Table of Contents
In this issue of Hearing Life, we celebrate the thirteen remarkable people who work tirelessly to educate, inspire and advocate for people with hearing loss.
A Note From Our Executive Director
By Barbara Kelley
It Was an Honest Question: “What Does Advocacy Mean?”
Pat and Fred Williams: Advocates Who Make a Profound Impact
By Shannon Tyree
Pat and Fred Williams help everyone they meet who has hearing loss by solving problems and creating solutions—one person at a time.
Eyes—and Ears—on the Future
By Kaitlyn Champagne
This young entrepreneur has big invention plans to help her fellow equestrians with hearing loss.
“You’re Going Deaf!”
By Mary Frances Gosnell
By sharing our experiences, encouraging others and making the best of wherever we may be advances us on the path of acceptance and shows the world that there is hope.
Advocates Create Change in More Ways Than One
By Abraham J. Bonowitz with Celeste Fitzgerald
Because of the authors’ advocacy for both justice and hearing loss, New Jersey became the first state since 1964 to legislatively repeal its death penalty, and at least one hearing room had been outfitted with a completely new audio system.
Advocacy Matters: Be the Change
By Melissa and Ally Tumblin
A mother and daughter have helped pave the way for many other children and adults with microtia and atresia, as well as their families, for the past decade.
You Belong Here
By Senthil Srinivasan
In providing an online platform for people with hearing loss, the author finds his voice.
Aid the Silent: Turning Disability Into Ability
By Emma Faye Rudkin
Aid the Silent is committed to advocating and supporting the Deaf and people with hearing loss through deaf resources, deaf education, deaf ministry and deaf awareness.
The Myth of Acceptance
By Michael A. Harvey
A patient navigates the journey of grief and acceptance of her hearing loss.
Health Care Communication Access
By Megan Morris
Equitable Health Care: Setting the Record Straight
Going Forward…and Giving Back
By Dustin Feldman
This active Walk4Hearing volunteer advocates for accessibility, diversity, equity and inclusion for those in the hearing loss community.
My Life as a Spy Kid
By Katie Byxbee
When her classmates discover Katie’s FM system allows her to eavesdrop on top-secret conversations among their teachers, she earns the nickname Spy Kid.
Leading a Charmed Life
By Hayleigh Scott
The founder of Hayleigh’s Cherished Charms has shared her hearing loss and life journey to inspire others to not only show their hearing devices but also to celebrate them.