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November 30, 2005
Just a little bit louder now
Mikel McCavana is a typical video game playing, cell phone talking, music obsessed teenager. He's even in a rock band, and he loves his iPod. "Pretty much every day, every moment that I can fit it in, I try to listen to music," Mikel says
Posted @ 6:21 PM
Hearing aid would help husband care for wife awaiting transplant
This man can't hear very well, and that makes his task even harder. His wife is sick, and he wants to hear her every sound. He also needs to hear instructions and information from the many doctors he and his wife see.
Posted @ 6:19 PM
Number of Americans wearing hearing aids increasing slower than current expectations
As Americans age and the largest population segment consists of people over the age of 40, more men and women in greater numbers will soon turn to a hearing aid as a means to address hearing loss.
Posted @ 6:15 PM
CSUN interpreters receive pay raise, but lose benefits
Hourly interpreters received a 29 percent increase in hourly salary this semester in an attempt by the university to retain their services, but at the expense of benefits, primarily vacation time and sick leave, which have been cut.
Posted @ 6:12 PM
Cousin's cochlea drives Tomas
Tomas Scheckter is raffling one of his IndyCar helmets in an effort to raise funds to cover the costs of a cochlear implant for his cousin, Jaki Scheckter.
Posted @ 6:10 PM
November 29, 2005
Hunger strike over, but protest continues at School for the Deaf
A man protesting outside the Michigan School for the Deaf has ended his eight-day hunger strike after meeting with top state education officials Monday.
Posted @ 3:02 PM
Deaf teacher pleads guilty in sexual abuse case
A deaf teacher of American Sign Language accused of sexually assaulting a former student has accepted a plea deal. Roger Wilkins, 38, of Lehi pleaded guilty Monday to two third-degree felony counts of attempted forcible sexual abuse.
Posted @ 2:58 PM
Deaf community suffering because of lack of interpreters
The deaf community is suffering because of a lack of interpreters and the inability to adequately communicate at places such as hospitals or courts.
Posted @ 2:56 PM
November 26, 2005
Sign language in schools
Approximately 60,000 Sri Lankans are suffering from hearing impairment at present and taking this into consideration, the Government must introduce a universal sign language to our school curricula for the betterment of the future generation, The Employers' Federation of Ceylon Director-General Gotabaya Dasanayaka said.
Posted @ 2:54 PM
November 25, 2005
'Sign and Sing' helps parents communicate with their children
The bond between parent and child is a unique one and being able to communicate is crucial. When children aren't old enough to speak or their vocabulary is still developing, kids can speak through signing.
Posted @ 2:51 PM
Deaf woman frustrated by hospital experience
A deaf woman's frustrating experience at Concord Hospital highlights the state health care system's shortcomings in helping patients with limited language skills.
Posted @ 10:03 AM
November 24, 2005
Florence assistant coach enjoys a whole new world of hearing
Karen Hegarty awoke one morning last fall to find her husband staring out their bedroom window with a quizzical look on his face. "Is everything all right?" Karen asked. Dan Hegarty scratched his head.
Posted @ 3:58 PM
Diet probably not the cause of tinnitus
Dear Dr. Blonz: Please tell me if anything related to diet can cause a ringing in my right ear. It is a low, steady ring that is more noticeable at night when everything is quiet. I don’t work around loud noises, nor have I worn ear buds blaring with loud music.
Posted @ 3:55 PM
Signing helps spread love of golf
Their clubs weren't ordinary. Then again, their lessons weren't either. Instead of the graphite shafts and steel heads, they played with specially designed oversized plastic clubs, hitting tennis balls instead of golf balls.
Posted @ 3:51 PM
Deaf need to have use of interpreters
The Canadian Hearing Society is in complete support of the Canadian Blood Services' goal as outlined in Chief Operating Officer Ian Mumford's letter, "to ensure that Canada's blood supply is as safe as possible."
Posted @ 3:50 PM
Deaf man hit by train
A train struck and killed a deaf man Wednesday, but police said they were not sure whether his hearing loss was a factor in the accident.
Posted @ 3:49 PM
November 23, 2005
'Ear implants restored my hearing'
Joshua Foreman, 14, was born profoundly deaf. He now has a cochlear implant fitted in each of his ears, and was one of the first people to have two implants fitted. The implants send electronic impulses of sound past his damaged auditory nerves to his brain, letting him hear again. Here is his story...
Posted @ 3:21 PM
A cyborg explores what it means to be human
When 40-year-old Michael Chorost decided to get a cochlear implant, a device that uses a computer chip implanted in the brain to process auditory signals, he knew it would change the way he would perceive sound — and the way he would perceive himself.
