Courtesy Photo Jamie McClintic received the Oticon Focus on People award Oct. 13, winning the Advocacy category.

It may not be election time yet, but the votes are in, and this local woman is humbled and honored to be a winner.

Local Occupational Therapist Dr. Jamie McClintic won the Advocacy award in the Oticon Focus on People Awards, a national awards program that honors individuals dedicated to improving lives and raising awareness about the hearing-impaired community.

In a phone interview Friday, McClintic said upon winning the award, she was “surprised, honored, and overwhelmed. It reignited me to continue pursuing my mission, my passion.”

“Why is winning the national title in the category of advocacy so very important to me?” McClintic asked in her acceptance speech, which was done via video because she was unable to attend the awards ceremony in person, held Oct. 13 in Orlando, Fla. “I have a profound biological hearing loss, and I have spent 40 years hiding my insecurities, my struggles, my incapabilities, to avoid stereotypes.”

The Oticon FOP website says, “The Advocacy category honors hearing-impaired individuals of all ages who are actively involved in advocacy or support efforts that benefit people with hearing loss. Our Advocacy finalists share an optimism and a ‘can do’ attitude that inspires and motivates – whether they are trying to change public attitudes or just one person’s life.”

Winners were determined by popular vote on the Oticon FOP website. McClintic was among 12 finalists overall, and one of three finalists in the Advocacy category.

“I wouldn’t have been able to receive this honor without every individual who supported me,” McClintic said via phone on Friday. “I wholeheartedly owe it all to them.”

Her first place win comes with a $1,000 cash prize, a $1,000 donation to the charity of her choice, and a pair of Oticon hearing devices.

She decided to split her donation between two charitable organizations — $500 to “Changing the Face of Beauty,” a national campaign that promotes inclusive imagery in advertising and media to include more people with disabilities, and $500 to the local community to offer access to assisted listening devices for children, through Great Lakes Ear, Nose and Throat Specialists in Alpena.

On Friday she said her mission is “creating an environment that fosters familiarity and knowledge” about disabilities.

“Wouldn’t it be amazing if the model of Cover Girl had a large hearing aid?” McClintic continued in the speech. “But wouldn’t it be even more amazing if not one single person questioned her abilities or disabilities? … If we could normalize the stigma associated with disabilities, we can impact change for the better.”

McClintic was nominated by Dr. Kristen Kowalski, an audiologist at Great Lakes Ear, Nose and Throat Specialists in Alpena.

Diagnosed at age 3 with bilateral profound hearing loss, McClintic got her first set of hearing aids at age 3-1/2.

Originally from Okemos, McClintic moved to Alpena in 2002. She is married to Scott McClintic, and has a daughter, Maddox, 8, and son, MacGregor, 6. McClintic has risen above the challenges of her disability, earning her doctorate in occupational therapy in 2007. Then in 2010, she was blessed with a beautiful daughter, who also has a disability – Down syndrome. The pair have teamed up to defy odds and change hearts.

In 2017, McClintic traveled to Chicago to participate in “Changing the Face of Beauty.” For the past 17 years, she has worked to help families and children cope with their disabilities and hearing loss. She is working on a book called “Grieving the Gift,” to be released in early 2019, which offers support to those dealing with life-changing diagnoses.

Darby Hinkley can be reached via email at dhinkley@thealpenanews.com, or by phone at 989-354-3111 ext. 324.