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July 29, 2008
Frogs Inspire Hearing Aid Idea
With a twitch of a muscle, the Chinese concave-eared torrent frog brushes off the sounds of thundering rivers, focusing on the one thing that really matters: the siren song of the opposite sex.
The males of this rare species are the only animal known to be able to turn a deaf ear to distracting noises while enhancing the calls of their own kind, according to a study published last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
Posted @ 5:52 AM
Marlee Matlin is eliminated from `Dancing With the Stars'
For the third consecutive week, a last-place finish has led to elimination on "Dancing With the Stars."
This week's celebrity casualty was Marlee Matlin, who came into Tuesday's results show with 21 out of 30 points. The actress, who is deaf, lost her timing at various points during her mambo Monday with professional partner Fabian Sanchez, and the judges took note.
Posted @ 5:47 AM
Deaf Rider Ashley Fiolek Inspires Others
The sounds of motorcycles ring out throughout the trees and the hills of Washougal this weekend — for most racing enthusiasts, anyway.
Ashley Fiolek, a 17-year-old who looks even younger, cannot hear a thing. And while that might be a disadvantage at times, she sure does not show it.
Fiolek, born deaf, is in first place in the points race midway through her first full season riding in the Women’s Motocross Association. Already, she has developed quite a following.
Posted @ 5:46 AM
A Breakthrough in Rapid Emergency Alerts for the Hearing Impaired
A series of tests by Twenty First Century Communications (TFCC) has confirmed that they are the first and only major hosted (Software as a Service, or SaaS) notification vendor to provide true TDD/TTY delivery of emergency notification and messages without pre-registration.
Twenty First Century's Universal Communications System is unique in that it can both detect TTY machines and deliver TTY messages, without the need of a relay operator.
Posted @ 5:45 AM
Signing, speech debate hinders recruitment of deaf teachers
School boards across Alberta say they need more teachers who are deaf to help the province's students with hearing impairments but the community is divided over what they should be learning.
There are about 200 deaf teachers working in Canada, but only six in Alberta.
"These deaf kids are our future. We need to be able to give them what they need," said Norma Jean Taylor, system principal for the deaf and hard of hearing at the Calgary Board of Education.
Posted @ 5:44 AM
Disability Rights Advocates Celebrate ADA with "Deaf Day"
The Center for Disability Rights kicked off its anniversary celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Tuesday with a "Deaf Day." The event brought presentations from vendors demonstrating technology and resources for the deaf, and discussions about deaf health.
Chris Hildebrandt is the director of advocacy for the Center for Disability Rights. He says Deaf Day, with its showcase of communications technologies for the deaf like video relay and interpretive typing commemorates the legislation that banned discrimination against people with disabilities.
Posted @ 5:43 AM
China updates Olympic website to serve blind, deaf
China has improved its official Olympic website to serve the blind and deaf, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) announced here on Wednesday.
Both the BOCOG website and the China Disabled Person's Federation (CDPF) website were updated to enable the blind, those with low vision and the deaf to get information.
Posted @ 5:41 AM
Deaf rugby team a first for University
Simon Mahony and his rugby union team won't hear the applause as they take the field tomorrow.
But the Lismore man will no doubt sport a smile of satisfaction as he leads the Southern Cross Deaf Rugby Union team out for their first ever match.
Posted @ 5:41 AM
Near miss for deaf students
It would have been a disaster had the canteen ceiling at the School for the Deaf in SS5 Kelana Jaya fell three minutes earlier.
Fortunately, the children finished their meal at the canteen and returned to class three minutes earlier when the asbestos ceiling came crashing down.
The incident, on Thursday (July 17), was the second such incident in the school within two years.
Posted @ 5:40 AM
Did You Hear the One About the Deaf Rabbi?
It's hard enough to be speak your native language when you're profoundly deaf, but 35-year-old Darby Leigh took it the extra step when he learned Hebrew well enough to become a rabbi.
Last week, he signed on as the new assistant rabbi at B'nai Keshet, Montclair's Reconstructionist synagogue. This YouTube video gives a glimpse of what it took.
Before studying to become a rabbi, Leigh, the child of deaf parents, worked in theater. From the B'nai Keshet news release:
Posted @ 5:39 AM
Implanted Computer Chip Helps Deaf to Hear
A five-year-old girl who has been unable to hear sounds since she was born has been helped by a team of Korean and Italian researchers.
The girl's brain functions normally but what has been damaged is the nerve that transmits sound signals from the ear to a part of the brain called the aural centrum.