Posted @ 3:17 PM
Special Masses help church’s deaf parishioners feel at home
The congregation at St. Ignatius of Loyola Church was virtually silent on Sunday as the Rev. Mike Depcik delivered his sermon on strengthening faith.
Posted @ 3:12 PM
Instant messaging reaches out and touches deaf people
As a deaf 16-year-old, Russell Kane didn’t know how to ask a cute classmate out on a date. So he bribed his sister Lesley (with $1) to make the call. She relayed the "no thanks" back to him.
Posted @ 3:07 PM
Gallaudet students work with federal agency to improve transportation safety near campus
Plans on improving safety for pedestrians and drivers in the area surrounding the Gallaudet University campus will be presented on January 24 by five University students during the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) 85th Annual Transportation Research Board meeting in Washington, D.C. This the first year that students have been invited to present at the meeting.
Posted @ 3:04 PM
Hospital reaches out to hearing-impaired patients
In partnership with the Canadian Hearing Society (CHS), the Sudbury Regional Hospital is participating in a pilot project to improve service and communication with emergency patients who are deaf and communicate using sign language.
Posted @ 3:02 PM
November 22, 2005
Cochlear implant hearing devices
Fifteen years after cochlear implants were approved by the Food and Drug Administration, many people are just starting to learn about the devices and the sound they bring to those living in a world of silence.
Posted @ 3:14 PM
Sprint, Congress address deaf issuesiIn telecom
A couple recent news items highlighted the attention the telecommunications industry is giving its deaf and hard of hearing customers.
Posted @ 3:12 PM
30 deaf students suspended for joining ex-substitute's protest
About 30 Michigan School for the Deaf students were suspended from school Monday after walking out to join a protest calling for the removal of the school principal in favor of hiring a deaf principal.
Posted @ 3:11 PM
Hearing-impaired golfers have fun at unique clinic
Touring golf pro Rob Strano is trying to make sure that everyone has an equal chance of fun on the links. Strano was in Tucson last week at Starr Pass Golf Course, working with more than 50 deaf and hearing-impaired children to show them the fundamentals of golf.
Posted @ 3:08 PM
Pupils prove that being deaf doesn't mean stupid
Starting a new school can be a real challenge, especially if you are an "odd one out". Five years ago Bibi Tilly, Lerato Maake-ka Ncube, Mpho Dlukulu, Kishayla Naidoo and Nyeleti Nkwinika enrolled at Parktown School for Girls in Johannesburg.
Posted @ 3:07 PM
Music to their ears
Tom, now six, had just been fitted with hearing aids to combat the moderate to severe hearing loss that had gone undiagnosed until a few weeks before.
Posted @ 3:05 PM
November 21, 2005
Noisy workplaces can send your BP soaring
A new study by researchers at the University of Michigan has revealed that working in an atmosphere which has high decibels of sound can raise blood pressure levels. Sally Lusk, professor of the University of Michigan School of Nursing, who has studied noise's effects on hearing loss for years, said her latest project gives one more reason for concern.
Posted @ 2:24 PM
Confessions of a Closed-Captionista
I bought a new TV set that had the capacity to display closed captioning during one of the last Winter Olympics carried by CBS. I brought the set home to my New York apartment, hoisted it atop the bookshelves on which it had to fit, sat back and turned on the closed captioning, not because I needed it-I like my TV and music loud, but hearing loss doesn't set in at my age in my family-but just to make sure that I indeed could see it.
Posted @ 2:23 PM
Hearing experts warn of loud music
Having your children use headphones to listen to loud music may be good for you, but it could be really bad for them. Audiologists are seeing more ears damaged by loud noise at younger ages. Problems once common in 60-year-olds are increasingly affecting 45-year-olds. And while few children are in need of a hearing aid, they are showing signs of hearing loss not seen in previous generations.
Posted @ 2:22 PM
Hey, headphone users, listen up if you still can
Like lava lamps and Atari boxes, the iPod has become a technologic totem for the young. But the popular music players, with their tiny, burrowing earphones, may lead young users to their parents' newest generational icon: the hearing aid.
Posted @ 2:17 PM
Lakeland teens feel at home at school for deaf
It's a scenario many families have confronted. A teenager entrenched in high school faces the possibility of moving and starting anew at a different school. Debates between the parents and the student ensue, with the youth making his or her case in emotional terms.
Posted @ 2:13 PM
Agency helps deaf man learn to drive
One of the crowning accomplishments of Zachary Hancock’s life was getting his drivers license at age 20. Hancock’s quest for a license was complicated by the fact that he is totally deaf.
