 Ashlee Rose:Tell us about yourself Michael: For work, I am a substitute teacher for middle school and high school. I have a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics Education with a minor in Art Studios from Humboldt State University. I am currently in graduate school taking online classes through Black Hills State University. I am working on getting a Master Science of Secondary Education in Mathematics. I plan to teach Mathematics at either middle school or high school. For fun, I live in the beautiful countryside. I am a lover of the great outdoors. Outdoors is my best friend. I love to go hiking, fishing, backpacking, kayaking, camping, golfing, to the gym, hunting, snowboarding, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing. Ashlee Rose:How old were you when you were diagnosed with a hearing loss? Michael: I was a premature baby by two months early. I was around two years old when I was diagnosed as profoundly deaf. Ashlee Rose: What approach did your parents take? Michael :Since I am the only deaf adult in my family, my parents did not have the resources like in today’s modern world on what to except having a deaf child. Resources like social media, technology, or programs were not available for my parents and me. My parents did their best to gather information and found this "special" program. They enrolled me in a “special” program where I could interact with disabled people. The "special" program was from pre- kindergarten to second grade. After the “special” program, my parents and I moved to a different city. They enrolled me in public school. Ashlee Rose:How was your schooling experience with a hearing loss? Michael:I attended public school, community college, and university. The schooling experience was somewhat challenging. Some days were good, or some days were terrible. But I always managed to overcome the barriers every day. I always reminded myself to take one step at a time. I had a few speech-language pathologists. They helped with my homework and worked on my speech discrimination. I had to work extra harder during my years of schooling. For example, a professor was lecturing the class while I was looking at the back of the head. There was some missing information that I did not gather. I would go to the library to figure out what I missed or asked a friend that was in my class to help me out. I had some accommodations when I was in college. I had notetakers, video transcripts typed, and double-time when I was taking tests. The accommodations were a little helpful. It was mentally and physically exhausting. I embraced the hardship daily. Ashlee Rose: Since you are an adult, how has the job world been treating you? Did you face any difficulties or a moment to advocate for yourself? Michael: I worked in the construction industry for ten years. I was an estimator. It was a job where I spent a lot of time reading the blueprints, using my knowledge on mathematical performances, and emailing with the clients. It was the only job that I can think of without using a telephone for communication. Emailing was an effective way of communication. It was complicated for me to stay on task and to keep up with others in a fast pace. Being an estimator required submitting the proposals with the right number without checking your work twice before the deadline. There were always pressure and high stress being an estimator. I just had to take one step at a time and adapt to the difficulties. Ashlee Rose: I see that you love spending a lot of time outdoors hiking and such, do you wear your hearingaids when hiking, swimming, out in the snow? Anything particular? Michael: I carefully watch sweat when I am hiking or running. When I am running, I usually wear my headband to avoid sweat. I take my hearing aids out when I am swimming or playing in the snow, and I do not like that. Whether I wear or do not wear hearing aids, I get anxiety when approaching to new people or worry about others negatively judging me. Ashlee Rose: What made you look into a Cochlear Implant? What brand did you decide on? Michael: I wore my bilateral hearing aids from age two to age thirty-seven. After college, I felt like I needed to do something with my hearing. I was getting a lot of miscommunication. I was not getting everything that I should be getting out of everything. I found the right time and opted to get a Cochlear Implant in September of 2018. I decided to go with Advanced Bionics. I have Naida CI Q90 Sound Processor. Ashlee Rose: How is the process with the Cochlear Implant? Any regrets? Do you have anything that you like and do not like about Cochlear Implant? Michael: The process with the Cochlear Implant is prolonged. Anyone who gets a Cochlear Implant is different. I am wearing one Cochlear Implant with no other hearing aid. I hear more sounds that I have never actually heard before but not entirely clear yet. It sounds like a robot voice or duck quacking, and eventually, it will evolve into “normal” speech. It is a lot of work for the brain to “retrain” new sounds. I do not have any regrets. I know I made the right decision and what to