Carrie and the KC Gang (More Blogs)

The young adults at Rock Bottom Brewery Friday night.
We hopped off the bus after Comedy Sportz and went to an Irish pub Saturday night. I normally don't do such things and felt like collapsing after two nights of about 4.5 hours of sleep each, but hey, when in Milwaukee... (and hanging out with such great people, too)

For the next few young adult stories I have links to other blogs. Young adults are very active in the Kansas City Chapter. I link to their blog here so that you can read the experiences of Sarah Mosher, Victor Prechtel, Kelly Rogel and Dennis Selznik, who have all posted (or will be posting shortly) their unique perspectives on the convention.

Another awesome person I met at the convention was twenty year old Carrie Martin of Tennessee. She is interested in audiology and was definitely inspired at the convention. You should check out Carrie’s blog, which she started specifically so she could share her experiences at the convention. Her introductory blog explains who she is much better than I can.

It was so great to meet so many cool people who understand what other hard of hearing people are going through. It was awesome to be able to hang out at a bar with a group of people (something I might avoid altogether under normal conditions) and not feel totally out of the loop. What’s really great is that even though we all come from different parts of the country, we can still keep in touch online via facebook, hearing loss nation and our own personal blogs.

HLAA really encourages young adults to get involved at the local, state and national levels. The association tries its hardest each year to get sponsors for young adult scholarships, so if you are a young adult and have never been to a convention, remember to apply for a scholarship in 2011! Many of us have received scholarships over the past couple of years, and you can too! Just visit the convention page in early 2011 and apply by the end of March. Come to the convention in D.C. I promise you will make so many new friends and have such a great time, even if you don't get a scholarship, it's worth the money. Please join us!

Viral's Story

The first young adult I’d like to introduce to you is Viral Tejani. Viral is a leader in the HLAA D.C. chapter. This was his first convention and he was very much inspired, as the theme for the convention suggests. Like many of the young adults who attended, Viral was honored with a scholarship to the convention. He needs little other introduction as he has done such a wonderful job telling the world who he is through his blog. He originally posted his blog on the social networking site Hearing Loss Nation. I realize not everyone has an HLN account, so I have gotten permission to reproduce it here. Enjoy!


I never knew what I was missing....a perspective from a HLAA 2010 convention attendee...

I’ve never really been much for blogging, and never really exposed my private life on the internet, because it wouldn’t be so private. But, this is an exception, as this is an experience I want to share with everyone.

This really started out as a reflection of my first time at the HLAA convention, but eventually turned into a stream of consciousness prose where I discussed random hearing loss related issues that have affected me.

Growing up in a hearing world, it never really bothered me much that I had a hearing loss. Part of the reason is that I was mainstreamed pretty quickly in elementary school, and thus never really interacted with the other HOH students. I felt “normal” in a sense, and the hearing loss never crossed my mind. The only difference I could see between me and all of the other classmates was just purely ethnic; I was Indian in a white-dominated school - and that seemed to be the difference people noticed more (but that’s a whole another story though). Being hearing impaired in an all-hearing school didn’t strike me too odd. Putting on the HA’s seemed so routine and second-hand.


The only times where the hearing loss annoyed me was when I attended family / social gatherings where a lot of Indians were involved. Many of them would speak in our native language, and it was annoying that I couldn’t really follow conversations except for a few words here and there. I once asked my dad why he and my mom didn’t speak to me in both our native language and in English so that I would be bilingual. His reply: when I was identified (at age 2), the audiologist recommended that my parents speak English only, since I would be living in the U.S. It was so frustrating to hear that explanation, but who knows what would’ve happened if they tried to raise a hearing impaired child bilingual. Would it have worked, or would it have failed? Who knows?


Other than the family gatherings, I never got frustrated with having a hearing loss until college. I guess the stress of being an engineering major, as well as all the other extracurricular activities, sometimes got to me. Sometimes, I would wake up in the morning so damned tired that I didn’t want to wear the HAs, but really didn’t have a choice in the matter if I wanted to participate/fall asleep in class or chill with my friends or whatever. Looking back, the other issue was that I was starting to learn how to be on my own, and
I had to pay attention to caring for my health, including caring for the HAs.