Posted @ 2:10 PM
Teaching babies to communicate without words
Rutherford resident Barbara Thumann once taught American Sign Language to young adults who were deaf and hard of hearing. Now, she offers sign language workshops in libraries across New Jersey to mothers and their hearing babies as young as 6 months.
Posted @ 2:08 PM
November 20, 2005
Troupe a chance for deaf dancers to strut
Six-year-old Julie Spigner sat before the TV set in 1995 watching the broadcast of the Miss America pageant. As one of the contestants danced a ballet, Julie noticed the young woman was wearing a hearing aid. The girl turned excitedly toward her mother.
Posted @ 2:20 PM
Parents, kids team up to learn sign language
It is fitting, perhaps, that Dana Hamilton on Saturday brought her daughter ToriBeth, 4, to a gathering at a Fremont church called New Hope.
Posted @ 2:03 PM
ASD offers deaf children new ways to learn
Chapter one of the famous C.S. Lewis book, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" was read with a sign language interpretation for the children, who ranged in age from 3 to 11.
Posted @ 2:00 PM
November 18, 2005
Improving fire safety for the deaf
Piercing beeps and bright flashes of light went off in the Jacob family's Spotsylvania County residence yesterday. It was the smoke detector. Marie Jacob and her three children weren't worried. The new visual smoke detectors were set off to ensure they worked.
Posted @ 8:16 AM
Making theatre accessible to deaf audiences and actors
Being disabled means one doesn't receive the same opportunities most people are guaranteed. But in terms of arts and culture that could change, thanks to development projects such as From the Hip: Khulumakahle (FTH:K) based in Cape Town.
Posted @ 8:15 AM
Men hunted for attack on deaf woman
A 36-year-old woman was attacked in St Martin's churchyard, off Micklegate, in the early hours of Sunday. Police have revealed that the victim was deaf and was unable to shout for help during her ordeal.
Posted @ 8:14 AM
Encourage deaf and dumb to lead satisfactory life
Service rendered at deaf and dumb school is in no way inferior to prayers offered at temples and churches, said General Manager (P and A) of VISL Jeevesh Mishra.
Posted @ 8:10 AM
November 17, 2005
Cochlear implants and transhumanism
How Becoming Part Computer Made Me More Human, spoke at the Institute. Below are my notes from the talk (which haven't been vetted by the author, so all caveats apply--- quotes are approximate, and you should assume that the overall shape of these notes reflects my attention and interpretation, not what Mike actually said or meant).
Posted @ 7:20 PM
Cochlear implants and music
For 30 years, cochlear implants have been giving the profoundly deaf the ability to hear. New technology is now allowing them to bring music back into their lives.
Posted @ 7:18 PM
Gallaudet University to award honorary degrees to Bernice Johnson Reagon and Ed Waterstreet at May 2006 Commencement
Bernice Reagon—singer, composer, producer, author and scholar—will be one of two honorary degree recipients at Gallaudet University’s Commencement on May 12, 2006. Ed Waterstreet, founder of Deaf West Theatre and the producer of the nationally-acclaimed play "Big River," will also be awarded an honorary degree.
Posted @ 7:17 PM
Keep it down, will ya?
It's not just at the heavy duty night spots that you have to scream to be heard by your companion; noise levels at malls and coffee shops, too, have now reached levels where it's impossible to have a conversation without shouting.
Posted @ 7:12 PM
Tests of cochlear implant delayed by animal rights activists
Objections from animal rights activists are delaying clinical trials of the low-cost indigenous cochlear implant developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, Surg. Vice-Admiral V K Singh said today.
Posted @ 7:10 PM
November 16, 2005
'Signed web' lets users talk to the hand
In a futuristic, Ryerson-influenced version of the World Wide Web, a student scours the internet for research and comes across a video file. The user clicks "play" and a movie starts to load. As the student watches and absorbs the information, a blue box pops up on the screen indicating a link -- to a tinier video clip sitting just under the main movie. Click -- another webpage and another video stream.
Posted @ 7:09 PM
Baby sign language
Ever try to talk to a fussy baby? Since she can't talk, figuring out what she wants can be tough. But Tanya Kraft has learned a great way to communicate with her 4 month old son Cayden, using sign language.
Posted @ 6:41 PM
A protein may be key to hearing
Scientists believe they have discovered the protein responsible for converting sound into an electrical response the brain can understand and act upon. "This is certainly one of the Holy Grails in the hearing world," said Peter Gillespie, a professor at Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland. "Everyone is excited, but there is still a lot that needs to be done to prove that this is the right protein."
