Dr. David Myers of the Hope College psychology faculty was recently honored for his work on behalf of those with hearing loss.
The Grand Rapids Chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America honored him on Monday, June 15, during the group's Fifth Anniversary Celebration.
Myers, who is a professor of psychology at Hope, is the author of the 2000 book "A Quiet World: Living with Hearing Loss," which tells of his journey from denial of his hearing loss to acceptance, and includes insights gained from others' experiences as well. He has been committed to helping those with hearing loss by spearheading new hearing-loop technology which broadcasts public-address systems, television and telephone sounds directly to hearing aids, doubling their functionality. His advocacy has included creating the Web site www.hearingloop.org.
Myers, who has taught at Hope since 1967, is a communicator of psychological science to college students and the general public. His writings, supported by National Science Foundation Fellowships and grants and recognized by the Gordon Allport Prize, have appeared in three dozen scientific periodicals, from "Science" to "Psychological Science," and in dozens of magazines and newspapers. In addition to "A Quiet World," his 17 books include best-selling psychology texts and general-audience books on happiness, intuition and spirituality.
More information about Myers and his work can be found at his Web site, www.davidmyers.org. The site www.hearingloss.org features information about hearing loop technology, including lists of looped facilities in the Holland-Zeeland, Grand Rapids and Grand Haven/Muskegon, Michigan areas.
The Grand Rapids Area Chapter of Hearing Loss Association of America is dedicated to opening the world of communication to people with hearing loss. The chapter holds regular meetings and sponsor other events to provide information, education, support and advocacy.
During the June 15 celebration the chapter also honored Richard DeVos, who made a donation in 2004 to the Hearing Loss Association to establish the Grand Rapids Chapter. Those appearing during the event included Representative Vernon Ehlers, co-sponsor of the Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act; State Representative Joe Haveman; and William Barkeley, a motivational speaker who has scaled Mount Kilimanjaro - and happens to be deaf and blind.