Dr. Aft Says.....

Dick Aft calls himself a satisfied patient of the Hearing Speech & Deaf Center of Greater Cincinnati.  “Everyone deserves to be heard.  But when I began to have difficulty hearing what people were saying, I felt that I was short changing them, as well as myself.”  He availed himself to services last year when he experienced difficulty understanding some spoken words and, “when I needed more TV volume than anyone else in the room.” 

Testing indicated that hearing aids would help him hear much of what he had been missing.  Dick summarizes his experience with hearing loss as follows, “Disabilities can be handicaps without services like those of the Hearing Speech & Deaf Center.  We’re fortunate to live in a community that values the highest possible quality of life for every person.”  However, it is not only his Center experience as a patient that has made an impact on him, “Interestingly, the most meaningful experiences that I have had at the Hearing Speech & Deaf Center haven’t dealt with my hearing.  They come from my observations of children in the waiting room.  How thankful I am that the quality of the entire lifetimes of these children is being enhanced everyday by the service they receive at this agency.”

Dick is no stranger to the Center.  During his 14 years as President of United Way of Greater Cincinnati, he often illustrated the impact of donors’ gifts with stories of life-changing experiences served by the Center’s professional staff and volunteers.  After 40 years of United Way leadership, Dick earned a doctorate in Organizational Leadership and Development in order to increase his consulting and teaching skills.  He has identified “the need to cope with the realities of changes in hearing ability” as they relate to the following:  

Conversations– “Everyday communication with family, friends and consulting clients requires adaptation similar to the changes that people make by wearing eye-glasses.”

Meetings– “Fulfilling the requirements of membership on committees and boards requires an understanding of discussion, especially the points of view of others.”

Classroom– “Fairness to students requires that I hear them when they speak.”

Children, Concerts and Nature– “So many of the things that I love make sounds that enrich my life.”