OHIO AG BELL ASSOCIATION
P.O. BOX 24080
MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, OH 44022
The Ohio Chapter of AG Bell
Association Fall Newsletter
www.ohioagbell.org
www.agbell.org
FACEBOOK
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TWITTER
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The Ohio Chapter
Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Annual Newsletter
Fall 2013
Keep
Connected
Are you connected with The Ohio Chapter of AG Bell on Facebook and on
Twitter? These two social media sites provide an excellent way to keep up-todate on activities in our state, and to connect with other families and individuals
with hearing loss in your own community. You’ll also find great educational
resources, and tips on Parent Advocacy and the latest on hearing technology.
Keep connected with your Ohio Chapter friends.
Search “The Ohio Chapter of AG Bell” on Facebook, or us find on Twitter
FROM YOUR CO-PRESIDENTS, KELLY AND LINDSAY
Greetings! So far, 2013 has brought many exciting
changes for the Ohio Chapter of AG Bell! We have
welcomed a number of new board members to the
organization including Robin Phillips Miller, Katie
Montague, Carey Ratliff, Molly Weber, and past
board member Laura Gold.
Please take the
opportunity to “meet” the new board members by
reading information about them at our website
www.ohioagbell.org.
We also said farewell and thanks to several board
members including Meredith Knueve, Jenny Golowin,
Tammy Kenny, Laura Cantrell, Todd Houston, and
Don Rust. Meredith is President-Elect of AG Bell
National, and we wish her luck as she begins to take
on more responsibilities at the National level.
In February, we sponsored a booth at the Ohio
Academy of Audiology conference in Columbus
where current AG Bell National President and Ohio
native Don Goldberg presented.
In May, we participated in the Hearing Loss
Association of America’s Walk4Hearing in Dayton.
We also supported Jacob’s Ride at the Cleveland
Indians’ baseball game.
Jacob Landis has a
cochlear implant and visited 30 ballparks this
summer to raise money to help people who cannot
afford cochlear implants to be able to get one.
our extremely dedicated and enthusiastic board
members, volunteers, and of course all of the
families who attended. We are thankful for all you do
to spread the word that people with hearing loss can
learn to speak and listen.
Currently, we are making preparations for our
upcoming conference to be held on November 9,
2013 at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus.
Our keynote speaker this year is Becky Clem who
serves as the First Sounds-First Words Project
Coordinator at Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort
Worth, Texas. We will have break-out sessions in the
afternoon with presentations such as getting the
most out of therapy sessions, music therapy,
telepractice, make-and-take therapy activities, raising
children with hearing loss and growing up with a
hearing loss, to name a few. This conference should
have topics of interest to a wide audience including
parents, professionals and adults with hearing loss!
We hope to see all of our Ohio Chapter members in
November!
More details can be found at
www.ohioagbell.org.
As always, we want to provide opportunities and
support for our members. If you have any ideas you
would like to share, please contact us at
info@ohioagbell.org.
Regards,
In June, we hosted three separate family events in
Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati/Dayton. All of Kelly Gilkey and Lindsay Zombek
these events would not have been possible without
Co-Presidents, Ohio Chapter of AG Bell
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OHIO AG BELL ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING
2013 FAMILY EVENTS
S JACOB
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CLEVELANDERS JOIN
LANDIS AT PROGRESSIVE
FIELD
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PARTICIPATES IN
HLAA’S WALK4Hearing 5K
by Carey Ratliff
Clevelanders join Jacob Landis at Progressive
Field!
The Schmitz family enjoying a great morning at
HLAA Walk4Hearing 5K!
Jacob Landis is a CI recipient who has committed
to riding his bike to all 30 major league baseball
stadiums this summer to raise awareness of
cochlear implants and funds for those who cannot
afford them. Jacob’s coast-to-coast 10,500 mile
bike ride began on April 3, 2013 in Annapolis, MD
where he cycled the first leg of his journey to
attend a Nationals baseball game at National Park
in Washington, D.C.