Posted @ 8:36 AM
Consumer groups petition for IP captioning
The Federal Communications Commission says a petition for rulemaking – filed by 13 organizations representing consumer advocates and persons with hearing or speech disabilities – asks the regulator to mandate that carriers provide captioning for specialized telephone relay service (TRS) currently used by such citizens, including the addition of Internet Protocol (IP) offerings to the mandate.
Posted @ 8:34 AM
Signing helps babies communicate
Looking for a sign about what your fussing baby really wants? A growing number of parents are turning to sign language to help little ones communicate their wants and needs before they're able to talk.
Posted @ 8:31 AM
November 15, 2005
ELI Gives Hearing Aids Bluetooth Boost
Starkey Laboratories, a maker of hearing aid technologies, entered into the wireless Bluetooth space today as it unveiled the ELI, or Ear Level Instrument. To be available through Starkey’s family of companies, the ELI is what the company is calling the first ever device to turn hearing aids into wireless headsets.
Posted @ 8:33 AM
'Iqbal' inspires NCERT to introduce sign language
Filmmaker Subhash Ghai's critically acclaimed venture 'Iqbal', story of a deaf and mute youth who aspires to become a cricketer, has inspired the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to introduce sign language for Standard three students.
Posted @ 8:29 AM
Disabilities can result in steeper learning curve for some
For some Dartmouth students, attending class is not as simple as just showing up, taking notes and participating in discussion. Looking around the room, you may not notice that the student next to you isn't taking notes because he is physically incapable, or that he needed a few extra hours on last week's midterm because of a learning disability. Or maybe you do notice because there is an aide in the front of the class translating into American Sign Language.
Posted @ 8:27 AM
A sign of the times: ASL in sports
For Karen Karpik, signing the national anthem at a recent home football game was not only a great opportunity, but also something to add to her list of firsts - hearing the crowd at a football game cheering for her.
Posted @ 8:26 AM
November 14, 2005
Deaf students threaten to sue USU over claimed lack of interpreters
Deaf students are threatening to sue Utah State University, claiming a lack of sign-language interpreters limits the classes they can take. Utah State officials say they are trying to meet the needs of a dozen hearing-impaired students despite a statewide shortage of sign-language interpreters.
Posted @ 11:59 AM
Sign language classes booming
Teacher Christie Thieman doesn't mind if her foreign language students talk in class - just as long as they don't make a sound. Her students at Mason High School are expected to communicate using only the physical motions that make up American Sign Language.
Posted @ 11:55 AM
American Sign Language gains popularity as foreign language
Teacher Christie Thieman doesn’t mind if her foreign language students talk in class — just as long as they don’t make a sound. Her students at Mason High School are expected to communicate using only the physical motions that make up American Sign Language.
Posted @ 11:48 AM
Teaching babies sign language increasing in popularity
Baby sign language - it's the latest way Moms and Dads are communicating with their little ones. Research shows babies can learn to sign as early as 10-months old - well before they are able to talk.
Posted @ 11:42 AM
Not enough to sign
Hearing impaired students may sue USU over lack of class interpreters A lack of participants rather than an inability to pay is the reason behind a lawsuit that could be filed against Utah State University soon by 12 hearing impaired students on campus, according to Diane Baum, director of Utah State University’s Disability Center.
Posted @ 11:35 AM
November 13, 2005
CSD of Texas to expand hard of hearing services
The Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), Office for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (DHHS) has awarded a four-year contract to CSD’s San Antonio office to provide expanded services to area residents. The goal of the program is to reach out to the underserved hard of hearing, late deafened and oral deaf communities.
Posted @ 12:02 PM
Teen proves hearing implants really do work
It's hard for Kellie McCleery, 18, to describe how it felt to re-enter the world of sound. But 11 years ago, when doctors fired up the cochlear implant they had surgically placed under the skin behind her ear and neurons that lay dormant were called back into action, her world forever changed.
Posted @ 11:30 AM
November 12, 2005
Dealing with dizziness
Dear Annie: "Dizzy in New York," who suffers vertigo and ringing in the ears after eating citrus foods, may have migraine-associated vertigo and tinnitus. Such patients often have a history of headaches (which they may mistake as "sinus headaches"), but many have only inner ear symptoms.
Posted @ 2:31 PM
Surgery gives gift of hearing
Despite having a bevy of hearing aids and a phone so loud that the voice on the other end could be heard from the back yard, Donna Waldrum couldn't hear what she wants to the most: her great-grandchildren.
