Opening Topic for Open Chat Night:  Share your Community Involvement

I started my hearing loss community because I was feeling like an outsider.  It was always tough for me to have friends to hang out with and find a place feeling where I truly belong.  During my entire life, I have been surrounded by people in the hearing world.  I can’t hear the same as a normal person would hear and it does make a difference in every social setting.  I am learning that getting involved in a community with people having similar experiences is a huge benefit for me.  It makes me realize that I’m not alone in this world.

As my online group continues to grow, I am also getting involved in the local community.  I am attending the local hearing loss chapter meetings and have become part of the planning committee for Milwaukee Walk4Hearing.  I will be joining a group on Deaf Day held at UW-Milwaukee in the spring.  This will give me the opportunity to reach out to people and make new friends along the way.  I am hoping to learn basic signs down the road.

I’m very excited to get more involved in the community during the upcoming months.  I know this will be a challenging and rewarding experience for me.

I would like to hear your story about community involvement and how it has affected your life, as well as any thoughts or suggestions for getting more people involved.

www.openchatnight.com

Opening Topic for Open Chat Night:  Family relationships - supportive, overwhelming or nonexistent?

My family has always been supportive of me, and I know I can always count on them.  However, I sometimes become frustrated and feel as if I’m not as independent as I should be. 

As I get older (and wiser), I am realizing that my lack of independence is more my fault than my family’s.  Everything they have done for me is out of love and care, not because they want to control me. I am used to them helping me with everything and, even though I don’t like it sometimes, I seldom take a stand and make my own decisions.  I guess this is my comfort zone and it’s difficult to get out of it.  I know my family will always be protective, but I also know they would probably loosen up a little if I would take the initiative.

The good news is I couldn’t be luckier to have my family, and each day I work on improving myself and my independence.

For chatroom users, share your story about being part of a family, and the affect they have on your life.

www.OpenChatNight.com

Open Topic for Open Chat Night:  Additional Complications Due to Hearing Loss

During our chat conversations, I have been learning that some people have other complications due to their hearing loss.  Tinnitus is one of the conditions that has been talked about by various people in the chatroom.  I didn’t have any knowledge about this issue in the past.

Many people experience an occasional ringing or hissing in their ears.  There are times when I have ringing sounds in my ears after being in a noisy environment for a long period of time.  The sounds are temporary for me and eventually diminish in a matter of hours.  I was surprised to find out that these ringing sounds never go way for some people.  I can’t even imagine dealing with this issue and I know it can be annoying for a short period of time.  This is what they call Tinnitus.  Visit the WebMD site to learn more about this condition.

Open Chat Night will continue to be a place for everyone to exchange useful information based on experiences with hearing loss. 

www.OpenChatNight.com

Opening topic for Open Chat Night:  Facing Social Barriers in School

During my days in middle school, I was treated differently by classmates.  I remember going to band class and having others constantly tease me.  They looked at me as being different because I wore hearing aids.

At that age, we know kids can be very mean and not truly understand.  They try to find ways to break that social barrier, strive to be cool, and become part of a group of their kind.  As for me, it was a daunting experience because I was the only one wearing hearing aids in the entire school.  In other words, I couldn’t find a group of friends where I fit in, and it continued into high school and on to college (during the 90s).  That had put me in a world of isolation for many years afterwards and still affects me today, just not to the same extent.

I think it would be interesting to share our experiences of how we were treated in school.  I am also curious to know if kids with hearing loss are treated differently in school today.  Did the social interaction among kids and those with hearing loss change over the years?  Has technology lessoned the burden?

www.OpenChatNight.com

T-minus four months and counting….
A gorgeous morning walk on the Milwaukee Lakefront…
A special time set aside for a special cause….

Plans are in motion and time is of the essence now.
The HLAA website is getting primed for the planned Walks in 2010 and will be ready for forming teams and pledges for the Milwaukee Walk4Hearing soon. http://hlaa.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=walk_home_page

Alliances….sponsors…interested team leaders and walkers are lining up to be a part of the Milwaukee Walk4Hearing on May 16th.   If you are still interested in being a sponsor, there is still time to join us by contacting Caroline Ludka at: CarolineLudka@yahoo.com

The Kick-Off Luncheon is March 27th at 12 noon at Klemmers Banquet Center 10401 W Oklahoma Ave. Milwaukee.  Do you have this date on your calendar? Questions, contact Jean Szabo at Szaboshhh@yahoo.com  Invitations will be sent out soon.

