The magazine for kids and teens with hearing loss

L L A M A Z IN G Fall 2019

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Contents 4 Things We Love

Hi from Mel!

6 O vercoming Obstacles 10 Fun & Games 12 Sophie’s

Spotlight

Contributors Melanie Paticoff Grossman • Editor in Chief Magazine Design • N-KCreative.com Overcoming Obstacles • Callan Mark it with an E • Evelyn Books We Love • Eva With special thanks to all of our featured H W friends

Dear Readers,

am a! Let this school year be ll ob pr No ? es rv ne ar ye ol Ne w sc ho with fresh school lk through the school doors

d. your best one yet, as you wa cy skills you need to succee oca dv f-a sel e th d an , ile supplies, a confident sm lama! how to be a no -drama -l s ow kn , les ac st Ob ng mi d video Callan, featured in Overco who love to play sports an s nd frie of up gro at gre a Callan for He surrounds himself with llan doesn’t hear, and see Ca if s ng thi g tin ea rep nd games together, don’t mi on his cochlear implants. who he is, without focusing ates? loss story with your classm ng ari he ur yo g rin sha t ou about Have you ever thought ab l year and let others know oo sch w ne the off rt sta to wan, This can be a great way d in the classroom. Ava, Ro cee suc to ed ne u yo at wh proud to share your hearing loss and 12) are three girls who are d an , 10 9, ges pa on red and Caelan (featu h others. their hearing loss stories wit winter break. get stressful, there’s always es do l oo sch if e urs co of And ney World? e to de-stress than Dis ac pl er tt be t ha w d An aring loss to help t visiting Disney with a he Check out our article abou great trip! your family plan your next llamazing one for you! I hope this school year is a Grossman, M.S.D.E.

Mel Paticoff

Editor in Chief

www.HearingOurWay.com info@hearingourway.com PO Box 13, Greenlawn, New York 11740 Volume 6, No. 3 ©2019 Sophie’s Tales, LLC. All rights reserved. Hearing Our Way is published quarterly and is a publication of Sophie’s Tales, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. See p.11 for more information about subscriptions for homes, schools, and offices or visit www.HearingOurWay.com. For promotional opportunities, change of address, or other customer service, contact info@hearingourway.com. • All comments and suggestions received by Hearing Our Way become the sole property of Hearing Our Way and may be used without compensation or acknowledgment. Hearing Our Way disclaims liability for any losses or damages that may result from using information in this magazine. • Inquire today about sponsorship and advertising opportunities. Contact Info@HearingOurWay.com.

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and maltipoo, Sophie

Look for these symbols throughout the magazine for special tips !

Hearing – Info about hearing aids, cochlear implants, and listening devices Talking – Tips for speech and language Self-Advocacy – Ideas for sharing your hearing loss story with others

Did you receive this issue from a friend, school, or office? Sign up for your own subscription to continue receiving Hearing Our Way ! www.HearingOurWay.com

Sophie

Connecting Made Easy Enjoy talking on the phone – confident that you’ll catch every word! CapTel® shows you captions of everything they say. It’s like captions on TV – for the phone!

CapTel 2400i includes Bluetooth® connectivity and Speakerphone.

www.CapTel.com l 1-800-233-9130 FEDERAL LAW PROHIBITS ANYONE BUT REGISTERED USERS WITH HEARING LOSS FROM USING INTERNET PROTOCOL (IP) CAPTIONED TELEPHONES WITH THE CAPTIONS TURNED ON. IP Captioned Telephone Service may use a live operator. The operator generates captions of what the other party to the call says. These captions are then sent to your phone. There is a cost for each minute of captions generated, paid from a federally administered fund. No cost is passed on to the CapTel user for using the service. CapTel captioning service is intended exclusively for individuals with hearing loss. CapTel® is a ® registered trademark Ultratec, Inc. trademark The Bluetooth® of word mark and logos are registered owned Bluetooth SIG, Inc.Inc. (v2.5 7-18) CapTel is a of registered Ultratec. Bluetooth is a trademarks trademark of by Bluetooth SIG,

y Ears* A rt We L ve: My Luck Priscila is an artist with a bone-anchored hearing aid and mom of a son with a cochlear implant who loves sharing stories of hearing loss through art. Her most recent artwork titled “Lemon(aids) for Hearing Aids Girls” features sisters Carly, Emma, and Molly (featured in our previous issue of Hearing Our Way ).

