June 10, 2009
Abused baby left blind and deaf
A West Yorkshire couple who abused their six-week-old daughter and failed to get medical help for her broken bones and meningitis have been jailed.
Rizwan Patel, 27, and Alliah Bradshaw, 29, of Hebden Bridge, pleaded guilty to child cruelty at an earlier hearing at Bradford Crown Court.
The court heard the baby was left brain-damaged, blind and deaf due to a lack of medical attention.
Posted @ 12:37 PM
Driving licences for deaf people
The Government has planned to grant driving licences to deaf people since it is not an impediment to enjoy the right of driving. At present several other countries in the world have allowed people with hearing impairment to drive, said Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma.
Addressing an Annual General Meeting of the Deaf Association on Sunday in Colombo, the Minister said though the Deaf Association had been making this request from the relevant Authorities for the last 25 years it was all to no avail.
Posted @ 12:30 PM
Deaf youngsters get taste of Italy
Children from West Norfolk Deaf Association enjoyed a morning making – and eating! – pizzas while taking part in a new Government-funded holiday club.
The youngsters, aged between five and 16, can look forward to a wide range of activities, from street dance to cinema trips, thanks to a £20,000 grant from the short break Pathfinder project, being piloted in Norfolk.
Half-term saw the launch of the exciting new club which will run for 14 weeks of the year at the West Norfolk Deaf Association (WNDA) in Lynn.
Posted @ 12:29 PM
June 5, 2009
Sounds exciting to Honduran boy with donated cochlear implant
The sensation of hearing is new and strange to 8-year-old Luis Fernando Betancourth Aguirre.
Even the routine sounds of early morning in a Palm City home are a marvel for the Honduran boy brought to Florida for a cochlear implant.
At a Saturday breakfast last month, Luis began to show for the first time he was discerning individual sounds from the jumble of noise that bombarded him since the implant was installed in his left ear, recalled Melanie Gallagher, who cares for Luis in her family home.
Posted @ 11:23 AM
Farm visit helps deaf youngsters
Dozens of deaf children and youngsters with communication difficulties have been treated to a day on a farm to learn about food and healthy eating – thanks to a Northampton supermarket boss.
Kim Thomas, who runs the Co-op in St Leonards Road, Far Cotton, teamed up with signing group Talking With Hands to organise the trip to the Co-op Farm in Ashby St-Ledger, near Daventry, after learning deaf people find it difficult to get information about food.
Posted @ 11:16 AM
Southern actress wins NZ deaf award
An Invercargill film-maker is thrilled the star of one of two films he entered in the 2009 New Zealand Deaf Short Film Competition came away with best actress at the awards held in Wellington this month.
Chris Tottenham entered Polythene Pam and The Butterfly Dream, with the star of Polythene Pam, Joanne Fraser, taking out best actress award.
Posted @ 11:15 AM
Jail term in deaf-mute rapes
A former deputy headmaster at a school for the speech and hearing-impaired in east China's Zhejiang Province has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for raping seven female students more than 10 years ago.
The Wenzhou Intermediate People's Court issued the ruling after finding the school official, Zhao Yuhuan, guilty, China News Service said yesterday.
Zhao had worked at the deaf-mute school in Wencheng County.
Posted @ 11:14 AM
eaf students demonstrate against inaccessibility and inequity at Ontario
At a protest outside the Accessibility Services building on Wednesday at the University of Toronto (U of T), students described the inequity and inaccessibility issues Deaf people face at some Ontario universities, as they pushed for policy and budgetary changes to improve the quality of interpreter services.
Rally organizer Jenny Blaser has encountered numerous support problems at U of T. The first year linguistics and equity studies major was forced to drop courses when no interpreter was available. Other times, she said: “Some of the course interpreters have been really lousy. There’s no knowledge or awareness of my needs as a Deaf student.”
Posted @ 11:13 AM
April 15, 2009
Local church mission group helps Nicaraguan school for deaf
Barb Voss returned recently from her first mission trip overseas.
She was part of a group that went to Nicaragua to help the Christian School for the Deaf.
"I got a sense of what the missionaries go through," she said Friday. "On our last day, I couldn't stop crying as we waved goodbye."
Voss and 17 members of First Assembly of God and Eastside Assembly of God took an 11-day trip in early March to an area outside of Managua, Nicaragua. They helped Muncie missionaries Matthew and Eva Barlow, who started the school for the deaf about 10 years ago.
Posted @ 7:52 AM
Politicians reach out to the deaf
Representatives from the DA, COPE and the ANC courted at least 300 deaf people at eDeaf's offices in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, at the weekend, hoping to get their vote in the upcoming elections.
Present at the conference were DA leader Helen Zille, COPE's Gauteng premier candidate Lyndall Shope-Mafole, and ANC representative and the country's only deaf MP, Wilma Newhout-Druchen.
Several South African Sign Language interpreters were present to help the deaf and hearing communities understand each other.
Posted @ 7:51 AM
February 3, 2009
Deaf but his message of hope rings loud and clear
Being deaf was a big obstacle to Mr Ser Wee Tak getting a job - even though he had all the requisite paper qualifications.
The 29-year-old wanted to give up many times but, each time, his wife was there by his side.
Describing her as his pillar of strength, Mr Ser - via e-mail messages and scribbled notes throughout this interview - said:
Posted @ 5:23 PM
November 27, 2008
Cash crisis forces deaf users to hang up on phone service
Imagine arriving at work to find that your phone has been taken away while your colleagues still have theirs. And one year on, you're still without a phone.
That's what happened to Simon Pearse and Alan Goldsmith last November. Pearse, an actuary who is hard of hearing, started using a technology called captioned telephony (CapTel) to make calls after his company switched to a digital phone system on which he found it difficult to hear clearly. In captioned telephony calls, an operator turns the voice of the hearing caller into captions on the phone of the deaf caller using voice recognition software. Put simply, it is a phone with subtitles.
