My Signing Could Use Improvement

A reader, J.K., commented:

I do recommend that you, as an educator, try to improve your own understanding of ASL, if only because it will allow you to make better judgments about the quality of an interpreter. There are little nuances in ASL that are important but are only gotten if you're fluent, IMO. Even though ASL is not my native language, I am almost equally fluent in ASL now, to the point that I can determine if an educator, interpreter, or any other professional working with deaf kids is qualified or not (I'm a deaf educator). I still have a "hearing" accent though; everyone thinks I'm hearing instead of deaf/hoh! lol.

I agree.

It has been hard, since no one I work with, except some interpreters and a teacher, are fluent or somewhat fluent in ASL or some sort of sign language system. 

I have been working on it. I watch videos of people signing whenever I get a chance. I practice finger spelling everyday. I sign with the interpreters and with my friends, whenever I get the time to see them and talk with them.

I would love to be fluent, but how am I supposed to become fluent if there is hardly anyone else around signing or using ASL? I suppose I can keep taking classes and try to only hang out with people who sign. But, it is finding the time to do this is what I struggle with, which is why I am looking forward to the summer break. Perhaps I can immerse myself in a signing environment for a weekend or more.

For now, I will just continue to watch videos of people signing, practice finger-spelling, and learn a new sign or two everyday. 

However, according to some deaf signing people and interpreters, my signing is pretty fluent. But, I disagree. If I have to sometimes stop and think about what to sign, or how to sign it, I am not there yet. I cringe when I meet other deaf educators who claim that they are fluent in ASL, when it is obvious that they are not. I don't want to be one of those people and I think I worry that if I claim to be fluent, others would disagree and would think I am being ridiculous. I want to be honest about my signing skills and let others know, so that I can get the most help I can get in improving my skills.

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Using Sign Language Interpreters Disadvantageous For Some

Occasionally, I will have sign language interpreters interpret for me when there is a meeting, a show, or some sort of presentation.

Some of the interpreters I work with love interpreting for me, especially the ones who have students who obviously do not use sign language or depend on sign language. Basically, for the ones with students who do not look at them or use sign language, sometimes it is as if they are talking to themselves or interpreting for an imaginary student. So, when they get to interpret for me, they get excited, because they get to practice and brush up on their skills with someone who knows sign language pretty well, not fluent, but knows enough to have a decent conversation about the weather (unless it is strictly ASL).

As many of you know, my preferred choice of communication is listening, speaking, reading, and writing English. I am the most comfortable with the English language; it is my native language.

You may be wondering why I would ask interpreters to interpret for me sometimes. I do it because not only am I evaluating the interpreters' skills, I am also trying to understand what it is like for the hard of hearing students whose preferred language is spoken English who do have sign language interpreters in the classroom. Some of these students have interpreters on a trial basis to see if sign language interpreting would help. Sometimes they have interpreters simply because their parents request it.

While sign language can be helpful in catching a few words I miss here or there, if I try to only watch what is being signed while also listen to what is being said, it can be the most irritating and exhausting experience. The interpreter is often distracting, as I try to listen to what is being said. If I focus more on what is said, I will understand pretty well. It helps to remain focused on the speaker and then to look at the interpreter as support or to ask the interpreter to clarify. Otherwise, if I only focus on the interpreter, I will not fully understand what is being said.

Also, it does not help that sign language or PSE is not my native language. There are a lot of signs that will be used that I may not be familiar with. One time an interpreter used mainly ASL with me which confused the heck out of me. Sometimes the interpreter will sign a phrase that does not make much sense to me, and I will sit there and try to figure out what it means. I am also fascinated by new signs and will mimic them as I am trying to learn and improve my signing. Unfortunately, as I am learning new signs by watching the interpreter, I am missing out on what is being said.

Occasionally, the interpreter will use a sign that I thought was not appropriate for the word that was used. I noticed that sometimes the sign did not clearly represent the word (such as using the sign for 'don't like' for the word 'despise').