books We L ve: Eva’s Bookshelf

always loved

Jersey who has Eva is an 11-year-old girl from Newloss in her left ear, but with

reading! She has hearing ® and wireless the help of her Roger Focus receiver hold her system, she never lets hearing loss rite t back! Ready to discover your nex favo kshelf. boo her book? Eva invites you to explore

r, I Am Helen Keller by Brad Meltze part is , los illustrated by Christopher Eliopou ed call of a series of children’s picture books books The . rld Wo the Ordinary People Can Change become to up w who gre are inspiring stories of regular people born deaf or blind n’t extraordinary heroes! Helen Keller was n but lost her hearing and vision whe k she became sick as a toddler. The boo h tells her story about growing up wit te, nica mu disabilities, learning to com and going onto achieve amazing things. I feel that kids of all ages will be inspired by this book to work hard and accomplish their goals and s with hearing loss dreams no matter what, and that kid of Helen Keller will especially love learning the story and how she changed the world!

Ready to order your own custom My Lucky Ears piece? Visit myluckyears.com and use code hearingourway for 10% off your order including custom artwork, prints, and mugs!

tography Katie Spears Pho

Look We L ve

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Kaden is a 12-year-old athlete from Graham, Washington who never lets his cochlear implants stop him from playing the sports he loves! He is a brown belt in Shobacan karate as well as a soccer player. It is important for Kaden to be able to hear while he plays sports, so he uses his Adidas headband to hold his processors in place. Living in the Pacific Northwest, the headband also protects Kaden’s hearing devices from falling into rain and mud during outdoor practice. Keep kickin ’it, Kaden!

Meet two sIllisintoies,rswho never

from Warrenville, in the way of fun! let hearing loss get

Sibling sp t

-severe hearing losses and wear bilateral Raya, 11, and Mya, 6, both have moderate , doing gymnastics, and taking trips to hearing aids. Together they enjoy painting Disney World. , Mya and I are very different. When Raya: Even though we both have hearing loss d, but years later, when Mya needed I first found out I needed hearing aids, I crie deal! hearing aids, she shrugged it off as no big and can hear just like me ! We help Mya: I like that my sister has hearing aids ear molds, and she repeats things for each other out. I remind her to clean her Disney World and saw my favorite me when I can’t hear, like when we went to hard for me to understand, and characters—the princesses. They were od next to me and repeated I really wanted to hear them, so Raya sto what they said for me ! can’t hear and try to Raya: I know how to advocate for myself if I both successful and fulfill teach Mya that. My hope is that we are ing our dreams—for Mya that means becom a ninja warrior when she grows up!

W rds, W rds, W rds Put on your thinking cap

One Last Word: Sometimes we have to

ily, repeat ourselves for the adults in our fam s but they don’t have to repeat themselve for us because we can hear them with our rs hearing aids! Even though we are five yea apart and sometimes drive each other crazy, we love each other so much!

whole rt of the a p is s s s: lo y with u Hearing r o t s r u are yo om family. Sh urway.c o g in r a in fo @ h e

Language can be tricky, especially idioms, which are groups of words or expressions that mean something different than what they say. You might hear the idiom put on your thinking cap and think, do I have to wear a special hat? No! Put on your thinking cap means to think hard and focus on something, especially to solve a problem. Like this: “Coming back to school after summer break and starting a new school year will be challenging- I’ll really have to put on my thinking cap.”

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f Stories o Inspiring You ! e ik L s Teen d n a s id K

H W does Callan hear? With his golf club in one hand, video game controller in the other, and two cochlear implants!

All About Me

Callan’s Faves H SPORTS Soccer Basketball Baseball Golf

H VIDEO GAMES Fortnite FIFA ‘19 Madden ‘19

H BOOKS Maximum Ride Percy Jackson Artemis Fowl

H TV SportsCenter Henry Danger The Big Bang Theory

Hi, I’m Callan! I am 12-years-old and going into 7th grade in Chicago, Illinois. I love sports, video games, and spending time with my friends.

Hearing My Way

When I was born, I was diagnosed with auditory neuropathy, which means that even though my cochlea appears to be functioning, sound information is not transmitted to my auditory nerve and brain properly. As a result, I function as though I have a severe to profound hearing loss. Hearing aids did not help me, but cochlear implants do! I got my first when I was 16-months-old and my second eight months later.

