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July 29, 2009
Swimmer uses hearing impairment to his advantage
Marcus Titus' second place finish in the 100 meter breast stroke made quite a noise during the Wildcats' run to the National Championship two years ago.
Being deaf, though, Titus can't hear a noise without the assistance of hearing aid. "I don't know how to explain," head UofA Swimming Coach Frank Busch said. "He just loves to compete."
Titus says not beaing able to hear is not actuall an advantage when it comes to racing.
Posted @ 3:00 AM
Fine Tuning for Hearing Impaired
More than 36 million Americans suffer from hearing loss. Only heart disease and diabetes impact more people. Traditionally, hearing implants and other devices were one-size-fits-all. A team of researchers found a way to customize hearing devices -- opening up a whole new world for the hearing impaired.
Judy Martin has only recently been able to enjoy the sweet sounds of the baby birds in her yard.
"All of a sudden, I heard all this little chattering again," Martin said. "It was astounding."
Posted @ 2:59 AM
July 27, 2009
Should Deafness/HOH Be Mentioned on Resumes?
I have always thought that it would not be a wise choice to list my hearing impairment on my resume because I thought that as soon as they were to see it they'd chuck my resume in the garbage and not bother giving me a chance, but if they saw me in person they would realize that the fact that I am hard of hearing would have no effect on my job performance.
However, JClarke brought up some good points when he disagreed with my thinking. So I am wondering if maybe part of the reason why I am unable to possess a summer job is due to the fact that I am not owning up to my hearing problem to a possible employer and I am leaving them in the dark, not educating them about something that they have very little knowledge about and maybe that could be a big reason for my current unemployment. So, I am thinking about adding it to my resume.
Posted @ 7:43 PM
How Noise And Nervous System Get In Way Of Reading Skills
A child's brain has to work overtime in a noisy classroom to do its typical but very important job of distinguishing sounds whose subtle differences are key to success with language and reading.
But that simply is too much to ask of the nervous system of a subset of poor readers whose hearing is fine, but whose brains have trouble differentiating the "ba," "da" and "ga" sounds in a noisy environment, according to a new Northwestern University study.
Posted @ 7:40 PM
Hearing Manipulated By Electronics
An implanted electronic ion pump in organic material can be used to carry signals to specific cells in the nervous system and in this way treat various illnesses. In a unique study, researchers at Linköping University (LiU) and Karolinska Institutet (KI) have used the pumps to successfully manipulate the hearing in laboratory animals.
The technique which is described in an article in the journal Nature Materials represents a breakthrough for the machine-to-brain interface, with opportunities for greater symbiosis between electronics and biological systems.
Posted @ 7:37 PM
Hearing implants an option for seniors
Cochlear implants are electronic devices that can actually help kids born deaf to hear. But now they can also turn on sound for seniors with age-related hearing loss. "I was able to hear birds singing for the first time in many, many years and that was a very dramatic thing," says Roger Kane.
Roger is a 73-year-old retired pediatrician who opted for a cochlear implant after his hearing aids lost their zing. There are many seniors like him, but doctors often hesitate to refer them for the implants because of the surgery. "There's this perception that the elderly are too frail, they can't undergo anesthesia, because they'll have complications where there's a heart attack or they'll die," says Dr. Anil Lalwani.
Posted @ 7:36 PM
Gallaudet Offers Summer Camp for Hearing-impaired Kids
For children who're deaf or hard of hearing, Gallaudet University is running a summer camp that's music to parents' ears: helping hearing-impaired children learn to speak through play.
Playtime for 4-year old Sarah and 3-year old Maya is actually a lesson in disguise.
"Maya has a Cochlear implant on her right ear and she has a hearing aid on her left ear," said Lisa Crohe, Maya's mother.
Posted @ 7:36 PM
Amy Winehouse, Lindsay Lohan pose for hearing campaign
Amy Winehouse and Lindsay Lohan have posed for photographer Bryan Adams to raise awareness about the significance of hearing. The photo-shoot was part of the campaign 'Hear the World' by audio technology developers Phonak to make people realise the value of their sense of hearing and prevent hearing loss.
