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April 28, 2006
Researchers learn more about ways to regenerate the ear's hearing cells
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have made important progress in their ongoing effort to regenerate the inner ear's hair cells, which convert sound vibrations to nerve impulses. In an upcoming issue of Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences they report successfully creating a mouse model that allows them to build on earlier findings about the effect of deactivating a protein that controls the growth and division of hair cells.
Posted @ 10:45 AM
Aspirin may protect against antibiotic-induced hearing loss
A simple dose of aspirin may help protect the hearing of people undergoing treatment with a type of antibiotic commonly used around the world to treat diseases ranging from tuberculosis to cystic fibrosis, report University of Michigan researchers working with colleagues in China.
Posted @ 10:42 AM
Portable music players damage hearing
Hearing loss is starting younger for many individuals, and one of the main causes is portable music devices, such as Apple's iPod. Teenagers and young adults are experiencing temporary hearing loss, or tinnitus, and the main symptom is ringing in the ears.
Posted @ 10:40 AM
New invisible, implantable hearing aid
A new hearing technology allows those reluctant to grow old to stay hip with a new invisible design. An estimated 10-percent of the American population has hearing loss, that's 30 million people. Experts said only a fraction of that number wear hearing aids.
Posted @ 10:38 AM
Audiologists deliver aid to Mexico
Angi Martin-Prudent told her colleague Dr. Amanda Silberer she wasn't going to cry. The two audiologists were on a mission trip earlier this year in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, helping to fit more than 200 adults and children with hearing aids, and Martin-Prudent wanted to keep her emotions in check.
Posted @ 10:37 AM
Residential home real 'dutch treat'
During a conference in Holland some years ago we were invited to visit a residential home for retired deaf people just outside Amsterdam, which has been described as the most enlightened in the world.
Posted @ 10:35 AM
April 27, 2006
Turn up your iPod, turn down your hearing
Personal digital music is one of today’s hottest trends. Everywhere people sport the telltale white “earbuds” and cords of the biggest musical trend of all: the iPod. The iPod, made by Apple Corporation, is the flagship of personal music, the harbinger of a new generation of personal music listening, but the iPod generation may be losing their hearing, without even knowing it.
Posted @ 11:32 AM
Deaf murder accused pleads guilty to manslaughter
A partially deaf man accused of murder only pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter after he was informed by the judge hearing the case that he would not be further incarcerated for the crime.
Posted @ 11:26 AM
April 26, 2006
Implants help child emerge from silent world
When preschooler Kimberly Hunt was diagnosed as profoundly deaf two years ago, her mother made a choice that seemed like the only one: cochlear implants. The first of two $45,000 electronic sound-transmitting devices was sewn into Kimberly's skull last summer. Within weeks, the child who once didn't respond to slamming doors began to hear.
Posted @ 11:33 AM
Hearing aids to be paid for by Medicaid under budget agreement
The state will pay for hearing aids for poor people under the Medicaid program with an agreement reached by legislative budget writers as lawmakers try to close out their differences on how to spend state money in the coming year.
Posted @ 11:30 AM
Deaf pupils get pointers on saving money
Her hands moving rapidly in front of her, Kathy Shea introduced herself to the third- and fourth-graders seated around her. "Today, I'm here to teach you about saving your money," she said, simultaneously translating her words into sign language. "Savings means not spending your money all the time."
Posted @ 11:24 AM
McAllen program caters to deaf students
Gerry Charles laid the stack of photographs out on a table in his Brown Middle School classroom for the students to see. Charles, a world history, language arts and mathematics teacher, wanted to show the students the photographs of their recent Spring Break trip to Washington, D.C.
Posted @ 11:21 AM
April 18, 2006
Aubrie Lichty's brave new world reflection of community spirit
Aubrie Lichty’s twinkling brown eyes shined a little brighter the instant the tiny girl was fitted with her first set of hearing aids at Akron Children’s Hospital in February. “I’ll never forget that moment,” Aubrie’s mother, Krista Lichty, said. “As soon as the aids were in, she instantly became more alert, and I could absolutely tell she could hear my voice.”
