My name is Jen, and I am a mom, wife, and business owner. I am also hearing impaired. I recently learned that 48 million people suffer from hearing loss and 80% of those people do nothing about it. I am one of those individuals. This is my story of choosing to live with hearing loss for 40 years, and how a few life changes (hello, motherhood) and one viral LinkedIn postinspired me to jumpstart my journey to better hearing health.
I’m legally blind, so from the moment I pop out of bed each morning, I use technology to help me go about my day. When I wake up, I ask my Google Assistant for my custom-made morning Routine which turns on my lights, reads my calendar and plays the news. I use other products as well, like screen readers and a refreshable braille display, to help me be as productive as possible.
Music plays an integral role in people’s lives, however, some cochlear implant recipients report that listening to music after hearing loss can be a challenge.
When Eric Small, an employee at one of our retailers, REI was handling AfterShokz products, it dawned on him that these headphones could change a life. Eric’s coworker, Natasha, who works to stock merchandise in the store’s warehouse, was born deaf. With hearing aids, Natasha communicates mostly through sign language and lip reading and has never been able to experience music. When Eric insisted she tries them on, a reluctant Natasha’s life was changed forever.
