May is Better Hearing and Speech Month

The month of May is Better Hearing and Speech Month. Join me in taking a moment to promote awareness and education about communication challenges and the diverse ways in which people communicate.   Hearing and speaking are two of the most common ways that humans communicate and interact with eachother. However, for some [...]

By |2023-05-18T22:07:53+00:00May 18th, 2023|Deaf Awareness|0 Comments

Access Orlando: deaffriendly CONSULTING trains 100 hotel staff to welcome 1,000+ deaf professionals to #NAD2022

After its first virtual conference in 2020, the National Association of the Deaf is back with another milestone: hosting its biennial #NAD2022 conference in Orlando, FL for the very first time.  Long-time NAD members may remember New York, NY, Washington, D.C, Chicago, IL, and Cincinnati, OH as frequent host cities (prior to [...]

By |2022-08-23T14:55:47+00:00August 23rd, 2022|Business Tip, Deaf Awareness|0 Comments

Digging Deeper: It takes two to tango, especially in deaf and hearing conversations

A great conversation is like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in action: dance partners in sync with each other, aware of and anticipating next steps, and quickly adapting from start to end. No matter what “language” they used - vaudeville, ballroom dancing, tap dancing, soft shoe, or ballet - this legendary pair [...]

By |2022-06-15T04:21:08+00:00June 13th, 2022|Business Tip, Deaf Awareness|0 Comments

Tapping into lived experiences: the secret sauce of developing deaf-friendly businesses

All businesses are hungry for the expertise that takes them to the next level. But what, exactly, is expertise? Acronyms like “SME” (Subject Matter Expert), “ninja,” and “rock star” have long been standard in job descriptions.  Everyone always wants a rock star. But it’s not limited to an MBA, university prestige, or [...]

By |2022-05-24T18:25:31+00:00May 24th, 2022|Business Tip, Deaf Awareness|0 Comments

What’s in a name? When it comes to customers with hearing disabilities, labels matter

Over 48 million people in the U.S. live with hearing loss- and they are far from a monolithic group. We live in an era that celebrates sign language and Deaf Culture on a scale that previous generations never imagined. Deaf artists share the Super Bowl halftime spotlight. Deaf actor Troy Kotsur (CODA) [...]

By |2022-02-21T19:39:06+00:00February 21st, 2022|Business Tip, Deaf Awareness|0 Comments

Five customer service fails when serving deaf or hard of hearing customers

Good customer service is the defining factor of any good business – especially important is the first point of contact. As Deaf consumers, we frequent a variety of businesses daily such as retail establishments, grocery stores, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and many more. If we experience bad customer service, chances are, all [...]

By |2022-11-30T04:09:29+00:00November 22nd, 2021|Business Tip|0 Comments

Deaf during a pandemic: A year in review

It has been over one year since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged and resulted in massive, monumental changes to the way we live our lives. From state-mandated closures to disrupted supply lines, to virtual learning/remote working, and wearing masks in public, no one has been immune to the effects of this pandemic. The [...]

By |2021-04-14T00:22:33+00:00April 14th, 2021|Deaf Awareness|0 Comments