My ears pick up bits and pieces
nothing seems to make sense
try as I may with hearing aids in
word comprehension is tough
†

With my quizzical look, I search
for visible clues of meaning
while struggling to fit in normally
and pretend everything is clear
†

I long to feel part of a church
where I’m not looked down upon
or branded as mentally slow
my hearing is lost, not my IQ
†

If I ask for repeat of some
vital clue that was given
it makes them upset and causes
folks to get mad at me
†

I leave church with an aching heart
the service is done so people go home
Was I blessed to attend the worship?
Was the message of hope for me?
†

Did God meet with us in His house?
Were there words of comfort for me?
Words that are sung leave me baffled
did our prayers reach the Father above?
†

I may never know because
church is a maze of sounds
for hard of hearing like me
O, for a hearing accessible church!

† David M. Harrison © 2013

Hard of hearing seek additional means to understand what people are saying. When our hearing goes down we depend more on visual manifestation of the spoken word. Seeing helps the hearing process and tells the brain what kind of sound or message to expect. Vision can give clarity and meaning to sounds being heard.

Lip reading or speech reading plays a big part in distinguishing words spoken. Hearing only a voice is difficult for hearing impaired people. Seeing only the lip movement may not make  sense either. When the eye-ear process is practiced, that is, hearing the words spoken and seeing formation of the mouth can improve comprehension by as much as 60%.

What captioning is to television, lip reading is to conversation. As a child I was subjected to many hearing experiments and tests at the University of Minnesota. On two occasions I was given a paper with four hundred words. From one hundred lines, I was asked to circle one of four words spoken from behind without seeing the speaker. Needless to say, I missed 95% of the words. The test was repeated with someone out of my sight speaking into a microphone while I was wearing a headphone. The results were the same. Had I been given the test with the speaker facing me, I believe that the results would have been 95% correct.

In Chattanooga there is a company called “Eye-Ear Optical” but the spelling is different. They combined the two words into one word, “Eyear Optical”. We as hard of hearing must combine the eye gate and the ear gate for maximum comprehension, while this method is not 100% fool proof, it can improve your comprehension skills.

Our logo depicts the “eye-ear concept” of communication. Let my people hear and see what you say. This is what we teach at the Hearing Loss Rehab Institute and the lip reading academy is all about.

You as a hard of hearing person must get people to clear their face so you can see what they are saying. Inform people, family and friends that you need to see a face conversing with you. This is the beginning of a new life of communication.

Until the Trumpet Sounds: LET MY PEOPLE HEAR!

David M. Harrison, Hearing Loss Support Specialist

While doing a study on hearing loss, I discovered a truth that changed my attitude and my life. Let me declare seven things that hearing loss is not…

1.     … A curse: It was believed that hearing loss was a curse from God as punishment for sin. Some believed that a curse or a hex of hearing loss can be given by voodoo or a witch.
The question was asked Jesus about a blind man, “Who did sin, this man or his parents, that this man was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”
2.     … A Stigma:  It is known as a mark of disgrace given by people who think you are abnormal. Professor Graeme Clark, who created the cochlear implant for moderately to profoundly deaf people, said many people with hearing loss were often embarrassed by their condition.

“It’s obvious that the stigma of hearing loss still has a major impact on people’s quality of life, but it must be remembered that hearing loss affects people of all ages, from newborns to elderly people – and there’s nothing to be ashamed of,” he said.

3.     … A Personal shame where is made possible by a deep-seated lack of deservedness, as in “I don’t deserve the respect or love of others.”  Destructive, hateful messages include: “You are not loveable and no one can love you, ever.” In adulthood, when another person humiliates you, it reminds you of that earlier and the pain is re-experienced.
 

4.     … A Low IQ: Until recent decades the medical profession felt that hard of hearing and deaf people were mentally incompetent, incapable of learning and considered retarded. Intelligence has nothing to do with hearing loss, lack of knowledge or understanding. I wear a button that says: “I lost my hearing, not my IQ.”

5.    …Guilt: You have not committed a crime that made you hard of hearing. You may ask, “What sin have I committed or am guilty of?” My reply is none. Hard of hearing may feel jealous of those blessed with good hearing.

 6.     … Secret:  Hearing loss is invisible, but should not be a secret. We don’t want others to know that we are hard of hearing. We are driven to conceal our hearing loss with expensive hearing aids that no one can see. Covering your hearing aids with hair can conceal them, but you still have hearing loss.

