Bill Schiffmiller

Why is a hearing wellness advocate writing about better brain function? Because we don’t just hear with our ears — we hear with our brains.

I recently discovered a study (“The Hearing Brain”) that clearly establishes “the (very close) link between hearing and the brain.” The research comes from a team that includes experts in audiology and neurology. Hearing, they say, is much more than processing sound. It actually “lights up” many areas of the brain, including activity for understanding, meaning, memory, imagination and experience.

Hearing Loss and Brain Activity

Of course, the reverse is also true. As the study emphasizes, “hearing loss will change the brain” (emphasis mine). When someone experiences hearing loss, listening requires more concentration. The brain works harder to pick up sound and interpret the meaning. This increased concentration leaves the brain with less capacity for other activity (like memory, imagination, and understanding) while trying to “hear.”

Further, people with hearing loss often shy away from conversation in and around “noisy” places. So, perhaps they take fewer trips to music concerts or ball games. They might avoid walks in the park or meals with friends. And, while this might reduce the chance for embarrassment or frustration, it definitely reduces opportunities for the “hearing brain” to stay active.

The research team warns, “Communication difficulties associated with hearing loss can encourage solitude, which is considered a risk factor for cognitive disorders.” In other words, failing to properly address hearing loss creates a “bi-directional vicious circle” that can lead to a decline in brain activity, or even “cognitive disorders” like dementia.

However, there is good news.

Address Hearing Loss Early

Hearing loss doesn’t have to make you less social — or put you at risk for decreased brain function. In fact, advances in hearing aid technology and assistive listening devices make it easier and affordable to give your brain a boost with better hearing. Some examples are:

• hearing aids
• over-the-counter (OTC) “hearing devices”
• cochlear implants (and other implantable devices)
• assistive listening devices
• phones and other mobile devices tailored for hearing wellness

A Challenge Accepted

Consider this startling statistic from the report:

“If, starting from today, we were to successfully delay the onset of cognitive decline by just one year, the global prevalence of dementia would diminish by over 10% by 2050.”

“The Hearing Brain” Lorenzini Foundation

That makes me wonder. What if we delayed cognitive decline by two years? Or even ten?

We all get older. Most of us will experience some hearing loss, perhaps even some cognitive decline, as we do. But we don’t have to take it lying down. Recognize and address hearing loss early. Get a hearing aid. Read 5 tips for living better with hearing loss.

I founded Akoio precisely to empower people with hearing loss to live their fullest lives. I know that better hearing can lead to better overall health. For me, part of that mission now includes “safeguarding” our brains.

Do you want to help encourage your organization to hear well, to have better brain function, to be more innovative, inclusive and accessible? Do you want to be part of a community living well with (or without) hearing loss? If you do, I encourage you to connect. Akoio is here to help.

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I recently read that practicing gratitude leads to better health, more happiness, and stronger relationships. In thinking about what I’m grateful for this Thanksgiving holiday, I found that “hearing loss” rises somewhere near the top of my list.

Thankful for My Hearing Loss?

When I say “I am grateful for my hearing loss,” I hope it doesn’t seem like a disingenuous attempt at pandering. Hearing loss is part of my identity. When I reflect on my life with hearing loss, and realize just how much it influenced my perspective and my passions, I feel genuinely thankful.

I work every day as a design expert, a technology enthusiast, and a tireless advocate for accessibility. I attribute my lifelong interest in these areas directly to my own experience with hearing loss. Over time, my interests and education developed into true passions (near obsession, perhaps!). These passions now guide my personal mission. Hearing loss made me an ambassador for simplicity and social good.

A “Visual Listener”

Before receiving my first hearing aids at age 6, I taught myself to “listen visually.” I read lips, watched facial expressions, and took notice of body language. This “visual training” made me an attentive listener and careful observer, which in turn led to empathy and compassion. And perhaps that gives me an advantage in connecting with others that may not come so easily to my friends with “perfect hearing.” I like to think I’ve become amiable, diplomatic, and open-minded—and I owe that, in part, to hearing less well than others.

An Eye for Design … and Usability

“Visual” is (still) my primary communication channel. So, I am naturally drawn to design and usability. Of course, my particular interest includes the design and usability of hearing aids and hearing accessories.

My early hearing aids were clunky and obtrusive. Thick black eyeglasses with hearing aids built into the frame weren’t exactly cool or empowering. They seemed to instantly and loudly signal my “special needs,” a differentness that too easily brought pity and too often resulted in marginalization.

Surely, I thought, we can do better than this! My curiosity and my quest for better design eventually led me to the Pratt Institute in New York, where I studied Design Management. And I’m honored to have been a protégé of Sam Farber, founder of OXO, the creator of Good Grip Kitchen products. Without hearing loss, I might not have discovered my drive for good design.