Some of the students will tell me that they do not want an interpreter in the classroom because they do not understand them or because they are distracting.

Because of what they have told me, what I have observed, and because of my personal experiences with being interpreted for, I realize that having an interpreter in the classroom may not be the best thing for them at the moment.

But, for the ones who do use sign language and rely on it, the interpreters are very useful and awesome. 

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No More Lousy Audiograms Please!

Speaking of audiologists providing incomplete and poorly plotted audiograms, just yesterday another teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing showed me an audiogram, asking me if I can make any sense of it. 

This audiogram had "two attempts" on the graph. The "1st attempt" showed a moderate to moderately-severe hearing loss in both ears. The "2nd attempt" looked like a mild hearing loss, overall.

Here is what it looked like using the Audiogram Creator provided by HearingAidKnow. 

As you can see, there is a tremendous difference between the two attempts! (Second attempt - top portion).

First of all, having both "attempts" on the audiogram was confusing and looked like a mess, especially since it was not plotted neatly. Second of all, the audiologist provided no information whatsoever about why there were two attempts. In addition, he also did not write down or explain what type of hearing loss this student has.

The more I looked at the audiogram, the more confused I became. Ugh, it was a headache.

Nevertheless, we will send a request to the audiologist to please do a better job of plotting down the results and to clearly explain the test results.

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Related Posts: 

Note to Some Audiologists

Audiograms of Some of My Students - How I Use Them

Note to Some Audiologists

Note to Some Audiologists,

• Please use clear and legible hand writing. Some of us have to read, understand, and explain audiograms for our jobs.  

• It helps to provide aided audiograms, if possible. 

• Please take the time to explain to patients and parents or caregivers of patients what their audiogram means in layman's terms. It also helps to clearly explain what their hearing loss is in ways they can understand. 

• Provide audiograms with pictures; visually describing how certain sounds or frequencies are heard at certain decibels.

• Do not provide incomplete audiograms or audiograms that looked as if they have been plotted  by aliens.  

Thank you,

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Related Post:

Read an Audiogram - How to Do It

Happy Easter

 

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Issues Deaf & HOH People Should Be Concerned About

Rather than trying to convince each other who is right and who is wrong when it comes to issues such as cochlear implantation and which communication mode deaf and hard of hearing people should use, we should focus on getting upset about other issues. I will admit that there have been times, when I feel as if someone else is insulting and putting down others who don't agree with them, I will stoop down to their level and do the same thing. I know, real mature. But, this is what happens when we continue to argue, bicker, and scream at each other, getting absolutely nowhere. It is not good when the debate gets heated and turns into nothing but personal attacks and insults.

Instead, we should put our judgments and opinions aside and work together to try to solve other problems facing deaf and hard of hearing people; other problems I think we can all pretty much agree on.


Here is a list of issues I think deaf and hard of hearing people should be concerned about:

• Hardly any deaf and hard of hearing people on television, commercials (other than commercials about hearing aids and hearing services), animations, and movies. 
• Lack of accommodations. Not many businesses and public places provide accommodations for deaf and hard of hearing people. I would like to believe that businesses run by deaf or hard of hearing individuals would provide appropriate accommodations or would be more aware of deaf and hard of hearing issues which is why I would like to see more business run by deaf and hard of hearing people. 
• I do not know of many mentoring programs for deaf and hard of hearing children (a mentoring program similar to Big Brothers Big Sisters). 
• Deaf and hard of hearing education needs a lot of work.
• Lack of qualified interpreters, especially in the education system.
• Lack of awareness of deaf and hard of hearing issues.
• Not enough deaf and hard of hearing people working in the field of deaf and hard of hearing education. 
• Deaf and hard of hearing people who are shy to use sign language in public with typically hearing people, especially when they are by themselves or do not have an interpreter with them. Instead of the deaf or hoh person patiently trying to understand what is being said to them, why not make the non- signer patiently try to understand what the deaf or hoh person is saying using sign language?  If you want more people to sign, then you need to show it off more often. Yes, there will be some ignorant and mean jerks out there, but you can't let them stop you.

