My name is Valecia Adams and I am Hard of Hearing, with an ongoing history of moderate-severe hearing loss and wearing bilateral hearing aids. I’m married with six kids and nine grandkids. I am a retired government employee and currently operate several businesses with my husband. I have dual residency, as I was born and raised in Milwaukee, WI, but also reside in California.

My journey of hearing loss began when I was in 2nd grade when my teacher suggested I get screened for hearing loss; however, I was never diagnosed with a hearing loss condition. Throughout grade school and up until college, I struggled with my academics and communication with others. It wasn’t until I attended a community college that I realized that my hearing loss was an issue. 

I struggled for quite some time to accept my reality and had many experiences that kept me living in the stigma of hearing loss. One day,  I decided to seek services and resources to help me manage and cope with my hearing loss reality. In doing so, I started my own non-profit organization, Empower and Hear, to serve the community of minority and underserved women suffering from hearing loss.