Posted @ 7:51 AM
Scientists gather in Great Falls to explore future of inner ear research
McLaughlin Research Institute is bulging with brain power this week as some of the nation's top scientists studying hearing gather to discuss genetics and the development of the inner ear. Organized by MRI scientist Pin-Xian Xu, the three-day workshop that began Monday is exploring new research directions and the feasibility of building a program on auditory research in Montana.
Posted @ 7:50 AM
Hearing loss seminar set
Brazosport College will host a free half-day workshop on hearing loss from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. May 5 in its Community Education Center, 120 Circle Way, in the Four Corners Shopping Center. The workshop, “Hearing loss: empower yourself; know the possibilities,” is sponsored by the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, Office for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services.
Posted @ 7:48 AM
New club focuses on sign language
"Talk with your hands, listen with your eyes, and communicate with your hearts," was the quote written on the blackboard at the Ohio University Sign Language Club's kick-off meeting Thursday night. "We found that we are lacking a sign-language club at OU, so it's a good year to start one," said Liz Yazbek, one of the student organizers. "We want to help the sign-language program and bridge the gap between hearing and deaf people."
Posted @ 7:45 AM
Highlighting needs for ear protection
Employers and employees in Shropshire are being warned to take hearing damage more seriously now that the new Control of Noise at Work Regulations have come into effect. The regulations, which came into effect on April 6, provide improved protection for workers from one of Britain’s most serious occupational diseases, but many employers are unprepared for the stricter regime.
Posted @ 7:43 AM
Own club for the deaf in Sabah
The deaf community in Sabah have finally got their own club. Located at the YMCA KK premises in Damai here, it was officially opened on Sunday by Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun, who was represented by his assistant Jahid Jahim.
Posted @ 7:42 AM
A sign of things to come
Pupils across East Lancashire are set to be taught sign language in class in a pioneering bid to tackle prejudices about the deaf. The scheme, believed to be one of the first of its kind, is the brainchild of Debbie Reynolds, 31.
Posted @ 7:41 AM
April 17, 2006
Frames with baked-in hearing aids
Spent too many years shaking your head in front of guitar amps? Perhaps that's why your dinner companions have been accusing you of ''tuning them out." Hearing aids may be in your future. But prepare yourself, because as small and nearly invisible as they've become, hearing aids still have some serious limitations. The devices are effective at intensifying sounds within your environment, but they tend to do so indiscriminately. In a restaurant, clanging silverware may drown out your dinner date's dulcet tones.
Posted @ 5:59 AM
New hearing device designed to boost clarity and style
Leading hearing aid manufacturer Oticon introduced a groundbreaking hearing device designed to change forever the perception of hearing aids among the 50-plus generation. Called Oticon Delta, the miniature hearing device with its trendy triangular shape and stylish colours appears to have more in common with tiny high-tech communication devices or cool fashion accessories than traditional hearing aids.
Posted @ 5:53 AM
Helping children hear
Audiologists Ana Dausa and Robert Fifer bring a special sensitivity to the deaf and hearing-impaired children they work with at the Mailman Center for Child Development at the University of Miami. They both recognize that hearing loss affects not just children, but also their families.
Posted @ 5:45 AM
Silent language seeks recognition
Linsay Darnall Jr. sat watching the conversation earlier this month among members of the state Board of Education and state Department of Education staff. In the face and gestures of interpreter Tanya Wendel, he saw their caution about accepting a proposal to make American Sign Language an official world language for the state’s K-12 schools.
Posted @ 5:43 AM
Film fest highlights wider role for deaf
In the 2003 comedy "No Talking Allowed," an aspiring model frets to her friends that being deaf will get in the way of her landing jobs. Stop thinking like that, say her friends, who urge her to press on. It's a scene of pride and optimism. And according to Brenda Schertz, coordinator of the Maine Deaf Film & Video Festival, held Saturday, it's something that filmgoers might not have seen as recently as a decade ago.
Posted @ 5:42 AM
Deaf people´s place of fun
Cafe culture is very much alive in Vietnam - although many cafes are actually streetside tea shops. Locals gather at tea stalls across the city after work or school to chat, exchange news and to feel a part of a community. And now a new tea shop is providing that same sense of community, and employment, for a particular group of people -- the hearing impaired.
