Living with Hearing Loss Education Mission

Our story is just about two ordinary people, who feel driven to help others through carrying out a hearing loss education mission.

The facts are simple.  Hearing loss is the largest disability in the United States, and in the World. Technically, it is protected by the American with Disabilities Act, but those protections are rarely enforced. There’s little support available in the US to help people with this disability learn to cope and find their place in this hearing focused world. Our culture places a stigma on the hard of hearing, and those with it are often mocked, marginalized, and isolated. Depression and anxiety are common side effects.

We are preparing to travel the US,  offering free to the public informational sessions to teach those with hearing loss (and their friends and loved ones) how to better cope in this hearing world.  (See below for more information on the presentation information.)

As to how we landed on this path, well that’s a bit of a long story. Mel suffered from progressive hearing loss over the course of about 20 years, before finally realizing and accepting it’s impact. He was a bit of a text book case in what not to do if you want to protect your hearing. He loved blasting loud music on the radio. He played tenor sax in a wide assortment of musical ensembles for many years, usually seated right in front of the percussion section with loud drums and cymbals directly behind him. He was a flight attendant, with ears unprotected from the frequent engine noise. And hearing loss runs in his family.

After spending most of his working life in the business world, he decided that it was time to give back. He went back to school to become a k-12 music teacher. As much as he enjoyed teaching, and as gifted as he was at it and reaching kids, he realized only a few years and many student loans into his new career that his hearing loss had progressed to the point that he couldn’t effectively manage a classroom.

Now nearly legally deaf, the last few years have been spent learning as much as he can about his disability. What started out as an effort to understand what he was going through, turned into a mission to help others going through the same thing.

Some people have missions where they build churches, or homes, or dig wells in other countries. We’re being called to serve by helping a very under-served and misunderstood segment of our society: those who’ve lost some (or much of their hearing) to the point that it impacts their life. We want to help others with hearing loss by sharing understanding, communication and coping skills, information, and hope.

Our presentation is called "Living & Coping with Hearing Loss"

It is a 90 minute presentations offered free of charge to the community and runs September through May, annually. It is targeted especially to those who originally had “normal” hearing but have lost some (or much) of it, such that it impacts their day to day life. Friends and family of those affected are also encouraged to attend to gain a better understanding and appreciation for what a day in the life is like for their loved one and how they can help.

Participants learn about a variety of topics including:
* The significance of hearing loss, and it’s affect on our lives
* Telltale signs that someone you know may be experiencing hearing loss
* Easy ways to communicate better with someone with hearing loss 
* How to control your environment to your hearing environment
* Benefits and limitations of wearing hearing aids
* Assistive technology available
* Public & private financial help
* Teaching others how to help you
* Advocate for yourself

This is our effort to turn Mel’s own hearing loss disability into a blessing for others by bringing compassion, hope and information that (if implemented) can improve the lives of others. 

We are currently in northern Minnesota, and are in the process of making preparations to take the presentation on the road, starting this October (2019). This is a mission we're undertaking on a wing and a prayer.  Your help is needed for this to be successful.

Please know that we appreciate your support, whether in attending an event, offering a donation, or sharing the information about us with others.  We're hoping to report by the end of May, that with your support, together we helped make a difference in thousands of lives.

Presentations are offered free of charge.

We offer our presentations free of charge, so that no one need be discouraged from attending and benefiting from this potentially life-changing information.

But, we need your support to continue this mission. Please help us help others by donating to our seminar series.

Your donation is a wonderful way to honor someone, or the memory of someone dear to you who may have suffered from the physical, emotional, and cultural affects of hearing loss.

We go where to offer our program where it’s welcomed and needed.

Your donations help pay for travel expenses, presentation materials and equipment, and other related expenses. We plan to travel with an old camper, and live very modestly so that we may focus everything on our service efforts. Funds will be used carefully, so that we can serve the most people possible, and we will post our mission's progress on our progress on the mission, and the number of people served.

All of that being said, this program really isn’t about us. It’s about giving back and helping a segment of people that get ignored and marginalized by our society.

The presentations free of charge to the communities we visit.  We don't want anyone who needs the help to feel like they can't attend the presentation.  Your support allows us to keep these events free and open to the public.

We can't begin to tell you how much we appreciate your support.  We're at a point in life where what matters most is how we help others.  We can't do it without you.

With sincere and heartfelt gratitude,

Mel & Tracy Volan

PS - If you have questions, please feel free to contact us through our facebook page.  That is also where we'll post our progress on this mission, and update you on how many people we've been able to serve.  Our facebook page is "Hearing Loss Education Mission."