Posted @ 2:29 PM
Harassment case costs Bellevue schools $190,500
The school district here has agreed to pay a former elementary school pupil $190,500 to settle a lawsuit her family filed claiming that boys had sexually harassed her starting when she was 7.
Posted @ 2:27 PM
Seniors become all ears on fighting hearing loss
Don Jones already has trouble hearing what the actors are saying to each other on the television show "CSI: Miami." When his wife of 56 years, Adelheid, adds her commentary to the mix, forget it.
Posted @ 2:22 PM
Video helps open market for the deaf
When Gail Edwards works with her real estate clients -- lining up appointments, discussing bidding strategy or just checking in -- she's often talking to her TV screen.
Posted @ 2:20 PM
November 11, 2005
Hearing center shows up on reality-TV program
Fans of the new NBC reality-television show "Three Wishes" may want to catch a 9 p.m. episode tonight that involves a local company. Workers at the Portage-based HARC Mercantile Ltd., the marketing division of the Hearing Center of Kalamazoo, may appear on camera as the designers and installers of technology used to assist a hearing-impaired person.
Posted @ 2:25 PM
Illinois entrepreneur wins award from Microsoft
Michelle Tjelmeland was 20 before she realized she had a hearing loss. Two years later, she was deaf. Tjelmeland had been a reading teacher before the hearing loss forced her to quit. Then she had a child who showed signs of deafness, although many doctors dismissed her concerns.
Posted @ 10:23 AM
iPods may cause hearing loss
Audiologists are questioning if iPod users can suffer noise-induced hearing loss while listening to music on the devices. Much like concerns over the Sony Walkman, the constant pressure of loud music in the ear may cause hearing loss. But the iPod is different because the ear buds are placed inside the ear, not on it like typical headphones.
Posted @ 10:15 AM
CSD teams up With Deaf Seniors of America
Members of Deaf Seniors of America (DSA) voted to collaborate with CSD, a national nonprofit organization, to provide increased services to seniors who are deaf and hard of hearing. The decision came during DSA’s 8th biennial conference in San Francisco, Calif. on Aug. 31 through Sept. 5.
Posted @ 10:12 AM
Deaf students say USU doesn't provide interpreters for them
Twelve hearing-impaired students at Utah State University have filed a claim alleging the school's failure to provide them with interpreters violates the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Posted @ 10:10 AM
Sign language video relay service to host open house
The public will have a rare opportunity to view a video relay service (VRS) center in Omaha when Interpretek and CSD host an open house on Nov. 11. The event will feature demonstrations of VRS, which is used to facilitate telephone conversations between deaf and hearing callers via a remote sign language interpreter over the Internet.
Posted @ 10:09 AM
The first sounds
Little Sara is listening carefully, her head bobbing just above the table on which the cards are laid out. As the instructor engages her in conversation through questions and clues, Sara scans the table for the card that will be her answer.
Posted @ 10:09 AM
November 10, 2005
Red Cross unveils disaster preparedness plan for deaf
The Rochester chapter of the American Red Cross unveiled a new preparedness plan Thursday to help the deaf community cope during a disaster.
Posted @ 3:31 PM
Demand for closed captioners on the rise
Television news captioning is a lifeline for 28 million individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. But with a significant shortage of captioners, the hearing impaired community will not have access to vital information.
Posted @ 3:29 PM
For some, ear ringing can't be silenced
At least since he was 4 or 5 years old, Chris Dibkey has heard the muted ringing of bells in his ears. Even his mother said, "Oh, that's normal" when he first complained of the toneless Muzak no one else could hear.
Posted @ 3:25 PM
Gulf War veteran to offer customized tinnitus care in Arizona
Spectral Visualization and Development (SVD) Inc. announces that Edward Maznio, of ABBOTT Hearing Centers has joined the growing network of professionals offering tinnitus services using Quiescence, a diagnostic and treatment tool.
Posted @ 3:23 PM
Signs of the future for deaf Catholics
When Shawn Carey graduates from St. Patrick's Seminary, his mentors predict a long line of lapsed Catholics eager to confess to the new priest.
Posted @ 3:21 PM
Learning American Sign Language has benefits for kids who can hear
The parents, all of whom have a youngster enrolled at the Quad-Cities Child Development Center in Davenport, then practiced the signs themselves.
Posted @ 3:12 PM
NCERT to introduce sign language course
Inspired by Nagesh Kukunoor's new movie, Iqbal the NCERT has decided to introduce a course to teach sign language and Braille to junior school children across the country.