Posted @ 5:41 AM
April 16, 2006
Hearing loss association walks for solidarity
One long walk for the Hearing Loss Association of America, one giant trek forward for scores of hard-of-hearing Peninsula residents. For HLAA's Redwood City-based Peninsula chapter, next month's 5K Walk 4 Hearing in San Francisco — one of six participating cities — presents a new opportunity to raise funds and awareness for people silently struggling with one of the largest disabilities in the country.
Posted @ 5:51 AM
Woman charged with trying to solicit murder
A 34-year-old woman faces up to five years in prison after allegedly soliciting for the murder of her exboyfriend in Rochester Hills over custody of their daughter. Karin Elizabeth Martin of Sandusky was charged Friday in a Port Huron district court with attempted solicitation to commit murder, a five-year felony. A $15,000 cash bond was set.
Posted @ 5:39 AM
BNP propopes 'British Sign Language' lessons
One of Britain's smallest parties proposes the teaching of "British Sign Language" to primary school children, the abolition of any choice of school meals for pupils and teachers and the "reintroduction" of head lice checks in schools.
Posted @ 5:38 AM
Inspirational linebacker wins award
Look out there on the football field, and watch UK linebacker Terry Clayton. He will be wearing No. 48. He will be the one sacking the quarterback. He will be the one stuffing the run. And he will be the only player in Division I-A college football doing it all without the ability to hear.
Posted @ 5:35 AM
April 15, 2006
Titanium implant lets Shirley hear again
Suddenly, she can hear the stories again. My wife, Shirley, is a self-confident, warm and caring person, and she loved to be with others even after the sudden loss of hearing in her right ear 30 years ago. A few years ago, hearing in her left ear took a dramatic dip, probably because of chronic infections. The gradual loss may have been accelerated by a hearing aid that blocked air from entering the ear canal.
Posted @ 5:48 AM
Club aims to link speaking, signing
Emma Kreiner loves to talk with her hands. The freshman is one of many Ohio University students who came together to form a sign language club. With the mission of “building a bridge between those who can hear and those who can’t,” the club, which had its first meeting last night, hopes to encompass all types of people, regardless of their signing ability, Kreiner said.
Posted @ 5:37 AM
For deaf Kelso junior, life's a quiet drive
Dehne' O'Connor uses an ever-so-delicate stroke to chip the golf ball onto the green, where it slowly snakes along a downhill path and nestles less than a foot from the cup. There's a hint of a grin as the shy Kelso High School junior soaks in her accomplishment.
Posted @ 5:34 AM
St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf has firm grounding in Catholic tradition
The kindergartners were a little antsy but were eager to please their teacher. Incorporating a lesson about fruits and vegetables while teaching speech and language skills, Melissa Lund held up the picture and asked, "What is this one?" "Orange" a boy quickly answered.
Posted @ 5:33 AM
I hear ya, eh?
Anyone interested in a hot tip on how to make a lot of money without any risk? It's not my job to pass along financial advice, but in this instance I can't resist the urge. Invest in a hearing aid company, because the next generation is going deaf and they don't know it.
Posted @ 5:30 AM
April 14, 2006
Modern lifestyles are killer to the ears
Deafness is usually associated with the elderly - grandmothers fiddling with their hearing aid, bellowing at everyone to speak up. Yet, recent reports show that more and more sufferers are young and most are victims of incredible noise levels in clubs, concert halls, pubs, cinemas and even restaurants.
Posted @ 6:01 AM
Sound of silence
Alexis Knudtson hadn't spoken a word yet, but her parents weren't worried. After all, she was just 18 months old, so Bud and Gigi Knudtson figured she was just a late bloomer. There was nothing to make them think she wouldn't speak - or more to the point, that she couldn't hear others speak.
Posted @ 5:58 AM
Deaf couple worries: We can't hear sirens
Harriman - John and Andrea DeBold can check the weather on their pagers and send e-mail by minicomputer. Their door chimes with flashing lights. Closed captions scroll across their TV. But for all the gadgets that bring normalcy to this deaf Orange County couple, one remains frustratingly elusive: an Indian Point warning system.