Posted @ 4:43 AM
October 27, 2008
Instructor who abused deaf children is jailed for 12 years
A former teacher who sexually abused deaf children in his care was jailed for 12 years yesterday.
Colin Macdonald, 61, of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was found guilty of 10 charges of abusing children in Scotland between 1973 and 1983.
Macdonald, a respected instructor in outdoor activities, and who is also deaf, carried out his attacks when the children were on camping and skiing expeditions.
Posted @ 2:45 AM
Teacher beats up 2 deaf and dumb kids
In the first-ever incident of corporal punishment in the deaf and dumb school here, a teacher is alleged to have mercilessly beaten up two students of Class III. The school is being run by the Red Cross Society. Both students, bearing scars on their body, narrated the incident to mediapersons today with sign language.
Posted @ 2:42 AM
Deaf Short Film Festival gets $6000 grant
In May next year, Wellingtonians will have a chance to experience the world from a hearing-impaired perspective when the New Zealand Deaf Short Film Festival takes place.
Coinciding with New Zealand Sign Language Week, the festival will be comprised of two parts – a short film competition for local filmmakers and a showcase of deaf films from New Zealand and around the world.
Posted @ 2:40 AM
Deaf people lobby MPs over phones
Deaf campaigners fighting for equal access to the telephone are lobbying MPs at a reception in Parliament.
Consortium group TAG said deaf people were being held back in their jobs and lives because phone technology was no longer easily available or affordable.
Chairman Ruth Myers said it was vital services keep pace with technology.
Posted @ 2:36 AM
October 3, 2008
Bristol University Milestone for Deaf People
This week the University of Bristol celebrates 30 years of work with Deaf people. In 1978, Deaf people were a poorly understood, ignored minority. Now, after extensive research, their profile is enormously raised in academic research, in social policy and directly through special services from the University itself. Uniquely, in Europe, Deaf people themselves have been at the heart of the development since the beginning.
Posted @ 7:46 AM
Deaf Awareness Week: Striving for Quality Education
On this second part of the Deaf Awareness Week posts (part one), we bring you a perspective on education for the deaf, and the different challenges it implies. First, from the Central African Republic, a school that after funds stopped, has continued fueled only by love. Second, from the Philippines, deaf students created and produced a video showcasing the struggles many of them face after they graduate. In Venezuela, teachers for the deaf explain the importance of a bilingual and bi-cultural education. And finally, a visual example of how different sign languages from two countries can be.
Posted @ 7:40 AM
Deaf children aid battery recycling
Deaf schoolchildren are supporting Bradford Council after it became one of the first local authorities in the country to trial a new system to recycle old batteries.
The authority has joined a consortium of battery manufacturers and importers, major retailers and other stakeholders to take part in the UK’s only free national recovery scheme for all types of batteries, called Battery Back.
Posted @ 7:40 AM
Having the sense to follow a dream
Mary Regan became profoundly deaf at the age of five, when she was struck by meningitis. Here she describes how she overcame her condition
IT IS understandable for any parent to be alarmed when discovering for the first time that their child is deaf, and believing there are few future career opportunities to be followed; just as my own parents did. That is something I proved wrong.
Posted @ 7:39 AM
Special school helps deaf students shatter stereotypes
The tables and chairs are piled in the corner and the fourth floor of the Learning Center for the Deaf (LCD) still smells of fresh paint. But soon these facilities in Baabda's Brasilia neighborhood will be ready to host one of Lebanon's most unique high school programs. Since 2003 the LCD has offered the only high school program for deaf students in Lebanon that is recognized by the Education Ministry.
The LCD, founded in 2001, is based on a private initiative run by Hussein Ismail and his wife Nadine. Although the right to education for disabled people became law in Lebanon in 2000, institutions like the LCD are still heavily dependent on private initiatives - financially and in terms of the effort required to run the school, Hussein told The Daily Star.
Posted @ 7:38 AM
September 12, 2008
Teenager almost deaf after waiting too long for ear drum surgery
In the latest bungle involving an Australian hospital, a teenage boy in Tasmania has reportedly waited so long for surgery to repair his perforated ear drum that he is almost deaf.
Though 15 year-old Jeremy Brewer had been listed as a category one case by the hospital, three and a half years down the line he is apparently still waiting for surgery.
The Royal Hobart Hospital has admitted that an administrative mistake has been made but meanwhile the teenage boy's hearing and speech have significantly deteriorated and according to his mother he is failing at school.
Posted @ 9:48 AM
After 70 years: German deaf association apologizes
Almost 70 years have passed since the onset of World War II, yet only last week saw a reconcilement effort in Cologne, Germany, bringing together representatives of the Israeli and German associations for the deaf.
“We would like to officially express our deep sorrow for the suffering caused to so many deaf Jews,” the German representatives wrote in a letter.
“There was always a connection between the associations,” Doron Levy, a sign-language teacher and chairman of the Association of the Deaf in Israel, wrote to Ynet.
Posted @ 9:45 AM
August 29, 2008
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
Deaf girl rape case: DNA tests of cops
The deaf and dumb girl rape case registered on July 30,2008 in which two policemen were arrested following their identification and later three other alleged accused surrendered before police and confessed their crime will undergo a DNA test.
All the five alleged accused are in Judicial custory and the police have decided for a DNA test of them from a Chandigarh laboratory.
Posted @ 5:04 AM
August 25, 2008
Two-month-old Ivy using sign language
A TWO-month-old baby girl can tell her parents when she is hungry — using the British Sign Language word for ‘milk’.