The Dayton/Cincinnati Walk4Hearing 5K was
hosted by the Hearing Loss Association of
America (HLAA) on Saturday, May 18, 2013 in
Kettering, Ohio. The walk’s mission was to raise
awareness about hearing loss as well as to raise
funds for programs and services for people with
hearing loss. Team Ohio AG Bell was thrilled to
help the HLAA in exceeding their goal of
$30,000.00!
He visited Progressive Field in Cleveland for an
Indians game on Tuesday May 7, 2013. This was
a wonderful opportunity for local candidates,
recipients, professionals, and AG Bell members
and their families and friends to socialize with
others and to support this worthy cause - and, of
course, to cheer the Indians on to a win. Jacob’s
Ride is expected to end on September 24, 2013,
175 days later, where he will attend his final game
on his ride at Marlins Stadium in Miami, Florida.
For more information about Jacob’s Ride, visit
www.jacobsride.com.
At Ohio AG Bell’s informational table, many
individuals, families and professionals stopped by
to connect and learn more about the various
opportunities that are available through the Ohio
Chapter of the Alexander Graham Bell
Association. Parents were thrilled to learn of our
free 6-month parent membership. Many parents
and professionals received information about
attending our Bi-Annual Conference in November.
It was a wonderful morning of community,
outreach and fun!
OHIO AG BELL ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING
2013 FAMILY EVENTS
Left Picture: Kelly Halacka
Gilkey and her two sons watch
the horses at Lake Metroparks
Farmpark.
Right Picture: Lindsay
Zombek chats with a young
child at Lake Metroparks
Farmpark.
CLEVELAND EVENT – LAKE METROPARKS FARMPARK!
By Denise Kestner
Cleveland area families gathered at Lake Metroparks FarmPark on Saturday, June 1, 2013. There were 21
people in attendance that had plenty of time to get to know each other while snacking under the covered
pavilion. The Ohio AG Bell board members discussed many topics with their visitors. Everyone went home
with many handouts and flyers!
While at Lake FarmPark the children and their parents were able to enjoy visiting with newborn piglets,
watching a horse competition in the indoor corral, and spending time petting the goats, horses, cows, sheep,
chicken and rabbits. We enjoy meeting at various locations around the greater Cleveland area with our
many families and members.
Keep checking our Facebook page to learn more about family and
professional events across Ohio.
CINCINNATI/ DAYTON EVENT – SPRING FLING!
By Molly Weber
On June 8, 2013, the Ohio Chapter of AG Bell hosted a Spring Fling at Pine Hills Lake Park in Mason, Ohio
for the family members in the Cincinnati/Dayton areas. This is the first event to be held for the Cincinnati/
Dayton area in many years. The event gathered a small group of area families. Pine Hills Lake Park offered
the families a playground, hiking trail, ducks to feed, and a splash park. Snacks and beverages were
enjoyed. The weather was a little on the chilly side, but that didn’t stop the kids from splashing around!
Many families we heard from were delighted that an event was being offered for Cincinnati and Dayton. We
look forward to seeing you next year! Please forward any ideas that you have for future events. We would
love your input.
COLUMBUS EVENT – ICE CREAM SOCIAL!
By Kristine Ratliff
On Sunday, June 30th, several Central Ohio AG Bell families gathered for an ice cream social at Thompson
Park in Upper Arlington, Ohio. About 30 people attended, including several new families.
Parents were able to socialize and share stories while the children played on the playgrounds and enjoyed
making their own ice cream sundaes! A great time was had by all who attended!
