Showing Tag: "deaf" (Show all posts)

Thank You, Next

Posted by jennifer gibson on Sunday, January 10, 2021, In : 2021

I think that I speak for a lot of people that 2020 was an incredibly challenging year, more so for those of us with disabilities. As a deaf person being taken to the ER twelve times in a single year, I learned very quickly that hospitals are not very accommodating to patients like me since I rely on lip-reading, observing facial expressions and body language. Due to COVID, that changed the way I could understand the paramedics and medical staff since masks covered their faces and muffled thei...

Advocacy

Posted by jennifer gibson on Thursday, December 12, 2019,

Advocacy. I cannot stress how important this word is to me. I’ve been an advocate since I was six years old, I’m almost fifty and that’s a long time to stand up for my rights. It shouldn’t have to be this hard to obtain equal rights like everyone else. I’m in constant warrior mode, every single day. And It’s freaking exhausting.

Some days, it’s dealing with a stubborn or ignorant receptionist at a doctor’s office who refuses to email or text my appointments even though th...

Wisdom at forty-something

Posted by jennifer gibson on Monday, August 22, 2016, In : August 2016

You would think that turning forty meant gaining more wisdom, and as someone who’s forty-something, I’m wondering where the heck it went. Sure, I have gained a lot more insight, compassion (sort-of), and I’m currently somewhat more business-savvy than I was in my twenties but it doesn’t necessarily make me a smarter person.

In some ways, I’m more of a klutz now, making critical mistakes that cause me to cringe in horror as I think about the future consequences of my actions. Ironica...
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Finding HOPE

Posted by jennifer gibson on Friday, April 29, 2016, In : April 2016

This week's theme is finding inspiration and hope. Today I saw a quote from Christopher Reeve that fit the bill perfectly. We live in a busy world and often we find ourselves feeling completely overwhelmed. Sometimes, that leads to neglecting time for ourselves, doing something kind to our heart and soul. We need to learn to set aside quiet moments of self reflection so that we can grow as a person, from the inside out.

It doesn't matter how you do it, whether it's going for a walk, meditatio...
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Fencing with Deaf Athletes

Posted by jennifer gibson on Thursday, December 17, 2015, In : 2015

I’ve been asked if I’ve found the transition of going deaf from a profound hearing loss easier than becoming hearing impaired later in life from a normal hearing. Honestly? I really can’t answer that question because I was born with a severe to profound hearing loss. I have no idea what normal hearing sounds like. It was only in recent years that I went deaf in one ear from being exposed to toxic antibiotics.

However, what I can say is that growing up with a severe hearing loss has had ...
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That Deaf Guy

Posted by jennifer gibson on Saturday, October 31, 2015, In : november

I recently stumbled across a superb comic created by Matt and Kay Daigle, an incredibly talented artist who has incorporated aspects of their life as a deaf person. It not only illustrates what it's like to be deaf but it also includes everyone else's perspective and experiences. They also feature sign language which is very well done. It's simply brilliant!

When I started reading them, I couldn't believe how similar they were to my own experiences. This was a wonderful gift to me since it ma...
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Revelations

Posted by jennifer gibson on Monday, June 22, 2015, In : 2015

Being in the public eye as a speaker from to coast to coast for many years has taught me to accept all sorts of curious, and sometimes ridiculous, questions about being hearing impaired. There's nothing wrong that at all. They just want to learn more about my hearing aids or hearing loss and that's a good thing. It provides a great education about the difficulties we go through on a regular basis or clear up any misunderstandings. It's also a good reminder that we need to be more open about o...
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Showing Tag: "deaf" (Show all posts)

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