Overjoyed parents Coun Dave Hollings, 46, and Chantelle De La Croix, 37, first thought it was coincidence when baby Ivy clenched her fist, shook it and moved it towards her mouth.
But then the next day Ivy did the same action again when she was hungry and has been doing the same ever since.
Ivy’s mum Chantelle is deaf and communicates using British Sign Language to her husband and daughter.
Posted @ 1:01 AM
August 5, 2008
2 cops suspended for raping deaf girl
She was handed to the law saviours in khaki for tracing her parents but they not only shattered her faith but also treated her as an object to satisfy their lust.
Crossing all limits of dignity two cops of the Moga police raped a deaf, dumb and mentally challenged 20-year-old on the night of July 28. The two, a constable and a sepoy, were finally nailed after 60 hours on Thursday.
Posted @ 3:36 AM
August 2, 2008
Malawi needs more sign language interpreters
Malawi National Association of the Deaf (MANAD) says the country needs more sign language interpreters to abate challenges deaf and speech impaired persons are facing in their day to day livelihood.
Speaking to Nyasa Times, officials from the deaf community in the country disclosed that currently, estimates show that Malawi has over 50,000 hearing impaired people against only eleven sign language interpreters.
Posted @ 2:29 AM
July 29, 2008
Signing, speech debate hinders recruitment of deaf teachers
School boards across Alberta say they need more teachers who are deaf to help the province's students with hearing impairments but the community is divided over what they should be learning.
There are about 200 deaf teachers working in Canada, but only six in Alberta.
"These deaf kids are our future. We need to be able to give them what they need," said Norma Jean Taylor, system principal for the deaf and hard of hearing at the Calgary Board of Education.
Posted @ 5:44 AM
China updates Olympic website to serve blind, deaf
China has improved its official Olympic website to serve the blind and deaf, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) announced here on Wednesday.
Both the BOCOG website and the China Disabled Person's Federation (CDPF) website were updated to enable the blind, those with low vision and the deaf to get information.
Posted @ 5:41 AM
Deaf rugby team a first for University
Simon Mahony and his rugby union team won't hear the applause as they take the field tomorrow.
But the Lismore man will no doubt sport a smile of satisfaction as he leads the Southern Cross Deaf Rugby Union team out for their first ever match.
Posted @ 5:41 AM
Implanted Computer Chip Helps Deaf to Hear
A five-year-old girl who has been unable to hear sounds since she was born has been helped by a team of Korean and Italian researchers.
The girl's brain functions normally but what has been damaged is the nerve that transmits sound signals from the ear to a part of the brain called the aural centrum.
Posted @ 5:38 AM
July 21, 2008
Deaf woman sues over McDonald's snub
A deaf woman is suing McDonald's - because she reckons workers refused to let her order at a drive-through window.
Karen Tumeh of Lincoln, Nebraska, says workers insisted she either order at the electronic speaker along the drive-through lane or come inside to get her grub.
Tumeh wears a hearing aid but still cannot hear while using the drive-through ordering box.
Posted @ 11:54 PM
Students learn sign language for hi-tech link with deaf school
They've already mastered French, Spanish, German and even Mandarin. And now pupils at an Exeter school are using their skills to speak in sign language.
Students at St Peter's Church of England School are using video conferencing to communicate with youngsters from the Royal Academy for the Deaf, in Topsham Road.
The scheme started this term and teachers say it has benefited children from both schools.
Pupils at St Peter's, a specialist language college, already use video conferencing to speak to students in Germany.
Posted @ 11:53 PM
Briton Rosanna Mazzocchio wins Miss Deaf World 2008 in Prague
Rosanna Mazzocchio, 19, from Britain became Miss Deaf World 2008 at a beauty contest staged in Prague Saturday, followed by Czech Michaela Theimerova, 21, and Yulina Arslan, 19, from Russia, contest director Josef Uhlir has said.
Sixteen young women from various countries competed in the finals for the eighth Miss Deaf title in history.
German Jasmin Katzberg, 22, was voted Miss Sympathy.
Posted @ 11:50 PM
Solar Sound Support
When Howard Weinstein went to Botswana in 2001, his goal was to build a company that could produce affordable hearing aids for Africans. Talk about chutzpah.
"I didn't know a decibel from Tinkerbell," jokes Weinstein 57. But he knew his life needed a new direction.
In the 1990s, Weinstein was one of those king-of-the-hill business execs in Montreal. He had sold his plumbing manufacturing business to a multinational firm, which retained him as president. He had a fancy home in the city, and a gorgeous lakefront retreat in the country.
Posted @ 11:47 PM
July 8, 2008
Musical frequencies turned into tactile sensations for deaf
For Ellen Hibbard music has never really meant very much.
Deaf from birth, she would only be able to experience a tune by placing her hands on a flat wooden surface near the stereo or radio, or directly on the amplifier.
But now that's all changed. And for the first time she has an understanding of why people love music - be it rock and roll, jazz or classical.
Posted @ 8:57 AM
Mum cleared of beating deaf tot
A 34-year-old mum from Tilehurst who denied assaulting her deaf toddler by beating him has been acquitted.
The mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was accused of dragging her three-year-old son across a road and then kicking him three times after a row with her ex-boyfriend – the boy’s father – outside his flat, Reading Magistrates’ Court heard on Friday, May 23.
Posted @ 8:54 AM
June 30, 2008
Why we won't let our disabilities get in the way of our modelling dreams
At first glance, Debbie Van der Putten's portfolio looks like that of any aspiring young model.
She seems to have both the face and figure to make it in such a competitive world, and it's easy to imagine her catching the eye of casting directors and magazine editors.
But look more closely and it becomes clear that Debbie, 22, is not your average jobbing model. In most of her pictures, only one arm is visible - and this is not because the other is somehow obscured.