expected after getting my Cochlear Implant. I did my research by interviewing different doctors and audiologists. I found the secure connection with my audiologist and doctor knowing that we will work hard together for my hearing to be successful. Advanced Bionics offers some great technology accessories. I have Roger Select, and it is convenient. I can listen to my music through Bluetooth using Roger Select from any devices such as smartphones, laptops, iPads, or devices that are compatible with Bluetooth. With the excellent use of Roger Select, it would be optimistic for my teaching. Ashlee Rose: Do you have any advice for the parents of deaf/hard of hearing children and deaf/hard of hearing individuals? Michael:My advice is PATIENCE!!! We are human beings. Never give up on them. Do some research to find essential information on what is best for you and others. You will be surprised by the outcome from them to be successful when you give all your full support to them. Always remind them to be loved. Quote- "Deaf people can do anything hearing people can, except hear"-Dr. King Jordan 
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 Ashlee Rose :Tell us about yourself. Kimberly: My name is Kimberly Hastings- I’m a wife, Mom, sister, daughter.. the list could go on and on. My family is my top priority in life and love. I fill my days as the Manager of Alumni Relations for Midwestern University. My weekends are filled with family- either on the soccer field with Colt or at the baseball diamond cheering on my oldest son, Brody and the occasional sushi date night with my hubby, Jay. Ashlee Rose:How old was your son when he was diagnosed with a hearing loss? Was the cause discovered? Kimberly: Colt was diagnosed with a hearing loss within a few hours of being born. We learned of his loss at his newborn screening. Colt’s cause was never determined, although we did every test we could, including the DNA test to see if the loss was hereditary, it wasn’t. Dr. Macias, Colt’s surgeon who implanted Colt told us we would never know why, but he was confident cochlear implants would change Colt’s world and ours. He was absolutely right. Ashlee Rose: How did you feel when you first found out about his hearing loss? Kimberly: My husband and I were devastated to learn Colt was profoundly deaf. We were in disbelief as neither of us have a history of hearing loss. To hear your child can only hear a jet engine is not what any parent ever wants to hear. We immediately turned our devastation into finding answers. Ashlee Rose:What approach did you and your husband take? Kimberly:We learned that asking questions and researching would lead us in the right direction. We discovered Desert Voices Oral Learning Center, a local nonprofit which changed our lives and gave us a sense of community. Colt started with speech therapy a few hours a week when he was only a few months old and eventually he was a full time student, even graduating when he was five years old. When Colt was 5 months old, we first tried hearing aids hoping and praying Colt would respond. Unfortunately, Colt’s loss is so severe that hearing aids didn’t help and our second option was cochlear implants. Colt was just under two when he received his first cochlear implant. He immediately responded and there were many tears of joy. When Colt was just under five years old, he received his second cochlear implant. Colt worked very hard putting in six hours a day at Desert Voices to learn to hear and speak and thanks to his hard work, Colt was mainstreamed into the public school system at six years old. Ashlee Rose:How was the process of getting Cochlear implants and the results? Does he enjoy going to audiology? Speech and school? Kimberly: Surgery is never easy, but we were confident the surgery would be a success. And both times, Colt responded beautifully to his cochlear implants. Life really is a journey and it’s the same with cochlear implants. The implants were the tool and it was Colt’s dedication and hard work along with Desert Voices teachers and speech therapists that gave Colt a voice and taught him to hear. Due to everyone’s determination and focusing on the positive, to this day Colt is a typical 9 year old little boy. The best compliment we hear is that “we would never know Colt has a hearing loss if we didn’t see his cochlear implants.” Colt’s speech is so clear and his ability to hear even the slightest sounds amaze us every day. Ashlee Rose: Tell us about Colt, where is he at with school, friends, and sports? What does he want to be when he grows up? Kimberly: Colt’s in third grade at Legend Springs Elementary- he’s a straight A student. His favorite class is Math and just recently his Music class introduced violins and while it’s challenging, Colt’s loving it. When he’s not in school, you can find him in his Neymar jersey on the soccer field. He’s extremely competitive and is a natural athlete. Colt’s also the life of the party- he gets along with everyone and we hear time and time again how kind he is to all his classmates. Ever since Colt was a baby he’s been intrigued and told us he would be a