December 13, 2010
Our Brains Are Wired So We Can Better Hear Ourselves Speak
Like the mute button on the TV remote control, our brains filter out unwanted noise so we can focus on what we're listening to. But when it comes to following our own speech, a new brain study from the University of California, Berkeley, shows that instead of one homogenous mute button, we have a network of volume settings that can selectively silence and amplify the sounds we make and hear.
Neuroscientists from UC Berkeley, UCSF and Johns Hopkins University tracked the electrical signals emitted from the brains of hospitalized epilepsy patients. They discovered that neurons in one part of the patients' hearing mechanism were dimmed when they talked, while neurons in other parts lit up
Posted @ 5:13 AM
Boy left deaf in one ear after hit from ball, family sues bat maker
It was just another Little League game.
The pitcher had just thrown two strikes. But when the next pitch was hurled, the batter smashed it and sent a line drive straight into the pitcher.
For 11-year-old Jake Schutter of Mokena, the moment forever changed his life. Standing on the pitcher’s mound, the ball crashed into the left side of his head. He dropped to the ground and began to vomit.
He later learned he would be permanently deaf in one ear. And his family is still unsure of the full extent of cognitive damage the incident caused, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court Tuesday.
Posted @ 5:05 AM
Pennsylvania School for the Deaf Receives $5000 Grant from Verizon Foundation
The Verizon Foundation has made a $5,000 grant to enhance existing technology used by deaf and hard of hearing students at The Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (PSD). The grant was presented to PSD's first Deaf Head of School, Dr. Larry S. Taub, at PSD, 100 West School House Lane in Germantown, on Tuesday, December 7, 2010, at 11 a.m. by Dan Reavy, Director of External Affairs, Eastern Region.
This generous grant will be used to complement the technology previously funded by the Verizon Foundation to enhance literacy skills of PSD junior high and elementary aged students. Specifically, the purchase of a Smartboard and Aver-media document projector in an elementary class at PSD to assist in instruction across all subject areas (including ASL-English, math, science, and social studies) to increase computer fluency as well as English literacy.
Posted @ 5:02 AM
Gallaudet University's Identity Struggle Continues
After two protests which rocked Gallaudet University, positive changes are being made but Gallaudet University still does not fully embrace Deaf culture and respect American Sign Language.
The selection of Catherine Murphy as the Director of Public Relations at Gallaudet University recently is another symptom of the ongoing identity struggle at Gallaudet University. During 1988, the Deaf President Now protests at Gallaudet University was about selecting a Deaf person for the first time in its history to become president of Gallaudet University.
During this protest, Gallaudet University and the Deaf community made it clear that Deaf people are more than ready to lead themselves and should be a major part of the governing process. Two years later, the Americans with Disabilities Act passed and was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush giving Deaf people the dignity and respect they deserve as equal human beings in society.
Posted @ 5:00 AM
November 17, 2010
Hearing Loss Common Following Radiation Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer
Patients who undergo radiation therapy for head and neck cancer appear more likely to experience hearing loss and to be more disabled by its effects than those who do not receive such treatment, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common type of cancer worldwide, according to background information in the article. Treatment methods include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, either alone or in combination. Choice of treatment depends on factors such as size and location of tumor, disease stage, the patient's condition and whether the cancer can be cured. Any of these treatment methods may affect the auditory system and cause temporary or permanent hearing loss.
Posted @ 1:44 AM
Deaf Residents Asking People Not To Hang Up When They Call
All it takes is a minute of your time. That's what deaf residents and their interpreters in Big Spring want people and businesses around the community to do.
More and more deaf people are becoming independent and when interpreters call you it's on behalf of them who most likely want to know more about any goods or services. On Tuesday, the Big Spring Economic Development Office and Howard College teamed up to get the word out on how not to hang up and not to be scammed.
A simple hello and a phone call is common for everyone to make but what if you needed to call your doctor or order a pizza but you suffered from hearing loss.
Posted @ 1:43 AM
Deaf Lawyer to Head FCC's Disability Rights Office
Gregory Hilibok has been named the new head of the Federal Communications Commission's Disability Rights Office - the first time a person with a disability has headed the office.
Hilibok, who is deaf, has been an attorney in the office since 2001. His appointment comes as the FCC moves to implement the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act.
The legislation “will make it easier for people who are deaf, blind or live with a visual impairment to do what many of us take for granted — from navigating a TV or DVD menu to sending an e-mail on a smart phone,” said President Obama when he signed the law last month. “It sets new standards so that Americans with disabilities can take advantage of the technology our economy depends on.”
Posted @ 1:42 AM
Hearing loss linked to passive smoking
People who are exposed to the second-hand smoke from others' cigarettes are at increased risk of hearing loss, experts believe.
Doctors already know that people who smoke can damage their hearing. The latest study in the journal Tobacco Control, involving more than 3,000 US adults, suggests the same is true of passive smoking.
Experts believe tobacco smoke may disrupt blood flow in the small vessels of the ear. This could starve the organ of oxygen and lead to a build up of toxic waste, causing damage. The harm is different to that caused by noise exposure or simple ageing.
In the study, the researchers from the University of Miami and Florida International University looked at the hearing test results of 3,307 non-smoking volunteers - some who were ex-smokers and some who had never smoked in their lifetime.
Posted @ 1:41 AM
CSD cutting 64 call center jobs
Communication Services for the Deaf in Sioux Falls has alerted 64 people at one of its call centers that they will lose their jobs in January.
The job cuts are due to a contract that was not renewed with Qwest for customer service call center services that CSD provided for them, said Derric Miller, CSD director of marketing and public relations.
CSD has been operating the contact center at 700 E. 54th St. for several years. The last day of operation will be Jan. 14, Miller said. The contract was for a general customer service call center and was not related to deaf or hard-of-hearing services that CSD also provides.
Posted @ 1:39 AM
Gerard Buckley named president of RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf
A Rochester Institute of Technology alum who said his experience there enriched his life, allowing him to grow personally and professionally, is getting ready to take the helm at his alma mater.
Gerard Buckley, a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology and RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf, will become NTID’s first graduate to serve as its president. Following a year-long search, which included 18 applicants, RIT President Bill Destler has announced that Buckley, 54, of Macedon, will serve as president of NTID and vice president and dean of RIT beginning Jan. 1.
“I’m excited to take on this new challenge in my career, and I’m appreciative of Dr. Destler’s confidence and look forward to working with colleagues at RIT to advance the work of NTID,” said Buckley. “I have responded to literally hundreds of e-mails, calls and notes of congratulations from around the world — many from NTID alumni. That reminds me of the national and global impact RIT and NTID and its students continue to make. I am honored to be part of that.”
Posted @ 1:38 AM
Bridge Bank Provides $500,000 Financing to Deaf-Owned Convo Communications
Bridge Capital Holdings /quotes/comstock/15*!bbnk/quotes/nls/bbnk (BBNK 8.85, -0.16, -1.78%) , whose subsidiary is Bridge Bank, National Association, a full service professional business bank headquartered in Silicon Valley, announced today it has extended a $500,000 line of credit to Convo Communications to support its anticipated growth.
"With this financing, the Company can make capital purchases and spending as to scale its operations commensurate with anticipated growth, all without assistance from outside investors," said Robin Horwitz, who is deaf and the CEO of Convo. "This loan will allow us to both maintain our independence and identity as a deaf-owned company and at the same time allows us to better compete in the market."
Posted @ 1:29 AM
October 8, 2010
Deaf man prevented from boarding plane to Qatar
A deaf person will file a discrimination case before the Commission of Human Rights (CHR) after an airport immigration officer prevented him from boarding his flight to Qatar.
Through an interpreter, Franklin Corpuz said he was supposed to leave for Qatar on Monday after he was invited to train for a week as a chef in the said country. If the company likes him, he could be hired as a chef.
However, Corpuz said he was held by an immigration officer at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Posted @ 10:28 AM
Indiana: Smoke alarms free for the deaf, hard of hearing
The Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office announced today that more than 1,200 free smoke alarms, designed for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, are being purchased for distribution to financially qualifying Hoosiers throughout the state.
The Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office is a division of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS).
"Smoke alarms play a key role in ensuring the safety of citizens and firefighters," said IDHS Chief of Staff Mike Garvey. "This $300,000 grant and the smoke alarms it will purchase, have the potential to significantly improve the safety of individual recipients and the firefighters who serve in their jurisdictions."
Posted @ 10:25 AM
Rochester archives center receives grant for film preservation
The Carolyn White Siegfried & DeFois Hathaway Siegfried Archives Center at Rochester School for the Deaf will receive a grant award of $7,051 from the National Film Preservation Foundation. The school’s film archives are among 24 archives in the country — including George Eastman House in Rochester — to be awarded funding to preserve as many as 43 motion pictures covering a far-ranging collection of subjects.
Posted @ 10:22 AM
Charity Events: CHI & Mets Bring 1000 Kids To The Ballpark
The Children's Hearing Institute partnered with the New York Mets on Saturday, September 18th, to sponsor Deaf and Hard of Hearing Awareness Day at Citifield. The Institute distributed free tickets to the patients of the Cochlear Implant/Hearing & Learning Center at The New York Eye & Ear Infirmary.
Posted @ 10:13 AM
September 1, 2010
Deaf, HoH Students Perform First Test of Sign Language by Cell Phone
University of Washington engineers are developing the first device able to transmit American Sign Language over U.S. cellular networks. The tool is just completing its initial field test by participants in a UW summer program for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
"This is the first study of how deaf people in the United States use mobile video phones," said project leader Eve Riskin, a UW professor of electrical engineering.
The MobileASL team has been working to optimize compressed video signals for sign language. By increasing image quality around the face and hands, researchers have brought the data rate down to 30 kilobytes per second while still delivering intelligible sign language. MobileASL also uses motion detection to identify whether a person is signing or not, in order to extend the phones' battery life during video use.
Posted @ 12:16 AM
Dog credited with saving deaf man from burning home
A dog is credited with alerting a man to escape from his burning home in Gaston County early Tuesday morning.
The fire occurred around 12:30 a.m. along the 100 block of Spratt Drive.
In the 911 call to Gaston County EMS, Gordon Darel Arnold says, "My dog woke me up, she must've smelled it or something, I don't know."
"God, the blazes is shootin' everywhere!" he told the 911 operator.
Arnold said he had a working smoke detector, but wouldn't have heard it going off early Tuesday morning because he had taken his hearing aids out before going to bed.
Posted @ 12:04 AM
Police look to begin text-messaging service
The ASU Police Department is looking to change the way students contact authorities for help.
Instead of calling police or reporting crimes in person, students may soon have the option of texting emergencies.
ASU Police spokesman Cmdr. Jim Hardina said the department notices how students use technology and is always looking at ways to leverage technology to their advantage.
“Eventually the police department is going to have to use text messaging,” Hardina said. “It’s just our culture.”
Posted @ 12:01 AM
August 31, 2010
Deaf and Mute 16-yr Old Nepali Girl Beaten and Raped As 'Punishment'
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding rape and abuse of a 16 year-old domestic worker in Kathmandu on 18 July 2010 by her employers. Instead of rescuing the victim, police officers from Budha police station have reportedly kept her in detention twice for 24 hours without providing her with adequate medical treatment. In spite of the initial reluctance of the police, a rape case was eventually filed on 21 August and the two alleged perpetrators have been arrested. Nevertheless, strong doubts remain regarding the police's diligence in investigating the case. It is to be noted that police negligence and the lack of accountability of the police system often act as strong obstacles for rape victims seeking justice.
Posted @ 11:57 PM
RIT alum killed in Alaska shooting
One of the two police officers fatally shot in a tiny Native village in southeast Alaska was a 2003 graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf and a former campus security officer.
Tony Wallace, 32, left RIT in 2006. He has been an officer in Hoonah, Alaska, since 2008. He was on duty late Saturday when he was shot. Wallace died during surgery in Juneau, 40 miles to the east. Officer Matt Tokuoka, who was off-duty at the time, was also shot. He died early Sunday.
Posted @ 11:55 PM
National flu website highlights local videos using American Sign Language
Two videos from the Deaf Wellness Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center are on the Seasonal Flu page of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website today.
“Flu Guidance for Parents” and “Flu Guidance for Adults” are in American Sign Language with captions and voiceovers. They were produced under the direction of Robert Pollard, director of the Deaf Wellness Center, and feature members of the local deaf community.
Posted @ 11:55 PM
Deaf woman struck by train in Roslyn
A woman who was hit by a SEPTA train at the Roslyn train station Wednesday afternoon was taken to Abington Memorial Hospital with a head injury.
At about 4 p.m., the woman, who is deaf, was struck by the train on the south side of Susquehanna Avenue at the train crossing at the intersection with Easton Road, according to police.
“She is deaf, so they couldn’t talk to her that much,” said Abington Deputy Chief John Livingood. “We’re assuming that she did not hear the train whistle blowing. Obviously, they’ll be interviewing everybody to see if the train horn was blowing or not.”
Posted @ 11:52 PM
Deaf And Mute Man Charged With Wife's Murder
Prosecutors in Chicago say a deaf and mute man stabbed his wife to death on their 10th wedding anniversary and still had blood on his hands when he confessed to a police sign language interpreter.
At a court appearance Friday, a Circuit Court judge denied bond for 40-year-old South Side resident Charles Hughes.
Police say Hughes was holding a bloody knife when they arrived at the his apartment early Wednesday morning. They say he dropped the knife and held out his hands in a "cuff-me" motion.
Posted @ 11:51 PM
UPS must face deaf worker's discrimination claim
A United Parcel Service of America Inc. unit may have unlawfully discriminated against a deaf worker by failing to provide American Sign Language interpreters, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. According to the ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco in U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission vs. UPS Supply Chain Solutions, Mauricio Centeno worked as junior clerk in the accounts payable division of the UPS facility in Gardena Calif. Mr. Centeno has been deaf since birth, and American Sign Language was his first and primary language, while his English reading and writing skills were at a fourth- or fifth-grade level, according to the opinion.
Posted @ 11:48 PM
Sign of the Times: Deaf Find Their Voices via Mobile Video and Apps
Wireless gadgets have changed the way nearly everyone communicates, but one group has benefited more than others: the deaf. For those who cannot make a voice call, texting and video, in particular, have not only opened them up to the hearing world and to each other, but also allowed them to use American Sign Language (ASL), often their native language.
About 17 percent (36 million) of U.S. adults report some degree of hearing loss, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders in Bethesda, Md. Thanks to increases in bandwidth and technologies that use it, the deaf and hard of hearing can now communicate via texting, Blackberry messaging, video multimedia messaging service (MMS), and video chats over Google's video chat service (to name a few). New video-friendly mobile devices, including Apple's iPhone 4 and HTC's EVO, have likewise helped.
Posted @ 11:46 PM
Markey touts Web bill for deaf, blind
While the Internet and smartphones have brought an almost endless amount of information to the fingertips of many Americans, there are still millions who cannot take full advantage of myriad forms of new technology.
U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, author of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, touted its merits during a meeting yesterday with Daily News editors.
Markey said the bill, which passed the House of Representatives on July 26, the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, will "create an online ramp to the Internet for deaf and blind people."
Posted @ 11:45 PM
Deaf, Non-Verbal Teen Stabbed: Neighbor
State police say they are interviewing two possible suspects related to the stabbing of a 16-year-old disabled boy Tuesday morning.
"He couldn’t scream. He can’t say, 'Help Mommy,' nothing. He can’t talk or hear nothing," said neighbor Barbara Oquendo of Mansfield.
State police said the teen was stabbed multiple times in his own bed inside his apartment at 132 Foster Drive around 9:45 a.m.
"I have no words to explain how I feel. It hurts because I’m a mother. So I know how she must be feeling right now," said Daphne Torres of Mansfield.
Posted @ 11:43 PM
July 16, 2010
Gene Mutation That Causes Rare Form of Deafness Identified
Researchers have identified a gene mutation that causes a rare form of hearing loss known as auditory neuropathy, according to U-M Medical School scientists.
n the study published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U-M's Marci Lesperance, M.D., and Margit Burmeister, Ph.D. led a team of researchers who examined the DNA of individuals from the same large family afflicted with the disorder.
The researchers identified a mutation in the DIAPH3 gene that causes over-production of a compound known as a diaphanous protein. In previous studies, hearing loss has been linked to a related gene that also affects a diaphanous protein.
Posted @ 8:40 AM
New Drug Restores Hearing After Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Rats
Researchers from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, have discovered that a potent new drug restores hearing after noise-induced hearing loss in rats. The landmark discovery found that injection of an agent called 'ADAC', activates adenosine receptors in cochlear tissues, resulting in recovery of hearing function.
The finding paves the way for effective non-surgical therapies to restore hearing loss after noise-induced injury. Dr. Srdjan Vlajkovic and his team's work1 is published in a special edition of Springer's journal Purinergic Signalling, focusing on the inner ear.
Posted @ 8:39 AM
College for deaf has come a long way in 30 years
Considering the school began with a converted military hospital and not much else, it’s fair to say SouthWest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf has come a long way in three decades.
Current and former students and staff, as well as a long list of well-wishers were present on campus this past weekend as SWCID celebrated its 30th reunion.
While fun and games were also on the reunion agenda, the event mainly gave people a chance to reflect on just how far SWCID, the only self-contained community college for the deaf and hard of hearing the United States, has come since its first class enrolled in 1980.
Posted @ 8:26 AM
Southwest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf Turns 30
The Southwest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf in Big Spring kicked off a special weekend of celebrations Thursday Night to celebrate it's 30th birthday.
The college is hosting its first full alumni reunion event.
Throughout the weekend, SWCID will hold several events, inside and outside to mark more than 30 years since it opened its doors for the deaf community in west Texas and across the state.
Posted @ 8:22 AM
April 13, 2010
State’s only school for blind and deaf students in jeopardy
Katherine McCarrick is 14 but has the cognitive development of a 3-year-old.
