Buying a New Hearing Aid (Yay! and 'Yawn')

It has been at least six years since I bought a new hearing aid. I bought it based on a recommendation from an audiologist in New York City, while I was living there. I did not shop around or care to really learn more about the hearing aid I planned to buy, which was really expensive at the time. I did not even check to see if my insurance company would cover it. I was that clueless about buying a hearing aid. I simply went to one audiologist and bought it after he recommended it. It was easy. I think I was just not aware of the benefits of shopping around for a hearing aid, looking at reviews and recommendations from others, seeing if a less expensive version was available. I suppose I was lazy and just did not want to put in the work.

Luckily, the hearing aid worked out for me. I had the money at the time and the hearing aid worked great for me and still does today.

But, now with new technology and advances in hearing aids, I wonder if my old hearing aid is really all that great. It seems to work well for me now, but could it be better?

This was one of the reasons why I recently saw an audiologist; a new one. Someone recommended me to go to this center and get my hearing evaluated there. 

The evaluation part was okay. My hearing is almost the same (slightly worse in some areas), compared to my previous audiograms from other audiologists. I did really well with the speech discrimination portion (92%). During this part, the evaluator covered her mouth and said different words. The two words I missed were "thought" and "pick". When she said the word "thought", it sounded like she said "fart". I tried not to laugh and I said "start" instead. When she repeated the words without covering her mouth I got them immediately. I am an excellent lip reader, according to her. It's interesting how the scores for this part varies with different audiologists I have seen. I think how I will perform depends on some factors. Some audiologists are easier to understand than other and sometimes how I am feeling impacts how I hear speech.

When it came to her recommendations for hearing aids and technological devices I could utilize to help with my high frequency hearing loss, I was ready to go home. The thought of trying a new hearing aid tires me. I don't know why. I want to take my time with this I suppose. However, I was really excited to find out that my insurance company will cover a lot of the cost! That will be very helpful.

Of course the audiologist recommended a cochlear implant for my left ear (which is pretty much profoundly deaf). I said no. I am not ready to even think about going through the process of getting an implant right now. I have been doing pretty well not being able to hear with my left ear for 31 years. We talked about two hearing aids she recommended, which I am sure she feels obligated to push. I have heard about the hearing aids before and heard from users who recommend them, so it is a possibility that I'll try them.

There was only one thing she said that bothered me. When she talked about other patients who were unwilling to be implanted or to try some auditory training once they were implanted, she said, "I guess some people just don't want to hear." While it is true that there are many deaf people who prefer not to hear, I don't think this is true for people who are actively seeking information about cochlear implants or who are already implanted. I don't think anyone can understand what it must be like to be deaf or hard of hearing and go through a process like this. It is an overwhelming and personal experience that will take some a while to accept and deal with. It's not that I don't want to hear out of my left ear. I would LOVE to! That would be the greatest thing. I just don't want to deal with surgery, another device, extra batteries, and the training and adjustment that goes along with it. But, if I can just take a pill or a shot without any serious side effects, to restore hearing, I would do it in a heart beat.

A new hearing aid it is. 

Any suggestions?

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For and Against HB 1367

I have been reading various blogs about the House Bill 1367 which proposes to "remove the outreach center currently housed at the Indiana School for the Deaf, terminate all staff working in that center, and recreate a new outreach center separate from the school" (from NAD's Action Alert: Support Ind.School for the Deaf, Oppose HB 1367). Many people online oppose this bill, while few support it. People in favor of communicating with sign language seem to be against it, while those who use auditory/oral means seem to support the bill.

I personally don't really have any strong opinions on the matter. I have never been to the school and the outreach center. I have not heard from or met anyone who personally visited the outreach center and receive services from them.  From looking at their website, they offer several different services and support in various areas (speech and language, audiology, IEPs, working with mainstreamed students, Deaf Role Model, education, literacy coach, assessment services, etc.). Seems like a great place for parents and caregivers to get information and help.

I guess it would be more cost effective to keep the center and just add to it, whatever services the outreach center may be lacking. It is nice that the center is located on campus. I can see why some people are upset by this bill. There are concerns that ISD would have no control over what happens in the center and that it will eventually focus mostly on auditory/oral approaches since HEAR INDIANA will apparently be a part of the new outreach center.

