Columbus, Ohio
Second Term – 3 years to expire in 2010
Hermine Willey was born during the Great Depression. She was diagnosed with a hearing loss at age 4. She attended main stream schools and was given speech (and lip reading) lessons at the New York League for Hard of Hearing, as a youngster. She then went on to attend the Long Island Technical School and later transferred to The Ohio State University. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree. After 34 years as Microbiologist Laboratory Supervisor (for the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Consumer Laboratories Division), she retired.
Since retirement, she has become very active for people with hearing loss and their issues. She is now the Hearing Loss Association of America Coordinator for Ohio (formerly SHHH). She represents people with severe disabilities on the State Use Committee, for their employment in the purchase of products and services provided by people with disabilities. This is my second term with the Senior Partners Program (providing first year medical students, at The Ohio State University, with the opportunity to learn about the role of physicians caring for older adults). The reason I joined this program is to make our future physicians aware of the invisible disability of hearing loss and thus have it not be confused with depression, dementia or Alzheimer’s.
Hermine can be reached at cohear@aol.com