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OHIO AG BELL ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING
KELLY HALACKA GILKEY, Co-President
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Kelly serves as Co-President for the Ohio Chapter. She has been involved with the Ohio Chapter
for many years. She was born with bilateral profound hearing loss, diagnosed at 15 months, fitted
with hearing aids at 18 months, and implanted with a cochlear implant in one ear in 2011. Kelly
works as a biomedical engineer at NASA Glenn Research Center and lives near Cleveland with
her husband, two sons and dog. She is very excited to get more Ohio AG Bell members involved
with activities throughout the state!
LINDSAY ZOMBEK, Co-President
Lindsay serves as Co-President for the Ohio Chapter. Lindsay is a certified AVT and Speech and
Language Pathologist at University Hospitals in Cleveland. She is a former board member for the
Northeast Ohio Consortium for Children with Cochlear Implants (NOCCCI) and she is currently
serving on the State of Ohio Subcommittee for Universal Newborn Hearing Screenings.
MOLLY WEBER, Secretary
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Molly serves as Secretary of the Ohio Chapter. She is a Speech and Language Pathologist who
has worked with children who have hearing loss since 1999. Molly became a speech therapist for
Moog Curriculum Schools and is currently employed by Ohio Valley Voices. Molly was the co-chair
for the Ohio School's Speech Pathology and Educational Audiology Coalition (OSSPEAC) and has
presented nationwide on multiple topics related to the education of and educational statistics of
children with hearing loss within an oral-deaf program. She received accreditation as a Listening
and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLS) in 2008.
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DENISE KESTNER, Treasurer
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Denise has been a long standing professional member of AG Bell since 1982. During her 17
years of teaching children with hearing loss, she taught at Millridge Center for the Hearing
Impaired and the Hudson Local School District. She now volunteers her time tutoring children.
She lives in Chagrin Falls with her husband and family. When not balancing the budget, Denise
enjoys golfing, fly fishing, walking her Aussie and visiting her three sons.
LAURA GOLD
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Laura has had bilaterial sensorineural hearing loss since birth. She received a cochlear implant in
her right ear in 2010 and wears a hearing aid in her left ear. A long-time AG Bell member, Laura
has previously served on AG Bell's Board of Directors and on the board of the Ohio Chapter of AG
Bell. She was active in the former Deaf and Hard of Hearing Section (DHHS) of AG Bell and
served as one of two leaders for AG Bell’s Leadership Opportunity For Teenagers (LOFT), a twoday leadership program for teenagers with hearing loss, in 1996 and 1998. She earned her B.A.
in Child Study from Tufts University and received her J.D. from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
Laura currently works for a nonprofit agency in Cleveland and also serves on the Board of
Directors at the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center.
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ROBIN PHILLIPS MILLER
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Robin has a teenage daughter with a profound hearing loss. Her daughter was not diagnosed
until 14 months because infant hearing screening was not required at that time. Her daughter
(Cont’d on Page 6)
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OHIO AG BELL ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING
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wore hearing aids until her hearing loss progressed to the profound level, at which point she
obtained a cochlear implant. After living in St. Louis for a number of years, Robin’s family returned
to Ohio and continued to advocate for their daughter's needs through the IEP process. Robin's
philosophy has always been that children should be given the resources necessary for them to
achieve their highest potential, not their average potential because they have a hearing loss, but
the full potential they were born with! Robin joined the board of Ohio AG Bell because she has a
strong desire to support, in any way she can through her personal experiences, children with
hearing impairments and their families.
KATIE MONTAGUE
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Katie has been an Auditory Verbal Therapist for 9 years and she has recently moved to Ohio from
DC. While in DC, Katie worked on the AG Bell Scholarship committee for three years and taught a
class for two years in AG Bell's Volta Bureau. Katie founded Wee Listen and Talk, an AuditoryVerbal center located in Northeast Ohio that focuses on early intervention (0-3 years) for children
with hearing loss and language delays.
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CAREY RATLIFF
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Carey is currently the program director for Ohio Valley Voices in Cincinnati. Carey has been a
teacher and administrator in the field of Oral Deaf Education for almost 10 years and is committed
to providing a spoken language outcome to children with hearing loss and their families.
