Tour: Baltimore, MD, 2013

We had a blast when we took Daughter (who was visiting from the West Coast) to Baltimore a couple of weeks ago. We began the day with a stop at Westminster Hall. Edgar Allen Poe and his family are buried here. His original gravesite was next to his grandfather, and later moved to a much more elaborate monument in the same cemetery.

This is Mr. Poe's previous resting place. I love what Fabulous Husband did with this photo of Daughter.

This is Mr. Poe's current resting place.

This marbled slab is noted in Ripley's Believe It or Not..

.

After browsing through this cemetery, we moved on to the Inner Harbor. It was a great day, nice mild temps, though a bit overcast. Our first stop was lunch at The Hard Rock Cafe We went with the Jumbo Combo. DELISH!! 

The interior was gorgeous!

These are woofers converted into lights. Cool concept.

The lyrics to "Stairway to Heaven" are on the ceiling, spiralled..

The Mark Scott Duo, Mark Scott and Greg Yakaitis, who are also members of Handsome Billainaires, were performing outdoors. Fabulous Husband and Daughter said they were pretty darn good. These fellows not only are talented, they are quite friendly and lots of fun. 

Mark Scott

Mark was telling us that his daughter is interested in pursuing her education in Deaf Studies. How wonderful!! 

 Greg Yakaitis

We caught up with this guy wandering the harbor. His name is Dick:

 Daughter, Fabulous Husband and I had so much fun walking along the Inner Harbor. There was so much to see, so many interesting people to watch. Mostly, we just enjoyed having this time to tour and sightsee together.

Be sure to check out hipfotoguy's Baltimore photo stream for more photos.

"Unexpected" by Brenda Sieglitz

Today's guest post is by my friend Brenda Sieglitz. Many of you may know Brenda previously as Crazy Widow. I started following Brenda a few years ago on Twitter. That was how I was introduced to her blog. Brenda invited my husband and me to a meeting at Aaron's Books in downtown Lititz a couple of years ago. It was such a pleasure to meet her in person.

One might think after all the hardships life has thrown her as a young woman, she would be jaded. No, quite the contrary. Brenda's is a compassionate, gentle heart, and her empathy for others going through loss is sincerely genuine.

Unexpected

by Brenda Sieglitz

I remember the calm look Kevin had when the gastroenterologist told us they found a large mass in Kevin’s esophagus.  I remember the hot tears gagging my breath as I sobbed into his chest, his broken, hurting, invaded chest.  We wouldn't have real answers for weeks - weeks that took us to two different hospitals in two different states with dozens of new doctors and finally a rare diagnosis - Angiosarcoma.  Those hot tears came again that time too, as I googled the disease name on my computer, finding only real examples of the cancer in dogs, and those that were in humans were too brutal to read.

Kevin and I were just over a year into our marriage when he was diagnosed, and I had no clue how to navigate the waters of newlywed, 20-something, and caretaker.  The role was unknown to me.  Although cancer had touched our family previously, my parents had done a great job of managing the stress that cancer can have on a family.  I had no tools to manage the stress - I just had a blog, and an incredibly faithful and hopeful husband who assured me he intended to beat the beast growing inside of him.

The memoir that I am working to self publish encompasses this story of cancer, but it also shares about the moments leading up to it: meeting online, our long distance relationship, the battle with U.S. immigration, the move and marriage, our financial ruin, redemption in the waters of the Atlantic, and then comes the cancer.  You will float back and forth from our love story to the blogs that I wrote during Kevin’s battle with cancer.  It’s not an easy read-one minute you may be experiencing one of our camping trips to the beach, and another you may be reading about another hospital room change.  But the memoir accomplishes what Kevin asked me to do - to share our story with the world.

One of my biggest hopes in having this book published is that someone may pick it up who will one day have to face one of these things and that they may feel more equipped to handle it than I did.  It helps to connect with others facing similar challenges, and it’s even more important to not feel alone in those battles.  

I would greatly appreciate you sharing this story with your friends, family and maybe even pledging a buck or two.  You can find updates at my blog and you can get some pretty cool rewards here.  Thanks for supporting, however you can.

Contributions can be made here: "Ebb From the Shoreline - How I found hope in Love, Anticipation and Love" Kickstarter Project

Come Join Us! HLAA, Lancaster, PA Chapter

Our next Hearing Loss Association of America, Lancaster County Chapter is coming up.

NEXT MEETING TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2013 10 AM

EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

Tamara Bennawit, Au.D from Red Rose Hearing Center, Lancaster, PA will be presenting

 "Understanding Ears, Audiograms, & Hearing Aids".