pilot- at nine that’s still his dream job! Ashlee Rose:Does he have any special equipment or devices for schooling or sports during practices and games? Kimberly: Colt’s school, Legend Springs Elementary was so gracious with the transition to public school- in Kinder, Colt found success with the teacher wearing an FM system. Colt also utilizes a mini mic that has helped assist when the use of headphones is required. When Colt plays soccer he wears an Under Armour headband to help keep his implants on. Ashlee Rose: While he was growing up, was there a significant moment you would like to share with us? (Colt, devices, audiology, school/sport or parenting :anything ) Kimberly: One defining moment that I like to share is when Colt was implanted with his second implant and we arrived at the audiologist for the activation. It’s always an anxious time, but as soon as the implant was activated, Colt proclaimed “ I do hear it.” Four words that forever changed our lives! And what made the activation even more special was I recorded it and Colt’s Grandma was able share in the joyous moment. To this day, every time I see an activation video I tear up. It’s the first step of a long journey and I can truly say the good outweighs the bad. Ashlee Rose: Is there a favorite quote you would like to share with us? Also, what advice would you like to give to other parents of deaf and hard of hearing and deaf individuals?(Also, does Colt have an advice? Any inspiring message to share with others) Kimberly: Colt’s advice is to always have fun. This kid can find the positive in nearly every situation. He’s actually taught our entire family and friends about what life is all about. Things won’t always go as you plan, but every day is a choice and we’re always going to be a “glass half full family.” To those parent’s starting the journey, beginnings are always scary, but find the path that works and its different for every family. It took me years to be able to share Colt’s story without stopping because of tears and frustration. To this day, I’m proud to share his story and his successes. While we never planned for this, we took for granted life would be perfect- we’re truly blessed to have met incredible families who we’ve laughed, cried and celebrated together. We can’t wait to see where this journey will take Colt and we know nothing will hold him back!  Ashlee Rose:Tell us about yourselves
Amanda: I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I love photography, ceramics and traveling. Gil: I was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. I love hunting, fishing, running, and being with outdoors with our children. Ashlee Rose:How old were each of you when diagnosed with a hearing loss? Do you know what caused it? What path did you each go on? Amanda: My parents found out that I was deaf when I was 6 months old. My mom did sense that something was wrong but the pediatrician brushed it off and didn’t listen to my mom. She put me down for a nap and after a while she started to vacuum without realizing it and then she quickly turned it off so she wouldn’t wake me up but then realized it didn’t wake me up either. She asked my dad to play the saxophone over my crib. He did and I was sleeping soundly. She found an ad in the newspaper for the League for the Hard of Hearing and gave them a call. They gave me hearing aids and immediately put me in speech therapy. My mom did not want to implant me because it was experimental at the time. They encouraged her to teach me how to speak before sign. My mom also put me in mainstream school with an interpreter and notetaker. She always made sure I wasn’t alone and that I was around Deaf kids too. Gil: I was sick with meningitis at 18 months old. I was in coma for three days and became deaf afterwards too. I had to start all over - learning how to walk, eat/drink and to talk again. They also gave me speech therapy too. I was hard of hearing and was doing very well with hearing aids. I was in mainstream high school but did not have an interpreter or notetaker but did use a lot of tutoring. Ashlee Rose:How old were you guys when you each received a Cochlear implant and what inspired you guys to seek one? Amanda (22years old): I took a Deaf History class and the professor put us on a debate team for the Cochlear implant - Pros and Cons. I was on the Pros and learned so much more about it. I thought it was too late for me to get one but I saw that it benefited a lot of Deaf people (after hard work). I was a little anxious about graduating from college and being out in the “hearing world” - especially with work. I am So happy that I got one. It has helped me understand so many people - especially strangers. Gil(23 years old): My hearing got worse in college and I saw how well Amanda was doing with it- it motivated me to get one for myself. I hated it at first but it was the only thing I had to help me hear better. I went to Johns Hopkins to get it mapped and they did it so much better. Ashlee Rose:What do you like and do not like about your Cochlear implants/devices? Both: At first we both hated it - the beeps and the mechanical