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KRISTINE RATLIFF
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Kris is a hearing impaired specialist with the Dublin City Schools. She works as an itinerant teacher
to students in grades K-12. She recently obtained LSLS AVEd certification.
A
MICHAEL SCOTT
Michael is the Auditory Implant Program Coordinator at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical
Center. Before moving to Cincinnati, Dr. Scott was at the Cleveland Clinic Hearing Implant
Program and was instrumental in the development of the Northeast Ohio Consortium for Children
D with Cochlear Implants (NOCCCI). In addition to his degree in audiology, Dr. Scott received a
master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Central Institute for the Deaf in
cont’d St. Louis, where he and his wife served as houseparents for the residential students. In his free
time, you will find him enjoying the outdoors- hiking, climbing, biking and sailing with his wife and
two boys. He looks forward to seeing more AG Bell involvement in the southern half of Ohio.
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NEWS ABOUT OHIO CHAPTER MEMBERS
The OHIO CHAPTER OF AG BELL would like to congratulate Dr. Todd Houston on his upcoming new
book “Telepractice in Speech Language Pathology” which will be published by Plural Publishing this
Fall.
The OHIO CHAPTER OF AG BELL would like to congratulate Dr. Stacey Lim on receiving her PhD in
Audiology from Kent State University.
The OHIO CHAPTER OF AG BELL would like to congratulate Kristine Ratliff, LSLS Cert. AVED, Ohio’s
newest Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLS(R)) on earning her LSLS credential from the
AG Bell Academy.
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OHIO AG BELL ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING
LSLS MENTORSHIP
By Kristine Ratliff and Lindsay Zombek
Listening and Spoken Language Specialist
Certified Auditory Verbal Educator and Therapist,
commonly noted as LSLS Cert. AVT or LSLS Cert.
AVEd., is a certification awarded by the AG Bell
Academy of Listening and Spoken Language to
professionals who have become specialists in
supporting children who are deaf or hard of
hearing develop spoken language and literacy
primarily through listening. These professionals
hold a degree in Speech-Language Pathology,
Audiology or Deaf Education, and participate in a
rigorous process over 3 to 5 years, which includes
continuing education, professional experience,
mentoring by a certified LSLS professional, and
an exam.
The role of the LSLS mentor is to “counsel and
guide professionals seeking certification to
prepare them for the LSLS exam and position
them to be effective Listening and Spoken
Language Specialists.”
The mentor provides
structured feedback and guidance upon
observations of a designated number of sessions.
Lindsay Zombek, MS, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert AVT
of University Hospitals Case Medical Center in
Cleveland, Ohio, and Kristine Ratliff, M.Ed., a
teacher of the deaf for Dublin City Schools in
Dublin, Ohio have just completed the LSLS
mentor-mentee process.
Over the past three
years, Lindsay provided guidance to Kristine as
she completed the requirements to sit for the
LSLS exam. Mentorship is a valuable process
which benefits both the mentor and mentee.
How did you get connected as a mentormentee?
KR: I completed a two-year Certificate in Auditory
Learning program called First Years through the
University of North Carolina. For that program, I
was required to do a two-week mentorship with a
specialist of their choosing. I was placed with
Lindsay at University Hospitals for my two-week
mentorship. I was interested in pursuing LSLS
certification, so when I learned that Lindsay was
already LSLS certified, I asked if she would be my
LSLS mentor, as well.
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LZ: The First Years mentorship made an easy
transition into our mentor-mentee relationship for
the LSLS experience.
For people who are
interested in pursuing LSLS certification who have
not participated in First Years, the AG Bell website
(www.listeningandspokenlanguage.org ) keeps a
list of people with certification that would like to
serve as mentors. I have received inquiries from
professionals all over the country who are
interested in pursuing certification.
What was required for the mentorship?
