Mårten Jeppsson suffered a hearing impairment as a child, and tests indicated that it was located in the cochlea of his ear. Mårten says that, unfortunately, there is no treatment for it, and goes on to describe a childhood marked by misunderstandings and difficult situations. As an adult, he sought help and, with the use of various hearing aids, his daily life has gradually improved. However, it was only three years ago when he was introduced to Roger On that his life changed dramatically.

 

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Everyday life

Mårten lives in Simrishamn with his wife and two children. He has worked in the catering industry for most of his life, and is currently a chef at Löderups Strandbad. Restaurant kitchens are a noisy environment that presents challenges for him, but he has always enjoyed working as a chef, and the profession has even taken him abroad.

“I’ve always managed well, but having hearing loss and being in a noisy environment where I have to try to hear a language I haven’t quite mastered – that’s a real challenge,” he admits with a laugh.

Without hearing aids, Mårten can hear very little and describes what he hears as a muffled sound without treble. Even with hearing aids, he has sometimes needed to concentrate a lot and his brain has had to work flat out to keep up. By the end of the day, he has been very tired and he describes how he has often come home tired and nearly been rude to his family.

“Even with hearing aids, he has sometimes needed to concentrate a lot and his brain has had to work flat out to keep up.”

“Clearly, this is not a good situation and I increasingly realized that I needed additional help with my hearing impairment,” he says. “I also found it to be a growing problem in my workplace when colleagues had to keep repeating themselves and asking me questions over and over again.”

Better hearing with Roger Microphones

Mårten decided to seek help and, three years ago, was introduced to brand new hearing aids from Phonak. First, he got to try out new hearing aids, and then also the Roger Table Mic II microphones.

“I put the microphones on the table when I’m in meetings with colleagues, or people who want to book an event with us,” he says. “They look like a “puck” with a 360-degree listening radius, and automatically pick up the voice of the person speaking. My hearing range has increased and I feel more engaged in discussions.”

Although the hearing aids and microphones made life easier for Mårten, he still found that all the slamming and noise in the kitchen affected his work situation. He turned to Phonak to see if there was anything more that could be done.

“That was when I got to try the Roger On. It is a microphone that connects to my hearing aids and can be placed anywhere,” he says. “It can be placed in a fixed location, held in the hand, or even hung around the neck/attached to the clothing of colleagues. As well as filtering out all the chatter, I can now hear everything my colleague by the microphone is saying, no matter where we are in the kitchen.”

Hearing aids liberated me

Mårten says that he has received many reactions from people around him. From his German friends on jobs abroad asking him what has happened as they no longer need to repeat their questions, to the staff at Löderups Strandbad telling him how he has become so responsive.

“It has to be the ultimate feedback for a person who is hard of hearing,” he says.

Mårten describes the hearing aids as a form of liberation and that they have actually given him a whole new life, both at home and at work. From the time he gets up in the morning until he goes to bed at night, he feels less stress and fatigue. Additionally, with his brain no longer under as much strain, he can remember more things and is more aware of what is happening around him.

“I can even hear conversations that I am not involved in, which means that I can now pick up details and provide input about what is being discussed and decided upon. My hearing aids are by far the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

 

This article was originally publish in Swedish on HearingLikeMe.com/se

Meet Sophia Not, a thriving seven-year-old gymnast who wears bilateral cochlear implants. Sophia enjoys competing in Level 2 gymnastics. Her mother, Danielle Vickers, has played a pivotal role. She has reached out to share their experiences.

 

Hearing Loss Journey

The family’s story began with a failed hearing screening at birth. Before leaving the hospital, one ear failed the screening. The physicians were suspicious of fluid in the ear. Thankfully though, they recommended Sophia meet with an audiologist at an ENT. From the ABR test results, they concluded that little Sophia had bilateral sensorineural hearing loss that ranged from severe to profound.

After receiving this surprising news, the Vickers had to quickly research their options for what they believed was best for Sophia. The overall decision was to get bilateral cochlear implants at 15 months of age. Her mother says she was was initially nervous about the surgery, but now wishes they had gone through with the implantation sooner.

 

“Never give up,” she says, sharing advice with others who may be going through a similar experience. “Don’t be scared. Surgery sounds more intimidating than it is. The kids are so resilient. The same night of surgery, Sophia was bouncing off the walls. Continue to have therapy. Improvement comes at the child’s speed!”

“Never give up. Don’t be scared. Surgery sounds more intimidating than it is.”

Read more:  Should I get a cochlear implant? How to make the decision

Gymnastics and Hearing Loss

Navigating gymnastics with hearing loss is a unique but enjoyable experience for Sophia. As a Level 2 gymnast, Sophia needs to wear a headband around her head to secure her cochlear implant processors. When Sophia began in gymnastics, she had specific challenges to overcome.

“When Sophia first started, she had a hard time following the beat for her floor routine,” her mom says. “Over time, she mastered it by lots of practicing.”

