Stacey Lim Shares Her Personal & Professional Hearing Loss Journeys

Join me in a conversation with Dr. Stacey Lim, AuD., Ph.D., CCC-A who is an Assistant Professor of Audiology at Central Michigan University.  Dr. Lim has both a personal and professional journey in the field of audiology. Her research and publication areas include cochlear implantation, aural rehabilitation, language and literacy development and cognitive processing mechanisms.  She also teaches multiple classes in the department of Audiology at Central Michigan University.  Dr. Lim also has a lifelong journey growing up with hearing loss.  In this podcast interview, Stacey shares her parent’s journey of navigating a world of raising a child who is deaf as well as her own personal experiences growing up in the mainstream school setting and later navigating to the field of audiology.  

For more information about Dr. Stacey Lim:

https://www.cmich.edu/colleges/CHP/directory/Pages/Stacey-Lim-.aspx

www.disabledbeautyshow.com

For more information about Dr. Carrie Spangler- check out her Linktree at https://linktr.ee/carrie.spangler.

For transcripts of this episode- visit the podcast website at: https://empowearaudiology.buzzsprout.com

Transcript

00:00:00] Announcer: Welcome to episode 31 of empowEAR Audiology with Dr. Carrie Spangler.
[00:00:16] Carrie: Welcome to the empowEAR Audiology Podcast, which is part of the 3C Digital Media Network. My name is Dr. Carrie Spangler, and I am your host. I am a passionate audiologist with a lifelong journey of living with hearing challenges in this vibrant hearing world. This podcast is for professionals, parents, individuals, with your own challenges and those who want to be inspired.
[00:00:45] Thank you for listening, and I hope you will subscribe, invite others to listen and leave me a positive review. I also wanted to invite all of you to visit and engage in the conversation on the empowEAR Audiology Facebook group. Transcripts for each episode can be found at www dot 3, the number 3, C digital media network dot com under the empowEAR podcast tab.
[00:01:18] Now let's get started with today's episode. Hi everyone. Welcome to empowEAR Audiology Podcast, I am really excited today to introduce my guest and friend of mine and someone I have actually known for quite a while. Today I have Dr. Stacy Lim with me. She is a PhD audiologist, and she's an associate professor of audiology at Central Michigan University.
[00:01:48] And Stacy has a history of different degrees. She went to the college of Wooster. She went to the University of Akron and to Kent State University to get a PhD. And all of those universities, are in the great state of Ohio. I have to say that right now because she's from Michigan. She does teach many courses related to pediatric and educational audiology.
[00:02:15] Cochlear implants and aural rehab. She's had numerous honors and recognitions. She has numerous publications, and I'm just excited to have her on today because she is going to share a little about her personal and her professional journey. So welcome Stacey.
[00:02:36] Stacey: Thank you so much for having me here. I'm so excited to be talking with you and it so good to see.
[00:02:43] my fellow friend and colleague in the field of audiology, we have a, so many interesting common I'm going to have stuff to share. It really exciting. So good to be here with you.
[00:02:54] Carrie: Yes. And I was trying to think Stacy, like when we met and I want to say that it was. At like a Natural communications event, maybe,
[00:03:07] Stacey: maybe I was trying to figure it out on that one too.
[00:03:09] I was thinking I probably was Natural communication and maybe you tested my hearing at U of A, I don't remember.
[00:03:22] Carrie: I might have. And that's probably all of on that same time, because when I was in graduate school at the university of Akron, with Dr. Flexer, and your parents were very involved with Natural Communications, which was like an auditory, verbal parent organization that they started in our area, and I want to say, maybe you were helping out with one of the Halloween.
[00:03:50] family events and I might've met you there, but I might've tested your hearing when I was a student to
[00:03:57] Stacey: you. Might've done both. I'm a, not so hard to say. And I know when I was going to Akron you were also one of my supervisors in clinic so we have this long history, but I'm not sure when it started
[00:04:10] And what's even crazier to me is that both of us wanted the same high school.