         Great example of this:

       
        via sawing14s

• It is 2011, and many movie theaters all over the U.S. still refuse to provide more captioned or subtitled movies for the deaf and hard of hearing. Why hasn't anyone start a movie theater business where all of their movies are captioned and subtitled at all times? I bet if we work together and raised a lot of money, we can open a few movie theaters that provide captioned and subtitled movies at all times. It would be a good business!

What else should deaf and hard of hearing people be upset about?  What are some problems facing deaf and hard of hearing people that we can try and solve?

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Relieve Some Stress: Cute Kitten Video and Funny Parody

My goodness, work has been super overwhelming lately. : (
A cute kitten video and a funny parody of it never fails to help me relieve some stress. : )

Hope you enjoy them. 

From rozzafly


From lopeprod

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Doctors Performing Cochlear Implant Surgery Only In It For The Money?

I am tired of hearing about how all doctors who perform cochlear implant surgery are only in it for the money. I am also sick of hearing about how all doctors and audiologists who suggest cochlear implantation do it strictly to make lots of money. Some will go as far as to say that all doctors and audiologists will push cochlear implantation on all patients who are deaf or hard of hearing, in hopes of making more money. If this is true, why would all of the various audiologists and doctors I have seen in the past strongly advise me not to consider getting a cochlear implant? They all have told me that I am not a candidate for it and that they think it is not worth undergoing surgery on my left side (which is mainly profoundly deaf). They believed that there is a good chance that it would not work since I have gone without any sort of amplification on that side for so long. I remember one told me, because I have been doing relatively well without any sort of amplification there, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
                                                    
The only people who tried to encourage me to look into getting a cochlear implant were sales representatives and cochlear implant specialists from major cochlear implant companies.

Read what a parent had to say about the myth that all doctors are only in it for the money:

Myth: Doctors who perform Cochlear Implant surgery are only in it for the money.

Reality: I don't see how this can be true. While many insurance companies do cover Cochlear
Implants, the contractual agreements they have with the implant centers greatly restricts the amounts the Insurance will pay. For example: because of the contractual arrangement our insurance had with our implant center, the final amount they received from the insurance company was less than what the center had to pay for the device itself. No "Big Bucks" were made by the surgeon, the implant center, or the hospital when my son was implanted. His follow-up care (aural rehabilitation and speech processor programming) is provided by his private school, so the implant center doesn't make money with this either. Neither does his school.

From Listen-Up Web's Cochlear Implant Myths & Realities

Even if I was a candidate for cochlear implant surgery, I would not get one for personal reasons. I don't want to undergo surgery and I do not want to be responsible for another hearing device. One hearing aid is enough for me. But, that's me. I don't expect everyone else to feel the same as me or to do the same.

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*Photo from Flickr

Related Post:

Stop Saying That Most Audiologists Are Greedy!

Cochlear Implantation For "Medical Reasons"

It is interesting to me how some deaf people are willing to accept the idea of other deaf people getting cochlear implantation for treating symptoms such as tinnitus, because to them this is a real medical issue. If a deaf person got cochlear implants because they want to hear better, then they would think that what they did was unnecessary or wrong.

So, to some of those who are fine with deaf people suffering from tinnitus to receive cochlear implantation, why would you use scare tactics and totally false claims that cochlear implantation is guaranteed to fail with those who choose to get implanted for hearing reasons? I have seen some of you leave nasty comments to deaf people considering cochlear implantation to help them hear and to parents considering getting cochlear implants for their children. But, when a well respected deaf individual gets a cochlear implant, it is fine, because this individual was suffering from tinnitus. Some of you even claimed that a certain individual received one due to vertigo (which is unlikely). At least this is what I gathered from several of these types of comments left at different places over time.

