You may remember Joey McIntyre as being a teen singing sensation with the group New Kids on the Block, but today McIntyre is all grown up, and being honored by the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) this November for his support and advocacy of the speech and hearing professions.
McIntyre’s son, Rhys has a moderate to severe hearing loss, detected during his newborn hearing screening. “We found out pretty fast,” McIntyre says of Rhys’ hearing loss. “It’s so very important to have early intervention… we were lucky to find out right away. The fact that my son has hearing loss, he’s going to learn a different way, and he’s going to maybe live a little bit differently. And just because he’s going to have this challenge doesn’t mean he’s not going to have the same life as his 2½ year-old brother.”
ASHA released a podcast interview with McIntyre where he explains why he views his son’s hearing loss as a blessing and why he values the professionals who treat his child on a weekly basis.