today, things have not really changed that much at all for deaf and hard of hearing children. There is no connection to the deaf/hard of hearing community. Frequently, there is no connection between deaf/hard of hearing children mainstreamed in their home schools either. Isn’t true that as human beings, we all need that emotional connection to those like ourselves?

    While making the difficult decision to place my sons at ISD, I had moments of insight. My daughter is hearing. Everyday I would drop her off at her school. She was always so excited to go. I realized that she has a whole school full of equal peers. She would talk about the group of kids she sat with at lunch. She had friends sleep over at our house, they all would sit at the table talking and giggling. I realized then I wanted the same for my sons. And I knew my sons were not getting what my daughter got so easily every day.

    I sometimes feel on the fence between both the hearing and deaf world. Every day I accommodate, I lipread so I can understand hearing people. I talk so that they will understand me. My son Matthew got the cochlear implant because he wanted to hear. I am considering one for myself as well. I also have a daughter, Katie, who is hearing. The hearing world is a huge part of her life and I honor that. She has a “second family” down the street. They are hearing and yes, they are part of her life. Hearing parents also need to give their deaf/hard of hearing children the opportunity to experience the deaf/hard of hearing world.

    At the same time, I have respect for the deaf community as well. I am learning to be more proficient in ASL because my son Matthew is using it more now. I talk about deaf role models with my kids. My daughter is learning to sign more and more now with me.

    When my sons grow up, I know in my heart they will not always be listened to and heard. I grieve that, because I know their experience will be the same as mine. Yes, it is a world where the majority can hear. Yet, they have so much to give and so much to teach others. It is my hope that other deaf/hard of hearing children will experience “coming home” with their peers. It is also my hope that when they grow up to become deaf/hard of hearing adults, they will have a “voice” and that they will be heard. And that they will be valued.

  • Deaf or Hard of Hearing–When to Tell A Potential Employer

    When hunting for a job, do you indicate that you are deaf or hard of hearing on your resume or the job application?

    The Wall Street Journal tackled the topic in their article, Finding the Right Way to Disclose a Disability:

    Disclosing a disability is a personal decision but can be beneficial if done right. Only you can decide whether — and when — to tell your new employer about your disability. Disclosing a condition can help protect your legal rights but can also leave you open to discrimination. Still, experts say you’re better off giving management a heads-up.

    Among my deaf and hard of hearing friends, there seems to be a lot of divide on the issue of whether or not to disclose a disability when applying for a job.  “Don’t give the Human Resources department an excuse to dump your resume in the reject pile,” says Lenny Kepil, who works for Tellabs.  When Lenny was laid off from his job at Lucent Technologies a few years ago, it took him several thousand resumes and a few interviews later to land a job back in the same field. 

    Karina Chupina explains the “catch 22” that comes with job hunting in her article, A Look at Education and Employment in Germany:

    Getting a job nearly always poses a plaguing dilemma for the deaf and hard of hearing: whether they should disclose their disability or not when sending their CV or resume to a potential employer. The controversy centers about the fact that the employer cannot reject an applicant on the basis of disability, but practice shows that applicants who have identified themselves as hard of hearing or deaf persons often are rejected. It remains unclear whether there was a biased attitude towards the hearing disability on behalf of the employer, or lack of the requisite skills.

    Howard Rosenblum, a deaf attorney in Chicago, states that the issue is a complicated one.  “It depends on the job that the deaf or hard of hearing applicant is applying for,” he explains.  “If it is a state or federal job, it is often a good idea to disclose a disability because those employers often look for diversity.”

    Howard urges more caution when applying for jobs in the private sector.  “All too often, private companies seem to have this fear of hiring people with disabilities.  Sometimes, when people with disabilities disclose their disabilities on a resume, they do not even get interviews at all.  When they take it off, they may get interviews, but many times they are not hired or called back for second interviews.”