Posted @ 5:38 AM
Don’t get frustrated, I’m deaf
About three years ago, a fire truck went speeding through a red light in Buffalo en route to an emergency. The truck hit a vehicle that was passing through the intersection. The deaf couple inside the vehicle never heard the truck coming. Paramedics arrived on scene but were unable to communicate with the couple because they had no idea that the two were deaf.
In a similar incident, police pulled over a man for speeding a couple years ago in Manchester. The man tried to hint to the officer that he was deaf, but the officer did not understand. The officer became frustrated with the man for not cooperating and handcuffed him.
Posted @ 5:36 AM
July 22, 2008
New Hearing Aid Technology Passes The Restaurant Noise Test
The sound of a noisy Chicago restaurant during the breakfast rush -- the clang of plates and silverware and the clamor of many voices -- was the crucial test of new hearing aid technology in a study conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
The study showed that the hearing aids worked well in a noisy environment -- the most challenging test for a hearing aid. But the patients wearing the devices didn't need to fly from St. Louis to Chicago to participate in the test. Instead, the restaurant came to the clinic of Michael Valente, Ph.D., director of the Division of Adult Audiology in the Department of Otolaryngology at the School of Medicine. Or at least its sounds did.
Posted @ 12:10 AM
Hearing Test May Measure Cognitive Decline
Central auditory testing may act as an early screen for cognitive decline in the elderly, researchers here said.
In a study of 313 patients at least 71 years old, several measures of central auditory processing were impaired in those diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and, to a lesser extent, those with memory impairment but not meeting criteria for Alzheimer's, reported George A. Gates, M.D., of the University of Washington, and colleagues in the July issue of Archives of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery.
Central auditory processing is the brain function involved in interpreting complex sounds such as speech.
Posted @ 12:07 AM
Hearing birds chirp is music to my ears
Single-sided deafness is a type of hearing loss where there is no functional hearing ability in one ear. This condition can cause many problems such as headaches, irritability, tinnitus, difficulty distinguishing where sounds are coming from (resulting in possible safety issues) and decreased attention during conversation.
All of this can lead to social isolation and even depression. If you are feeling this way, there is a new technology, the Baha implant, that can restore your hearing. You can avoid years of grief and unnecessary surgeries.
I gradually lost my hearing when I was in my 30s. Initially, I had hearing loss in both ears. The first procedure that was used, stapedectomy, was done on both ears. The stapes bone was removed and wire was inserted to vibrate the sound. The surgery worked for years, until a car accident knocked the wire off.
Posted @ 12:06 AM
Advanced Bionics Settles Financial Suit With FDA
Advanced Bionics has agreed to settle an administrative complaint arising from a disagreement with the FDA.
The FDA asserted that Advanced Bionics should have made a formal submission five years ago before using a second vendor for a particular component in its cochlear implant system.
The component, called a feedthru, contained a hidden weakness that allowed a very slow leak of water molecules into the implanted devices containing this vendor's feedthru's while blocking the passage of much smaller helium and nitrogen gases.
Posted @ 12:05 AM
Hearing Aid Mistaken for Bluetooth Headset Stolen
A young boy and his mother were having lunch at a McDonalds when someone suddenly stole the boy's hearing aid.
Three-year-old Jose Franco still doesn't understand why his world went silent. He was born deaf and relies on a Cochlear implant to hear. Last week, while playing at a Los Angeles McDonalds, two teenage boys stole the external portion of the device called The Speech Processor.
"Suddenly someone came from behind and took his implant off his head," said Jose's mother Hilda Giron.
Posted @ 12:04 AM
Romanian Girl Gets Cochlear Implant
Francesca Burcea was born with normal hearing 3-1/2 years ago in her native Romania. She had started to say a few words when she contracted meningitis at 18 months. It spared her life but took her hearing. Doctors aren't sure why the disease can have that complication. It could be the disease process itself, the high fevers or even the life-saving medicines that doctors need to prescribe.
Francesca's father called his sister, Kristina Bigu in the St. Louis area to ask if there was anything she knew of that could help. She asked St. Louis audiologist, Stanton Jones and he suggested a cochlear implant. They are not available in Romania, so Kristina appealed to Dr. Jones for help. That got the ball rolling.
Posted @ 12:03 AM
July 21, 2008
Bill aims to inform about deaf, blind school choice
Students from across the state attend the CSB and the CSD, including many from rural districts where there are insufficient resources to provide adequate services to deaf and blind students.