The Peoria teen is blind and deaf, making her needs so profound that her parents enrolled her two years ago at the Philip J. Rock Center and School in Glen Ellyn — the state's sole public facility serving children like her.
But now, the west suburban facility may be forced to close in coming weeks because of the state's financial crisis.
Peggy Whitlow, chief administrator of the Rock Center, said the state owes the facility about $1.7 million, or about half its annual funding, meaning she will not be able to pay her staff beyond April 15.
Posted @ 9:25 AM
Former Deaf School teacher wins discrimination lawsuit
A former School for the Deaf teacher has won a Federal lawsuit against the State of Mississippi. Melissa Ross filed a racial discrimination lawsuit after she was fired in 2007. Melissa Ross took on the state, claiming she was the victim of racial discrimination at the School for the Deaf in north Jackson.
"It was just a clear racial divide," said Ross.
Her federal lawsuit cited evidence of troubling racial discrimination within the facility and a hostile environment according to her Jackson attorney, Michael Brown.
Posted @ 9:22 AM
April 2, 2010
Clarke School for the Deaf in Northampton changes name
For more than a century, the name Clarke School for the Deaf was instantly recognizable to nearly everyone in the deaf community throughout the country. Now they will have to get used to another name.
The landmark school atop Roundhill Road, along with its four satellite campuses, will henceforth be collectively known as the Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech. The change was approved by the Board of Trustees late last year and is now being implemented, according to Clarke President William J. Corwin. He said the wording better reflects the school’s mission.
“We had done a lot of research with constituent groups and one of the strongest messages was the idea of our school helping children learn to listen and talk,” Corwin said.
Posted @ 4:53 AM
School for the Deaf in Rome celebrates 135 years of deaf education
Rome has seen a lot of things come and go between 1875 and 2010 - but one thing that has stood strong all those years is the New York State School for the Deaf.
This week the school celebrates its 135th anniversary and on Thursday, the campus celebrated with a play demonstrating the evolution of deaf education.
School Superintendent Carriann Ray said that while the school has been a mainstay in Rome, it hasn't been without it's own share of changes.
"I think it's looking at a total education for deaf students, as their needs are very different," Ray said. "Each student may be hard of hearing...deaf. Some students may have hearing aids, some have cochlear implants. So, deaf education has had to change to meet the many needs that students have."
Posted @ 4:50 AM
March 10, 2010
Regular Analgesic Use Increases Hearing Loss in Men, Study Finds
In a study published in the March 2010 issue of The American Journal of Medicine, researchers determined that regular use of aspirin, acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increases the risk of hearing loss in men, particularly in younger men, below age 60.
Hearing loss is the most common sensory disorder in the US, afflicting over 36 million people. Not only is hearing loss highly prevalent among the elderly, but approximately one third of those aged 40-49 years already suffer from hearing loss. Even mild hearing loss can compromise the ability to understand speech in the presence of background noise or multiple speakers, leading to social isolation, depression, and poorer quality of life.
Posted @ 2:13 PM
More guilty pleas in deaf-services case, Viable
More defendants in a multistate federal case involving executives of Rockville deaf services company Viable pleaded guilty last week to conspiring to defraud a Federal Communications Commission program that helps the deaf, authorities said.
Pleading guilty in federal court in Trenton, N.J., to conspiracy to commit mail fraud were Kim E. Hawkins, an owner of Master Communications in Nevada, Mascom LLC in Texas and KL Communications in Arizona; Larry Berke, a KL partner; Alfia Iskandarova, a former interpreter for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Interpreting Services of New York; and Robert Z. Rubeck of Surprise, Ariz.
Posted @ 2:00 PM
YouTube Gets Automatic CC Videos
YouTube is rolling out automatic captioning for all videos uploaded to the service, using Google's speech recognition service. You can see a demo in the video above.
Automatic captioning with Google speech recognition was launched in November. This only had a few selected education partners to test out automatic captioning, until now.
There are many reasons for captions on every video: ESL viewers, people in other countries, searchability, not wanting to disturb others, loud locations and automatic translations to other countries.
Posted @ 1:55 PM
FCC Issues Important New Ruling on VRS With Retroactive Impact
Purple Communications™, Inc. (OTC: PRPL) ("Purple"), a leading provider of text and video relay and on-site interpreting services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has filed an Emergency Stay Request and Application for Review with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in order to grant the company due process regarding the FCC's withholding of funds owed to Purple.
On February 25, 2010, the FCC issued a Declaratory Ruling addressing certain types of calls that are not compensable under the Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) program administered by the FCC. The Declaratory Ruling applies to all providers and is purported to clarify prior rules the FCC believes have been clear, thereby making its applicability retroactive.
Posted @ 1:51 PM
Landrieu Welcomes Over $1.3 Million in Broadband Grants for Deaf Action Center
United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., Chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, today welcomed over $1.3 million in broadband expansion grants from the Department of Commerce Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP) for The Betty and Leonard Phillips Deaf Action Center in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Posted @ 1:48 PM
December 18, 2009
Incoming Gallaudet President Hurwitz keeping many roots in Rochester
Alan Hurwitz heads for Washington, D.C., next month to become president of Gallaudet University — the world's leading liberal arts institution for the deaf.
But he realizes that much of his future life will remain anchored in Rochester.
He forged his career at Gallaudet's traditional rival: the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, or NTID, one of eight colleges at Rochester Institute of Technology. Joining as a science professor in 1970, he became its first deaf dean in 1998 and president in 2008.
Posted @ 2:42 AM
September 23, 2009
Georgia School for the Deaf students sent home due to illness
The Georgia School for the Deaf is the latest to have students sent home for flu-like symptoms.
Lee Shiver, director of the state-run GSD in Cave Spring, said Thursday the school sent home 22 students since Sunday.
He said the school plans to allow the students to return to school Sunday once their fevers break, and it has not affected school operations.
Posted @ 4:12 AM
August 31, 2009
Neural Pathway Missing In Tone-deaf People
Nerve fibers that link perception and motor regions of the brain are disconnected in tone-deaf people, according to new research in the August 19 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. Experts estimate that at least 10 percent of the population may be tone deaf – unable to sing in tune. The new finding identifies a particular brain circuit that appears to be absent in these individuals.
"The anomaly suggests that tone-deafness may be a previously undetected neurological syndrome similar to other speech and language disorders, in which connections between perceptual and motor regions are impaired," said Psyche Loui, PhD, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, one of the study's authors.
Posted @ 11:59 PM
Gene Associated With Language, Speech And Reading Disorders Identified
A new candidate gene for Specific Language Impairment has been identified by a research team directed by Mabel Rice at the University of Kansas, in collaboration with Shelley Smith, University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Javier Gayán of Neocodex, Seville, Spain.
The finding, reported in the current issue of the Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, was discovered by examining genes previously identified as candidate genes for reading impairments or speech sound disorders.
Posted @ 11:56 PM
July 27, 2009
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
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
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
June 10, 2009
Carpenter seeks $1M over hearing loss while working at Motiva
A Galveston County man is seeking $1 million after he says he permanently lost his hearing when a transformer exploded eight feet away from him.
Seeking more than $1 million in damages, Juan Jose Garcia and Esther Garcia filed a lawsuit June 4 in Jefferson County District Court against Motiva Enterprises.
The couple claims Juan Garcia, who works as a carpenter for Austin Maintenance and Construction, was performing subcontract work at Motiva's refinery in Port Arthur on Dec. 3.
Posted @ 12:40 PM
June 5, 2009
Teacher brings Yoga to the Deaf
Lila Lolling uses a wave of a fan, a pound on the floor and sign language to teach deaf students in her yoga class at Cosm in East West Galleries Yoga at Manhattan's Union Square.
"She is an incredible advocate. She knows hearing and deaf, knows how to connect people, she has a vision. She's wonderful," says deaf student Kat Burland.
In 2000, Lolling became a certified yoga instructor. She got involved with the deaf community after being inspired by a book she read about Helen Keller and went on to get a degree in sign language interpretation. Five years ago, she decided to combine the two.
Posted @ 11:19 AM
April 15, 2009
Auditory Regions Of Brain Convert To Sense Of Touch, Hearing Loss Study Finds
Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers have discovered that adult animals with hearing loss actually re-route the sense of touch into the hearing parts of the brain.
In the study, published online in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of March 23, the team reported a phenomenon known as cross-modal plasticity in the auditory system of adult animals. Cross-modal plasticity refers to the replacement of a damaged sensory system by one of the remaining ones. In this case, the sense of hearing is replaced with touch.
About 15 percent of American adults suffer from some form of hearing impairment, which can significantly impact quality of life, especially in the elderly.
Posted @ 7:59 AM
Marlee Matlin with Larry King Interview
Deaf actress Marlee Matlin has captivated millions with her film roles over the years. And she's now giving a new voice to an important issue.
Monday night on "Larry King Live," the Academy Award winner opened up to guest host Joy Behar about the sexual abuse she suffered as a child. She says the abuse led to drug use. She also opened up about her volatile relationship with actor William Hurt.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity:
Guest host Joy Behar: [Your] book is called "I'll Scream Later." Marlee, what does it mean, "I'll Scream Later?"
Marlee Matlin (through her interpreter, Jack): It goes way back to when I was in rehab. ... I got nominated for the Academy Awards while I was in rehab. And Jack asked me over the phone: "What do you want to say?" The press wants an answer. ...
Posted @ 7:59 AM
February 3, 2009
Subtitles Do Not Guarantee Hearing-impaired Viewers A Total Comprehension Of Television Messages
Researchers have studied the level of comprehension of subtitled television programs by groups of students who have a severe or profound hearing impairment. The results demonstrate that deaf children and adolescents have difficulties in following subtitles and images together, due to the speed at which the subtitles appear and the literal transcription of the dialogues.
After almost twenty years since the first television subtitles were used, professors Cristina Cambra, Núria Silvestre and Aurora Leal, members of the UAB Research Centre on Hearing Impairment and Language Acquisition (GISTAL), were interested in discovering whether deaf viewers - the main users of this service - actually can understand the programmes, find it easy to read subtitles and understand the messages transmitted through the images.
Posted @ 5:43 PM
Tribunal finds Air Canada discriminated against disabled man
The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled Monday that Air Canada discriminated against a deaf and partially blind man by saying he could only fly with an attendant when he wanted to fly alone.
The tribunal ordered the airline to pay Eddie Morten $10,000 plus interest for pain and suffering stemming from the August 2004 incident.
"Mr. Morten's complaint is substantiated," the tribunal said in a 42-page ruling released Monday.
But the tribunal did not order Air Canada to automatically allow Morten to fly unaccompanied. The airline should assess his abilities before making any decision on whether he can travel on his own, the tribunal said.
The discrimination came in denying Morten the right to have his level of self-reliance assessed in a fair manner, the tribunal said.
Posted @ 5:32 PM
November 27, 2008
Navy rescues 4 deaf hikers near LeoPalace Resort
The Navy rescued four hikers lost in the vicinity of LeoPalace Resort on Sunday, according to Navy spokesman Lt. Donnell Evans.
The hearing-impaired hikers requested help by texting Guam Fire and Rescue from their cell phones. They had been stranded for two to four hours in the hills west of LeoPalace, Evans said.
The Navy's Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 found the hikers and airlifted them to the Naval Hospital Guam for observation before they were released.
Posted @ 4:43 AM
Deaf instructor named Teacher of the Year
Susan Elliott became the first hearing impaired person to win the title of Colorado Teacher of the Year on Tuesday night.
Elliott is an English and social studies teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing at Highlands Ranch High School.
Her father was also a teacher and she says it was her parents who taught her the delicate relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement.
Posted @ 4:39 AM
October 27, 2008
Crew films documentary on 19th century deaf baseball player 'Dummy' Hoy
Sheree Goad of Evansville sat in Bosse Field's chilly grandstands Saturday morning with her 11-year-old daughter, Natalie.
They watched as California filmmaker David Risotto paced, consulted and waited to begin shooting some scenes for his headed-to-TV baseball documentary, "Dummy Hoy: A Deaf Hero."
Many of the 25 or so paid extras were still in the 93-year-old ballpark's ancient clubhouse where hairstylists slicked down men's hair and created Victorian curls for women.
Posted @ 2:43 AM
Jury Awards $400,000 to Deaf Patient for Denial of Interpreter Services
A Hudson County jury's $400,000 verdict for a deaf patient whose doctor refused her an interpreter may be a wake-up call for all professionals -- including lawyers -- that they risk liability for disability discrimination.
Worse, malpractice liability insurance does not usually cover such liability, says plaintiff's attorney Clara Smit.
Smit's client, Irma Gerena, claimed she repeatedly asked Jersey City rheumatologist Robert Fogari to hire an American Sign Language interpreter. Fogari said that as a solo practitioner, he couldn't afford the estimated $150 to $200 per visit an interpreter would cost.
Posted @ 2:40 AM
Funds may stall HIV/AIDS awareness for deaf persons
Few days to the kick off of the awareness week on HIV/AIDS for deaf persons being organize by the Bayelsa State Association of the Deaf (BSAD) for its members; all appears not well as members of the body are worried over alleged government silence on their request for assistance.
Bayelsa is one of the few states in the federation where persons living with Aids are placed on N10,000 monthly subvention by government as part of measures aimed at encouraging every Bayelsan to known their status and to also augment their income.
Posted @ 2:35 AM
October 3, 2008
Concord Hospital to award deaf patients $100k
Concord Hospital will pay $100,000 in a settlement with six deaf people who say the hospital did not provide them with the services they needed to communicate with hospital staff, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
The hospital will also establish a new program to provide more effective communication for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Although the U.S. attorney determined that the hospital violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, the hospital did not admit to any liability as part of the settlement.
Posted @ 7:55 AM
Maryland School for Deaf student plans plea in rape case
A Maryland School for the Deaf student accused of raping an acquaintance in a dorm basement at the school has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors that moves his case to juvenile court.
Kaeshaun Malik Wills, 17, will admit next week to conduct included in a new criminal petition filed in juvenile court, Assistant Public Defender Stephen Musselman said Thursday in Frederick County Circuit Court.
Posted @ 7:52 AM
Teachers at Riverside school for deaf demonstrate for higher salaries
Teachers at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside Thursday protested the state's budget compromise for failing to raise their pay and dragging out negotiations.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell acknowledged their concerns, although he said he was not aware of their protest plans.
"The salaries are below where they should be," he said in a phone interview before the demonstration. "This state budget is not going to help."
Posted @ 7:47 AM
September 12, 2008
Deaf Community Responds To Reading Level Comment
WAPT News was flooded with feedback after airing a story on sign language interpreter Greg Goldman.
Goldman was highly visible during Gov. Haley Barbour’s news conferences on Hurricane Gustav.
However, some members of the deaf community said they were upset about a statistic he quoted about their average reading level.
Goldman told WAPT that his job is extremely important because many deaf people have a fourth-or fifth-grade reading level.
Posted @ 9:50 AM
August 29, 2008
YouTube Gets Closed Captioning Support
In a move to make videos easier to understand without volume or for the hard of hearing, YouTube has given users the option of embedding closed captions that show up as semitransparent overlays. Caption files that have text dialogue synced up to the proper timestamps can be uploaded during the time of upload or afterwards, and YouTube has provided multiple language support to let viewers swap between different languages of a single video without having to leave playback.
Videos with closed captioning have it as an option in the lower right-hand corner menu; a part of the user interface that also houses the toggle to turn video annotations on and off. Even with the inclusion of closed captions you can continue to keep annotations enabled, although the two may overlap if annotations have been ledged on the bottom of the screen.
Posted @ 7:38 AM
Cure for deafness now within reach
The transfer of a specific gene is shown today by a milestone experiment to trigger the growth of new hair cells in the inner ear - the usually irreplaceable sensory cells that pick up sound vibrations and that are lost as a result of ageing, disease, certain drugs, and by excessive exposure to loud sound.
The approach, which one day could help millions of people worldwide with deafness and inner-ear disease, is made possible by a technique that is demonstrated in the journal Nature by an American team lead by Dr John Brigande of the Oregon Hearing Research Centre, Portland, who himself is profoundly hard of hearing.
Posted @ 5:11 AM
August 5, 2008
Marlee Matlin Speaking at Starr's 95th Anniversary
Through American Sign Language and the assistance of her personal interpreter, Matlin will address the audience of students, staff, families and friends of Starr Commonwealth as the organization celebrates its 95th anniversary.
Matlin is an Academy Award winner for her role in "Children of a Lesser God," which also happened to be her film debut. She is the first deaf actress to receive the Academy Award and one of only four distinguished actresses to do so with her film debut. Along with her Oscar, Matlin has won a Golden Globe and has been nominated numerous times for Emmy and People's Choice awards for her television roles, including "Seinfeld," "The Practice" and more. Guest star roles on "The West Wing," "My Name is Earl" and "Desperate Housewives" have contributed to Matlin's stardom and celebrity status.
Posted @ 3:46 AM
July 29, 2008
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
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
July 22, 2008
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
July 8, 2008
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
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
June 30, 2008
Sudden Hearing Loss Could Indicate Future Stroke
Preliminary research culled from a national medical insurance records database in Taiwan suggests that sudden loss of hearing might be an early sign of vulnerability to stroke, foreshadowing an actual cerebrovascular event by as much as 2 years. The study that led to these results is reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Five-year follow-up data on 1,423 patients hospitalised for an acute episode of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) showed that those patients were 1.5 times more likely to suffer a stroke than a control group of 5,692 patients who had been hospitalised for an appendectomy.
Posted @ 7:33 AM
June 12, 2008
Smoking, Obesity Linked to Permanent Hearing Loss
A new study has found that obesity and smoking could be linked to permanent hearing loss.