Interesting.

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Cochlear Implant Used to Treat Tinnitus. But What About Vertigo?

Some comments, responding to an article paralleling skin bleaching to cochlear implantation, claimed that some deaf adults who suffer from vertigo and tinnitus are told by their doctors that the only way to cure either is to undergo cochlear implantation surgery. Therefore, according to the commentors, this can be seen as a medical issue which needs to be fixed (as oppose to getting a CI strictly for hearing purposes).

Sometimes, if necessary, doctors will recommend cochlear implantation to treat tinnitus. Read this article explaining clearly how cochlear implantation can help treat tinnitus in some patients. 

I have not heard about cochlear implants being recommended for vertigo, though.

But, I have heard that in many cases, symptoms of vertigo occurred post surgery.

Apparently, there are doctors who have used a type of surgically implanted device, which is based on cochlear implant devices, to treat vertigo associated with Meniere's disease. It sounds as if it is not like getting a cochlear implant for hearing purposes. It has a processor that will activate when vertigo strikes the person to help ease the symptoms.                                                                                       

From Healthy Hearing about treating vertigo using the device:

A patient wears a processor behind the affected ear and activates it as an attack starts. The processor wirelessly signals the device, which is implanted almost directly underneath in a small well created in the temporal bone. The device in turn transmits electrical impulses through three electrodes inserted into the canals of the inner ear's bony labyrinth.

"It's an override," Phillips said. "It doesn't change what's happening in the ear, but it eliminates the symptoms while replacing the function of that ear until it recovers."

Does anyone know more about this? Is there anyone who received cochlear implants in their adult years strictly for these purposes?

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Related Post:

• Being Deaf Is Not a Medical Issue?

*Photo from Flickr

Using SEE (Signed Exact English)

When I was taking ASL classes at a local community college, I was told by some teachers, who were hearing interpreters, that Signed Exact English (SEE) was not a language or should not be a language used with deaf people. One described it as an artificial language. These teachers told us that it was best that we refrain from using English signs. I could understand that we should focus on trying to use ASL when mingling with various deaf people, especially the Deaf cultured ones. But, when I tried to ask about whether there are deaf people who use SEE or parents who use SEE with their children, they did not have much information about this.

The only teacher who could give me some information about this was a deaf teacher. She told me about how she will use ASL with some people and more of an English version with others. She told me that there was nothing wrong with using SEE, if the person feels more comfortable using it.

In a sense, SEE is an artificial language, manually. It is a code for the English language. It was developed in the 70s with the intention to help strengthen English language skills.

But wouldn't ASL be perceived as an artificial language by very young deaf children if used by typical hearing parents struggling to learn it while trying to use it consistently? If not artificial, choppy and awkward for sure. Of course, I am not saying ASL is an artificial language. It is a beautiful and interesting language, if used properly.

At least with SEE, parents, who speak English, would not have to worry about using a totally different grammatical structure. It would be way easier to learn than ASL, and it would be a way for them to communicate with their deaf child using a language they are most comfortable with; a language they know and use.

I have met a few people who had parents who used SEE with them. They were able to communicate with their parents at home effectively, while mastering the English language. At the same time, these people learned ASL at school or with their friends who use ASL (or should I say more like PSE), while they continued to use SEE at home with their parents. They told me that once their parents became more comfortable with using SEE, their parents relaxed and dropped a lot of the articles (the, a, and, etc.) and adopted more ASL signs.

I thought that was interesting. It shows that SEE can work, if used properly. It may not be a language (manually), but it represents one.

Any of you use SEE or did use SEE? 

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The Case of the Eh? What? Huhs?

There have been times where I am talking to someone and everything is going well; conversation is flowing and I understand everything being said. Then, suddenly, a constant loud background noise interferes or the air conditioner comes on (if inside somewhere).

