About

Hello I'm Gloria McGregor.

I have worked in Education since qualifying as a primary school teacher in 1965. I have taught through the age range from nursery aged children up to adults.
As a headteacher of junior schools and as a primary adviser I found great excitement and satisfaction in developing children’s and teacher’s skills, knowledge and expertise.
I retired from this career in 1995 because my hearing loss made performing my job very difficult, but since then I have taught older children (on a one to one basis) and adults. I taught in the learning support department of a private school. Initially I taught for 4 hrs a week but in the third term worked for 4.5 days ran the department until a permanent head of Department could be found.
My Educational qualifications include a Teaching Certificate, a BA(Ed), an Advanced Diploma in Special Education and an MA(Ed) focusing on meeting the needs of those with learning difficulties. I am also trained to assess and teach those with dyslexia and dyscalculia.
I have a particular interest in helping those with learning disabilities, whatever they may be, and this has helped me to prepare work for those with a hearing loss. I taught lipreading in both Essex and Suffolk. This was a very rewarding experience for me.

In Essex I worked with the army teaching Maths and English to soldiers. I was also invited to teach English to the wives of Nepalese soldiers (Gurkhas). This too was a delightful experience and one I will always treasure.

Although retiring in in 2009 I continued, voluntarily, to lead two lipreading support groups in my area until lock down 2020. We had 20 + members and met weekly. I am still in contact with many of the group and see them socially. In 2012 I started creating this website. It finally went live in April 2013 with just twelve videos and by May was page 1 of Google. It took a year for me to write and put the sessions of all the basic sounds etc on to videos. In 2013 I had the honour to be made a Visiting Professor of Hé University in Shenyang, China. It was an amazing experience to be one of the presenters to the new intake of students - 2000 of them!!

During lock down I took a creative story writing course and the results are now on my website as videos for practising purposes. During lock down I created a comprehensive lipreading course for delivery through facetime/zoom. I taught two students, one to one, using this course and they are both very good lipreaders. One has continued studying at City Lit and is now an advanced and highly skilled lipreader. Last year I decided that it was time finally to retire so I no longer teach or run my groups, but my website will be available for as long as it is useful!!

If you have a hearing loss it has an impact on every area of your life. Going to a lipreading class can help, not only because you learn new skills but because you meet people who have similar problems/experiences to your own. You can share experiences, ideas, knowledge of new technology and strategies that work for you.

I have been very fortunate to have attended lipreading classes over many years and to have had a wonderful teacher.
Her inspiration led me to want to pass on lipreading skills to others.
There are still times when it is difficult to hear well but because I am more in control
I am not so easily upset by them and am better able to cope.
There is no substitute for going to a lipreading class or support group because of the knowledge, shared experiences and support that you will find there.
If you are unable to go to a lipreading class or if you would like some extra practice I hope that the following sessions will be useful to you.
In these sessions I would like to share with you some of the skills, strategies, knowledge and technology that I and other lipreading group members have found to be helpful.
Only you can decide what is best for you.
I hope that you find the sessions interesting, useful and fun!

Last word

In 2017 I had my first cochlea implant in my right ear. Although it was not 100% successful it was still better than the1% functional hearing that I had previously!

In 2018 I had my second cochlea implant in my left ear and this was amazing!!!!!! In normal situations I could hear very well indeed. Wow incredible!!!

I also found my website very useful for practising listening skills and then I discovered that some universities were using my website videos for people with cochlea implants to practise their listening skills. How wonderful was that?

My use of cochlea implants has not been without problems. At the beginning of January 2020, I collapsed on a long-haul flight home. I found that I could no longer hear speech in my right ear – I just heard an interference noise. Also, I had lost my balance and could barely stand. The air cabin crew gave me some anti - travel sickness pills. They helped a bit. The cabin crew were so helpful. Of course, at this time we were all affected by the covid epidemic! I had help, but it was at a distance. However, my hearing did return eventually. I had to massage around my internal cochlea in case there was an air bubble. Eventually I could hear a bit better, but my processor needed retuning. I sent my processor to my audiologist, many times, and the settings were tweaked – it was definitely an improvement. I can’t give enough thanks!!! I had thought this problem was caused by the noise and bumpy ride in the aeroplane but I now think it was caused by a viral infection. Throughout lock down I did exercises to try to help my brain overcome the balance issues. It took two years but I got there! At the end of lock down I went to a balance clinic where, after tests, I was told I had no working balance organ in my right ear but that the exercises I had done had helped my brain to overcome this!! Extraordinary.

I was just beginning to feel confident about my balance when, in April 2023, I had another viral infection and this time it affected my left ear. Again, I could only hear very Loud interference and louder tinnitus than I have never experienced before. Again, my balance was back to zero. This time it was not lock down and I quickly sought help from my new audiologist who, together with the consultant, was so helpful in enabling me to overcome this. In July 2024 I had a new cochlea inserted into my right ear. I cannot thank enough, the people who helped me and how I appreciate the very great lengths they went to, to ensure that my hearing improved!!!! A few months later I had updated processors for both ears. Together the joy they have brought to my life is unbelievable! And I’m now using my phone again, something I had found difficult in the past. My hearing amazes me!! My balance is pretty good too.

I still use my web site videos to practise my listening skills and I hope that anyone else who is on their journey to better hearing through having cochlea implants also finds them useful.

However you use this website, I hope it continues to help you to better hearing and communicating and enables you to fulfil yourself in your everyday life!!

With my very Best Wishes

Gloria