Deidre Downs, Miss America 2005, serves as national spokesperson for the Better Hearing Institute on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of hearing loss, especially in children.
Her mission is to educate the 31 million Americans suffering from hearing loss on the need for early diagnosis and treatment with today’s modern technology solutions. As a pediatrician-to-be, she is focused on the one million children with hearing loss. She identifies with them because she has had a hearing loss since childhood.
Deidre’s hearing loss is genetic. Both her father and brother suffer from hearing loss so she was tested before starting school and diagnosed early in life. She began wearing hearing aids at age five and recalls feeling conflicted with everyday social situations.
“Hearing loss affected me dramatically as a child. I began wearing hearing aids in kindergarten, but I didn’t like looking different from other kids, so I was very self-conscious about them. Yet when I didn’t wear them, I felt a different type of social isolation because I had trouble following conversations.”
A native of Alabama, Deidre has been successful despite her hearing loss, but does not want other children to face what she had to.
“For years I chose not to wear hearing aids—even while participating in pageants and the Miss America competition. I simply learned how to get by without them. In school I sat in the front of the classroom. In social situations I made a point to always look at people while they were speaking.”
Deidre was valedictorian of her high school and a Rhodes Scholar finalist. She earned a volleyball scholarship to the University of Virginia, where she was an Echols Scholar. After transferring to Samford University, she graduated magna cum laude in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in history. After college, she was chosen Miss Alabama and later Miss America 2005.
Deidre currently travels the nation educating the public and serving as an enthusiastic advocate on the issue. As a medical student, public speaker and former athlete, Deidre knows well the onset of challenges hearing loss sufferers face and wishes to educate the public on the condition’s sharp increase and the life-changing technology available for its treatment.
“It wasn’t until I started medical school that I realized I couldn’t get by without hearing aids any longer. It was very hard to follow lectures in large auditoriums, interact with fellow students and professors (especially if they wore surgical masks), and interact with patients. I realized that I finally needed to face my hearing problem and find a solution that would help me to be the best doctor I can be for my patients."
“Wearing hearing aids again gave me the ability to better participate in life—school, family, and friends. Hearing aids have diminished the impact hearing loss has on my life. I finally feel like I can hear as well as a normal hearing person. My friends, family, and classmates no longer have to constantly repeat themselves. I don’t have to use closed captioning on TV anymore and I rarely miss pieces of conversations—even in noisy restaurants. It’s been an unbelievable life change for me, my family, and my friends.”
Deidre strongly encourages parents to have their children’s hearing professionally tested, and to assure that children with hearing loss obtain proper treatment.
”I didn’t wear my aids for years and now that I do my friends and family are happier – and I can participate in my life more than ever before. If you have untreated hearing loss, don’t wait another day. See your hearing health professional, ask for the right solution and be an active participant in your life again.”
Author Biography:
The Better Hearing Institute (BHI) is a not-for-profit corporation that educates the public about the neglected problem of hearing loss and what can be done about it. Founded in 1973, we are working to:
- Erase the stigma and end the embarrassment that prevents millions of people from seeking help for hearing loss.
- Show the negative consequences of untreated hearing loss for millions of Americans.
- Promote treatment and demonstrate that this is a national problem that can be solved.
To achieve these objectives, we:
Use the media, our web site and other communications forums to give the facts about hearing loss and promote better hearing. For example, thanks to BHI, nearly 60 Hollywood celebrities, sports personalities, business leaders and other noteworthy Americans have come forward to share their stories about hearing loss and how they have addressed it (Check out Celebrity Circle in this web site). Since 1973, BHI public service announcements have appeared in many key print publications (e.g. Newsweek, Time, Fortune, JAMA) and on all major television networks.
- Produce and disseminate educational materials (Request Hearing Loss Guides).
- Do authoritative research on the incidence of hearing loss, the benefits of treatment, the consequences of ignoring it and related topics.
- Operate a call center for consumers who have questions about hearing loss. (Call 1-800-EARWELL.)
- Reach out to health professionals through our Continuing Medical Education program, in order to help physicians better recognize the signs of hearing loss and work with patients to find solutions.
We believe this nation needs to stop treating hearing loss as a minor problem. Research shows that this condition, when left untreated, reduces earning power, disrupts family life and causes a wide range of psychological problems. The good news is that, these days, effective solutions for hearing loss are available for people of all ages. As digital and programmable technologies have revolutionized the world of medical devices, we have seen the dramatic benefits that hearing aids now provide to the hard-of-hearing.
Whether you are a person with hearing loss, care about a loved one with a hearing loss or are a medical professional, BHI invites you to spend time on our website, learning more about hearing loss and its treatment.
Author's Link:
http://www.betterhearing.org/about/