What usually happens next is that I get the case of the Eh? What? Huhs?

Suddenly, I am asking the person to repeat him or herself. Parts of their speech becomes unintelligible. I get distracted by the background noises. I fiddle with my hearing aid. I lean in some more and look at the person talking as if I am intensely fascinated in what he or she has to say. I get tired. I get frustrated. Unless we can move somewhere else or the person knows sign language, the conversation we were having has been ruined.

It is always strange how things can change rapidly due to background noise. Most people with typical hearing will have more trouble participating in conversations in noisy areas. But, for those who are deaf or hard of hearing it can be a disaster.

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Guess Who Is Blogging For 2011 HLAA Convention :)

I am happy to announce that I will be blogging for the 2011 Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) Convention in Washington, D.C. this summer. Nancy Macklin, the Director of Events and Marketing, contacted me a while ago asking me if I would like to be the official blogger for this year's HLAA. I was flattered that she asked me. I happily accepted.

I will start blogging soon, giving updates before I arrive, while I am there, and post convention.

It should be interesting.

Here is the link to the HLAA Convention Blog, where I will be blogging:  http://hlaaconvention.blogspot.com/

If you have not attended the HLAA Convention, I strongly suggest that you look into it. I went last year and it was so much fun and very informative.

I wrote about it last year. You can read it here.

Hope to see some of you there!

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How to Get Insurance Companies to Cover Hearing Aids

I came across this great hearing aid resource online called, Sample Letters of Justification, from The Listen-Up Web. It contains several sample letters you can use to write to your insurance companies to convince them to help cover the costs of hearing aids; if not all, then part of the costs at least.

Apparently, some people have been able to convince their insurance companies to cover the costs of their hearing aids. 

According to this website,  Widget Richards was successful. The advice she gave:

1. Look at your Health Plan and see if they cover Home Medical Equipment, Prosthesis, or Orthopedic, etc...
2. Write a letter when submitting bill for hearing aids.
3. Appeal, Appeal, Appeal, if you get turned down.

Excerpt of one letter:

As a member of the _________ Health Plan, I am expressing concern about my Health Policy and why the Health Plan does not cover my medical condition.  I was recently turned down by __________ (name of insurance company) for an Artificial Ear called a Hearing Aid.  Consider this letter as a formal Appeal.
          In the_________ Health Plan on page __ #__.  Audiometry examinations for hearing aids, or hearing aids are NOT COVERED under the Health Plan but  on page __#__ , Home Medical Equipment, Prosthesis, Orthosis are COVERED under the Health Plan.
          Hearing Aids are considered as Home Medical Equipment, Prosthesis or a Orthosis by the definitions in the ________Health Plan manual.  The Hearing device is a Home Medical Equipment because it is used repeatedly which is Medically Necessary to improve the functioning of a malformed body member and is used to prevent further deterioration of the patient's medical condition.  A Hearing aid is a Prosthesis because it is a artificial part, appliance or device used to replace a missing part of the body.  A hearing aid is an Orthopedic appliance or apparatus used to support, align, and prevent or correct deformities or to improve the function of movable body parts.   Hearing Aids will NEVER restore that body member to 100% normal functioning, a hearing aid only improves the functioning and helps prevent further deterioration of other medical conditions.   An artificial Arm will never give that person 100% movement, it only improves the functioning.  Leg Braces  for a malformed leg are used only to support, align, prevent or correct deformities or improve the function of movable body part. . .Read more.

To look at the sample letters this site provides, click on this link: 
http://www.listen-up.org/haid/haidfund2.htm

Is there anyone who had any luck getting their insurance companies to cover their hearing aids or cochlear implant devices?  Anyone still trying but with no luck? 

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Being Deaf Is Not a Medical Issue?

Don Grushkin left a comment under this article discussing how skin bleaching in Jamaica parallels cochlear implantation.

