deaf awareness Chérie King: the conscience of a deaf traveler

Chérie King: the conscience of a deaf traveler

Chérie King is not the only traveler who despite her hearing impairment has been encouraged to discover the world in the first person. However, it has become a good example for many other travelers in their same condition. His words spread on social networks already touch ten thousand followers, and in addition to his own website - Flight of the Travel Bee - actively collaborates in the international initiative The Deaf Traveler. So inspiring have been the experiences that Apple has made her the image of her latest campaign "What will your verse be?"

Chérie was born deaf 25 years ago and discovered her passion for travel when as a child her mother drove the car across the United States from Idaho to reach the beaches of California. The diversity and landscape contrasts that were in its path were completely fascinating. Her sister made her see the strength and power of the written word and the effect on the readers' minds. And that's how Chérie started all this, when she realized the lack of resources that she found herself whenever she decided to take a trip. He decided to change it to help other deaf people travel, while also making the rest of the population aware of the problem. Chérie's intention is to facilitate the trip to the former and let the latter know how they can improve the experience of the traveler with hearing impairment.

There are many obstacles that every day Chérie has to overcome and often lead her to "lose faith", how to overcome the thyroid cancer she suffered, but in those moments she remembers that everything happens for a reason and this motivates her to continue and turn completely to its cause. Among the disadvantages of the traveler with hearing impairment, Chérie refers to the lack of intelligibility in many cases of notices on means of transport, important information on boarding gate changes, delays or closed subway stations, which have led to much loss time when the same notice was not refreshed in time in the application for this purpose of your iPad. But not all are inconvenient, because in addition to boarding privileges on flights, amusement parks or shows, in many places there are discounts for people with hearing disabilities, even if they are not advertised. Just ask. In fact Chérie encourages overcoming shyness at all times, to consult whenever help is needed and not to hide one's deafness. There are people of all kinds everywhere, but many people have a huge desire to learn to communicate with deaf people. These people King asks for kindness and understanding to be helpful, and not to cover their mouth when they ask, so that the speaker with hearing loss can read their lips, even if they speak different languages. It is in these cases especially when a spontaneous sign language with gestural expressions and visual references is internationalized and matches our condition, making communication incredibly easy.

According to his experiences in 31 countries on 5 continents, Chérie says that England, the United States and Germany are the best prepared for the deaf traveler. While curiously remembering his worst experience in The Vatican. However, nothing has ever held her back. Not even when he had to shed his hearing aids to dive in the Caribbean. Chérie then feared that they could spoil with the humidity or that someone could steal them. But once again he overcame his fears and launched into the adventure, which animatedly recognizes that it was very worthwhile, especially to see that nobody could talk with the snorkle tube in his mouth. Once again on equal terms.

Chérie admits she is now at her best and feels lucky to have the best support system she knows at her fingertips. The technology has become his accomplice and his iPad in his inseparable companion and travel guide, although he assures that without one's own instinct it would not make any sense. The use of map applications means that you are not afraid to get lost in the new destination and help you to explore it to the fullest. With language applications he communicates in stores and local transports, while he resorts to Facetime, Skype or Imessage to contact his most loved ones wherever he is. Watch subtitled movies during waiting times at the airport, and use the same tool to take your pictures and share them instantly with your friends and followers.



Never travel without your hearing aids or spare parts for them. He used to always carry special iPod headphones that fit behind his hearing aid and offered a cleaner sound with no background noise. Now Beltone First offers the direct transmission of sound from iPod, iPad or iPhone to the hearing aid without intermediary devices, maintaining the original quality of the same. In addition, the Beltone Hear Plus application allows the appropriate control and adjustments for each situation with total discretion from iPhone or iPad.

More and more are encouraged by the spirit of this inveterate traveler is encouraged to open up and discover the world with "all your senses