In a world as diverse as ours, cultural differences shape the way we perceive and engage with the world around us. One striking example of this diversity lies in the contrasting social interactions between hearing and deaf culture. While both cultures offer rich and meaningful experiences, their distinct communication modalities, non-verbal cues, [...]
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 [...]
American Sign Language (ASL) is a visual language used by many members of the Deaf community in the United States and Canada. While ASL is a language in its own right, it is not a universal language. American Sign Language is also specific to the Deaf community. As the National Association of [...]
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 [...]