MY FIRST NATIONAL HLAA CONVENTION
Thanks to the Joan Andrews Scholarship!
By Anne Kellner
Having lost my hearing at the age of 4 due to Scarlet Fever, and being raised by strong loving independent parents, I always felt somewhat isolated from the rest of the world. My parents wouldn’t let me learn sign language, wouldn’t allow me to use my hearing deficiency as a crutch, nor was I able to ‘confess’ to them how lost I felt in a hearing world.Consequently I didn’t let them know of the bullying and hearing – related incidents I endured in my childhood lest I disappoint them and fall below their expectations. I really had no contemporary with whom I could share these feelings and grew up feeling like a loner in a hearing world despite wearing hearing aids since I was 11 years old.
This all changed when I met Judy Martin at a cochlear event in Orlando; she told me about HLAA. I had never heard of it before. I had had people approach me to inquire about my very visible cochlear implant, but never thought about organizing a group for the hearing impaired. Learning about HLAA and its purpose spurred me on to try to establish a local chapter. Meeting Andrea Wilson at an early get together in Daytona Beach gave me the impetus to get on the HLAA bandwagon. Andrea was a long-term member who had been President of a south Florida chapter. It was she who encouraged me to attend the national convention in Washington D.C. She told me how valuable it would be for me to learn about the workings of HLAA, the latest technology available for the hearing impaired, and to meet the people involved. As exciting as she made it sound, I found it even more so than I could have ever imagined.
Coming to the national HLAA convention in Washington DC, for the first time in my life I was able to attend a large public venue and didn’t have to worry about not hearing or knowing what was going on. Nor did I have to explain why I couldn’t follow something. The freedom of attending such an event was so uplifting, just being free of the extra strain of hearing/concentrating on what was taking place. The best thing about the convention was the people! They were WONDERFUL, warm, friendly, and knowledgeable whether it was another hearing impaired person, vendor/exhibitor, or program leader. Probably one of the most valuable lessons I learned even at my very senior age, was “No more bluffing”. I have always been notorious for it!I picked up a plethora of ideas and approaches for establishing a strong local HLAA chapter. The demonstrations/exhibits of the latest technology allowed me to see what is out there and enabled me to take advantage of some of them. The programs and their speakers imparted a wealth of information.
Living in NJ for most of my adult life, I was fortunate enough to only have needed 2 wonderful hearing aid dealers there; the same did not prevail in Florida. Having experienced dealings with a number of local dispensers here, I found it disturbing to discover that many seniors who lost their hearing late in life were being seduced out of their hard earned savings and being introduced to and/or fitted with inappropriate/inadequate hearing devices as was I initially. Having worn hearing aids since childhood, it was very easy for me to recognize when I was being handed a ‘bill of goods’. This was another major factor inciting me to help those struggling with a similar affliction and the need for advocacy.
I have been to a number of national conventions in my lifetime, but have never experienced the camaraderie I felt and the education I received in Washington. I am grateful to Judy Martin for her introduction to HLAA, to Andrea for her encouragement, and to all the wonderful people that I met, some of whom I can now call friends. I look forward to seeing them next year in Salt Lake City, if not before.