Getting There and Day One

By Cheryl Heppner

Editor: Here's Cheryl's first report from the HLAA convention. Well, it's really mostly on her trip to the convention. If you've wondered why some of you are always selected for a secondary check at airport security, Cheryl has some answers for you!

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I've just finished going through the registration line at the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) convention, and I now have the important name badge and Program Book. Now I am ready to roll!

My flights always seem to bring some adventure. Recently I solved the problem of always getting the full security check at airports. I started asking more questions of the security staff, and found that it is standard procedure to get all the "wanding" and such if the alarm went off at the gate. I have always set off the alarm because I am wearing a metal body processor for my cochlear implant, and security staff told me it's not just enough to declare that. They have been unbending about this, despite my plea that it leaves me vulnerable to take off my processor because then I cannot hear to understand any verbal instructions. Now I have given up and I put my processor in a plastic bag with my BlackBerry for a journey through the x-ray machine, and then put it on after I've gone through the security gate.

I solve one problem, and then discover that Galaxy has started to hold us up! Her metal ID and vaccination tags, along with the metal on her leash, set off the alarm when she goes through the gate. Yesterday at Dulles I had the same problem as on my last three flights. None of the security people wanted to be the one to pat Galaxy down; a surprising number are afraid of dogs. Word goes out that there's a situation, and we wait until someone is found to come and do it. This can take several minutes. I don't tell Galaxy about the reluctance of these people, as it would hurt her feelings. The patdown is the one thing she looks forward to when we fly, and her pleasure in it sometimes turns her into a little wiggle machine.

In an interesting coincidence, on our first flight to Chicago I sat next to a CODA (child of deaf adults) who knew sign language and a young Indian girl who was thrilled to learn I was deaf because she knew some fingerspelling. She was even more thrilled to be seated near Galaxy. The girl only remembered the fingerspelling alphabet through "n", but she cleverly improvised by using a finger to draw the letters she didn't know on her pillow. I found myself wishing that adults would be so enthusiastic, clever and accommodating.

It turned out to be quite a distance from my arrival gate to my departure gate for my connecting flight in Chicago. I stopped to buy a banana for Galaxy at one of the first shops I saw which carried fruit, and it cheered me up to see people smile as we went by during the 20 minutes it took us to walk from there to our destination. As is our tradition, Galaxy and I shared the banana once we reached the gate.

Past President of HLAA Anne Liming was on our flight, as was old friend Christa Cervantes of Hamilton Relay. It is always so comforting about knowing friends are on a flight with you. The three of us also shared a van to get to our hotels, providing great company and cost savings.

The area around the convention center is lovely and my room is very nice. With six oversize pillows I can build a fort to sleep under. After checking in, I started casing the joint to find the good spots for Galaxy to play and do her business, the best paths to the convention center, and where all the food is. I gave my first hug to NVRC member Joe Gordon of New York and still owe him a few.

HLAA President Anne Pope and Anne Liming kindly invited me to join them for lunch. Joe Gordon later joined us, and shortly afterwards, Jeannette Kanter of New York. I hadn't met Jeanette before but I know I will again, because she kept me in stitches.

I am sad to report that I have no Virginia sightings yet. I think Flo Innes of Florida is trying to compensate; within minutes of her arrival she had invited me to a party that evening. With Flo, that's a mere formality. She's one of those people whose presence turns every situation festive.

In late afternoon I finally got to meet Chloe, the new hearing dog for Denise Portis. Chloe wasn't quite sure she liked Galaxy, but I think she's warming up.

If there are any HLAA attendees reading these accounts, I have two hot tips. Being vegetarian here is a challenge, but although the restaurant at the Renaissance is a steak house at suppertime, I discovered the "sides" are actually meal size and very good. First, the risotto is to die for, the salad very good, and the citrus roasted asparagus delicious. Second, look for a tall, black wait person named Keith. He moves like he should be on Dancing with the Stars, and he does the most amazing thing to make communication easier. If you are located at a table with a spare chair, he will sit down so that he is at your eye level and walk you through the menu choices and take your order. I rate him very easy to speechread.

Off to the exhibits we go!

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