Regardless, even though college was a great experience, the stress sometimes got to me, like it does to everyone. One goes though periods where little things start being very annoying. Sometimes, the hearing loss would be a topic I would ruminate over, and I would mainly think to myself, “This really isn’t fair. I did nothing to deserve this.” Even though I knew there was no point in complaining about it – it’s not like I’ll magically get cured (until hair cell regeneration actually works) – I still decided to complain. After some time, I would totally forget about it. After all, you really can’t spend your days complaining about circumstances you don’t have control over. I was still happy that I had some solid friends at Lehigh and at home. I was still happy that I was actually doing decent with the engineering major, even though sometimes my social life got disrupted. I was still happy being involved with extracurricular activities. In short, I was still happy.


Even though I graduated with an engineering degree, I had always wanted to do clinical work. However, I also knew medicine wouldn’t be a good fit for me. Long story short, I decided to get into Audiology. It seemed to make sense – it was the only profession that I could truly empathize with patients, given my own personal experiences. Everything was going fine with the Audiology classes, but I did run into a few roadblocks when I started seeing patients – but that’s also another topic for another day. I’ve already shared some of those stories with some of you. The biggest surprise: when I initially started seeing patients, I would occasionally resent people with normal hearing or patients with decent residual hearing. I was surprised at this new feeling of bitterness, but at the same time, some of these patents seemed hesitant in owning up to their hearing loss. This lack of ownership is likely why I experienced some bitterness / resentment, and I shouldn’t be so surprised that I’m taking it personally. After all, I knew first hand how helpful HA’s can be, and I really wanted patients to realize that.


The other source of my resentment was the concept of newborn hearing screening using OAE measures. This wasn’t around when I was born. I started wondering, what would’ve happened if I got identified at birth instead of at age 2. How would have my future changed with earlier identification? Again, I was ruminating over things I had no control over. It’s not worth stressing over.


There was a point where the bitterness / resentment faded, and my supervisors and I just simply tried our best to help the patients. I’ve already had a few memorable patients who loved probing me about my hearing loss, and I loved sharing my experiences with them. On the flip side, I’ve also had a few patients who still were worried about the stigma, who still took it as another one of those signs of aging, and who had many other little excuses that really mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. The only excuse that I can completely understand is the financial commitment required, which unfortunately bars some patients from getting the services they need. Regardless, my supervisors and I just tried our best to help all the patients we could.


During my first semester of clinic, I heard about HLAA through the Walk4Hearing. University of Maryland’s Student Academy of Audiology had a team organized for the Fall 2009 walk. I thought, why not, it’s for a good cause. Shortly after that, I met Zac LaFratta, who was starting a HLAA chapter for Washington D.C. So, again, I thought, why not? I started getting involved, and am now VP. Zac was persuading me to go to the HLAA convention, and to be honest, I was a little hesitant. I didn’t know what to expect, and didn’t know how beneficial it would be. I had looked at it as a networking experience, and I thought it would be a good way to meet people. I’m grateful that Zac nominated me for a scholarship, as the experience was just amazing.


The first day of the convention was quite overwhelming. I had never been in the presence of so many hard of hearing people. Literally, an army of us was dominating the Frontier Airline Center. I glanced around….hearing aid on that guy, cochlear implant on that girl, oh that person has both an HA and a CI, oh there’s an FM system,….ahhh, holy crap, there’s so many of us!!


That first night at the convention, I met some of the young HOH adults, and we all went down to the hotel bar and chilled. And it was simply...cool. Here’s a bunch of us chilling together, talking about our experiences with hearing loss, but also about other random stuff like Game 5 of the NBA finals happening that night. And clearly, since there are 5-6 breweries in a 10 mile radius, we all had to head to the bars every night, chill, and try the local beers. But more importantly, we all were SO comfortable with one another. I noticed simple things like, if Person A missed a joke while everyone was laughing, Person B would explain to Person A what just happened, so no one would be left out. Wait a minute… no one left out?? Really?? HOW COOL IS THAT? Seriously, there was no such thing as bluffing here. (And I remember totally calling one of you out when I noticed you were bluffing….but I won’t mention your name :-P). I don’t understand ASL well, so I did bug some of you to translate for me. But I didn’t feel embarrassed. Why? Again, because, there’s no such thing as bluffing here. We all had serious conversations about hearing loss, but we were all also pretty chill and goofing around. I also would not have had any of these serious conversations with my normal hearing friends, and I never knew what I was missing out on by not having other HOH friends to talk to.