7.     … A joke: I consider this a form of bullying. It is highly offensive to me for people to say that I have “selective hearing.” That is not true, I try very hard to hear every conversation and understand all instructions given. I turn up my hearing aid and still my brain cannot comprehend what is being said.

Your hearing handicap can be an emblem of the Christian faith as a cross to bear. It can be a trial of patience and endurance. It could be that your hearing loss may be your call in life to serve and help hard of hearing people with their needs.

Do not let any of these things discourage you and keep you from enjoying life to the fullest.

Make your handicap a challenge to overcome and a platform for building a new life by helping others to have faith in God and in themselves. Don’t let your loss drive you into seclusion from social life including your family and friends.

Since you cannot make your hearing loss go away, why not accept it as a gift from God and become a hearing loss support specialist? God will enable you to be a special blessing and encouragement to others. You can either become bitter or better; it all depends on you.

Take heart, my friend

• ·       You are not the only person with a hearing loss.

• ·       There are 48 million Americans like you who are struggling to hear.

• ·       80% of these will not attend social functions, group discussions or church.

• ·       They appreciate help and the fellowship of others who understand their plight.

• ·       Become a leader and create your own support group with other hard of hearing people.

• ·        Become an advocate or a crusader for hearing accessibility everywhere you go.

Until the Trumpet sounds: LET MY PEOPLE HEAR!

David M. Harrison

We have heard the cry of hard of hearing people and listened intently to the struggles they have to reconnect with their loved ones and friends. Each handicapped person has to deal with hearing loss from a different perspective and in a different environment.

We identified your concerns about hearing loss and will discuss those issues at the Hearing Loss Rehab Institute.

We put together a curriculum that covers a wide range of topics for hard of hearing people. The classes are aimed at helping you deal with the struggles of hearing loss.

Here are six benefits you receive from attending the Hearing Loss Rehab Institute.

1.  Discover new ways to communicate

Decide now to attend the Hearing Loss Rehab Institute. No one can make that decision for you. Once the decision is made and you feel willing to learn, you begin the journey to better communication.

Come to the Rehab Institute with an open mind to learn and an open heart to accept the love, care and understanding shown at the Institute. You are not alone; there are thousands of others who suffer the same problems you have.

2.  Minimize communication breakdown

You have made many mistakes in understanding what people are saying to you. You hear sounds of voices but you have trouble understanding clearly what is said. In the Institute you will learn new strategies that can be applied immediately.

3.  Discover the power of lip reading 

Lip reading is the visual manifestation of the spoken word. The greater your hearing loss, the more you depend on lip reading. Your hearing may continue to deteriorate as you grow older. These lessons may improve your listening comprehension by 30% when applied.

4.  Explore other hearing assistant technology

Hearing aids have their limitations and need an extra boost from assistive devices. Experience special telephones and other services, alerting devices in the home, Tele-coil switches, TV devices, and a host of other special equipment for hard of hearing.

5.  Receive valuable tools for life

You will learn valuable tools and strategies to make life worth living again. You will gain confidence and boldness to face the world of hearing. You no longer hide or shy away from social situations. You will develop boldness to build relationship with families, friends, co-workers and church members.

It is urgent that you make plans to attend the Hearing Loss Rehab Institute this year. We are the only Hearing Loss Rehab Institute in the country. Plans are being made to take the institute on the road to various cities, so the price may go up later.  

6. Hearing Accessible

The institute is a hearing accessible event. Every session will be equipped with our FM listening and wire loop T-coil devices for you to see, hear and understand everything.

We do recommend that a hearing member of the family or friend attend along with the hard of hearing person. This will help others understand how to communicate with you.

Until the Trumpet Sounds: Let My People Hear!

David M. Harrison, Hearing Loss Support Specialist

www.letmypeoplehear.com         letmypeoplehear@yahoo.com

423-624-1669 P.O. Box 3021 Chattanooga TN 37404

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Every time I speak to a group about hearing loss, I ask three questions, One,“How many of you are hard of hearing?” Two, “How many of you have hearing aids?” Three, “Some of you aren’t  wearing them now, why?”

There are at least seven reasons that people give for not wearing their hearing aids.

