As someone who is deaf, I’ve heard (pun) my fair share of ridiculous statements about deaf people. One of them that keeps coming up, deaf people cannot enjoy music. As a music lover myself, I am here to set the record straight: deaf people CAN enjoy music. Music is not just an [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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) [...]
Norman Rockwell’s iconic Thanksgiving dinner painting is a picture of joy and connection. But for most deaf people, dinner hurts. There’s even a name for it: Dinner Table Syndrome, a phenomenon in which deaf people are cut out of conversations while surrounded by hearing people they can’t understand during meals. In pop [...]
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 [...]
The world in normal times is fraught with communication obstacles for deaf and hard of hearing people. Communication obstacles during the COVID-19 pandemic are even more challenging to navigate. The results of these compounded barriers can range from frustration and misunderstandings to life and death situations. One thing is clear, trying to [...]
One of the ironies of being deaf: We rely heavily on visual cues to navigate this world, yet our disability is largely invisible to the naked eye. “But ... you don’t even look deaf” is a surprised comment many a deaf individual has encountered. Without seeing immediate telltale cues like sign [...]