Location:: Village Center Building Fellowship Hall (lower level)

Brethren Village Retirement

3001 Lititz Pike, Lancaster, PA

CART and Loop provided!

Contact Nancy Kingsley for more information: kingsnan@aol.com

"Power of Love" interpreted by Rosa Lee Timm

Rosa Lee is another one of my favorite ASL performers. This is beautiful.
 This ASL video is captioned.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u-5KSA-SUQ

"Like" and "Subscribe" if you want to see more of Rosa Lee's videos.

Scam Targets Captioned Telephone Users

I received this forwarded notice from Nancy Kingsley, our Pennsylvania State Director for Hearing Loss Association of America:

From: AccessInfo [mailto:AccessInfo@fcc.gov]
Subject: Notice to Caution IP CTS Consumers About Possible Calling Scam

 The Commission has received information that consumers using Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Relay Services (IP CTS) may have received calls from one or more persons purporting to be from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), requesting the consumers to schedule a visit to the consumer’s home regarding the consumer’s IP CTS phone.

 The purpose of this notice is to alert all IP CTS consumers that the FCC has not been scheduling any home visits to IP CTS consumers.  If you receive a phone call from any individual claiming to be from the FCC who wants to schedule a home visit, we recommend that you do not provide any information to the caller, and do not agree to let the caller into your home.  In addition, we request that you please report such calls to the FCC’s Disability Rights Office at 202-559-5158 (voice/videophone)or  Gregory.Hlibok@fcc.gov.

Tour: Philadelphia and The Red Owl Tavern

As many of you know, Daughter came to visit us a few weeks ago.

We had a lovely time showing her the sites of Lancaster County, where we currently live, as well as several other cities... such as Philadelphia.

 As we neared Philly, we decided we wanted to have lunch first. I posted on FaceBook that we were arriving in Philly and taking suggestions. My friend, Kym Bozarth of Deaf in the Kitchen suggested we try The Red Owl Tavern. 

If you want a FABULOUS lunch experience, we cannot say enough good things about The Red Owl Tavern. It is on the corner across from The Liberty Bell with a view of Independence Hall. We dined outside, enjoying the view as we watched the horse drawn carriages maneuver city traffic, the rambling tourists and Philly dwellers strolling by.

When we stepped up into the tavern, we were welcomed personally by Brian Crawford, Floor Supervisor.





 











We were given the "reserved" table outside nearest to the street corner with the best view. Our waitress, Kristina Little was very patient with us as we
asked about the menu.

The view from our seat:





 My daughter and I were personally escorted by Brian when we asked directions to another part of the Hotel Monaco. Look at this beautiful ship chandelier:

The lunch menu offered such delectables! Fabulous Husband had the vegetarian chili.

 He said it was "VERY good". This is very high praise coming from a carnivore.

 Daughter had the burger of the day with garlic fries which she gave a hearty, "Oh my gosh, this is so good!".

 I, being from a small west coast fishing port, chose the fish of the day, which turned out to be grouper. The photos just don't do this justice. My lunch arrived, a silver bucket with fries loaded on the bottom, and a nice serving of the fish layered on the top.

The grouper was lightly crispy outside, tender, flakey, flavorful on the inside. It was scrumptious! The sauce that came on the side was simply heavenly.

However, despite how wonderful our lunches were, I have to say that The Red Owl Tavern simply outshines when it comes to this...

Ice Box Cake

I think we may be coming to Philly more often just to have lunch at Red Owl Tavern.

Here is a photo Fabulous Husband took inside the tavern. It is loft style, with tables in the upper level overlooking the main floor.

This is how Fabulous Husband takes "selfies": a photo of himself reflected in the window.

* There is more information about the tavern at the bottom of this post *

 Liberty Bell,:

Independence Hall

The home of Betsy Ross and her final resting place

If you wish to visit these historical places, and other famous Philly sites, we highly suggest you come visit Philly in the Fall Season on a weekday.

The weather is FABULOUS, and, because kids are in school, there are fewer tourists. Fewer tourists means there are no lines. I also want to add that the people who work at the security check points are not only "deaf aware", they also Sign if they know you are deaf.

* Here is more information about The Red Owl Tavern *

Red Owl Tavern

433 Chestnut Street

Philadelphia, PA  19106

215-923-2267
Website: http://redowltavern.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RedOwlTavern
Like them on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/RedOwlTavern/app_116943498446376

We hope your visit to Philadelphia is as fabulous as ours was!

