by Chelle Wyatt | Sep 8, 2026 | Accessibility, Accommodations, Communication Access, Emotions, hearing loss, Hearing Loss, Hearing Loss How To, Hearing Loss Inclusion, Limits for hearing loss, Lipreading, Misconceptions, Self Advocacy
When we have hearing loss, there’s a tension between doing what is polite –the normal thing– versus what needs to be done to participate. Following social norms actually limits a hard of hearing person’s experience. Some social norms we are taught as children… Sit... 
by Chelle Wyatt | Nov 20, 2025 | Accommodations, Assistive Listening Systems, Communication Access, Communication Practices, deaf, Hard of Hearing, Hearing Devices, Hearing Impaired, Hearing Loss, Hearing Loss How To, Misconceptions
Direct sound helps everyone, but it is especially important to those with hearing loss. People tend to think sound is omnidirectional, their voices filling the room around them. Yes and no. Their voice fills the room without direct sound – but clarity is reduced. For... 
by Chelle Wyatt | Aug 19, 2025 | Accommodations, Cochlear Implants, Communication Practices, deaf, Hard of Hearing, Hearing Aids, Hearing Impaired, Hearing Loss, Hearing Loss Conventions
There is one hurdle with hearing loss I can’t quite clear is listening and eating at the same time. It’s also how I recognize hearing loss in others. A couple of years ago, I attended a potluck where the average age was 70. I was hungry and wanted to eat so I moved... 
by Chelle Wyatt | Jul 23, 2025 | Accommodations, Communication Practices, Hard of Hearing, Hearing Impaired, Hearing Loss, Hearing Loss How To, Hearing Loss Inclusion
Prosody is a skill people can use when talking to people with hearing loss. The general population tends to assume that speaking louder is the solution. That does not help and often distorts the message instead. Clarity is what’s needed and a big secret to clarity is... 
by Chelle Wyatt | Jun 4, 2025 | Accessibility, Accommodations, Advocacy, Communication Access, deaf, Hard of Hearing, Hearing Impaired, Hearing Loss, Hearing Loss Inclusion, Self Advocacy, Shame/Stigma/Denial
Do we earn accessibility, or do we have a right to it? When researching that question, we are told it’s a fundamental right. Everyone should have equitable access to spaces, communication, technology and opportunities, regardless of ability. How many of us actually... 
by | May 21, 2025 | Accommodations, Advocacy, Communication Access, Communication Practices, deaf, Hard of Hearing, Hearing Impaired, Hearing Loss, Limits for hearing loss, Lipreading, Self Advocacy, Speechreading
For years I disliked teaching lipreading lessons with vowels and practically dismissed them. For the most part, vowels are inside the mouth with tongue to, or near, the soft palate making them hard to see. I guided people to focus on the more visible lip shapes... 