Although scientists involved in the Antwerp University study noted that high levels of work-related noise remains the biggest risk, they added that both smoking and obesity could cause hearing loss by decreasing blood flow and oxygen to the ears.
The study was conducted jointly between the University of Paris and University College London.
This causes a build up of free radicals in cochlear tissue, causing damage, hair cell death and ultimately loss of hearing, scientists said.
Others have suggested such a link, but the most recent report, involving more than 4,000 men and women between the ages of 53 and 67, made the most solid conclusion to date.
Posted @ 9:52 AM
June 7, 2008
Bill seeks to expand captioning for deaf
For many years, hard of hearing and deaf individuals have used caption decoders to aid them in watching their favorite television shows. About two decades ago, the federal government required television networks to provide closed captioning for viewers with hearing loss.
More recently, the Internet has boomed, moving well past the point of only being used as a research tool to find information on numerous topics and to keep updated on local, national and world news. Not only is the Internet filled with information, it is also used as a communications tool, including e-mail, instant messaging, chat rooms and message boards.
Posted @ 4:49 AM
Spy Museum more accessible to blind, deaf patrons
A popular museum that explores the world of espionage is offering tactile maps, audio tours and other features to help visually and hearing impaired visitors under an agreement announced Tuesday that settles a federal investigation.
The agreement between the International Spy Museum and the Justice Department establishes a new level of access to museums for disabled visitors, officials said. The changes include providing tactile maps of the museum's floor plan, adding closed-captioning to many audiovisual exhibits, and offering audio tours in which guides describe various films and exhibits.
Posted @ 4:44 AM
June 5, 2008
Trial nears in sex abuse at deaf school
A lawsuit over alleged sexual abuse at the South Dakota School for the Deaf is scheduled to go to trial in one week.
Former students who say they were abused by a 17-year-old student during the 2002-03 school year sued bus company Jack Rabbit Lines, the Board of Regents, and the school and its former superintendent, Jon Green, for failing to respond to reports of abuse.
Posted @ 10:21 AM
Harris Co. investigators seek hit-and-run driver who struck deaf teen
Friday night, a deaf teenager was struck by a hit-and-run driver along Wallisville Road.
The 14-year-old victim was walking with her best friend, who is also deaf, and another teen. The group was returning home from a nearby Jack in the Box when the car served into them.
The teens could only watch in horror as the 14-year-old girl flew helplessly through the air and landed unconscious on the side of the road.
Posted @ 10:20 AM
Deaf D.C. Residents Hit By 8 Home Break-Ins
Deaf people have been victims in a rash of home break-ins near Gallaudet University in Northeast Washington, putting students on edge and prompting police to increase enforcement in the area.
At least eight burglaries or attempted break-ins have been reported in the past two weeks, police said. Laptops, cellphones and cameras have disappeared; in one incident, thieves made off with a midnight snack from the refrigerator.
Posted @ 10:19 AM
May 29, 2008
Time Warner raises $18,000 for the Texas School for the Deaf
School for the Deaf receives $18,000 from Time Warner Cable, News 8
Time Warner Cable and News 8 Austin, its 24-hour news channel, raised more than $18,000 for the Texas School for the Deaf.
The money was raised at the annual Kars & Kids classic car and hot rod show, held on the school's South Congress Avenue campus.
Posted @ 4:05 AM
Deaf NY girl among finalists in Google logo doodle contest
A 13-year-old New York girl who was born deaf is a regional finalist in the Doodle 4 Google contest to reinvent Google's home page logo for a day.
Molly Kestenbaum redesigned the Internet search giant's logo by illustrating the letters in American Sign Language. The teen lives about 30 miles north of Manhattan in Harrison and is one of 40 out of 16,000 who are finalists in the contest.
Posted @ 4:00 AM
May 18, 2008
Missouri Firefighters Dismiss Their Hearing Loss Claims
Federal Signal Corporation announced today that the Missouri firefighter plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed their hearing loss claims. The dismissal follows a string of successes for the Company in the hearing loss litigation during 2008. Less than a month ago a Cook County, Illinois jury absolved the Company of liability in a similar suit brought by 27 Chicago firefighters. The jury deliberated for less than two hours after a month long trial.
Posted @ 1:27 AM
Solar-powered hearing aids help poor deaf folk
Did you know that there’s 250 million people around the world who are hearing-impaired? Even worse, two-thirds of them live in the developing world. Odds are, these people don’t have the type of money needed to buy conventional hearing aids, primarily because their expensive batteries last only about a week. What if you could design an affordable hearing aid for the world’s poor?
Posted @ 1:17 AM
March 13, 2008
Marlee Matlin Ready for Dancing Debut
Marlee Matlin had never danced before — well, other than at weddings and bar mitzvahs — but for the past two weeks, she's been cha-cha-ing and quickstepping for seven hours a day in preparation for her "Dancing With the Stars" debut.
Despite the unforgiving schedule and complaints of constant soreness from past contestants, Matlin, 42, says she's remained pain-free.
"Everyone asks if I'm sore," she said after a recent rehearsal at a nondescript dance studio northeast of Los Angeles. "Am I supposed to be sore?"
Posted @ 8:53 AM
Gallaudet's First Deaf President Not Invited to Anniversary Celebrations
Members of the American Deaf community may have set their clocks to "spring forward" during the second weekend in March 2008, but they are experiencing other milestones as well which mark the dawn of a new day in the forward advance of Deaf politics. Deaf leaders and educators of the deaf are now taking bold new strides in the advancement of Deaf education and Deaf culture generally, says Gallyprotest.org.
Posted @ 8:43 AM
February 6, 2008
Foxy Brown's Request for Deaf Ear Check Denied in Court
Feisty rapper Foxy Brown suffered a major blow Thursday (Jan. 24) when a Manhattan judge rejected her petition for a premature end to her yearlong jail stint in order to travel to California for medical attention.
Jailbird Foxy Brown wanted to go to California to have her ears checked and for repair of an electronic ear implant, but Acting Justice Melissa C. Jackson of the New York State Supreme Court denied her request, saying the rapper can have her ears treated right here in New York City.
Judge Melissa Jackson said she will not allow Brown go to Los Angeles' House Ear Clinic, the center where she received her initial treatment for the sudden hearing loss, for the exam and repair of a defective cochlear implant as the rapper "failed to provide proof" that a coast-to-coast trip was necessary.
Posted @ 2:32 AM
Super Bowl ad scores with deaf community
Two deaf men are driving down a dark residential street trying to find a Super Bowl party at another deaf friend's house. But neither of them brought the address, so how do they figure out which door to knock on?
On Sunday, Darren Therriault, 45, of Schaumburg will help deliver the punch line to millions of Super Bowl viewers when he stars in a 60-second PepsiCo commercial during the pregame show.
Therriault, who works at the corporation's Chicago office and was born deaf, hopes viewers with disabilities will catch the light-hearted commercial and be inspired. Since the ad debuted last week on YouTube, he says hundreds of deaf people across the country have contacted him and offered congratulations.
Posted @ 2:21 AM
January 16, 2008
AOL Launches Real-Time Instant Messaging Targeted to Deaf
AOL today announced it is now testing the first real-time instant messaging (IM) feature targeted to deaf and hard of hearing users that also offers a natural flowing IM experience for everyone. Built with guidance from Gallaudet University and the Trace Research and Development Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, this feature is in the latest beta version 6.8 of the popular AIM software that is available as a free download at http://beta.aol.com.
According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 32 million American adults have some degree of hearing loss. For this population, email and instant messaging are critical tools for everyday communications. The new real-time IM feature within AIM enhances instant message conversations by enabling users to see each letter that a buddy types rather than waiting for a friend to press the send button to view and read a message. This enables deaf users to respond and react to words as they are typed just as hearing people would do as words are spoken in a voice conversation.
Posted @ 7:15 AM
December 17, 2007
Cholesterol Fine Tunes Hearing
Levels of cholesterol in the membranes of hair cells in the inner ear can affect your hearing, said a consortium of researchers from Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University and Purdue University in a report in today’s print edition of The Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Dr. William Brownell, professor of otolaryngology at BCM and his colleagues, said that the amount of cholesterol in the outer hair cell membrane found in the inner ear can affect hearing.
“We’ve known for a long time that cholesterol is lower in the outer hair cell membranes than in the other cells of the body,” said Brownell, senior author of the report “What we didn’t know was the relationship it had to hearing.”
Posted @ 9:52 PM
November 28, 2007
Genes Influence Age-related Hearing Loss
A new Brandeis University study of twins shows that genes play a significant role in the level of hearing loss that often appears in late middle age. The research, in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, examined genetic and environmental factors affecting hearing loss in the frequency range of speech recognition.
"This research confirms the importance of genetic factors in age-associated hearing loss, and the need for vulnerable individuals and their families to take extra care to prevent further hearing damage," said lead author Brandeis neuroscientist Arthur Wingfield.
Posted @ 6:57 AM
November 1, 2007
OHSU hearing loss preventative in final test phase
Adherex Technologies Inc. has begun the final phase of clinical testing of a treatment developed by Oregon Health & Science University to prevent hearing loss in children undergoing chemotherapy for liver cancer.
Preliminary studies by OHSU scientists suggest that sodium thiosulfate, or STS, can reduce the hearing loss associated with platinum-based chemotherapy. On Tuesday, Adherex said the phase III study will compare the outcomes of children treated with the cancer drug cisplatin alone or in combination with STS.
Posted @ 3:57 AM
October 19, 2007
FDA Warns Viagra Users May Suffer Hearing Loss
Users of impotence drugs, such as Viagra, may suffer sudden hearing loss, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
It's not clear that the drugs truly trigger hearing loss, but the Food and Drug Administration decided Thursday the drugs would bear a warning about the possible risk after counting 29 reports of the problem since 1996 among users of this family of medicines.
Posted @ 9:01 AM
Firefighters' hearing-protection bill advances
Philadelphia firefighters would be outfitted with $500,000 worth of equipment to prevent hearing loss under a bill approved by a City Council committee yesterday.
Lt. Brian McBride, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 22, said testing has confirmed that more than half of the city's firefighters have suffered "measurable hearing loss" during their careers. Hearing hazards include sirens, air horns, truck engines, and power tools, McBride testified before Council's Public Safety Committee yesterday.
Posted @ 8:56 AM
October 15, 2007
Hollywood Actress Speaks at Deaf Center Fundraiser
Lots of excitement at the Corpus Christi Country Club tonight as an Academy-Award winning actress, Marlee Matlin, was the keynote speaker for a special fundraising banquet tonight benefiting the local Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center.
Matlin has starred on tv shows and in movies. She's a deaf woman who has been able to overcome big odds and become a smashing success as an actress.
Posted @ 5:59 AM
October 9, 2007
Robach and Morelle Honored at RIT for Advocacy for the Deaf
In recognition of their consistent support of the state's deaf and hard-of-hearing community, State Senator Joseph Robach (R-Greece) and Assemblyman Joseph Morelle (D-Irondequoit) were honored at a reception marking Deaf Awareness Day, September 26 in the Dyer Arts Center at Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
Posted @ 3:57 AM
September 18, 2007
Lawsuit Against the California School for the Deaf Settled
The Youth & Education Law Project (YELP) at the Mills Legal Clinic of Stanford Law School and Bingham McCutchen LLP obtained a court order from a U.S. District Court judge approving a settlement involving a deaf child with autism who had been excluded from services and programs at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont, California (CSDF).
Posted @ 4:19 AM
August 16, 2007
Scientists Look to Cure Hearing Loss With a Virus
Researchers at the University of Virginia are working on curing hearing loss with an experimental new form of gene therapy.
With more than 275 million people around the world that suffer from sort of nerve-related deafness, scientists are working on creating a virus that when placed in ear tissue can regrown tiny hairs inside the ear canal.
Posted @ 3:04 AM
Making Deaf Ears Hear with Light
About 100,000 profoundly deaf people now hear with cochlear implants, which work by stimulating the auditory nerve with a string of electrodes implanted in the inner ear. While the devices enable many users to converse easily and use telephones, they still fall short of restoring normal hearing. Now scientists at Northwestern University are exploring whether laser-based implants could one day outperform today's electrical version.
Posted @ 2:47 AM
July 9, 2007
Like an earplug in a pill
TED AX knows he should wear earplugs when he leans into the noisy engine compartment of an MG sports car. He's been working among clanging metal and whirring power tools in garages for the last 15 years and has already developed tinnitus, a ringing in the ears that is one of the most common symptoms of hearing loss caused by excessive noise.
But between the need to pinpoint troubled engine sounds and listen out for the phone — and with his fingers forever covered in grease — the Denver man's earplugs go unused.
Posted @ 4:40 AM
Riverside teacher for deaf charged with lewd acts with 2 girls
An early-childhood teacher at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside has been arrested and charged with four counts of lewd and lascivious acts with two girls under age 14.
Daniel Ray Metroka, 51, of Riverside is being held on $1-million bail, the Riverside County district attorney's office said Thursday. Metroka could face 15 years in prison on four felony counts for acts that occurred June 30, prosecutors said. The alleged victims were identified as Jane Doe No. 1 and No. 2.
Posted @ 4:37 AM
Lebanon's Hezbollah agent played deaf before confessing
A top special operations officer with Lebanon's Hezbollah militia pretended to be deaf and mute when he was captured in Iraq earlier this year, hampering efforts to obtain his identity for weeks, U.S. intelligence officials said.
Ali Mussa Daqduq, who U.S. officials say played an integral role in a January attack in Karbala that killed five Americans, allegedly was helping to train Shiite militias fighting U.S.-led coalition forces, the officials said.
Posted @ 4:31 AM
June 27, 2007
Foxy Brown's Hearing Aid and Items Stolen, Misses Probation
Just hours before she was beaten and robbed by a trio of women, trouble-prone rapper Foxy Brown defied a court order and blew off a meeting with her probation officer. Brown was ordered to appear at the probation office today - and was warned that skipping out again could land her in hot water.
"Failure to do so may seriously affect your probation status," warned a letter tacked to Brown's Brooklyn home yesterday after she missed her Friday appointment with her probation officer.
Posted @ 8:16 PM
Diabetics at Increased Risk of Hearing Loss
Diabetics have twice the risk of developing hearing loss as are nondiabetics, researchers reported here at the American Diabetes Association 67th Scientific Sessions (ADA).
Catherine C. Cowie, PhD, director, diabetes epidemiology program, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States, reported data in 5,140 individuals aged 20 to 69 years who underwent audiometric testing from 1999 through 2004 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Posted @ 8:12 PM
University experts come up with device for the deaf
Scientists at the University of York have helped a national hearing charity - by designing special phone boxes for dogs.
Experts from the university's department of electronics created the devices to be used during the training of dogs by Hearing Dogs For Deaf People, which has a training centre at Cliffe, near Selby.
The special phone boxes can be connected to ordinary household phones so dogs can learn to respond to the sound and alert deaf people.
Posted @ 8:05 PM
June 19, 2007
Hearing loss gene identified
Scientists claim to have discovered the gene responsible for the most common form of hearing loss among white adults.
The discovery is said to be important as it could pave the way towards finding new treatments for hearing loss.
Known as otosclerosis, the condition affects about one in 250 people and is caused by an interaction of genetic and environmental factors.
Posted @ 9:52 AM
Tiny implant shows promise for deaf
An ultra-thin electrode planted in the auditory nerve of the ear may one day offer a superior alternative to cochlear implants for the deaf, researchers say.
A tiny array placed in the auditory nerve of cats transmitted a wide range of sounds to the brain, studies at the University of Michigan`s Kresge Hearing Research Institute found.
Posted @ 9:51 AM
Sexual assault charges dropped against deaf man
Prosecutors have dropped sexual assault charges in the case of a city man who was deemed mentally competent to stand trial, despite not being able to communicate in any full language.
Victor Laporte, 33, of 741B W. Hollis St., still faces a single felony child-endangerment charge, alleging he propositioned a 14-year-old baby sitter in 2003.
Posted @ 9:40 AM
3 Arrested, Charged In Deaf Man's Death
Three men were recently charged in connection with the 2006 death of a 22-year-old deaf man outside of a Yulee bowling alley.
Nassau County investigators have determined the death of Bruce Doss was the result of traumatic asphyxia with restrained stress as a contributory condition after being held down.
Posted @ 9:39 AM
May 26, 2007
HDTV messes up service for deaf
For two months early this year, Janel Edmiston and her family enjoyed their new Panasonic high-definition TV, which occupies a big chunk of the family room wall in their Elk Grove home.
But for Edmiston, who began losing her hearing at age 23, the pleasure was fleeting. In March, she said, closed captioning that came via her cable box disappeared.
"It's not that I'm addicted to TV, but I was missing out on time with my family in the evenings," Edmiston said of losing the captioning feature. "I'd go into another room (to read or fold laundry) while they were watching TV. ... Without captions it's like they are speaking Russian."
Posted @ 7:26 AM
April 25, 2007
Business booming because booms can't be heard
Business is booming at Hearing Specialists PC, audiologist Collette Hadden said, thanks in large part to the aging baby boomer population. "What'd you say?" has become the favorite catch phrase of Siouxlanders who grew up saying "far out, man!" and "one toke over the line" in their earlier days.
"We're seeing more and more of them all the time," Hadden said of her 14-year-old clinic at 4509 Stone Ave. An audiologist since 1988, with a master's in audiology from the University of South Dakota.
Posted @ 5:26 AM
February 24, 2007
Steroids usually fix sudden hearing loss
A combination of time and treatment with oral corticosteroids can help people with sudden sensorineural hearing loss regain full hearing, Korean researchers show.
People with sudden sensorineural hearing loss suffer the loss of 30 decibels or more of hearing over several hours to three days. The condition affects about 4,000 Americans each year. About 30 percent to 60 percent of patients will experience spontaneous recovery within two weeks.