Posted @ 5:57 AM | Comments (1)
Verizon Wireless offers new plan for deaf and hearing-impaired customers
Verizon Wireless, operator of the nation’s most reliable wireless network, has launched a new calling plan developed specifically for the deaf and hearing-impaired community. The Verizon Wireless Accessibility Plan gives users unlimited domestic text messaging (including instant messaging) with 100 monthly voice minutes for $39.99 monthly access with a one- or two-year customer agreement.
Posted @ 5:56 AM
Cochlear receives Medical Design Excellence Award for Nucleus Freedom Implant System
Cochlear today announced that it is the recipient of a 2006 Medical Design Excellence Award. The Medical Design Excellence Awards (MDEA) competition is the premier awards program for the medical technology community, recognizing the achievements of medical product manufacturers and the many people behind the scenes -- engineers, scientists, designers and clinicians -- who are responsible for the groundbreaking innovations that are changing the face of healthcare.
Posted @ 5:55 AM
High school teams vie for national title
It has come down to this. Ten teams go for one title. Gallaudet University presents the 10th annual National Academic Bowl for Deaf and Hard of Hearing High School Students, taking place April 22-25 in Washington, DC.
Posted @ 5:54 AM
Summer Camp for minority students with hearing loss at RIT
Deaf and hard-of-hearing African-American, Latino American, or Native American students who are entering 7th, 8th, or 9th grade can attend Steps to Success, a career exploration mini-camp August 4 – 6 at Rochester Institute of Technology.
Posted @ 5:53 AM
Siemens presents the first earwax protection system for hearing instruments
The “critical point” of custom hearing instruments has always been the opening through which the sound leaves the hearing aid. This opening may not be plugged however, due to its position, it is directly exposed to moisture or cerumen, which can find their way into the hearing aid and can damage the sensitive electronic systems.
Posted @ 5:52 AM
USM gears up for third Maine Deaf Film Festival
Not to be criticized by conventional standards, films by, for and of the deaf are potentially a credit to the boundless imagination of those who live in a world of silence (some would say sound-free). In this year's Maine Deaf Film Festival the range of technical quality of both the dramas and the comedies is from thoroughly professional to low-budget substandard efforts.
Posted @ 5:51 AM
Hearing-impaired may drive soon
Hearing-impaired people will be allowed to drive, possibly in two years, under certain conditions, the National Police Agency said Thursday. People who are hearing impaired have been asking to be licensed to drive to make it easier for them to participate in society. About 129,000 people in Japan are deaf, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
Posted @ 5:50 AM
April 13, 2006
Hearing-aid seller charged with felonies
The owner of a hearing-aid business ordered closed last fall faces two felony charges for allegedly filing false business records. Kathleen E. Marcie, 45, of Westford, was charged Monday with second-degree forgery and first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, according to the Otsego County sheriff’s department.
Posted @ 3:20 AM
Funding cuts threaten deaf theater groups
Federal cuts in funding for deaf cultural programs has left several U.S. deaf theater groups close to their final curtain call, it was reported Wednesday. The Department of Education was responsible for distributing about $2 million in grants annually for deaf cultural programs -- but the money has suddenly dried up, The New York Times reported.
Posted @ 3:11 AM
Student's deafness inspires sign language club
Ruthie Bickel and her friend Ashley Barr had trouble communicating, even though both Lebanon High School students understand English. Ruthie said she sits behind Ashley in homeroom, but the 17-year-old juniors might as well have been miles apart. Ashley is deaf, and Ruthie didn't know sign language.
Posted @ 3:10 AM
ASL poet combines unlikely themes with his hands
Described by L.A. Weekly as a performer “who incorporates the most elastic facial maneuvers this side of Robin Williams,” Peter Cook is regarded as one of the most talented American Sign Language (ASL) poets today. As an ASL poet, Cook, who is deaf, uses similarities in sign direction or quality of movement, hand configurations and facial expressions to “rhyme,” just as words with similar sounds and endings rhyme in poetry.