Naida Processor Seminars

I received an email from Elizabeth (Beth Anne) regarding the Naida Processor. Advanced Bionics are doing a tour with seminar around the country the next few months sharing information and showing us the latest in Cochlear Implant technology.

I registered for the seminar coming to Philadelphia. If you would like to learn more, register and attend one of these meetings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Announcing the Naída CI Q70 Sound Processor a quantum leap forward in performance and wireless connectivity.

Please join Advanced Bionics for an educational seminar to learn about the latest cochlear implant innovations available to you or someone you know with hearing loss.

Attend one of the following educational seminars to learn about the features and benefits of this new technology. Additionally, the seminar will offer a demonstration of valuable resources to support your journey to better hearing. Time will be provided for conversation with other attendees and speaking directly with manufacturer representatives.

Seminar Details:

To register or learn more about the seminar locations and times, select the appropriate link below, or visit AdvancedBionics.com

September 5, 2013 Raleigh, NC https://www.regonline.com/abraleigh2013

September 10, 2013 New York City, NY http://www.regonline.com/abnewyorkcity2013

September 12, 2013 Boston, MA http://www.regonline.com/abboston2013

September 16, 2013 San Diego, CA http://www.regonline.com/absandiego2013

September 17, 2013 Nashville, TN http://www.regonline.com/abnashville2013

September 19, 2013 Dallas, TX http://www.regonline.com/abdallas2013

September 23, 2013 Valencia, CA http://www.regonline.com/abvalencia2013

October 14, 2013 Orlando, FL http://www.regonline.com/ABOrlandoConsumer2013

October 15, 2013 Chicago, IL http://www.regonline.com/abchicago2013

October 19, 2013 San Francisco, CA http://www.regonline.com/absanfrancisco2013

October 22, 2013 Phoenix, AZ http://www.regonline.com/abphoenix2013

 October 24, 2013 Houston, TX http://www.regonline.com/abhouston2013

October 29, 2013 Philadelphia, PA https://www.regonline.com/ABPhilly2013

November 3, 2013 Atlanta, GA http://www.regonline.com/ABAtlanta2013

November 5, 2013 Cleveland, OH https://www.regonline.com/abcleveland2013

November 7, 2013 Richmond, VA https://www.regonline.com/abrichmond2013

November 10, 2013 Baltimore, MD http://www.regonline.com/ABBaltimore2013

November 14, 2013 Denver, CO http://www.regonline.com/abdenver2013

Captioning for each session will be provided

028-M355-03 ©2013 Advanced Bionics AG and affiliates. All rights reserved.
If you have any questions or you are unable to attend the event, but would like to learn more, please contact the Bionic Ear Association (BEA):
Email hear@AdvancedBionics.com • Call 866.844.HEAR (4327) • Visit AdvancedBionics.com

To learn more, visit: https://col127.mail.live.com/default.aspx?id=64855#!/mail/ViewOfficePreview.aspx?messageid=129a71cf-1579-11e3-9348-002264c291ae&folderid=66666666-6666-6666-6666-666666666666&attindex=0&cp=-1&attdepth=0&n=1857997383

Princess Diana, Patron of the British Deaf Association

This video was posted by Alison Barney on Facebook's Signing Time Academy Instructors page. I never knew this about Princess Diana. This is captioned and signed in BSL:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yelE5nmK0dg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The Story of Speak2See by Dr. Dahlberg

One of the things I love about Twitter is how we find and connect with people and organizations, thereby becoming informed of things we never would have learned about otherwise. I would like to introduce you to Dr. Connor Dahlberg, the creator of the GREAT app, Speak2See. I asked Dr. Dahlberg if he would write a guest post for us. This is a wonderful story how an app was thought of and created by one doctor and his family to bridge the communication gap between him and his deaf and hard of hearing patients. 

The Story of Speak2See

Speak2See is my family's contribution to assist hearing-impaired patients, communicate with healthcare professionals, and aid hearing-impaired individuals in day to day life.  I am a Family Physician who specializes in caring for patients in Skilled Nursing Facilities.  My patients deserve to understand my questions and answers. Before Speak2See my options of communicating with my hearing-impaired patients were limited, I had to speak very loudly or write on a note pad.  These methods posed problems because my handwriting is not the best; thus, adding to the frustration of my patients.