During the actual conference, I met a lot of good people, including presenters and officers from other HLAA chapters. It was interesting to see how other chapters, the HLAA administration, and general HLAA members really look to us young people as future leaders. As future leaders, we can promote advocacy and spread awareness about hearing loss. At the same time, I also met a few HLAA members who were very scared about hearing loss and being alone. That really inspired me as well; there’s no reason one should feel alone! We all should be good-natured members of society and look out for one another.


I came back from Milwaukee feeling inspired and focused. Meeting the HOH young adults, other fellow chapter officers, presenters, and other random attendees, was a great experience. The experience inspired ideas of what I needed to do as a HLA-DC officer and future audiologist. I need to do more than just diagnostics and treatment. I need to advocate for people. I need to help people advocate for themselves. Not just I. WE ALL need to promote awareness about the effects of hearing loss, and we all need to be stick together and be strong!

I really had a great time meeting and being inspired by all of you. I am grateful to Zac for the scholarship nomination. Since the convention is in D.C. next year, I really have no excuse to not to come. Hopefully, I will see some of you again.

We Were Inspired in Milwaukee!

It’s been about a month since the convention, but the connections made there are still going strong online and around the country. I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce you to some of the wonderful people I met at the convention. HLAA has been pushing an initiative to get young adults more involved at the local, state and national levels. The following few posts are proof that it’s working. We young adults are getting more involved. We are attending conventions, making personal connections, and assuring all HLAA members that we are ready to step up as emerging leaders in this organization. Many of the young adults who attended have been truly inspired. We all want to save up and go again next year to the convention in Washington D.C. I asked some of the friends I made at the convention if they had any thoughts about their experiences that they’d like to share with everyone. I now have a compilation of blog posts from about half a dozen young adults. I hope you enjoy everyone’s take on the convention as much as I did.

Sunday Wrap Up

The young adults, many of whom received scholarships, after the awards banquet

Sunday morning was the HLAA awards breakfast, sponsored by CapTel. The ceremony celebrated HLAA members from around the country who have gone above and beyond in their advocacy and outreach efforts. There were awards for best website and newsletter, special service awards and other awards for outstanding HLAA members. Scholarship recipients and Walk 4 Hearing (which had its own room and booth in the exhibit hall) leaders were also recognized.

Peg Adamucci (who was available to sign her book Grandmom and Me and the System) and her husband at the HLAA booth

After the awards ceremony my friends and I walked around to experience a bit of Milwaukee before we headed home. We searched around the city for a specific place that my friend heard had really good grilled cheese. Unfortunately, it was closed. So was the next restaurant we were sent to. At least we enjoyed the walk and we found a pretty good Italian place to stop and eat lunch at.

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to share the convention experience with you all. I’d like to thank Nancy Macklin for giving me this opportunity as well as planning this entire weekend-long shindig. She is simply amazing. I learned so much about new technologies available to help deaf and hard of hearing people experience life and communicate with the world. I also learned important ways in which I can be a powerful self-advocate and get the accommodations I need.

Thanks again to all of our sponsors. My personal thanks go out to CTIA: The Wireless Association and Starkey Labs for providing young adult scholarships, Hamilton Captel for sponsoring the blog and AT&T for sponsoring Comedy Sportz and the exhibit hall socials, at which I met amazing people. Our sincere gratitude also goes out to:

Cochlear Americas: Rumble at the Harley Davidson Museum

Advanced Bionics: Convention Workbook

Med-El: Badges and lanyards

Oticon: Registration bags

Sorenson Communications: Get acquainted party

T-Mobile: President & executive director’s reception

Verizon: Convention program and exhibit guide

R.I.T./NTID: Communication access for the research symposium

Blackberry RIM: Three morning coffee breaks

Hearing Industries Association: Hearing screening booth

Williams Sound: Signage

Saturday Shows and Shenanigans

Comedy Sportz show (picture courtesy Sarah Mosher)

Sarah is just one of the young adults I met who have written up a great description of their convention experiences on the Kansas City chapter blog .

