OLATHE, KS – Most people don’t expect to deal with hearing loss until their old age, but one USAO alum has years of experience and she is in her mid-thirties. Shanna Bartlett Groves, a 1996 graduate of USAO and a 1992 graduate of Prague High School, has dealt with hearing loss in online support groups, speaking engagements, relationships and now in a new novel.

Groves, a freelance writer, completed the novel Lip Reader based on her own experiences with hearing loss. “I wrote Lip Reader to tell a story of a family dealing with hearing loss. This is a story that not only tells about their experiences with being hard of hearing in a hearing world, but also some of the reactions that other people have had with their deafness.

“My own hearing journey inspired the two main characters in the story, 12-year-old Sapphie Traylor and her mother Rea. The extended family – the grandparents, uncles, aunt and cousins – were inspired by my father’s family, some of whom still live in the Fort Cobb/Anadarko area where I was born.”

Being a freelance writer, editor, a full-time mom and having an active community and church life can limit time for writing a novel. “Writing time is usually in the afternoons when the older two kids are at school and my one year-old son is napping.”

Although Lip Reader is Groves first novel, it is far from being her first writing effort. “My short stories have been featured in four editions of the popular book series A Cup of Comfort (Adams Media). My first book, All Roads Lead to Home, is a history of my mother’s family, who were born and raised in Oklahoma. Because it was specifically written for my family, I haven’t published it.”

She has written about her hearing loss journey in Hearing Loss Journal, The Kansas City Star, MOMSense and the book A Cup of Comfort For Nurses .

While a student at USAO, Groves wrote for the Chickasha Star, served as an intern at KWTV Channel 9 and as an intern at The Daily Oklahoman. On campus, she was the editor, assistant editor and a writer for the student newspaper, The Trend.

Lip Reader is available on the Lip Reader Blog – shannagroves.blogspot.com. The blog is by invitation only. To access the blog, contact Groves at sgrovesuss@msn.com.

In addition to the online blog, two book discussion groups are scheduled – one in Oklahoma. The first is scheduled Jan. 10 at 2 p.m. at Panera Bread, 10600 S. Pennsylvania Avenue in Oklahoma City. Another discussion group is scheduled Jan. 17 at 2 p.m. at Homer’s Coffee House in Overland Park, Kansas.

An excerpt from Lip Reader won first place in fiction at the 2008 Heart of America Christian Writers Network Conference in Kansas City.

Through her novel, online presence and through other communication means, Groves talks much about her hearing loss journey. She was diagnosed with progressive hearing loss at 27 after the birth of her first child.

“When I was diagnosed with progressive hearing loss, it was a busy time of life. I was a new mom and working full-time as a magazine editor. My boss was very understanding about the hearing loss, but I was concerned that I could lose my job because of it. At the time, I had no idea laws were in place to protect employees with disabilities. I was also dealing with some denial about the hearing loss. Instead of getting hearing aids, like the audiologist recommended, I took the attitude of ‘grin and bear it.’ Two years went by before I purchased hearing aids.

“It took me a long time before I would let anyone see my behind-the-ear hearing aids. My hair is shoulder length and easily covers them up. I wouldn’t wear my hair pulled back for fear that someone would notice my hearing aids. I was embarrassed by them. For a while, I had my own prejudice that hearing aids made me look weird or not very smart. Of course, that isn’t the truth, at least I don’t think!”

Groves says she gets a variety of reactions when sharing her story with others. “When I tell people I have lost some hearing, they may say, ‘oh, I’m sorry.’ Others will share stories of family or friends who have hearing loss. I used to be offended when people reacted to the hearing loss by shouting or talking really slow. With time, I’ve learned to laugh it off.”