[00:04:19] Carrie: Yeah. So we both went to stow high school and grew up in Stowe and we never knew each other. We were just far enough apart. I was just far enough older than you that we never. We're in the same school at the same
[00:04:35] Stacey: time. Right? Exactly. It was so funny when people are like, oh, do know Carrie and she is from Stow. I was like, oh, It was so cool that we started in the same place and ended up doing the same kind of work.
[00:04:52] I will pass along the way. There's a kind of fun, not quite parallel , but not kind kind of parellel.
[00:04:59] Carrie: Right. And then they intersected when we both decided that we were pursuing a degree and ideology.
[00:05:08] Stacey: Yeah. It's so neat to have that kind of conversions. Yeah, it
[00:05:13] Carrie: is. So kind of going back to stow and, and growing up. Do you want to share a little bit with our listeners about your childhood journey and growing up with a hearing
[00:05:26] Stacey: loss?
[00:05:27] Yeah, I was born with profound hearing loss and my parents were really. Trying to find ways to know the pathway from the communicate. But if I have to option for me that they felt was the right fit for them. But every time in really was one day identified with hearing loss they went and asked for like multiple second, third, fourth
[00:05:54] I don't know how many opinion. So it kind of getting out of hand maybe the third or fourth time they ended up at Kent STate University when Carol Flexer was still a graduate student there. And for some reason the professor was supposed to test my hearing wasn’t there but Carol was. So she tested my hearing and it was confirmed that I had hearing loss and of course my parents started crying and she was like it is OK, there is a place in Colorado called the Listening Foundation and they work with kids with hearing loss and they teach them how to talk and hear
[00:06:33] And here my aunt, just totally by coincidence my dad I had a business trip, I think the next week or the week after the Denver, Colorado wow, like before the internet, like you call the telephone operator or telephone directory and get phone number.
[00:06:55] and he called and asked for the listening foundation and the person knew who he was talking about and knew it was a place where kids went to learn how to speak and hear. So my dad went there and no, he saw these kids and was ready to move to Colorado and Doreen Pollack who was their director at the listening foundation. So, no. Was a place in Pennsylvania, the BeeBee center.
[00:07:20] And you kind of go there and see what you think and see if it is a good place for you. needs and she feel that that's a good place for you and they went there with Carol Flexer and Jenny who was my speech therapist auditory verbal therapist
[00:07:33] at the time they brought me over there, I would probably like just a little over a year old, I think. And so there they met Helen Beebee was one of the pioneers of auditory verbal therapy and they brought the things they learned from Helen Beebee, back to Ohio and they began to work with me.
[00:07:58] and Now my parents worked really hard. No, I think one to chat with really hard, I think because a lot of people were like telling them, they were doing the wrong thing you know that this was not a time when cochlear implants were really not around basically and but hearing technology works.
[00:08:19] Not as advanced as they were now. I guess it probably would be a good way to think of it. And so now I had to go to Stow high school, but not right away. No, because they didn't want me. At the time, you know, when I maybe like, I think I want to say, like kindergarten I have to go to Kent which is neighboring school district.
[00:08:41] And I was in a classroom for part of the day with some other kids who hearing loss, but it was an oral program, which means they used spoken language. I don't remember how kids were in the classroom. But then they transition into a sign language based program. So my parents were like well that I well put a back in Stow or a parochial school and she can know if I could go there.
[00:09:10] Well the parochial school didn't want me because of my hearing loss and Stow didn’t want me at the middle school because of my hearing loss.Really didn't want me because of my hearing loss and they thought that I should use sign language and be in a self contained classroom and I my parents had to fight really hard to get me and the school psychologist
[00:09:33] was amazing. And he was the one who tested me and he started, he thought I could do well in the regular classroom. But it was more conditional. They mean, like I got my, an agreement with my parents that they would let me go to first grade and they were at the end of the year, kind of see my progress.
[00:09:59] And if I made enough progress or if I was doing well in school, they would let me go onto second grade. Otherwise I would have to go. Maybe a self-contained classroom or something, but I was mainstream all the way through high school at Stow which, you know, I think overall, I think it was a good experience for me in turned out like the classes are talking to my friends and all of that.