I knew there had to be a better way.  In retrospect, I have always embraced technology; it started when my UCLA freshman chemistry professor allowed the use of calculators instead of slide rules on the exams. This not only changed the use of technology in education as a whole but it changed my life as well. At a young age my parent’s had me invest $150 dollars into a calculator which ignited interest in technology. I have owned Pocket Organizers, Palm Pilots and yes, a wrist watch calculator.   I am an iPhone Doctor.  I use it as a phone, beeper, medical library, flashlight, magnifying glass, charge tracker, PDR and now a visual communication device for my patients.

 I discussed this problem with my family and described an iPhone App idea.  My wife is an RN and my son is a Business Entrepreneur major at Babson College. I have two daughters: one is an Architect Urban Planner, the other a Commercial Real Estate broker. They encouraged me to pursue my dream of inventing an IPhone app called Speak2See.  My son offered to partner with me during his summer vacation in 2012. He helped find our first developer and set up Speak to See LLC.   The whole family participated in the development of the first edition of Speak2See. I began using It to visually communicate with my patients and they loved it!

Over the next several months of testing the app I found areas to improve Speak2See and completed the second improved version in the summer of 2013. Speak2See is simple but powerful.  I hit the button and speak into my Apple Device and instantly have large legible text to present to my patients.  I introduce myself, ask questions, answer questions, compliment patients and tell jokes. My patients interact naturally and stress free! After many months of research,  countless hours of conference calls with family members and taking a technology-beating to become an Apple iOS App Developer, I  became a little frustrated and asked myself if I could really justify the time and financial commitment to continue to work on this App.  My question was answered as I looked in my patient's eyes and could see and feel the level of satisfaction they felt from our interactions and understanding of their care based on using Speak2See.

Is Speak2See really simple?  Yes, you pull it out of your pocket and speak into it or use the custom Speak2See file system that allows you to save questions in specific categories.  An iPhone's inner workings are however, not so simple.  The device is a hand held Apple computer using a complex voice recognition program and a sophisticated IOS platform.  However, Apple devices are already in millions of pockets ready to add visual communication to its primary voice communication function. Our plan with Speak2See is to provide an accurate and comfortable tool to visually communicate with hard-of-hearing individuals. It is designed to help one person at a time and is the difference between understanding and medical confusion.  When used, my medical notes document for all to know I "communicated by Speak2See".

Currently Speak2See is available on all Apple IOS mobile devices, and can be purchased in the Apple App Store. 

Link to website: http://www.speak2see.com

Link to App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/speak2see/id617911268?mt=8

Follow us on Twitter @Speak2See

Degrees

Bachelor of Arts, Biology

University of California at Los Angeles. (UCLA)

1977, Phi Beta Kappa

Doctor of Medicine

University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)

1981

Family Practice Residency

Northridge Hospital (UCLA Affiliate)

1984

Professional Boards and Affiliations:

Board Certified American Academy of Family Practice

American Medical Directors Association, Certified Medical Director

Board Certified Hospice and Palliative Care

Thank you, Dr. Dahlberg for sharing the story of Speak2See.

Social Media in Times of Crisis

Today's post can be found over at #Strella Social Media. In honor of Deaf Awareness Week, Rachel Strella asked if I would write a guest post. Hop on over and take a peek:

http://strellasocialmedia.com/2013/09/twitter-crisis-deaf-womans-best-friend/

Help spread the word!

"Giving"

Giving. One of the beautiful thing about the action of giving is one can never know how the kindness of even a small gift such as this can not only change a person's heart, but their life, and yours as well. Take 3 minutes of your time today and watch how powerful the gift of giving is: This is captioned/subtitled.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s22HX18wDY

I saw this short film post on The Gawker and wanted to share the message.

Recognising a Deaf Customer (Deaf Awareness Week, 2013)

Deaf Awareness week begins next Monday, September 22nd. This post over at SunZu is one of the best I've read regarding tips how to spot a deaf customer. He simply states what everyone can do to improve customer service.

Spencer Clark explains why everyone needs to be "deaf aware", the different types of deafness, how deaf people might be different, methods of communication and how there is no one solution for all. Hop over and take a peek at what he wrote, or, better yet, print it out, post it at your place of work where you and your employees can see it. Be sure to forward "How to Recognise a Deaf Customer" to everyone you know.

http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=151585/

This really should be posted at every work station.

Be sure to also check out Spencer's website at DeafWise

Xpressive Handz Featured Among Wonderful Bloggers and Writers

The Healthy Hearing website is our "hearing aid information source". This page gets over 1 million visits a year by people looking for either an ear doctor, or information about hearing aids.