School Cool

My first school was Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech in Massachusetts. When my family and I moved to Chicago, I then went to Child’s Voice, a school for students with hearing loss that really helped me get to where I am today and prepared me to mainstream by kindergarten. Today, I go to mainstream middle school and am really enjoying it.

H FOODS Pizza Chipotle

Friends First

I don’t have any siblings, so my friends are a big part of my life! I love having fun with them, especially while playing sports. I like to talk with my friends while we play video games like Fortnite. My friends are very understanding about my hearing loss. If I can’t hear them and start asking, “What?”, they’ll sometimes joke, “What, are you deaf?” I know that they are laughing with me, and I’m not offended because we have that comfort level and trust. A lot of people recognize me and say hello when they see my cochlear implants, but my good friends don't even see my implants anymore—they just see me!

Good Nights, Good Mornings

H PLACES Chicago Florida Ireland

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Capitol. Callan visits the

Sports are a big part of Ca llan’s

life !

One thing I love about having hearing loss is my evening and morning routine. At night, I am able to remove my cochlear implants and enjoy a great night’s sleep! In the morning, I use my Cochlear N7’s warm-up feature to gradually increase the loudness level as I go from no devices to hearing again. During the day, I take advantage of different cochlear implant programs for sports and restaurants that help eliminate background noise. I often wonder how people with typical hearing adjust each morning, deal with noisy environments, and sleep well at night!

That’s Just the Way I Hear

school I can’t hear the teacher. Some strategies I use are to ask a classmate or the teacher to repeat themselves. However, if these options don’t work, I go to the teacher at the end of class to talk to them directly. Knowing how to deal with situations that require you to self-advocate makes each time easier than the last.

Joke’s On You

Hearing Bond

When people ask me about my hearing devices, I either give a simple answer like, “My cochlear implants help me to hear like your glasses help you to see,” or a brief but more detailed story of getting my cochlear implants and how they help me. One time I was telling my entire extended family a joke that that I had heard recently. When I said the punchline, I didn’t realize that I had just accidentally said a swear word! My family looked at me stunned and started laughing, but my mom just gave me The Look, and I quickly knew I wasn’t supposed to say that.

I work with an awesome itinerant teacher, Mrs. Graham, and she has helped introduce me to friends with hearing loss. I have a friend in my grade who has two hearing aids and is very bright. I also know an older kid in high school who has two cochlear implants.

Self-Advocacy Star

I am inspired by the will to improve each day in everything I do. My dream is to play on the PGA Tour for golf or to play soccer in Europe.

There are times that I need to advocate for myself when I can’t hear. For instance, sometimes at

#Goals

Callan keeps his eye on the ball!

“I can accept failure; everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” —Michael Jordan

Be on our next cover! info@hearingourway.com

A seamless connection to life—all they have to do is listen. Give your child access to the latest in hearing technology with the Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor – the industry’s first and only Made for iPhone cochlear implant sound processor.1

For more information, please call 800-354-1731 or visit online at www.Cochlear.com/US 1.

The Nucleus 7 Sound Processor is compatible with iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone SE, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPad Pro (12.9-inch), iPad Pro (9.7-inch), iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad mini 4, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 2, iPad mini, iPad (4th generation) and iPod touch (6th generation) using iOS 10.0 or later. The Nucleus Smart App is compatible with iPhone 5 (or later) and iPod 6th generation devices (or later) running iOS 10.0 or later. Apple, the Apple logo, FaceTime, Made for iPad logo, Made for iPhone logo, Made for iPod logo, iPhone, iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini, iPad and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Information accurate as of April 2018.

©Cochlear Limited 2018. All rights reserved. Trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of Cochlear Limited. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

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CAM-MK-PR-376 ISS1 APR18

Inspirely Travel’s Top Tips for Disney with Hearing Loss Planning a trip to Disney resorts? The ‘Cochlear Moms’ of Inspirely Travel have you covered with their tips and tricks for the best experience in the most Magical place on earth!

1. Get Packing Be prepared for anything by packing a travel organizer filled with gear for your hearing device. Don’t forget extra batteries, chargers, back up processors, spare parts, tape/ retention bands, alligator clips, and water accessories.

before you even step foot in the parks? Knowing what shows you plan to see can also help you look into special accommodations (such as preferential seating, closed captioning, or sign language interpreters) that may be offered by Disney’s Disability Access Service (DAS).