• ·       Left them at home, because I am not in the habit of wearing them.
• ·       I misplaced them and couldn’t find them.
• ·       They are in my pocket, just in case I need them.
• ·       They hurt my ears because they don’t fit properly.
• ·       The volume is too loud, and I am not familiar with the control switches.
• ·       Everything sounds tinny or hollow.
• ·       I fear the stigma of what people will think about me. Too embarrassed to wear them.

Whenever you get a new hearing aid, do not expect that your hearing will return to normal, like getting a pair of glasses. You will always have hearing problems regardless how much you pay for them. There must be a period of adjustment, so your brain can identify new sounds coming into the ear. This can take weeks before you become accustomed to incoming sounds.

Any new tool, appliance, computer, or instrument is useless if you do not practice with it until you begin to enjoy it. The hearing aid won’t work miracles by itself. It takes patience and of application of practical techniques to enhance your ability to communicate.

For all practical purposes, when you get your new hearing aid, begin wearing it only at home. Start with two or three hours in the morning and afternoon or evening for several days. Make this a habit every day for several weeks while increasing the time of use. As you move out into public life you become overwhelmed at the noise level and feel exhausted. Crowds in restaurants and other public places will be the biggest challenge.

Dr. Frank Lin declares, “If you have poor hearing, your brain almost has to work harder to decode and process sound. If your brain has to reallocate resources to hearing, it probably comes at the expense of cognition or thinking ability.”

Dr. Lin suggested that there needs to be more community-centered approach toward hearing intervention, home-based rehabilitation in proper use of hearing devices, broad public health campaigns to educate the public about hearing loss and more public places who will make their venues hearing accessible for hard of hearing.

Let my people hear, Inc. has established three outreaches to help hard of hearing people. The first one is the Lip Reading Academy, to augment hearing with a visual manifestation of the spoken word. Secondly, the Hear Now Café, a monthly support group for hard of hearing people for encouragement and fellowship. The third outreach is the Hearing Loss Rehab Institute, for training in communication strategies that can be applied to improve hearing lifestyle.

Don’t give up. There is life after hearing loss. You can overcome the many hurdles that you face with your hearing loss.

Until the Trumpet Sounds: LET MY PEOPLE HEAR!

David M. Harrison

P.S. The picture above shows ten hearing aids worn by five people. It is estimated that these instruments are worth more than $30,000. They only work when you are wearing them.

As a child, I struggled with pronunciation of words, because I couldn’t hear the sounds. Learning a foreign language became a great challenge. Watching a documentary film or listening to a lecture on tape or CD was a useless assignment in school, later a test was given on the content.

All through life I never understood what I needed to hear or understand what is spoken in every situation. No hearing person offered help of any kind, but just yelled louder. Living with a hearing loss was a lose-lose situation in my life.

It affected my church attendance and sitting in a classroom where Bible discussions went around the room. It got to a point that I couldn’t even hear or understand what was going in prayer meetings. Prayer requests were spoken from everywhere without a microphone or someone repeating the request. When several people were called on to pray, they bowed their heads and prayed softly, making lip reading and hearing impossible.

I did the unthinkable, dropped out of church, went into depression. The fire and spark of life had gone out of me. There was nothing more for me to do with my life, but to live in despair to my dying day.      

Many times I sought help for some kind of assistance to hear, but always met with disinterest or lack of knowledge. My life was doomed to live in the ash pit of sorrow and separation from the hearing world. Many times I pondered the thought, Lord why me? What have I done wrong? Don’t let me live the rest of my life as a crabby old half deaf man in loneliness.

The prodigal son, living in a hog pen of despair, remembered his father’s home. He decided that dad’s punishment was better than living in the dumps.

In January 2006, I sought my Heavenly Father for answers and hope for my life. I thought that I was the only one in the world that had a hearing loss. I began a fourteen day period of prayer and fasting. This was a radical move on my part, because I was desperate.

The answer always comes to those who have a strong desire to do the will of the Heavenly Father. I was doing research on the “deaf” population in America. Gallaudet University put out a report of 36 million deaf people in the U.S. In the small print down at the bottom of the report it said that only 500,000 were totally deaf and spoke Sign Language.  The rest of the people were not fully deaf, but had some degree of hearing loss that made it difficult to discern words and understand parts of a normal conversation. They were hard of hearing. That report made me very excited because, I am hard of hearing but not deaf.