[00:10:27] I'm sure. I have a lot of things. I'm not sure why, but I just want to know about, yeah, no, I
[00:10:31] Carrie: guess I'm just thinking of a couple of things. Well, first of all, kudos to your parents because they are amazing. And basically, you know, what they felt was right for you. They were going to fight for it and they continued to do that, did that and they will.
[00:10:49] Pioneers. And so many ways since I know them, I know that they were pioneers in so many ways to help other families that and children that came after you and neighboring districts and programs be able to participate. Because of everything they went through, they were able to guide other families and how to do things.
[00:11:12] So first of all, kudos to your parents. I, I love your parents, so great. But I, I guess so when you, you said you went to Kent then for like pre and kindergarten,
[00:11:27] Stacey: I think for preschool, I want to one. I'll preschool in Cuyahoga Falls
[00:11:37] I got my wheel and I know like, okay, I don't remember much about it, but I remember having fun, but like, I know Kent I was in a self contained classroom with some other kids with hearing loss.
[00:11:51] Carrie: Okay. Do you feel, so then you went back to the Stow and you were probably one of the only kid maybe that you knew of that had hearing loss going through the school.
[00:12:03] Did you feel. How did that make you feel?
[00:12:08] Stacey: No, I really didn't mind it so much. I'm an, I think what was really great is that I had really good friends in the classroom and my teacher in Echo Hills were amazing. I love my first grade teacher for first grade and they all wore FM system in class. And I think. No. I have to really great friends who were extremely supportive.
[00:12:32] That they would, they love to use the FM system and that kind of thing, you know, like a lot of fun. And then I was really involved too. Like girl scouts in elementary school and other activities later on, but I don't think that. Nobody, they didn't like me because of my hearing loss. And I had no idea.
[00:12:50] They were all really nice about it and I don't really know open about it. They were all really accommodating. So I think I got lucky. So, and I think that, no, I don't think I've ever really noticed anybody being bad to me about that because I'm not hearing loss. But the other thing I thought was really great is because of my mom.
[00:13:10] She, I don't know how old I was, but we'll probably have another acquaintance or friend in common. Um Tony, I don't know if we remember her, but when I really let all, I. Maybe I was hoping you'd be, I have no idea. My mom introduced me to Tony’s mom
[00:13:31]probably a few, like a few years older than me. So she was really a great role model for me, I used to go play with her all the time. She's super outgoing. She super like a really good advocate for herself. If you couldn't hear something, things were fairly outspoken about it. You need to look at me and you know.
[00:13:53] So I can see you or whatever really great about it. I don't know. I'm honestly really shy. You both do a little bit of that too. And then I think meeting people like you along the way. Got a little bit older and more mature than got to become more my role model. That way I can. Okay. This is what Carrie does, and I can do that too.
[00:14:18] But I think that really helps just having a really great core group of friends who are really understanding of My hearing loss maybe how to communicate with me and also having other parents who also have hearing loss . And now my mom and natural communication though, are all, there's a whole bunch of other kid
[00:14:40] I was the oldest one, but there are others were close in age to me. So that helps
[00:14:45] Carrie: too. Yeah. That does always help to know that you're not the only one out there and to be able to mentor those who are younger, but then have those who are kind of a little, a step ahead of you to look up to you and, and to talk to as well.
[00:15:02] So kind of moving along to like, okay, you did your elementary and your high school career and graduated. When you were 18, you decided to pursue a cochlear implant. So what made you decide to do that
[00:15:19] Stacey: And that's new. Okay. right now couldn’t wore but at the time I think we're three or four. One of the kids in a natural communication had a cochlear implant and that thinking that implanted one might be one or two.
[00:15:36] Really early and who came over to our house and have Christmas tree. And we have, I mean, my parents own a hallmark store, so have all these musical ornaments and everything surely on tons of great ornaments. And he found one of my one of my ornaments which was a musical ornament. And it will push a button and then he pushed the button again and he is clicking along in tune.