For up-to-date information: www.hearingloss.org

I realize that many websites are written about and discussed online, but I have to admit I was excited to have something written about my effort.  I read the article here:  New Online Community Emerges for People with Hearing Loss.

Opening topic for Chat Night:  The people who don’t understand hearing loss

During the conversations at last week’s Open Chat Night, someone asked if anyone had problems with family members that don’t understand hearing loss.  It was someone who has gone through a tough time for not being accepted by “hearing people” in the family.  There was a nice group of members in the chatroom giving advice and support.  That made me really happy and I believe others felt the same way.  It was a real community feel.

As I mentioned before in the blog, my family is supportive but don’t always understand hearing loss.  For example, there are times when my sister gets agitated or frustrated when I don’t hear everything she says.  It makes me feel like there’s more than just the fact that I have a hearing loss, almost as if I’m not smart.  Whenever people come over and talk to me in a soft voice, I sometimes nod even though I can’t hear everything they say.  I don’t want anyone to get frustrated and think of me being different.  There are people who don’t have the patience and understanding, and that creates a tension between the two worlds of hearing people and those who are “hearing impaired.”

This is exactly what the Open Chat Nights are for.  We are here to help and you are never alone.

www.OpenChatNight.com

It has been yet another challenging year for me.  During the summer, I was feeling good about myself being included in a group, and then months later has led into another disappointment.  But I have gained more experience for building relationships with people, learned from my past mistakes, and have not given up on myself with the support of my family and “true friends” I have today.  I am confident to take the next road that will lead to success.

As the year comes to an end, I should look back on the positive things.  I completed 24 sessions with a physical trainer.  That was helpful for me to reduce anxiety and get in better shape.  I was actually able to beat my 9-year niece in arm wrestling. :)  I took my first trip alone to New York City.  It was something adventurous that I had never done before and I’m proud of myself for doing it.  The New York trip has built up confidence in me to get out more and try different things.  I have done some volunteer work but I didn’t do as much as I should have.  At the very least, I started something and plan to pursue more in the new year.

During the past several months, my hearing loss community has continued to grow.  I made new friends along the way from all over the country.  It has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done by helping people in a community.  I’m getting more involved with the hearing loss chapter group here in Milwaukee.  I’ve taken the role of being a volunteer coordinator for Milwaukee Walk4Hearing in May 2009.  This is a job I had also never done before.  It will be a good experience for me especially when it comes to social interaction.

I believe the year 2010 will be a turning point in my life.  My plans for the New Year will bring good things and the dreams I have will come true.  I will work hard to become more active; whether joining a class, getting involved in activities, or doing some volunteer work.  The key is to find what you’re interested at and not stay home doing nothing.

I am excited to start the New Year.

Opening topic for Chat Night:  Your plans for the New Year

I think the beginning of the New Year is the most important day.  I know everyone wants to start a brand new year and reach the goals they have been longing for.  That is why they call it a New Year’s resolution.  As for my resolution, I bought a new daily planner.  The things I will write on my planner will help me be more outgoing, get things done, and stay organized.  My primary goal is to get more people involved and spread the word about my hearing loss community which is beneficial to all of us in the group.  I have been feeling good about myself reaching out to others and will continue to do this in the New Year.

Share your plans for the New Year.  Join us in the last Open Chat Night of the year!

www.OpenChatNight.com

Thank you all for reading my blog postings for 2009.

Best wishes and have a Happy New Year!

Opening topic for Chat Night: Family and Friends

It’s the Holiday season.  There is nothing more rewarding than spending time with your family and the people you care about.  As we carry on interesting conversations related to hearing loss, it’s not just about us in the chatroom.  It’s also about our family and friends who have become part of our lives. 

I am the only one with a hearing loss in the entire family.  Even though my parents and elder sister cannot experience what I’m going through, they have been very supportive and understanding, and my 12 year-old nephew admires what I have been doing with the hearing loss community.  I don’t have many close friends and I feel good being surrounded by family.

I just want to give everyone the opportunity to share their story about the people they care about.

www.OpenChatNight.com

Happy Holidays!