sounds really bothered us and it was hard for us to get used to it. We love it that we can hear better than our hearing aids and having a remote control makes a huge difference especially in a noisy environment. The bluetooth phone clip helps Gil so much with talking on the phone. Right now, it’s painful to wear implants around children - they like to take it from us and throw it and the screaming and yelling is hard to hear too. We also noticed that when someone puts the water on - it really cancels someone’s voice and we can’t hear well over that. Ashlee Rose:What are your work experiences? Do you receive accommodations? Any struggles? Amanda: When I worked at the Census - I was blessed to have a full time staff interpreter and a Videophone. Every Tuesdays we would have ASL lunch in the cafeteria. Having Deaf friends from other parts of the building was a blessing too. It made me feel like I belonged. Gil: I work at an agency where they don’t allow cell phones and video phones are restricted too. They do provide an interpreter for me sometimes but I do well with my implant and my coworkers are extremely supportive of me. Ashlee Rose:How did you guys meet? Amanda and Gil:We both met through a mutual friend at RIT. We met at the very first floor of our dorm building. We were good friends for a whole year before we started dating. Ashlee Rose:You are parents of three beautiful children! Were you nervous about becoming parents? Did you get devices for home that signals you both when your children needs you? Amanda and Gil: Thank you! YES, of course we were nervous - thank God for the sonic boom alarm clock with the Crying Signalr device that shakes our bed when the baby cries. The problem with it - sometimes we turn it off during the day and we forget to put it back on at night. It was so devastating for us. We made a promise to never turn it off and just leave it on. We love to be able to hear them calling for us, laughing and crying with our implants. I do worry that we won’t be able to communicate well or that we will be left out but we are taking one day at time. Ashlee Rose: Do your children know sign language? Are they aware that you two have a hearing loss? Are there any special ways you communicate with each other? Amanda and Gil:Our daughter gets frustrated when we don’t understand her. She would say “I’m done telling you!” She doesn’t understand we are Deaf sometimes no matter how hard we explain it to her. We have tried to teach them sign language but they don’t see to be that interested in it right now. We are not pushing it right now because we want to make sure they develop their speech in case they like sign language too much. Ashlee Rose:What advice would you give to parents who have deaf /Hard of hearing, deaf parents and deaf individuals? Amanda and Gil:Their advice: Do whatever works for YOU. I wish I found more books on reading to them about our Deafness at the beginning and I do wish I could get together with other Deaf parents with CODAS. We live in an area that is far from a lot of things and its harder to get together with other Deafies.  Ashlee Rose: Tell us about yourself Bridget:I'm originally from NW Iowa, but Kansas City, Missouri has been my home for many years. I'm fortunate to be close to my immediate family - both in terms of location as well as relationships. My parents are Joseph and Rae Jean, and as of January 18, 2019, they will have been married for 44 years. I have an older brother named Brandon, and he has two sons named Chase (14) and Ty (10). My sister's name is Erica, and we have always been close; we actually teach at the same high school. I have an incredibly supportive boyfriend named Michael; he is handsome and smart, and best of all, his logic helps keep me grounded. I love supporting our Kansas City Chiefs (they have a playoff game this Sunday-Go Chiefs), Royals, and enjoying all of our fabulous Kansas City BBQ! Ashlee Rose:What do you do? Bridget: I am a high school English Langage Arts (ELA) teacher. I currently teach English I and English IV, which is most typically freshmen and seniors. I have been teaching at Fort Osage High School (FOHS) since 2013, which is in the Kansas City metropolitan area. I am also an assistant track and field coach at FOHS since 2014; I coach long jump, triple jump, and javelin. Ashlee Rose:How old were you when you were diagnosed with a hearing loss? What kind of hearing loss do you have? Bridget:I was 21-years-old when I was first told by an audiologist that I needed to wear hearing aids. I remember that he said he was surprised that I had been successful in college, and that my initial reaction was, "How embarrassing..." which resulted in tears. Fortunately, I now know that hearing aids are nothing to be embarrassed about. I have Reverse Slope (RS) Moderate to Severe Congenital Bilateral Rising Severe Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SNHL); at the age of 36, I am currently at 50% bilateral hearing loss. RSHL is far less common, and it can be a bit more challenging for my audiologist to program my hearing aids. Ashlee Rose:Do you have a family history