Posted @ 5:55 AM
Car airbags will cause permanent hearing Loss in 17 percent
A researcher at a national hearing conference will present data that predict 17 percent of people exposed to deployed airbags in American cars will suffer from permanent hearing loss. His data also show, contrary to what experts have previously thought, airbag deployment is more hazardous to the ear when a car's windows are rolled down.
These are among the results that will be presented by auditory physiologist Richard Price at the National Hearing Conservation Association's 32nd Annual Conference. The conference, titled, "A Passion to Preserve," will be held Feb. 15-17 at the Hyatt Regency in Savannah, Ga.
Posted @ 5:54 AM
Deaf woman could face death in dismemberment case
A deaf woman could be sentenced to death by lethal injection if convicted of kidnapping or murdering another deaf woman, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Daphne Wright, 43, is accused of abducting, killing and dismembering Darlene VanderGiesen, 42, in Sioux Falls one year ago.
Posted @ 5:50 AM
University for the deaf could lose accreditation
The nation's only liberal arts university for the deaf could lose its accreditation unless it addresses concerns about weak academic standards, ineffective governance and a lack of tolerance for diverse views, an education oversight group warned.
Gallaudet University was rocked by student demonstrations last fall that shut down the university for several days and forced the board to revoke the new president's appointment.
Posted @ 5:47 AM
Dog taken from deaf woman
An assisted living facility owner stole a deaf resident's service dog and told her it died, deputies said Tuesday.
Geoffrey W. Kinne, owner of the McIntosh Manor Assisted Living Facility, didn't want the animal in the building. So he sneaked into Joan B. Gurland's room one night in November and took the dog, Sarasota Sheriff's Office reports say.
Posted @ 5:45 AM
February 8, 2007
Federally funded research on hearing loss solutions
What: Current research funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), one of the National Institutes of Health, will be featured at the 2007 Midwinter Meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO).
When: February 10-15, 2007
Where: Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO
Posted @ 8:21 AM
Corticosteroids help hearing-loss recovery
Time and oral corticosteroid therapy can help patients regain full hearing, often within a month of sudden hearing loss, say researchers in Seoul. A first-of-its-kind study into time-dependent treatments of sudden sensorineural hearing loss is published in the February issue of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery.
Posted @ 8:10 AM
January 29, 2007
Deaf ice climber falls to death
An ice climbing accident Sunday claimed the life of a Colorado Springs man who fell more than 200 feet. The 31-year-old man and a friend were working out their route down the ice at a popular climbing spot in the foothills near Colorado Springs.
Posted @ 3:43 AM
Deaf man indicted for murder
A 26-year-old hearing-impaired man who prosecutors believe stabbed a woman to death at Maurice View Plaza in Millville last year has been indicted for murder.
Dontay Milbourne, who was released on $150,000 cash bail last May, was charged last Wednesday with two counts of first-degree murder, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and fourth-degree tampering with physical evidence, in connection with the April 1, 2006 stabbing death of 41-year-old Jackie Forman.
Posted @ 3:19 AM
January 17, 2007
Local residents sue Motorola over Bluetooth hearing loss
Three Hampton Roads residents have filed lawsuits accusing Motorola of selling Bluetooth headsets without warning that the devices might cause hearing loss.
The suits are similar to dozens filed by Bluetooth users across the country. They are seeking class-action status.
Posted @ 8:49 AM
January 10, 2007
School district explains ban on dog for deaf student
The parents of a deaf Westbury teenager "repeatedly rejected" efforts by officials to discuss the boy's wish to bring his service dog to school, the East Meadow schools chief said Tuesday.
Superintendent Robert Dillon released a four-paragraph statement late Tuesday, laying out for the first time the district's reasons for barring John Cave's service dog, Simba, from W. Tresper Clarke High School. He said the district has a blanket policy barring animals for safety and health reasons.
Posted @ 6:07 AM
January 7, 2007
Folic acid may slow hearing loss
Folic acid, a member of the B vitamin family, may impede age-related hearing loss, a Dutch study finds.
Folic acid, already required to be added to flour in the United States, is also known as folate. Folic acid deficiency can cause birth defects and seems to contribute to heart disease and stroke, WebMD.com said.
Posted @ 4:56 AM
Man leaves $750,000 to school
A Cheyenne man, who attended the Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis, Mo., left more than $750,000 to the school when he died last year at age 80.
Edwin B. Slye was a member of the class of 1942, the school's executive director, Robin Feder, said in a news release.
Posted @ 4:51 AM
Gallaudet student dies
A Columbus man died yesterday after the pickup in which he was a passenger struck a utility pole along I-270 in Dublin about 4:10 a.m.
Dublin police said Joshua R. Best, 22, of 80 Antelope Way, was taken to Riverside Methodist Hospital, where he died at 4:49 a.m.
Posted @ 4:46 AM
December 26, 2006
Airport technology will help hearing impaired
By this time next year, travel out of Gerald R. Ford International Airport will be a lot less stressful for hard-of-hearing passengers.
An upgrade to the public address system will add technology allowing flight announcements to be broadcast directly into hearing aids with a special receiver. The technology is said to be a first for U.S. airports.
Posted @ 7:28 AM
Deaf homeless man pleads guilty to church fire
A deaf homeless man who broke into a Charlottesville church to cook himself dinner has pleaded guilty to accidentally torching the church.
City prosecutors say Jason Scott Santos did not intend to burn the Charlottesville Church of Christ on May 4 when he broke in to find food. Now, the 25-year-old faces up to 20 years in prison for burning the building.
Posted @ 7:09 AM
December 18, 2006
Gallaudet protesters could face disciplinary action
Gallaudet University will proceed with disciplinary actions against students who led protests that at times shut down the nation's top school for the deaf, officials said Friday. Gallaudet's board of trustees has decided to let the administration move ahead with actions against the protesters as it normally would deal with infractions. The protesters were unhappy with the incoming president and succeeded in forcing the board to revoke her appointment.
Posted @ 8:16 AM
Pennsylvania sign language teacher sentenced to prison in rape of deaf man
A sign-language teacher was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in state prison in the sexual abuse of an autistic, deaf and mute man at a group home.
James French, 47, of Glenside, pleaded guilty in July to charges of rape of a mentally disabled person and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person with mental disabilities.
Posted @ 8:07 AM
December 12, 2006
Gallaudet University names Robert Davila interim president
Today, Gallaudet University Board of Trustees Chair Pamela Holmes announced the selection of Robert R. Davila as interim president of the university.
Dr. Davila, who is deaf, served from 1996-2004 as vice president for the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, one of seven colleges of Rochester Institute of Technology. In 1989, he began a four-year appointment as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in the Department of Education where he was the federal government’s chief advisor on federal policy affecting the education and vocational rehabilitation of the nation’s 40 million persons with disabilities.
Posted @ 5:45 AM
November 5, 2006
Captioned telephone service helps deaf and hearing imparied community in New York
The New Year will bring hope for more than 24 million Americans, who are hard of hearing, have experienced hearing loss later in life, or deaf individuals who prefer to use their own voice
The New York Public Service Commission, New York Relay and Sprint will release New York Relay Captioned Telephone Service on Jan. 1, 2007. The assistive technology of the service will allow people with hearing troubles, to communicate more naturally with family and friends.
Posted @ 12:27 PM
They can’t say ‘No!’ Deaf women and sex
She's 15-years-old and one of many rape victims whose anguish has been amplified because they can’t speak. She is part of a silent minority of girls and young women who are targeted by sexual predators because of their disability. Her inability to communicate with the hearing world left her powerless against her attacker in June 2006.
Posted @ 12:24 PM
October 19, 2006
Fernandes says Gallaudet board now split
The embattled president designate of Gallaudet University now says some of the school's trustees no longer support her.
Jane Fernandes tells The Washington Post that some trustees have asked her to step down as the next leader of the school for the deaf. She says she's still not thinking of stepping down because if she does, the trustees would come under scrutiny from Congress.
Posted @ 8:11 AM
Gallaudet classes resume as protests continue
At the main gate to the nation's only liberal arts university devoted to the deaf, student leader Christopher Corrigan sways his entire body to emphasize his sign-language chant before a crowd of about 300 students. His long hair waves as he signs "Gallaudet Unite." A drum bangs loudly. The chant ends with a high-pitched "ahh" and a visual cheer — palms held up high and shaking.
Posted @ 8:06 AM
October 16, 2006
NY subway noise levels can result in hearing loss
In a new survey of noise levels of the New York City transit system, researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health found that exposure to noise levels in subways have the potential to exceed recommended guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to the research, as little as 30 minutes of exposure to decibel levels measured in the New York City transit system per day has the potential to result in hearing loss. The findings have just been published in the September issue of the Journal of Urban Health, a publication of the New York Academy of Medicine.
Posted @ 4:01 AM
October 12, 2006
U.S. court backs decision on deaf drivers at UPS
United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) may not use certain regulations to exclude deaf people from applying for openings as drivers on its lighter delivery trucks, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Tuesday, affirming in part a federal district court's ruling.
Posted @ 6:05 PM
Letter from I. King Jordan about Gallaudet University
Dear Members of the Campus Community,
I was looking forward to announcing a peaceful resolution today to the campus building takeover. We actually had a signed agreement this afternoon with the president of the Student Body Government. He has since rescinded his signature.
Posted @ 5:44 PM
October 2, 2006
Device helps deaf musicians stay on beat
For their senior project last fall, Matt Marquette and his fellow student engineers set out to solve an unusual problem: How do you teach musical rhythms to a child who cannot hear?
Posted @ 10:05 AM
September 27, 2006
Researchers to develop new vaccine against ear and sinus infections
Researchers in the United States are now in the process of developing a vaccine against ear infections and sinus infections. Acute otitis media is a bacterial infection occurring in the middle ear which causes the buildup of fluid, usually pus and shows up in symptoms like pain.
Posted @ 6:44 AM
September 25, 2006
St. Jude finds clues to hearing loss from chemotherapy
Children with cancer who suffer hearing loss due to the toxic effects of chemotherapy might one day be able to get their hearing back through pharmacological and gene therapy, thanks to work done with mouse models at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Mice with a variety of genetic mutations that disrupt different parts of the ear will also help scientists understand age-related hearing loss in adults, as well as hearing loss caused by long-term exposure to loud noise, according to the researchers.
Posted @ 5:21 AM
St. Jude finds clues to hearing loss from chemotherapy
Children with cancer who suffer hearing loss due to the toxic effects of chemotherapy might one day be able to get their hearing back through pharmacological and gene therapy, thanks to work done with mouse models at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Mice with a variety of genetic mutations that disrupt different parts of the ear will also help scientists understand age-related hearing loss in adults, as well as hearing loss caused by long-term exposure to loud noise, according to the researchers.
Posted @ 5:21 AM
IBM offers deaf mobile alerts
IBM’s software research labs in the United Kingdom said Thursday they have developed a system to send location-specific alerts to the cell phones of hearing-impaired people at airports, workplaces, railway stations, and other locations.
Posted @ 5:09 AM
August 28, 2006
Hearing-impaired inmates to get help
A deaf man's complaint could lead to better accommodations for Allegheny County Jail inmates who are hearing impaired. Members of a city-county task force on disabilities plan to meet today with Warden Ramon Rustin and other jail officials about the matter and will tour the jail. The group acted after a former inmate filed a complaint about lack of access to an interpreter or telecommunications equipment.
Posted @ 9:10 AM
Interpreter for deaf students sentenced for molesting
A former interpreter for deaf students was sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of molesting a 13-year-old boy.
Chester Earl March, 63, of Hammond had earlier pleaded guilty to felony child molesting. In accordance with the plea agreement, a Lake Superior Court judge sentenced him Thursday to two years actual jail time and two years probation.
Posted @ 9:04 AM
Deaf woman files suit against New Braunfels
Maria Salinas says she kept begging police to provide a sign language interpreter for her after she found her boyfriend dead on the couch when she arrived home from work Sept. 23, 2004. Police refused, and as a result, she spent hours unable to communicate with officers, unsure if her boyfriend, Ed Spencer, was dead, confused about why police were searching her apartment, and wondering if she was a murder suspect.
Posted @ 9:03 AM
Deaf women sue clinic
The Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition and two deaf women filed a lawsuit against a Lakewood medical practice today, alleging one of its clinics refused to provide sign language interpreters so the women could communicate with their doctors.
Posted @ 8:58 AM
Sprint and Relay Texas build on 16-year relationship
Sprint and Relay Texas Build on 16-Year Relationship to Provide Communications Services to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Individuals
Building on a successful, long-term relationship, Sprint will continue to provide assistive communications services toindividuals within Texas who are deaf or hard of hearing or have aspeech disability. Through a competitive bid process, the PublicUtility Commission of Texas awarded Sprint with its fourth consecutivefive-year contract.
Posted @ 8:51 AM
Deaf tutor pleads not guilty to sexual assault
A deaf man pleaded not guilty Monday to five felony charges stemming from the alleged sexual assault of a physically and developmentally disabled man he was hired to tutor. Timothy Wayne Harris, 46, of San Diego, entered his plea before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Michael S. Hider, who ordered the defendant to return to court on Aug. 29 for a felony settlement conference.
Posted @ 8:49 AM
Another former employee sues school for deaf
A second former director of instruction has filed a lawsuit against the California School for the Deaf, Riverside, claiming mistreatment by his former employer.
Tomas Garcia, who served as director of instruction between 2001 and 2005, charges in a suit filed in Riverside County Superior Court on July 31 that he was racially discriminated against, was denied leaves of absence and was denied tenure.
Posted @ 8:48 AM
Deaf girl hit while walking across street
A deaf student was hit by a car in front of Barbara Jordan Technical School on Friday morning. Houston police said the 16-year-old girl was walking across Kelley Road around 8 a.m. She was allegedly jaywalking.
Posted @ 8:47 AM
August 18, 2006
Taser use on deaf man defended
To Seattle police, it was a near-perfect use of a Taser -- subduing a man whose behavior might have forced a more violent confrontation, even a shooting, without the less lethal option.
To Bob Ross' friends, his being electrically stunned last month was an excessive use of force brought on, they believe, because he is deaf and did not hear the officer's commands.
Posted @ 5:34 AM
New rules 'a job threat' to deaf workers
Deaf employees could be forced to give up their jobs because they will no longer be able to use their regular interpreters, a city charity has warned.
Deaf Action, based in Albany Street, said that its workers who communicate through sign language will no longer be able to use interpreters their own companies employ because of new Government guidelines.
Posted @ 5:26 AM
Stem cells may be key to deafness cure
In a dusty, cluttered lab at Stanford University, a team of young scientists is on a quest. Curing deafness is the goal, reports CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Kaledin, and Stefan Heller says stem cells hold the key.
Heller and his entire team were recruited away from Harvard, and they've made a breakthrough discovery: They've found that stem cells have the capacity to regenerate in the inner ear.
Posted @ 5:15 AM
June 21, 2006
PSA Treasurer at deaf school allegedly mishandled funds
The former treasurer of the Parent Association of the Lexington School for the Deaf, a nonprofit charitable organization in Jackson Heights that has operated as the main hard-of-hearing school in the metropolitan area since 1864, has been charged with mishandling more than $10,800 in PSA funds.
Posted @ 9:58 AM
June 13, 2006
New drug for hearing loss enters clinical testing
Sound Pharmaceuticals has started a 32 patient Phase 1 study of SPI-1005 in normal healthy volunteers. SPI-1005 is an oral capsule, and contains as its active ingredient a selenium based small molecule mimic of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase. In multiple preclinical studies, low oral doses of SPI-1005 have been shown to be effective in preventing and treating noise induced hearing loss.
Posted @ 5:34 AM
Gallaudet President I. King Jordan garners national award
Gallaudet University President I. King Jordan is the recipient of the 2006 National Jefferson Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged. According to organizers, Dr. Jordan garnered the prestigious honor not only for his advocacy in support of deaf and disability issues, but also as a proponent of quality higher education.
Posted @ 5:23 AM
Students find ring tone adults can't hear
Students are using a new ring tone to receive messages in class -- and many teachers can't even hear the ring. Some students are downloading a ring tone off the Internet that is too high-pitched to be heard by most adults. With it, high schoolers can receive text message alerts on their cell phones without the teacher knowing.
Posted @ 5:18 AM
June 5, 2006
The first free social network for the deaf on the web launched
The first free deaf social network on the Web was recently launched at www.TagDeaf.com. TagDeaf offers free registration and helps deaf, hard of hearing, and any interested hearing parties connect from all over the world.
Posted @ 5:15 AM
June 1, 2006
Studios settle suit over DVD closed-captioning
Time Warner Inc., Walt Disney Co. and other movie distributors settled a lawsuit brought on behalf of hearing-impaired customers who bought DVDs containing bonus material that wasn't enhanced for people with hearing problems.
Posted @ 4:44 PM
May 29, 2006
Taking good care of our ears
Most of us take our ears for granted and assume that nothing can go wrong with them. Those of us who are born with defective ears or hearing problems appreciate not just the external appearance but also the special functions of our ears.
Posted @ 11:16 AM
May 22, 2006
Blind woman sues Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind
A Baltimore woman has sued the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, claiming that because she is blind she was denied a job for which sight is not necessary. In the lawsuit filed Wednesday in 3rd District Court, Mary Jo Thorpe seeks reimbursement for monetary loses including lost wages, and damages for suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and other losses.
Posted @ 9:08 AM
May 18, 2006
Genetic cause of hearing loss in aging
Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine have taken a step toward understanding the genetics that make people more susceptible to the loss of hearing as they age. In a study of 50 pairs of fraternal twins with hearing loss, the scientists uncovered evidence linking the hearing loss to a particular region of DNA that previously was tied to a hereditary form of progressive deafness that begins much earlier in life.