Due to the young adult shenanigans the night prior I missed out on some morning activities. I went to lunch at the local mall with my friend Rhi and Sveta and while we were there we met another convention attendee, Joanne. She has a twenty-year-old daughter who has a hearing loss. Joanne told me how much she'd learned and experienced at the convention and that she wants to bring get her daughter to go next year. After eating lunch and talking to Joanne for a while, I attended a workshop.

The workshop which I did attend was on movie and theater accommodations. A lot of it I’d heard before. There are open captions, closed captions and rear window captions, though I’m not very familiar with the rear window type. Infrared and fm systems are sometimes used. Interpreting is also an option for live theater. There’s actually some cool captioning glasses some students at UCLA supposedly developed recently, which I think would be great, but I haven’t heard much about them or tried them out for myself. What was more interesting to me was the different accommodations mentioned by people from different areas of the country. I had recently seen some shows at the Orange County Performing Arts Center and was not impressed with the systems used. I guess that’s why HLAA pushes so much for individual self-advocacy so that everyone from any area can obtain the accommodations they need.

Soon after the workshop was an ice-cream social in the exhibit hall, No Ordinary Sundae, sponsored by AT&T. It was a great time to meet up with friends and enjoy delicious ice-cream. Unfortunately, I heard they ran out of ice-cream, but I was lucky enough to snag some and sit down to eat with my new friends.

After that was the Oktoberfest in June banquet. Milwaukee is known for its beer, cheese, motorcycles and German cultural food, all of which we got to experience over the course of the weekend, so the Oktoberfest theme fit well. Many of the young adults decided to skip this event in favor of Comedy Sportz, the off-site event for young adults. However, some of us popped into the Oktoberfest event first. There was some great food there including potatoes au gratin and a mushroom-stuffed, pastry-covered chicken dish. I personally saved a little room for the Comedy Sportz excursion, also sponsored by AT&T.

For those not familiar with Comedy Sportz, it’s an improv comedy show, similar to the television show Whose Line is it Anyway. The night was particularly entertaining for us as it was specially captioned for HLAA. Not only that, but the presence o the captionists added to the comedic effect as the host (or referee) made comments about the CART service as well as the ladies providing it. They did an excellent job. There were two ladies captioning, and apparently both of their names were Lisa, so the referee made a joke about that as well as how cool it was to see his words on the screen. It was an interesting night to say the least. I was surprised at the number of people who attended whom I’m certain were over the 18-35 age range. I was expecting a more intimate gathering. However, I think I remember reading somewhere that this event was “also open to the young at heart.”

When the buses headed for home, however, the true young adults decided to hop off the bus at Mo’s Irish Pub rather than return to the hotel. It was a long night. I got about 4 and a half hours of sleep before the awards banquet. It’s always interesting to try to communicate in a diverse group. This younger group was not as diverse in age as the Oktoberfest or Comedy Sportz crowds, but it was more intimate. Some spoke, some signed, and others read lips or used multiple means of communication. It was certainly a long and interesting night.

In the Works

I'm working on a post about everything that occurred yesterday (it was a long and exhausting day) but I really want to go see all the amazing things today has to offer me. Don't worry, you will hear all about the convention, but I've got to go experience it! Also working on getting some pictures. Thanks for your patience.

A Word From Our Sponsor: Exciting News for Hard of Hearing iPhone Users from Hamilton CapTel!

Our blog sponsor has some exciting news for hard of hearing iPhone users! Hamilton CapTel® announced Thursday that it is releasing the first iPhone® app to provide captions for every call!

June 16, 2010, Aurora, Nebraska –Today, Hamilton CapTel announced the immediate availability of the Hamilton Mobile CapTel application for the iPhone. The application provides captions of telephone calls for individuals with hearing loss while they are on the go. Available nationwide, Hamilton Mobile CapTel allows users to listen while reading captions of everything that is said during phone calls – all from the convenience of their iPhone.