[00:16:08] And now I was 17 and I was thinking if this kid can do this you know and he is in tune. I've got a pretty missing something here. I'm missing something because I can't do those. I can't, he’s in key. And so I started investigating the cochlear implant my senior year of high school, and really to think about not no.
[00:16:39] A lot of people like me who grew up auditory, verbal who were getting cochlear implant later. They were all like all the different kinds of backgrounds. I would like, I have no idea what's, but I'm thought was kind of my main motivation of why I still don't understand, but music sounds a lot better.
[00:17:00] So but but that was kind of like the turning point for me in getting a cochlear implant. So, wow.
[00:17:08] Carrie: that little Christmas ornament. Right. Who knew.
Yes it is a special ornament for me.
[00:17:17] So can you share a little bit more about that journey of the next step? So you kind of started thinking about it. How long did you think about it for, and then just share a little bit about your appointment and your next.
[00:17:33] Stacey: I think it happened. When has it been in the spring time? She knew y'all. I started thinking about it and I started investigating and, you know, like, I don't know, going for appointments and testing.
[00:17:46] I kind of remember like going and listening to a bunch of words and having to do that No other point. And I remember meeting Dr. Rizer who was an amazing surgeon. And I remember asking if there is anybody that I can talk to, and they connected me with like, what are they getting the names of? Maybe some young adult who knew sign them with, but really had no auditory experience before the cochlear implant. And I started asking about AG Bell and AVI Auditory Verbal International and kind of seeing the other teenager who got their cochlear implants like later even young adults who used spoken language and all that kind of hard.
[00:18:34] I, that, no, they all have really different experiences. Some of them are like adding any listening at first or I felt them. And it took a long time to know, understand anything and at that, okay. I really have no idea what to expect at this point, but well, I still have to still have the one good ear and so if it doesn't work.
[00:18:58] I have one good year and I am, I think my mom worried a lot about know what could happen and. My worry was a little bit different because I was absolutely terrified of like needles. I was terrified of like having the IV. Like my biggest worry was about an IV. And not like what would happen afterwards, but well, what, what happened to me?
[00:19:27] But no, after about a week after my 18th birthday, I got my cochlear implant surgery . I. Came home on the Same day and recovered. And about a month afterward in July, I got turned on. And I'm kind of interested in me cause I'm really nice about it. And I would kind of remember this because on the same day that I had surgery
[00:19:52]there was an older gentleman who got implanted and they also wanted to make sure that we were also getting activated on the same day and it was really nice to see him again. that to see him again and had shared that same day, that same family. And, but the interesting is that now, in the very beginning they turn me on and all that
[00:20:15] So they were like do you to hear that. And I'm like, hear what? They were like there is a radio. I'm like, I don't hear a radio. I don't hear it. And You know, when you have that. And of course my mom getting really nervous. So on the way home in the car, maybe half an hour after the appointment, which was in Warren which is about an hour away [00:20:37] My mom has done, like testing me, you know, like csan you hear me hear me and just don't ask me I'm repeating stuff to her. And I said, okay, what can I hear? Like, I think maybe that is a fire engine or an ambulance or some kind of emergency vehicle or something, I don't remember what it was and like, okay, well, but then all of a sudden you begin to hear.
[00:21:01] All of the different sound. You never knew where they are. Like I went home and I turn on the stove and I'm like, oh my gosh. Now the pilot like really annoying. It sounds like turning the stove on and off. I opened a bottle of pop and I didn't know when to open the bottle of pop, but don't make the shushing noise.
[00:21:21] What are the carbonation escapes, but there's other things. But the other thing that was Important for me was that no, I really love musical and I was a really big musical fan, like my high school year, like the Beatles, Tom Petty and musical and musicals all over my goals too. And so if I'm out of shows, I watch like all my favorite musical, like, okay, I'm going watch all of these just in case like.
[00:21:54] There's definitely work out. I still have the memory of, I can leave. So like a month after I activated and I'm like, I'm going to try that. And I'm going to try this. I am going to watch the Sound of Music. So there's a song Climb up Your mountain, which is sung by. I don't even know who sang by, but. Opera singer.