Healthy Hearing dedicated the month of September for bloggers from the hearing loss community, as well as authors who have written books about hearing loss. It is a privilege to be listed among the great blogger and writers they are featuring on the website this month.  I am especially touched by the description they attributed to me as Xpressive Handz.

http://www.healthyhearing.com/report/51510-Fitting-hearing-loss-into-your-lifestyle-featured-bloggers

Thank you, Amanda Tonkin, for the mention, as well as the kind description for Xpressive Handz.

Pyrates at the Faire!

My daughter flew out from the Oregon Coast for a visit. Of course, the first thing on our "to do" list was to spend a day at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, which is about 20 minutes from our home.

Miguel of Don Juan and Miguel

The weekend's theme was "Pyrate Invasion". As we neared the grounds, there was a billboard of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp himself) announcing the invasion. We saw several Captain Sparrow look-a-likes, along with a few Captain Morgans and a a few women pirates as well. People in costume get a discounted ticket upon entering the grounds, however, just an eye patch and hat won't you get you in. Costumes need to be well put together.

I wish I had picked up the cards of many of the venders and taken photos of their wares. There was beautiful jewelry, crafts and art everywhere.

Should you visit the Shire, be sure to stop by and visit with Peter Stackowiak of Perth Pewter. I loved his oil lamp of Stonehenge. We are making a return visit for Halloween at the Ren Faire with our 9 year old for trick or treating fun, and I plan to stop in and pick up one of Peter's creations. He has been working with Pewter for decades, and is now teaching his son the craft.

Peter Stachowiak, mold maker and owner of Perth Pewter

Pete is very friendly and understands hearing loss. His mother had no hearing in one of her ears, and only a percentage in the other one. I think that's what I saw him say. I'll have to ask him next time we stop by.

Look at this BEAUTIFUL Unicorn from the Magic Mist: http://www.perthpewter.com/unicorn-from-the-magic-mist.html that Peter crafted. Isn't this simply gorgeous?

Costumes are available throughout the realm. My daughter had a lovely time dressing in attire from 

Lady Gwendolyn Costume Rental & Purchase

I lost my little pill box during our last move. I had purchased a medicine pouch - I lost that, as well. I found the perfect solution to carrying my medicine with me at the booth owned by Mystic Realm Artisan

This beautiful locket has my birthstone, amethyst, and just enough room to carry my afternoon pill, and a few extras in case I drop one.

Don Juan and Miguel sword fighting. 

Oh, some poor soul lost their sanity! 

I'm looking forward to returning in a few weeks. The temperature will be much cooler, but the friendly folks of the Faire and the good fun will warm the heart yet again. Perhaps I'll take more photos next time. 

HLAA-Lancaster Meeting September 17, 2013

The next meeting for the Hearing Loss of Association of America, the Lancaster, PA chapter is Tuesday, September 17th.

The topic is:

Treatment for

Vertigo (Dizziness)

Presented by Kim Harris, Clinic

Director The Rehab Center, 

Honey Brook, PA

Everyone is welcome! Come join us next Tuesday morning at 10:00.

CART IS PROVIDED

LOCATION:

Village Center Building

Fellowship Hall (lower level)

Brethren Village Retirement

3001 Lititz Pike

Lancaster, PA

We hope to see you there!

Remembrance and Healing 9.11

Let us not only remember, but let us continue to heal.

My friend, Stephanie Jo Kent, the researcher who put together the #DEMX test along side FEMA a few years ago asked that I share this information. The date is September 13, so NOW is the time to register:

Interpreting as Stewardship

September 16, 2013 – April 18, 2014

Join Carol-lee Aquiline, Eileen Forestal, Shelly Herbold, Angela Jones, Lewis Merkin, Steph Sforza, Juliann Wasisco and others in a dialogue that aims to change the field of interpreting forever.

Interpreters are called upon to protect the identities and wisdom of every person during intercultural communication.

Communication theory helps us understand how rituals of using interpreters influence intercultural understanding and relationships - or lack thereof.

The concept of stewardship re-orients the task of the interpreter and extends the responsibility for successful communication from the interpreter alone to all of the participants. In this way, interpreting as stewardship is a special practice of intercultural communication specifically geared for social justice and democracy.

This phenomenal conversation about Interpreting as Stewardship begins next week. 

I've set up a payment plan to give you the option of paying in full ($600, if it is easiest to get it over and done with) or spreading the cost out over the eight months of the Learning Lab ($75/month).

