Inspirational Stuff | A Deaf Mom Shares Her World

Are You Ready to Leap?

Last week, I hit the library in search of some books for a weekend getaway. Jane and I dropped off our daughters at DeSales Center in Michigan for a workshop with Sean Forbes from D-Pan and we planned to hang at the hotel and do nothing but read all weekend. While at the library, my eyes caught a title in the “Hot” books section: The Leap: How 3 Simple Changes Can Propel Your Career from Good to Great.

Hmmm, I figured, can’t hurt to know how to go from good to great where I’m at now.

I spent Friday night wading through emails, Twittering time away, chatting with folks on the Z4 and watching the Comedy Channel. “Ahhh, this is so nice,” I said to Jane. ”No one to interrupt me, no dishes to wash and a whole bed to myself. I could get used to this.” Jane just smiled– she was deep into a Harry Potter book.

Saturday morning found me submerged in the bathtub and I dove into ” The Leap.” Written by Rick Smith, he describes it best in this paragraph:

The Leap is a guide to personal evolution. It’s a ”good to great” manual for individuals, a book about aligning passions and skills, and about the amazing energy that gets released when we find our personal “sweet spot.” All of us have a special place on the spectrum where the best of our ability intersects with what most inspires us. Too few of us ever find that spot or even know it’s there. But it is there, and it’s magic. This book will point you to it.

And sure enough, it did. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Back in the bathtub, I dove into the first chapter where Rick describes a climb to success that ended up with him riding down the elevator after being let go by his company. He had written a best-selling book, The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers: The Guide for Achieving Success and Satisfaction and all of a sudden, he was facing the fact that his career had suddenly ended.

Rick came up with the idea of putting together a company that would network the top well-known, highly respected executives in the world. He named his networking group/company World50. He faced opposition right from the beginning, with nay-sayers shooting down his idea left and right.

His first customer turned out to be Carl Gustin. Suddenly, I sat up in the bathtub and read on with even more interest. Carl Gustin was the former Chief Marketing Officer for Kodak and Apple. I had met Carl Gustin last summer in Las Vegas when he came to the Zvrs Team Week and gave a presentation. He also sat through our each of our team presentations where we shared our marketing ideas. I could see that he was a little nervous at first, after all, it was his first opporunity to spend a day surrounded by deaf and hard of hearing folks with all the hands zipping through the air. By the end of the day, Carl was laughing along with us. ”This company reminds me of Apple in the early days,” he told us at the end of the day. “You guys have a lot of passion.” Carl joined us all for dinner and I had the opportunity to chat with him and ask questions. Soon after, he joined the board of Zvrs and has been with us ever since.

After I finished the book, I took the “What’s Your Primary Color” analysis over at www.theleap.com. I found myself smack dab in the middle of the spectrum, a gray-blue color:

The book is filled with questions to explore– I’m saving those for later in the week when I can focus more on that. I have some ideas of how I want to go from good to great this year, but I also learned that my work with Zvrs is right where I want to be– my passion and my talents are aligned with where I want to go.

Now all I gotta do is…

Leap.

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Judy Myers Inspires Deaf Mom

Judy Myers is my new idol. This “Old Lady” is my new inspiration each day, because she’s got me all fired up about barefooting again. Here I was last year, all sad and feeling like my best years were behind me– and then I learned about this 66-year-old gal who was skimming along the water like a spring chicken. So I’m heading down to Florida in the spring to meet Judy and try my hand at barefooting again.

Judy took a little time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions and share some photos of her barefooting. Enjoy!

Judy with her biggest fan and supporter, husband Casey

You started waterskiing at the age of 53 – tell me what it was like.

Actually I was 48 when I started waterskiing. We had gotten out of Dune Buggies and decided to buy a boat (A big boat with a giant wake). We invited friends to come out for the day and they use to water ski when they were younger so decided to bring along their old (wooden) skis. We had a ball but the next day we were so sore even our hair hurt!! I was hooked. I have always been around or on the water and really liked sports so this was perfect for me. I attend clinics, ski schools and skied a lot. I became a good recreational slalom skier and really enjoyed it.

How did you get into barefooting? How old were you? What was that first experience like?