However, since ISD students are entitled to free appropriate education, the center could provide services and information on all communication modes such as cued speech and AVT. I did not see anywhere on their website that discusses or provides information about these two. So, I can also see why some support this bill, because they would like to see more auditory/oral information and services offered for free.

Before forming your own opinions on the matter, unless you know about the situation first hand (have visited the outreach center and school, met people who work there, met people who use their services, etc.) it is important to actually read the bill, look at both sides and try to understand where each side is coming from.

Below are some links to bloggers and organizations against the bill:

• NAD's Action Alert: Support Ind. School for the Deaf, Oppose HB 1367

• An Open Letter to Indiana Government

• Letter From ASDC Board about HB 1367

Here are some links (not many out there) to bloggers and organizations supporting the bill:

• Support Indiana HB 1367: All Options for Children With Hearing Loss

• Hear Indiana SUPPORT Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education (HB 1367)

We'll have to see what happens. But, in the end, whether a new center is built or not, parents and caregivers are still ultimately responsible for their children and learning about what they can do to support their children. There are no excuses in this day and age with easy and instant internet access to information about deaf and hard of hearing children, education, and communication modes. It is a daunting task, to weed through the information provided, no doubt. But, people should know better than to rely on only one or two sources of information. The information is out there on the internet, from various centers, schools, specialists, educators, deaf and hard of hearing people, and organizations. Do your research. Knowledge is power.

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Questions For Deaf & HOH Teachers From a Reader

A reader left a comment with questions in response to an earlier post, Deaf Student Teacher With Hearing Students. Perhaps some of you can answer her questions and give her suggestions.

Wow, this is a very inspiring article and I enjoy reading all your comments. I am currently a hearing impaired student teacher (hard of hearing) teaching hearing students. I've taught 5th grade hearing students and loved it. I wish I could speak to each and every one of you. I would like to know what strategies you use in the classroom when working with hearing children. (read more)

She left her email address in case any of you would like to contact her. Go to comments section under original posting to view it.

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Please Link Back!!

If you are going to include some or all I have written or posted here on your website or blog, please, please, please, provide a link back and give me some credit!

Feel free to do whatever you want with what I have written, just link back. It's not cool when someone takes what I wrote or posted on this blog and then re-post it or use parts of it on their blog and website and not give me any credit whatsoever.

What if There is a Cure For Deafness?

I am excited and fascinated by the news of stem cell research approved by FDA in relation to treating hearing loss. I can't wait to find out what they learn.

In light of the news, I have been asked by more and more people, "What if deafness was cured tomorrow? What would you do? Would you be upset about not working in deaf education?" I usually laugh and tell them, "I would not be upset. I would be excited for those who benefit from getting their hearing restored. But, in reality, not everyone will benefit from this procedure or will want to. There will still be deaf or hard of hearing students to work with. There will still be people with cochlear implants. Even if everyone magically becomes hearing overnight and there are no deaf people, there will still be people with communication issues who could benefit from accommodations and services which I can help provide. I would just have to change my job title I suppose."

I think it would be incredibly selfish of me to be upset by the idea of a cure for deafness, because I will no longer be a teacher of the deaf. I would be thrilled if my students and their families no longer have to deal with communication issues, accommodations, special education, IEPs, small group, inclusion, speech therapy, hearing aids, cochlear implants, constantly being left out of most everyday spoken conversations, etc.

When people talk to me about cures for deafness and how it will happen any day now, I imagine truckloads of deaf and hard of hearing people lining up to receive their magical ear drops and suddenly have the ability to typically hear.

I don't think it will be this easy, as least not so soon.

Nevertheless, I can't wait to hear what they learn. How exciting!

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Crap People Say to Teachers of the Deaf & HOH

• "Wow, how sweet of you!"

• "You teach deaf kids? How noble of you."

• "You work on their speech and stuff?" 

• "Oh, like a speech teacher." 

•  "Must be nice having quiet students." 

• "Why do deaf people [insert question]?"

• "Aren't you concerned that sign language will keep the student from talking?" 

• "Since you work with him on speech, do you have any suggestions on how he can improve his articulation errors?" 

• "How do you teach deaf students to talk?" 

• "Can you interpret?" [for something that requires a certified sign language interpreter, like a formal evaluation/interview with a deaf signing student].

• "This is the speech teacher." 

• "Do you work on other things beside speech?"  

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