I wrote an earlier blog on the dangers that my deafness had presented to myself.1 There, I mentioned my automobile accident and described my being assaulted by a gang of young teenagers, all of which occurred more than 30 years ago. I added I’d write a blog about a third event indicative of risks that….
I had been a student at the Lexington School for the Deaf for seven years, starting in January 1967 and ending in June 1973 (I still have those yearbooks – a sentimental and valuable part of my personal library). Afterwards, I was mainstreamed into the New York City Public School System. At that time, the….
I love to read action/adventure comic books and graphic novels, especially war and Old Western ones. These reading pleasures have given me a lot of imagination, especially when I go daydreaming. I could participate in certain adventures such as scuba diving,1 but I could never participate in any battle. It’s not because I’m afraid, but….
I loved working at the Harvard Crimson. I was a photography editor (and later an associate photography chair) at the Crimson for three years (i.e., Fall 1983 – Spring 1986). My first mentor there was Nevin, the son of a very well-known movie critic at NBC’s Today Show – I first met Nevin during the….
Everyone who has a hearing loss prefers one identification over other identifications, all of which are associated with hearing loss. Hearing loss can occur at birth, or it can happen at a later age. It can remain constant or can become progressively worse over time. Depending on the type of hearing loss and the cultural,….
I spent a bit over five years at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), one of many institutes at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. My NIDCD career began in October 1998, the time when there were just two of us, Denise and me. We moved from Ann Arbor,….
It happened in the summer of 2000 when my girls were about 15 months old. All my life, whenever I was or am with my late grandparents, my parents, and my siblings, and we’d have a family conversation during a meal or during a gathering, one or more of my family members would make every….
I had not had any contact with my Aunt Rima for more than 50 years – she divorced my late paternal uncle, Uncle Alfred in 1967. Somehow, two years ago, she electronically contacted me, and this contact had helped me close some gaps in my family tree. Since then, we’ve kept in touch and have….
I thought it would be fun to take one psychology course at Harvard College. So, I took an introductory course in Psychology during the spring semester of 1984, my sophomore year. Instead, I nearly failed that course. The reason I almost flunked the course is that I received a failing grade on my psychology midterm. ….
Before COVID, there had been quite a bit of frustration on my part whenever I’d go shopping or go out for a meal. I’d often pick up some goods, and I’d come to a cashier to pay for these goods. Whenever I’d communicate with the cashier, I’d speak with my own voice. As one would….