I was 53 and went with a group of girls to “The River” (meaning the Colorado River in Yuma AZ). One of the girls (much younger than I) barefooted and decided we should all try it. The first gal scooted out on the boom and immediately flew off ripping off her barefoot suit and losing her bathing suit top in the process, the second girl did pretty much the same thing but first managed to hang on long enough to almost beat herself to death. It was my turn and after watching what went on before me I almost changed my mind thinking I was much too old for this. I told them they had one chance and that was it. I scooted out, put my feet on the water and again was hooked on a new sport – BAREFOOTING! What a rush to be actually walking on water! That moment literally changed my life!!

How did your barefooting evolve over the years? How did you get into competing? What was your first competition like?

My barefooting started out as just being a recreational sport and has gone from that to I now work at World Barefoot Center with Keith St. Onge and David Small each spring. While there I do the office work and lunches but the reward is I get to ski every day with two of the nicest and best in barefooting in addition to “Swampy” Keith’s coach.

When I first started skiing I went to FL for lessons as being an “old” Physical Education teacher I wanted to learn the proper way and save myself injury. I went to Ron Scarpa’s and it was Ron who convinced me to compete because of my age. It was here I also picked up the name “Old Lady”. Women tend to leave barefooting for various reasons and we felt it may help women realize they could stay in the sport, compete and have fun. After all that is what life is about – having fun and enjoying it to the fullest.

My first competition was in 1999 at the Western Regional’s at Cheyenne Lake in New Berry Springs CA. I did not have a clue about skiing a tournament and what one even had to do. When I arrived the skiers took me under their wing and went out of their way to get me ready!! They realized I needed to score a specific number of points in order to go to Nationals so while waiting for my turn were teaching me things I could try. Dawn Farrell was awesome as was Gina McKee and then my slalom mentor Theresa Hoffman. I had never even attempted to cross the wake before then and Theresa made sure I was going to succeed!

Needless to say with their support I managed to do what I needed to do in order to move on.

Since putting my feet on the water for the first time and falling in love with the sport, I have skied all over the country, made friends all over the world, skied as an independent in the 2003 Worlds, been honored with the Western Region Barefooter of the Year award, had various magazine articles published about me, was in the MSNBC “Fit TO Boom” video, been on the “Today” show and the highest honor of them all was to win the 2009 “Banana George Blair Award for Barefooter of the Year. What an honor! I was speechless and those that know me know that is next to impossible!

What is a typical day of training like?

Usually we get up very early, do some stretching and go out and ski a couple of sets in the morning and again in the afternoon along with dryland practice. When I am at the World Barefoot Center with KSO and Swampy they work with me trying to improve my abilities (I tell KSO I am his project). I will say age has a little drawback here as it does take me longer to “get it” but I am willing to try and give it my all. I have had a few set backs this past couple of years – torn hamstring and then knee surgery but I am working hard in the off season to get in shape and am getting ready for the up and coming “Spring Training”.

How has barefooting changed your life?

Barefooting has made me realize that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. It has helped keep this 66 year old woman - soon to be 67 - young in heart and spirit and has made me keep myself in good shape and strong. I cannot imagine my life without this!

Can you see why I’m fired up and inspired?

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Welcome to the World, Diego Ruben!

I had the honor of attending the birth of Diego Ruben, who entered this world on Monday evening at 9:40 p.m. in a beautiful homebirth. Congrats to the Martinez family!

Diego’s Birth Story: The Honor of Attending a Birth

Syndicated in newspapers:

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How Deaf Weddings are Different

It was an absolutely stunning day for a wedding on Saturday. The colorful mums were in full bloom and the sun began a slow descent when Ron and Meredith exchanged their vows in American Sign Language. About half of the guests were deaf or hard of hearing. There were supposed to be two interpreters there, one for the audience and one for the couple, but one interpreter did not show. It was difficult to view the interpreter from where I was sitting but I caught as much as I could. Standing on either side of the couple was the groom’s two young sons with the cutest smiles on their faces.

I especially enjoy deaf/hard of hearing weddings because at those weddings, communication is often a breeze at the dinner table and on the dance floor. When the hubby and I are seated at a wedding where all the guests at my table are hearing, we are often left out of conversations that simply flow too fast for us to follow. Sometimes we’ll gamely attempt to join in the conversation and let everyone know what they need to do to include us. The conversation will slow, we’ll toss in some banter, but it usually ends up going back to the same fast pace at some point. Then we end up talking to each other.

