Andy Chandler
As an individual with a life-long hearing loss, I’ve always been fascinated by technology that helps me “hear” better. With the advent of computers & the internet – Texting! Email! Caption apps! – I was enthralled. But with the internet comes danger, which is why I spent the last 17 years of my career in Cybersecurity, helping clients defend against cyber-attacks and scams. After retirement, I joined the AARP (American Association of Retired People) Speaker’s Bureau to continue to tell others about cybersecurity threats and what we can do to protect ourselves from the scammers.
Andy is also the treasurer of the HLAA Downeast Chapter.
Thomas F Watson III
Bio updated as of 20240213 aka Feb 13, 2024 CE/AD.
• I am Tom Watson III – suffix is important.
• 2023: Webmaster and Secretary of HLAA Downeast Chapter.
• 2022: As of Nov deaf to words, due to gradual hearing loss since age 29 to 60s.
• 2020: Began advocating for hard-of-hearing folks when discovered Zoom had no captions.
• 2018: Evaluated for cochlear implant = no help.
• 2019 + 2017: Several courses in ASL; retained only finger spelling from 1981 (American Sign Language) .
• 2014: Retired due to ears + a worse health issue; moved to Maine then twice within Maine due to ears.
• 2014-1989: Career 25 years at MEDITECH programming + databases for medical software.
• 2009-present: Facebook as `Thomas F Watson III`; beware clones.
• 1991: got first hearing aid; 2023 got final hearing aid.
• 1990s: took a Deaf Culture & History course at university.
• 1989: B.S. Computer Science with minor in History of Science and Technology; Northeastern University.
• 1982: Speed reading is simple and highly useful, e.g. for captions on TV.
More info:
• member of ALDA (Association of Late Deafened Adults).
• Member of SCA.org; chose ear as medieval heraldry + webminister + Silent Heralds (ASL) ; see my EK Wiki entry.
• Prefer email : tom3w at earthlink dot net.