Among other stars who posed are Dave Stewart, Moby, Smokey Robinson, Michael Buble, Rod Stewart, Common and Queen Latifah, Contactmusic reports.
Posted @ 7:34 PM
Here's how to get money's worth with hearing aids
Consumer Reports says buying a hearing aid can be as overwhelming as buying a used car. To make the process easier, they followed a dozen patients for six months, surveyed 1,100 more, and then lab-tested dozens of devices.
Ken Franklin was one of the volunteers who helped Consumer Reports assess what it’s like shopping for hearing aids.
Franklin got a hearing aid about three years ago. “My family kept after me time after time, 'Dad, Ken, please, we're tired of repeating everything we say,'" he recalled.
Posted @ 7:32 PM
Feds probe Viable video relay company
The Rockville headquarters of Viable Inc., which provides video interpreting services for hearing-impaired people, was visited by federal investigators (FBI) recently, and the company is "cooperating fully" with investigators, a Viable spokesman said.
Glenn Lockhart said in an e-mail Saturday that federal investigators visited the company's headquarters in June. He referred specific questions to company attorney Timothy Sullivan, who did not return calls seeking comment on the reason for the investigation Monday.
Posted @ 7:29 PM
Woman hit by train in Kenner dies
A 58-year-old woman was killed Saturday evening when a train struck her at Kenner Avenue and Taylor Street, Kenner police said.
The train was traveling eastbound when it hit the woman on the tracks shortly after 7 p.m.
The woman, who was deaf, died at the scene, police spokesman Brian McGregor said. Her identity was not immediately released.
Posted @ 7:27 PM
Teen saves deaf parents in storm
If not for their 15-year-old daughter, Azizan Ahmad, his wife Bashah Bahari and their 11-day-old son may have been seriously injured, or worse.
The couple were sleeping blissfully unaware that a storm had ripped away the roof of their home in Kampung Sri Muda, early yesterday.
Blissfully unaware because they are both deaf and mute.
Posted @ 7:26 PM
Implants incite sound debate for the deaf
As an infant, a cochlear implant gave Sarah Keenan, now 10, the gift of hearing, but the decision gave her parents much angst.
"I agonised that the surgery might be telling her she wasn't good enough if she couldn't hear," said her mother, Roz Keenan. "Would it change her identity as she got older? I felt that, in the end, if I gave it to her she could choose later (how to communicate)." Sarah can now do both — talk and sign.
Posted @ 7:25 PM
Cat saves deaf woman from Salt Lake City fire
People in a Trolley Square neighborhood are calling a cat a hero. The animal apparently acted up Sunday morning letting a deaf person know that her house was on fire.
Elva Petersen says she escaped from that burning building. She tries to explain what happened inside her duplex. Petersen is deaf, but she makes it clear a devastating fire chased her mother out of her home, and was threatening her life too.
Posted @ 7:24 PM
New taxi firm eases the ride for the deaf
Deaf passengers are in for a smoother ride following the launch of a new taxi company in South Tyneside.
Same Day Taxis allows deaf people and the hard of hearing to text their booking, making life easier for both the customer and the firm.
Company partner Graham Hall said the new service will also make booking a taxi more secure for lone females.
Posted @ 7:23 PM
Deaf woman's rapist and murderer has sentence cut
The Court of Appeal has reduced the sentence of convicted rapist and murderer Liam James Reid by three years.
A High Court jury found Reid guilty of the 2007 rape and murder of Christchurch deaf woman Emma Agnew, 20, and the rape, attempted murder, and robbery of a 21-year-old student in Dunedin just over a week later.
Justice Lester Chisholm sentenced Reid to preventive detention with a minimum non-parole period of 26 years in December last year.
Posted @ 7:22 PM
Man allegedly used deaf relay service to make lewd phone calls
Fountain Hill police accused a 24-year-old Hawley, Pa., man of making 72 obscene phone calls to borough residents in late May.
Andrew S. Brunell, of Hawley, Pa., used an Internet instant messaging program to compose messages for an Internet protocol relay service intended for use by deaf individuals, police allege. The messages are then read to recipients when they answer the phone.
Posted @ 7:21 PM