KR: Currently, a mentor observes and provides
feedback for 20 Listening and Spoken Language
sessions.
In addition, Lindsay continued to
provide me with guidance as I prepared for my
LSLS exam in July. She often emails me articles,
notices of workshops or webinars, and
opportunities to be involved in state-level
organizations.
LZ: In addition, Kristine and I both had to prepare
for our sessions and observations.
The
mentorship requires a mentor who is able to
provide coaching, guiding, and constructive
feedback, and a mentee who is open and willing
to take and apply the feedback. It is a long
process and a true team effort.
How did the mentorship work, being in
different locations, geographically?
KR: Luckily, we were able to participate in a lot of
different types of experiences, live and video. I
spent several days at two different University
Hospitals settings with Lindsay. She came down
to Dublin to spend a couple of days with me. In
addition, I sent her videos.
LZ:
Technology has really changed the way
mentors and mentees can communicate. We had
email for quick questions. We had the internet to
send and share articles and opportunities.
Furthermore, there is software available such as
Dropbox (www.dropbox.com) that allowed us to
share Kristine’s therapy session videos
electronically for free, without having to create
and send DVDs back and forth. Services like
OHIO AG BELL ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING
Skype, Google+ Hangouts, and other similar
services allow face-to-face meetings worldwide.
What were the challenges?
LZ: The biggest challenge was probably time.
Kris and I are both professionals who work full
time and have commitments and family outside of
work. It is a three year commitment, which seems
like a long time, but a lot has to be achieved in
those years. Kristine had to find the time to fulfill
all the requirements around her schedule. I had
to find the time to watch videos and give feedback
to Kristine in a timely fashion. That being said
there were so many positives of the experience
that we both wanted to make the time.
KR: Aside from time, my only challenge involved
technology, but it was easily resolved. Several of
my video files became corrupt, and had to be
redone. It was frustrating, but turned out fine.
What did you learn from this process?
KR: I have learned so much over the past three
years; it’s difficult to pinpoint specifics. Lindsay
and I identified specific goals (for me) along the
way, such as providing more wait time for students
to respond, which we monitored. I learned a lot of
strategies which can be used with all students, as
well as specific pieces of advice for particular
students. The value of relationships was really
reinforced….relationships with the families,
relationships with other therapists, and the whole
idea of collaboration for the benefit of the child.
LZ: I found out how much we can learn from
observing other people. I learned that mentoring
and coaching is different from how we teach
students.
And as Kris said, the value of
collaboration!
Do you have any advice for future LSLS
mentors or mentees?
What were the benefits?
LZ: I was constantly amazed at how much I
learned through the process.
Kristine is very
talented and knowledgeable so when she had a
question, I did not always have an answer. I had
to do research, contact other professionals, and
brainstorm based on the knowledge I had.
Furthermore, watching Kristine do therapy, I
learned about a lot of great resources and fun
therapy activities.
KR: It’s interesting because one of the biggest
benefits for me was something that is not
recommended by the AG Bell Academy. The
Academy recommends that candidates be
mentored by a LSLS professional who holds the
same designation (AVT or AVEd) for which they’re
applying.
Lindsay holds the Auditory Verbal
Therapist designation, and I am applying for the
Auditory Verbal Educator designation.
(It is
permitted to mentor across designations, though.)
Through my mentorship, I was able to experience
clinical Auditory Verbal Therapy, which is different
than school-based therapy. It is rare that a school
has parents in to participate in therapy, but in a
clinical setting, that’s the norm. I loved being able
to participate in that. I also liked connecting with
Lindsay about how best for schools and clinics to
collaborate with families.
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KR: As a mentee, I think your first thought is to
show your mentor sessions with your star
students. Along the way, as our friendship and
trust built, I realized that Lindsay is a true
resource who could better help me in challenging
situations than to observe me at my best! I ended
up having her observe my challenges so that she
could give me feedback to better serve those
kiddos and their families.