    For deaf or hard of hearing applicants who use interpreters, they face the difficult decision of whether or not to request accommodations for the interview process.  Requesting an interpreter for an interview puts the deaf or hard of hearing person at a disadvantage, because companies can balk at the idea of having to pay for an accommodation during the hiring process.  “I often tell deaf people who want jobs to bring their own interpreter during the hiring process,” says Howard.  “Even though the company is supposed to pay for interpreters by law, bringing your own increases the chances of being hired.”

    Neil McDevitt, a deaf firefighter and Program Director at TDI, suggests putting the information about being deaf or hard of hearing in the cover letter.  “The cover letter gives you a chance to put your best foot forward, so to speak,” he explains.  “If you make it clear that the fact that you’re deaf or hard of hearing has no bearing on your ability to do the job, it will take the doubt out of the employer’s mind.  I’m also of the opinion that a place that makes a fuss about a person being deaf isn’t a place worth wasting your time at in the first place.”

    I personally have done it both ways: cover letters that address being deaf and cover letters that only focus on my skills with no hint of being deaf.   I’ve put down relay numbers and I’ve also put down a friend’s number (they’d take a message and I would call back via relay, using my voice).  I know that there were probably some jobs where my resume never stood a chance due to disclosure but I’ll never know for sure.

    In this day and age, here’s something else to consider– employers are increasingly using web searches to find out information about a potential hire.  Chances are, employers are going to quickly learn information disclosed on the internet, including any mention of a disability. 

    The whole debate of whether or not to include a disability in the job seeking process is a moot point if we don’t have employers who are willing to consider the abilities, not the disabilities of potential hires.

  • Embracing the Identity of Being Deaf and Hard of Hearing

    When I was growing up, I wasn’t comfortable being hard of hearing.  I hid my hearing aid under my hair and as soon as I arrived home from school, I tossed it on a ledge.  I never touched the hearing aid during the summer.  You’d almost never find me asserting myself by telling someone, “I’m hard of hearing, I need you to face me when you talk.”  Only among close friends, would I have the courage to say, “What? Repeat that, would ya?”

    So what happens when you’re not comfortable being deaf or hard of hearing?  You hide it.  You do everything possible to “fit in” and “look normal.”  You develop an impressive arsenal of social bluffing skills.  You nod along in conversation, figure out when to put in a thoughtful, “hmmm,” and ask questions that might lead you to a clue in the topic that is firing back and forth in a group.

    When I became deaf at the age of nineteen, I changed in many ways.  I learned American Sign Language and discovered many new deaf and hard of hearing friends for the first time in my life.  Slowly, I tapered off the bluffing.  I learned to take pride in being deaf, to be open about it, to rejoice in this whole journey.  I can’t even begin to describe the differences.  For one thing, you’d never catch me showing off my hearing aids on public television.  Yes, those are my blue earmolds on ABC– aren’t they purty?

    I love stories like this one:  Social Bluffing, by Katie.  In her post, Katie shares:

    I have decided to be more honest with myself and with people I don’t know re: my hearing impairment.  I’ve decided that it is perfectly OK to tell the cashier, the waitress or whomever I’m speaking to that I have a hearing impairment, and could they please talk slower and speak up for me? 

    and:

    In my experience, I’ve also discovered that when you are honest with people and tell them why they need to repeat what they said or word it differently for you, they are more than accommodating in the request.   I am learning to give people more credit than I did in the past, which has allowed me a more positive view of the world.

    In her guest post, Katie shares that she recently began this journey of becoming hard of hearing just a few years ago.  So taking the action to assert herself is part of the path of learning to become comfortable about being hard of hearing and getting the communication access that is needed.  Little by little, confidence comes from taking baby steps and then one day, you find yourself asserting your communication needs with relative ease.

    Just the other day, I received this comment sent via the contact me form on this blog.  I received permission to share it here:

    Hi there Karen

    I am Elias and I am 34yo from way down under 🙂

    All my life i was in denial of my impairment and sort of closed myself from the deaf community. It wasn’t until a personal crisis that forced me to take a deep look inside myself.

    I looked up on the internet for inspiration and help and  i came across Stephen Hopson and it was what i needed. I was amazed to learn he is a pilot and motiovational speaker. The more i read about his life the more inspired i became. He woke me up so much and realised that I can do more for myself. I realise i finally knew what i wanted to do for myself and the world.