“This is a major addition to the Hamilton CapTel family of solutions, delivering unprecedented access and freedom for iPhone users that are hard of hearing,” said Dixie Ziegler, vice president of Hamilton Relay, provider of Hamilton Mobile CapTel service. “At Hamilton, we are dedicated to delivering personalized service and providing the most technologically advanced solutions. Every call is important, and due to the widespread use of the iPhone, we have created a free iPhone App that is easy-to-use with an intuitive interface to meet the needs of iPhone users in the U.S.”

Similar to captions on television, Hamilton Mobile CapTel delivers captions for telephone conversations. The popularity of the iPhone in particular has spurred creation of an iPhone App that is free, easy and highly functional. The Hamilton Mobile CapTel iPhone App delivers several useful features that meet the demands of people who are hard-of-hearing:

• Listen to what is said while simultaneously reading captions of what’s said on the screen of the iPhone

• Integration of Contacts; phone numbers are available when it’s time to place a call

• Free captions in both English and Spanish

• Available on any 3G/3GS iPhone

• Works with an iPhone compatible headset---wired or Bluetooth

• Registered Web CapTel users can download the app immediately and have access to their profile and contacts stored on the iPhone, captioning can begin within seconds
What an awesome communication tool for people with hearing loss! It’s simple, easy to use, gives you access from anywhere, and it’s free! What more could you ask for?
Download the free Hamilton Mobile CapTel iPhone App at the iTunes® App StoreSM. Search “Hamilton Mobile CapTel” or download directly at: http://iphone.appmobilize.com/track/185118

iPhone users who are new to CapTel can visit www.HamiltonCapTel.com for more details or may begin the one-time registration process at www.HamiltonWebCapTel.com.
And don’t forget to follow Hamilton CapTel on twitter for all the latest news and technology available for hard of hearing people at @HamiltonApTel.

See the full press release at the Hamilton CapTel site.

Day 1

Well, I made it to Milwaukee. My flight was the very last to come in, so I started out pretty tuckered out. Boy did I have a day ahead of me. When I first walked up to the convention registration desk I was cheerfully greeted by a convention volunteer and given a registration bag (sponsored by Oticon), a program book (sponsored by Verizon) and a chance to pick up an assisted listening device generously donated by Williams Sound.

First up, newcomer orientation:
The orientation was given by none other than Sue Miller, who is anything but a newcomer to the convention (see earlier post). There was a major emphasis on total accessibility. From hearing loops and real time captioning to infrared assisted listening devices this convention has it all to ensure that every hard of hearing attendee may fully participate. I was told that there are about 800 attendees at this year’s convention. It certainly is refreshing to know that for once, even though I was among a large group of people, I could be certain that everyone around me understood in some way what it meant to be hard of hearing. I believe it was Michael Stone who said during the orientation that “convention going is a contact sport. You get information. You make contacts. You make new friends. On an average day as a hard of hearing person you might feel completely isolated from the rest of the world. At an HLAA convention you meet so many people who understand. You share stories about dealing with hearing loss. It’s life changing.” Then we were left to go off in our separate directions and experience these things for ourselves.

Workshops:
There are 5 education tracks this year which include advocacy and access, hearing technology, medical issues, relationships and communication, and young adults. A workshop in the advocacy and access track which I found particularly interesting was “Advocating for Hearing Loops.” I had recently been talking to friends about my frustration that there aren’t very many places that have hearing loops, so this was very interesting and informative for me. Loops are so simple and accessible to anyone with a t-coil in their hearing aid. I often find fm systems, (and the infrared system I tried out today) to come in fuzzy and distorted, but hearing loops always come in clear for me. I’m glad to hear there are more initiatives around the country to get hearing loops more widely available.

Keynote Speaker Bill Barkeley:
Bill Barkeley is quite an inspirational person. He has Ushers syndrome and is deaf/blind. He also climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. He acknowledges that he had a lot of help. There is a lot of technology available to us now and we should embrace it. He believes it’s important that he takes the emphasis off of himself and puts it on the issues of hearing and vision impaired people. He is also convinced that hardships “can make us bitter or make us better” and that we must let them make us better by using them to help others. We, as hard of hearing people, also need to be comfortable helping others help us reach our goals. Mr. Barkeley was a very inspiring speaker.