[00:22:16] Right? So we, before the cochlear implant if you kind of like, wow, like, wow, amazing. Because before my cochlear implants should go up the notes, then we got really high. Right. But another limitations are hearing aids. Well that after a while it kind of clip like different frequency. Right. And so. So, first of all, our, until we come back, then I thought that was completely normal before my cochlear implant and I'm watching this afterwards and I'm like, oh my God.
[00:22:49] Oh, boy, her voice is not stopping anywhere so amazing to me. And I liked if it's so cool. And now there are all these moments you really don't know like how much better you do with a cochlear implant. I think not if I'm on the phone with a friend of mine for half an hour, maybe a few months afterward and I hung up and I was like, oh my gosh, I was just on a phone with a friend a half an hour, 45 minutes, like a long conversation.
[00:23:19] And was easy. Like I didn't have no, no, the walk of heart. I got not that well before the cochlear implant, would have been really difficult to do so. Just a neat journey.
[00:23:35] Carrie: Yeah. No, those little moments that you just described are so exciting and makes you realize like that difference between having the cochlear implant and.
[00:23:48] what The hearing aid can do. And it's so, so different
[00:23:51] Stacey: different. And I felt, I mean, and I've still used for, because I got benefit from both, but like, I I'm really glad I never been more grateful than this past year. Hopefully I'm fat because I, I should think about the time when my, hopefully when cochlear implant battery died.
[00:24:17] And the most inconvenient places. If people are wearing a mask and I'm like hang on a second. I knew I put a battery in so that I can hear you., And I'm talking to people. Yeah. I mean, not all easy, but a lot easier than I think it would have been with hearing aids. Because I'm able to follow a lot of conversation, even when people are wearing a mask and that's not an ideal listening situation at all.
[00:24:44] Carrie: I feel grateful. Even though it happened, the cochlear implant for me happened right before COVID and the pandemic and masks. And I felt like I was still getting used to the cochlear implant, but at the same time, It was my cochlear implant was my stronger ear. And I depend on that more so than my hearing aid itself.
[00:25:09] So before we go on, I wanted to talk a little bit about your audiology career too, but I just want to ask what benefit do you find from keeping the hearing aid on?
[00:25:22] Stacey: I want to thought. I definitely, I kind of go back when I kind of explain it, is that with my one, analogy, I got it. Now with my cochlear implant.
[00:25:36] I got really, really fantastic. The middle and high frequency and when she, oh my God, I. Yeah, I think that I'd have been a long time since I played a piano. I'm like time to imagine the chord, that to be a math and a, to high two frequencies are. What the cochlear implant really gives me a really great high-frequency information.
[00:26:03] A lot of really good mid-frequency information, low frequency information, not a switch, but with the hearing aid. I got really rich information from low and mid frequency, a lot more of robust. So things sound a lot more full, and I know how to like I think even listening to music, it could feel a little bit, what sound for music for you have a nicer quality and tap into people.
[00:26:31] The voices sound much more full, and I've still got some, some localization. Oh, but no, but I want their sound quality for me.
[00:26:44] Carrie: Yeah, I do. I was just interested to hear what you had to say since you've been a bi-modal user for many, many years, and I haven't been, but that's what I've noticed too, is people's voices sound more. I guess some natural for me. And a, or a fuller, robust is a good word too. And like you said, with the music, it's like, the bass is coming into this ear, my hearing aid here and that all the treble is coming in this ear.
[00:27:15] But the cochlear implant, but I, as of right now, I know this is the right decision for me to be bi-modal and if it was. switch you know, decrease a lot in my hearing aid ear, then I would definitely consider being bilateral. But right now it doesn't make sense to be bilateral, but me that's
[00:27:36] Stacey: how I feel too.
[00:27:37] That's kind of what I told myself too. If for some reason my hearing got worse. My hearing aid I would get a call plan, but right now it just sounds like. Well,
[00:27:49] Carrie: it's good to have that validation from someone else too.
[00:27:57] So kind of moving forward a little bit, you graduated from high school and then you eventually became an audiologist, but how did you decide to go
[00:28:09] Stacey: on that path? So what happened when I was sixteeen.