The Prophet Elijah in the Old Testament was hiding in a cave for fear he would be killed. God spoke to Elijah and asked, “Why are you here?” “I am the only one left, who worships you alone”, replied Elijah.  God made it very clear that he was not the only believer left in the world by responding, “There are 7000 believers left in Israel.”

In my research I came across a web site from the American Academy for Hearing Loss Support Specialists, challenging me to become a specialist. The whole world opened up for me to serve in a new capacity that does not require sign language. I am committed to become an advocate for “hearing accessibility” in public places and in the church.

Today the hearing loss population has grown to 48 million in the U.S.A. We are not alone but must unite together to make our voices and needs be known to the churches of America. We want to hear the Word of God clearly in the house of God.

One class can make a big difference by making a few simple adjustments to help its own hard of hearing members. The ashes of despair have been ignited with a spark from God and are now a burning fire of passion to minister to the hard of hearing people. I am now a hearing loss survivor.

Until the Trumpet Sounds: LET MY PEOPLE HEAR!

David M. Harrison

When the church fails to acknowledge the presence of any disabled person it can be a great loss to the church.  If the church does not meet the needs of its hard of hearing members, there could be serious consequences. When the church overlooks creating a hearing accessible environment for the hearing impaired, several things may happen. Hearing loss is very subtle, yet we do not notice it until it is pointed out to us. There are at least ten ways hearing loss can negatively impact the church.

1.       Lose Members

In 1995, I dropped out of a church of 5000 members because I couldn’t hear. I discovered that I was missing more than half of the Bible studies, preaching, and prayer meetings.

The first thing you may notice that hard of hearing members begin to vanish. It is difficult to detect, but when the hard of hearing cannot hear or function in a hearing environment they soon drop out of church. It was too difficult to explain just what I needed to see, hear and understand everything in church. The church leaders were doing the best they could. All they could say was, “Just deal with it, we cannot help you.”

2.      Lose participation

Hard of hearing do not want to be in activities where open communication is vital. In a discussion with three or more people talking, it becomes too difficult to follow any conversation. People speak up from around the room. We need to see the person speaking in order to read his lips.

3.      Lose prayer power

Hard of hearing will stop attending prayer meetings. It broke my heart when I could not hear the prayer requests given in class or service. It was too difficult to hear this vital information. When different members began to pray, I could not follow one of them. I did know who was praying or about what.

4.      Lose financial support

It is hard to support a work where we as hard of hearing cannot fit in. We feel so removed from a sense of belonging. The church and missions suffers when giving is down.

5.      Lose influence

The church will lose the influence of hard of hearing people and stop promoting the church and pastor. How can anyone get excited about something where they do not feel accepted or wanted?

6.      Lose a witness for the Lord.

Hard of hearing are not likely to go on visitation, or mission trips with a hearing handicap. There are too many variables of misunderstanding what is being said.

7.      Lose talents

Every hard of hearing person has talent that is needed in the body of Christ. It may be a technical, business, management, or a teaching skill. Losing these services can be a great loss to a church already struggling to stay alive.

8.      Lose families

When the hard of hearing person leaves the church it is likely that the whole family will drop out. It is not feasible to go to another church if it is not hearing accessible. When one person is grieving his hearing loss, the whole family grieves with him.

9.      Lose peer mentoring

When hard of hearing do not unite together they cannot encourage one another. Hearing loss is an invisible handicap and no one wants to admit that they have hearing problems. Each person may feel that they are the only hearing disabled person in church.

10.   Lose walk with God

When you distant yourself from the church and the body of believers, it is easy to lose your walk with GOD. 

Listen to the cry of the people who are hurting and feel excluded because they cannot see, hear, and understand the Word of God clearly in the house of God.

Therefore it is expedient that our Bible classes and prayer meetings become hearing accessible for all hard of hearing to feel included.

When this happens all the above negative losses will become positive gains for the church and the glory of God.

Until the Trumpet Sounds: LET MY PEOPLE HEAR!

David M. Harrison

The wheel chair accessible Logo is seen everywhere, in every parking lot, and in front of every store. Wheel chair accessibility or access means reasonable accommodation. This law deals with mobility. Without this law in place, people in wheelchairs would be barred or excluded from most public places.