He said:

Being Deaf is NOT a medical issue, either. It is NOT a life-threatening condition. Therefore, cochlear implant surgery is "cosmetic" -- only to attempt to "enhance" quality of life (and I am not debating here whether that "enhancement" actually happens or not).

Interesting. In some ways I agree with the notion that my hearing aid enhances the quality of my life. I cannot deny that it does. However, I mainly see hearing aids and cochlear implants as medical devices, not cosmetic.

Being deaf or hard of hearing is a medical issue in my opinion. 

If I did not have my hearing aid, surely I would not die or become gravely ill. However, I may not be able to perform many of my job's duties which involves interacting with a variety of people in different settings. My hearing aid helps me hear the other person speak more clearly when I am in a noisy environment or if I am in a room where other people are talking. Somehow its tiny microphone will move on its own towards the speaker's voice, which helps tremendously.

Without my hearing aid, I would have to ask for more accommodations and would have to struggle more as I try to understand what is being said.

Without my hearing aid, I cannot for the life of me understand what children are saying. With my hearing aid I can understand what they are saying with their tiny voices somewhat, not 100%, but it is better than nothing.

If I did not have my hearing aid, I don't think I would want to continue working where I work now. I probably would not be able to perform my job as well. 

It is a medical issue because my hearing loss keeps me from performing certain basic job duties that involve listening that many people take for granted.

It is a disability. It is lacking a sensory that typically developing humans are supposed to have. That is the reality, at least in this world.

Even if the entire world was fully equipped for all of us who are deaf or hard of hearing (everyone understands and uses sign language, every movie theater includes movies with captioning or subtitles, hearing aids and cochlear implants will always be fully insured, etc.), it is still a medical issue.

If you believe that being deaf or hard of hearing is not a medical issue, you would probably agree that missing a limb or two is not a medical issue. They are not dying or gravely ill. It is not a life threatening issue. You would describe their prosthetic leg or arm as cosmetic in that they only enhance their quality of life. You might as well consider wheelchairs cosmetic too.

And you might as well say that sign language interpreters are cosmetic, not medically necessary, which I am sure some of you may want to view this service as cosmetic anyway, to take the focus off of deafness being a disability.

You have to understand that some people did not ask to lose their hearing later in life. Some lost it due to an illness or a traumatic injury. They should have every right to view deafness as a medical issue.You cannot expect most of them to accept or understand the concept of deaf culture or viewing deafness as a way of life. If they want to get a cochlear implant or use hearing aids to help, it would be hard to view them doing this just so they can enhance the quality of their lives. I see it more as them attempting to recover from the trauma they experienced in losing their hearing.

To say that cochlear implants and hearing aids are cosmetic devices is a slap in the face for those who depend on them. It makes me mad because most of us have been fighting to get insurance companies to stop viewing them as cosmetic and understand that for those who depend on them, they are medical necessities!

For those of you who do not view deafness as a medical issue, good for you. That is wonderful that you can fully accept being deaf and hard of hearing and get by without any need for hearing aids, cochlear implants, or using speech. That is great (and I am not being sarcastic here). But, for those who view being deaf or hard of hearing as more of a culture or ethnicity, don't expect thousands and thousands of other deaf and hard of hearing people, who may have acquired their hearing loss differently from you or live a different lifestyle from you, to agree with you.

I think it would be great if I felt I did not need my hearing aid. But, in my opinion, I feel that I do. In fact I know that I do. I don't want a hearing aid, I NEED it.

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Inspirational Video of Deaf High School Teacher

Pulled from YouTube playlist provided by a reader and teacher Jennifer. Thanks Jennifer!

Let me know if you have any trouble with the captions. I can't seem to get them to work at the moment.

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Getting Deaf & HOH Students Together

I have been collaborating with Silent Echo Of Harmony Inc. and others trying to come up with ways I can get my deaf and hard of students together. One of the biggest problems I come across when working with these students is that they are often the only deaf or hard of hearing student in their class or even the entire school. Some of them have expressed desire to meet other kids like themselves. One of them wondered why there are no kids like him on television and movies. One thought that he was the only deaf boy in the entire state!