[00:28:15] So let me back up and just by saying my mom, is from the Phillippines and check different connections in the Philippines. And somehow I don't remember howteacher for the deaf in the Philippines who wanted to have a conference about auditory verbal therapy. So they invited me and my mom, Don Goldberg with an auditory verbal therapist.
[00:28:43] Faculty member at the part of the Wooster and Catherine Macinroe who was an auditory verbal therapist at the Bee Bee Center they invited all of us to go speak at their conference in the Philippines. So what happened is I was sitting next to Don and they had an ENT who've got up on the stage and starts saying children who are severe to profound and who are deaf will never learn to speak.
[00:29:12] And Don and I look at each other and say okay, this is totally not true. And I kind of decided at that point, I want it to be an audiologist and possibly a pediatric audiology that, so that way I could know mix of actually knew that they were fun, but do they cater to a deaf and hard and that they could not in fact learn to speak that kind of how I started you know really becoming really serious andinterested about audiology.
[00:29:43]
[00:29:46] Carrie: Wow. That's, that's a great story. And to think, I know that you are still connected to Don Goldberg as well, and to see how. All of that came full circle for you.
[00:30:00] Stacey: the Other thing about Don, is that not the first time I met him. But when I wanted to BeeBee Center, he was the auditory verbal therapist that my parents were observing.
[00:30:14] Wow. At that age, maybe one to two years old they were observing Don. Obviously the first time I met him I don't remember him at all. And then our paths crossed again when I was 15 at that conference. They all, everybody kind of knowing contact and one of my mentors, so definitely kind of cool. So that, yeah, so that's my main motivation for becoming an audiologist.
[00:30:43] is was that conference with Don, Catherine McEnroe, Matthew Miller, and my mom and the ENT. Wow.
[00:30:50] Carrie: Yeah, because the ENT had the wrong perception about and making an assumption about all kids who had deaf and hard
[00:30:59] Stacey: of hearing. And that's should not be happening now, especially with technology.
[00:31:06] Carrie: Right. I think it still does, but I think, you know, it's great that you went into this because families need to be informed of what all of their options are.
[00:31:16] And then I think it's important that they have the opportunity to meet individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing who are adults so that they can talk to them and ask them questions too. So being well-informed parents is a good thing for their children.
[00:31:37] Stacey: I agree. And I think it's really important for audiologists to put parents in that planning. I know looking back on my parents experiences
[00:31:41]they didn't have that, and that was pre internet going to card catalogs and kind of no time so that I was doing a lot of that research on their own. And that's a very difficult learning, I think for parents who made maybe a little bit, usually now the internet, but definitely not back then.
[00:32:04] Carrie: Right, right. Yeah. And maybe now it's even information overload. So you get so much information and you don't know how to navigate it too. So that's also kind of the other end of it.
[00:32:20] Stacey: Right. And we got at all. No. Yeah, no.
[00:32:27] Carrie: So tell me a little bit about. How why you decided to pursue your PhD after getting your
[00:32:35] Stacey: AUD [00:32:37] So basically I've kind of had to go back to maybe undergrad too, because I think know, in undergrad too, I obviously I went to Wooster because of Don, but the one thing about Wooster is that and. I really didn't quite understand that completely until my while into my senior year at Wooster, that when you go to wooster the
[00:33:04] capstone path, which is basically a thesis, you do something kind of aligned, like a master's level student to do so that cut up my exposure to the research. At that time to all fall apply for Fulbright grant to do you research in Germany and there has always been a little bit of
[00:33:24] It would research in my blood, but I already know, after I graduated from Wooster I'm like I am never doing research ever again in life. And I went into to Akron thinking, I'm just going to. Got my degree and become a pediatric audiologist. And my third year I gave a presentation in class and that different, really fun, being able to teach people something in what.
