Interview with Sherri Collins Winner of OTICON Focus on PEOPLE award, Exec. Director for the AZ Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
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AO/Beck: Good morning Sherri. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'd like to ask you to please review a little about your history, education and professional career?
Collins: My mother had German Measles while she was pregnant and as a consequence, I was born deaf. I went to public schools most of my life and I was raised using total communication with sign language. As things became increasingly difficult, I eventually attended a residential school, the Illinois School for the Deaf, when I was about 12 years old.
AO/Beck: So before age 12, you were in public schools?
Collins: Right. Most of the time I was just in a regular hearing classroom with hearing kids, and then I was in the self-contained class for spelling and reading. And then, as I mentioned, I was at the Illinois School for the Deaf for my last five years and graduated from there.
AO/Beck: Where did you go for college?
Collins: I went to Gallaudet University, which is the only deaf university in the world. I graduated from there in 1988 with my bachelor's degree. That's when the Deaf President Now movement took place, it was my senior year of college and it was a big thing! I got my master's at North Carolina State University. At Gallaudet, all the teachers sign. But North Carolina State University was the first experience I had with a sign language interpreter in the classroom. After graduating, I started my career as a recruiter for Gallaudet University. Then I moved to Florida and worked in the public school system as a homebound infant teacher for deaf and hard of hearing children.
AO/Beck: So you would go into people's homes and work with them on how to prepare the kids in their home environment for maximal success at school?
Collins: Exactly. The focus was early intervention in language and communication with the family, and I also addressed the grieving process, so they could better accept a child with a hearing loss. I did that for a year and a half and then I went on to work with the Gallaudet Regional Center in Florida. I became the assistant director and we did a lot of corroboration providing workshop conferences for professionals who worked with people with hearing loss. I did that for about four years and then I went to North Carolina and worked at the North Carolina Division Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and I am now the Executive Director for the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
AO/Beck: That's fantastic. Is the Commission for the Deaf free standing, or part of another agency?
Collins: No, we're a stand-alone agency, and we're independent.
AO/Beck: Sherri, can you tell me about your experience with hearing aids?
Collins: Oh, I cannot say enough about them! When I was growing up, the technology was not so great. I had to wear body aids because that was the most power I could get. As I got older, I didn't want to wear a body aid on my bra! So I wanted behind-the-ear (BTE) models, but they didn't have enough power at that time. About seven or eight years ago I start wearing programmable hearing aids, and that was my first experience with BTEs. Now I have a digital BTE hearing aids, and until I got these hearing aids, I wasn't able to go to the movies.
AO/Beck: So you're wearing digital hearing aids now?
Collins: Yes. I can hear clearly most of the time, and for the first time in my life, I've been able to go to the movies and understand most of the dialogue. Hearing aids have come a long way in the last few decades!
AO/Beck: Do you wear your hearing aids throughout the day?
Collins: Absolutely. If you ask my husband, he'll tell you I'm deaf as a doorknob. I hear nothing without my hearing aids. I wear my hearing aids when I wake up until I go to bed, unless I'm really tired and I don't feel like hearing things. But most of the time, I wear and depend on my hearing aids all the time, and I've been that way since I was little. Without them, I hear nothing.
AO/Beck: What are your thoughts on cochlear implants?
Collins: I think it's very important that families or individuals know all their options before they make a decision. In other words, I want to make sure the families know every option; hearing aids, assistive devices, oral, sign language, and cochlear implants, before they decide what's best for their child. There are many options and the decision to have or not have a cochlear implant is a personal decision.
AO/Beck: Can you please tell me about the telephone program in Arizona? Are all hearing impaired and deaf people are entitled to a free phone?
Collins: Yes. I'm very proud of this program, called the Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program. The equipment choices a few years ago were quite limited. We had three choices and most of them were for deaf people. We didn't have anything available for hard of hearing people. I've made a lot of changes with the program and now we serve all populations, deaf and hard of hearing, and deaf-blind and speech impaired too. The phones we offer now include all kinds of amplifier phones. We just changed our program to a voucher system starting in November and we're giving the consumer even more choices in choosing telephones that are appropriate for their hearing loss.