Deaf/hard of hearing weddings are a whole different ball game. Conversations zip back and forth visually while the bread gets passed around. Shoulders are tapped, arms are waved and the energy in the air takes on a different vibe. I catch the eye of a friend two tables down and we catch up on news while we wait for the salad to arrive.

It’s not long before the first napkin pops up in the air. Then another joins, and another– until the air in the whole room is pulsating with the napkins that are being whipped around and around. The usual tradition for a bride and groom to kiss is the sound of a spoon tapping against a water glass. That tradition doesn’t serve well at deaf and hard of hearing weddings where the couple may not hear the tinking sound. Instead, it is a tradition to whip the napkins around in the air to signal the couple that it is time for a kiss.

On the way home from the wedding, the hubby and I reflected on the evening. “I always like going to deaf weddings,” he commented. “We can just kick back and not have to struggle to understand everyone, ya know?”

Yes, I know.

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Lions Camp for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Kids

My kids are still talking about this year’s week at Camp Lions. Every year, they look forward to that one, magical week with all their friends. The conversations last all year–via sleepovers, Facebook sharing, texts that fly back and forth and videophone calls.

My kids spend all day in the mainstream going to classes with students who can hear so they cherish their time with deaf and hard of hearing friends. Those friendships are deeply important, because communication isn’t an issue and being different isn’t an issue.

At a deaf picnic this summer, a young mother came up to me and signed, “Do you remember me?” I looked at her–she looked vaguely familiar but I couldn’t place the moment in time where we knew each other.

“You were my camp counselor at Camp Lions!” she said.

Back in the mid-80s, I did one summer as a camp counselor for the Lions Camp. I also did one summer as a waterski instructor at Camp Endeavor in Florida. It’s easy for the kids to remember the counselors, much harder for counselors to remember the many kids! But I did remember the young girl at camp and it was amazing to see her as a mother to her own kiddos years later.

I have several friends who attended the Lions Camps as young kids and thirty-plus years later, they can recall the fun they had and the connections that were made. It’s no surprise that Camp Lions continues to fill up year after year. They are now in their 51st year of providing camps to deaf and hard of hearing kids in Illinois.

So I’m writing this to publicly thank the Camp Lions of Illinois and the Lions of Illinois Foundation because if not for the tireless efforts of every Lion group in Illinois who fundraise each year– the deaf and hard of hearing kids in Illinois would have no magical week to remember.

Thank you.

Camp is Over, It’s Back to the Real World

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Yes, It Is Time for Insurance Coverage for Hearing Aids

There’s a small, passionate group of people in Illinois who are working to get the state of Illinois to pass a bill in the Senate that would provide insurance coverage for hearing aids.

For people of ALL ages.

Not just for children, like many other bills in other states.

If you live in Illinois, this post is just for you. The time is NOW. Yes, now–to call your Senators, fax a letter, or send them an email and tell them: “Please support SB 68 which provides insurance coverage for hearing aids for people of all ages in Illinois.”

That’s all you have to tell them, that one, simple little line.

We have a shot at this. Senator Ira Silverstein and Senator Jacqueline Collins are sponsoring this bill and they are very supportive of it. Senator William Haine is the chairperson of the subcommittee and he is hard of hearing. A group of us went downstate and testified in front of this subcommittee on March 11th. You can read more about it here:

Chicago Moms Blog: The Time is Now for Hearing Aid Insurance Coverage

Do you feel the same way?

Then let’s take some action. Here’s the contact information for the Senators:

Senator Ira Silverstein (Bill sponsor) isilverstein@senatedem.ilga.gov 217-782-5500

Senator Jacqueline Collins (Bill co-sponsor) : senatorcollins@sbcglobal.net 217-782-1607

Senator William Haine: whaine@senatedem.ilga.gov 217-782-5247

Senator Duffy:   dan@senatorduffy.com 217-782-8010
Senator Forby:   gforby@senatedem.ilga.gov 217-782-5509
Senator Hendon:    ihammons@senatedem.ilga.gov 217-782-6252
Senator Burzynski: senatorbrad@verizon.net 217-782-1977
Senator Munoz:   amunoz@senatedem.ilga.gov 217-782-9415
Senator Syverson: info@senatordavesyverson.com 217-782-5413
Senator Hayes: jhayes@sentedem.ilga.gov

All it takes is a small, determined group of citizens to change the world.

Just like Margaret Mead said.