Posted @ 7:27 AM
Why we won't let our disabilities get in the way of our modelling dreams
At first glance, Debbie Van der Putten's portfolio looks like that of any aspiring young model.
She seems to have both the face and figure to make it in such a competitive world, and it's easy to imagine her catching the eye of casting directors and magazine editors.
But look more closely and it becomes clear that Debbie, 22, is not your average jobbing model. In most of her pictures, only one arm is visible - and this is not because the other is somehow obscured.
Posted @ 7:27 AM
June 12, 2008
Blind, deaf professor to be awarded doctorate
A blind and deaf associate professor at Tokyo University Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology will be granted a doctoral degree, it has been learned.
Satoshi Fukushima, 45, will become the first blind deaf person to receive a doctorate in Japan. An award ceremony will be held for him at Tokyo University's Komaba campus Wednesday.
Posted @ 9:43 AM
June 7, 2008
Man jailed for stealing from deaf parents
A 31-year-old man who stole more than £8,000 from his profoundly deaf parents was branded “despicable” by a judge today.
Cardiff Crown Court heard father-to-be Gareth Gunning acted as a carer and interpreter for parents Glenda and Ernest, and looked after their financial affairs.
Steve Harmes, prosecuting, told the court Mr and Mrs Gunning’s banks became concerned last year at the number of transactions between their two accounts and one set up by their son.
Posted @ 4:45 AM
May 29, 2008
Deafening Call for New Toy Law
Health Canada is examining the way it tests noisy toys to make sure they aren't damaging childrens' tender ears.
Many toys seem to sing, shout, beep and wail at deafening decibels.
And the current testing method -- holding a toy at an adult arm's length -- doesn't reflect the reality that kids hold toys close to their ears, audiologists warn.
Noise-induced hearing loss is growing. Studies in the U.S. show 12.5% of children have hearing problems caused by noise in one or both ears.
Posted @ 4:11 AM
Deaf Groups Warn of TV Complaints
Commercial television networks face the possibility of potentially embarrassing discrimination lawsuits by the deaf after failing to renew an agreement that covers the captioning of programs.
Under a five-year deal signed with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in 2003, the networks committed to increase the captioning of their content to 70per cent in exchange for an exemption from claims of discrimination.
Posted @ 4:09 AM
Deaf woman in landmark legal battle to lift jury ban
A DEAF mother of two barred from jury service because she cannot hear is to launch a landmark legal action aimed at quashing the ban.
Joan Clarke, a former factory worker from Galway who has been deaf since birth, will claim she is entitled to serve on a jury by means of a sign-language interpreter.
Ms Clarke, who wants to perform "this important civic duty", is seeking to have a decision to exclude her from jury service set aside, claiming that the blanket ban on deaf people carrying out jury duty is a breach of her rights under the Constitution and the European Convention of Human Rights.
Posted @ 4:02 AM
May 18, 2008
Graduate offers hope to tinnitus sufferers
Paul Waldon knows quite a bit about overcoming adversity.
The Manukau Institute of Technology Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) graduate overcome a broken neck and damaged hearing to achieve his degree and undertake research for a solution for other tinnitus sufferers.
Mr Waldon fell off scaffolding in 2001 he severely damaged his cervical spine. His doctor gave him two options: continue scaffolding and have another operation in five years time or find a job that doesn’t involve heavy lifting.
Posted @ 1:32 AM
Phone service lures away deaf interpreters
A new U.S.-based service helping deaf people with telephone communication is contributing to a critical shortage of sign language interpreters in B.C. because it offers better pay and flexible hours, the president of a B.C. interpreters group says.
The new technology, called video relay service, allows individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to contact an operator through a video phone hooked up to the Internet. Operators are sign-language interpreters, so they can communicate with the deaf person and then relay the conversation to a third party over the phone.
Posted @ 1:15 AM
March 13, 2008
Deaf boxer Kalucza overcomes odds to book Olympic ticket
A young Hungarian boxer, who was born deaf, has against the odds booked his ticket to the Beijing Olympics.
Norbert Kalucza, 21, one of seven children born into a poor gypsy family from Debrecen, eastern Hungary, will compete along with the world's best in the flyweight category this summer.
Suffering from congenital deafness like most of his family members, Kalucza did not learn to speak until the age of 10.
Posted @ 8:47 AM
Class action for deaf students allegedly abused at schools
A Saskatchewan-based law firm that specializes in class actions is moving ahead with a claim on behalf of deaf students who say they were physically and sexually abused at boarding schools across Canada over four decades beginning in the mid-1950s.
The first of what lawyer Tony Merchant promises will be several claims against provincial governments was filed Tuesday in Edmonton on behalf of students who stayed at the Alberta School for the Deaf between 1955 and 1996.
Posted @ 8:44 AM
Thugs left man deaf in one ear
Thugs left a man deaf in one ear after attacking him when he confronted them for messing about with a shopping trolley.
David Haslam, aged 56, from Farnworth, smashed his head on a pavement after falling to the ground when one of the two attackers punched him in the face.
The fall caused a six-centimetre fracture to his skull and the trauma of the fall has resulted in him losing his hearing in one ear.
Posted @ 8:40 AM
Record Medical Negligence Lawsuit Over Deaf Child
The parents of a three-year-old girl who became deaf after a series of antibiotic injections at Thinadhoo Regional Hospital are suing the Ministry of Health for a record Rf 7.1 million.
A Malé doctor and several overseas paediatricians have told them the antibiotic was inappropriate in her case and was probably the cause of her hearing loss.
Posted @ 8:38 AM
Dancer provides inspiration for all
Dressed in black and sitting in the corner of the room, Tai Lihua strikes an inconspicuous pose.