Currently, parents and guardians of disabled children are given a notice of procedural safeguards that provides them with an overview of their educational rights. The notice must be given to parents the first time their child is referred for a special education assessment.
Under Torrico's bill, the notice would include information regarding the School for the Blind and the School for the Deaf.
The Assembly also voted 64-0 to approve AB 2604, a Torrico bill that encourages cities and counties to defer the collection of development impact fees to the close of escrow, with the exception of school impact fees.
Posted @ 11:58 PM
What's it like to be deaf?
The learning station was about being deaf, and one little girl wanted to know how deaf people learn to talk.
The teacher, 26-year-old Mary Ryan, a certified teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing, told the child that to learn to speak, deaf people feel the throats of their teachers while they are speaking. They also watch their teachers lips as they talk and learn to imitate sounds.
The child was attending Ability Awareness Day on June 27 in Elk Grove, a collaboration of the Northwest Special Recreation Association (NWSRA) and Elk Grove Park District day camps. The goal was to provide campers with training on the challenges people with various disabilities face.
Posted @ 11:55 PM
Deaf woman sues over McDonald's snub
A deaf woman is suing McDonald's - because she reckons workers refused to let her order at a drive-through window.
Karen Tumeh of Lincoln, Nebraska, says workers insisted she either order at the electronic speaker along the drive-through lane or come inside to get her grub.
Tumeh wears a hearing aid but still cannot hear while using the drive-through ordering box.
Posted @ 11:54 PM
Students learn sign language for hi-tech link with deaf school
They've already mastered French, Spanish, German and even Mandarin. And now pupils at an Exeter school are using their skills to speak in sign language.
Students at St Peter's Church of England School are using video conferencing to communicate with youngsters from the Royal Academy for the Deaf, in Topsham Road.
The scheme started this term and teachers say it has benefited children from both schools.
Pupils at St Peter's, a specialist language college, already use video conferencing to speak to students in Germany.
Posted @ 11:53 PM
Developer says he hasn't given up on Homes for the Deaf
A developer has withdrawn his plan to build senior condominiums in the landmark Victorian mansion owned by the New England Homes for the Deaf.
Although his plan ran afoul of zoning rules, Gordon Thomson of The Thomson Companies of Danvers is vowing to someday redevelop the Water Street landmark, which still has windows boarded up from the Danversport chemical plant blast more than 18 months ago.
"We now have to redirect our efforts," said Thomson, who declined Monday to elaborate, saying more should be known in 30 days. He is looking at other uses for the property.
Posted @ 11:53 PM
Lack of interpreters halts deaf man's dream
A severe shortage of sign language interpreters in Christchurch means a deaf student has to put his dream of training as a mechanic on hold.
Marlin Flanagan, 20, wanted to enrol in a Certificate in Motor Industry programme at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT), starting today.
The polytech has estimated the cost of interpreters and note takers to assist him in his studies to be more than $60,000.
Posted @ 11:51 PM
Briton Rosanna Mazzocchio wins Miss Deaf World 2008 in Prague
Rosanna Mazzocchio, 19, from Britain became Miss Deaf World 2008 at a beauty contest staged in Prague Saturday, followed by Czech Michaela Theimerova, 21, and Yulina Arslan, 19, from Russia, contest director Josef Uhlir has said.
Sixteen young women from various countries competed in the finals for the eighth Miss Deaf title in history.
German Jasmin Katzberg, 22, was voted Miss Sympathy.
Posted @ 11:50 PM
Former CSDR Teacher Sentenced in Molestation Case
A former California School for the Deaf Riverside teacher was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to molesting two girls.
Daniel Ray Metroka has been in jail since his arrest on June 30, 2007. On that day, Metroka and his wife were baby-sitting the two girls, 5 and 7 years old.
"There are no words that truly describe the betrayal we feel," stated a letter from their parents read by Deputy District Attorney Kelli Catlett. " ... Dan stole our children's innocence forever."
In the letter, the parents requested that he identify any other victims who may be deaf and have trouble communicating.
Posted @ 11:49 PM
Island woman finds her true voice
Every year, thousands of young people go to college to discover who they are and who they want to be.
For Staten Islander Lakshmi "Sasha" Ponappa, self-realization meant finding her true voice -- which she accomplished without being able to hear others speak.
Ms. Ponappa, born deaf, recently received her master's degree in social work from Gallaudet University in Washington, a renowned school for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.
Posted @ 11:48 PM
Solar Sound Support
When Howard Weinstein went to Botswana in 2001, his goal was to build a company that could produce affordable hearing aids for Africans. Talk about chutzpah.
