Jaylin (USA) was one of our winners in the ideas4ears 2019 contest. The music and dance enthusiast invented an almost invisible audio processor and even built its prototype. She explained the reasons behind her idea: “I want to make hearing loss more invisible. I can then decide myself whom I want to tell about it. People with hearing loss would be more self-confident in dealing with their hearing impairment.”
This invention won Jaylin a trip to MED-EL headquarters in Innsbruck, Austria. There, the inventor from the USA had the unique opportunity to see how a cochlear implant is made and meet many MED-EL inventors.
What was Jailyn up to after her trip to Innsbruck?
The young inventor had the honor of doing an interview with rapper Wawa Snipe. Wawa is a musician with profound hearing loss who signed the US national anthem as a “Deaf Musician” at the 2021 and 2022 Superbowl breaks alongside stars from the pop and hip-hop scene. He sang the anthem with his body, hands and face in American Sign Language, making the Superbowl show an inclusive and barrier-free event.
In the interview, Wawa shared the decision and way to his cochlear implant with Jaylin. He told her how the CI had helped him hear music again at last. The American rapper talked about his unique experience at the Superbowl and gave children with hearing loss or cochlear implants helpful tips.
Watch the whole interview with Jaylin and Wawa on YouTube.
Find more information on the contest on www.ideas4ears.org/meet-the-inventors/ and www.facebook.com/ideas4ears.