The one thing that would draw people's attention to the 22-year-old is the intent of her gaze, at the gestures of the sign-language interpreter beside her.
For some, the very idea of a deaf person attending a CPPCC group discussion seems incredible, but for Tai, one of the country's most acclaimed dancers, it was just another opportunity for the voice of her heart to be heard.
Posted @ 8:37 AM
February 6, 2008
World of noise proves too much for deaf teen to bear
Nanthaporn referred to the world she entered after receiving cochlea implants three years ago.
Born profoundly deaf, Nanthaporn lived in a world with no voices until she was 16 when a public hospital doctor agreed to implant her with an artificial cochlea. Unfortunately, she didn't believe she belonged to the new world of noise introduced to her which cost her parents almost Bt1 million. "I heard all the voices but did not know their meaning," she reasoned as to why she prefers not to use an electronic device that assists her hearing.
Cochlea implantation is regarded as a safe and effective treatment for the profoundly deaf. Besides an artificial cochlea that is implanted inside the patient's ear, there is an external electronic device that sends sound-generated impulses directly to the brain and bypasses the flawed part of the inner ear.
Posted @ 2:28 AM
Human Rights Settlement Wins Hotel Visual Fire Alarms for Deaf
The Ontario Human Rights Commission has reached a settlement between the Days Hotel and Conference Centre, Toronto Airport East and hotel guest Barbara Dodd.
The settlement will see the establishment of new fire safety practices for the hotel and sets a positive example for the use of visual strobe light fire alarms for deaf, deafened and hard of hearing individuals in Ontario hotel accommodations as an important practice to be followed by the hospitality industry province-wide.
Posted @ 2:23 AM
Firm fails to give deaf man a chance
An electronics company has been ordered to pay compensation to an East Molesey man who was denied a job interview because he is deaf.
In a scathing judgment, South London Employment Tribunal said Woking-based Multipulse Electronics' decision to cancel an interview with 45-year-old Keith Wynn was "founded on the worst type of stereotypical assumptions".
Posted @ 2:18 AM
UOG professors helping to aide Guam's deaf community
Imagine this: what if you weren't able to hear the sounds around you? No music, no laughter and you probably couldn't even hear, say, a newscast either. Well, the University of Guam is trying to bring common technology used across the globe to our island in hopes of helping both the young and old open their ears through the development of a Guam cochlear implant center.
Richard Fe, an associate professor of special education at UOG, says hearing aids are a thing of the past in comparison to today's cochlear implants. Unlike a hearing aid that amplifies sound to make it loud enough for an impaired ear, a cochlear implant bypasses the damaged part of the ear and sends sound signals directly into the hearing nerve.
Posted @ 2:17 AM
January 16, 2008
Deaf driver with glass eye banned
A deaf 83-year-old motorist with a glass eye has been banned from driving for 45 days after he was caught speeding on the A9 in his new car.
Maurice Hollyfield was doing 88mph while towing a trailer on a single carriageway with a 50mph limit.
Perth Sheriff Court heard it was the second time in less than a year that the pensioner had been caught speeding.
Posted @ 7:09 AM
Japanese pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki deaf in left ear
Japanese pop icon Ayumi Hamasaki wrote on her fan club website on Friday that she would continue singing despite losing her hearing in her left ear.
Hamasaki said an ear examination last year confirmed her hearing loss.
"Despite this news, I still wish to be a singer," she wrote.
Posted @ 7:04 AM
December 28, 2007
Signing up to aid deaf
Emergency services are helping to break down the barriers experienced by members of the deaf community on Teesside.
Police, ambulance and firefighters have combined forces in a bid to boost the service they provide to people with impaired hearing.
Posters and leaflets which bear the alphabet and simple messages in sign language will be issued to staff and displayed in custody and reception areas.
Posted @ 8:34 AM
December 17, 2007
VCC offers free sign language sessions to help families communicate
Family members who want to communicate better
with a deaf adult relative can learn the skills and subtle body language of
American Sign Language (ASL) at Vancouver Community College for free. The
course will be offered on Wednesday evenings for 15 weeks, beginning Jan. 16.
Vincent Chauvet, VCC department head of ASL and deaf studies, says fully
90 per cent of adults with deaf children never learn to sign. As children
become adults and families become larger, the need for a course designed
specifically to help families improve communication becomes greater.
Posted @ 9:38 PM
A musical miracle: the deaf flautists of Sivas
Against all odds a group of deaf students, under the baton of teacher Umut Yaymak, have formed a flute ensemble.
Students at the Buruciye Primary School for the Hearing Impaired in Sivas are getting flute lessons with the help of a special technique developed by Yaymak.
Although actually on the staff of the Ahmet Kutsi Tecer Primary School, Yaymak was assigned to Buruciye to give extra lessons there. He developed an exclusive system for the deaf students, teaching them notes and technique. He also plans to teach them other instruments such as the organ and bağlama.
Posted @ 9:36 PM
November 28, 2007
Dog handler sues for hearing loss
A garda dog handler is suing the State for alleged hearing loss because of exposure to loud barking by dogs under his control.
Garda Thomas Donnelly has told the High Court that the dogs barked most of the time during routine daily patrols in garda transit vans around the city.
Garda Donnelly said up to four dogs could be in the van with him at any one time and would either continuously bark at each other or at anybody near the van.
Posted @ 6:59 AM
Deaf Girl Expands Horizons Helping Make A Movie
A Deaf teenager has taken part in a special project to produce a gruesome horror film.
Lara Steward, from Melton Road, Wrawby, joined other talented, young deaf people from Northern Ireland to produce a five-minute horror flick - Murder on the Manor - and the film was so good, it was selected to be shown at the Belfast Festival last month.The 14 deaf teenagers were all aged between 14 and 19, and were able to learn filmmaking skills including directing, scriptwriting, acting for the camera, and costume and make-up design.