    Then i came across your blog and for the past few months i read as many as i can from your blogs. All i can say is wow.

    I wish to say a big thank you for showing me that it is okay to be deaf. I found your blog through Stephen
    When i decided to check out your blog, i was amazed by your life experiences. Thank you for showing me that it’s okay to be deaf.

    I plan to enter the world of Blogging hopefully soon.

    Again thank you!

    Elias

    Thank you, Elias, for sharing your journey with me.  I look forward to reading about your venture into the blogging world.

    You’re right, Elias, it’s ok to be deaf.

  • Socialization for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Kids

    As I was driving home from the mall today, I watched the six kids in the back as they chatted with each other.  The two high school boys were conversing using mostly their voice, with some signs thrown in.  The three girls were animatedly using American Sign Language. Eyebrows arched, shoulders shrugged and cheeks puffed as they skipped through conversations about residental school, camp and their plans for the night.

    I thought back to a few months ago:  I was at an anniversary celebration of a close friend and she introduced me to her cousin, a mom of a hard of hearing son who was in middle school.  We chatted for a while, I told her about Illinois Hands & Voices and we talked about IEPs.  Then the topic of socialization came up.  I shared my frustrations about our school district–how there were nearly 70 kids with hearing loss and very little connection among the kids.  What she told me next blew me away.  “My son doesn’t have a single friend,” she said.  I saw sadness on her face.  “If he could just make one friend, it would be so much better.”

    I couldn’t get that boy out of my mind.  I grew up being the only hard of hearing kid in school, but I always had several close friends.  I’m always looking for new situations for my kids to meet and connect with other kids, deaf, hard of hearing or hearing.  So when my oldest son received an invitation to swim at a friend’s house a few weeks ago, I drove him over there.

    I chatted with the mom and we talked about school, IEPs and other things.  What she said next, blew me away.  The mom revealed that it was the first time since they moved three years ago that her sons had friends over to their house.  I watched as the group of kids horsed around in the pool with smiles on their faces.  It was hard to believe that this was the first time a group of them had gotten together.

    So today, as I watched the six kids connect with one another, I started to wonder about other deaf and hard of hearing kids and how they’re spending their summer.  How many other kids are spending their summer social bluffing their way through group conversations, as I did?  I had a great group of friends while growing up, but I still managed to be the Social Bluffing Queen when it came to parties and group outings. I didn’t address the social bluffing issue until many years later– after meeting deaf and hard of hearing people and learning what it was like to access group conversations without bluffing through them.   Mark Drolsbaugh, my separated-at-birth-twin has a great series on social bluffing:

    Super Phony

    Super Phony on Spring Break

    The Return of Super Phony

    What will it take, asks Mark, to hang up the Super Phony cape for once and for all?  “There are still too many Super Phonies flying around out there. We’ve got to rein them in and encourage them to live authentic lives,” says Mark.  

    Can it be done?

     

  • The Importance of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Role Models

    Before you read on, I want you to go and take a look at Stephen Hopson’s blog post over at Adversity University:

    Aspire to Inspire a Kid Before You Expire

    From his blog:

    Around 11:30 am, the first batch of kids began to arrive.  My heart picked up a beat. While my signing skills had improved over the years, I was a late bloomer in that department (among other things) because I wasn’t exposed to it until I was well into my third year of college.  Over the years though, I slowly but steadily improved to the point where I was easily able to converse with just about anyone who used sign language as a primary  means of communication.  It made me feel bilingual.

    I also had a flashback to when I was a young boy.  While growing up, I never had deaf role models to look up to because there weren’t any.  So casting myself in that role was going to be one very interesting experience.

    Little did I know a pint-sized of a kid was going to make a huge impact on my life a few hours later.

    There’s an important message in there: Stephen didn’t have any role models while growing up deaf.

    Neither did I.

