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Things to consider when speaking to a person with hearing loss

  1. Wait until the person can see you and is looking at you before speaking. The person cannot lip/speech read you unless they are looking at you. Make eye contact with the person. Then begin to speak.
  2. Never speak directly into the person’s ear. Speaking into the ear prevents any attempt to speech read. Speaking into the ear does not make the sound clearer.
  3. Try to position yourself about three to six feet from the person when speaking to him/her. Too close or too far and the deaf person has a more difficult time seeing you clearly.
  4. Speak at your normal rate and use appropriate hand gestures and facial expressions. Speaking slower distorts your speech and makes it more difficult to speech read.
  5. Avoid chewing, eating or covering your mouth with your hands while speaking. These activities make speech reading much more difficult if not impossible.
  6. Do not exaggerate your words when speaking. Exaggerating your words distorts them and makes speech reading impossible.
  7. Give clues when changing subjects. Simple things like telling the new subject make it easier for the deaf person to follow the conversation. Pointing to the speaker as different people talk in a group also facilitates communication.
  8. Be aware of lighting. If the lighting is not on the deaf person’s face, it should make it easier to speech read or understand sign language. If the deaf person has to look into bright light to “catch” the conversation, it will be difficult to maintain that view for a long time.
  9. Choose a quiet site for communication. Hearing aids amplify ALL sounds. In a noisy environment, a person with a hearing aid is easily confused and frustrated. Also, a busy area is “noisy” visually to the deaf person using sign language. It makes it more difficult to focus on the conversation. 
  10. Rephrase your statement into shorter, simpler sentences. Think of other ways to say what you want. If the deaf person does not understand the first way, rephrase it and give him/her some other words to speech read.

This information was distributed by Maggie Smedley. You can read more from the handout by clicking here.

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Membership Update November 2011

Remember all the people who you should be talking to about Quota?

Your hairstylist (they are losing their hearing every time they use those blow dryers!), your neighbor, your office administrator, your audiologist, your auditor, your dental hygienist, your florist, your Librarian, your tennis instructor, your receptionist, the person who sold you your fence…

Don’t worry if you haven’t talked to them yet. The Membership Committee will be asking you for the addresses of people with whom you would like to share Quota. These friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc. will be invited to the January Membership Event! Look for more information…

We need everyone’s help. Just like it takes a village to raise a child, it takes all of our Members to make Quota.

Help us grow, reach out to our Community and let everyone know who we are, Quotarians!

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2011 Holiday Party

Click here for more information. Don’t forget to RSVP!

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2011 Holiday Party

Quota International of Grand Rapids

Holiday Social

Guests are welcome including prospective new members,
alumni, spouses and significant others!
At the home of Peggy Bishop
(directions were emailed, if you need help please call 322-6974)
* * * * * * * *
If your last name begins with the letter A-L:
Please bring an appetizer to share.
If your last name begins with the letter M-Z:
Please bring a dessert to share.
* * * * * * * *
In the Holiday Spirit?
We will be collecting voluntary monetary contributions and
gift items for the Deaf Adult Foster Care clients who are
served by Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services.
(For more details, contact Debbie Buckley.)

This year we will be holding a voluntary White Elephant
Ornament Exchange. Bring a wrapped new or used tree
ornament if you would like to participate.
* * * * * * * *
Please RSVP to Pam Goebel by November 22.
pamgp_99@yahoo.com
516-0519

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Quota Quick Update – November 2011

Quota Quick Update
10 November 2011
New President’s Message Published
2011 Quota Area Meetings and now over, and President Chris Tracey-Patte, has announced results from 2011 strategic discussions in a new President’s Web Message. President Chris was joined by President-elect Laura Lahman in presenting the proposal for Quota’s future structure and governance system at all meetings. Following each presentation, small discussion groups rated the proposal and provided written feedback, which the board will reflect upon at their 2012 Mid-term Board Meeting in February. Consider sharing the complete strategic presentation at a future club meeting by downloading the presentation script, PowerPoint slides, and handout.
Quota Clubs Care
Prepare to be inspired! 2011 top winning Quota Cares Month projects are now profiled online.  Sixteen clubs were selected as winners:  five top winners, including QI of Penticton in British Columbia, Canada, pictured here promoting breast cancer awareness with their “Cups for the Cure” project, and 11 honorable mentions.
Winning projects enriched their communities in ways both large and small, and they all stand out as excellent examples of Quota’s mission of caring and sharing.
Convention Fun…For ALL Ages
Quota’s International Convention won’t be all work! Come, take some time to play in Hawiian paradise.
TOURS GALORE.Thirteen optional tours and group events are being offered before, after, and during our meeting—the most EVER at a Quota convention. You’ve told us travel and personal connections are important to you, and we listened! Come see what Oahu has to offer and have fun with Quota friends.