Posted @ 6:56 AM
'Cheap and nasty' Camden council to shut deaf school
On Wednesday 21 November staff, parents and pupils will be marching to stop Camden council deciding to close Frank Barnes primary school for deaf children. Two weeks after prime minister Gordon Brown announced he would close 'bad' schools, Camden council could decide to close a good school with outstanding features.
The school provides its entire curriculum to mainly, but not exclusively, profoundly deaf students in British Sign Language.
Posted @ 6:53 AM
Footballers help deaf players get kick-start
Championship footballers have shown their support for deaf children by appearing in a DVD explaining how to coach them.
Charlton players Luke Varney, Izale McLeod, Chris Dickson, Dean Sinclair and coach and former player Mark Kinsella star in the DVD, which will be distributed among football coaches nationwide.
It was commissioned by the Deaf Friendly Football Club Project and has been approved by the FA as a tool to be used by coaches to make football fun and accessible to deaf children.
Posted @ 6:49 AM
Deaf parishioners in tears after vandals smash pots
Deaf parishioners have been left devastated after their plant pots were destroyed by vandals.
The display was the pride and joy of pensioner Marilyn James who had worked on the flower beds and pots of flowers outside the Parish of St Philip Evans, in Llanedeyrn, Cardiff, which also houses the Archdiocese of Cardiff Deaf Service.
Posted @ 6:43 AM
November 6, 2007
Early Hearing Test Gave My Lad the Best Start in Life
Around two million babies have now been screened as part an NHS bid to detect hearing problems early. Health reporter JANE PICKEN speaks to one Northumberland family who were one of the first to benefit
A SIMPLE and quick test was all it took for doctors to discover that little Jack Bowman had a severe hearing problem.
Jack was just a day old when medics working on a pilot NHS scheme tested his hearing and found neither of ears were working properly, diagnosing sensory neural hearing loss.
Posted @ 6:10 AM
November 5, 2007
I Can't Hear You, Life is Too Loud
Honk if you hate peace and quiet. Noise is our most pervasive pollutant, but it rarely bothers the person producing the noise. The trouble is, that noise soon belongs to everyone — 10 million Americans experience permanent, noise-induced hearing loss.
It's an aural assault. Any noise over 65 decibels raises blood pressure, contributes to depression and is thought to cause heart damage.
Posted @ 4:41 AM
Deaf and dumb hawkers of Nairobi
It is in the dead of the night and the streets of Nairobi are alive with all manner of businesses both legal and illegal. Entertainment lovers of all shades and sizes, and night hawkers take over the brightly lit streets.
Men and women gyrate to the rhythm of the loud deafening sounds from the many entertainment joints as scantily dressed twilight girls shove one another for a prospective client’s attention. If only to wile the night away.
Posted @ 4:35 AM
Silent No More: Deaf Survivors Reveal Their Stories
To survive the Holocaust, the Jews had to battle near-impossible conditions -- hunger, filth, disease, ceaseless work, endless brutality. The fact that many made it until liberation was often a matter of sheer luck, as countless survivors have testified over the years since the end of World War II.
But if it was difficult for the majority of people, how many more obstacles must there have been for the deaf?
Posted @ 4:29 AM
October 27, 2007
Not Enough Being Done To Treat Tinnitus
Cliff Weale of Iver in Buckinghamshire has suffered from the same ‘high pitched rushing sound’ for ten years. Like many other sufferers of tinnitus, he says it has affected everything in his life and feels that little is done to alleviate the problem. Cliff can only hope that one day there will be enough research funding to end the nightmare once and for all.
Cliff, 60, said, “The tinnitus is mostly in my left ear, but often in both ears, and is much worse at night. It becomes even more unbearable when I wake first thing or if I wake in the night, like someone trying to bore into my skull. Sleep seems to exacerbate my tinnitus.”
Posted @ 3:57 PM
Blind, deaf and fearless
Organizers of the current United Way Campaign were looking for inspirational speakers and turned to Penny Leclair, who at first demurred, and then decide: What the heck? "Life doesn't scare me anymore. Whatever it is, I'll cope with it."
Penny is in her 50s, blind, deaf, and inspirational. Last week, she took her message to the Citizen's conference centre and gave the paper's staff a quick lesson in attitude. One of her listeners summed up the performance with one word. "Wow!"
Posted @ 3:36 PM
Man Left Deaf In One Ear After Nightclub Assault
A city nightclubber was left permanently deaf in one ear after he was punched in an unprovoked attack.
Richard Dalgleish was hit by another man while in the queue for the city's Timepiece nightclub in May.
He suffered a fracture to the base of his skull which has left him deaf in his left ear and suffering from tinnitus - a ringing noise in the ears.
Posted @ 3:31 PM
October 19, 2007
London young deaf riders project wins award
The London Cycling Campaign has named Ealing’s Signing In Deaf Club as the 2007 Best Cycling Initiative for Children in its annual awards. Signing In Deaf’s training sessions helped many deaf children ride a bike for the first time, and helped others improve their cycling skills.
It is one of four projects – out of 25 nominees - that have won London Cycling Awards, which recognise the best contributions to the increase in cycling in London. The awards were presented at LCC’s annual general meeting on Tuesday October 16.
Posted @ 8:49 AM
Israeli role model program for deaf-blind children draws worldwide attention
One of the most important therapeutic tools for helping children with Usher Syndrome - the leading cause of deaf-blindness in Israel - may be role models who have the same condition.
A unique program initiated, developed and run by the Center for Deaf-Blind Persons in Tel Aviv, pairs children who have Usher Syndrome with mentors in their twenties who have the same syndrome, which involves congenital hearing loss and a progressive, degenerative eye disease. By setting a positive example, the mentors help tens of children each year - both Jews and Arabs - build self-confidence and learn to cope with the obstacles of their situation.