AO/Beck: Do other states have similar programs?
Collins: Texas has a voucher program like ours and in fact, we sort of adopted the Texas program. North Carolina has a voucher program but a lot of other states have distribution programs. California has a very nice program too. Many states offer distribution programs, but again, that tens to really limit the choices. There are a few of us in the United States that offer a wide variety of telephone equipment for the deaf and hard of hearing population. As you know, with the aging of the baby boomer's, there will be more and more hard of hearing people, and that's where I focus my energy - anticipating the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing for the future.
AO/Beck: Are you using a hearing aid at the moment for this interview?
Collins: Oh yes. I'm using the t-coil of my hearing aid.
AO/Beck: What are the other issues your agency is working on?
Collins: There are so many issues that we're working on! One is the Newborn Hearing Screening Program. We have a very good program in Arizona. The hospitals screen the babies, but as many people have learned, tracking them after they leave the hospital is another issue! Another thing we're working on is mental health services for the deaf and hard of hearing. Hearing aid coverage is also a big issue in Arizona. We call it AHCCS, it's like Medicaid/Medicare, but adults are not eligible for hearing aid coverage. In Arizona, they'll cover children up to 18 years old but we're arguing that adults should be covered because they need to continue wearing hearing aids through their lifespan. So we're working on educating the public about the need for hearing aids for adults so we can eventually change the law to include hearing aid coverage for adults.
AO/Beck: Okay very good. I can see why you were chosen for the Oticon Focus on People award!
Collins: Thanks. I think I'm a strong advocate for the community and it's very important that we become advocates so we can continue to get better services that affect our quality of life. As a person with hearing loss,
I know what hearing aids do for me, and I think it's very important that we look out for ourselves!
AO/Beck: Thank you so much. You're an inspiration, and I really enjoyed meeting you.
Collins: Thank you too, Dr. Beck, and thanks again to the people at Oticon!
For more information on Oticon click here.
Click here to visit the Oticon website.
Collins: My mother had German Measles while she was pregnant and as a consequence, I was born deaf. I went to public schools most of my life and I was raised using total communication with sign language. As things became increasingly difficult, I eventually attended a residential school, the Illinois School for the Deaf, when I was about 12 years old.
AO/Beck: So before age 12, you were in public schools?
Collins: Right. Most of the time I was just in a regular hearing classroom with hearing kids, and then I was in the self-contained class for spelling and reading. And then, as I mentioned, I was at the Illinois School for the Deaf for my last five years and graduated from there.
AO/Beck: Where did you go for college?
Collins: I went to Gallaudet University, which is the only deaf university in the world. I graduated from there in 1988 with my bachelor's degree. That's when the Deaf President Now movement took place, it was my senior year of college and it was a big thing! I got my master's at North Carolina State University. At Gallaudet, all the teachers sign. But North Carolina State University was the first experience I had with a sign language interpreter in the classroom. After graduating, I started my career as a recruiter for Gallaudet University. Then I moved to Florida and worked in the public school system as a homebound infant teacher for deaf and hard of hearing children.
AO/Beck: So you would go into people's homes and work with them on how to prepare the kids in their home environment for maximal success at school?
Collins: Exactly. The focus was early intervention in language and communication with the family, and I also addressed the grieving process, so they could better accept a child with a hearing loss. I did that for a year and a half and then I went on to work with the Gallaudet Regional Center in Florida. I became the assistant director and we did a lot of corroboration providing workshop conferences for professionals who worked with people with hearing loss. I did that for about four years and then I went to North Carolina and worked at the North Carolina Division Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and I am now the Executive Director for the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
AO/Beck: That's fantastic. Is the Commission for the Deaf free standing, or part of another agency?
Collins: No, we're a stand-alone agency, and we're independent.
AO/Beck: Sherri, can you tell me about your experience with hearing aids?