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John Denver Song Makes Me Think of Deaf/Hard of Hearing Children

I spent the afternoon playing around over at Overstream, learning how to add captions to a video. I figured that it was time to learn, especially since Stephen Hopson and Glenda Watson Hyatt will be joining me to present at SOBCon’09 and we’ll be talking about web accessibility.

I selected a John Denver video, Children of the Universe, since I know that song by heart. But there was another reason for me to choose that song: it always makes me think of deaf and hard of hearing children. How different we all are, yet we are all brothers and sisters. As different as we are, we make up one universe.

“To understand that life is more than always choosing sides.”

It’s captioned. Enjoy!

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Blog Action Day–Taking Action to Make a Difference

The day is here: Blog Action Day. Today, over 10,000 blogs will spotlight the issue of poverty and raise funds to make a difference. Kudos to Easton Ellsworth and the team behind Blog Action Day.

I thought long and hard about what I wanted to blog about today. My kids are deaf and hard of hearing and they attend school in a district that is well paid for by taxes. They are receiving an education that is lacking very little in terms of resources and access to projects. They have access to digital hearing aids, interpreters, FM systems and itinerant teachers.

A couple of years ago, I attended a conference where I met an educator for the deaf from New Mexico. He described an educational system that was quite different from what my children are receiving. Many of the families with deaf and hard of hearing children were scattered in very rural areas. Many were living in what we would call deep poverty in the United States. Some of the families came across the border. He talked about how families had very limited access to the many choices that families in bigger cities take for granted.

Mrs. V's classroom

I tried to think of a way that I could ask my readers to help make a difference, a tangible difference for deaf and hard of hearing children–today. I have a project that I’m supporting over at the Chicago Moms Blog which is part of the DonorsChoose.org Bloggers Challenge. It is a fundraiser for a classroom in New Mexico for deaf and hard of hearing children in an area of high poverty: Bugs, Crystals and More for Hands On Scientists. Just $546 dollars will fund this project and make a difference in the lives of several deaf and hard of hearing students (and the future students to follow). The project has raised $125 dollars so far and the deadline to fund this project is November 21st. Perhaps my readers, today, can help this project reach its goal.

It only takes a minute to make a contribution, and make a difference. The learning that these students will reap from this project will help shape future minds.

Won’t you make a difference today?

Update as of October 15th in the afternoon:

I’m sitting here amazed, totally amazed. This project is now fully funded. A special thanks goes to all the donors: Karon, Davis, Jessica, Deborah, Joanna and Eileen. Joanna and Eileen gave today and helped to fully fund the project.

You all are amazing!

Update: Thank you from Mrs. Vogt:

Dear Karen,

Thank you so much for your donation towards hands-on science materials for our classroom with deaf and hard of hearing students. We are so excited to start using the supplies to do science experiments. We have seen some different science supplies in books and I am thrilled that the students will now get to explore magnifying glasses, lenses, microscopes, and color paddles for themselves! I have been reading lots of books and websites to find experiments that are good for kindergarten and first grade kids. Now, we will be able to do the experiments. By the way, I showed the kids pictures of the supplies we are getting, and they said to tell you that they are the most excited about the growing crystals kit! Thanks again so much!!

Other bloggers who are making a difference:

Five Minutes for Mom: Blog Action Day: Poverty

ProBlogger: Reflections on Poverty

Remarkable Parents: The Scoop on Blog Action Day

The Broad Brush: Poverty

Karen Swim: Blog Action Day: Poverty

Middle Zone Musings: It’s Time

Joyful Jubilant Learning: How Much Can We Learn in a Day?

Liz Strauss: Personal Environmental Action

Joanna Young: Words That Make a Difference

CopyBlogger: Why Jesse Won’t Go to College

Meryl.net: Blog Action Day: Poverty

If the World Had Wheels: Disability and Poverty

Face Me, I Read Lips: Blog Action Day: Help Those Who Need Hearing Aids

Amy Derby: Look, See, Do Something

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What I Learned from Stress–Middle Zone Musings

Over at Robert Hruzek’s place, Middle Zone Musings, the topic of today’s groupwrite project is:

Now see, I could have stressed myself out and agonized over what picture to put up there, but what’d I do to eliminate the stress of finding one? Why, I lifted Robert’s cute little stress picture right off his site! Of course, that would be called, ahem, borrowing, wouldn’t it?