Posted @ 12:32 PM
May 13, 2006
Hearing impaired boy sings for Pope
A 9-year-old Canadian boy who suffers from a birth defect that affected his hearing sang for Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday during an audience with Canadian bishops. Jeremy Gabriel, born with Treacher Collins syndrome, which often results in hearing problems, said he was "very nervous" at first because his family had been stuck in traffic and almost was late to the Vatican.
Posted @ 6:40 AM
May 11, 2006
Head of Gallaudet Univ. board resigns
The interim head of the Gallaudet University board of trustees has resigned, saying she was overwhelmed by the protests that greeted the selection of a new president to lead the nation's only liberal arts college for the deaf.
Posted @ 6:09 AM
May 8, 2006
Gallaudet faculty mulls no-confidence vote
The newly chosen president of Gallaudet University, the nation's only liberal arts college for the deaf, faced student protests and a possible faculty no-confidence vote Monday in a dispute that she said comes down to whether she is "deaf enough" for the job.
Posted @ 4:37 AM
May 3, 2006
Students protest new Gallaudet President
Trustees at Gallaudet University have picked a new president, but a lot of students aren't happy with the choice. Monday, Jane Fernandes, the school's provost for the last seven years, was named the new president. She will replace I. King Jordan, the school's first hearing-impaired president, who is now retiring.
Posted @ 5:01 AM
May 2, 2006
Gallaudet University names Dr. Jane K. Fernandes President
Dr. Jane K. Fernandes, Gallaudet University Provost since 2000, was introduced today as Gallaudet’s 9th president. She will take office in January 2007. Celia May Baldwin, Interim Chair of the university’s Board of Trustees made the announcement at a campus convocation this afternoon after the full board elected Dr. Fernandes president over the weekend.
Posted @ 1:42 AM
Did you hear? Aspirin is safer
Around the world, inexpensive antibiotics known as aminoglycosides have been used for the past 60 years in the battles against acute infections and tuberculosis, as antibacterial prophylaxis in cystic fibrosis and other patients, and in and other conditions. But for all of the good they do, the drugs also have been widely linked to irreversible hearing loss.
Posted @ 1:41 AM
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
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
April 12, 2006
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
April 10, 2006
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)
April 7, 2006
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
March 30, 2006
Apple releases software to set maximum volume limit
In a world where hearing problems are real, concerns are mounting and lawyers are looking to make gadget providers liable, the maker of the predominant iPod music player has created new volume controls. Apple issued a software update Wednesday for its recent iPod models. The Nano and the video capable iPod it will allow users to set how loud their digital music players can go.
Posted @ 8:32 AM
March 29, 2006
Scientists discover why Chinese frog has ear canal
A rare frog that lives in rushing streams and waterfalls in east-central China is able to make itself heard above the roar of flowing water by communicating ultrasonically, scientists reported March 16 in the journal Nature. Attributes that enable the frog to hear ultrasounds are made possible by the presence of an ear canal, which most other frogs don't have. "Our research points out an elegant and novel solution to the problem of communication in high levels of background noise," said Peter Narins, UCLA professor of physiological science and ecology and evolutionary biology, and co-author of the study.
Posted @ 6:22 AM
Retiring Gallaudet president honored
I. King Jordan, a University of Tennessee graduate who received international attention as the first deaf president of Gallaudet University, won a tribute Tuesday from the full U.S. House of Representatives for a career that has featured various highlights. The House unanimously approved a resolution noting his accomplishments in response to his plans to retire in December after 18 years as president of the District of Columbia college for the deaf and hearing impaired.
Posted @ 6:20 AM
March 17, 2006
Operation Lifesaver cooperates with deaf community, promotes safety around tracks and trains
As a result of the death Wednesday of a deaf high school student near railroad tracks in Texas, Operation Lifesaver's state programs are responding to requests from the deaf community and the media for information to help prevent similar tragedies. Operation Lifesaver, a national nonprofit public safety education organization, offers tips for pedestrian and driver safety around tracks and trains.
Posted @ 6:49 AM
March 16, 2006
McAvoy killed by train while text-messaging on cell phone
Austin police now say the reigning Miss Deaf Texas was killed by a freight train apparently while text-messaging family and friends on her cell phone. Eighteen-year-old Tara Rose McAvoy of Austin was killed Sunday while walking along the Union Pacific tracks in South Austin.
Posted @ 4:24 AM
March 14, 2006
Miss Deaf Texas struck by train, killed
The reigning Miss Deaf Texas died Monday afternoon after being struck by a train in Austin. Authorities say 18-year-old Tara Rose McAvoy was walking near railroad tracks when she was struck by a Union Pacific train. A witness told Austin television station K-T-B-C the train sounded its horn right up until the collision occurred.
Posted @ 1:48 AM
March 10, 2006
Funds slashed for theatre of the deaf
After 38 years, officials at the National Theatre of the Deaf are wondering how long they can continue producing their unique form of drama. A federal grant that provided the group with the bulk of its operating revenue since 1967 was not renewed last year, leaving the West Hartford-based group with an uncertain future.
Posted @ 9:01 PM
March 9, 2006
Dim view of aging linked to hearing loss
Older adults who harbor negative stereotypes about aging may have a more rapid decline in their hearing, a new study suggests. Researchers at Yale University found that among older men and women, between 70 and 96 years old, those who held to the stereotypes of older adults as "frail" and "senile" showed a greater decline in hearing over the next three years.
Posted @ 8:49 PM
March 7, 2006
Rheumatoid arthritis does not increase risk of hearing loss
Mayo Clinic researchers have found that people with rheumatoid arthritis are no more likely to have hearing loss than other members of the general population. The finding is contrary to previous study results that linked the disease to elevated risk of hearing problems. The study results will be presented Monday at the American Auditory Society annual meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Posted @ 6:16 AM
March 5, 2006
Jury awards $108,000 to deaf FedEx employee
A federal jury has awarded $108,000 in punitive and compensatory damages to a deaf worker who accused Federal Express Corporation of failing to provide him with a reasonable accommodation in the form of American Sign Language interpreters.
Posted @ 3:36 AM
March 2, 2006
Popular technology unpopular with ear’s hair cells
Popular technology—not just the personal music player, iPod--could prove harmful to the hearing of the nation, and especially to that of the young, if it is not used properly, testing by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) suggests. With media attention focused on the ubiquitous iPod, ASHA investigated further, testing the decibel levels of a range of randomly chosen devices that produce sound which is plugged into the ear.
Posted @ 10:34 PM
Tumor growth related to exposure to noise
The eighth cranial nerve has two branches, one that is responsible for balance and one that is responsible for hearing sensitivity. An acoustic neuroma is a non-cancerous tumor that grows on the eighth cranial nerve. The tumor typically grows very slowly and affects only one ear.
Posted @ 3:03 AM
February 28, 2006
Untreated ear infections can cause serious problems in children
It can be a nagging problem for both kids and their parents. If your child seems to be suffering from constant ear infections, don't worry, you're not alone. Left untreated ear infections can cause serious problems. NY1's Health & Fitness reporter Kafi Drexel filed the following report on what you can do recognize the signs. He's just a little over a year old, and already little Eli Ramos has had many ear infections. He'll always let you know the first signs of trouble, usually by poking at his ears.
Posted @ 4:30 AM
February 26, 2006
Trio robs deaf man using sign language
D.C. police are seeking three men who used sign language to rob a deaf man of his wallet in Northeast Washington, and investigators say the crime could be connected to two other recent thefts at nearby Gallaudet University.
Posted @ 2:41 PM
February 23, 2006
Carnegie Mellon scientists show brain uses optimal code for sound
Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have discovered that our ears use the most efficient way to process the sounds we hear, from babbling brooks to wailing babies. These results represent a significant advance in our understanding of how sound is encoded for transmission to the brain, according to the authors, whose work is published with an accompanying "News and Views" editorial in the Feb. 23 issue of Nature.
Posted @ 5:48 PM
February 22, 2006
Parents of five children sue Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind
Keiara Seiller kept telling her parents she didn't want to go to school. When the van pulled up to Darrell Oleson Jr.'s home to take him to the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind, he would hide. Ashton Porter cried when it was time to go to class. Their parents say they were concerned but because their children are deaf and had limited sign language skills, didn't know why they resisted going to the Ogden school - until caseworkers for the state called to interview the first-graders about complaints against their teacher.
Posted @ 5:57 PM
February 19, 2006
Ferrigno gives back
Lou Ferrigno has morphed identities more often than a George Lucas Cyber Hero. Junior body builder, a two time Mr. Universe title holder, television and film cult legend, itinerant stage actor, author, business mogul, fitness advisor to the stars, advocate for the hearing challenged and now… L.A County Sheriff’s Deputy! Along with forty five other graduates of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Academy, Ferrigno received a law enforcement officer’s badge and a warm congratulations from Sheriff Lee Baca in Monday evening’s ceremonies at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration this week.
Posted @ 1:21 PM
February 18, 2006
Henderson receives Hearing Conservation Award
Donald Henderson, Ph.D. professor in the Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences in the University at Buffalo's College of Arts and Sciences, received the 2006 Outstanding Hearing Conservation Award from the National Hearing Conservation Association at its annual conference in Tampa, Fla.
Posted @ 8:50 AM
Foxy Brown undergoes ear surgery
Rap star Foxy Brown's hearing is slowly returning after she underwent emergency surgery for a rare condition which threatened to leave her permanently deaf. The MC, 26, was diagnosed with sudden hearing loss - known as sudden sensorineural hearing loss - last May while recording her album 'Black Roses.'
Posted @ 8:46 AM
February 17, 2006
Loud noise exposure increases tumor risk
Research suggests that prolonged exposure to loud noise increases the risk of acoustic neuroma, a benign tumor that grows in the nerve connecting the ear to the brain that is associated with hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and disequilibrium. The only published study regarding noise and acoustic neuroma risk was limited by small size and its restriction to men only, Dr. Colin G. Edwards and colleagues note in their report, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology for February 15.
Posted @ 11:20 AM
February 14, 2006
Lou Ferrigno becomes reserve LA County sheriff's deputy
Would-be criminals beware: you don't want to run afoul of Deputy Lou "The Incredible Hulk" Ferrigno. The former bodybuilder and star of the 1970s TV show no longer turns into a raging green monster when he sees people breaking the law. But since being sworn in Monday night as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reserve deputy, he has the power to arrest them.
Posted @ 8:14 AM
February 10, 2006
Hormone linked to good hearing as we age
Researchers have linked a hormone known to adjust levels of key brain chemicals to the quality of our hearing as we age. The more of the hormone that older people have in their bloodstream, the better their hearing is, and the less of the hormone, the worse their hearing is. The hormone, aldosterone, is known to regulate kidney function and also plays a role in controlling levels of two crucial signaling chemicals in the nervous system, potassium and sodium.
Posted @ 10:56 AM
February 8, 2006
New i711 Wireless enables enhanced, mobile relay access
GoAmerica, Inc. today announced i711 Wireless(TM), a new, wireless relay service available immediately for download for T-Mobile Sidekick users nationwide. i711 Wireless expands access to the company's online i711.com(TM) relay service, and enables deaf and hard of hearing users to place relay calls right from their handheld devices.
Posted @ 1:01 AM
February 7, 2006
Budget cuts take aim at medical programs
From screening newborns for hearing problems to efforts to fight heart disease and find causes of premature birth, some innovative medical programs demanded by families are on the government chopping block. President Bush's proposed budget for 2007 contains what his health secretary called "hard choices" when it came to devising how much to spend on a host of competing ailments.
Posted @ 8:46 AM
February 5, 2006
Police seek information about missing woman
Sioux Falls police seek information about a Sioux Falls woman who was reported missing after not reporting to work for two days. Darlene Kay Vandergeisen is 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighs 200 to 250 pounds, has short brown hair and hazel eyes. She also is hearing impaired.
Posted @ 6:37 AM
February 4, 2006
School for Deaf celebrates 150 years of opportunity
The school's motto is "Learn. Grow. Belong." And for generations of young hearing-impaired Texans, the Texas School for the Deaf was the only place where they could do all three. On Friday, the Texas School for the Deaf — the oldest continuously operating, publicly funded school in the state — celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding with an assembly that drew several Texas lawmakers as well as a throng of grateful students, parents and alumni.
Posted @ 7:59 AM
February 3, 2006
Teachers find that mikes amplify learning
Students and teachers are using wireless microphones with surround sound that make even the meekest voices sound as robust and clear as an American Idol. "I relate it to Madonna -- I say we're rock stars," said Adrienne McElroy, a third-grade teacher at Liberty Elementary School in Port Charlotte.
Posted @ 7:39 AM
Riverside deaf church sues Caltrans over freeway eminent domain
A church with a deaf congregation is suing over the demolition of its old property to make way for freeway improvement, arguing that the California Department of Transportation cheated it out of millions of dollars in compensation. The Calvary Deaf Church was paid $1.4 million for property that Caltrans seized by eminent domain three years ago.
Posted @ 4:25 AM
February 1, 2006
Apple sued by iPod user over hearing loss
Do iPods lead to hearing loss? That's what a Louisiana man says, and he's suing Apple Computer over it. John Patterson filed the suit yesterday in federal court in San Jose. He's accusing Apple of marketing defective products that damage the hearing of those who use the devices -- namely, iPods.
Posted @ 4:21 PM
January 27, 2006
Congressman concerned about hearing loss from MP3 players
Can you still hear me now? That's the question Rep. Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, wants answered when it comes to people listening to popular portable music players like Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod. The U.S. lawmaker on Thursday asked the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to review research to determine if the devices are contributing to premature hearing loss as well as recommend what people can do to prevent it from happening.
Posted @ 5:58 AM
January 25, 2006
Group advocates for deaf women
Marilyn J. Smith is determined to make sure that no other deaf woman suffers like she did. Twenty-five years after she was raped, Smith’s passion stirred a nationwide movement to change the rights of deaf crime victims. Smith, the executive director of Abused Deaf Women's Advocacy Services, said she was victimized over and over again by the system. She said that when she was raped in 1970, police didn’t understand sign language and treat her case as a crime.
Posted @ 1:24 PM
January 24, 2006
Flowers may have to wait several months to learn if son can hear
Olympic bobsled gold medalist Vonetta Flowers may have to wait several months before learning if a surgical procedure performed on her 3-year-old son will allow him to hear for the first time. A device implanted on Jorden Flowers' brain stem last month was activated Monday, and doctors have told the family that they're optimistic it will allow the boy who was born deaf to eventually hear.
Posted @ 1:43 PM
January 20, 2006
Olympian braces for son's hearing fate
Most bobsledders headed to the Turin Olympics have Feb. 21 circled on their calendars, the day when the women's gold medal will be decided. Vonetta Flowers' big day is coming sooner. Flowers, who won Olympic gold in Salt Lake City four years ago, will learn Monday whether Jorden, one of her 3-year-old twin sons, can hear for the first time.
Posted @ 11:03 AM
Deaf children involved in highway crash
A school bus driver was in serious condition and one student remained hospitalized yesterday after a bus carrying 27 children from a New Jersey school for the hearing-impaired collided with two tractor-trailers and a car on a Maryland highway Wednesday night, authorities said.
Posted @ 10:59 AM
January 19, 2006
Technology helps deaf postal employees communicate
The U.S. Postal Service, one of the country’s largest employers of people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, is offering new technology to allow its employees to better communicate with each other. Two types of video interpreting technologies are being installed at postal facilities across the country, allowing nearly 4,000 postal employees who are deaf or hard-of-hearing to communicate with supervisors, co-workers and others in real-time without having to bring in on-site interpreters or rely on text-based telephone systems.
Posted @ 12:19 PM
January 18, 2006
State offers smoke detectors
A few months after a summer fire killed two children, members of the Harrington Fire Department went door to door making sure residents had working smoke detectors throughout their homes. From that survey, said Chief James Green, firefighters found a few residents who qualified for more advanced detectors, available through the state fire marshal’s office.
Posted @ 10:29 AM
January 11, 2006
Noise level may impact baby's speech development
One environmental hazard for your baby you probably don't think about. Can the noise level inside your house actually make it harder for your baby to learn to talk? Dr. Dean Edell shows us how turning down the TV could help your child find their voice faster. From the T.V. to noises in the next room, a home can be full of distractions. But how much is too much?
Posted @ 9:33 AM
January 10, 2006
Platinum cancer drugs tied to hearing loss in kids
Hearing loss appears to be a significant and under-reported side effect of platinum-based drugs used to treat a variety of childhood cancers, according to researchers. As senior investigator Dr. Edward A. Neuwelt told Reuters Health, so-called "mild" hearing loss "has major impact on academic and social development in kids, is very common after platinum chemotherapy, and may be prevented using" drugs called "thiol oto-protectants" that do not compromise the anti-cancer effects of the chemotherapy.
Posted @ 8:09 AM
January 5, 2006
Deaf man charged with attempted rape
A woman told Pharr police that she was asleep late Tuesday night when her attacker crawled into her bed. The woman says her husband was away and not home.
Posted @ 8:08 AM
January 4, 2006
Deaf robbery suspect appears in court
A 15-year-old deaf boy was in Tulsa County court Tuesday on an armed robbery charge. The News on 6 told you about Sid McDade last week. His parents say he's a troubled kid who needs help, but his cases keep getting kicked out of the system because of a lack of deaf interpreters.
Posted @ 4:32 AM
December 28, 2005
San Francisco airport to offer hearing impaired passengers announcements on video screens
Hearing-impaired airline passengers will soon be able to read public-address announcements on 80 large video screens at San Francisco International Airport as part of a settlement, officials said.
Posted @ 12:50 AM
December 26, 2005
Oklahoma girl gets a special gift from Mattel for Christmas
A special 5-year old gets a Christmas present she'll never forget. It all started with an email to the Mattel company a few weeks ago. Morgan has been through a lot in her short life.
