Thursday at the Grand Sierra 2008 Hearing Loss Association of America Conference
- Reno, NV
By Cheryl Heppner, 6/12/08
A Good Start
It's late Thursday evening and a few minutes ago I finished
a wonderful dinner at celebrity chef Charlie Palmer's Fin
Fish with Dr. Scott Bally and Dr. Janet Pray of Gallaudet
University. The food was very good and the company
superb. Our conversation touched on guessing the seasonings
in our the food, getaway places, our preferences for pillows,
the best kinds of chocolate, and beyond. We pondered
the ubiquitous term "rush hour" and how it can possibly be
applied to Washington, DC area traffic. It never lasts
only an hour, and no one can be considered rushing when their
vehicle is moving like an ant in molasses.
Today is ending much better than it started. Let me count
some ways.
One: A very special person received a very special
award that was kept very secret. His name is Dr. Mark
Ross, the award is a special, first-time Lifetime Achievement
Award, and more details will be forthcoming.
Two: A replacement for my cochlear implant battery
charger that fried sometime last evening is on its way and
expected to arrive tomorrow. The odor from said charger
cooking is fading. I have hope that I can nurse my
remaining batteries until it arrives. If not, my emergency
kit has one that can work with three AA batteries.
Three: As I told a number of people, I'm really begging
for my daily quota of hugs here (not)! I love this
conference and all the people who bring so much talent and
dedication to it. This year it feels like there is
a renewed sense of purpose for the HLAA mission and feeling
of camaraderie.
Air Travel Horror Stories
In the days before heading to the convention -- and while
waiting for my flight at BWI -- I worked on the first of
several future news pieces about the Department of Transportation
forum earlier this month which covered the new air travel
regulations affecting deaf, hard of hearing and deaf-blind
individuals. Although there is some good news, my
one-word summary of the rules is 'disappointing.'
Here at the convention, I'm hearing new stories that illustrate
the bad news. One couple had tickets to Reno that were
supposed to be nonstop but weren't. When they got off
the plane, they didn't realize they were in Phoenix. By
the time they realized the mistake and returned to the gate,
the plane had left without them. They are not the only
ones who ended up in Phoenix by mistake.
Coming Soon
I spent most of my day at the exhibits, and you'll soon be
reading about the interesting things I've learned there. As
always, there is plenty of new technology and the promise
of more on the way. Among the coolest exhibits is the
Cochlear Americas "Tiki Bar" serving cookies and lemonade. Their
cruise-themed space also has a putting green where folks
can try their luck at winning a free iPod nano.