"I didn't know a decibel from Tinkerbell," jokes Weinstein 57. But he knew his life needed a new direction.
In the 1990s, Weinstein was one of those king-of-the-hill business execs in Montreal. He had sold his plumbing manufacturing business to a multinational firm, which retained him as president. He had a fancy home in the city, and a gorgeous lakefront retreat in the country.
Posted @ 11:47 PM
July 11, 2008
Deaf Exposition: They Have Cancelled Our Contract
Al Lepre, founder and Executive Director of American Deaf Exposition announced today that the South Street Seaport Deaf Exposition, previously scheduled for August 17, 2008 will not go as planned.
"I am saddened that our contract was cancelled and that we have not been able to resolve this problem in time to hold the South Street Seaport Deaf Exposition this year," said Lepre, a recipient of an award for his leadership in the deaf community by NYC Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. "This event is terribly important to the deaf community. Each year, it brings together over 5,000 deaf people. Like no other event in the northeast, it brings deaf people together, introduces them to the latest developments in technology and promote deaf culture."
Posted @ 11:50 AM
July 8, 2008
Mexican Children Receive Free Hearing Aids
A group of impoverished children in Mexico are hearing for the first time, thanks to a group from the Hill Country’s NewSound Hearing Aid Centers.
The group of 11 volunteers traveled to the Mexican cities of Monterrey, San Luis and Cuidad Victoria last month to provide free hearing aides.
“There is an overwhelming sense of privilege to be a part of this effort,” said Kim Johnson, spokeswoman for NewSound. “It was like having a front-row seat to witnessing lives changed; the children arrive unable to hear, and they leave hearing.”
NewSound organized the annual project with the help of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps impoverished children receive hearing aides.
Posted @ 9:06 AM
Tinnitus Patients Have a Friend in Zebrafish
Professor Ernest Moore hasn't named the zebrafish in his Northwestern University laboratory, where he researches drugs for tinnitus (ringing of the ears). But if he did, he says, he would name his favorite one Rose, after one of his mentors.
"Professor Rose not only trained me in audiology, but taught me not to expect hearing problems to get a lot of attention or funding," recalled Moore. "When you have hearing problems, you're not bleeding. You look just fine. It is a widespread but hidden problem."
Moore should know. He has tinnitus himself, he says, thanks to his childhood hunting expeditions and his years in the military leading to too many guns fired too close to his ears.
Posted @ 9:05 AM
Sudden Hearing Loss May Be a Warning of Stroke
Compared with control subjects, patients who had sudden loss of hearing had a 1.64-fold greater risk for stroke during a 5-year period, after adjustment for confounding factors, in a preliminary study from Taiwan, published in the June 26 Online First issue of Stroke.
Using data from a national database, the investigators compared the incidence of stroke during a 5-year period among 1423 patients hospitalized for an acute episode of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) vs 5692 patients who had been hospitalized for an appendectomy (a surrogate for the general population).
"We suggest that SSNHL patients, in particular those with other vascular conditions or elderly patients, should undergo a comprehensive hematologic and neurological examination to help clinicians identify those who are potentially at risk for stroke in the near future," the group, led by Herng-Ching Lin, PhD, at Taipei Medical University, in Taipei, Taiwan, writes.
Posted @ 9:01 AM
Utah Parents of deaf and blind students plan to rally
With 45 days until school starts, parents of some children who attend the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind are unhappy about their children being shuttled every year from one school to another.
A couple of them are taking their concerns to a rally tomorrow at the state Capitol.
There is a building for this group of children, and there is funding for this school year. But these parents say that many young children with disabilities have faced the question of "where?" for a decade now.
Posted @ 9:00 AM
Deaf children find rewarding work at Six Flags
Six Flags guests can hear six international languages spoken by All American Cafe employees this summer — and see one signed.
Morgan Campbell and Laura Lower, both 16 and of Arlington, are two of 11 deaf employees on staff. Five days a week, they don highlighter-yellow shirts and prepare hamburger vegetables and condiments at the restaurant alongside peers who can hear. Campbell and Lower, students at the Texas School for the Deaf, communicate with each other through American Sign Language.
Posted @ 8:59 AM
Transition Workshop Scheduled for Deaf Teens and Their Parents
Deaf Initiatives will host its 6th biennial workshop "Making a Difference with Your Future" on September 12, 13 and 14, 2008 at the Columbus Marriott Airport. This transition workshop is for deaf and hard of hearing high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors and their parents/guardian from the state of Ohio.