After the opening session and keynote speech there was a casino-themed “get acquainted party.” It was an exciting start to a promising weekend.

Sprint CapTel Demo

This just in from Todd Bader at Sprint Relay/ CapTel:

A demo program has been added for Saturday from 3-3:45

What can you do with Sprint 4G?

Curious about America’s first Sprint 4G Phone, hearing aid compatibility and 3G/4G mobile broadband solutions? Join us and learn more about Sprint’s 3G and 4G mobile solutions. You will also learn how Sprint CapTel and Mobile Relay Conference Captioning will work wirelessly using 3G/4G mobile broadband solutions in different ways. See what you can do with Sprint 4G!

25 Conventions!

While I'd like you all to get acquainted with us newbies at the convention, I'd also like you to congratulate two members who have been here since the beginning. Say hello to Bob Branigin and Sue Miller. They have been attending HLAA's national conventions since 1984.


Sue Miller of Rochester, NY, is a former Board of Trustees member and a past president of HLAA. She provides an overview of the convention program, what you can learn, see and do at the Newcomer’s Orientation. Sue has been to every single convention since 1984, making Milwaukee her 25^th consecutive attendance!

Excerpt from Collection of Memories of Rocky Stone

My life is so rich because of my experiences with SHHH/HLAA. I’ve traveled to cities all across the country to attend the conventions...places I never would have seen. I’ve met wonderful people from all over the USA, again, because of SHHH/HLAA.

I can now hear when I go to places of worship, the theater, a court room, because of Rocky and his vision. My life has such meaning and purpose...all because of Rocky.

Bob Branigin of Seattle, WA is another long time HLAA member who also has been to every single convention from the first one in Chicago, Illinois in 1984!

Excerpt from Collection of Memories of Rocky Stone

My most cherished memory of Rocky is that he would make the time to have breakfast or lunch with me at every convention from his retirement up until his passing. He would tell me serious things and share his concern for SHHH/HLAA. He had a great sense of humor and would tell me jokes. He would joke with me about who will be the last person to break the record of attending every convention since the first one in Chicago. At the present time [February 2009] Sue Miller of Rochester, NY, and I are the only two people who have been to all of the conventions.

Program Changes

The convention is coming up fast! Leaving tomorrow!

FYI: There are a couple of things that need to be changed in the program book.

1)WORKSHOP CANCELED:

"Advocacy Through Social Networking"

Presenter: Teresa Burke

Scheduled for: Saturday from 12:45-2

The presenter broke her foot and cannot make it.

2) On the sponsor page of the program guide (p 35) Blackberry CTIA should be Blackberry RIM (Research In Motion)

That's it for now. More soon!

Have Fun! Make New Friends! Go to Milwaukee!

Hey, everybody. I hope you’re getting excited about the convention, because I sure am. I’ll be arriving in Milwaukee one week from now!

Convention 2010 promises to be an exciting event. There will be a ton of cool exhibits and speakers, but what I’m really looking forward to are the social activities. Meeting cool new people is a great reason to attend. You’re bound to make new friends with people from all over the country at fun-filled events like Oktoberfest in June and Rumble at the Harley Davidson Museum. Heck, you might even win free registration to next year’s convention at the Harley.

Thanks to a generous sponsorship from AT&T there will even be a special off-site event for young adults at Comedy Sportz Milwaukee! This is an improv comedy club, but there will be CART (realtime captioning). I’m interested to see how it goes. I recently attended a “comedy sportz high school league” show my brother performed in. I didn’t understand a thing, but my parents said I wasn’t the only one. I’m sure it will be a challenge for a brave captionist.

See the convention page for all the fun stuff to do at and around the convention!

If for some unfortunate reason you can’t join us this year, you should definitely go to convention 2011. If you're a first-timer, like me, you can even apply for a scholarship for next year. Half a dozen young adults - myself included - are going on scholarships this year generously sponsored by CTIA- The Wireless Association. Applications for scholarships to convention 2011 should be available at the beginning of the year and have a deadline at the end of March.

Have a great week and I hope to meet you - yes YOU - in Milwaukee!

