Lines of Communication

I’m Still Hear: My Cochlear Implant Journey, Part 3 By Ruth Bernstein My life changed a lot after I became bionic. Before my CI, my hearing aids did not go on until I was ready to leave the house and came off, along with my shoes, when I walked in the door. I was physically exhausted at the end of every day because my brain was burning so much extra energy trying to understand what it was hearing. Now, I put my CI and hearing aid on when I wake up and take them off when I’m r

By Ruth Bernstein, Consumer Advocate Originally published in the March-April, 2020 issue of News & Views, the bimonthly publication of the Hearing Loss Association of America, New York City Chapter Governor Cuomo’s Matilda’s Law and Dr. Fauci’s instructions carefully, because, at 86, I’m in the high-risk group. My neighbors shop for me and pick up my mail. The Rabbi of my synagogue arranged for one of the congregants to do my Passover shopping. I am extraordinarily lucky beca

HLAA recognizes communication access advocates Ruth Bernstein (l), Katherine Bouton (r) Hearing access advocate and HLAA-NYC Board member, Ruth Bernstein, was among the honorees at the 2019 HLAA Convention, June 22 in Rochester. Ruth’s Spirit of HLAA Award was a well-deserved honor for a veteran advocate known not only for her fierce commitment to change, but her thoughtful manner and gentle voice. Ruth taught so many of us at CHC what communication access truly means and the

Sound Advice by Ruth D. Bernstein Although you might be reluctant to give hearing aids a try, you may want to reconsider your decision. When you have a hearing loss, your brain burns a lot more energy than normal to understand what is being said, which is physically fatiguing. You also want to keep the part of your brain that processes hearing in good shape. When it doesn’t receive the necessary signals, it tends to stop working. Recent research shows hearing loss can affect

On Sunday, June 17, 2018, I attended Lincoln Square Synagogue’s (LSS) 54th Annual Dinner. For the very first time, the event had CART and an audio loop, proof that a squeaky wheel gets greased – or in this case hearing accommodations! Getting the process rolling A dear friend and her daughter were amongst the honorees. I decided I would not attend and pay what I consider a large amount of money for a dinner ticket unless the event was accessible. With the support and advice o

Sound Advice by Ruth D. Bernstein In what’s become a tradition, I’m delighted to share the hearing accessible activities I’m most looking forward to this summer, along with some I’ve experienced already. Theater This year, Mostly Mozart is presenting a Japanese version of Macbeth with English subtitles. Theatreaccess.nyc offers information about theater access in New York City, including audio loops, Theatre Development Fund has listings for captioned theater. I’m looking for

Sound Advice by Ruth D. Bernstein Ruth Bernstein, Consumer Advocate Recently, I attended a New York Philharmonic Town Hall with real-time captioning (i.e., Communication Access Realtime Translation or CART), introducing Jaap Van Zweden, the orchestra’s new Music Director, in conversation with President and CEO Deborah Borda. If you are surprised by the availability of CART at the Philharmonic, I’ll tell you how that happened and why the Hearing Loss Association of America, NY

Sound Advice by Ruth D. Bernstein (with CHC’s Terrence Williams) Ruth Bernstein, Consumer Advocate There is nothing I like better than getting an unusual gift I can share with a lot of people. I received two such special gifts when I attended the Broadway Accessibility Summit: Community Event, at New World Stages at West 50th Street on Tuesday, November 24, 2017. The Summit was convened to demonstrate the GalaPro app to people with hearing loss and other disabilities. The ap

Sound Advice by Advocate Ruth D. Bernstein Ruth Bernstein, Consumer Advocate One of the challenges of having a hearing loss is you can’t always anticipate the situations where you may need help and the kind of help you want in advance. I’m fortunate because I’ve learned how to ask for help and do so all the time. On the morning of Halloween, 2016, my friend Wendy and I met at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where I volunteer on alternate Thursdays, distributing and collecting

Sound Advice by Advocate Ruth D. Bernstein This is a much-requested travel tips blog post from the Sound Advice series by Ruth Bernstein, originally posted in 2011 and updated in 2013. Ruth’s other travel posts include: TSA PreCheck: How I Got with the Program » Hearing Loss Advocacy makes for a Wonderful Trip to Israel » Ruth Bernstein, Consumer Advocate Traveling rates high on the list of stressful situations for people with hearing loss. There are so many “need to hear” si

Sound Advice by Ruth D. Bernstein Ruth Bernstein, Consumer Advocate When I started wearing analog hearing aids in 1969, there was very little technology for people with hearing loss. Forty-seven years later, technology is helping to reshape what it means to have a hearing loss. This was brought home to me when I came down with the flu and could not go to the Hearing Loss Association of America Convention in Washington, D.C. in June, 2016.  I “attended” the convention from hom

RapidSOS and the Center for Hearing and Communication collaborate to provide mobile safety and security 240 million[1] 9-1-1 calls are made every year in the U.S.; over 70%[2] are from mobile phones, which fail to provide exact location to emergency dispatchers 48 million[3] Americans have some degree of hearing loss, which can make communication with emergency dispatchers difficult Haven represents a transformation in access to emergency services – from a phone call solely d

Sound Advice by Ruth D. Bernstein Ruth Bernstein, Consumer Advocate Although the time for making New Year’s resolutions has come and gone, I suggest everyone with hearing loss who reads this blog speak up and ask for hearing access once a month. When providers hear from us regularly, we will become visible and they will understand there are many people in the USA who want and need hearing access. People who have a hearing loss seldom acknowledge their disability. It’s easy to

Hearing aid discount of 5% for HLAA members Beginning March 1, 2016, CHC will provide these special benefits to HLAA members: A hearing aid discount of 5% is available to HLAA members purchasing hearing aids at CHC’s offices in New York and Fort Lauderdale (cannot be combined with other promotional discounts) A 5% discount on the purchase of an FM system at CHC is also available to HLAA members CHC will conduct a free group assistive device demonstration on a quarterly basis

Ruth R. Green (l) and Ruth D. Bernstein (r) The Ruth R. Green Advocacy Award was presented December 2, 2014 at the 104th Annual Meeting of the Center for Hearing and Communication (CHC) to a most deserving honoree: Ruth D. Bernstein, Consumer Advocate. Ruth’s post on this blog, “Hearing tips for a happier holiday” » CHC’s Executive Director Emerita, Ruth Green, presented the award to Ms. Bernstein for her tireless and passionate commitment to creating access for people with h

On Sunday September 30, 2012 at Riverside Park in Manhattan, thousands of people will walk together in support of people with hearing loss, relax, play games, and enjoy the day. Will we see you there? Each year, the CHC team plays a big role in making the NYC Walk4Hearing the fun-and-family-focused morning that it is. This HLAA-led event is one of the most extensive fundraisers for hearing loss ever, and it’s free. This year, a member of the CHC family decided not to let this