authorphoto   Josh Swiller was born with a moderate hearing loss and was legally deaf by the age of four. After graduating from Yale University, he's had a wide variety of careers, including: forest ranger in the California Redwoods, sheepskin slipper craftsman and salesman, Zen monk, raw food chef, journalist, and teacher. Most recently, he worked as a hospice social worker in Brooklyn. Josh lives in the New York City area with Otis the Wonder Dog when he is not on tour.

 

Josh has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post,
The Huffington Post and other publications.

Here’s otis helping him write.

   otis
 

 

 
In 2003-4, Josh developed a headache condition that prevented him from wearing hearing aids and he spent the next two years communicating almost entirely in sign language. In August 2005, he underwent surgery for a
cochlear implant. In the surgery, an electrode array was threaded through his inner ear and connected to a transmitter implanted in the skull. This, in turn, was connected to a behind the ear attachment.
  cochlear




To book Josh for a speaking engagement or to find out more, drop him a line at:
joshswiller (at) gmail.com.

Click here to read Jane Brody's New York Times article about Josh and Cochlear Implants. Click here to read Josh's interview with John Coyne at PeaceCorpsWriters.org.