JUST FOR CHILDREN. Bring the whole family on this trip of a lifetime. The Sheraton Waikiki, the post-convention island cruise, and many of our other optional tours are very kid-friendly. Children of all ages will have a great time from start to finish.
RELAXATION, HAWAIIAN STYLE. How’s your Hula? Our off-site fellowship event is open (via paid ticket) to all convention attendees and YOUR guests—relax and socialize after a day of Quota business at our Hawaiian Sunset Luau.
Don’t Forget…
·November 30 is the deadline for receipt of 2012 International Board of Director nomination forms.
·December 1 is the last day that bylaw proposal changes can be submitted to the QI Office in Washington, D.C., U.S.A., for consideration by the 2012 Bylaws Committee.
Writer, Editor, Designer:  Nancy Fitzpatrick, Deputy Executive Director
Occasional Quota Quick Updates are sent to members with e-mail addresses in the Quota International membership database. At no time is e-mail information sold or loaned. Delete, change, or add your e-mail address online or contact kyle@quota.org for assistance.
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Wednesday, November 9th Emergency Alert System information for you

FEMA wants everyone to know about the upcoming Emergency Alert System (EAS) test and how it may impact them. Please share this message with your communities and through your social networks. Click the link below for more information.

Emergency Alert System

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2011 Shopping Extravaganza Fundraiser

The Committee for the Shopping Extravaganza will meet on Thursday, November 10th at noon at the restaurant at the Holiday Inn on Pearl Street. This is our follow-up meeting. If you have comments or suggestions you would like to share and can’t make the meeting, please email or call Robin or Peggy. They would be happy to hear from you! In the meantime, here are some photos of the event (look for final numbers soon)

Cathy and her niece look at the handmade jewelry.

Maureen stops to shop at the Thirty One gifts table and Kirsten tells her about the fantastic special of the month.

Joyce brought her supplies and worked on a painting throughout the day.

The Delta Zeta’s worked the Quota table and were a big help all around.

Joyce takes a break from painting and stops to chat with Marty and the Longaberger table.

Several shoppers (including Quotarians Pam G. and Peggy) wander around the handmade jewelry table.

Thanks to Pat for taking these pictures, to the Committee and all those who helped at the event and with setup/take down. We couldn’t have done it without you!

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November 2011 President’s Message

As I write this message, I am sitting far away from Grand Rapids on a small Mediterranean island.  Yes, it is a different part of the world, but people are people and causes are causes.  I see my friend inviting people to a dinner designed to raise funds for new hospital equipment.  I accompanied her to many shops and restaurants where the flyer could be displayed.  Everyone said they would put the notice up but each person was ready with an excuse as to why she or he would not be able to make it to the dinner.  So it goes.  We went to a “flea market” type event where people sell out of their cars—like a common garage sale in a parking lot in town.  My friend works for the local SPCA so we went and donated items to sell and bought other items to support.  These are two timely examples for me to see that we are alike in many ways.

 

I reflect on all the hard work we do to make our difference in our world and realize that we are a small minority. Yes, there are many organizations all over the globe trying to accomplish the greatest things possible within their realm and there are just as many causes to support.   Yes, we are thirty in number compared to my friend’s organization of 5 so it may not be right to compare except the reality is that we all want to help and the best way to do that is to make a joint effort regardless of how large the group is that we join.  And, no matter how hard we may try, it is not always easy to convince others to join in.

 

I am feeling very proud right now of our organization when I think of all the strength we can gather for our events.  I watched with gratitude to see the Shopping Extravaganza Committee meet and take such complete control over the weeks of planning/organization that were necessary.  I was impressed as I saw women knowing just what had to be done and doing it all with such competence.  I want to convey that gratitude from our whole club to those of you who organized this.  It was very well done with a nice variety of vendors.  It was overall a fun shopping experience in a wonderful venue.  Thank you all for a job well done!   Your time and efforts for Quota are much appreciated–Congratulations!

 

Pat

 

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