Introduction

Hello, everyone. I’d just like to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Rachel, and I’m so excited to be attending and blogging for this year’s HLAA national convention in Milwaukee! I’d like to thank my good friend Rhi Gutierrez (HLA-CA board member and cover girl for the current issue of The Hearing Loss Californian) for nominating me for a scholarship to the convention as well as mentioning my name when Nancy was looking for a blogger. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her! Also, thanks to Hamilton Cap Tel for sponsoring our official blog.

A little bit about me

Age: 23

Born and raised: Orange County, CA

Hearing loss: progressive, bilateral, sensorineural loss, severe to profound in left, profound in right ear

Education: BA in English literature, Chapman University, 2009

Current favorite hearing devices: Phonak Versata P and iCom with Bluetooth/audio input capabilities

Interests: writing, swing dancing, music, captioned movies, travel, volunteering, reading, technology, advocacy for young adults with hearing loss

Personal blog: http://youngandhoh.blogspot.com

That’s it for now. You’ll hear more from me later as I keep you up to date on all the exciting events going on at the convention! See you in Milwaukee!

Hamilton CapTel Sponsors Convention Blog!

I am very pleased to announce that the HLAA Annual Convention Blog is being sponsored by Hamilton CapTel. Check in here during the convention for all the latest news and updates on events, and more. HLAA member Rachel McCallum has generously agreed to be our official convention blogger. Rachel recently graduated from Chapman University and would like to pursue a career in writing and editing - I'd say she is perfect for the job! Be sure to introduce yourself to Rachel McCallum - this is her first convention!

Top 10 Reasons to Attend Convention 2010 in Milwaukee

If you missed my Webinar yesterday, don't fret! It is available for replay. Click here for replay It's filled with information about the events, exhibitors, sponsors and more. So check it out!





Milwaukee Art Museum

AT&T to Sponsor Young Adult Off-site Event!

For years young adults attending the convention have begged and pleaded for an off-site event to call their own. Thanks to the generosity of AT&T, this year we are planning a really fun excursion!


All young adults (ages 18-35) are welcome to go to ComedySportz Milwaukee, a comedy improv club just a short bus ride from the Hilton Milwaukee City Center. You'll enjoy some of the wackiest (yet clean) humor at the communication accessible 10 p.m. show on Saturday, June 19th. More details to follow about where to catch the bus, etc. Bring your funny bones along!


AT&T is also sponsoring the Exhibit Hall Socials: Friday, June 18th is themed Say Cheese (we will be in the dairy state, afterall!), and Saturday's social is No Ordinary Sundae.



Thank you, AT&T!

Convention Attendee Speaks About Her First Time

If you've never been to an HLAA convention, read Christie Nudelman's article about Convention 2009 in Nashville. First-timers get a special registration discount - see the Convention page on http://www.hearingloss.org for all the details.



My First Time at an HLAA Convention

By Christie Nudelman

Last year I attended the HLAA convention in Nashville for the first time. I was the proud recipient of a grant from the Rocky Stone Scholarship program. This was a GREAT to help me offset the cost to get my feet wet with HLAA.

You see, I joined HLAA, Boulder chapter, in March 2009 for my first meeting ever! I got information about the conference and I wanted to connect with others LIKE MYSELF. I heard there was an effort to get younger people to attend, in addition to workshops and fun activities; so I said why not? The conference venue was amazing in itself. It was HUGE, too!

The schedule of events allowed you freedom to attend what you wanted, when you wanted and then some (i.e. after hours get-togethers). The keynote speakers were great, the workshops were well thought out and the parties were always fun! In addition, the people were all so amazing and accepting. At the conference, you are amongst a “like kind” – they don’t ask you about “your accent”, or look strangely at you when you ask them to repeat 3 times! I was amazed to be around so many people who “got me” – they understood me and I could just be myself! I remember one profound moment when I was in the exhibit hall trying out the CapTel phone and I called my mom. I told her, “I feel like I found a home here at this conference!”

Key takeaways I got:

· I made at least 30 new friendships that have continued through Facebook over this past year

· I became proud of my loss knowing I wasn’t alone and it’s OK!

· I became an advocate for myself. I educate my co-workers at the start of a project about my loss and how they can help and I inform instructors in classes and make sure I can always see them. It’s no longer MY problem, but my opportunity to help others understand and make sure I have what I need to be successful!