LZ: Set up expectations from both ends - open,
honest communication is key. Mentors have to
be upfront and honestly point out areas for growth
as well as what mentees are doing well and the
mentee has to be prepared to accept that
constructive criticism is indeed constructive and
helps growth. You do not know what you do not
know until someone draws awareness to it! Be
willing to try new things and explore new
resources and opportunities. Have fun in the
process- it is really rewarding from both ends to
see children grow and develop from newly
implemented strategies and ideas!
For more information about Listening and Spoken
Language certification and the mentoring
p r o c e s s i n g , v i s i t w w w. l i s t e n i n g a n d s p o k e n
language.org.
OHIO AG BELL ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING
IT’S BACK TO SCHOOL TIME!
Tips for kids with hearing loss.
By Katie Montague
It’s that time of year again – new teachers, new classroom, new friends and possibly a new school. How
can we make an easy transition for our children? Here are some tips and ideas to make things go more
smoothly.
TEACHERS
At the beginning of the year, hold an in-service meeting for regular and special education teachers, support
personal, and staff (school bus drivers, lunch aides, playground/recess monitor). The in-service should
include general information on hearing loss and how it affects the child. You can give teachers a handout
with tips and suggestions on how to communicate and teach effectively. Many handouts are available on
the web through the cochlear implant and hearing aid companies. Contact your district’s educational
audiologist to schedule the in-services and develop the handouts.
Tips and Strategies for Teachers: Examples of some key strategies to emphasize with the teachers are:
don’t talk with your back to the class, speak naturally (not too fast or too slow), don’t shout, and repeat
comments or questions from classmates. These are just a few examples of techniques a teacher can
implement to increase a child’s comprehension and allow him/her to listen more effectively.
EQUIPMENT
Today’s elementary classrooms can reach alarming dB levels. The background noise should be controlled
so the teacher's voice can be heard 15 decibels louder than the background noise (35 decibels
is equivalent to a whisper, 50-55 decibels is like a normal speaking voice, and 65 decibels is the projected
or maximum voice level). Sources of background noise include students, HVAC, furniture, and outside
noises (cars, lawn mowers, and children). It is imperative that children should have a personal FM system,
and the district should be able to provide it to the child. Along with the FM system, it is critical to in-service
the teachers on how to use and troubleshoot the equipment. Handouts with this information should be
given to the teacher or accessible at all times.
Tips and Strategies for Equipment: It would be a good idea to assign someone at the school the
responsibility of administering a daily check and a sound check. These checks are an excellent way to
determine if the equipment is functioning properly. Looking for defects, checking the batteries, and setting
the program and the sensitivity will ensure the device is working properly. A Ling six sound test will tell you
how the child is hearing with his/ her equipment. Perform these tests first thing each morning.
SAVE THE DATE
The AG Bell 2014 Convention will be held on June 26 - June 30, 2014
at Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin in Orlando, Florida. For
more information, visit http://www.listeningandspokenlanguage.org.
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OHIO AG BELL ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING
Free Auditory-Verbal Therapy
Offered to Families Through Telepractice
The University of Akron faculty member, K. Todd Houston, PhD, a speech-language pathologist and a
listening and spoken language specialist (LSLS Cert. AVT), was recently awarded new research funding
to study outcomes of Auditory-Verbal Therapy delivered through a telepractice service delivery model.
Families with children with hearing loss from birth through age five are eligible to participate in the study.
Fortunately, the grant covers the cost of the therapy, and families would need to possess, at a minimum, a
computer with a webcam, microphone, speakers and a broadband Internet connection in their home. All
families participating in the study must be residents of Ohio and can live anywhere in the state – as long
as they meet the aforementioned technology requirements.