So, it is quite obvious that there needs to be more interaction between each other and more exposure to various types of deaf and hard of hearing people, especially the successful and well known ones such as Ashley Fiolek, Sean Forbes, and Antoine Hunter.

I know that because I am new and only a little teacher within the public school system, it will be difficult to plan things such as field trips and gatherings during school hours. Right now I am starting small by helping some of my students put on presentations in their classrooms about themselves and other hard of hearing and deaf people. Eventually, I would like to see them put on presentations for the entire school, if they wish to.

With the rules and regulations, little time, and testing, it will be difficult to plan at first, but it can be done and I will work my hardest to see that it happens. Now that I am more comfortable with my position and have a better understanding of how this school district works, I am more than ready to start.

Silent Echo of Harmony Inc. has inspired me to be more proactive in this. Please visit their site and read about their mission. I truly hope this organization can achieve its goals of bringing more awareness about deaf and hard of hearing issues. 

I hope I can make more of these types of changes next school year, if not this year.

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Related Post:

• Issues I Have With Mainstreaming

Helping a Student Change Her Hearing Aid Batteries

Yesterday morning I assisted in helping my first student change her hearing aid batteries. Changing batteries is a fairly simple process that should not take very long. But, sometimes helping students change their hearing aid batteries can be a long and complicated process.

The teachers reported that this young student with two hearing aids was having difficulty hearing and focusing. She was more quiet and less talkative than her usual self. Her teachers suspected that her hearing aids were not working or fitting properly. She kept fiddling with them and pushing them into her ears. Luckily, this happened early in the morning right before I came to see her (she was the first student I saw in the morning).

First, I had to determine what the problem could be. I looked at her ear molds and tubes and they seemed fine. I checked her hearing aids by listening to them using a hearing aid stethoscope and learned that they were not working at all. I suspected that her batteries were not working. It took a while for me to get to her batteries, because of these tricky locks on the battery cases. You have to push this tiny metal button while simultaneously pushing down on the battery case. While I was doing all of this, I had the student clean her hearing aid ear molds using the wipes that came with her hearing aid kit. Using a battery tester, I learned that her batteries were dead. I let the student use the battery tester, so that she could practice learning how to do this herself. I replaced her batteries and then had a teacher listen using the stethoscope (after I cleaned them with antibacterial wipes and spray), so she could practice using this tool. She reported that they were working now. Then I cleaned the stethoscope again using the wipes and sprayed them with a special sanitizer used specifically for hearing aid kit materials.

Finally, the student was able to put in the hearing aids, but after she practiced putting them in herself, which took roughly five minutes. After I helped put in her hearing aids properly, I stepped back and asked the student if the hearing aids are working now. She smiled and yelled out, "Yes! Yay!" She spoke loudly and started chatting away. She became more energetic and seemed happy now.

All of this took a little over 25 minutes.

I really enjoyed it and was happy I was able to help some.

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*If interested in hearing aid kits or learning more about them, you can find them on Amazon.

Speech Related Posts

Here is a list of speech related posts I have written:

• Working On Your Child's Speech

• How Rude!

• Do You Hear How She Sounds Monotone?  

• Having Imperfect Speech, Not the End of the World

• Working On Improving Your Speech

• My Speech Therapist Was a Jerk

• OK, Let's Work On Your R's!

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Working On Your Child's Speech

Sometimes parents ask me how they can work on their child's speech at home. They usually want to find ways they can help improve their speech or continue at home with what little speech therapy they think they get at school (if mainstreamed).

I usually tell them that they would probably be better off asking a speech pathologist, because I am not one.

Then I add that from personal experience, there are a few things they should keep in mind when correcting or trying to help their child's speech and articulation.

