Tag: accessibility

Use the Freaking Microphone

Published on by hearingelmo3 Comments

Gotta say, I’m so grateful for being late-deafened in 2019.

I realize much of the reason I am grateful is that I have access to a great number of “first world technology”. I “hear again” with a cochlear implant. I have apps that caption speakers if they are within 6-10 feet of me. My hearing aid and cochlear implant are bluetooth compatible so (for example) using the GPS in my car, Siri tells me where to go (ahem) in my own head and it doesn’t bother anyone else in the car.

I have super cool devices to clean, dry, and care for all my hearing assistive technology. I have volume controls, fire alarms with strobes, and captioning on my television. I speech read at about 45-47% accuracy (which is actually pretty high but I credit it to teaching others how to do so in workshops, etc.). I can make doctor appointments online, and my home phone (Google voice) sends me an email transcription of every message left. I text like a pro and rarely have to knuckle down and actually phone anyone. My calendar and alerts sinc with my Apple Watch so my whole wrist vibrates when I need a reminder. I can order online, bank online, and renew my service dog’s insurance online. I definitely live in the right day and time, in a first world country, where even “middle class” I enjoy a host of perks that make being late-deafened, not so very bad.

Do you know the #1 pet peeve that happens to be very low tech and low cost, is the fact that no one wants to use a microphone?

I do pretty well in groups of 10-15 or less, sitting around a table so that I can see everyone, and everyone is polite and speaks one at a time. Put me in a room with more people than that, or people sitting in rows and spread out, and I really struggle. I may get 50% of what is said. You might be thinking “what does that mean?”. Please allow me to clue you in.

  1. 50% doesn’t mean in a 40 minute presentation or workshop that I received and understood the first 20 minutes.

This means that I get very little take-away. If I’m hearing 50% of what is being said while it is being presented and spoken, I am actually missing much more than that because of lost comprehension. Think about it this way.

If I read aloud a paragraph to you and dropped 50% of the words randomly, would you understand ANY of the paragraph at all? Even if you are hearing 50% of the words, you’ve lost the context and have very little understanding of what I just read.

2. 50% means my frustration level is high and my fatigue has ruined me for the rest of the day.

If I could burn calories by struggling to hear, comprehend, and communicate effectively, I could eat whatever I want, whenever I want, and never work out for the rest of my life. When you tack on the fact that my primary issue is a balance disorder and not the hearing loss, when the latter contributes to fatigue this increases my chances for wobbles and for falls. I have left meetings where people refuse a microphone and seriously put myself in jeopardy the remainder of the day because my brain became mush.

3. 50% means more work for other people.

I work at a college and am a valued member of the psychology department in spite of my adjunct status. After meetings or workshops where I get my 50%, I have never EVER been turned down by colleagues after requesting a follow-up email with a copy of the PowerPoint they used, a summary of their talk with major points highlighted, and any pertinent questions asked by others (that I didn’t hear at all) and responses given. I work with good people. People who care, who are inclusive, and frankly are all about social justice issues like accessibility.

So… if people were simply using the freaking microphone:

  1. My comprehension goes to 80-90%
  2. I expend the same amount of energy a hearing-abled person expends to attend a meeting or workshop.
  3. No one feels compelled to send me copious notes about what they just covered.
  4. I am included… not just in the meeting, but because I will be hearing questions and responses from the floor. I will feel comfortable speaking myself because I know what is going on in the meeting.
  5. Other people with “normal” hearing, actually hear better. Speakers who use microphones are more likely to face the room/audience, speak more clearly, and not cover their mouth or faces with hands, fliers, etc. (Tidwell, 2004).

Having experienced good hearing/comprehension environments, imagine my frustration when I cannot hear and there is a microphone available that someone refuses to use. I have had workshop speakers decline microphone use, college presidents and vice-presidents, and TFO constituents. I have experienced county executives, politicians, pastors, graduate and residency doctor/teachers refuse to use the microphone. From the perspective of someone with hearing loss, this hurts y’all. It also pisses me off. (Jus’ sayin’)

“My voice carries, so I’m not going to use this” (points to microphone).

“I walk around a lot so I’m not going to use the microphone. I have a loud voice” (Note: most microphones are mobile).

