<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Hello!</div><div><br></div><div>I’m glad everyone liked the story so far. I pasted the link to the story with the photo attached in case anyone wanted to pass this along to anyone outside of the group.</div><div><br></div><div>I really appreciate the feedback and I’m happy to share this experience that’s evolving with everyone on and off of this platform.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>The link is below:</div><div><br></div><a href="https://link.medium.com/YiF50dhs89">https://link.medium.com/YiF50dhs89</a><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Thanks a million <br><br><div dir="ltr"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><blockquote type="cite" cite="mid:DF679E3D-ED88-4468-BCC0-062DDDBAD9FE@gmail.com" style="border: 0px none !important;"><div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="__pbConvBody" __pbrmquotes="true" style="margin-left: 24px; margin-right: 24px;"><div dir="ltr"><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><font style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Deaf-Blind Champion </font></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">VP: </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;">617-487-4097</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 13pt;">Cell: 612-404-6831</span></p></div></div></blockquote></div></blockquote></div><div dir="ltr"><br><blockquote type="cite">On Sep 27, 2020, at 8:30 PM, Michael Kelley via Community-Service <community-service@nfbnet.org> wrote:<br><br></blockquote></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr">
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<div><font color="#000000"></font><font color="#000000">The picture itself isn’t on
this message though. Can you resend it when you get the chance? You described
the picture very vividly but the photo isn’t there. I’m sure the other readers
on this listserv would love the picture too! Hope all is well and stay happy,
healthy and safe, and continue rockin’ to the beat! I wish you all the best with
your cochelar implant, hope the procedure goes smoothly and that you have a
smooth, speedy and successful recovery and that your hearing is restored! I’ll
be praying for you tonight that all goes well with surgery and
beyond!</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Take care,</font></div>
<div>Michael </div>
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<div style="font-color: black"><b>From:</b> <a title="community-service@nfbnet.org" href="mailto:community-service@nfbnet.org">Casandra Xavier via
Community-Service</a> </div>
<div><b>Sent:</b> Sunday, September 27, 2020 8:10 PM</div>
<div><b>To:</b> <a title="community-service@nfbnet.org" href="mailto:community-service@nfbnet.org">community-service@nfbnet.org</a>
</div>
<div><b>Cc:</b> <a title="xavier.casandra@gmail.com" href="mailto:xavier.casandra@gmail.com">Casandra Xavier</a> </div>
<div><b>Subject:</b> [Community-Service] Stories about the music you
love</div></div></div>
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<div dir="ltr"><br>Hi,
<div> </div>
<div>I hope I have permission to share this with everyone. It’s a link plus a
written format in case the link isn’t working for some odd reason.</div>
<div> </div>
<div> </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Here goes:</div>
<div> </div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman", serif">Stories about
the music you love<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>9/25/2020</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Music for many is and can be a source of nostalgia and
most certainly a trigger for certain feelings and emotions. Music is a form
of medicine for everyone who runs to this outlet. When all else fails with
people interactions, we sometimes run to music. These are many of the
reasons why I would consider getting a cochlear implant once I’m ready. The
topic loomed over me each time I visit with an audiologist for nearly a
year. My hearing has finally scratched that level of deterioration where it
is appropriate to consider this implant option. I’m writing about this
because it helps me cope and feel more at ease. I may not even share this
with anyone but if I do, then welcome to my world. You are getting a glimpse
of my journey into another decision-making process.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now, I will add that I would prefer to hear music more
than another person’s voice talking to me because music never disappoints.
There are some people I would still enjoy speaking to because I enjoy
speaking to them more than some.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Many are probably asking what I’ve been doing to be
proactive about this situation and I’ll tell you exactly what I’ve been
doing.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The year I found out the remaining hearing I was born
with began to steadily worsen, I instantly began to inquire about resources
for people living with deafness and blindness. I found out about a center
for the deaf and hard of hearing and I opened a case with them. I then asked
about ASL classes and the resources were flooded into my life. I took in
everything that was given to me with gratitude. I asked as many questions as
I could when I sat with my case worker and interpreter at the time. Yes, I
even asked about making ASL classes accessible to someone who was visually
impaired and we made it work out. It had a rough start but with positive
attitudes and great effort, things came together seamlessly. I refused to
let hearing loss drag me into silence without any useful tools to survive
and navigate life. I addressed the deafness the same way I did with the
blindness resources. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now, to the music that made me reconsider prolonging the
process of getting a cochlear implant. I will list off the artists and songs
along with a quick story.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sade/Smooth Operator<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I grew up listening to Sade because my sister introduced
me to her music unintentionally. I heard the song “Smooth Operator” blaring
from her cassette player in the mid 90’s. Her music grew with me well into
my adult years. The song (along with many others from her) was a sort of
comforting fabric over the years. I enjoyed Sade’s music so much that I
performed an acapella cover in college as part of my singing class final
exam and nailed it! Lastly, this is my karaoke song along with “Your Love Is
King”.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Maxwell/Cococure<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another classic jam that is also extremely nostalgic from
the 90’s for me blaring from stereo speakers at home. This artist may or may
not be everyone’s favorite but he’s certainly on my list. The first time I
heard this song, I was very young and the chorus was catchy and I sang that
part often when my sister played his music on her stereo nice and loud. We
had the systems that were about as tall as myself and I would sit between
the speakers to enjoy the vibrations. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jeanette Harris/All I do<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This jazz tune is super smooth and can be heard in every
environment. It’s all sax and lots of audible instruments with fantastic
harmony. I found out about this song while I was listening to Nathan
Mitchell and Blake Aaron a year and half ago. This is the song I listen to
on a bus ride in Boston and it’s nice and sunny, everything is moving
smoothly. This is certainly a song you wouldn’t want to share with just
anyone. There are certain songs you hog to yourself because they’re just too
good for other ears to hear. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">CeCe Peniston/Finally<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am super late with discovering this song but when I
found out who sang the catchy song, I instantly downloaded the entire album.