The Telepractice and eLearning Lab (TeLL) was founded in February 2012 to meet the speech, language,
listening & communication needs of children and adults with hearing loss through a range of telepractice
services. Under the direction of Dr. Houston, the lab has expanded to serve several infant-toddlers,
preschoolers, and school-age children with hearing loss and their families. Adults with hearing loss also
benefit from individualized aural rehabilitation services delivered through the TeLL.
One parent who currently receives services for her son recently commented, “What I’ve found is that
telepractice has benefitted him in many, many ways. First, we have the consistency of weekly therapy
back in place. Second, my son is more comfortable with telepractice than he was going to see a therapist
and having more traditional services sitting at a table in a therapy room. With telepractice, he’s in his
home, and I’m working with him. It is quite natural for him. Most importantly, because he feels more
comfortable being at home, I see him talking more during the sessions. He doesn’t “clam up” like he used
to when we visited the therapist. Another benefit of telepractice is the coaching I receive as the parent,
and that I receive weekly lesson plans and other materials that I can refer to after the session. We’ll
continue to work on the goals and do the activities throughout the week. Telepractice has been great for
my son and our family!”
For more information about this study or the telepractice services offered, please contact Dr. Houston in
the School of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at The University of Akron at
Houston@uakron.edu or at (330) 972-6141.
Dr. Houston is one of the presenters at AG Bell’s
Biannual Conference on Saturday, November 9th. He
will be presenting an afternoon session entitled
“Telepractice: Connecting Families to Listening and
Spoken Language Services”
We hope to see you at the conference!!
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OHIO AG BELL ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING
On Being A Deaf Mom
By Lisa A. Goldstein
At 3 a.m., I’m violently awakened from a deep
sleep by my bed shaking and lamp flashing. Am I
in a disco during an earthquake? No, I realize, as I
slowly regain consciousness, the baby is crying
again. Like a glutton for punishment, I’m using this
technology to alert me to her needs because I’m
profoundly deaf.
no problem with my own. They learned to be
excellent communicators who enunciate very
clearly. That they don’t do this just with me but with
others, as well, shows that this is a great lifelong
social skill to have. Of course, my deafness
prevents me from understanding whining and
crying – they just have to calm down and try again!
As a first-time mom, it took a while to realize that I
should be taking advantage of my slumbering
husband’s hearing. Given the choice to be jarred
awake or feel the gentle touch of his hand, the
answer to our happily ever after was clear.
Another thing I learned was that lip reading is
difficult when my eyes are still adjusting to light.
We told the kids to always go to Daddy if they
needed something during the night. In the
morning, I’m always surprised to discover what I
missed and thankful for my uninterrupted sleep.
Eleven years later, my daughter is the “beneficiary”
of this constantly changing territory I’m exploring:
What it means to be a deaf mom. Her brother who is three years younger - adds to the
challenges. But there are infinite rewards, too.
Baby/Toddler Stage
Once I figured out the best way to deal with
middle-of-the-night feedings, along came another
challenge: Naps. During the day, I used a baby
monitor — this version no longer exists — with
lights that ramped up in accordance to the sound.
It also vibrated and had a volume knob. In short, it
was perfect – until my toddler started vocalizing.
Then I had to listen carefully to determine whether
she was vocalizing, crying, or on her way to la-laland. The solution was a video monitor, which
allowed me to see when she actually fell asleep,
and then upon waking up, whether she was
happily playing or needed attention.
As my kids navigated out of the baby phase, I was
able to control whether I could understand their
words face-to-face. That meant teaching my kids
to communicate with me. From the beginning, we
told them that to get my attention, they had to
physically come over and tap me on the arm.
When they talked to me, they had to look at my
eyes so I could see their lips. Many times, I heard
them calling for me, but pretended I couldn’t hear
so they would learn.
Many kids are difficult for me to lip read, but I have
11
Childhood
Now that my kids are in elementary school, I’m
exploring a new world. Being out of the loop with
the school was a concern, but in this age of
technology, it’s a more equal playing field. The
staff all has email, and the school sends electronic
newsletters. If anyone calls the house, I have a
captioned phone.