    I like to think that deaf and hard of hearing kids today are exposed to many more deaf and hard of hearing role models today than in the past, thanks to the access to many inspirational articles found on the internet and so many deaf and hard of hearing individuals in all kinds of jobs. 

    Programs like the Chicago Hearing Society’s Adult Role Model Program are valuable in connecting kids with deaf and hard of hearing adults.  The Chicago area kids have met chefs, vets, doctors and more.  You can read more about June Prusak, the Youth Manager behind the program here:  June Prusak, Youth Manager.

    While there have always been deaf and hard of hearing adults who have succeeded in areas where no one has gone before, I find that they have often had someone behind them–whether parents and/or teachers–someone— and the attitude of “I can do it!” and “I will do it!”

    That’s why it’s so important for deaf and hard of hearing adults to become role models for today’s deaf and hard of hearing youth.  Whenever a kid wonders, “Can I do that, even though I’m deaf/hard of hearing?” having a role model to look up to or be mentored by can make the path so much easier for that kid.  Even when a deaf/hard of hearing child is blazing a new path, the support of deaf and hard of hearing role models encouraging them along and saying “Go for it!” can make the difference in the life of a child.

    So parents, if you’re reading this and realizing that your child hasn’t had much exposure to deaf and hard of hearing adults, take a moment to show your deaf/hard of hearing child that the world is indeed, wide open for them and find them a role model today. 

  • Welcome to my World, Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Hearing–Entwined

    On Saturday morning, we headed up to Busse Woods for the annual West Suburban Association of the Deaf picnic.  This year, the picnic was sponsored by CSDVRS Clear Blue, a program by the relay company that aims to give back to the Deaf Community.  They provided lunch and drinks for everyone.  Joe, my hubby, volunteered at the picnic to support the WSAD softball team and the upcoming NRAD racquetball tournament.

    WSAD has a special place in my heart.  I played volleyball for the WSAD team for many years.  I became the secretary and then the first woman president of the club back in the early ’90s.  Today, the club is run by another woman president, Julia Anderson, who is also featured on my other blog:  Jobs, Careers and Callings.
     

     

     There were hundreds of deaf and hard of hearing people at the picnic and hands were flying everywhere.  What I love most about these gatherings is that every conversation, everywhere we go, is accessible for me and my family.  There’s an ease that I can’t explain.  When I gather in a group with an interpreter or if I have to lipread– I’m usually exhausted after an event.  But when I gather with deaf and hard of hearing friends, my brain just seems to kick back and let all the conversations roll.  

    At the picnic, I was finally able to meet Teri-Lyn Calhoun from the Heartland Deaf Center.  Teri-Lyn and I had emailed each other for a long time, but had never had the opportunity to connect until now.

    The kids were having a blast.  David and Steven entered a bean bag contest and they were leading in the competition when I announced to Steven that it was time for us to leave and head to his baseball game.  He wasn’t happy about leaving, as he was having a good time chatting with everyone and tossing that bean bag.  There was no way we could have missed the game, as his team needed to win to get into the playoffs.

    Steven scored three runs, his team won by a large number of runs and the coach announced that he was going to treat everyone to ice cream at Dairy Queen.  Steven has been pretty comfortable with his team this year and I watched as he rough-housed with the other boys and cracked some jokes.  Sure, he fits in, up to a point.  The friendships on the team are mostly surface ones.  He does well with conversations that are one-on-one, but when the whole group is talking about something, he’s left out.  Bless those kids that “get it” and make the effort to communicate.  Ditto to the parents that take a moment to get to know us as well. 

    We headed home to throw brats in the oven and hot dogs on the stove.  Our grill was a goner–with two huge, rusted holes and an ignitor that wouldn’t spark.  A bunch of friends spent the rest of the evening with us, kicking back together, enjoying the meal and conversation. 

    Stephen Hopson, on his Adversity University blog asked his readers to name one situation that could have gone south, but didn’t, because of a changed perspective.  Here’s what I shared with him:

    “I became deaf just a short time before I transferred to a college that had several deaf and hard of hearing students on the same floor. I didn’t see it as a blessing at the time, because I was going through a “woe is me” period for several weeks and mourning the loss. But it did indeed, turn out to be a blessing, for I finally accepted myself as a deaf person and brought a new language into my life along with many, many new friends.”