Posted @ 3:05 AM
Greenfield apartments for deaf seniors model for others
The developer of a Greenfield affordable residential community for seniors who are deaf, hard of hearing or blind and deaf is hoping to expand the concept in Wisconsin and nationwide. Water Tower View Apartments, 3983 S. Prairie Hill Lane, opened in September 2005 for residents aged 55 and older. It is believed to be the first such complex in the state.
Posted @ 3:05 AM
New wireless hearing aid set for launch
A young Cambridge company could be within only two months of launching a product which it hopes could revolutionise life for the nine million people in the UK that are hard of hearing. Auriplex, a start-up based at Cambridge Science Park, has employed wireless technology to develop a brand new kind of hearing aid – iEar – which it says addresses the myriad short-comings of existing technology.
Posted @ 3:00 AM
April 12, 2006
Local audiologists devote time, money to helping poor hear
Dr. Amanda Silberer and Angi Martin-Prudent spent this year’s Valentine’s Day in Mexico, but it was hardly a vacation. The two licensed audiologists and co-owners of the McDonough and Knox County Hearing Centers were fitting more than 200 adults and children with hearing aids in the center’s first hearing aid mission trip.
Posted @ 3:23 AM
Columbus Industries opens doors for hearing-impaired
Two Adams County men have a special reason to be proud of going to work each day. Joe Duffey and Roy Craft are both hearing impaired and are employed by Columbus Industries, thanks to vocational services provided through Shawnee Mental Health Center, Inc. (SMHC).
Posted @ 3:22 AM
Hearing loss signs
The chime of church bells, your favorite song on the radio, a baby's laugh... These are all sounds you'd miss if you couldn't hear. Unfortunately, live long enough and you're almost guaranteed to have some loss of hearing. Dr. Vernon Stensland, Sioux Valley Clinic ENT says, "In South Dakota, a lot of industrial farm type noise exposure. And as most South Dakotans get older, hearing loss because of aging is probably going to be the most common."
Posted @ 3:16 AM
Hearing aid that's cool with school
Youngsters with hearing difficulties are being given help to beat the bullies by fictional secondary school Grange Hill. Starkey Laboratories, a hearing aid manufacturer based in Stockport, has been given permission to include logos and pictures of characters from the children's drama series in the earpiece of their hearing aids.
Posted @ 3:15 AM
Actors sign their lines
The dress rehearsal was much like any other, with props being searched for, wardrobe malfunctions and scenery backdrops inexplicably rising and falling. "OK, guys, we're about to start," yelled an actress to the rest of the cast backstage at Olympia High School.
Posted @ 3:09 AM
Indiana Deaf players' smiles shine on diamond
Coach Rita Mowl had to explain to a player that she could overrun first on her way down the line but not when returning to the base on a throw from the outfield. One pitch floated over the catcher's head, the next zipped behind the hitter. The first baseman realized she'd grabbed the wrong glove -- they're all new -- after trying to catch a throw.
Posted @ 3:06 AM
Deaf woman sues schools for not providing signer
A deaf Brandon woman who wanted to take an adult education class on motorcycle riding is suing the Hillsborough County school district for not providing a sign language interpreter. "They are discriminating against me, which I felt is not right," Merrie Carol Paul said in an interview conducted through a telephone relay system.
Posted @ 3:04 AM
Annika Farris: a sign language success story
A lot of people may think, “Why would I teach my hearing child sign language? She’s not deaf.”
In the case of one local family there are many reasons why classes in American Sign Language (ASL) have helped. Helen Baggaley, a sign language instructor with Early Word Communications, said the main reason is that she doesn't just teach infants the signs and send them on their way.
Posted @ 3:02 AM
April 11, 2006
OU prof works to aid hearing
An OU professor is currently developing the world’s first total implantable hearing system. The device would be surgically implanted behind the ear and consist of three parts: a microphone and sound processor, a coil and a magnet implant.
Posted @ 5:22 AM
I can't hear you; I've got cheese in my ear
''I'm going to put on the soup." ''A Boy Scout troop at your age?" ''No, soup. For supper." ''You mean soup? Stop mumbling." ''I NEVER mumble. Soup, pea soup." 'I don't need to pee." And so it went. My wife would not wear her hearing aids, and it was the only thing in 14 years of Parkinson's care that made me cross. But after my wife passed away, I stopped wearing mine.