[00:33:54] I think I was doing a presentation about my research in Germany. I think that's what I was doing. And I'm like meaning fun. I'm really kind of like the teaching thing. So I've started thinking more about a PhD and because I wanted to go on to teach. So. After I graduated from my graduate degree
[00:34:18] . I decided not from Akron. What am I thinking? I'm kind of thinking how to kind of stay when Kent State. Wait, if I'm Akron I decided to get my PhD, at Kent state university. And because I wanted to teach eventually.
[00:34:37] Carrie: And now you're at Central Michigan. And can you share a little bit about what your research and your teaching focus is at central Michigan?
[00:34:47] Stacey: Yeah, so my teaching is primarily and I taught a lot of classes at CMU. I got to see I'm you, but down some of the stuff I had taught have been cochlear implant. I've taught aural habilitation though, for my thing to offered to, to me. So it's my third class is a research methods class. And I got assigned to when I first started that I assigned to a pharmacology class, which I was like, oh my goodness.
[00:35:15] Okay. But no, what I've to kind of love it too. I've gone through that. Really interesting, really fascinating. And I think I'm really lucky in that I've been able to teach classes. I like, and different times I'm covering for people while I'm taught different classes. I'd be in and out of different course.
[00:35:38] And I've also taught other things throughout the time of CMU, like anatomy and physiology and. Educational audiology or when you cover for somebody went on sabbatical on the her leave for the class hearing disorders, a lot of different courses I've taught, but my main core courses have been cochlear implants or rehab, research methods and
[00:36:02] the pharmacology and tinnitus we had to add tinnitus we intended to add. We also started teaching the undergrad course. What I started teaching last year and teaching this year with communication sciences and disorers. And differences in society with the kind of interesting core. So there've been a lot of variety, which I spent a lot of fun and some their stuff I have done.
[00:36:32] And my, I got maybe my passion. No, I guess I finished that in a Kent state university when I was a PhD student. And. Something that I, I am still no find, very exciting. It was something that after we blew out of a fun show with another person who was a PhD student, but in a totally different department she is or like a fashion professor and to like getting a PhD In the education department and we met in a statistics class and she's taught me knitting being really interested in fashion.
[00:37:17] She's like, what are you doing? And someone has to do the other long thing that too, but what happened? We both liked each other so much while I. I want to throw something together, but what the heck can we do here in fashion? And I'm an audiology, what the heck do we do? Totally different kind of feel. And we don't reach out to nothing.
[00:37:40] Like, like what do teenagers want from their hearing devices and how do they view their hearing device and that kind of thing. In Minnesota for a fashion conference, fashion and health symposium. And do I do a couple other talks about disability and fashionable prosthesis and legs
[00:38:06] or clothing for people with disabilities? Shall we start looking and kind of exploring this idea of disability and fashion and that intersection of fashion and fashionable. You know assistive devices and accessories for people on disability, including hearing loss and what really grew out of it really exciting. I think, and what a museum exhibition called disabled beauty the evolution of beauty, disability and ability and museum exhibition, that feature.
[00:38:44] Thanks. We knew. Cool. Hearing aids and earmold and
[00:38:52] adaptive clothing for people who have, have other disabilities, maybe, wheelchair, you show all the different teams or walking and all different kinds of. I didn't and that walk, and it's still like my passion. And just sit in the topic at that intersection of disability and fashion, because I think when you have thing that all know, it can very big time to encounter stigma.
[00:39:21] And we thought that. No, you got to be me, you know, and I, some of my students have been very interested in some of the topics I'd want to do and how we thought path along looking at now and what know, what do you kids want basically. And then in some of the other stuff I've been involved with happened things like reading and learning , that kind of thing with hearing loss
[00:39:55] Like some stuff. the dissertation. We're definitely, I'm bilateral cochlear implants. I'm really interested in the topic. And I actually developed interest in other things and I developed aural habilitation other things I'm really interested in . I think I would continue to kind of go down back that direction. And the other than that one really exciting for me is seeing what kind of ideas my student come up with?
[00:40:20] And some of them will come up with some really cool stuff. And I'm like, wow, impressive and amazing what you guys are doing. And they got really excited about it, even though they never go on for a pH D, which is okay. No, I have a couple who are going for PhD, like now or planning to, but they were kind of exploring.