· Learned about different levels of loss and how people adapt (sign, oral, captioning, hearing dogs – no aids, cochlear implants, deaf).

Did I mention all the friends??

I highly recommend all to attend a conference! Maybe you are curious to make new friends, maybe you have always needed an excuse to visit Milwaukee, maybe you want to know the latest about hearing loss research and technology... whatever the reason, get yourself there and enjoy the long weekend. There is definitely something for everyone! If you have any questions, you can contact me directly at christiejoy@comcast.net

Convention 2010 Scholarships - Spread the Word!

Young adults enjoyed karaoke at the Get Acquainted Party in Nashville - over 20 scholarahips were awarded, the majority going to young adults.

If you know an HLAA member who has never been to a convention and who may need a little help getting there, let them know the deadline for submitting an application is March 1! A member can self-nominate or may use the form to submit someone else. Scholarships will be available for all ages! See guidelines at: http://www.hearingloss.org/convention/2010Convention/docs/RSEFGrantCriteriaNWM.pdf

and the nomination form at:

http://www.hearingloss.org/convention/2010Convention/docs/RSEFGrantApplication.doc

Schedules Available on www.hearingloss.org

Check out the convention page on the HLAA website. The schedule-at-a-glance as well as the complete workshop schedule have been posted.

Paradise Landing at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center

There's fun awaiting the entire family in Milwaukee! The Hilton Milwaukee City Center has a 20,000 square foot indoor waterpark called Paradise Landing. Don't forget to pack your bathing suit! See pictures and more at http://www.paradiselanding.com/.

Highlights include:
*A 3-story Jamaican Village with four fantastic water slides
*An Idyllic Lagoon
*Hydro-therapy Spa that accommodates up to 31 people
*Kiddy Pool with Beached Boat Slide, Turtle Squirt and Mushroom Rain Drop Fountain
*Seashell Slide and Frog Slide
*Lily Pad Walk
*Water Cannons

So Much To Do! So Much To See!

Add a day or two to see some of the sights in Milwaukee. Upon arrival at Convention Registration you will receive a registration bag (sponsored this year again by Oticon) filled with lots of goodies including a map of Milwaukee and the 2010 Experience Milwaukee discount card (compliments of VISIT Milwaukee and its members) .

Use the card to receive 1/2 off the price of admission at the following attractions, museums and performing arts venues:

Attractions

Boerner Botanical Gardens

Milwaukee County Zoo

Mitchell Park Domes

Old World Wisconsin

Museums

Betty Brinn Children's Museum

Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion

Charles Allis Art Museum

Discovery World

Harley-Davidson Museum

Millwaukee Art Museum

Milwaukee Public Museum

Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum

Performing Arts

Milwaukee Chamber Theater

Milwaukee Reperatory Theater

Skylight Opera Theatre

Come to Milwaukee - You'll Be Glad You Did!

Welcome to the HLAA Convention Blog!

This is the place to check for convention news. Along with the Convention page on http://www.hearingloss.org/, it has all the latest developments as we plan for Convention 2010 in Milwaukee, June 17-20.

I've said it before, I would move to Milwaukee if I could! I absolutely love it there and I know you will too. Lake Michigan is breathtaking and there's so much to do and see.

Milwaukee Art Museum

This convention has it all - first-rate workshops and presenters, an exhibit hall full of the latest technology and services for people with hearing loss, a world-class research symposium on the latest hearing aid research and development, two special workshops for parents and educators of children with hearing loss, an off-site event at the Harley-Davidson Museum, and the Saturday night banquet with a German flair with entertainment provided by Blakapelle-Milwaukee. It all offically kicks off with the Opening Session keynote speaker, Bill Barkeley, who despite having both hearing and vision loss due to Usher Syndrome, will be an inspiration to us all. He has climed Mount Kilimanjaro, and next summer will lead an expedition of students (some with hearing, some with hearing loss) to the Peruvian Amazon. 

Harley-Davidson Museum

Blaskapelle-Milwaukee

Do not miss this convention! Scholarships are available - please see the Convention page for guidelines and the application/nomination form.

See you there!