Monthly Archives: November 2022

Student. Intern. Artist. Sarah is Grateful for Her Ponto 5 SuperPowers

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Oticon Medical advocate and recent summer intern Sarah Sabal shares her experience before and after upgrading to Ponto™ 5 SuperPower bone conduction hearing devices.

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Born with Microtia and Atresia, I grew up in a seemingly busy world that, to me, was quiet. It was like watching a silent movie of people living their everyday life. As a young child, I eventually developed my thoughts and emotions through my artwork—a form of visual communication.

Later, when I got adopted in 2007, I was aided at the age of 8 with my first hard-wired bone anchored hearing devices on a headband. At first, I was shocked to hear for the first time, but later on, I had discomfort from wearing my hard-wired headband for a prolonged time, with addition to constant feedback. In 2013, I started wearing Ponto devices, and I now wear the Ponto 5 SuperPower.

I received multiple scholarships before going to college. I was awarded two government scholarships in Critical Language Scholarship funded by the State Department, and Boren Awards by the National Security. In addition, I have received multiple awards in art contests and been on RIT’s Dean’s List for having a GPA higher than 3.40.

Going to college, I was so grateful that I could do well in classes and make new friends. Wearing my Ponto 5 SuperPower processors allow me to hear the surrounding environment through OpenSound Navigator™ (full 360-degree soundscape). Most of the time, I use my ConnectClip™ to stream music, videos, and Zoom calls through my laptop, and EduMic™ to hear my professors in classroom settings.

I recently worked with Oticon Medical as a summer Digital Marketing intern. The resources provided by my college (RIT) and Oticon Medical gave me the opportunity to achieve success. My motivation and career plan are to pursue Marketing with the ability to speak Chinese for future opportunities. I am currently studying abroad in Taiwan under my Boren Awards scholarship.

I hope my motivation and determination to succeed despite my deafness will encourage others that anything is possible when you have a positive mindset!

Mother. Student. Advocate. Camilla Juggles It All with Ponto 5 SuperPower

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Camilla Gilbert has faced many obstacles in life, including bilateral microtia/atresia with hearing loss and other challenges. Yet nothing has deterred her from helping others and advancing her education. Now she is doing it all with support from her Ponto™ 5 SuperPower bone anchored hearing devices.

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I had heard about many people with Ponto 5 SuperPower devices and wanted to try them. I heard that it was terrific regarding the sound quality, power, and feedback reduction.

Before I went back to school for my Masters in Social Work (MSW), I went to school to learn about Deaf culture and history, and ASL. What motivated me to return to school was to become a role model for myself, my daughter, and the communities I knew I would serve one day. I want to help and support people who feel like there is no hope in the Deaf/hard of hearing communities and the disabled community. I am currently pursuing my Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership.

My experience wearing a Ponto to school as an adult compared to going to a school as a kid without treatment is different. I’m able to understand more clearly. I can not only hear the professors, but participate in dialogue with my classmates.

Wearing the Ponto 5 SuperPower is also helping me achieve my goals as an employee, since I’m very new to my position. I can hear my colleagues whispering in their office with the door closed. Maybe we have thin walls, but before this new Ponto 5 SuperPower, I could not hear the whispering!

With Ponto 5 SP, I can communicate in a social situations, such as at a restaurant, in meetings, and at various appointments. Before, I struggled with understanding what people were saying in social situations. Now I can engage more without listening fatigue.

My hearing journey hasn’t been easy. However, this journey is who I am and will always be. Life is what you make out of it, so we must embrace our differences, weirdness, disabilities, and technology. Without technologies from Oticon Medical, which believes that Sound Matters, I wouldn’t understand hearing health’s quality and importance. If you are at a crossroads in your hearing journey, I suggest you do your research about Ponto 5 SuperPower.