Posted @ 8:46 AM
Health Manual for the deaf
Despite medical and technological advances, many communities in the world still lack access to comprehensive health information and medical care. This problem is even more pronounced for persons who have disabilities. Special needs communities are generally ignored by the mainstream HIV awareness . This include many deaf people who are ignored by traditional information sources such as radio and TV.
Posted @ 8:44 AM
October 15, 2007
Ever tried lipreading 'Happy Feet'?
If the Federal Government likes to live dangerously, there is a good example in the deal stitched up last month between the Democrats’ Senator Natasha Stott Despoja and Communications Minister Helen Coonan.
The deal came about after Senator Stott Despoja tabled a motion to call for an inquiry into the state of electronic media captioning for the millions of Australians who are deaf and hearing impaired.
Posted @ 6:13 AM
Husband hacks to death deaf and dumb wife, daughter
A 22-year-old deaf and dumb woman and her three-year-old daughter have been hacked to death allegedly by her husband at Kurumpatty village in this district.
The bodies of Anuradha and her daughter Deepa, with their throats cut open, were found last evening in a bushy ditch near the village following which her husband Chinnasamy(40) was arrested, police said.
Posted @ 6:10 AM
Deaf employee's qualification is a first in Surrey
A profoundly deaf electrician who has worked at Alexander Dennis Ltd in Guildford for the past 25 years has become the only deaf person in Surrey to achieve an advanced City and Guilds qualification in the requirements of electrical installations.
Mark Kelsey, who has been deaf since birth, joined the company, the largest bus builder in the UK, in 1983, making him one of the firm’s longest-serving disabled workers. Alexander Dennis also employs an amputee.
Posted @ 5:57 AM
Deaf Blind Dog Search Continues
The search for a deaf and blind dog of 18, which has fallen down a hole on a south Wales' hillside is continuing sporadically into the night.
Rescuers are using their hands, pick axes and shovels to try to reach Jack Russell cross Sprogget, who vanished under old mine workings in Torfaen.
Rescuers have heard him whimpering under the ground on British Hill between Pantygasseg and Varteg.
Posted @ 5:55 AM
October 9, 2007
Deaf people being left on the outer
A shortage of sign language interpreters means as many as 7700 deaf people are struggling to access services in their communities.
Deaf Association national services manager Tony Blackett said there was a "clear and definite" shortage of interpreters, and this meant that deaf people found it difficult to connect with their communities.
Posted @ 3:54 AM
Signing for deaf at meeting
In recognition of it being Deaf Awareness Week, the Rotary Club of Makino ensured the specially invited profoundly deaf in the audience at last week's Meet the Candidates meeting in Feilding were well-catered for.
Interpreter Tania Davidson and communicator Nichelle Hughes took turns to sign for each speaker. Ms Davidson said she tries to match the interpreter to the speaker but had no male interpreters available.
Posted @ 3:49 AM
Signs Look Good For A Deaf Thai Teenager Succeeding In Exeter
After moving thousands of miles from home to receive specialist education in Exeter, a deaf teenager has achieved one of the best grades in the country for her stunning photography.Sudarat Makeshine gave up the chance of going to university in her native Thailand so she could learn sign language in the UK.
The Exeter Royal Academy for Deaf Education student says moving to the city has helped her become independent.
Posted @ 3:47 AM
September 18, 2007
Hearing Aid Wait Up to 3 years
Patients are waiting between three weeks and three years for NHS hearing aids depending on where they live, according to a report.
The British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists (BSHAA) said the average waiting time remained almost nine months, and a third of hospitals had even longer lists.
Although some hospitals reported no waiting list for those replacing analogue with digital aids, the wait was more than six months at over half of hospitals in the UK, the organisation said.
Posted @ 4:45 AM
Deaf teenager allegedly raped by father
The police need interpreters to help a 16-year-old girl, who is deaf and unable to speak, reportedly raped by her father and now pregnant, in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.
Kabankalan police commander, Chief Inspector Calixto Mabugat yesterday said they will get people who know sign language so they can understand the testimony of the minor who was endorsed to them by her teachers Friday after being reportedly sexually-molested by her father in the last three years. The girl, whose name is being withheld, was repeatedly raped by her father since she was 13 years old, reports said.
Posted @ 4:22 AM
August 22, 2007
I'm not deaf, you're mumbling!
Have you ever been out somewhere that's a bit noisy, and found yourself having to yell at the person next to you, or resorting to hand gesture and signals to communicate?
It's Hearing Awareness Week, and Sue Ward, administrative officer with the Wimmera Hearing Society, says that hearing problems in western Victoria are 'very, very common.'
"During the last 12 months, we've screened over 4,000 people, and we've identified 1,200 who need to go to the doctor," she says.
Posted @ 8:16 AM
August 16, 2007
Health care plea for deaf people
The Royal National Institute for the Deaf said there were no specialist services for deaf people in Scotland. Currently, those with acute problems have to travel to Manchester for treatment.
The charity said deaf people are four times more likely to develop mental health problems than those with normal hearing.
The last time the Scottish government reviewed services for the deaf was in 2005.
Posted @ 2:53 AM
Emergency SMS service for the mute and deaf
The Mumbai Police launched an emergency SMS number for the mute and the deaf. The number – 9320200100 — will not be toll free like 100.
Speaking with DNA, Joint Commissioner Police (Administration), Hemant Karkare said, “We had a high-level meeting internally about how to reach all the sections of the society.
Posted @ 2:45 AM
July 26, 2007
Bringing footy gift to the deaf
Remember the great Frank Hyde? I think of Frank and hear "It's long enough, it's high enough, it's right between the posts''.
