Hear Nor There: Images of an Invisible Disability

Words and pictures have the power to move people. The following images showcase my goal to create a photo book/monograph that will present stories of individuals with hearing loss and the challenges that they face. People of all ages and walks of life will be included in the book. It is my hope that this photo book will portray a unique perspective and foster awareness for issues pertaining to hearing loss. Each picture will tell an individual story and celebrate the small victories and challenges that all hard of hearing people experience. Copyright © 2012 all rights reserved. Tweet !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

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Caption This

Like Captions or not, the HOH community love them. We never miss a thing, therefore we'll never feeling missing from the conversations that one may have about their favorite TV show or a sporting event. Currently, advocates are trying to get captioning more easily assessable in movie theaters! Support it!

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Good Vibrations

At the 2012 Family Camp in Malibu, CA, put on by the House Research Institute, these children are watching and feeling a loud performance of traditional Asian drums. No one missed a lyric, because there weren't any, just vibrations! This camp provides an environment for both kids, siblings and parents to connect with other families that face similar issues surrounding pediatric hearing loss.

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Tram's Barrier

Tram (Massachusetts) struggled with the acceptance of her hearing loss especially in a culture that easily dismissed differences. Her hearing loss was looked down upon and considered a superstition amongst family members. She was once told that her hearing loss was caused by a mistake made in her previous life. As she got older she overcame that belief, instead she says, "It's what you make in this life, not what you did in your past life." Growing up with hearing loss exposure in the Asian culture made it difficult for Tram to shift the focus on her accomplishments.  She was determined to work really hard and prove that she can be successful despite her disability. "I have to work extra hard to be better," says Tram when describing her educational career, building herself up to where is she today: a successful Laboratory Manager at Suffolk University. 

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Lisa's nap

Lisa Zovar (Wisconsin) takes a nap at her first HLAA Convention in Providence, Rhode Island. With her hearing loss, she finds comfort in sleeping, but many others with hearing loss might feel the opposite. 

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Peer Support

Malik El-Amin (right) president of the HLAA (Hearing Loss Association of America) Los Angeles Chapter speaks at a Peer Support group gathering, which allow participants to discuss various hearing loss issues in a relaxed, informal setting.

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Carol's Conversation

Visiting her mother, Carol Burns, (Wisconsin) wears a Cochlear implant (CI) and converse with her mother. It's difficult however, with the air conditioner running in the background, the dishwasher on in the kitchen, and the T.V. volume on high.

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Megan

“I can show that although you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can be a journalist or anything you want to be,” said Megan Clancy (California). Megan (right) is an aspiring journalist currently pursing her second masters in Journalism at Emerson College. She received her undergrad degree in Biology from Gallaudet and a Masters in genetics from Medical College of Virginia. With a declining hearing loss, it was only after her masters that she received cochlear implants and it made a huge impact on her life. She’s an advocate for the DHH community by writing articles of DHH events for the examiner.com. Here, she observes the Family Camp for both kids, siblings and parents to connect with other families that face similar issues surrounding pediatric hearing loss. 

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Viral zone

A leader in the HLAA D.C. Chapter, Viral Tejani is currently a graduate student at the University of Maryland, studying to become an audiologist. With an undergraduate degree in engineering, he felt it made sense for him to follow audiology to pursue his passon for clinical research. The combination of his engineering knowledge and personal hearing loss experience will allow him to contribute to the development of future technology. One frustration he has with his hearing loss is when he attends family/social gatherings in which family members would speak in their native language, and often he wouldn't understand. One place he is accepting of his hearing loss is at HLAA Conventions, during social outings with friends like Carrie Martin (Tennessee). 

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Phone nightmare

Something simple as talking on the phone is a constant struggle for the hard of hearing (HOH), especially when talking to someone that's new or has an accent. The HOH will often mishear a word, name, or number for something else. Many stick with texts or emails. With the help of technology there are now caption telephones that allow someone with a hearing loss to read what the other person on the line is saying.

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Dustin's Rocket

Dustin Scott, (24, California) life passion is in the performing arts whether it's playing bass guitar for his band, acting on stage or filming & producing movies. Born with a hearing loss, Scott is living proof of what one can accomplish in spite of a disability. Scott's view on his hearing loss is imbedded in this tattoo. Scott says,"It's a joke among my friends, that whenever they ask me to teach them a sign, I show them, "I want to become an astronaut." It's also a double meaning, the fact that the rocket ship is made of wood, it's not going to work, but it's the effort that you put into things that counts and that's what I think of my hearing." 

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Lucky Bass

Dustin Scott (far right) was born with a hearing loss and a passion for music. Early on, while learning how to play the electric guitar he sadly discovered that he struggled to hear the guitar’s pitch. Instead, he found something that worked for him: Bass guitar. The volume and pitch was just right for him but that wasn’t the end of it. His band mates may lose themselves while playing, but Dustin has to pay careful attention to the drummer to stay on a beat and to play successfully.

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Small Aids vs. Big Aids vs. Outdated Aids

Hearing aids are used so much that they often break and need to be repaired or upgraded. Which requires a lot of money. Here are a pair of newer hearing aids that are smaller and the Invisible in the canal hearing aids (IIC) with one older Behind the Ear (BTE) hearing aids. This user goes back and forth between her IIC and the BTE. The BTE gives her more hearing power but this user sacrifice that for looks. She wish she was confident enough to wear the BTE but for now she feels more comfortable wearing the IIC because they are small and easy to hide.

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Loss in Translation

Most public transportation are not designed for those with hearing loss. Many avoid taking the bus, train or even flying. It's only in recent years that some travel information is being displayed in text. With that, one can still miss out on emergency information that's usually announced over the P.A., and that can cost someone frustration and possibly someone's life.

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Exploring

These friends explore at the 2012 Family Camp in Malibu, CA, put on by the House Research Institute every year. This camp provides an environment for both kids, siblings and parents to connect with other families that face similar issues surrounding pediatric hearing loss.

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Communication Workshop

A workshop is held at the Family Camp by the House Research Institute to encourage positive behavior as children see how rewarding it is to express daily kindness, appreciation, and love to all from a illustrated heartwarming book. Bullies abound no matter what the age and this workshop taught young children the power of words and to use those words carefully.

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Girlfriends

These young girlfriends attended the 2012 Family Camp in Malibu, CA, put on by the House Research Institute every year. This camp provides an environment for both kids, siblings and parents to connect with other families that face similar issues surrounding pediatric hearing loss. For this group activity, the kids were asked to pair up, these two immediately held hands and were inseparable for the remainder of the camp.

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Melissa's connection

With her mother's continuous support, Melissa Paredes (12) excels in her studies. Texting, rather than making phone calls allows Melissa to stay connected on her cell phone.