Accessibility for All

For example, Ray Kurzweil, a brilliant inventor and futurist educated at MIT, casually conversed with a fellow airline passenger who happened to be blind. It inspired him to invent a “reading machine” that could identify written text and read it aloud (later acquired by Xerox). His design for reading accessibility led to a friendship with Stevie Wonder. Wonder challenged Kurzweil to help him create better electronic music. So, Kurzweil developed a realistic “music sampling” algorithms so powerful and effective, it earned him a Grammy Award. Moving from text-to-speech to speech-to-text, Kurzweil became a pioneer in voice recognition software. Now, he works at Alphabet, Inc. with a singular focus: “to bring natural language understanding to Google.”

So, if you enjoy modern music (acoustic or electronic—can you tell which is which?), if you rely on scans and photos to capture text, or if you dictate instructions, searches, or texts to your device, you are the beneficiary of design and technology focused on accessibility.

Hey, Google. Please tell Ray Kurzweil thanks.

My Hearing Loss and My Future

My hearing loss influenced my creativity, made me a technophile, and taught me about accessibility. It also fills me with greater compassion. Practicing accessibility principles in physical and digital spaces opens the horizon to other possibilities. Not only does it show kindness and compassion for others, but the good we do ripples out into the world in amazing, often unexpected ways. It seems we cannot help someone without, in some way, helping everyone. I guess that’s another thing I learned from life with hearing loss. And for that, I’m truly grateful.

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Compassion and kindness are at the heart of accessibility. Building a kinder culture is why embracing accessibility for all is so important. A recent story from WJLA in Washington DC illustrates the point.

Accessibility as an Act of Kindness

Ashley Ober, a deaf teen taking her first solo flight from Baltimore to Rochester, was understandably nervous about the journey. Though very independent and capable, Ashley worried about communication access and missing important flight information. Worse, what if she missed her connection?

Nevertheless, she boarded the plane. As she did, a thoughtful flight attendant handed Ashley a hand-written note. The note detailed everything she needed to know about flight safety and her route to Rochester.

Touched and grateful, Ashley shared the experience with her mother, who shared it on social media. There it received thousands of likes and was picked up by WJLA, and then by dozens of others, including CNN and People Magazine.

It has been months since her flight, but Ashley still carries the note in her bag for inspiration.

A Lesson in Accessibility

Recently, I wrote about how “the good we do ripples out into the world in amazing, often unexpected ways.” In this case, one flight attendant brightened the world in a story that’s been resonating online for months, prompting her airline (Delta) to reaffirm its commitment to accessibility for all:

“We are extremely proud of the thoughtful approach this Endeavor Air flight attendant took to make the customer feel welcome. Our goal is to make the world a more inclusive place, ensuring travel is easy for all people.” Inspired by Ashley’s story, Delta said flight attendants and gate agents who can sign will have the option to wear “a uniform language bar option for 300+ sign languages around the world.”

But Delta’s story doesn’t end there. Delta goes beyond the typical nod toward accessibility made by most businesses, by connecting accessibility with their core values: “Our mission is to connect the world, which starts with making travel easier for all people,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian. “It’s a small step on our journey, but a powerful change as we seek to make the world a smaller, more inclusive place.”

Kudos to Delta. My heartfelt thanks to Janna for her kindness. And, kudos to Ashley for not only conquering life, but sharing it with the world.

Now it is Your Turn

This is such a great example of the small but thoughtful steps business can take to be more inclusive. Do you have anyone in your organization that signs or has other skills that could help provide greater accessibility to your customers? If you don’t know, perhaps it is time to find out. Honoring both the team member with the talent to help and the customer with accessibility needs is an easy way to strengthen relationships with both.

I’d love to hear about the small (or big!) steps your organization is taking to provide greater accessibility to your employees and customers. Remember, if you’re unsure how to start or take next steps, I’m here to help.

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The Hearing Loss Challenge

A recent survey indicates 45% of adults have difficulty hearing. If true, it is likely you or someone in your circle has hearing loss — even if you don’t know it. Ask 10 of your friends and neighbors, and you’ll probably find 4 that experience hearing difficulty at least occasionally. You might be surprised to learn that one friend has been wearing a hearing aid for years. That is because today’s hearing aids offer an incredible array of features and benefits in tiny, imperceptible devices (more on that later). In other words, modern hearing aids are hardly noticeable, and maybe that is part of the problem.

Though still prevalent, hearing loss is not as obvious as it once was. Ironically, advancing technology makes us less aware of the problem all around us and, therefore, less likely to talk about it. However, we need to change that. Why? Because, ultimately, hearing loss affects everyone.