• Please, when you are correcting your child's speech, do not do it when your child is trying to tell you something important or wants to tell you something that they are excited about. 
• When you correct their speech, please be mindful of where or how you do it. It is probably not a good idea to correct their speech in front of their friends or in public in front of strangers. 
• It really should be about speech that is understandable. Do not strive for perfection. 
• Do not become your child's speech therapist. They need your love and encouragement more than anything.

About correcting speech, there is nothing worse than being interrupted several times as you try to tell a story or tell something you think is important. Imagine how you would feel if you were constantly corrected as you tried to tell someone about a fight you had with your best friend. If you constantly correct your child's speech, he or she may become reluctant to come and talk to you if they need help or someone to listen to him or her.

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Related Posts: 

How Rude!

Having Imperfect Speech, Not the End of the World

Working On Improving Your Speech

How Rude!

As some of you already know, because of my hearing loss, I will often mispronounce words because I will often mishear how they are being pronounced. Therefore, people, usually people who know me well enough, will correct me. Most people have been respectful when correcting my speech. But, there have been a few times when people were not so nice about it. One of those times happened in a college class when I mispronounced the word corset. I pronounced it as koor-set. Unfortunately, the professor corrected me rudely in front of everyone. She laughed and chided, "No, I think you meant to say koor-sit, not koor-set. What are they teaching you guys? So, anyway---."  A few people in class chuckled and some people looked at the professor disapprovingly.

I felt so stupid, I wanted to hide. If I was more assertive and aware of my hearing loss then, I probably would have spoken to her about it after class. All I did was sit there and look down. I felt my face turn red. I kept seeing an image of Stephanie from the TV sitcom Full House crying, "How rude!"

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Decorated In-The-Ear Hearing Aid!

 

From Sotiki's Flickr Account

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One Thing That Really Bothers Me About Itinerant Teaching

One thing that really bothers me about itinerant teaching is that             I never have time. 

I feel as if I never have time to work on my lesson plans, to reflect, and to teach. The mountains of paperwork, never ending meetings, and constant planning and preparing leaves me little time to talk and work with my students, their teachers, classmates, and family members. Sometimes I just want to sit and talk with some of my students and hear their ideas and feelings, instead of hurriedly working on the set goals and objectives, collecting the data, and getting them back to their classes on time.

When I do pull out some of my students, sometimes there are no quiet rooms available at the moment and ten minutes can be wasted as we walk around searching for a quiet room.

The constant traveling to different schools doesn't help much. Sometimes I get stuck in traffic or behind some slow moving truck, making me late for my next student or meeting, costing me even more time.

I would like more time to sit down with teachers and administrators and have open honest discussions as we work together to figure out how to solve the many problems and issues surrounding each deaf and hard of hearing student.

I would absolutely love to meet and talk with the parents and family members of each student more often. 

Most of all, I would love to have more time to get together with the other deaf and hard of hearing itinerant teacher to share our hopes, fears, frustrations, questions, ideas, and lesson plans. 

I am currently working on trying to manage my time wisely so I can have more time to do all of the things I feel is more important than making sure a document was signed or faxed properly. I can't keep staying late at the office until 5 or 6, waking up at 3 or 4 in the morning, spending lunch, or spending some of the weekends catching up on paperwork.

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Can You Tell That Someone is Deaf By Looking at Their Fingers?

I was reading this recent article discussing how clinical studies have shown that most deaf people have this physical trait that distinguishes them from people with typical hearing. But, they think that this only pertains to those who were born deaf or acquired deafness genetically.

Interestingly, it has nothing to do with the ear. They say it is in the fingers.

They learned that if the pointer or index finger is longer than your ring finger, most likely the person is deaf or hard of hearing.

Weird. 

I have looked at my fingers and it doesn't apply to me at all. But, most likely I did not acquire my deafness from genetics. I am not even sure if I was born with it. 

I don't know how true this is, and I don't know what we are suppose to take from this.

Read the article, and let me know what you think.

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