“Can everyone hear me? I have a big voice. I’m not going to use the microphone… because everyone can hear me, right?” (while ignoring my wildly gestured hand-waving negating their statement).

Folks, volume ≠ communicating well. Raising your voice (your volume level) distorts your voice (Ardon, 2019). If you use a microphone and use a normal tone and volume because the microphone is doing the work, your words are understood by more people. The quality of your speech improves when using a microphone. You aren’t having to remind yourself to “speak up” so the people in the back of the room can hear you.

This post isn’t about any frustration about not hearing well when a microphone is NOT present. (Although as I continue positive advocacy, I work to have more and more microphones available in meeting and workshop venues). I simply want to remind folks to use the microphone when it IS THERE and IS AVAILABLE. Not using it tells me that I don’t matter… that anyone with any level of hearing loss doesn’t matter. (NIDCD reports that 15% of all Americans over the age of 18 have hearing loss. That number goes way up if your audience is 40 years old and up) (NIDCD, 2019). Even in small meetings, the number of people who benefit from a microphone in use goes way up. Present are people with hearing loss, auditory processing issues, ADHD, and folks who do not speak English as their first language. Please… use the microphone.

For all of us who want to be included, thank you in advance.

L. Denise Portis, Ph.D.

©2019 Personal Hearing Loss Journal

Ardon, F. (2019). Your voice carries… use the mic anyway. Neuroamazing. Retrieved

December 15, 2019, from https://neuroamazing.wordpress.com/2019/10/09/your-

voice-carries-use-the-mic-anyway/

National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (2019). Quick statistics

     about hearing. Retrieved December 15, 2019, from

https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-hearing

Tidwell, R. (2004). The ‘invisible’ faculty member: The university professor with a hearing

disability. Higher Education 47(2) 197-210. doi: 10.1023/B:HIGH.0000016421.25286.e8

When You Want to Smack ‘Em With Your Cane

Published on by hearingelmo2 Comments

handicapped-restroom

When you are differently-abled, going to the bathroom can be a pain in the… well?

… BUTT.

If you are partnered with a service dog, it can make the process even trickier until you get a nice routine down. Likely, one of the biggest issues for all of us is ACCESS.

In the United States, public restrooms are required to be handicap accessible. For restrooms that have multiple stalls, the number of required handicap accessible stalls depends on the total number of stalls in that location. All must have at least one, according to the ADA.

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Milo, my current service dog from Fidos For Freedom, Inc., is a very big boy. A German sheprador, Milo is 80 lbs. of helpful tail wags. Between my wobbles, cane, and big boy helper, I require some room to use the bathroom safely. I will be honest with you, I use to get aggravated if waiting for a handicap stall, only for the person to exit and they looked perfectly fine to ME.

A student leader in the Anne Arundel Community College‘s SODA club (Students Out to Destroy Assumptions), reminded me during a particular scathing belly-ache rant, that not all disabilities are visible. I think it is great when student leaders can challenge long-time advocates, don’t you? Kudos.

So yesterday, I stopped in at the women’s bathroom prior to my Diversity Institute workshop, to find the bathroom empty with the exception of…

… yeah, you guessed it,

the handicap stall. I stood there (with legs crossed) and waited for the person to exit. I even took out my phone to appear less desperate. Milo’s ears perked up (indicating a toilet was being flushed), and I stepped to the side about a foot so that the person could exit safely. I didn’t bat an eye when the person who came out “appeared perfectly abled”. It is no longer my default judgment to assume the person didn’t need the larger size, rails, and access to the stall.

I was surprised, then, when the young woman, said, “Oh gosh. Sorry, I use this so I have more room for my book bag and didn’t think someone who actually needed it would be waiting!”

I’m pretty sure my mouth dropped open.

I counted to ten and purposefully and deliberately maintained the position of my cane on the floor where it belonged, and said, “Yeah, there’s always a chance someone will need it who is waiting for the accessible stall!” I smiled (honestly! I did!) and scooted around her with Milo, closed and locked the door.

I was so mad I couldn’t pee. (Just bein’ honest folks!)

I have never had proof staring me in the face before. 24 hours later I am still processing it. My new default is a good one though. We cannot judge who uses a handicap stall even if there are other stalls empty.