There is not cost for the workshop, including hotel accommodations and meals for those students who qualify. The workshop will focus on the students' self-awareness, development and career awareness and how to begin preparing for the future. Transition from school to work or post secondary education will be addressed at the workshop, helping parents and students identify the best path to success.
Posted @ 8:58 AM
Musical frequencies turned into tactile sensations for deaf
For Ellen Hibbard music has never really meant very much.
Deaf from birth, she would only be able to experience a tune by placing her hands on a flat wooden surface near the stereo or radio, or directly on the amplifier.
But now that's all changed. And for the first time she has an understanding of why people love music - be it rock and roll, jazz or classical.
Posted @ 8:57 AM
The President's Got A New Aid
Bill Clinton, the first U.S. President ever raised on rock and roll, has earned a related distinction: last week, at the age of 51, he became the youngest commander in chief ever outfitted with dual hearing aids. Clinton's physicians found him in ""excellent overall health'' during a six-hour physical last Friday. But tests showed a significant loss of high-frequency hearing. Before heading home, the president was fitted for a pair of small, CIC (""completely in canal'') devices, which he'll be able to use as needed. His condition is ""not anything like profound deafness,'' according to his audiologist, Dr. James Sun. But it's not a trivial concern. Millions of Americans are at risk of noise-induced hearing loss--and as people of Clinton's generation drift into their 50s, more and more will feel his pain.
Posted @ 8:55 AM
Miss Deaf Texas stresses need for better education
Miss Deaf Texas can't accept that the average deaf high school graduate only reads at a fourth-grade level, and her quest for better education for the hard of hearing soon could have a national audience.
"It starts by better educating parents so they won't be frightened or indifferent," said Katherine "Katie" Deshea Murch, 22.
"Rarely are hearing parents excited about having a deaf child. Most feel numb and lost and believe it's their fault. Children feel this," she said, placing her hand over her heart.
Posted @ 8:55 AM
Mum cleared of beating deaf tot
A 34-year-old mum from Tilehurst who denied assaulting her deaf toddler by beating him has been acquitted.
The mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was accused of dragging her three-year-old son across a road and then kicking him three times after a row with her ex-boyfriend – the boy’s father – outside his flat, Reading Magistrates’ Court heard on Friday, May 23.
Posted @ 8:54 AM
Deaf native of Ghana fulfills dream to be citizen
Any time he got a break from his job cleaning the fourth floor at the Nassau County Supreme Court, Joe Sarpong would duck into a closet and study a notebook.
"How many amendments are there to the Constitution?" he would ask himself, or, "How many voting members are in the House of Representatives?"
Sarpong, 36, who was born in Ghana, had a lifelong dream: to become a United States citizen. But a taxing job and a long commute from the Bronx were the least of his obstacles.
Posted @ 8:51 AM
July 1, 2008
Deaf Social Network
The leading deaf social network on the Web was recently upgraded with extra features at www.TagDeaf.com. TagDeaf offers free registration and helps connect deaf, hard of hearing, and any interested hearing parties.
Members of TagDeaf.com are offered a multitude of features with their free registration, including picture sharing, blogs, videos, forums, classifieds, instant messaging, groups, and polls. The simple design and feature set are reminiscent of social networks such as Myspace.com, but with a dedication to the hearing impaired community worldwide. Members of the social network also have the ability to invite others to the site, and search for or browse members with similar interests to help them connect with each other.
Posted @ 8:12 AM
New Device May Alleviate Tinnitus
Judy Brivchik of Lancaster doesn't have a day of silence. As a tinnitus sufferer, the chirping sound of crickets in her ears is constant; she can't escape it.
She has tried conventional and drug-therapy methods to deal with the disease which, according to the American Tinnitus Foundation, affects more than 50 million Americans.
The sounds tinnitus sufferers hear range from ringing to a low hum to a shrill tone — constantly for some; for others, just when things are quiet and they are not distracted by other things. Its causes are just as varied. Some develop tinnitus after being exposed to a loud noise, for others it could be the result of a medical condition and yet for others, there is no reason. Stress and fatigue can worsen the condition.
Posted @ 8:11 AM
Local Doctors Test New Hearing Aid
A surgically implanted hearing aid that stays under your skin is being put to the test in the Bay Area. It could drastically change the way the hearing impaired lead their lives.
A new, invisible hearing aid being tested in the Bay Area could soon change thousands of lives.
David Steele is an avid swimmer and kayaker. But there's something he can never forget when he hits the water -- taking out his hearing aids.
Posted @ 8:09 AM