Jim Ryun: “today I come to the House in support of the National Better Hearing and Speech Month. For 75 years, the month of May has…”

“today I come to the House in support of the National Better Hearing and Speech Month. For 75 years, the month of May has been designated as a time to celebrate the hope available to Americans with speech and hearing impairments and to raise awareness about the need to protect their hearing. Speech and hearing impairments impair the lives of many Americans. In fact, almost 28 million people in the United States suffer from a hearing loss. One out of every three people in the United States of an age greater than 65 suffer some sort of a hearing loss and every day in the United States approximately 33 babies are born with significant hearing loss. As someone who has had a hearing impairment, I certainly know what a gift sound is, and I also know some of the struggles that go along with finding a proper hearing aid. My hearing loss is as a result of an illness that I had as a child. It was discovered a time later, and then it was decades before I could find the proper hearing devices to help me. My wife, Ann, served as my hearing aid. She graciously helped me communicate for years before I could find the solution that would help me and I could work with. Many dedicated professionals have assisted me over the years in my quest to find the help I have sought. And I would like to thank them for the work they have done in making not only my life better but so many others.”