2. Dress the Part

4. Ask the Experts

Disney is full of insta-worthy photo opportunities, so make sure you’re dressed to impress! In addition to coordinating outfits with family and friends, don’t forget to include your ‘ears’ in the fun! Try a custom sticker or Disney-inspired clip for your hearing device, or give your Mickey ears their own set of hearing aids or cochlear implants for a look that’s all your own!

Planning a trip to Disney can feel overwhelming, especially with extra things to consider for hearing loss. Inspirely Travel is a travel agency run by moms of kids with hearing loss and special needs—they use their own experiences to help you plan the perfect trip. Contact them at Cochlear@inspirelytravel.com and be sure to mention Hearing Our Way for a special surprise!

3. Plan Ahead There is so much to do at Disney, and things fill up fast! Did you know you can plan many parts of your trip, including restaurant reservations, show times, and FastPass rides

Want to be the first to know about an exciting upcoming trip to Disney just for cochlear implant families? Join the Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/InspirelyTravelCI

Fall into magic at Walt Disney World® Resort this fall. Whether you’re taking the kids or just a few friends, there’s something for everyone!

Epcot®

Enjoy a frightfully good time at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party* at Magic Kingdom® Park and the thrills of the wild lands of Pandora—The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. You can also savor the fantastic flavors and sounds that Epcot® has to offer with the Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival and an all-new epic fireworks show to end the night—starting October 1. Live your Star Wars™ adventure in a galaxy far, far away as you explore the all-new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge** and experience the larger-than-life thrills of Toy Story Land—all at Disney Hollywood Studios®.

Magic Kingdom® Park

With four Theme Parks, plus more to explore at Disney Springs®, you’ve never experienced fall quite like this. So come, fall into magic only at Walt Disney World Resort. Disney’s Hollywood Studios®

Scheduled to open August 29, 2019

*Admission to this event requires a separately priced ticket valid only during specific event dates and hours. **Disney’s Hollywood Studios®, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and its experience are subject to capacity. ©Disney © & TM Lucasfilm Ltd. ©Fox 1005851

To book your magical Walt Disney World Resort vacation, contact us today!

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843-457-8060 cochlear@inspirelytravel.com www.InspirelyTravel.com

Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park

writweritTing, puoestr!y or photosuse.

Send your a rgot,ur way.com to be featured in the next is rin

to info@hea

•••

PACS PALS • • •

! n i b o R t e Me

Dear Sophie & Hearing Our Way, This is my story: When I was born, I seemed perfectly fine and

healthy. I had a hearing test, and my left ear passed, but my right ear failed. My doctor thought I might just have fluid in my right ear because I still startled appropriately to sound. One year later, my mom got a call asking if I had any further hearing testing. My mom said no, but she had noticed that I couldn't find her by sound when I was crawling through the house. We went back to do my hearing test again and got the same results. That test confirmed a moderate to severe hearing loss in my right ear. I was immediately referred to the local educational agency to start working with a speech pathologist and a teacher of the deaf. For the next two years I struggled to learn to talk. The things that helped me were my teachers, sign language, speech camp, gymnastics, and interacting with my family and friends. When I started preschool I learned to use an FM system so that I could hear my teachers over my classmates. Now I'm about to finish 3rd grade, and my right ear hearing loss is severe to profound. I still work with a speech pathologist and teacher of the deaf, but I have good speech and language skills. I am learning how to talk to my teachers and classmates about what I need to be a successful student and friend. I like to do a lot of activities like ballet, soccer, piano, baseball, art, bike riding, and reading. My hearing loss does not stop me from any of these! I do wonder what it would be like to hear with both ears, but I'm proud to be me. I hope other kids with hearing loss can know my difficulties in life and how I've overcome them. From,

RowaN

My dream career

My first career was as an attorney, but after my daughter Allison was born with profound hearing loss, I was inspired to pursue a new career in deaf education. Today, Allison is six-years-old and received bilateral cochlear implants before her first birthday. Working side-by-side with Allison’s teachers and therapists taught me that I wanted to help other children like Allison reach their full potential. I want to share my personal experience to help support and guide other families like mine, especially in the early stages of a new diagnosis and early intervention services.

Overcoming Obstacles

The decision to return to graduate school was not an easy one; it took a big leap of faith. I was leaving my career as an attorney, which I worked so hard to achieve. I was also moving across the country to go to school, far from my extended family, with two small children. I am so happy that I chose to follow my heart with the support of my family. Hearing Allison find her own voice and knowing I will help other children find theirs makes it all worth it!