Posted @ 1:28 PM
December 15, 2005
SFO to improve services for deaf
In a deal that could have nationwide implications, San Francisco International Airport has agreed to improve services for deaf travelers to settle a class-action lawsuit.
Posted @ 8:43 AM
December 13, 2005
Sidekick II users can upgrade Danger
Danger, the mobile software and services company, is set to release a major software upgrade Tuesday for users of the T-Mobile Sidekick II handset.
Posted @ 8:17 AM
December 7, 2005
Foxy Brown fires attorney for talking about deafness
Rapper Foxy Brown fired her New York attorney after widespread media reports about her hearing loss, it was reported Wednesday.
Posted @ 7:24 AM
Early intervention key to hearing development in deaf children
A new study by the University of Maryland's Child Development Laboratory and Stanford University shows that early intervention with cochlear implants can make a significant difference in auditory development in deaf children.
Posted @ 7:18 AM
December 4, 2005
Theaters agree to help blind, deaf
Did you catch the new movie that everyone's talking about at school and at work? If you're visually or hearing impaired, you probably couldn't. That would change under a deal with eight national theater chains aimed at making it easier for visually and hearing impaired people to enjoy movies in 140 theaters statewide, according to New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.
Posted @ 7:27 PM
Firefighters sue siren manufacturer over hearing loss
Motorists and pedestrians need to hear firetrucks approaching. But some firefighters say the sirens are too loud - and they hold manufacturers responsible for their hearing loss.
Posted @ 7:26 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
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
November 16, 2005
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
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
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
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
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
November 3, 2005
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
October 30, 2005
Firm addresses gaps in emergency planning for disabled people
In an emergency, people are forced to make life-altering decisions in a split-second. However, for people with disabilities, the key to making the right decisions requires careful consideration and planning. Deaf firefighter Neil McDevitt has founded The McDevitt Group (TMG), to meet these needs.
Posted @ 5:30 AM
October 27, 2005
Woman indicted in fraud case
An Ohio woman solicited thousands of dollars from several Minnesotans for a phony lawsuit she promised would return millions to them, according to a federal grand jury indictment Wednesday in Minneapolis.
Posted @ 6:30 AM
October 26, 2005
Speaker allows deaf to feel music
A new device is allowing deaf people to "hear" music through vibrations, 200 years after the technique was used by Beethoven as he lost his hearing.
Posted @ 4:10 AM
New Jersey selects Sprint to provide relay services to the deaf
New Jersey has awarded Sprint a three-year, multi-million dollar Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) contract to provide assistive communications services to the deaf and hard of hearing within the state.
Posted @ 3:58 AM
October 18, 2005
Sound of music - 'Three Wishes' provides surprise gift of hearing to Claymont choir director
Claymont High Choir Director Liz Bausch woke up a year and a half ago and discovered that 70 percent of her hearing was gone. But on Monday, Bausch heard the voices of her choir students loud and clear for the first time, thanks to the cast and crew of NBC’s “Three Wishes,” who granted the teacher a wish that was requested by her students.
Posted @ 3:19 AM
October 15, 2005
Startup wants to provide captions for more than TV
Stephen Foster wants to move closed captioning beyond television sets. His startup, iMobile Access Technologies, or iMAT, is developing technology that would provide real-time text broadcasts for movie theaters, sports and entertainment venues, and radio stations.
Posted @ 2:29 PM
October 13, 2005
Cisco develops first contact centre for the deaf
Cisco has teamed with language interpretation firm Significan't to develop SignVideo, the UK's first contact centre that offers deaf people easy access to sign-language interpreters.
Posted @ 5:13 PM
October 3, 2005
New 911 system should improve response
The Humboldt State University 911 emergency communication system is getting a face-lift. With the help of grants from the state’s 911 program and the Department of Homeland Security, HSU Police Chief Tom Dewey is overhauling an antiquated system as part of an effort to enable the campus to better respond to emergency situations.
Posted @ 3:57 PM
September 30, 2005
Phone and Internet scam hits Interior
According to the Associated Press and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Interior residents are reporting a scam that poses as a phone service for the hearing-impaired.
Posted @ 5:03 AM
Deaf mute found incompetent to face capital murder charge
A deaf, mute, illiterate Salvadoran on Thursday was found incompetent to stand trial on a capital murder charge in the slaying of a teenage girl.
Posted @ 5:00 AM
September 26, 2005
Scammers using Internet phone service for the deaf
Have you ever wondered how deaf people make a phone call? How they chat with a friend, order a pizza--or get hold of 911? At one time they had to find a hearing friend who could make the call for them, translating their sign language or written notes into speech for the person on the other end. Then came teletype (TTY) terminals, which allowed them to type their half of a conversation, while an operator served as the intermediary.
Posted @ 8:40 AM
September 25, 2005
Ears at risk as iPod ‘addiction’ spreads
Cusick says he spends more time listening to his iPod than he spends awake. That’s because he goes to sleep listening to music.
Posted @ 5:26 PM
September 22, 2005
Play it loud, and you may pay for it
Somebody grooving to the new Coldplay album on their new iPod or other personal listening device may not be thinking about hearing safety, but some medical experts are beginning to worry that the shiny little devices that have taken the music world by storm could pose some risks for hearing loss down the road, if they aren't used properly.
Posted @ 5:12 PM
September 21, 2005
T-Mobile USA gains extension for offering hearing-aid-compatible phone
The Federal Communications Commission granted T-Mobile USA Inc. a short extension of time to comply with last Friday's deadline for national mobile-phone carriers to begin making hearing-aid-compatible handsets available to consumers.
Posted @ 1:50 AM
September 14, 2005
AOL and Sorenson Communications team to offer text-to-speech relay calls
America Online Inc. and Sorenson Communications(TM), the nation's leading provider of video relay services (VRS) and equipment for the deaf community, today announced a partnership to allow deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to access the newly launched Sorenson IP Relay(TM) directly from their AOL or AIM Buddy List feature using the AIM Relay Service.
Posted @ 1:14 PM
Hearing loss from new portable devices
Music technology has come a long way since a "45 rpm" was the universal choice for hit songs. Now, the digital age allows anyone to carry their entire music collection on a tiny device with fantastic sound. But there is danger here. The Eye on Health team spoke with a local hearing specialist about the so-called MP3 generation.
Posted @ 2:42 AM
September 13, 2005
Docs ring warning bells on earbuds
Earbuds are causing hearing loss and damaged eardrums among the people who use them frequently, doctors warned yesterday.
Posted @ 2:30 AM
September 12, 2005
Headphone use may worsen hearing loss
Everywhere she turns, Angella Day sees people carrying portable music players, often with the ear buds stuffed firmly in place. "They're very widespread," says Day, a senior at Chicago's DePaul University who regularly listens to music on her own iPod while studying or working out. "So addicting."
Posted @ 2:27 AM
Hearing research gets big boost
Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System say they're launching three federally funded studies into the causes of age-related hearing loss and ways to reduce or prevent that loss.
Posted @ 2:25 AM
September 11, 2005
Trips don't always do a body good, especially ears and eyes
Wait for a ride on a New York subway, and as your train approaches your ears are blasted with 90 decibels of noise, loud enough to do permanent damage after a few minutes. A jet plane engine gives off 120 decibels at takeoff, about the same as a rock concert. Car racing fan? The din is likely to reach 130 decibels.
Posted @ 12:58 AM
September 9, 2005
Bridging the gap
Jeff Kelly used to tell his girlfriend, Terri Vincent, that before calling him at work, she should "be prepared with what you want to say."
Posted @ 3:28 AM
September 4, 2005
$500,000 to fight deaf boy in the courts
The Education Department will spend up to $500,000 on legal fees fighting a discrimination case brought by a deaf boy denied a classroom interpreter.
Posted @ 1:04 PM
September 2, 2005
First deaf president of Gallaudet University, Dr. I. King Jordan, announces plans to retire
Gallaudet University President, Dr. I. King Jordan, whose selection as the nation’s first deaf university president in 1988 propelled him into the international spotlight as a role model for what deaf people can achieve, has announced that he would retire on December 31, 2006.
Posted @ 8:09 AM
August 31, 2005
T-Mobile USA joins Cingular in requesting hearing-aid phone extension
T-Mobile USA Inc. asked the Federal Communications Commission for an additional 60 days to meet the Sept. 16 deadline by which the nation's top four national carriers must either make available-per air interface-four hearing-aid-compatible mobile phones or ensure that 25 percent of their handset models have that capability.
Posted @ 12:31 AM
Hearing loss in older adults may compromise cognitive resources for memory
The effort required to correctly hear and identify words may diminish the resources needed to memorize them Waltham, Mass. - In a new study, Brandeis University researchers conclude that older adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss may expend so much cognitive energy on hearing accurately that their ability to remember spoken language suffers as a result.
Posted @ 12:20 AM
August 29, 2005
Closed-captioning stenographers in high demand
Imagine going clickety-clack on a keyboard trying to pump out no less than 200 words-per-minute at 98-percent accuracy. Now imagine the fruits of your labor being telecast two seconds later.
Posted @ 1:29 PM
Hi-tech hope for deaf
Two US universities are working on a turnkey system that bridges a gulf in communications between deaf and hearing people.
Posted @ 2:45 AM
August 25, 2005
Ear tubes aren't always best solution for young children
By the time little Vasilios Giasemis had reached his third birthday, he had suffered nine ear infections - most them were in both ears. Doctors treated Vasilio with ear tubes.
Posted @ 1:24 PM
August 24, 2005
Gallaudet receives $1 million gift from The Starr Foundation
Gallaudet University has received a $1 million gift from The Starr Foundation. The financial contribution will be earmarked for the construction of the University’s new James Lee Sorensen Language and Communication Center.
Posted @ 12:55 PM
August 21, 2005
Got kids? Expect ear ailments
Otitis media (OM) is the most common illness for which children visit a physician. More than half a million ear-tube surgeries are performed each year, making it the most common pediatric ambulatory surgery performed in the United States.
Posted @ 2:19 PM
August 20, 2005
Damage to the inner ear caused by antibodies to IESCA can destroy hearing
In thousands of people each year, the immune system attacks the inner ear, home to the tiny, delicate structures that allow us to hear.
Without warning, in days or weeks, patients lose the ability to hear in one or both ears.
Posted @ 2:12 PM
August 16, 2005
New hope for those deaf from immune system attack
A new study may one day help those deafened by immune system attack, and possibly also lead to a test that could show which patients may be helped by immediate steroid treatment.
Posted @ 12:13 PM
U-M at work on deafness test
Imagine your panic: You awaken deaf in one ear. Someday, there may be a better way to test who will benefit from the steroids routinely administered to restore hearing in cases of rapid-onset hearing loss.
Posted @ 12:11 PM
August 14, 2005
Missing area man found safe
The search for a hearing-impaired Yuba City man ended on its 18th day when he was spotted on a bicycle trail near Merced, his mother said Saturday.
Posted @ 4:28 PM
There are subtle effects of hearing loss on memory and cognitive function in older adults
In a new study, Brandeis University researchers conclude that older adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss may expend so much cognitive energy on hearing accurately that their ability to remember spoken language suffers as a result.
Posted @ 4:25 PM
August 12, 2005
Need for ear tubes questioned
When kids get inner ear infections, doctors often put drainage tubes in their ears right away. The idea is to prevent hearing loss, which could lead to developmental problems.
Posted @ 1:10 PM
August 11, 2005
Delayed ear tube surgery doesn't delay development
Putting off surgery to have ear tubes inserted in children who have persistent fluid build-up in their ears won't slow their development, a new study finds.
Posted @ 1:03 PM
August 9, 2005
Rochester remembers Peter Jennings
For 22 years, his voice steered Americans through tough times. For that reason and many others, the country today is remembering ABC news anchorman Peter Jennings, who died Sunday night.
Posted @ 3:36 PM
August 5, 2005
Amends made in wrongful jailing
Joseph Heard, the deaf, mute and mentally disabled man who was mistakenly held in the D.C. jail for nearly two years, will receive between $1.2 million and $1.5 million from the District and a private contractor to settle a three-year-old lawsuit under an agreement approved yesterday by a federal judge.
Posted @ 12:21 PM
August 2, 2005
Sprint launches CapTelSM for hard of hearing community in South Carolina
"Those who have used CapTel phones sum up the experience in one word – freedom," said Dr. J. Barry Morris, Research Administrator at the Office of Regulatory Staff in South Carolina. "The calls are more like an ordinary conversation compared to other relay calls, and we’re excited to bring this service to our citizens."
Posted @ 4:06 PM
August 1, 2005
Sorenson Communications announces total victory in VRS-related trade secrets lawsuit with Hands On Video Relay Services
Sorenson Communications(TM), the nation's leading provider of video relay services (VRS) and equipment for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, today announced that it has won a summary judgment by the judge in a lawsuit filed by Hands On Video Relay Services (HOVRS) in 2003.
Posted @ 8:34 AM
Hearing problems of middle age are affecting the younger generation
Researchers from Purdue University say that cell phones and portable digital music systems are the reason why more and more young people are having hearing problems that are typical of the middle and old ages.
Posted @ 8:33 AM
July 30, 2005
New tool makes hearing tests simpler
Ten percent of the U.S. population suffers from hearing loss. But only a few are actually diagnosed and treated. New technology is now allowing family doctors to get a jump on a diagnosis.
Posted @ 12:49 AM
July 29, 2005
Possibility of treatment for permanent hearing loss
Researchers from University of Iowa and Okayama University, Japan, have reported a possible cure for a kind of permanent hearing loss from parallel studies with animals.
Posted @ 12:26 AM
July 27, 2005
Study: Disabled actors not represented in films, TV shows
Actors with disabilities are underrepresented in movies and TV shows and are reluctant to ask producers for even minor accommodations, according to a study commissioned by the Screen Actors Guild.
Posted @ 10:16 AM
Gallaudet President I. King Jordan receives George Bush Medal
Dr. I. King Jordan, president of Gallaudet University, recently received the George Bush Medal for the Empowerment of People with Disabilities.
Posted @ 12:27 AM
July 25, 2005
Implant could restore hearing to the deaf
A new implant is being developed by scientists that could restore the hearing of millions of deaf people. The revolutionary technology called SMARTFIT aims to mimic physiological hearing functions for the first time by producing replicas of the tiny bones in the middle ear.
Posted @ 12:32 PM
July 23, 2005
Deaf kids tune in to celebrity
As a finalist on ABC's The Bachelorette earlier this year, millions of people saw Jerry Ferris ultimately rejected on national television.
Posted @ 11:09 AM
July 21, 2005
New rules will make more cellphones available to hearing-aid users
Hearing-aid users who’ve had trouble using cellphones because of electrical interference are about to get a break.
Posted @ 1:07 AM
July 19, 2005
Noisy environment may affect children's grasp of language
Every Wednesday afternoon, 2-year-old Kelsea Knowlton visits Monique Conner, a pediatric speech-language pathologist at Memorial Hospital in South Bend.
Posted @ 1:04 PM
July 18, 2005
The Baby Einstein Company partners with Marlee Matlin
The Baby Einstein Company, parents' number one choice for infant videos, announces the release of Baby Wordsworth(TM), an innovative new title created to expose children to first words and the idea that communication can take various forms.
Posted @ 10:01 AM
July 16, 2005
Kansas infants are tested for hearing and diseases within days of birth
For 40 years, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has been screening babies born in Kansas.
Posted @ 10:53 AM
July 15, 2005
Untreated hearing loss accounts for at least $100 billion in lost income
1 out of 6 baby boomers and 1 out of 14 "Generation Xers" have hearing problems, but most don't seek treatment. More than 31.5 Americans find it difficult to hear without a hearing aid, an increase of 9.9% since 2000, according to a new survey by the Better Hearing Institute (BHI) that will be published in the Hearing Review on July 17th. BHI researchers also documented that untreated hearing loss has a tremendously negative effect on individual incomes.
Posted @ 1:55 AM
Sorenson Communications supports and is in full compliance with FCC's new VRS rulings
Sorenson Communications(TM), the leading provider of video relay services (VRS) and equipment for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, today expressed its support of recent rulings from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on several significant VRS regulatory issues, and announced that the company is already in full compliance with all FCC rulings and policies.
Posted @ 1:45 AM
July 14, 2005
Police resources short for special needs families
After a 9-year-old Minneapolis boy reported missing was found safe, questions were raised about the resources the Minneapolis police had available for the hearing impaired.
Posted @ 1:18 AM
July 12, 2005
Grandmother saves deaf family members from fire
In the charred remains of her daughter's house on Azalea Drive, Mary Trapp shuddered Monday to think what could have happened to her child and grandson if she had not been there when flames began racing through the residence.
Posted @ 8:24 AM
July 9, 2005
VDH program loans hearing aids to children
Children in Virginia who are facing delays in getting permanent hearing aids no longer have to wait. They can now borrow them from the Virginia Department of Health's Hearing Aid Loan Bank.
Posted @ 2:22 AM
July 6, 2005
GoAmerica and Hands On to combine in merger
GoAmerica, Inc. (Nasdaq: GOAM - News), a leading provider of wireless and Internet relay communications services for the deaf and hard-of-hearing market, and Hands On, a leading provider of video relay and interpreter services for the deaf and hard-of-hearing market, today announced they have entered into a definitive merger agreement.
Posted @ 1:47 PM
July 1, 2005
Patricia Denner Cayne joins Sonomax Hearing Healthcare, Inc.
Sonomax Hearing Healthcare Inc.(TSX VENTURE:SHH) is proud to announce the appointment of Patricia Denner Cayne, PhD to the company's newly formed Board of Advisors.
Posted @ 12:15 AM
June 29, 2005
New candidate for a vaccine against Lassa fever
Among the family of viral hemorrhagic fevers (which includes those caused by the Ebola, Marburg, and Hanta viruses), Lassa fever is the biggest public health problem.