My daughter will be starting middle school next
year, which is when many of the area kids get cell
phones. She recently inherited my old smartphone
– with no phone service – so now we’re able to
text one another. I envision relying on text and
video chat when we activate her phone service.
Now, if only I can get my kids to practice touch
typing instead of the hunting and pecking that
drives me insane…
When we’re in the car, they’ve learned that when
I’m driving, we can’t hold a normal conversation. I
confess that at stops, I use the rear view mirror to
check in with them. They, however, have yet to
grasp the concept of prioritizing. “Mommy!
Mommy! Mommmmmyyy!!” I’ll hear, as they
absolutely must tell me something trivial right that
minute as I’m turning into a lane of traffic.
There is a downside to needing a clear view of my
kids. I’ve learned from my husband and relatives
that they’ve become talented at using my blind
spots. They know how to push each other’s
OHIO AG BELL ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING
buttons in that manipulative sibling way when I’m
not looking!
My fear is that when they’re teenagers and my
husband is out of town on a business trip, they’ll
take advantage of my deafness and do something
sneaky like have a party while I’m asleep. We’ve
tried to drill into them that doing this will be a big
mistake. To keep them on their toes, I started
busting them at random times. My engineer
husband has also become increasingly interested
in motion sensors.
Perks
have secret conversations.
Both kids are more self reliant, more aware of
others’ differences and quick to adapt. And just like
being deaf is all I know, having a deaf mom is all
they know. When I asked how they felt about
having a deaf mom, my oldest said, “I don’t think it
feels any different than having a different mom,
because I’m used to you. It just feels regular. I do
get frustrated sometimes when you can’t read my
lips easily, but everyone gets frustrated with their
moms.”
Par for the course, my youngest added, “Yeah,
what she said.”
One benefit to being deaf is that I’m immune to
annoying music. The kids have freedom to play
whatever music and instruments they want, as
often as they want. For all I know, my viola-wailing
and guitar-screeching kids are musical virtuosos.
I also had two extra helpers when I received a
cochlear implant; they were excited to assist with
my rehab. My oldest will voluntarily oral interpret
for me, especially when her brother is getting in
trouble with my husband. The kids and I also get to
This article appeared on www.hearinglikeme.com
and is reprinted with permission from the author.
About the Author: Lisa A. Goldstein has a Masters
in Journalism from UC Berkeley, a digital hearing
aid, a cochlear implant, and plenty of deaf-friendly
communication equipment. She has been a
member of AG Bell since 1982. Lisa spends her
days juggling life as a freelance journalist, wife,
and mother of two in Pittsburgh, PA.
NEWS FROM AG BELL
PARENT-INFANT FINANCIAL AID PROGRAM ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
AG Bell has a Parent-Infant Financial Aid Program for families of infants and toddlers ages birth
through 3 who have been diagnosed with a moderate to profound loss who are in pursuit of spoken
language outcome for their child. Awards are intended to assist with expenses for services such as
auditory support services, speech-language therapy, tuition, etc. Families should be committed to a
listening and spoken language outcome for their child or children with hearing loss. The deadline for
applications is October 7, 2013.
For more information, visit http://
www.listeningandspokenlanguage.org.
CONVENTION CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS
AG Bell is seeking submissions for concurrent sessions and posters at its 2014 Convention in Orlando,
Fla., June 26-30, 2014, at the Walt Disney Swan and Dolphin. Content for submissions must present
evidence-based research, practice or information pertaining to the convention’s learning tracks, with a
preference given to presentations that reflect and convey the convention’s overall theme — “Magic
Made Real: Celebrating Our Heritage, Transforming Our Future.” The deadline for submissions is
October 15, 2013. Submit your proposal for a concurrent session or poster today! See http://
www.listeningandspokenlanguage.org for more information.
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OHIO AG BELL ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING