Ask Arlene: March 2011

Welcome Message

Cochlear Implants, hearing loss and more! I carry an interesting perspective: someone who had normal hearing growing up, lost it all slowly as an adult, then regained it with cochlear implants. So I'm deaf, but I can hear - a true miracle. If you'd like to know more about me and my bilateral cochlear implant experiences right away, my two books have a wealth of information - see the links below. Check out the list of upcoming events too - perhaps one day we'll get to meet!

VISIT MY WEBSITE - CLICK HERE: WWW.LISTENINGCLOSELY.COM

Saturday, March 5, 2011

THINK!

I always carry a notepad in my handbag - ready to write down anything I deem significant, as it might occur. I got into the habit of doing this when I was writing my second book, "Listening Closely." At first, I used the little pads that you find in hotel rooms, but I graduated to the gold standard of notepads last year, when I purchased an IBM "THINK" pad - vintage 1987 - at an antique show. These THINK pads were given out to IBM employees long before THINKPADs had anything to do with laptop computers. Now, when I have a thought to jot down, the outside cover advises me to THINK before writing - always good advice.

In the beginning . . . .

Blogging is different from writing essays, articles and books. It's more spontaneous, and doesn't necessarily follow any particular form. Books are forever - the words are unchangeable. Blogs? I'm not sure yet - I know they're forever in a different way. I should know more as I wend my way through this medium. Life is a learning curve - and blogging is my new challenge!

About Arlene Romoff

Arlene Romoff had normal hearing until her teen years, when a slow, degenerative hearing loss left her profoundly deaf. She received her first cochlear implant (CI) in 1997 and became a bilateral CI user in 2008. She is president and co-founder of the Hearing Loss Association of New Jersey, a member of the New Jersey Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Advisory Council, and serves on the board of the Center for Hearing and Communication (NY), as well as other advisory boards. In addition to Listening Closely: A Journey to Bilateral Hearing (Charlesbridge/Imagine, 2011), she is also the author of Hear Again—Back to Life with a Cochlear Implant (Sterling, 2002), as well as numerous articles for magazines and newsletters. Her pioneering efforts helped bring open captioned live theatrical performances to Broadway, London, and regional U.S. theaters, for which she received the Humanitarian Award from Theater Resources Unlimited. Her other advocacy initiatives have resulted in unprecedented access for people with hearing loss at museums, movies, hospitals, and public events – with honors including a 2010 NJ Legislative Resolution recognizing her achievements. Considered an expert on hearing loss, Arlene is consulted and speaks on a wide range of topics including cochlear implants, assistive technology, accessibility, advocacy, and sensitivity training.