Arlene Romoff

Live interview at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqzQtuHiJaw

Arlene Romoff had normal hearing until her teen years, when a slow, degenerative hearing loss led to her becoming profoundly deaf. She received her first cochlear implant (CI) in 1997 and became a bilateral CI user in 2008.

Arlene co-founded Advocates for Better Communication, the advocacy committee of the Center for Hearing and Communication (CHC), and currently serves on the CHC's board of directors. She also co-founded the Hearing Loss Association of New Jersey, the state affiliate of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), and serves as its president. In 2010, she received HLAA's State Organization Award. Arlene has served as a governor-appointed member of the New Jersey Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Advisory Council for the past twelve years, and sits on other advisory boards in the state.

She is the author of the books "Hear Again--Back to Life with a Cochlear Implant" and "Listening Closely: A Journey to Bilateral Hearing", as well as numerous articles for magazines and newsletters. Her pioneering efforts helped bring open captioned live theatrical performances to Broadway, London, and regional U.S. theaters, for which she received the Humanitarian Award from Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU). Her other advocacy initiatives have resulted in unprecedented access for people with hearing loss at museums, movies, hospitals, and public events. Considered an expert on hearing loss, Arlene is consulted and speaks on a wide range of topics including cochlear implants, assistive technology, accessibility, advocacy, and sensitivity training.

Live interview at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqzQtuHiJaw