Deaf Teacher Happy As a Clam

 

When I first started teaching, there weren't many resources available for deaf teachers. I had to learn how to use sign language on my own, and I often felt like I was the only one who understood what it was like to be deaf in a hearing world.

But things have changed a lot in the past decade. There are now more deaf teachers than ever before, and there are a lot of resources available to help them succeed. I'm grateful for the progress that has been made, and I'm proud to be a part of it.

I've learned a lot about myself and about deaf education over the years. I've learned that I'm capable of anything I set my mind to, and I've learned that deaf children can achieve anything they want.

I've also learned that cochlear implants are a wonderful tool, but they're not a cure for deafness. They can help me hear, but they can't give me perfect hearing. I still have to rely on sign language and other forms of communication to get by.

But I'm not complaining. I'm grateful for the cochlear implant, and I'm grateful for the opportunities it has given me. I'm able to teach my students, and I'm able to communicate with my family and friends. I'm living a full and rewarding life, and I wouldn't change it for anything.

A Millon Thanks To AB

Yesterday was amazing- a technological miracle.

They say, "Art is worth a thousand words", but what about a video.  I am a technological miracle.  I was able to video tape my special moment to share with you. 

But first let me take you back five or so years. 

Five years ago, I woke up with sudden hearing loss.  I didn't have any sound in my left ear and barely anything in my right.  The reason was an infection.  Although, the doctors are not complete sure what the infection was since I was on some strong antibiotics.  I had to learn sign language and adjust job responsilibies to my job and family environment.  I tried hearing aids for about one year which were great but my hearing got worse.  

You may read more about my story here. World of Silence - My Story

Thanks to medical science Advanced Bionics gave me hearing back again in my left ear.  Watch this amazing first video.

Several years later I found the funds to implant and activate my right ear.  I know have two working ears.  Here are the videos from yesterday.  I am so blessed to have the support of my family and friends.  For those who are not sure cochlear implants are the best route I hope this inspires you.

 

10 Percent

Prior to surgery, I had about 10 percent of hearing left in my right ear.  My left cochlea was already dead from my 1st cochlear implant surgery, do to hear I must turn on my hearing device.  But, it was not easy hearing with one ear at 90 percent and other ear with only 10 percent.  I am amazed how well I did with just that amount.  Now, I am completely without sound in both ears when I don’t wear my left ear implant.  I will hear from both ears in a few weeks.  The only thing I was able to do better with the 10 percent was understand people’s lips.  

It was not easy saying goodbye to the 10 percent.   I was not sure what it would be like with absolutely no sound at all.  I know it will get better with time.   This causes some challenges for my family and friends.  One, if I am not wearing my devices you will have to write out on paper what you want to say or learn sign language. Two, be patient with me because this deaf world is still new to me since I have only been deaf for five years.  Finally, practice makes perfect so I need conversation.   I can’t wait to have hearing with my new bionic ears.

Fatherhood

Happy Fathers Day

How should we define fatherhood?  We live in a world where some fathers are not around emotionally or physically.  We have families where children have two mother’s.  Do those type of families lack something?  I guess it depends on your convictions and how you define family.  For me, I am progressive in my thinking and believe relationships based upon love and encouragement are more important than the gender of the parents. The male child of a singl mom can still develop into being a successful adult.  I don’t want to diminish the male figure but want to recognize there are many ways to have a healthy family.  

I want to talk about the traditional family unit, when a father and mother and children.  I want to define what I believe makes a father and child experience healthy.  Let me first say, that if you have a poor father image you need to seek healthy relationships to develop your character.  DONT PUT IT OFF.  There  are organizations to help you learn what it means to be a “man”.  Also, this is my interpretation of  manhood.  

Fatherhood, like motherhood, take courage, the courage to set aside our own agenda and spend time with our children.  Courage to to continue to evolve into a better person. Courage sets apart those men who are healthy fathers from those who are mediocre fathers.  What does courage look like?  As a father I am continually presented with opportunities to stop bad habits in the ways I interact with my children.  Courage says, “I am going to share my thoughts and feelings with my children so they know I am not perfect.”

Another characteristic of good fathering is encouragement.  We live in a negative world.  We hear horrible stories of death and destruction in books, TV, and movies.  Sometimes the bad seem to outweigh the positive stories.  But encouragement is deeper than positive talk.  Webster’s defines encouragement as, “the act of making something more appealing or more likely to happen”.  I believe a father can’t encourage unless he sets aside his own agenda or thinking to focus on his son or daughter.  Encouragement is telling your child(ren) that they need to pursue their passion even even if those interests are not what you would have chosen for them.  Even if your child is thinking of going into a career field that sounds crazy, or changes her religious or political convictions, you will still be there to encourage and support her.  