[00:40:40]the idea that they are interested in, but that's been really fun for me. That, that pot,
[00:40:48] Carrie: yeah, all of that is so great. And I think. Your perception, like your own self journey of living, you know, and growing up with hearing loss really plays into so many of these different insight that you can bring to the profession that not everybody can.
[00:41:08] So I'm sure your students who have you in class, you're able to share some of those personal insights along with the research that really. Makes that information stick for people, so being able to tell a story about your own style while you're sharing research can make students remember that research more because they tie it into a lot of this storytelling.
[00:41:32] Do you feel that?
[00:41:33] Stacey: Yeah, I think that's really exciting. And when they got really excited about what they're doing or
[00:41:44] collecting their data and it's so much fun to see that and kind of see data and kind of how they're thinking about what the. Right. That's a lot of fun for me.
[00:41:57] Carrie: Yeah. And I just want to tell you too, that the disabled beauty, I was able to come to your kickoff. Was it like your kickoff event at Kent state when you had that?
[00:42:08] I mean, it was like a dinner and it was a reception and it was it was so amazing. And I was able to meet the other professor from the fashion education department that you are not progressing with. It was true the PhD student student at the time. It was just amazing the setup of what you guys put together and they had on display.
[00:42:30] So thanks for sharing that. And I'm glad that it's still a part of what you're interested in and moving to so great
[00:42:38] Stacey: fun, so much fun to kind of bring to you. Into contact half in a lot of really interesting people in the community and the disabled community, and a lot of fun now kind of seeing the different factor about know how they viewed on or how they'd be fashionable have been many, not that really interesting conversation about disability and perception of.
[00:43:07] Carrie: And the, in the show notes, I can put that link that you shared with me about the disabled beauty and they, people can go to that link and find out more information about that project as well. So just to kind of wrap up, because I think we're coming up on an hour and I just wanted to ask you the anything else that you want to share that I didn't ask you, that you were hoping I might've asked you.
[00:43:34] Stacey: I think some of the things I kind of think are important if, you know, I think for anybody whether they are a parent or person with hearing loss with it not to underestimate them. And don't have a lower expectation, I mean, I, I know that you know. It's good to challenge yourself. It's good to try things. Like, no, I decided that I wanted to learn German and that kind of thing.
[00:44:01] So we got to and live in Germany for a year and that kind of thing. And or you want to try things like music or whatever, just kind of explore it all is really important for the Chinese. See it like that's the most fun thing is making sure you like it. And the other thing I will say, I know both you and I have the same opinion on this thought is really important to have a community of people who have hearing loss h that you can relate to.
[00:44:35] They are the ones who will be able to like understand what new going through return, go for them for advice and help. And they can be a role model. If you can do a little model for somebody else. I think even if they could see that they're doing really well, and they're the only kid with hearing loss, make sure they have that connection with somebody else.
[00:44:55] We got that many helpful my top bank.
[00:44:58] Carrie: Oh, I 100% agree. And I'm so glad that you're part of my community.
[00:45:03] Stacey: I'm so glad. It's all. It's so good to have, you know, one of my role model and my colleague that I combined. What about the, well, I can ask a question or whatever, really great. I've
[00:45:17] Carrie: enjoyed collaborating on different projects and being able to be at different conferences with you.
[00:45:23] And again, being able to reach out to you when I was going through the cochlear implant journey and our little community of cochlear implant using. You guys were able to tell me what to expect. And I so appreciated that. So your comment about making sure you have a community is important to have. So again, Stacey, I just wanted to say thank you for being a part of the empowEAR Audiology Podcast.
[00:45:51] I think this has been a wonderful conversation with a colleague and a friend, and I just want to thank you for being a part
[00:45:57] Stacey: . Oh, thank you so much for having me. I know we could talk forever. I know let's catch up sometime other time too.
[00:46:06] Carrie: I'm sure that hopefully we'll be able to see each other in person at sometime in the future and we'll be able to catch up that way too.
[00:46:13] So thanks again.
[00:46:15] Stacey: And thank you so much. Good talking to you.
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