Bernardsville Woman Turns Hearing Loss Into Educational Tool

BERNARDSVILLE, NJ — Mala Bawer of Bernardsville has had severe hearing loss for more than 30 years. At first she was embarrassed by it, but now it has showed her first hand the importance of technology.

Bawer has turned this lesson into a way to empower people around the globe through her company CyberSmart. Bawer now works to help support the education of millions of students through technology in Sub-Sahara Africa.

Due to her work, Bawer recently won an Oticon Focus on People Award, which celebrates the accomplishments and contributions of remarkable individuals with hearing loss.

It was a journey to get to where she is. Bawer’s hearing loss journey did not begin at birth, she only started noticing a change when she was in her 20’s.

“I was at party with my girlfriend when she said ‘We can’t walk home.’ I asked, ‘Why not?’ And she said, ‘Because it’s downpouring rain!’ I couldn’t hear it at all and knew something was wrong.”

Even in college, Bawer had a reputation as being able to really concentrate, but that was because she couldn’t hear any of the distractions around her.

It wasn’t until Bawer went to a hospital in Boston where they told her she would need to wear a hearing aid.

“I was devastated, I didn’t know anyone with one and back then they were bigger and had separate molds in your ear. It would make your whole ear and jaw hurt if it didn’t fit right.”

Bawer still tried out the aid and thought something was wrong when she heard thumping. She went back to the doctor to discover the thumping “was me hearing my own footsteps for first time.”

She continued to wear it but was still embarrassed until she was 28 when she met a young beautiful woman who wore her hair up with a hearing aid. She wore it with confidence.

That’s when Bawer decided to wear the hearing aids with pride. Eventually Bluetooth aids came out and they helped Bawer as her hearing continued to decline. She can now talk on the phone and listen to TV with no issues.

“It’s just heaven,” Bawer said.

Inspired by the technology, Bawer and her husband Jim Teicher created CyberSmart.org, which is a digital learning company in 2000 that offered a curriculum for schools to use.

Eventually, CyberSmart branched off to help provide the digital curriculum in Africa as well. She is proud to offer the technology that she was able to benefit from to others that don’t have it.

“It feels great to be recognized for the work we’ve been doing,” Bawer said. “I just hope maybe by being honored it can send a message to people of my age that this is not embarrassing anymore… I am very proud to be able to have such great hearing aids.”

For more information on CyberSmart visit www.cybersmartafrica.org.

(Images via Mala Bawer)

Photo 1 - Mala with African children.

Photo 2 - Class room where CyberSmart Africa is working.

Photo 3 - Mala having lunch with teachers at school.

Photo 4 - Jim and Mala having dinner with a school director in his home. He grew the chicken especially for them.

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