I saved the most important fatherly trait for last.  Can you guess what it is?  Well if you guessed comfort you are right.  If not, listen up.  Affection is very important. Children want to be held and hugged.  They want to know that affection will always be there.  You drop everything and offer your arms, hands, ears, and sometimes tears to be sympathetic.  Your job, as a father, is for your children to be able to say when you die, “He loved and bonded with me.”

I am a proud father, but more importantly I want to continue to grow as a father. It’s a never-ending process.

 

HAPPY ANOTHER ANNIVERSARY TO ME

“Silence is still golden.”  A few years ago from this month I woke up and sound was gone.  I lost my hearing permanently and without reason.  The only thing the doctors can think of was multiple ear infections.  I stopped asking the questions “Why me? What now? How?”  After wasted hours trying to find answers to those questions, I concluded that being deaf is not the worst situation I could face and that I needed to live with my soundless world.  I learned a lot about deafness from talking with my new online friends, reading other blogs, and reading books.  There are a lot of stories similar to mine, and some that are much worse.  I had my hearing for forty years, and I’m thankful for that.  I missed the sound of rain, even the sound of the toilet flushing, and the whisper of my wife’s voice in bed.  We take sound for granted.  We are so busy talking or busy with our electronic devices that we block out the sounds of the larger world around us.

Hearing aids are a deaf person’s best friend.  The newer, smaller hearing aids are amazing, allowing you to stream wireless devices directly.  Hearing aids are available to those with slight to severe hearing loss.  I wore hearing aids for four months, until my hearing loss grew worse and their effectiveness declined. 

Thanks be to God for the next best thing – cochlear Implants.  I was implanted on November 1, 2013, and three weeks later my electrode, the device inside your cochlea, was turned on.  WOW!  The difference was incredible.  I adapted quickly to the new technology and now have hearing that is as close to normal as possible.

I do have a few advantages over hearing people:

1. In a loud environment hearing people struggle to block out sounds.  My implant allows me to focus on one voice and diminish others. 

2. You have to put in earplugs to block out loud, annoying sounds like a dog barking, loud music, or crying babies.  I just take off my cochlear implant and silence is back.

3. You have to put something in your ears to hear music.  I just Bluetooth my music to my ear.  Convenient.

4. I don’t need to argue with my wife and kids anymore because I can unplug.  You can’t.

 

I am fortunate to have been without hearing for a short period of time.  I am thankful I found Advanced Bionics, who manufactured my cochlear implant, as well as a trustworthy doctor. 

Listening to Stories

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being out of work for several months and with money running thin, I started driving for Uber.com.  The job is easy and offers good money.  The company gives me a phone to accept rides from clients, I set my own hours, and I get paid weekly.  I don’t mind driving.  I like  hearing stories, seeing where people like going, and listening to music.  Once a ride is over the customer rates my service.  I don’t think I would have a high customer service rating if I couldn’t hear and communicate with the client.  The clients are well-mannered and I find most of them talkative.   I can’t imagine driving people around without being able to hear.  Even when the radio is on high and customers ask me questions I can hear them. That would not be possible with my hearing aids nor any other device than Advanced Bionics Naida.  I have my hearing back.

I start my student teaching soon.  The test of my hearing will be if I can hear the 5th graders, since they talk so softly.  I expect great things from my cochlear implant while I’m in the classroom.  

Jeff Implant Activation

YEP! That is me hearing sounds for the first time in two years.  My cochlear implant surgery was November 1, 2013.  The surgery was a big success with really no issues at all.  I had to wait for three weeks to get activated, which is when the audiologist turned on the electrode inside my head.  Here is a quick video to explain:

I had high expectations of hearing something on November 22 when my cochlear implant was activated.  Everyone told me, "Keep your expectations low but hope for the best."  I knew that many people don't hear anything DAY 1.  The brain needs to learn sounds that one might not have heard at all or for some time.  I am lucky that I have only been without sound for two years, but never did I expect to hear words and sound so quickly. 

DAY 4 - My hearing of sounds was tested at normal hearing person level.  People still sound like robots and monotone but I know that will improve over time and with practice. 

I am so thankful for Edie Gibson who referred me to an amazing doctor in South Carolina.  It's funny, you don't need to go to the number one place to have surgery. Just find a doctor who takes you seriously and has done a lot of successful implants.  I want to give thanks to Dr. Erin at the Auditory-Verbal Center in Atlanta, GA, who has worked patiently with me answering all my questions;  and to my mom, who travelled from Arizona to Atlanta to take care of me during recovery so my wife could continue to work.  My mom didn't have too difficult a time since I slept a lot.  Finally, thank you Advanced Bionics for having the technology available.  I can't imagine going with another brand, having experienced all the support I have received just days after activation. 

I hope to be an inspiration to others who have reached the point of considering an implant.  I am still deaf because I can take off my device and the world is silence, but now I can choose to enter the world of sound.