Posted @ 3:11 PM
Naad sounds change in silent world
While two-and-a-half-year-old Ishi Madan’s mother has come from Delhi to ‘bargain’ sound for her daughter, five-year-old Vedika Agarwal from Assam is here to know what sound sounds like.
Posted @ 3:10 PM
November 9, 2005
New digital hearing aids - Helping young people hear
If the music's too loud, then you're too old? Now experts say blasting tunes is causing people to lose their hearing earlier in life.
Posted @ 8:03 AM
New treatment for ear infections
For years, doctors have relied on drugs to cure ear infections, but now, there's a new alternative for ear pain that is just a quick "pop" away. Grady Dessert needs to see his family doctor. He may have an ear infection, and to Dr. Sarah Sams, it's a familiar story.
Posted @ 7:59 AM
Sounds of silence
Imagine having a hard time hearing. Imagine not having the ability to hear at all. According to the USU Disability Resource Center, there are approximately 15 students who are either deaf or hard of hearing currently enrolled at Utah State University. This number only represents those who have talked to the DRC.
Posted @ 7:57 AM
WSU to offer sign language degree
Wright State could soon be the first university in Ohio to offer a bachelor's degree in sign language interpreting. For people who are living with a deaf relatives or deaf friends the only degree available in the area is an associates degree from Sinclair.
Posted @ 7:54 AM
November 8, 2005
Baby sign language makes noise in West Virginia
There's a lot of chatter once a week at the Benedum Civic Center. "We play games. We sing songs. We learn signs," says Diana Hoskinson, a parenting counselor.
Posted @ 10:46 AM
Signs of the times
Looking for a sign about what your fussing, whining baby really wants? A growing number of parents are turning to sign language to help little ones communicate their wants and needs before they're able to talk.
Posted @ 10:43 AM
Best ways to teach babies sign language
Considering teaching your baby sign language? Pam Lile, an American Sign Language interpreter and educator who teaches baby sign language courses at Summa Health System in Akron, offers these tips:
Posted @ 10:42 AM
The AcceleGlove - Capturing hand gestures in virtual reality
A glove that translates the hand movements of sign language into written text or speech is just one on the incredible benefits that will flow from developments in VR technology like the AcceleGlove.
Posted @ 10:39 AM
Sound vs. Silence may divide those with hearing loss
No two adolescents with a significant hearing loss in the same class at the Maria H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf here face the very same challenges in coping with the hearing world. This has always been so, but the advent of the cochlear implant has changed the equation.
Posted @ 10:37 AM
Cochlear's Swedish know-how on show
As far as celebrity endorsements go, they don't get much better than this. The Australian hearing implant maker Cochlear will receive the royal treatment this week after a personal request from Her Majesty, Queen Silvia of Sweden, to inspect its technology.
Posted @ 10:35 AM
November 7, 2005
Films captioned for the deaf
Showcase Cinemas Buckland Hills in Manchester has started offering closed captions all day, everyday in one of its theaters. "Chicken Little" is playing there now, and multiplex owner National Amusements plans to use that auditorium almost exclusively for new releases.
Posted @ 6:52 AM
Sound of hope
Ravi Pandian, a 43-year-old geologist who lives in Highland Park, N.J., knows the exact moment he went deaf. An immigrant to the U.S. who grew up in India, he had suffered his first debilitating ear infection when he was six months old, and by 1991 had lost all hearing in his left ear. At 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 7, 2003, Pandian sensed something was wrong with his right ear, too. Within 30 minutes, his hearing was gone.
Posted @ 6:43 AM
School for deaf marks 25 years
Its not uncommon to sit down to lunch in a Fremont restaurant and see two teenagers at the next table moving their hands furiously, conversing in American Sign Language.
Posted @ 6:42 AM
Teaching the deaf to hear
Malina Lindell began studying for her job as a sign language interpreter for the deaf before she was a year old. Of course, at the time, she had no idea the impact her home environment would have on her future.
Posted @ 6:39 AM
See me, hear me
Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, began his career teaching "visible speech" to students at a Boston school for the deaf. And his "electrical speech machine" was designed, in part, with the hope of helping his mother and his wife -- both deaf -- to communicate more easily.
Posted @ 6:37 AM
November 6, 2005
Pay attention to signs of hearing loss
The businessman knew it was time to do something about his problem when he lost a $1 million contract. His problem had caused him to write a bid for a big project that didn't even come close to meeting the specifications. What was worse, however, was that the customer basically thought the businessman was an idiot after he made such a glaring error.
Posted @ 6:50 AM
Eircom operators to undergo hearing tests
Former and current telephone operators are undergoing hearing tests in preparation for litigation against Eircom for hearing damage allegedly sustained at work. A number of operators have already been diagnosed as suffering from hearing damage, possibly as a result of faulty or old equipment, and several are preparing to sue Eircom for damages.