Posted @ 12:17 AM
June 28, 2005
NCI project bridges communication gap
WASHINGTON – This summer as part of the Deafness and Cancer Project, medical students from the University of California at San Diego’s [UCSD] Moores Cancer Center will be on the Gallaudet campus learning American Sign Language [ASL], particularly how to use it in clinical settings, and developing an understanding of and appreciation for Deaf Culture.
Posted @ 8:37 AM
June 25, 2005
Device lets deaf say, 'Call me on my cell'
Ken Still bought a cell phone for the same reason many people do. "If I'm in my car and it breaks down, I can call and not have to worry for someone to come and help me," he said.
Posted @ 8:33 PM
School for deaf celebrates 40 years
The Newfoundland School for the Deaf (NSD) celebrated its 40th anniversary last month, and no one was more enthusiastic about the celebrations than teacher Judy (Crocker) Shea.
Posted @ 8:22 PM
June 24, 2005
No sign of missing deaf woman near Flagstaff
Ariz. Searchers in the Flagstaff area say the fact that a missing woman is hearing-impaired is restricting some of the resources they would utilize in a traditional search.
Posted @ 12:30 AM
June 22, 2005
'Modifier Gene' makes some hearing loss more severe
Scientists have identified a genetic mutation in humans that affects the severity of hearing loss caused by a mutation of another gene.
Posted @ 12:01 AM
June 21, 2005
Denny's sponsors the Mike Bush Fantasy Baseball Camp for the hearing impaired
The All-American family dining chain is giving hearing impaired children an opportunity to enjoy the All- American pastime. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the All-American Slam® and savory Hickory Burger Combo will go to the Mike Bush Fantasy Baseball Camp, an organization that gives hearing-impaired children an opportunity to practice their baseball skills at the camp.
Posted @ 1:07 AM
June 17, 2005
Background noise can affect infant language learning
Even moderate background noise can affect how infants learn language at an early and crucial time of their development, according to new research from Purdue University.
Posted @ 7:54 AM
Broadband could help deaf people make phone calls
Lane Lucht did not make his first telephone call until he was 26 years old. It was a simple pleasure he said he will never forget.
Posted @ 7:53 AM
Hearing impaired see promise in high speed Internet video
Congress should expand a provision of the 1996 Telecommunications Act on telecom access for the disabled to include high-speed Internet access -- so that the hearing-impaired can communicate via broadband video, advocates of the deaf community said Thursday.
Posted @ 7:52 AM
June 14, 2005
National Technical Institute of the Deaf marks 40th birthday
Forty years ago today, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed his name on a bill to create the National Technical Institute of the Deaf.
Posted @ 7:55 AM
Superstar Trisha Yearwood joins William Austin's Starkey Hearing Foundation Mission to Mexico
Country superstar Trisha Yearwood canceled plans this week in order to travel along with William Austin, head of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, and a dozen volunteers (including doctors and audiologists) to give the gift of hearing to over 1000 underprivileged children in Guadalajara and Marida, Mexico.
Posted @ 7:50 AM
June 13, 2005
'Hearing buddies' aid deaf toddler
They pooled tooth fairy money, emptied piggy banks, sold handmade jewelry and held a bike-a-thon for a little deaf boy named Samuel.
Posted @ 6:21 AM
June 11, 2005
Jury finds deaf-mute underpaid
A Central El Paso man earning $5.51 an hour was denied higher wages by his employer of more than 20 years because he cannot hear or speak, a jury in County Court-at-Law No. 5 decided.
Posted @ 6:43 AM
June 10, 2005
New Israeli sound weapon may help flush out resisting settlers
Israel is considering using an unusual new weapon against Jewish settlers who resist this summer's Gaza Strip evacuation - a device that emits penetrating bursts of sound that send targets reeling with dizziness and nausea.
Posted @ 7:53 AM
June 9, 2005
Ending ear infections with ear tubes
A child's recurrent ear infections can affect the whole family, causing lost sleep and missed work days. Ear tubes may help.
Posted @ 10:50 AM
June 8, 2005
Police expand probe of man accused of defrauding deaf
The FBI has joined investigators in California, New York and Massachusetts to determine whether a deaf man accused of defrauding the deaf community in all three states also has abused children and other adults.
Posted @ 6:24 AM
Woman, 91, teaches purse snatcher a lesson
She's 91 and uses a hearing aid and eyeglasses, but Katherine Woodworth wasn't about to let somebody steal her purse.
Posted @ 6:10 AM
June 3, 2005
How chronic exposure to tiny levels of carbon monoxide damages hearing in young ears
UCLA scientists have discovered how chronic exposure to low levels of carbon monoxide (CO) damages the inner ear of young rats, resulting in permanent hearing loss.
Posted @ 4:28 PM
May 31, 2005
Hearing center at CU gets $2.8 million grant
DENVER -- There was a big show of support Monday for a hearing center at the University of Colorado that is named after world renowned audiologist Dr. Marion Downs.
Posted @ 6:15 PM
May 29, 2005
Companies sound out future growth
About two million baby-boomers and others suffer hearing loss are creating a growing and lucrative market for a clutch of hearing aid and service providers, an industry player said.
Posted @ 2:11 AM
May 27, 2005
CDC urges meningitis vaccine for teens, college freshmen
Children 11 to 12 years old, unvaccinated teens entering high school, and college freshmen living in dormitories are among those at highest risk of deadly bacterial meningitis and should be routinely inoculated, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended in new guidelines issued Thursday.
Posted @ 6:54 AM
May 26, 2005
Sign language used for spelling bee
For months we have been hearing about the Coca-Cola spelling bee, and last week that competition ended. But this week, another spelling bee was held, sponsored by Crystal Water. News Five was at Belize Elementary School auditorium for the hands-on event.
Posted @ 7:38 AM
Destined for success: Cami Garland overcomes hearing impairment, heads for Yale
Sometimes I felt isolated because I could not understand what was going on around me, but I was eager to make friends. I recognized the adversity and knew I must overcome it. I realized I was different, but I was not going to let that stop me.
Posted @ 7:33 AM
Sonomax'TM' Solution wins safety and health product innovation award
Sonomax(TM) Solution (TSX VENTURE:SHH) was named the overall winner of the 2005 British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) Product Innovation Award. Sir John Cullen, President of the BSIF presented the award to Nick Laperle, President of Sonomax Hearing Healthcare Inc., and Brian Powell, Director and General Manager of Hagemeyer Environmental Health and Safety Division before an audience at the Safety and Health Expo on May 17 in Birmingham, England.
Posted @ 6:48 AM
May 25, 2005
National Association for the Deaf making noise about 'Idol'
TV singing competition "American Idol" is all about sound. So for 28 million hearing-impaired Americans, it's a challenge just to enjoy the show. Now the National Association for the Deaf (NAD) is complaining that "Idol" made matters worse with incorrect closed captions a few weeks ago.
Posted @ 12:29 PM
May 23, 2005
Kaua‘i audiologist helps hearing-impaired people halfway across the world
Even after 36 years in the business of helping people hear better, Kaua‘i audiologist Dr. John "Jack" Yarush admitted he'd never quite experienced anything like what happened to him during a recent tour of Belize and Mexico.
Posted @ 12:04 AM
May 20, 2005
Sound advice about age - related hearing loss
The popular notion that older people are "hard of hearing" is often true. Hearing loss occurs gradually in most people as they age.
Posted @ 1:14 PM
May 18, 2005
Story-telling a lifelong passion for youth librarian
People who visit the Yucca Valley library on a routine basis will recognize the youth librarian there, even if they don't know her name is Lynda Grove.
Posted @ 9:08 AM
May 17, 2005
Millionaire GP pretended he was deaf
A millionaire doctor who pretended he was deaf so he could pocket a fortune from private patients while on NHS sick leave has been struck off.
Posted @ 9:48 AM
May 16, 2005
Cocktail of noise and carbon monoxide increases hearing loss
Garage mechanics, firefighters and truckers, listen up: a new study shows chronic exposure to noise plus carbon monoxide increases hearing loss.
Posted @ 6:03 PM
May 14, 2005
Alcohol consumption can damage hearing
Although alcohol researchers believe that drinking can cause brain damage, the quantity of alcohol and the length of time needed to accomplish this remain unknown. In the March 2004 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, scientists in Germany specify the damage that cumulative, life-long alcohol consumption can inflict on central auditory pathways, which is reflected as hearing loss.
Posted @ 6:41 AM
May 13, 2005
Deaf Talkabout: Going to town on it
A pressure group in the USA is proposing to build a town occupied only by deaf people, with hearing folk banned unless they show proficiency in sign language.
Posted @ 12:57 PM
May 12, 2005
Baby boomer men more prone to hearing loss
Men who are members of the Baby Boomer generation -- approximately half of the 76 million Americans born between World War II and the early 1960s -- are more likely than their female counterparts to experience hearing loss, according to a compelling survey recently released by The EAR Foundation and Clarity.
Posted @ 6:45 AM
May 11, 2005
Deaf protest against alleged neglect
Kano, Nigeria - About 200 deaf people staged a protest on Tuesday in the northern Nigerian city of Kano against what they called government's neglect of their plight.
Posted @ 6:30 AM
Deaf student's hearing device stolen at school
San Antonio -- A 15-year-old deaf boy's hearing device worth an estimated $10,000 was stolen at school Monday.
Posted @ 6:23 AM
Telephone bills could increase slightly to pay for deaf services
SPRINGFIELD – People who have landline telephones could pay a higher surcharge by next year to pay for phone services for deaf and hearing-impaired people.
Posted @ 6:15 AM
May 10, 2005
Experts warn of iPod hearing loss
Hearing experts are concerned that the prevalence of digital music players may cause hearing problems in the future.
Posted @ 8:15 AM
May 9, 2005
Aloft Technologies creates new headset
Aloft Technologies today announced the introduction of the world’s most comfortable, technologically advanced, lightweight aviation headset, weighing only 1.5 ounces. The Clarity Aloft Headset provides patented self-molding ear tips to achieve superior sound clarity and comfort, while providing 35-45 decibels of passive noise reduction.
Posted @ 6:27 AM
Easy on the ears
Got an MP3 player or a hearing aid? Or perhaps a communications headset you use while on a factory floor — or the battlefield? Robert Oliveira has some tips for you.
Posted @ 6:22 AM
May 8, 2005
Digital music craze stores up ear trouble for iPod fanatics
Music fans have been warned to turn down or switch off their iPods amid fears the craze for MP3 players is storing up catastrophic and irreversible hearing damage for a generation.
Posted @ 2:33 AM
Hearing needs are going unheard for kids in Utah
Two years ago, Norm and Taunya Paxton discovered silence had crept into their home — a silence that would forever change their life: They learned their middle child, Chance, was profoundly deaf.
Posted @ 2:30 AM
May 6, 2005
Seek help for speech, language, and hearing problems, advises National Health Association
Speech, language, and hearing disorders affect one in 6 Americans. A person can have a communication disorder because of a stroke, an undetected hearing loss, a stuttering problem, a head injury, a movement or muscle problem, or another disorder or problem that interferes with speaking, understanding, hearing, or reading and writing.
Posted @ 7:55 AM
May 4, 2005
Marine meets his Internet deaf pen pals
Students at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School at Gallaudet University had used e-mail and a school Web log to get first-hand accounts of the insurgency in Iraq and the daily survival of a U.S. Marine stationed there.
Posted @ 6:38 AM
May 3, 2005
Loud music can damage your hearing
If you don't want the last thing you hear to be loud music, start taking care of your hearing now.
Posted @ 4:58 PM
New system helps deaf, hearing impaired
The Deaf & Hearing Services of Lake and Sumter Counties assists the deaf and hearing impaired in many different ways. The latest way is with the Sorenson System, a video relay system used by the deaf, or hearing impaired, to view the person with whom they are talking.
Posted @ 2:35 AM
May 2, 2005
Device sends right signals
Inventors in the North East have developed a device set to transform the lives of thousands of people who are hard of hearing.
Posted @ 7:39 AM
April 29, 2005
Scientists find deafness gene through mutant mice
Scientists in Hong Kong and Britain have discovered a gene responsible for hearing, a breakthrough that could eventually lead to a cure for congenital deafness.
Posted @ 11:37 AM
April 28, 2005
Parents face hard choices for disabled kids
Two East Valley families each awoke one day to the same news: They have a deaf child. With that, they had to make education choices in a time when technology has given parents more options.
Posted @ 9:52 AM
April 27, 2005
Ear bionics may help paraplegics and quadriplegics move
If new research from Australia fulfills its early promise, the technology that allows the deaf to hear will soon be able to help people with spinal injuries. As reported in the Australian media in April, the extensions to bionic ear technology could bring movement and feeling to paraplegics and quadriplegics. Epileptics may also benefit from the developments.
Posted @ 3:09 PM
April 26, 2005
Findings in April National Ear, Nose, and Throat Society Journal
Some 25 original articles are featured in the April 2005 edition of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.
Posted @ 1:35 AM
April 25, 2005
Hagemeyer launches revolutionary Sonomax Solution
Sonomax System is the Future of Hearing Protection in Europe. Hagemeyer is launching SonoCustom(TM) from Sonomax Hearing Healthcare Inc. at the Safety and Health Expo (Birmingham NEC May 17th-19th 2005). It will be the first time the health and safety industry in the United Kingdom will see and have the chance to be fitted for the Sonomax(TM) hearing protection system.
Posted @ 2:40 PM
April 23, 2005
Ear tubes
Ear infections are one of the most common diseases in early childhood and ear tube surgery is the most common operation in children. Now there's evidence it is a safe and effective way to protect hearing in childhood.
Posted @ 12:56 PM
April 22, 2005
Keep it down, European employers told
Loud noise at work can lead to hearing loss, accidents and stress, the EU executive commission said this week, launching a campaign to raise awareness before tougher rules come into force next year.
Posted @ 4:09 PM
April 21, 2005
Eye Caption
Theater lovers with severe hearing loss often have to wait for special performances with big caption boards or humans who sign the dialogue. Now that is changing thanks to some new technology so deaf people can enjoy opening night as well as those who can hear.
Posted @ 6:29 AM
April 20, 2005
Studies show ear tubes in children slowly improve hearing
KUOPIO, Finland - Two studies assessing the long-term safety of treating young children's chronic ear infections by implanting ventilation tubes generally confirm the treatment.
Posted @ 12:06 AM
April 18, 2005
Hearing-aid maker GN ReSound growing quietly
GN ReSound probably is one of the largest Twin Cities companies you've never heard of.
Posted @ 1:16 AM
April 14, 2005
Buzzing in your ears: Muse to blast through College Park
Anyone who's been to a live Muse show knows the sensation - the second encore is over, the band walks off stage and all of a sudden your ears are filled with a persistent, near-deafening ring.
Posted @ 10:13 AM
April 12, 2005
Some UTSA pay phones removed due to low usagedue to low usage
Communications, the company that provides UTSA pay phones, is removing some of the devices because of low usage.
Posted @ 3:20 PM
April 11, 2005
Ear bionics may help quadriplegics move
Researchers who invented the bionic ear are now working on similar technology to treat epilepsy and help paraplegics and quadriplegics recover movement and feeling.
Posted @ 4:15 PM
Mick Fleetwood promotes turning down the volume
Rock-n-roll musician Mick Fleetwood is starting a campaign today to turn down the volume.
Posted @ 4:02 PM
April 10, 2005
National noise epidemic calls for soundproofing
Without soundproofing, peace and quiet is almost impossible to achieve. The US Census Bureau estimates a population rise of 5% by 2010, which is a major contributor to the noise problem. Additionally, air traffic is expected to grow 4.3% annually through 2015 and automobile ownership is projected to grow over 15% by 2010 in some areas.
Posted @ 10:58 PM
April 8, 2005
Farming is a noisy business
Research indicates that farmers experience greater hearing loss than do people in other occupations. In fact, a recent screening of more than 300 New York farmers found 77 percent with hearing loss, according to the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health.
Posted @ 1:51 AM
April 7, 2005
New test quickly catches hearing loss In children
If hearing loss is not diagnosed early enough, it can cause speech and language problems later on in life. Now, doctors have a new test to catch hearing loss in children sooner.
Posted @ 1:00 AM
April 6, 2005
Proposed bill screens newborns for hearing loss
State officials say as many as 30 babies in Alaska are born with hearing loss each year. Most agree it’s important to determine this early. That's why supporters of a new bill want state lawmakers to hear them out.
Posted @ 7:50 PM
April 4, 2005
Loud music no threat say teens
Most teenagers and young adults don't think hearing loss from listening to loud music is a big problem, even though three out of five have had ringing in their ears after concerts, according to a study.
Posted @ 12:35 AM
March 31, 2005
GoAmerica announces marketing agreement with Epic Hearing
Today at the 17th annual American Academy of Audiology Convention and Expo, GoAmerica® (NASDAQ: GOAM) announced a strategic marketing agreement with Ear Professionals International Corporation (EPIC), the nation’s largest coalition of hearing healthcare physicians and audiologists.
Posted @ 4:18 PM
Siemens introduces iScan
Siemens Hearing Instruments, Inc - the largest manufacturer of hearing instruments in the United States - introduces iScan(TM), the first in-office ear impression scanner designed exclusively for use by the hearing care professional, in their office.
Posted @ 4:15 PM
UTD professor wins $1.5M research grant
The National Institutes of Health has awarded a five-year, $1.5 million grant to a University of Texas at Dallas electrical engineering professor to improve a hearing aid device, the university said Wednesday.
Posted @ 12:05 AM
March 30, 2005
Phone service available for deaf, speech-disabled persons
Thanks to Relay Nevada, thousands of Nevadans are discovering just how easy and convenient it is to keep in touch by phone with their deaf, hard-of-hearing and speech-disabled friends and family members.