 

Sophia’s parents have noticed that she has a more difficult time hearing when there is background noise. Her mom wishes that people recognized that hearing loss causes brain fatigue due to the strenuous effort it takes to listen.

Every night, they charge four batteries and place the cochlear implant processors in a dehumidifier. Sophia must make sure the additional two batteries are fully charged in case her battery dies before she goes home that day.

Read more: A life with hearing loss and Glycogen Storage Disease

Education

After receiving her cochlear implants at 15 months of age, Sophia began speech therapy. During this period, she received more inclusive schooling. By the age of five, she was placed in a mainstream setting where she reached the same level as her peers. The only areas that Sophia has fallen a little behind in are reading and language arts, which is common for children who are learning to hear. Sophia has partaken in additional therapy and has tutors. She has continued to persevere on and enjoy her favorite sport of gymnastics.

Vickers encourages other parents to not treat their child with hearing loss any differently. “It will help them challenge themselves to be at their utmost potential,” she says.

Season 17 of “America’s Got Talent” kicked off at the end of May, 2022. After being inspired by other deaf contestants, deaf comedian Hayden Kristal (they/them/theirs) announced that they wanted to “pursue this for [themselves].” Kristal is now a quarterfinalist after performing a wickedly funny story on episode three of this season’s AGT.

Multitalented Deaf Comedian 

Deaf comedian Hayden Kristal — who identifies as deaf, bisexual, queer, and Jewish — was born into an all hearing family in Colorado. After majoring in sign language and zoology and pursuing a career as a zookeeper, Kristal decided that comedy was their true passion. Kristal jokingly introduces themselves as “a Brooklyn-based former zookeeper who gave up a lucrative career in salamanders to pursue comedy and public speaking” on their website.

“I think…early on, I found that comedy is a language everybody understands,” Hayden said in her pre-performance interview.

“Comedy is a language everybody understand”

Path to Success

Before auditioning for “America’s Got Talent” (AGT) this year, Kristal appeared on “Stand Up NBC” and made it to the semifinals.

“If I say something and you laugh at it, that’s a connection,” Kristal mentions before going on stage. “I always love that feeling.”

For those who have never watched the nationally televised show, America’s Got Talent is a talent competition where contestants from all over the country perform. Celebrity judges decide if a contestant can move from one stage to the next until a winner is crowned with a million dollars in prize money. Currently being filmed in the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Los Angelos, season 17 is now on its 13th episode.

Kristal presented on week three of AGT a short, yet hilarious, retelling of their application to the Gorilla Foundation. The foundation took care of the famous gorilla Koko, who knew sign language. While using self-deprecating wit, Kristal recounted that their application was rejected due to their deafness. Kristal outlined the discrimination that people with disabilities still receive. They also strung together an ironic tale that impressed both the judges and audience.

While Kristal started the performance in sign language, confusing the audience and judges, Kristal presented the rest of their story verbally with the help of sign language interpreter Julie. Although Kristal jokes that “I do like to start [with sign language] ’cause [it] makes heckling me a ADA violation,” Kristal performs most of their comedy sets in English.

On YouTube, Kristal’s performance has over 745K views. One user commented, “Now that’s what I call comedic timing! She put me on the floor.” Simon Cowell, known for being hard to please, added that it was “brilliantly funny.” Needless to say, Kristal earned an unanimous vote to proceed to the next stage of the competition.

Inspired by Past Comedians 

When asked why they wanted to compete on AGT, Hayden talked about past competitors whose performances encouraged them to pursue stand-up comedy. “This is one of the biggest stages in the world, and watching some of the people that AGT has given opportunities to has given me more confidence to pursue this for myself,” they said in the audition video.

During her performance, Kristal called out two particular comedians as her inspiration: D.J. Demers, a Phonak “hEARo” and deaf comedian who appeared on AGT in 2016, and Drew Lynch, a comedian with a speech impediment, who was runner-up of the 10th season.

“When I see other people with disabilities on this stage and thriving, I know that they were given the tools to be able to succeed here,” Kristal said before their AGT performance.

Read more: Talking with deaf comedian D.J. Demers on World Laughter Day

Activist

As deaf comedian, Kristal is also an activist. Over the past few years, they have spoken at many conferences and colleges across the country. In 2016, Kristal hosted their first Ted Talk on Intersectional Disability. With 660K followers on TikTok, Kristal uses their platform to explore “the intersections of ability, gender, sexuality, and access, particularly within the spheres of activism and social justice.”

Kristal’s past programs have included “Laughing Out Loud: Bridging Social Gaps Through Comedy” and “Lessons From My Deafblind Dog.” As one user commented, “So proud of Hayden. I follow [them] on TikTok and once I found out [they were] on AGT I was so happy for [them] and I just had to go watch it!”

Kristal is not sure what is waiting ahead, but as they said after the successful AGT audition, “to be here [performing], it’s unbelievable and I felt like I already won just making it to tonight.”

“America’s Got Talent” airs Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8pm EST on NBC.