MASKS in a Pandemic!

    As we all know by now, opaque masks make things very difficult for people with hearing loss.  The problem caught the attention of the press, and I was interviewed for an article for the North Jersey Record.  I was also asked to sit for a photo session, and give a two-minute narrative on the impact of masks for people with hearing loss.

This all went quite well, as I was also able to refer the reporter to others who had the perspectives he was seeking.  And so, as expected, the online version came out on July 10th, with the video also embedded in the online article. The video was OPEN CAPTIONED, at my request, so it was accessible to people with hearing loss as well as the mainstream.

I subsequently learned that the print edition came out on Monday, July 13th because my friend contacted me and said I was on the FRONT PAGE of the newspaper!  YIKES!  

Well, my objective was to get this information out to the mainstream, and this sure did it!

SOOOOO - - - - Here it is - the online version, which also includes the video.

North Jersey Record Mask Article and  Video

And here are photos of the front page coverage which appeared in several of the syndicated editions of the North Jersey Record.

Cochlear Implants: Book talks and more

I've been busy talking!  Book talking, that is.  I had three interesting book talks scheduled in the past few weeks - presentations to groups with hearing loss and beyond!

Let's start with the National Court Reporters Assn convention, held in Philadelphia last month.  I was asked to present on "The Basics of Hearing Loss and the Need for CART and Captioning Services."  I was really looking forward to doing this one, as court reporters are the wonderful folks who do realtime captioning (CART), something I desperately needed to function prior to getting my cochlear implants - and that I still use depending on the event and environment.  I had intended to speak and answer questions for an hour and then do a booksigning with the remaining 30 minutes.  But the discussions got so intense and meaningful, we overflowed to 90 minutes - and then continued with the booksigning in the hallway!  A few days later, I was delighted to see an NCRA member review of my session posted on the NCRA website - calling my session "beyond inspiring."  Made my day!

And then a few days later, I learned that one of the court reporters, who had attended my session, lent a copy of my book Listening Closely to one of her neighbors, whose daughters have Usher's Syndrome (deaf/blind).  Again, I was delighted to learn that the mother had written a blog about my books entitled "A special book and author"!  I wrote those books to help others, so it was such an incredible feeling to know that goal was being met once again.

The second book talk was at my temple's Book Club.  They had chosen my book, Listening Closely , to discuss.  I was looking forward to this discussion too - new territory for me - as I wanted to delve into the spiritual aspects of my book, not just cochlear implants as miracles, but the interesting circumstances that surrounded the events and writing of this book. We began with the title - that it refers to more than just hearing. Two hours later, we were still going strong, with many opinions and perspectives - but had to stop then because they had to close the building.  I'm looking forward to addressing other groups on this topic. After all, a device that allows the deaf to hear is a miracle - with much to discuss if you listen closely.

And the third book talk occurred yesterday, when I addressed the Morris County (NJ) chapter of the Hearing Loss Assn of America.  Since this group included people with hearing aids, cochlear implants, as well as spouses, I made sure to cover the entire landscape. And that is what is so incredible about my 40 years' experience with hearing loss - it encompasses:

• normal hearing
• a slow degenerative hearing loss that provided experience with all degrees of hearing loss - mild, moderate, severe, profound
• using a cochlear implant in one ear - vintage 1997
• enduring a device failure after 10 years
• understanding what sudden deafness is like - as a device failure plunged me from hearing into silence
• being reimplanted, and comparing and contrasting new technology to old
• using one CI was like having single-sided deafness
• the benefits of bilateral hearing with two CIs - particularly from the user's point of view, not just booth testing

With that as background, I mentioned why my blog is called ASK ARLENE, and why my Walk4Hearing team is also called ASK ARLENE !  And ask they did!  And I also did a booksigning - and I know those books will help others understand hearing loss and cochlear implants.

That's what's been keeping me busy - speaking and connecting with others - on hearing loss, cochlear implants, and beyond.

TOUR ARLENE ROMOFF'S WEBSITE www.listeningclosely.com

It's been a while since I've blogged - plenty of good reasons for that - but the big news now is that my new website is ready for your viewing pleasure!  Just click here and you'll be taken to http://www.listeningclosely.com/  or really, MY WORLD.

First you'll notice that it's the same color pink as the cover of my book, Listening Closely: A Journey to Bilateral Hearing .  That sets the tone because that book is all about me and hearing loss, and so is this website. 

The categories to choose from:

HOME - quick links to current reviews, articles, book links, videos - plus my favorite picture, Albert Eistein and me taken at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.

VIDEOS - all captioned in English and Spanish -  make sure to watch my TV interview - and also my bilateral cochlear implant presentation.

ABOUT ARLENE - a brief introduction, with lots more info available in my books.

RESOURCES - current articles, information about organizations, captioned movies, captioned theater (in the US, UK and Australia!)

AWARDS - nice to be recognized by some wonderful organizations and agencies that care about advocacy and hearing loss - including the NJ State Legislature and Senator Frank Lautenberg!

TESTIMONIALS - reviews of my books, reviews of my presentations - and some fan mail.  Too much to list it all, but a nice sampling.

CONTACT - easy to reach me at  arlene@listeningclosely.com

That's the quick tour - you'll now have to go see for yourself, so CLICK HERE to begin.  I welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions.  You might even want to connect with me on LinkedIn !

And don't forget to sign up on this blog to get email notifications of future blog entries.

Hearing Loss: Getting Down to Business!

This was the week that "moved heaven and earth" here in New Jersey.  We felt the ground shake from the radiating tremors of an earthquake, and we've just survived the furies of Hurricane Irene.  These two events seem a fitting herald of yet another feat of nature - the appearance of an article about hearing loss in the Sunday Business Section of the NJ Star Ledger, a major newspaper in the state! 

Hearing loss is usually relegated to the Health or Human Interest sections, but here it is - right there on Page 2 of the Business section, alongside a listing of the 200 largest public corporations in New Jersey.  And as you can see from the picture and headline, the article is about my advocacy work and hearing loss.  The reporter had sent me questions to answer online, in preparation for this article.

My article on Page 2 of the Business Section of the Star Ledger

You can read the actual text of the NJ Star Ledger article by clicking on this link.  You'll see that the article mentions my co-founding two hearing loss organizations, with leadership positions in both.  It delves into the life skills I gleaned from my education and work experience that prepared me for my advocacy work, and asks about upcoming events, plans for the future, and my proudest acheivements.  So, in a nutshell, this is very much an article about business - with the product being solutions to the very real challenges that people with hearing loss face. 

Considering that hearing loss impacts business people as much as those who read the Health and Human interest sections, I applaud the Star Ledger for recognizing the serious nature of hearing loss, and its importance to its readers.  And applause are also in order for Joel Strasser, HLA-NJ board member, who handles the PR that made this article happen.

The fact that this was also the week that the Yankees made the record books by scoring three grand slam home runs in one game - well, that's pretty amazing, too - almost as amazing as having an article on hearing loss appear in a Business section!