I found out about this song in 2019 while I was going to visit my sister
with her first born in the hospital. The radio station was blasting 90’s
music and this song was played three times during the ride to the hospital.
On the third round, I asked siri to tell me who this was and Siri said,
“CeCe Peniston” and played the song for me. I heard the whole song and I
liked what I heard. I connected my hearing aid to my phone and listened to
the song again, the speech wasn’t exactly clear ((my hearing, not the music)
but I found the lyrics and jammed all the way home. Shortly afterward, I
decided to do an ASL cover of the song “Finally” and posted to IG and
Facebook. The next day, I found out that CeCe saw what I did. If
anyone does a cover of a song in ASL, consider yourself a superstar
globally. Finally, the baby came out and we got to meet her! <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kem/You’re On My Mind<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am once again super late about finding these songs that
hit a good nerve in 2015. I was cooking dinner in Minneapolis, MN and I was
jamming to Pandora. In less than an hour, that song blared again. By the
second blast of Kem, I wanted to know who it was and what song that was. I
screenshot the music list and found him and the song later. The music he
produced blended so well with anything that involved being relaxed or just
being alone working. His music is very clean and warm to anyone who listens.
I became a Kem fan and ended up meeting with a friend in Detroit, MI for a
concert in the summer of 2019. The concert was AMAZING. Guess what? That
song played at the concert and I sang at the top of my lungs!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Anita Baker/Giving You The Best That I Got<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another great musician that is under rated and many of
the new ‘musicians’ should take notes from. I don’t ever recall hearing
profanity coming from her music. Somehow this song seems to be a very
relaxing song with a marvelous harmony attached. While growing up, I’ve
heard this song in bits in pieces over the years. It wasn’t until recently
while living alone, I got to really focus on the music and listen to
everything I really liked. With the technology that permitted ‘better’
hearing, I got to take in some of the joy of music that my hearing
peers took for granted.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I wanted to go on with music that made me reconsider
prolonging the decision to get a cochlear implant. I’ll drop a few names:
Marvin Gay…Blake Aaron…Robin S… Stephanie Mills… Yarbrough & Peoples…
Kool & The Gang. There are many more but I hope you get the gist
of how important music is to me and many others. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I grew up in a culture of hearing and sighted people. I
am the only person born with dual sensory loss. I learned ASL in my
mid-twenties and surprisingly pretty quick. I stopped using the textbooks
about ASL and decided to immerse myself in everything deaf/HOH possibly. I
learned ASL better while communicating with other Deaf/HOH people.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I also learned everything related to blindness in my
mid-twenties as well. The habits that make me look like a hearing or sighted
person are not easy to move past. I’m going to go through with the procedure
for the implant simply because I’m already dealing with blindness. I believe
something has to level out so that I may hang onto my independence at last.
I’m not doing this because I have an issue with deafness which I do not. I
will still use ASL because this is a language just like many others and I
respect this, technology can always fail. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I would like to thank you all for listening to my story
and hopefully this would inspire you to think about the music you like and
how you ended up liking the creations. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Photo
description:</p></div></div></blockquote></div></div></blockquote><br>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Casandra standing at an intersection in Brookline MA with
her back turned. Her locks hang down her grey back pack. Her can is
extended, covering her left side mid-step. She awaits the opportunity to
make a safe crossing. There is construction happening in her surrounding as
the sun sets. Photo taken on March 6th
2020.</p></div></div></blockquote></div></div></blockquote>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Thank you
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<blockquote style="BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px" cite="mid:DF679E3D-ED88-4468-BCC0-062DDDBAD9FE@gmail.com" type="cite">
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<p style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; font-stretch: normal">Deaf-Blind
Champion </p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; font-stretch: normal"><span>VP:
</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt">617-487-4097</span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; font-stretch: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt">Cell:
612-404-6831</span></p></div></div></blockquote></div></blockquote></div></div></div>
<p>
</p><hr>
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