Websites and blogs about hearing loss and tinnitus

Here’s a quick round-up of some of the bloggers, websites and hearing loss groups we follow for their insights into hearing loss and tinnitus. Some of these sites include forums and support groups that let patients connect with one another.

Sites for people with hearing loss

The Hearing Health Foundation

The Hearing Health Foundation’s mission is to prevent and cure hearing loss and tinnitus through research. They are the largest private funder of hearing research and have awarded millions of dollars since their organization in 1958.

They maintain a hearing health blog and write a free magazine, Hearing Health Magazine, which keeps donors informed of the latest hearing health discoveries and provides a directory of annual summer camps for children and adults with hearing loss. Readers can learn about hearing loss, its prevention and current research on the site or get involved by sharing their hearing loss story and donating to the cause.

Hearing Journey

If you’ve received a cochlear implant or have hearing loss, you may want to join this community sponsored by Advance Bionics and the Bionic Ear Association. 

Readers can learn about cochlear implants and hearing loss, post questions for other readers to respond to or share stories about their hearing loss journey. The home page lists the names of current conversations along with the top categories of discussions. Readers must register to view the content.

Oticon Medical Friends

If you or a loved one wears a Ponto bone-anchored hearing aid, you may already know about this patient-focused site. Oticon Medical Friends lets users connect with other Ponto users across the world. You must register to use the site. Oticon Medical also helps maintain the Bone Anchored Hearing Systems (BAHS) Blog, which features real patient stories and journeys.

Hearing Like Me

This online community is sponsored by Phonak, a hearing device manufacturer. The corporate presence isn’t overwhelming at all, instead giving space to people with hearing loss who want to connect with others who are experiencing the same challenges. Readers can view most of the information without registering unless they are planning to participate in the online forums.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing

The mission of this website, established in 2008, is to empower the hearing loss community by promoting confident social interaction and open communication.  The site also maintains a directory of summer camps and daycares for deaf and hard of hearing children, profiles a member of the month, and keeps a directory of audiologists, hearing care facilities and schools for the deaf and hard of hearing. No registration is required; however, readers are encouraged to register and receive access to chat live with other members.

Bloggers and writers we love

Smart Hearing

Journalist and author Katherine Bouton has written several books about hearing loss, but in recent years she's also become an advocate and educator for people who are hearing-impaired. This approach shines through on her blog, which she uses to provide "strategies, skills, and resources for living better with hearing loss." This is perhaps because she herself has hearing loss—she uses a cochlear implant for one ear, and a hearing aid for the other. We highly recommend Katherine's blog for staying up-to-date on the real-world experiences of people with hearing loss. 

My Hearing Loss Story

Carly, who has single-sided deafness, candidly shares the ups and downs of suddenly losing her hearing at her blog, Hearing Loss Story. She also delves into the practical, from tackling how to wear a mask with hearing loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, to her struggles with tinnitus. Her warm and empathic voice are like a warm cup of tea on a rainy day.

"I started this blog as a way to inform my friends and family about my progress, for anyone else who is going through a similar experience as me, or for anybody who is interested in learning about this type of hearing loss, and the way it can affect everyday life," Carly explains. Note: Carly also shared her experience with us using a CROS hearing aid. 

My Thoughts

You have to love an authentic person and Jennifer Gibson definitely fits that bill. She writes about growing up with severe hearing loss with honesty, passion and clarity. Her post about traveling with hearing loss not only gives hearing individuals a glimpse into what that might be like, it also gives those with hearing loss a few great tips for navigating on their own.

Did we mention she is also a published author, graphic designer and illustrator? Her trilogy, "Sway, Compass and Destiny," follows the adventures of Jessie, a teenager with hearing loss.  The award-winning books can be purchased on her website.

Hands and Voices

This group blog, facilitated by Karen Putz, is still going strong, with touching posts from parents with deaf or hard of hearing children. Recent topics include the parenting during the pandemic and parenting a child who has hearing loss and Down syndrome.

Lipreading Mom

Since we last touched base with Shanna Groves, she has decided to scale back her book writing and public speaking activities. Thankfully, her faithful readers can still hear her strong, passionate voice about being a mom with hearing loss in her blog posts.

“LipreadingMom.com is not about being an author or speaker,” she writes. “It is a connection with other people who may live with hearing loss. It is a connection with other parents and grandparents. Through the sharing of our everyday experiences, we can inspire, inform and entertain. In other words, we can make the world of parenting with a hearing loss not such a lonely place.”

Living with Hearing Loss

Hearing loss advocate and writer Shari Eberts updates her blog frequently, focusing on functional advice for people dealing with hearing impairments. The blog helps to "serve as an outlet for my experiences as well as a community for those dealing with similar issues," Shari says. Her site is thorough and excellent, we recommend starting with her "most popular posts" page to get a sense of what you'll find. 

Cochlear Implant Life

"The decision to have a Cochlear Implant is one that has changed my life. But, the path to achieving success with it did not happen overnight," writes Aiden Toominator, who manages the site and a related newsletter and YouTube channel. Cochlear Implant Life has helpful reviews of new products, stories from CI users and an online shop. 

Rewiring Tinnitus

Rewiring Tinnitus blogger and life coach Glenn Schweitzer has made a career out of a bad situation: A diagnosis of Meniere's disease and resulting tinnitus. Based on what he learned overcoming a challenging health situation, he now shares his experience and tips on his site. 

"If you suffer from tinnitus, I want you to know right now that there is so much hope. No matter how severe your tinnitus is, or how bad things may seem, you can learn to live with your tinnitus, too," Glenn shares on his site. (Note: Glenn is also a Healthy Hearing columnist.)  

Share your story

Got a hearing loss blog or vlog that you'd like featured on this list? Please contact us.