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