Collins: Oh, I cannot say enough about them! When I was growing up, the technology was not so great. I had to wear body aids because that was the most power I could get. As I got older, I didn't want to wear a body aid on my bra! So I wanted behind-the-ear (BTE) models, but they didn't have enough power at that time. About seven or eight years ago I start wearing programmable hearing aids, and that was my first experience with BTEs. Now I have a digital BTE hearing aids, and until I got these hearing aids, I wasn't able to go to the movies.
AO/Beck: So you're wearing digital hearing aids now?
Collins: Yes. I can hear clearly most of the time, and for the first time in my life, I've been able to go to the movies and understand most of the dialogue. Hearing aids have come a long way in the last few decades!
AO/Beck: Do you wear your hearing aids throughout the day?
Collins: Absolutely. If you ask my husband, he'll tell you I'm deaf as a doorknob. I hear nothing without my hearing aids. I wear my hearing aids when I wake up until I go to bed, unless I'm really tired and I don't feel like hearing things. But most of the time, I wear and depend on my hearing aids all the time, and I've been that way since I was little. Without them, I hear nothing.
AO/Beck: What are your thoughts on cochlear implants?
Collins: I think it's very important that families or individuals know all their options before they make a decision. In other words, I want to make sure the families know every option; hearing aids, assistive devices, oral, sign language, and cochlear implants, before they decide what's best for their child. There are many options and the decision to have or not have a cochlear implant is a personal decision.
AO/Beck: Can you please tell me about the telephone program in Arizona? Are all hearing impaired and deaf people are entitled to a free phone?
Collins: Yes. I'm very proud of this program, called the Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program. The equipment choices a few years ago were quite limited. We had three choices and most of them were for deaf people. We didn't have anything available for hard of hearing people. I've made a lot of changes with the program and now we serve all populations, deaf and hard of hearing, and deaf-blind and speech impaired too. The phones we offer now include all kinds of amplifier phones. We just changed our program to a voucher system starting in November and we're giving the consumer even more choices in choosing telephones that are appropriate for their hearing loss.
AO/Beck: Do other states have similar programs?
Collins: Texas has a voucher program like ours and in fact, we sort of adopted the Texas program. North Carolina has a voucher program but a lot of other states have distribution programs. California has a very nice program too. Many states offer distribution programs, but again, that tens to really limit the choices. There are a few of us in the United States that offer a wide variety of telephone equipment for the deaf and hard of hearing population. As you know, with the aging of the baby boomer's, there will be more and more hard of hearing people, and that's where I focus my energy - anticipating the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing for the future.
AO/Beck: Are you using a hearing aid at the moment for this interview?
Collins: Oh yes. I'm using the t-coil of my hearing aid.
AO/Beck: What are the other issues your agency is working on?
Collins: There are so many issues that we're working on! One is the Newborn Hearing Screening Program. We have a very good program in Arizona. The hospitals screen the babies, but as many people have learned, tracking them after they leave the hospital is another issue! Another thing we're working on is mental health services for the deaf and hard of hearing. Hearing aid coverage is also a big issue in Arizona. We call it AHCCS, it's like Medicaid/Medicare, but adults are not eligible for hearing aid coverage. In Arizona, they'll cover children up to 18 years old but we're arguing that adults should be covered because they need to continue wearing hearing aids through their lifespan. So we're working on educating the public about the need for hearing aids for adults so we can eventually change the law to include hearing aid coverage for adults.
AO/Beck: Okay very good. I can see why you were chosen for the Oticon Focus on People award!
Collins: Thanks. I think I'm a strong advocate for the community and it's very important that we become advocates so we can continue to get better services that affect our quality of life. As a person with hearing loss,
I know what hearing aids do for me, and I think it's very important that we look out for ourselves!
AO/Beck: Thank you so much. You're an inspiration, and I really enjoyed meeting you.
Collins: Thank you too, Dr. Beck, and thanks again to the people at Oticon!
For more information on Oticon click here.
Click here to visit the Oticon website.