Please note that discounts do not apply if you choose the payment plan. You can earn up to a 25% discount by contributing some "pre-work":  please read the fine print at http://darkallyredesign.com/what-we-do/interpreting-as-stewardship/.

Registration deadline extended until this Friday, September 13.

First, create an account at www.learningresiliency.com

Second, follow the instructions to enrol in Interpreting as Stewardship.

Thank you for taking care of this today.

best regards,

steph

Be Patient With Deaf and Hard of Hearing Callers

I have a serious pet peeve when it comes to telephone manners. I never noticed this until I lost so much hearing I needed to use a relay system to make telephone calls. There are a couple of different systems out there and each state has its own. I use the Cap Tel relay mobile app for IPhone and Hamilton Cap Tel Relay Service. 

The Cap Tel relay system is for people who use their own voice. My phone dials up the relay system and gets a Calling Agent for me who then calls the person I want to reach. When the person answers the phone, there is a pause on THEIR end of the phone while the Calling Agent types to me the phone has been answered, what was said, and whether it is male or female. This takes a few moments while they type the information to me and I read the captions.

The only problem I have is that people expect someone to start speaking right away, and when there is a pause, they hang up. When calling back, they get frustrated and short and sometimes don't answer after that.

I can no longer access automated answering systems because the delay causes the systems to think no one is there. They only allow a few seconds, then automatically hang up on us. Ironically,  phone companies are the worst with their automated systems. They are totally inaccessible.

I love my Cap Tel app. There are still problems I've not worked out as yet. I don't catch incoming calls, and I can't access my voice mail. I tell people who have my number not to leave a message. In fact, just email me and I'll call you. That way they know I'm calling and expect the delay while the Calling Agent sets up the call.

Next time your phone rings and no one speaks right away, don't assume it's a prank call or worse, a breather on the line. Be patient and see if it is a genuine call from someone who just has to use the phone a little differently from you. Someday, you may be the one depending on this kind of phone and calling service. Besides all that, it is just good manners to be patient with your callers and allow them the extra moment.

My Thoughts Regarding "Alone in a Hearing World"

I want to thank Dave McAuliffe for sharing this powerful video on Facebook in the Lipreading Mom and Dad's Forum.

This video was created for the "hearing" people in a deaf child's life, the parents, family, friends, coaches, and educators.

I would love it if someone could put captions or a transcript to this for us so we could all have access to the language, the ASL and the audio.

Though I didn't have Sign Language or any other help in classes at school when I was mainstreamed,  I understand much of what this boy experienced, though not quite the degree because I was hearing impaired, not deaf.

When I was in 7th grade, I took French classes. Though I struggled with the speaking and hearing portions, I did very well with the writing and reading. When I got to high school and continued on with French, the teacher hooked us up with microphones and headsets to learn the language strictly through audio recordings. I failed miserably. There were no lips to read, no visual cues. I explained I simply couldn't hear, and she told me I needed to find another class. I was disheartened. All I needed was someone to spare me a few minutes and go through the vocabulary a few times with me each week. The solution was simple to me. It didn't sit well with the teacher and I took up a different class.

Guess where I ended up living as an adult? In Europe, in a French speaking community in a village outside of Nurnberg in the Bavaria region of Germany. Though I had forgotten most of what I learned of the French language by then, it didn't matter. Most of the neighbors spoke English and were very accommodating when they saw me putting effort into trying to speak their language, whether it was German, French or Spanish. I simply told them "I don't have an 'ear' for language", pun intended, of course.

The startling points of this video are the statistics captioned at the end of this story:

*  One out of seven deaf and hard of hearing will become addicted to drugs and alcohol

*  That's 30% higher than individuals who can hear

              isolation, depression, lack of communication are all contributing factors

  

*  Only 23% of parents with deaf children learn to communicate through American Sign Language

WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP?

We can start by joining the campaign to #KEEPASLINSCHOOLS

ASL is an American language.  I think it is time to recognize that as a language of our American tax paying citizens, we should be inclusive and adopt this language throughout our school systems. Many child care centers, preschool and early elementary schools and high schools are now adding Sign Language as part of the curriculum. 

It would do us well to become an inclusive society and adopt American Sign Language into mainstream school and thereby, breaking down the communication barriers that divides our communities.

Together, we can make a better society not only for ourselves, but our children and their children. 

Take 12 minutes of your time and look at the world through the eyes of the child in the video, then join Monica with the campaign to Keep ASL In Schools Be sure to "like" the page while you are there to show support.

Here is the 12 minute video, "Alone in a Hearing World":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RImphoFjIUs