with a hearing loss? Bridget:Yes, on the paternal side of my family. My dad's mom, Grandma Mary, had the cochlear implant as a study patient in Iowa City about 12 years ago. She actually just got an updated one; she now has the Cochlear Nucleus 7 Sound Processor. In addition, my hearing loss is very similar to that of my dad's sister, Jane. It would be interesting to know how my hearing loss compares to my dad's, but he's stubborn. He is adamant that he can hear just fine, but might I suggest texting him rather than calling him! :) Ashlee Rose:What do you like and do not like about you're hearing aids/ hearing loss? Bridget:I like that I now have glittery blue custom ear molds for my BTE Phonak Bolero V70-P Hearing aids, and I like the Bluetooth wireless capability with the Phonak ComPilot. What I don't like about my hearing aids is that since I hear high pitches better, sometimes in social settings I can hear a woman's or a child's voice over the people I am trying to hear because those are the sounds I can hear best. We can't tell the hearing aids exactly what sounds to focus on, so background noises are still an issue. Ashlee Rose:When you meet people, what is it like socializing? Are there any pet peeves or anything when it comes to communicating? Bridget: Though I don't think it is obvious to anyone else, I certainly have anxiety about meeting people due to worrying about being able to hear. If someone is soft-spoken or if we meet in a lively atmosphere, I worry that I will struggle to hear and therefore embarrass myself. I also really dread ordering at counters like Chipotle because there are so many sound distractions, I often agree to toppings that I really don't like just to keep the line moving. My pet peeves when it comes to communicating include talking to me as you're walking away, or talking to me before you have my attention. For effective communication, I need to be able to see you speak, and I also need to be focused. Ashlee Rose:I see you are in the process of getting a hearing service dog, how exciting! What made you want to get one? How is the process going? List the link available for others to look into your profile and donate. Bridget: I am incredibly excited to be in the process of getting a second set of ears through a hearing notification service dog. I live alone, and I don't sleep in my hearing aids. When I woke up the morning after a stormy night, I had several texts and missed calls from concerned family and friends because they knew I wouldn't hear the storm sirens. Sure enough, after talking with some neighbors, the sirens had gone off several times throughout the night, but of course, I didn't hear them. The research I did on the service dogs, it seemed that having one would be beneficial in terms of my independence as well as my safety. Service dogs for Deaf and Hard of Hearing- they are trained to alert their owners to common sounds like doorbells, oven timers, smoke alarms, telephones, babies' cries, or alarm clocks. Overall, they are trained to make physical contact and lead their deaf partners to the source of the sound. For many reasons, I chose to go with a smaller nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization called Deafinitely Dogs! located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Deafinitely Dogs! really cares about the bond between the dog and its person, as opposed to seeing applicants as just a number. Service dogs are expensive; in the midwest, they cost about $25,000. Due to the high cost, I need to raise $10,000 before I will try to start matching with my future work partner. Through friends and family, we are already halfway there since September 2018. As of January 16, 2019, we still need to raise $4,520.00. There are really three ways people can support my service dog campaign: 1.) There is an active GoFundMe Link; 2.) Donations can be mailed to Deafinitely Dogs! 2121 North Towne Ln NE, Suite A, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 with the code #0102HBE in the check memo; or 3.) Donations can be made over the phone for campaign #0102HBE by calling (319) 930-DOGS (3647). Donations go to the nonprofit as opposed to me, so donations are tax-deductible. For anyone that would like to read more about the organization, the website is https://www.deafinitelydogs.org/ . Ashlee Rose: Do you have a favorite quote you would like to share? Bridget: As an ELA teacher, I have many favorite quotes, but the one I would like to share is, "In a world where you can be anything, be kind." Ashlee Rose:What advice would you give to parents who have deaf/ hard of hearing children and deaf individuals? Bridget: My advice would be to have patience. Any time there is a struggle to communicate it can lead to frustrations. Technology keeps improving and there are more and more options for support. Learn and grow together patiently in order to reduce those frustrations. |
AuthorHearing Impaired single mother and teacher aide at a hearing impaired oral preschool program. An author of "Turn The Lights On, I Cant Hear You". Archives
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