Before you assume, remember:

  1. The handicap stall might be the only one empty when they came into the bathroom.
  2. Perhaps the other toilets are “nasty” or out of order.
  3. Perhaps it is a parent with a small child to assist.
  4. The person may have a genuine need for the stall. Some common invisible disabilities include:                                                                                                                  A) Anxiety disorders (especially phobias such as mysophobia, claustrophobia, and OCD) 

    B) Early stages of progressive diseases (MS, Rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson’s, cancer, etc.)

    C) Digestive disorders (IBS, Colitis, etc.)

         D) Pain disorders (Fibromyalgia, Mitochondrial, and joint diseases)

         E) Chronic fatigue and related illnesses

F) Age related conditions

So… put the cane down; no clobbering innocent folks relieving their own needs.

BUTT… But —

For those of you who use the handicap stall even when there are others available and you prefer “more space”,

well… shame on you.

That wasn’t nearly as satisfying as busting someone up ‘side the head. I remind myself that I can be an unfeeling jerk and clueless twit about things I don’t understand. If we all learn to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, the world would be more respectful and kind.

Denise Portis

©2017 Personal Hearing Loss Journal

Making the World Accessible… One Voice at a Time

Published on by hearingelmo4 Comments

I love it when I have guest writers come forward to write for Hearing Elmo. There are so many different types of disabilities, chronic illnesses, and debilitating health issues. Reading different perspectives and other individual’s stories is important. This week Hearing Elmo welcomes guest writer Kacey A., who lives in South Carolina with her husband.

Because I am such a fun and loving wife my husband recently invited to join him as he completed an assignment for his Master’s program. Secretly, I think his intent was to get me to the department store so he could beg me to buy him something!  His assignment was to visit a local establishment and evaluate it for handicap accessibility.  He probably wishes he would’ve left me at home.  Not only because I didn’t buy him a thing, but because he forgot how much of an “out of the box” thinker I am.   I had him taking more notes than he takes IN his Master’s class!

The establishment we chose was the local Belk department store. It is the only department store we have here in town, so it keeps a steady stream of business.  According to some statistics I found, a staggering 24.5% of our county is listed as having a disability.  So, I think it is pretty important for our businesses to be accessible to all of those who have disabilities.

But what does accessible mean?  When people think of “handicap accessibility“, they usually think of people in a wheelchair.  But what about those people who have a disability but don’t need a wheelchair?  Some disabilities require a cane, a walker, an assistance dog, or a simple chair/bench to sit down and rest for a bit.

The first thing I noticed during this visit WAS wheelchair related.  There were quite a few handicapped parking spots up close to the door, which was good.  BUT…because I’ve had some experience with loading and unloading wheelchairs, I also noticed that the parking spaces were the normal size with no little yellow striped zone to allow extra space to unload a wheelchair.  So, if you parked with a side-loading van lift, you’d either dump the wheelchair into the row of bushes or into a car.  Hmm, not very practical.

The next thing we noticed was the little sidewalk entry for wheelchairs/walkers/strollers/carts. It was made of bricks that looked like Legos, with all those little bumps on top!  It’s not easy to push a loaded wheelchair, stroller or a cart, let alone push it up an incline made of bumpy bricks.   I imagine it would be the same story for someone using a cane or walker.  Those bumps would just get in the way and may cause more injury. I’m not sure what these people were thinking when they put in bumpy bricks but I was feeling a little pessimistic already.

But then things started getting better.  The entry way was a double automatic door, which got a “double” a thumbs up because it actually gives a person some space to get in and out!  In between the two entrance doors, we spotted a courtesy wheelchair, which was another thumbs up for me.  There are people I know who don’t need wheelchairs on an everyday basis, so they don’t own one, but when they get out and about, they find they need one.  So a courtesy wheelchair is always a great thing to have available.

Feeling adventurous, we grabbed the wheelchair and my husband (who is also a  football coach) pushed me through the aisles as if I was the football he was rushing into the end zone before someone could tackle him.  I held my breath, shut my eyes and prayed quietly to keep from screaming, but when we stopped and I opened them, I realized that we made it clear across the store!  To my surprise, the wheelchair actually fit down just about every aisle. There was one aisle that had a ladder in it, but it was easy to maneuver around to the other side of the ladder.  Once I caught my breath, I started feeling a little more optimistic. We returned the wheelchair and headed towards the bathrooms….. where things got rough again.