It seems like everywhere we turn nowadays, the topic of stress pops up left and right. “Ten Steps to Eliminate Stress from your Life!” screams one magazine. “Live a Stress-Free Life,” urges another. It’s no wonder that so many magazines are tackling the topic of stress: with the stock market in the pits, food and health care soaring, and the housing market basically flat–these are stressful times, indeed.

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to experience a relatively stress-free weekend. I got in the car and drove up to my parents’ house for the weekend. I left behind the hubby and children (they were completely ok with that!) and it was my first time up at Christie Lake without them. I was able to blast my John Denver/Kenny Rogers/Lonestar music without anyone imploring me to turn it down, or worse, to turn it off.

Let me give you a glimpse of why it is so peaceful up at Christie Lake. This is the view from my parents’ kitchen window:

Peaceful, indeed.

I spent the weekend painting the decks with my Dad and sis. I had planned to winterize the jet ski and put it away for the winter after we finished up with the painting. During all of Saturday morning, I was enjoying the sun and the paining was moving along. The weather was incredible. On Saturday afternoon, I started to feel some stress. My neck was aching and my jaw was tensing up. I was trying to figure out what was causing it and then I realized what it was: I didn’t know how to winterize the jet ski and I was running out of time to figure it out. I had read the owner’s manual over and over earlier in the week, but it might as well have been written in Greek. Here’s an example of part of the winterizing process:

Prior to inserting the ignition coil to its location, apply some Molykote 111 grease (P/N413 707 000) around the seal area that touches the spark plug hole. After installation, ensure the seals seats properly with the engine top surface.

Ignition coil? Seals? And where the heck were the spark plugs located? No wonder I could feel the stress mounting that afternoon. I had texted Leaders Marine the day before and asked if I could stop in so they could walk me through the process. Sure, they said.

I borrowed my Dad’s truck and hooked up the jet ski and drove to the marine shop. My Mom came with. Along the way, we talked about a bunch of things and ironically, the subject of stress came up.

“Remember that piece of advice you gave me a long time ago,” I asked my Mom. “You told me that you used to worry and be stressed out and then you realized you were wasting a lot of time worrying.”

And then Mom finished the thought. “Yes, everything always has a way of working out, it just always does. So why get all worked up about it. I look back at all the years that I was stressed out about something or other. I didn’t have to worry so much.”

Well, Mom’s advice has stuck with me through the years and when I find myself stressed out, I have to ask myself– what is the solution? What is the worse possible thing that could happen? What can I change right now to ease the way I feel?

So much for being stressed out about the winterizing process. The mechanic from the marine shop walked me through the steps a few times until I felt confident that I could do it. Dad helped me finish the process and we put the jet ski back in the shed and put all the neighbor’s boats back in.

“I just hope I did this right,” I said to my Dad.

“Well, no use worrying about it,” he said. “We’ll find out in the spring.”

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The Importance of Fundraising And Getting Involved

I love what I’m seeing on the web today– people working together–raising awareness, funding non-profit organizations and supporting causes. Today, I want to share a few things that are important to me and I hope you’ll take a moment to get involved as well.

I’ve long been involved with supporting Hands & Voices and you may have seen the link on my blog, Donate to Hands & Voices. We don’t actively ask for donations, but our project is there for anyone who wants to support families with deaf and hard of hearing children. After four years of being involved with this non-profit organization, I can see how hard our leaders are working at the helm to make changes for deaf and hard of hearing kids today.

Over at Chicago Moms Blog, we are participating in the Bloggers Challenge to raise funds for various school projects. There are several projects there that involve funds for deaf and hard of hearing kids. Several teachers that I know have shared with me that they often dip into their own pockets to fund their classrooms and to expand opportunities for deaf and hard of hearing kids to learn more. Check out the projects: Chicago Moms Blog Bloggers Challenge.

We have another big opportunity coming up to make a difference: Blog Action Day 2008–Poverty. I learned about this from Easton Ellsworth, whom I met at the SOBCon ‘08. Take a moment to take a look (it is captioned):

Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

The issue of poverty is something that we in America often do not come to experience, for even the most poor often have their immediate needs taken care of if they choose to participate in government programs. I live in an area where poverty cannot possibly compare to poverty in areas around the world. Even the homeless man who lives in a nearby town has full internet access in his parking garage home.

So join me and thousands of other bloggers on Blog Action Day on October 15, and together, let’s make a difference.

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