Posted @ 6:48 AM
New hope for hearing impaired
There is some good news for the hearing impaired. An indigenous ear transplant technique being developed by DRDO might be an answer to many Indians with hearing impairments as it would bring down the cost of the implant by almost a tenth.
Posted @ 6:45 AM
Community breaks sound barriers
Karla Quinonez sleeps soundly as a team of construction workers noisily rips up the road in her quiet neighborhood in south Berkeley. But, soon after she awakes, she turns the stereo on, rifles through her CD selection for "anything but rock."
Posted @ 6:34 AM
World of deer hunting opened to deaf students
With the sun peeking over the horizon, Rochelle Bartholet, 14, scanned the wooded acreage for a buck grazing in the morning hours. It was her first hunt, and she had to rely more heavily on her eyes than most youth to spot a deer blending into the wilderness.
Posted @ 6:33 AM
DeafNation Expo brings together longtime friends
A trade show Saturday at the Dome Center in Henrietta drew more than 3,000 visitors, but the latest technologies, agencies and services that aid the deaf and hard of hearing weren't the only reason people came.
Posted @ 6:29 AM
November 5, 2005
Hospital tests first implantable hearing aid
For the millions of Americans wearing hearing aids, the technology has come a long way in terms of sound quality. But, NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported, there are still drawbacks, including that they are usually noticeable.
Posted @ 5:00 PM
Deaf Chemeketa student comes in crystal clear
Rachel Sparks' hands and face are her lifelines. She does not speak words, instead letting her lively expressions and constant movements do the talking for her.
Posted @ 4:58 PM
November 4, 2005
New sensor based on human organ is no tin ear
Researchers at the University of Michigan are developing a mechanical cochlea, a device that functions much like its human counterpart in the ear. Yet, because it is composed of micromachined parts and integrated circuits, the apparatus should be inexpensive to manufacture and could potentially capture a range of frequencies well beyond those of human hearing.
Posted @ 1:30 PM
College fair a first for Maine's deaf students
"Will my roommate be deaf?" "Will there be someone to help me take notes during lectures?" "Is there a support group for students who are deaf or hard of hearing?"
Posted @ 1:25 PM
Four-year-old undergoes live cochlear implant surgery at Delhi hospital
Four-and-half year-old Pooja Shah underwent a unique and technically difficult cochlear implant surgery at the Army's Research and Referral Hospital in New Delhi on Friday.
Posted @ 1:23 PM
Cause of vet's hearing loss falls on deaf ears
For 2 1/2 decades, Gerald Austin served in the Royal Canadian Navy. He sailed aboard destroyers, frigates, an aircraft carrier, a cruiser and a minesweeper. He saw combat in Korea, earned seven medals and watched three of his children follow in his footsteps and join the Armed Forces.
Posted @ 1:21 PM
Assistive Technology Centre for hearing-impaired ready next year
A new Assistive Technology Centre for the hearing-impaired will be ready by March next year. Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan announced this at the Samsung Digitall Hope 2005 Award ceremony.
Posted @ 1:20 PM
International deaf community and deaf sports news featured in new weekly columns on i711.Com
GoAmerica, Inc. today announced new, tailored content available to users of its i711.com relay service. A new column called "Crossing Borders," by Russian author Karina Chupina, focuses on the deaf and hard of hearing community outside the U. S. "Goal Posts," a new column authored by veteran sports writer Chris Kaftan, will feature news and insight on sports and recreation in the deaf community.
Posted @ 1:17 PM
Music for the Deaf
Original rock band Indigo Soul just released a new music video aimed at sharing their music and lyrics with deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences. The new video "A Long Time" is a representation of the band’s relationship ballad told in stunning visual vignettes and accompanied by American Sign Language throughout.
Posted @ 1:14 PM
Sign language improves mental abilities
Knowing Japanese may help you trade Yen on the Japanese stock market. Leading a safari tour in Kenya is much easier if you're well versed in Swahili.
Posted @ 1:13 PM
November 3, 2005
Baby, what's your sign?
A baby is howling furiously. Her mother proffers various objects — a cracker, some milk, a toy — but the child only becomes more enraged. She is old enough to shake her head "no" but not old enough to say what she wants. It's a scene as old as humanity itself.
Posted @ 10:48 AM
Sign language interpreter wants respect
Bartlett's fascination with signing started after he took a sign language class in high school. After about one month in class, Bartlett said he knew he would have something to do with sign language.
