Using "Disabilities" to Create Possibilities

    My mother, Carrie Spangler, has been a very influential person in my life as she has always shown me that with enough confidence and drive you can accomplish nearly anything you set your mind to. My mother was born with a hearing loss and her parents were unaware of this until she was four years old. This was a major setback in the early developmental years. She was not fully deaf, but there were certain frequencies in which she was unable to hear. As a young girl just starting school, Carrie had a hard time hearing her teachers talk, especially when in the back of the classroom. On the other hand, when a piece of chalk would make a horrible screeching sound, all the other students would react by covering their ears. My mother would sit in confusion and wonder what they were hearing. She is completely deaf to high pitched noises, such as chalk like I mentioned, phone calls, and even fire alarms. As a result of my mother not being able to hear these higher frequencies, we must have fire alarms that flash rather than beep within our house. 

The main reason as to why I find so much inspiration with my mother is because she took her disability and made it into an ability. She has been an audiologist for over twenty years. An audiologist is a professional that diagnoses, manages, and treats hearing/ear problems. She faced many challenges in her route to gaining her PhD dream job. She had professors tell her that she couldn’t be an audiologist because she was deaf. Instead of hanging her head and giving these dreams up, she used that as fuel to prove her doubters wrong. 

Since becoming an audiologist, she has gained countless awards within the field for the work that she has done for the community as well as advocating world-wide for hearing rights. One accomplishment that she gained a lot of notice for was a result of her advocation towards newborn hearing screenings in hospitals. This bill was passed in 2002 and enacted in 2004. A key author of the bill, Linda Peshek, has two children with genetic hearing losses. 

She states, “You need to know the day you leave the hospital because there are steps you must take in order to choose what your child is going to be able to do in life and in order to choose their language and communication for life” (Wiggins 2022). 

Linda did not know that her children were deaf until nearly their first birthday, which was before my mom was diagnosed at nearly the age of four. It is injustices like this one that make you wonder how our society can overlook some of the most simple things that people with disabilities suffer from. 

Just recently on Wednesday, November 20, my mother took a trip to Columbus as she is in the midst of passing another bill. She has been working closely with State Representative Casey Weinstien since 2019 in order to pass a bill that would force insurance companies to provide families who have children with a hearing loss some support. As of right now, hearing aids are considered by insurances to be a “cosmetic device”. Personally, I do not know anyone who wants to wear hearing aids for fun. According to the Ohio House of Representatives, when these hearing devices are not covered, it can leave families with a bill of up to $6,000. 

(Screenshot via @repwienstien Threads)

House Bill 152, also known as Madeline’s Law, would require health insurers to cover up to $2,500 per individual hearing aid every 48 months for enrolled Ohioans under the age of 22. Additionally the bill requires coverage for related services such as fittings and hearing exams. 

“I believe that every child has the right to hear, grow, and thrive, and passing Madeline’s Law sends a message that we are fighting to make that a reality in Ohio”, says Casey Weisntien who strongly supports the bill (ohiohouse.gov). 

All my mother and families alike can do now is wait and hope that the senate can agree families who suffer from the monetary drawbacks of having a child with a hearing loss deserve the help they need to ensure their children can prosper just like their peers. 

I felt it was necessary to talk about my mother for my blog post as she has encouraged so many people to use what most would consider a disability and turn it into a possibility or a positive change to further better our communities.

References

"Carrie Spangler: Advocating for Hearing Aids for Children." Youtube, 14 Feb. 2014,               https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHlIDPC4aeE

Wiggins, Danielle. "2022 marks 20 years since Ohio's Universal Newborn Hearing Screening became law. Meet the family who helped inspire the legislation." WKYC Studios, 27 Dec. 2022.