    Here’s to the friends who fling the communication gates wide open! 

  • Bob Harris–Business Owner

    Bob and his wife, EvieAlthough I’ve known about Harris Communications for years, and ordered several of their products, I met Bob Harris for the first time last year at the Deaf Expo in Chicago.
     
    “How did you begin the company?” I asked Bob when I stopped by his booth.  Harris Communications has been around for a little over 25 years, but Bob was an accidental entrepreneur.  He actually holds a PhD. in Psychology and his venture into business began entirely as a fluke. 
     

    While he was working as a psychologist, Bob began to learn about real estate and investing.  To communicate with a real estate partner, Bob looked into finding TTYs at a reduced cost.  This lead him into the world of distributorship, and Bob started the tiny business out of his home, beginning with TTYs and expanding into other products.  Harris Communications outgrew his home office and is now one of the leading companies for deaf and hard of hearing related products and services.  Bob no longer practices as a psychologist and devotes his time to expanding and growing his business.  Today, the company employs over 30 people and has an online store.

    Bob encourages deaf and hard of hearing youth to pursue career exploration in high school and seek out deaf and hard of hearing adults in different jobs and professions.   “From my experiences in growing up, it helped trememdously whenever I met such an adult with a specific occupation,” said Bob.  “It planted a seed of thought in my mind and helped me figure what I wanted to do in my future work.  For example, I learned from people who worked as doctors, entrepreneurs, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, engineers, attorneys, judges and teachers.”

    Bob encourages parents to consider leadership and career exploration camps for deaf and hard of hearing children and to give their children books about successful deaf and hard of hearing adults in various careers.

     
    To read more about Bob and Harris Communications:

     

  • Parents of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children Blogs

    Here’s a list of parent blogs with children who are deaf and hard of hearing:

    I am Trish Marie

    Adopting a Deaf Child with Ushers

    Jazzie and Tahlia

    Moot Thoughts and Musings

    Mom to Toes

    Tayton Matthew

    Juliet Martinez

    CI Parent

    Turn On My Ears

    Kauan Taylor, My Son’s Implant Journey

    Issac’s World


    Cochlear Kids

    Ethan’s World

    Growing Fruit

    Lotte Sofie


    My Son Tom

    Jack’s Story

    Lily Hear

    Aiden’s Cochlear Implant Journey

    Speak Up!

    Hearing Exchange Blog

    Laney’s Story

    Deaf Progressivism

    DeafMom3

    Indiana Deaf Mother’s Babblings

    Live, Laugh, Love

    Jordan’s CI Story–Tuscan-American Style

    Bionic Boys

    Jodi Speaks Her Mind

    Hear We Go

    Loudest House on the Block

    Say What Munchkins

    Sound Check Mama

    If you know of other parent blogs that could be included here, shoot me an email at parentsofdeafhoh (at) aol (dot) com.


  • Social Bluffing–Revisited

    Back in February of last year, I posted a question on a listserv about “social bluffing” a term that I came up with to describe the practice of pretending to understand conversation. I had googled the term and found nothing on it in reference to deaf and hard of hearing people so I came up with a definition.

    “Social bluffing,” as I said in my article, ” is pretending to hear or understand something that is being said, and behaving in a way that shows you understand, even when you have little or no clue as to what is being said.”

    As a result of the discussion that I initiated, someone mentioned that they were going to write an article about it. I was already in the midst of my own article on social bluffing which was printed in the Hands & Voices Communicator (Summer, 2006):

    Calling Our Bluff: Using Communication Strategies in Social Situations.

    Kathy Allen’s Communication Strategies Sidebar

    I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery because the article “Bluffing…The (Not So) Social Truth” by Jay Wyant appeared in the January/February issue of Voices, a publication by the Alexander Graham Bell organization. They also included a sidebar of “Tips and Strategies.”

    But hey, a little credit would have been appreciated.