Inspiration Station

I am inspired by strong women like Michelle Obama and Brené Brown. I love Brené’s quote, “Let go of who you think you are supposed to be and embrace who you are.”

Learn more about Robin’s graduate program in deaf education and audiology:

pacs.wustl.edu

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fun e&s gam

Your Logo Here

The Fun & Games Sponsorship is open for 2019. Get in touch! info@hearingourway.com

My Cochlear Implants by Ava, age 9, Toronto, Canada

When I was a baby, I got my hearing tested. My ear doctor told my parents that I could not hear anything. I was deaf. My parents were very sad and scared because I wouldn’t be able to talk and hear.

f you get i u o do y What between d stan mas? la two l ed anat Llam

The ear doctor said that I can have an operation to get cochlear implants so I would be able to hear and talk. I had the operation when I was nine-months-old. I had to have therapy to teach my brain how to hear with C.I.s. My ears don’t work. I hear with my brain. After two years, I could finally talk and hear like all my friends.

a call u o y ? t do ama Wha fast ll y ver gini ama l L A

Now my mom says I never stop talking. Really, Mom, really?!?!

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us ! riting,

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gour way.com info@hearin the next issue . to be featured in

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An exciting PEN PAL PROGRAM presented by Ryan Brady with Hearing Our Way ! Pen pals will receive an introductory letter from Ryan and an assigned pen pal. Sign up is free for Hearing Our Way readers at www.HIPPkids.com

No Prob-Llama Cupcakes WHAT YOU’LL NEED

DIRECTIONS

• Your favorite buttercream recipe

2. Roll out your fondant so it is thin but doesn’t break when lifted.

• White fondant (you can use a marshmallow fondant recipe)

3. Use the #12 tip to cut out 3 fondant circles per cupcake.

• Your favorite cupcake recipe

• Black edible food marker (or black food coloring and a toothpick) • Piping bag • Wilton star tip #21 • Wilton circle tip #12 (this will be used as a circle cutter) • Optional: food coloring for buttercream

1. Prepare your cupcakes and buttercream.

4. Draw your llama eyes and mouths onto the circles using the black marker or black food coloring. Use the pictures for inspiration! 5. Use the other side of the piping tip to cut out 1 bigger circle per cupcake. Cut it in half—those will be the ears. 6. Fit your piping bag with the star tip #21, and add some buttercream. Pipe some stars onto your cupcakes one at a time, starting with the outside edge and moving in. 7. Add the eyes and mouths in the middle of each cupcake, and place your ears just above the eyes. 8. The new school year will be no probllama when you start off with these cute cupcakes!

Kennedi and Addison love reading Hearing Our Way and you will, too! aring loss “Every child wit h he ine !” az shou ld have this mag is the

aring Our Way An annual subscription to He cher, or audiologist! tea perfect gift for any student, Bulk pricing is available Prices start at $19.99/year. doctors offices! for schools, hospitals, and

le worl dw ide. Hearing Our Way is avail ab ay.com Subscribe NOW : HearingOurW

Great for back to school

Award-Winning Book Series

ECT GIFT THE PEdaRyFs, birthdays, , for holi implant surgery cochlears, students, and fr iend ger siblings! youn

order now: SophiesTales.com

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For free shipping, use code: hearingourway

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Sophie loves shining a spotlight on amazing kids with hearing loss around the world. To shine a spotlight on someone you know, write to us at info@hearingourway.com!

Caelan, age 9, is a fourth grader from Cleveland, Ohio, who hears with two cochlear

implants. She is an adventurous young girl who loves trying new things. Some favorites include softball, ninja warrior league, swim team, and skiing. She also loves to volunteer, especially by raising money for sheltered animals and for breast cancer research, inspired by her mom’s treatment a few years ago. Last year in third grade, Caelan noticed that there were several kids in her small elementary school recently diagnosed with hearing loss. She decided to start a support group at her school. She created a plan, including a budget, program ideas, and contact information. The next day, nervously shaking, she went up to the principal and presented her idea. Her principal agreed, and her educational audiologist finalized logistics and became the group leader. Now the group meets once a month, and Caelan loves spending time with other kids who share the unique experience of growing up with hearing loss. Caelan’s mom says, “We are incredibly proud of Caelan’s determination, drive, and ability to adapt to situations. She is a fighter and genuinely has a heart of gold.”

Keep up the amazing work, Caelan!

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P.S. Caelan loves her pen pal from HIPP Kids and Hearing Our Way ! Email info@hearingourway.com to get connected with yours.