Posted @ 10:46 AM
Deafness no barrier for Handy
It's that kind of attitude that seems to have sustained the 67-year-old Henrico County woman, who has been deaf since birth. In addition to raising two sons, Handy -- who communicates by speaking, using sign language and reading lips -- earned two bachelor's degrees and a master's degree.
Posted @ 10:42 AM
Co-workers once teased combat veteran with hearing loss
Navy veteran Wayne James didn't seek charity when a downturn at a Huntsville aerospace company in 1995 claimed his job. And he never found what he sought during several years in retail sales in hometown Decatur: respect and sensitivity from employees and the public.
Posted @ 10:41 AM
Hearing tests often ignored in kids
Pediatricians may not be doing what they can to protect kids' hearing. New research finds pediatricians do not refer more than half of kids who fail hearing screenings for further testing.
Posted @ 10:39 AM
When hearing is lost, surgery may be treatment of choice
Special education, loss of productivity, and the need for medical treatments associated with hearing loss cost an estimated $30 billion a year, yet hearing loss seems well outside the embrace of mainstream medicine.
Posted @ 10:36 AM
Pediatricians, pay attention to hearing tests
Pediatricians are not referring more than half of the children who fail hearing screenings for further tests, according to new research by a Saint Louis University physician. The study was published in the October issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
Posted @ 10:33 AM
Eid joy for four deaf children
Four deaf Bahraini children were given the gift of sound for Eid thanks to a re-launched cochlear implant programme by the Health Ministry. The surgeries, costing BD12,000 for each child, were performed free of charge at the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC).
Posted @ 10:30 AM
November 2, 2005
School for the Deaf opens literacy lab
Middle school students at the Maryland School for the Deaf will have greater access to literacy thanks to a pair of grants from the Verizon Foundation.
Posted @ 6:35 AM
Normal noise often painful to autistic kids, study finds
Autistic and some gifted children are among the most severely affected by noise, a study in early education by Massey University has revealed.
Posted @ 6:29 AM
Ban on deaf drivers under review
A group of deaf people is asking the National Police Agency (NPA) to allow people with hearing impairments to obtain driver's licenses, claiming that safety is not an issue.
Posted @ 6:28 AM
CSDVRS goes 24/7, introduces new services
CSDVRS announced today that its national video relay service is now operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. CSD chose to implement around the clock service effective Nov. 1, even though the regulatory requirement to do so is not until Jan. 1, 2006.
Posted @ 6:27 AM
SouthernLINC Wireless offers hearing aid compatible phones
SouthernLINC Wireless, a Southern Company, today announced the availability of four Motorola phones that are hearing aid compatible. The phones include the compact and versatile i760, the sleek i836, the i870 with a built-in Mp3 player and the multi-functional i850 camera phone. Each phone complements telephone-compatible hearing aids.
Posted @ 6:25 AM
November 1, 2005
Many Americans can’t hear what is being said
For 10% of Americans the answer has nothing to do with cell-phone strength. The answer -- or lack of one -- signals severe hearing loss, an affliction that can sap so much of the enjoyment of living.
Posted @ 6:25 AM
Breaking the sound barrier
Mountain View High School student Dante Ramirez is tall, lean, athletic and quick to smile. He is also deaf, and although he communicates easily using American Sign Language, he hopes one day to verbalize his thoughts to his football and lacrosse teammates.
Posted @ 6:20 AM
Baby sign language not a new fad
If you thought the movie "Baby Geniuses" was unreal, think again. With the world of sign language, babies can begin communicating before they can talk.
Posted @ 6:19 AM
Teaching babies sign language increasing in popularity
Baby sign language - it's the latest way Moms and Dads are communicating with their little ones. Research shows babies can learn to sign as early as 10-months old - well before they are able to talk.
Posted @ 6:16 AM
Sign language for hearing infants and toddlers
Imagine that you are caring for a young child when they suddenly start screaming. For some parents, it doesn’t take much imagination to visualize this scenario! Are they hungry, wet, hurt, scared? The list goes on and on.
Posted @ 6:15 AM
Pennsylvania sues hearing aid dealers
Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has filed a civil lawsuit against two hearing aid businesses and their operators accused of refusing to return thousands of dollars to mostly older consumers who were sold hearing aids that were defective, did not fit properly and failed to provide the hearing benefits that were promised during the in-home sales presentations.
Posted @ 6:14 AM
Noise annoys autistic children
A new study of noise in early education has found children with autistic disorders are among the most severely affected of any group of children in early education. Some gifted children are also affected.
Posted @ 6:12 AM