Bathrooms are always difficult to “pass with flying colors” in my book.  For starters, the signs usually only have braille on them about half of the time.  I guess those with sight impairments don’t have to use the bathroom. Of course, I can see rather well and sometimes I have trouble figuring out if I should go in the door labeled “Blokes” or the door labeled “Sheila” at Outback. Sigh.

Anyway, moving on.  Then the door itself is usually an issue too.  Very rarely do you see a bathroom door that has a automatic “door open” button.  I grumbled to my husband about how this should be mandatory at all facilities in order to be accessible for those with walkers, strollers and wheelchairs. He looked confused.  So I had to demonstrate with my “air walker” what I really meant.  It is NOT easy to push a (sometimes heavy) door, maneuver a device AND keep your balance without bumping into someone who is coming out the door.   My heart is happy when I see facilities that just eliminate the door all together and have a small “maze of walls” that leads to the restrooms.

So let’s say you manage to get in the door, or get lucky to find a place that doesn’t have a door.  Well, you are usually “home free” then because most places have the handicap accessible bathroom stall.  However, most people never even notice that most places are missing a lowered sink.  This isn’t just an issue for those in wheelchairs.  Some of those sinks are REALLY high for children to get to to wash their hands too.  Then you have the mom who stands and lifts each of her seven kids up to the sink to wash their hands.  Or she just breaks out the hand sanitizer on the way out the door.

Sigh.  Speaking of mom’s.  You know how most restrooms have a baby changing area?  Yeah, those are great, except for this one.  It was RIGHT in the way of the door.  So when it was down, no one could go through or come out.  Not very convenient.  But my other issue with these is that they have a weight limit.  What happens when you have a large child, or even an adult who needs to be changed?  I have seen ONE place that had a “Changing Counter” to allow for that.

Okay, I think you get the picture of why bathrooms never really get a thumbs up from me!  We finished up and my husband was getting anxious to leave, but I wasn’t done.

As we walked through the store, I noticed that besides the shoe department, there wasn’t a single place to sit down for those who may just need to rest.   Not even at the fitting rooms!  Chairs are such an easy and relatively cheap fix.  Considering the number of  people these days with fibromyalgia or arthritis that  need that short break so they can continue to enjoy their day without regretting it later, you’d think that even a small department store in a small  town would have some chairs!

And finally, what may be the most important aspect of being “accessible” — the employees.  Some facilities may not have everything someone needs, but friendly and helpful employees go a long way.  They may be able to find a chair for someone to sit down in.  Or they simply smile and repeat themselves to those who are hard of hearing.  They can move things around for those in a wheelchair or a walker.  They can lend a hand in opening that heavy bathroom door.  They smile as a person and their assistance dog walks by rather than scoffing and yelling about a dog being in the store. Friendly employees really go a long way.

People who don’t have disabilities don’t think of accessibility issues until the issue is staring them in the face.  How do we train employees to be understanding in a world that wants to criticize and condemn? How do we educate people in a world that would rather be ignorant because it is “easier”?

A disabled person’s limitations and accessibility issues usually go unnoticed because the person in the situation doesn’t have the energy or the confidence to ask (or demand) that organizations do something to help them have easier access.    How many people do you know who would rather just stay home than worry about making a scene somewhere?  I know far too many.  How do we build confidence in those around us who have disabilities to fight for their rights?

More importantly, how do we get businesses to think about these things before the “fight”? Organizations usually do only what the ADA requires and don’t think anything else of it.  While I think the  establishment we visited did well compared to some other establishments in town, there is still room for improvement EVERYWHERE.  But how do we push for that improvement in a day when so many organizations are looking for ways to cut costs instead of increase them?

The only answer I can come up with is this —  Stand up for yourself and those around you who are disabled. If you are blessed to be without a physical impairment, start thinking about those who you know who do have impairments while you are out and about.  Would they be welcomed into the store with their assistance dog?  Would they be able to easily maneuver around the facility?  Would they be greeted by friendly employees and treated with respect?  If the answer is no, then speak up.  Let someone know.  There is no need to make a scene, but simply let our voice be heard…. one voice at a time.

By the way, my husband got a 100% on his paper that week.  So maybe he didn’t regret taking me after all!

Kacey A.