Hearing loss by the numbers

After age 70, half of us will experience significant hearing loss, while the other half, who may hear as well as ever, will almost certainly know—perhaps even live with—someone who does not. And yet, of the millions of people who could benefit from hearing aids, fewer than 1 in 5 have ever tried them. (See more hearing loss statistics at nih.gov.)

Words and phrases like “disability,” “disorder,” and “hearing impairment,” misguide the conversation around hearing health. Worse, they engender the false fear that hearing loss must somehow diminish our value or derail what we hope to accomplish.

But hearing loss, even profound hearing loss like mine, does not have to slow us down any more than wearing glasses or going gluten-free. So, if you have difficulty hearing, or know someone who does, here are five simple effective suggestions that may help.

5 ways to live better with hearing loss

1. Acknowledge your hearing loss

We live in an increasingly tolerant and diverse world where most of us are eager to accept, encourage, and help. Mention the words “gluten free” and friends immediately suggest great lunch spots with excellent menu choices. Talk about getting in shape and colleagues enthusiastically cheer you on (and may even join you at the gym). Being upfront about your hearing will increase awareness and strengthen your support system. So, go ahead. Talk about it. You will quickly find yourself feeling more empowered, not less.

2. Get help

Better living starts with better information. So, do not resist making that audiology appointment. Talk to your doctor about your specific experience and discover the wide range of options for improved hearing. Involve your family and friends, too. They can help you navigate and process new information, and help you optimize listening environments at home and work. And they will learn from you!

3. Take advantage of technology

As a professional designer and longtime accessibility advocate for Apple, I have a passion for good tech. For me, getting a new hearing aid is like getting a new iPhone! The new features are often just as robust and useful, too, like direct streaming, noise cancellation and reduction, and adaptive listening. (Of course, you still may want headphones for the airplane, otherwise your neighbor won’t know you’re watching a movie!)

4. Have healthy conversations

Scientific research suggests that gratitude and kindness improves personal performance, happiness, and health. Share your positive experiences and enthusiasm for what you are learning. Maybe even brag about your new hearing tech a little. You will feel happier. And, like ripples in a pond, your story will help change the larger conversation around your hearing.

5. Conquer life

Of course, we can do more than talk positively about our hearing health. We can be positive examples of how to live, regardless of how we hear. We can be a role model, an advocate or a mentor. We can change the conversation around hearing loss. We can encourage people to get help and manage their hearing better. And, when someone notices our hearing aid or asks for advice, we can inspire them do more than just live with hearing loss. Together, we can conquer life.

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Our trademarked tagline at Akoio is: Conquer Life. And, for me, it is much more than a clever turn of antabuse online phrase. It represents an approach to living well and enjoying life to its fullest extent by not letting fears, setbacks, or labeling get get prednisone 5 mg online in your way.

As a person with profound hearing loss, I have often had to fight labeling or prejudice. Sometimes even well-intentioned folks can’t resist the temptation to coddle, condescend, or even marginalize someone with hearing loss or speech problems. Looking back, I’m grateful for the struggle, but it wasn’t always so.

A life Lesson

I distinctly remember the moment when, as a teenager, I decided to take control of my own development and learning. As part of my public school curriculum, I was required to regularly participate in speech therapy. But, after 13 years of “speech sessions,” I had had enough! I knew how to communicate, I knew I could continue to learn and improve on my own, and I really wanted to focus on other subjects.

It wasn’t easy to overcome the habits and, frankly, prejudices of a few insensitive administrators and therapists. But, with my mother’s help and encouragement, I found my voice and declared my independence. (She also taught me to be kind and patient with those who don’t easily understand you or xanax agree with you.)

And that has made all the difference.

I conquered my life in the way I saw fit. No more speech training. I engaged with antabuse subjects that mattered deeply to me and in so doing, I discovered my passions for design and technology.

Hail the Conquering Hero

As I reflect on this experience now, I can see that I learned a valuable skill—what I call conquering. To me, conquering is acting with intention. It is choosing to influence your circumstances and determining your own direction, and not letting circumstances (or labels or even setbacks) make default decisions for you.

It is not easy. And sometimes things like hearing loss, low vision, or limited mobility make it more challenging. Challenging, but not impossible. That’s why our mission at Akoio includes developing products and services that enhance accessibility and eliminate obstacles for users. We want to help pave the way for the great things you will do as you focus on what matters to you.

Upon reflection, I can see that successes in my career and personal life are really a series of conquered moments. The journey brings seemingly endless opportunities to conquer, and we get better with practice! So, do not waste any time doubting yourself. Never let others label or marginalize you (even if they mean well). Chase your dreams and pursue your aspirations. And, never, never, never give up!

Go ahead. Conquer life.™

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