So they founded Closing the Hole, an annual convention now in its 40th year. There, they show how technology can bring freedom, just as the cochlear implant did for Hagen: “It was like, ‘What is that sound? Is that my son crying?’ And it sounded so beautiful that I just broke down and cried,” he said.Jordan Zimmerman knows the feeling. She can’t speak, but now has audible phrases to share. “I started talking on my iPad when I was 18, first with movies, then with the keyboard. That gave me a lot of freedom, not only for myself, but for others to see me as a dynamic individual,” Zimmerman said. “I was able to graduate from high school, go to faculty, get my master’s degree and now contribute greatly to my neighborhood.”