Posted @ 8:37 PM
March 29, 2005
Sky Harbor first to replace white paging phones with new system
A whole new way to reach someone at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport will be introduced this week.
Posted @ 3:36 PM
Hearing loss not all ears?
Researchers say brain areas processing speech and background noise are the likely culprit in the elderly.
Posted @ 9:42 AM
Indiana University researchers closer to helping hearing-impaired using stem cells
Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine are several steps closer to the day when a profoundly deaf patient's own bone marrow cells could be used to let him or her hear the world.
Posted @ 12:30 AM
In the LOOP: SHHH, library join forces in audio technology
Self Help for the Hard of Hearing (SHHH) has a saying, "Life is missing something when you can't hear everything."
Posted @ 12:15 AM
March 24, 2005
Hearing tests critical for newborns
If there are problems with speech and social development for newborns, hearing loss could be at the root of it.
Posted @ 7:44 PM
GoAmerica introduces I711.com: Enhanced Internet Relay Calling with custom news and information for deaf consumers
GoAmerica® (NASDAQ: GOAM) today launched i711.com, an Internet relay service designed to provide an enhanced, online connection between deaf or hard of hearing consumers and hearing callers. i711.com improves the online relay experience with unique call tools and a broad choice of customizable, community-based content.
Posted @ 8:35 AM
Something you don't hear much about: Hearing loss tied to heart disease
There are a few people in the world who get heart disease after they begin to lose their hearing. Harvard Medical School researchers have found a gene responsible for this, and they're using that information to better understand heart problems faced by millions of people.
Posted @ 8:30 AM
Listening to her heart
For nearly a year after Elena LaQuatra was diagnosed with meningitis at the age of 4, she was deaf and her speech began failing.
Posted @ 1:08 AM
March 21, 2005
Speaker system tunes in students
Every morning, Central Elementary School teacher Tracy Brown clips on a battery pack and dons a small wireless microphone that looks more like it belongs on a pop star than a kindergarten teacher.
Posted @ 7:49 AM
How loud is too loud?
Amplified music can cause permanent hearing loss.
Posted @ 7:44 AM
March 18, 2005
New sound amplifier by Aurilink makes custom hearing aids obsolete
Aurilink has developed a soft, comfortable sound amplifier for those who need occasional hearing assistance because of mild hearing loss, with programmable settings for a variety of listening environments.
Posted @ 8:28 AM
Merrill Lynch provides Gallaudet students with financial support
The Gallaudet Leadership Institute (GLI), with generous support from Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., is offering professional preparation for individuals interested in entrepreneurial leadership.
Posted @ 8:15 AM
March 17, 2005
System sounds good for seniors
A Powell River man is working to raise $10,000 for a system to help theatre-goers hear better. A Powell River communications consultant has a solution to enable people with hearing problems to better enjoy performances at the Evergreen Theatre.
Posted @ 8:02 AM
March 16, 2005
Seeking a better plan for special ed kids
The governor's plan to transfer responsibility for the state's youngest deaf and blind children may seem like just a bureaucratic shift, but teachers at specialized 4201 Schools worry it may eliminate vital services for these infants, toddlers and their parents.
Posted @ 9:02 AM
Symptoms of vertigo
Dizziness, or vertigo, is caused when our balance or equilibrium is off balance. Our equilibrium is controlled by the semicircular canals in the inner ear.
Posted @ 9:00 AM
March 15, 2005
University of Toronto study finds musicians not at risk for hearing loss
A study conducted by the University of Toronto concluded that Canadian Opera Company musicians don’t have to worry about job-related hearing loss.
Posted @ 7:09 PM
Orchestra pit no danger to hearing
While the clang of cymbals and the blare of the trombone may startle, orchestra musicians at the Canadian Opera Company needn't worry about hearing loss, say University of Toronto researchers.
Posted @ 7:07 PM
March 14, 2005
Audiologist sets standard off the square
If you haven’t heard Christine Standard has moved, maybe you should visit her new audiologist office just off the square at 112 W. Jackson Street.
Posted @ 12:51 PM
Group for hearing impaired gives information members can use
The monthly meetings of the local chapter of Self-Help for Hearing Impaired People usually means a new topic for the audience.
Posted @ 12:49 PM
March 11, 2005
Healthy hearing
An infant lies in his crib, glancing up at the colorful mobile dancing over his head from the railing. It plays a soft lullaby, intended to calm the child into a tranquil sleep.
Posted @ 5:58 PM
Brain is a factor in age-related hearing loss
Local researchers are learning that older people who lose some of their hearing over time might not need to blame their ears: It's their brain that isn't listening.
Posted @ 11:22 AM
Hearing loss tied to heart disease
There are a few people in the world who get heart disease after they begin to lose their hearing. Harvard Medical School researchers have found a gene responsible for this, and they're using that information to better understand heart problems faced by millions of people.
Posted @ 11:19 AM
March 10, 2005
Help for people with hearing problems
Hearing loss is stressful and uncomfortable and can pose more serious problems, but help is available for Southwest Michigan residents dealing with the issue.
Posted @ 11:10 AM
March 9, 2005
Musician is kind to his ears
Aliquippa native B.E. Taylor has been making music and performing professionally for more than 30 years. He's primarily a vocalist, working with an audience in front of him and a band behind him.
Posted @ 1:40 PM
March 8, 2005
Unnaturally quiet
All newborns in the Greater Washington area are required by law to have their hearing tested before leaving the hospital. From then on, in most cases, a person is responsible for his own ear health — an increasingly difficult assignment in today's noisy society.
Posted @ 11:30 AM
Hearing loss goes largely undetected, untreated
Hearing loss may be the Rodney Dangerfield of health-care issues. It doesn't get the attention it deserves.
Posted @ 11:28 AM
March 7, 2005
How's that again?
Researchers at the International Center for Hearing and Speech Research (ICHSR) have found that age-related hearing loss may be all (or at least mostly) in your head rather than a problem with your ears.
Posted @ 1:35 AM
March 5, 2005
Hearing loss needn't limit everyday life
A little more than a week before his 100th birthday, Leo Davison from Estill Springs decided to get his hearing checked for the first time.
Posted @ 12:17 AM
March 4, 2005
Blame the brain for hearing loss
People who lose their hearing as they grow older should not be so quick to blame their ears. The problem may be with their brains. Researchers say that in many cases, the ears of hearing-impaired people are just fine.
Posted @ 1:33 PM
Tamoxifen and hearing loss
Two new studies were just published on the popular breast cancer drug tamoxifen. The first study focuses on why tamoxifen may work on some women but not on others.
Posted @ 1:55 AM
March 3, 2005
Device makes sound difference
Wearing a headset with a small microphone attached, Marsha Murray looks like she's ready to take the stage at a concert.
Posted @ 3:22 PM
Workers sue ALCOA over hearing loss
More than 20 current and former ALCOA employees filed suit recently over noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus as a result of employment.
Posted @ 3:20 PM
March 2, 2005
Steroid injection won't quiet ringing in the ears
Contrary to some previous reports, a new study suggests that people who suffer with severe, disabling ringing in the ears known as tinnitus are unlikely to find relief with steroid injections in the ringing ear.
Posted @ 1:41 PM
February 28, 2005
Trouble hearing may not be in your ears
Your ears may be in fine shape, but you may still develop trouble hearing as you age - because of an aging brain.
Posted @ 7:28 AM
February 25, 2005
Should hearing aids be covered by health insurance?
With two young children who suffer hearing loss, Ann and Greg Fullington of Snoqualmie rely heavily on their relatively lavish health insurance policy. The plan covers nearly all of their children's needs: office visits with audiologists, brain scans, speech and language therapy, even a $60,000 cochlear implant for their baby.
Posted @ 4:59 PM
Repeat tests help spot newborn hearing loss
Repeat testing of newborns within 10 days of delivery may be the best way to catch hard-to-spot hearing difficulties and to rule out false diagnoses, according to a new study.
Posted @ 12:05 AM
February 23, 2005
Problems with brain cause a great deal of hearing loss in elderly
The number-one hearing complaint among the elderly is that they have trouble hearing speech because of background noise. Someone might hear fine in a quiet environment like their home, but when they go to a restaurant or a meeting or a party, it sounds like chaos to them.
Posted @ 12:14 PM
February 22, 2005
When the brain, not the ears, goes hard of hearing
Problems with the brain – not just the ears – cause a great deal of the age-related hearing loss in older people. Researchers are finding more and more subtle problems in the way our brain processes information as we age, so much so that an older person whose ears are in fine shape may have trouble hearing because of an aging brain.
Posted @ 10:12 PM
February 18, 2005
Japan government to pay US$27m in noise pollution suit
A court ordered the Japanese government yesterday to pay a record US$27 million dollars to compensate people in Okinawa who said they lost their hearing and suffered psychologically from noise from a US air base.
Posted @ 12:19 AM
February 17, 2005
Sorenson Media donates $250,000 to 2007 Deaflympic winter games
Salt Lake City-based technology company and nation's largest video relay service provider for the deaf, will donate a quarter-million dollars to help stage international sporting event
Posted @ 9:22 AM
Infants with hearing loss may get help via new MRI
Doctors at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center are researching whether a new type of MRI can help predict which infants will benefit from ear implants to improve hearing.
Posted @ 9:15 AM
February 15, 2005
Two-week trip to Micronesia deemed a success by medical team
It was mostly hard work in difficult circumstances, but in between treating the hearing problems of hundreds of Micronesians, the local medical team that returned last week from a stint at an island clinic had time to fit in a little fun.
Posted @ 12:07 AM
February 14, 2005
Deaf to hearing
My bed vibrates and I push the 'Alarm Off' button on my Sonic Boom clock. I look at the time and it reads 7 o'clock in the morning, another day to go to work. As I brush my teeth in the bathroom, I look out the window, through the patio, to a tree where I see two birds what appears to be singing to each other. I pause and wonder what the bird sounds are like, what affect it would have in my mind if I could be able to hear, whether it would it change my mood and be happy. If only I could hear those birds sing for just one minute, that's all I ask for, would it change my life forever?
Posted @ 8:05 PM
GenVec announces publication of hearing loss research
GenVec, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNVC) today reported that encouraging preclinical findings on a novel approach to treating hearing loss have been published in the March 2005 issue of Nature Medicine. The article, "Auditory Hair Cell Replacement and Hearing Improvement by Atoh1 Gene Therapy in Deaf Mammals," describes research conducted by Yehoash Raphael, Ph.D. and colleagues at the University of Michigan, in which the delivery of GenVec's proprietary Atoh1 (MATH1) gene by the company's proprietary adenovector generated new hair cells in mature deaf guinea pig inner ears and improved hearing thresholds.
Posted @ 2:09 PM
Gene therapy restores hearing in guinea pigs, scientists report
Michigan researchers have restored hearing in deaf mammals for the first time, a feat that could be a major step toward the treatment of the 27 million Americans with acquired hearing loss.
Posted @ 12:15 AM
February 13, 2005
State wants to clarify 'disabled'
A proposed amendment to the rules that govern the Maine Human Rights Commission would clarify who is considered disabled.
Posted @ 1:53 AM
February 12, 2005
Newborns' hearing should be tested at least twice, study indicates
Newborns should be tested for hearing problems more than once before leaving the hospital, a new study has found, because initial tests may falsely indicate auditory problems, resulting in parental anxiety and costly follow-up evaluations later.
Posted @ 12:30 AM
February 11, 2005
Bell Labs research pioneer to receive IEEE medal of honor
The IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional society, has named James. L. Flanagan, a pioneer in the areas of speech analysis, speech transmission and acoustics, as recipient of the 2005 IEEE Medal of Honor. The award celebrates Flanagan’s sustained leadership and outstanding contributions in speech technology.
Posted @ 12:26 AM
Vaccine advisers call for teen meningitis jab
Teenagers and preteens should be routinely immunized against meningitis using Sanofi-Aventis's newly approved Menactra, U.S. vaccine advisers agreed on Thursday.
Posted @ 12:18 AM
February 10, 2005
Can roads be made quieter?
People have been dealing with road noise for centuries. In ancient Rome, they were bothered by the clickety-clank of iron wheels on cobblestone pavement. In 17th century England, people complained about the rumble made by wagons with iron-tyred wheels as they drove over granite block streets.
Posted @ 2:13 PM
February 9, 2005
MIT debuts 'bionic ear processor' for hearing impaired
At the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) here, a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) described an analog "bionic ear processor" with zero-crossing detection for the hearing impaired.
Posted @ 12:23 AM
February 8, 2005
The claim: loud music can cause lasting hearing loss
The amplified din of a rock concert or a few hours at a noisy bar can numb your hearing for an evening. But permanent damage? Studies show that most people regularly experience levels of noise and music that over time can leave them hard of hearing for life.
Posted @ 11:36 AM
Text police for 999 help
Thousands of people in Worcestershire will be able to text police for help instead of dialling 999 in an emergency under a new pioneering scheme.
Posted @ 11:26 AM
February 7, 2005
Jan Malcolm named Chief Executive Officer of Courage Center
Courage Center, a nationally-known rehabilitation and resource center for people with disabilities, announced today that Jan Malcolm has been named chief executive officer. Malcolm, who was previously Commissioner of Health for the State of Minnesota from 1999-2003, will begin her position with Courage as soon as April 1 and no later than June 1.
Posted @ 11:40 AM
Hearing loss and you
If you're an audiophile, the words "hearing loss" are bound to strike terror into your heart. Of course, many of us aren't preternaturally acute—and all of us lose some high-frequency sensitivity as we age—but there's no excuse for not taking care of what you've got. When it comes to hearing, more is always better.
Posted @ 12:51 AM
February 4, 2005
Sorenson Media opens two new VRS centers
Sorenson Media(R) today announced the opening of two additional Sorenson Video Relay Service(R) (VRS) Interpreting Centers located in Ann Arbor, Mich., and San Diego. By increasing the amount of Sorenson VRS interpreters, Sorenson Media is able to help meet the rising demand for Sorenson VRS and the Sorenson VP-100(TM) videophone appliance.
Posted @ 11:35 AM
Free hearing test available by phone for NH residents
Researchers are learning that hearing loss is more common than what they believed. Ninety-five percent of all hearing losses can be treated medically, surgically or with amplification. It all starts with early identification.
Posted @ 11:11 AM
February 2, 2005
Farming for years takes toll on ears
While many people associate rural living with quiet, peaceful locations, Leon Vaske knows farms can be loud working environments that put hearing at risk.
Posted @ 2:37 PM
January 31, 2005
Technological advances allow deaf, hard of hearing, to participate in the world
Much has changed since the Chicago elementary school Cliff Lamping attended used corporal punishment to make deaf students talk and forbade the use of sign language.
Posted @ 8:17 AM
January 30, 2005
US to offset Cochlear's break in China
A Chinese Government tax fraud investigation led to imports from hearing implant maker Cochlear being blocked for about three months late last year.
Posted @ 9:48 AM
January 29, 2005
New facility offers services for deaf, hard of hearing
With an official ribbon cutting and social today residents will celebrate the opening of a new home for the Southern Utah Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program.
Posted @ 9:20 AM
January 27, 2005
Infants have much to say if adults will only listen
A baby's first sounds, other than crying, may baffle parents. Is that soft "coo" the sound of contentment? Boredom? Nothing more than a reflex?
Posted @ 6:29 AM
January 26, 2005
Hearing aid signal not clear? Then switch frequency to FM
What gives radio better sound can help block out background noise, increase tonal recognition in many hearing devices.
Posted @ 9:15 AM
Seasoned technologist brings important expertise to GoAmerica
GoAmerica announced it has hired Mark L. Stern as its vice president of product management, focusing on accessible communication services. In this role, Stern will further the company’s mission of delivering life-enhancing communication services to consumers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Posted @ 12:06 AM
January 19, 2005
Hearing loss from noise pollution
About 25 million people suffer hearing loss in the United States alone and noise pollution is the number one reason. We're talking about cranking the stereo, using a lawn mower, shooting guns, etc.
Posted @ 6:12 AM
January 18, 2005
Noisy toys may cause hearing loss in children
The toys you got for your children on Christmas may cause them hearing problems. Doctors are seeing a number increase of children with hearing loss. The American Medical Association say almost 15-percent of children are showing signs of a hearing problem.
Posted @ 2:18 AM
January 15, 2005
How would you like to be able to hear again?
Imagine 5-10 years from now, the estimated 24 million people with hearing loss in the United States will have the option to become hearing all over again. Pigs may not be able to fly, but this is actually something in the works according to Harvard Medical School.
Posted @ 9:32 PM
January 14, 2005
Soldiers to sue over hearing loss
Hundreds of former and serving army and police personnel are to sue for compensation claiming hearing loss as a result of weapons training.
Posted @ 4:07 PM
January 13, 2005
Researchers root out hearing loss gene in mice
Not only have Harvard researchers discovered the gene that keeps ear hair cells from regenerating in mice, but they've also found a way to block the gene's action, which allowed hair cells to regenerate and function.
Posted @ 4:40 PM
Research identifies promising route for treating age-related hearing loss
Researchers have discovered that deletion of a specific gene permits the proliferation of new hair cells in the cochlea of the inner ear -- a finding that offers promise for treatment of age-related hearing loss. This type of hearing loss is caused by aging, disease, certain drugs, and the cacophony of modern life. It is the most common cause of hearing loss in older people.
Posted @ 4:31 PM
Diagnosing inner ear hearing loss now less invasive with genetic testing
A new study by researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center shows that genetic testing offers a less invasive and more cost efficient alternative in diagnosing inner ear hearing loss in children. In fact, the study shows that some of the standard tests conducted today are not necessary and should only be done on a case by case basis.
Posted @ 12:09 AM
Steroids and a Microwick help some hearing loss
Kevin Hart is all smiles now. He wasn't so happy recently when, out of the blue, he suddenly lost the hearing in his right ear.
Posted @ 12:00 AM