Posted @ 5:18 AM
Small batteries pose life-threatening risks
No one knows exactly how Natalie Fulton found the quarter-size battery in the trash can or when the buttonlike object wound up in her mouth. But her family will never forget what happened after they found out the battery had lodged itself in Natalie's esophagus and burned through to her trachea.
Posted @ 5:16 AM
National hearing aid supplier to return $350,000 to state medicaid program
HearUSA, Inc., a national hearing aid dispenser has agreed to repay $352,873 to the Massachusetts Medicaid Program (MassHealth) and other state agencies after reporting billing errors, Attorney General Tom Reilly announced today.
Posted @ 5:12 AM
Applying for a job with the Americans with Disabilities Act
Applying for a job is a challenging experience for most people. Now add disability to the mix. The Americans with Disabilities Act, however, tries to level the playing field. To be supported by the ADA, an applicant with a disability must otherwise meet the employer's requirements for the job, including education, training, prior employment experience and the like.
Posted @ 5:06 AM
Deaf mute made world pageant history
Deaf mute sportsman selected for national male pageant, Mister Singapore 2006. Is history being made? Perhaps for the first time in international male and female pageant history, a death mute sportsman has been admitted to the second round of Mister Singapore 2006 contest, the most prestigious annual male pageant in the country.
Posted @ 5:00 AM | Comments (1)
April 10, 2006
One killed, seven hurt when tree falls on deaf tourists
A century-old tree fell on a group of deaf tourists in central Italy on Sunday, killing a man and injuring seven people who were unable to hear a bus driver’s shout of alarm, police said. The Italian tourists had finished a day of sightseeing and were about to board a bus in a square outside the L’Aquila train station to return to their homes near Rome, police said.
Posted @ 4:46 AM | TrackBack (0)
Boy with new cochlear implant can talk and sing
My son Alex told me about his day recently. He played cars with Max and Aidan, sang the "Mr. Sun" song and danced—a typical day for a 2-year-old. His report, however, was anything but routine. It was the first real conversation we had ever had. Alex is hearing-impaired. Every word he utters is hard-won, but his battle got a lot easier a few months ago when he received a cochlear implant.
Posted @ 4:36 AM | TrackBack (0)
Headphones stir hearing-loss worries
Maybe your kids really can't hear you after all. More than half of high school students surveyed reported at least one symptom of hearing loss associated with the use of portable music players, like iPods and other MP3 players, in a poll by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Posted @ 4:35 AM | TrackBack (0)
Breaking a sound barrier
The Postal Service is launching a nationwide push to install videophone devices and services that will make it easier for its 4,000 deaf employees to communicate with their colleagues. The videophones, known as VP-100s and supported by Sorenson Video Relay Service, are being installed this month at post offices in Boston and Hartford that employ deaf workers.
Posted @ 4:29 AM | TrackBack (0)
He wants all to sign up for sign language
He has no radical ideas to bring out change in the world for hearing impaired people. But he has been trying to promote the ‘Sign Language’ as a major tool of ‘communication’ for the deaf.
Posted @ 4:27 AM | TrackBack (0)
April 9, 2006
Experts sound MP3 alarm to ‘Generation Deaf’
The age-old excuse “I can’t hear you, Mom!” may ring more and more true as Generation X transitions into Generation Deaf. Just give it a few years - and some serious hours of listening to music on an MP3 player at amped-up volumes, experts say.
Posted @ 4:31 AM | TrackBack (0)
Expo showcases latest technology for deaf community
The country's largest touring convention for the deaf stopped in Austin at the Palmer Events Center on Saturday. Deaf Nation showcased cutting-edge technology that closes the gap between the deaf community and a hearing world.
Posted @ 4:26 AM | TrackBack (0)
Audologist addresses De Queen Rotary Club
Hearing loss can be hereditary or it can be caused by health problems, but the sooner it is detected, the better the chances of restoring hearing, Audiologist Judy Coleman told De Queen Rotarians Monday.
