We love hearing from you
The Kansas City Chapter of the HLAA welcomes comments, questions and feedback. You can email us here: hlaakc@gmail.com, or contact any of the individuals listed below.
Steering Committee
Minda Nelson
Minda Nelson, minda.nelson@gmail.com
Minda was born with a severe-to-profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. She credits a strong support system comprised of her parents and friends with enabling her to thrive as a hard of hearing person. Because people with hearing loss live in a predominately hearing world, Minda sees the Kansas City chapter as a way to bring them together and allow them to relax among others with similar challenges and experiences. Outside of HLAA, Minda works as a professional engineer, is a wife and mom, plays soccer, and travels.
Lucy Crabtree
Lucy Crabtree, lucycrabtree@gmail.com
Lucy lost her hearing at age four and has been wearing hearing aids ever since. She enjoys HLAA because she gets to meet people from all walks of life – from the young to “young at heart,” those who sign and those who prefer to speak, people who use CIs and those with just one hearing aid. Lucy loves to write, watch TV and movies and spend time with the cutest nephew EVER!
Terri Shirley
Terri Shirley, shastar57@gmail.com
Terri has experienced all spectrums of hearing ability. She had normal hearing until she hit her head on the floor while at a roller skating rink, blacked out, and awoke to sudden hearing loss–-could not hear her family or friends. It was a few hours shy of April Fool’s Day at the tender age of fifteen. Terri was diagnosed with nerve damage, fitted with two hearing aids, and thrust into lipreading overnight. Twenty-six years later she woke up to discover her hearing aids didn’t work; something mysteriously happened to her hearing in her sleep. Correctly diagnosed with Enlarged Vestibular Aqueducts, she was implanted with her first cochlear implant. Eight years later she was re-implanted after the internal component stopped working. Through HLAA, Terri hopes to inspire people of all ages and their families coping with hearing loss. “HLAA has educated me with a wealth of information and the friendships are priceless,” she says about HLAA. “We are all riding on this journey together — us, our families and friends.”
Anna Rundle
Anna Rundle, annachristine21@gmail.com
Anna was born with a severe-to-profound hearing loss due to premature complications. She started wearing hearing aids before she was a year old, and grew up learning to speak in a mainstream school. During her college years at RIT in Rochester, NY, Anna met many other deaf and hard of hearing individuals there and realized the importance of being able to be part of both worlds. Anna advocates for other deaf and hard of hearing people in her career, and use her experiences to make a difference. She looks forward to helping HLAAKC promote social events and educating the community about hearing loss.