The hearing accessible logo is the second international symbol adopted along with the wheelchair logo. To my knowledge I have never seen this sign in any public building. People do not know what reasonable accommodation is for the hard of hearing. It covers some kind of amplification, but is not specified.

This law deals with communication. Without this law in place hard of hearing people are barred or excluded from people. Communication with hard of hearing is essential for living, working and social life. Without hearing accommodation or assistance, hard of hearing people are disconnected from the world of people.

TWO NEEDS

The wheelchair law deals with architecture or access to buildings, bathrooms, hospitals and entertainment centers. It deals with how streets and sidewalks are designed. It means putting in ramps and elevators in older buildings.

Hearing accessibility deals with technology that enhances communication. We would like to add methods and strategies of communication in order to become fully hearing accessible. Some hard of hearing people have personal hearing devices, such as hearing aids. These devices may not be enough in public places. Making places hearing accessible for each person is a never ending process. No two people have the same hearing needs and hearing people must be consciously aware of the presence of hard of hearing in order to accommodate them.

TWO EVIDENCES

The wheelchair law is mainly a physical thing. Getting into any building is a major issue and needed to be addressed. It is obvious when you see someone in a wheelchair that he or she has a problem with mobility. It a visible thing and you do not have to wonder or ask that person if he or she has a handicap.

The hard of hearing person has problems with communicating and hearing sounds of speech. His handicap is invisible and not recognizable by the public. Since they don’t see any evidence of a hearing loss, they assume you hear normally.

TWO VOICES

The people in wheelchairs are verbal about their disability and their need for access. They really do not have to say too much, because their dilemma is obvious.  Lawsuits have sprung up everywhere over accessibility or access into some public facility. The wheel that squeaks the loudest gets the oil and the most attention.

The hard of hearing community has remained silent when it comes to their need for hearing accessibility. No one wants to be singled out as a hard of hearing person. They do not want to use or try out an assistive listening device in public for fear of embarrassment.  This is a major issue when it comes to helping hard of hearing people in public or in church.

TWO GUIDELINES

Since 1990, the wheelchair regulations and guidelines have been applied to 80,000 buildings of state and local government and more than seven million public places. Today, all new buildings must adhere to the city and state wheelchair access codes.

If hard of hearing people won’t speak up and make their needs known; how can we help them? The American Disabilities Act of hearing accessibility for hard of hearing does not take effect until we ask for it. We need to unite our voices to make our request and desire to hear the Word of God clearly in the house of God.

We are developing a manual on how to make the church hearing accessible for hard of hearing members. Stay in touch with us as we are working hard on this project. We want to hear from you about what we should include in this manual.

Until the Trumpet Sounds: LET MY PEOPLE HEAR!

David M. Harrison

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http://letmypeoplehear.com/2012/03/20/the-amazing-pocket-amplifier/

I have been wearing hearing aids off and on for more than sixty years. I am familiar with the frustrations, trials, problems and disappointments they have been. My first hearing aid was a body aid with vacuum tubes.  I was ten years old. It was chrome plated and was worn in a halter on my chest. 

Ten years later I received my first behind the ear unit while in college. Later I purchased the in-the-ear type of amplifier, each with their limitations in comprehending speech and sounds. It has always been a struggle to hear and understand things. No matter what you pay or how small the unit may be, it will never restore hearing back to perfection. Everyone will still know you have a hearing problem.

In 1995, I began a search for hearing unit similar to my first “body aid” and discovered the pocket amplifier. I have been happy with this amazing unit ever since. It is the most durable and practical unit and has been a great asset to me. To my surprise my pocket amplifier is the same size as my 1950 “body aid”.

Buying any amplifier or FM system does not solve your hearing problems. There is a lot more you need to know about these units to bring greater value and benefits to hard of hearing people. We have discovered many ways to enhance your listening ability, which the manufactures may not know. Do not be fooled in to thinking you can buy a cheaper unit when you are not trained on how to use it.

We are writing a manual on the versatility of the amazing pocket amplifier. We need to go back to basics and make assistive hearing practical. We have developed a number of practical ways the pocket amplifier can help you communicate better. Don’t buy any amplifier until you study my how to manual.

If you want to know more about the product, let me know.

It is my mission and goal to help people who lost their hearing and want to be able to communicate better with proper tools.

Until the Trumpet Sounds: LET MY PEOPLE HEAR!

David M. Harrison