Posted @ 4:25 AM | TrackBack (0)
Passion drives grit girl
Shruti Sinha is just another student of Cambridge Institute of Technology (CIT), but what sets her apart from her classmates is that despite being speech and hearing impaired, she passed her first semester from the institute with distinction.
Posted @ 1:19 AM
April 8, 2006
Facing facts and fears about hearing loss
If everyone is mumbling and your partner is complaining about the loud TV volume, perhaps your hearing isn't what it once was. Roughly one-third of Americans over age 60 and 40 percent to 50 percent of adults 75 and older have hearing loss. Even though it's common, some people are reluctant to deal with their hearing loss because of embarrassment or worry about seeming old.
Posted @ 1:16 AM
Computerized hearing aid helps improve hearing
Roughly one in 10 Americans, or 30 million people suffer from hearing loss. The American Academy of Audiology is holding its national convention this weekend in Minneapolis where experts are sharing the latest ways to help them all. The new developments are music to the ears of an industry that is poised to serve a generation of aging baby-boomers.
Posted @ 1:11 AM
Varibel, the glasses that hear
Today a new hearing aid in the form of a pair of glasses was unveiled. These hearing-glasses are called 'Varibel' and offer older people the chance to stay active longer - free from the aesthetically unpleasing and technologically limited traditional hearing aids. Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands originally developed the hearing-glasses. Varibel developed these glasses into a consumer product in partnership with Philips, Frame Holland, the design agencies MMID and Verhoeven, and others.
Posted @ 1:10 AM
Researchers use viruses to build batteries
Researchers trying to make tiny machines have turned to the power of nature, engineering a virus to attract metals and then using it to build minute wires for microscopic batteries. The resulting nanowires can be used in minuscule lithium ion battery electrodes, which in turn would be used to power very small machines, the researchers report in Friday's issue of the journal Science.
Posted @ 1:07 AM
Club to offer sign language classes
The Central Illinois American Sign Language Club has formed after two years of planning to help deaf and hearing-impaired people socialize and introduce the deaf culture. "We want to show off the deaf population and promote that we are the same as everyone else," said member Jackie Cole. "We also want to get hearing people to see who we (deaf people) are."
Posted @ 1:06 AM
Let their fingers do the talking
Pointing to a colorful flower, Tricia Campbell lifts her infant's soft, doughy hand, presses his fingers together and rapidly moves them from one side of his nose to the other as she sniffs loudly. ''Flower!'' she exclaims. Campbell repeats the gesture, sniffs and again says, ''Flower!''
Posted @ 1:04 AM
April 7, 2006
Tighter noise law compensation claim
Speculation that tighter legislation to protect workers from harmful occupational noise could spark a wave of new compensation claims for work-related hearing problems(1) when it comes into force this Thursday is not necessarily true, according to new research by UK health & safety experts Croner.
Posted @ 12:58 PM
CSD suspends more than 50 employees
Communication Services for the Deaf is laying off 54 of its employees. CSD’s Chief Executive Officer Ben Soukup and several other managers will continue to work without pay as they try to trim $250,000 from the non-profit's monthly budget.
Posted @ 1:03 AM
ASL club celebrates Deaf Awareness Day
The American Sign Language Club (ASL) will be celebrating UConn Deaf Awareness Day at the Student Union Theater from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. The free event will feature guest lecturers, entertainment and refreshments. According to Julie Berman, a 6th-semester communications disorders major and a coordinator of the event, Deaf Awareness Day began in 2004 to educate the university about deaf people.
Posted @ 1:01 AM
How to assist disabled, and build dignity, respect
A professionally dressed woman sat with a cup of coffee, waiting to board a plane. Suddenly, a passer-by dropped a quarter into the cup, splashing her. Why did this happen? It may have been that she was in a wheelchair. Ironically, she was an attorney for a major disability rights organization.
Posted @ 1:00 AM
Deaf students sue over fee for driver's ed interpreter
A group of deaf teenagers are suing five driving schools in central Minnesota, claiming the schools violated federal and state human rights laws by refusing to provide sign language interpreters. The teenagers' families, some of whom have spent thousands of dollars to hire their own interpreters, say they are seeking justice for all deaf kids.
Posted @ 12:59 AM