Frank's trademark description is rugby league legend, and he coined it because of a blind man, Len Hallett - who sold pencils in George Street. Len once told Frank "you are my eyes''.
Posted @ 10:55 AM
July 22, 2007
World's Largest Family With Inherited Hearing Loss
Hidden deep in China's Jiangsu Province, far off the beaten track, there is a small village with a very large family. The family, while known for its size, has instead become the subject of research because of a hearing loss passed down over its generations.
After more than 20 years of clinical and molecular genetic research, medical experts from Jiangsu Province have only recently straightened out the family's clinical characteristics, genetic phenotype, and the mutant factors causing the loss of hearing.
Posted @ 7:51 AM
Technology gives right signs for deaf people
A WELSH not-for-profit company has developed technology to help deaf people communicate with people in the hearing community.
The video telephony product was launched at BT’s data centre in Cardiff Bay yesterday by SignWales , a Cardiff-based social enterprise set up by the Deaf Association of Wales and Deaf Studies Trust.
It will allow deaf people to communicate with each other in sign language at a distance and also to talk with the hearing community through the use of online interpreters.
Posted @ 7:50 AM
Takoma Park woman chosen for World Deaf Volleyball Championships
Serve. Set. Spike. For Ludmila Mounty-Weinstock, the language of volleyball is universal, even for the deaf.
The Takoma Park resident and 21-year-old junior at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., was chosen along with 14 others — seven are current Gallaudet students — to make up the USA Deaf Volleyball Team, a group that uses American Sign Language to call plays and communicate with the coach and teammates.
That team, including Mounty-Weinstock, will participate in the World Deaf Volleyball Championships next summer in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and 12 of them will go on to play in the Summer Deaflympics in September 2009 in Taipei, Taiwan.
Posted @ 7:48 AM
July 19, 2007
New technology transforming life for the deaf
Multi-function phones, webcams and other new technological innovations have transformed the lives of the hard of hearing, delegates at an international congress of the deaf said on Tuesday.
"Technology is important for the deaf community. There's the Internet, webcams, email, SMS and chat systems," said Amparo Minguet, director of training at the institute for the deaf in the eastern city of Valencia.
Posted @ 6:52 AM
World without sound
I'd always taken my voice and hearing for granted. Whenever I needed a pen or someone to hold a door, I merely asked. However, as my group began its interactive tour of the newly opened Invitation to Silence exhibit at the Israel Children's Museum in Holon, I suddenly lost this luxury. Handing us headsets that would muffle all noise, the staff organizer explained that for the next 90 minutes we we'd be forbidden to speak - an intimidating thought. As our group of 12 journalists, some of whom had brought their children, was escorted into the introductory room, a loud clatter of screaming voices was our send-off into the world of silence. Our deaf guide, Alon Zino, then led us into the next room through a series of friendly hand gestures.
Posted @ 6:49 AM
July 16, 2007
Government agency funds adult content programming for the deaf
A government body has granted an adult broadcaster a subsidy to provide sign-language translations for a news program in which the presenter doubles as a stripper, stirring controversy among handicapped people and others.
The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), an affiliate of the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, provided about 150,000 yen in subsidies to Paradise Television Inc. to help pay for its sign-language translations for hearing-impaired viewers of "Hadaka no News Station" (Naked News Station) from October 2006 to March this year.
Posted @ 6:09 AM
Postman kicked deaf dog then fought owner
A postman has been sentenced for kicking a dog and fighting with its owner.
Michael Crowley, of New Road, in Anderton, faces a curfew after being found guilty of assault by beating and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
The 33-year-old appeared at Vale Royal Magistrates' Court on Wednesday after the incident, which happened in December last year, and was convicted after an earlier trial.
Posted @ 6:06 AM
Chinese dancer crowned Miss Deaf World 2007
China's Bao Qingling, who superbly interpreted a tragic Chinese love story has been crowned Miss Deaf World 2007 held in Prague, the state press reported on Sunday.
Bao beat 18 other deaf girls from 18 countries that had competed in the annual pageant on Saturday.
Posted @ 6:03 AM
More can be done to engage the deaf
In order for the deaf to participate in building a better tomorrow, we must do more and better now. We must incorporate their perspectives, their ideas, their skills and energy. Not just as beneficiaries of programmes, but also as participants in defining and carrying out such programmes. We must confront the inequalities and social issues that fuel deaf stigmas.
The stigma associated with the deaf is sometimes so harsh; some parents have hidden deaf children at home to avoid embarrassment while other people think deaf people are dumb, abnormal or mad.
Posted @ 5:54 AM
EU project gives hope to the deaf and hard of hearing
EU-funded researchers are making great inroads into understanding the genetic causes of hearing loss, paving the way for new diagnostic tools and treatments for the 10% of the EU population that suffers from a hearing impairment.
The EuroHear project partners have identified half of the known genes for deafness, and their work is already having an impact on patients with the development of diagnostic tools to identify which gene is causing the problem in a particular individual.
Posted @ 5:51 AM
July 9, 2007
Deaf community to benefit from Freeview
Deaf community to benefit from Freeview functionality. Tens of thousands of hearing impaired people throughout the country stand to benefit from a Freeview approved set top box, which enables the recording of captions on either a VCR or a DVD recording device.
People can currently view captions via Teletext for many shows but are unable to record them, which prevents them from watching them later. Innovative technology within the Zinwell box, however, enables people to record both the show and captions at the same time.
Posted @ 4:33 AM
South Africa: Mixed Response to DSTV Deaf Plan
MULTICHOICE's decision to cater for deaf people by including subtitles in its bouquet, announced last week, has received mixed reactions from deaf personalities who are concerned that its reach will be limited to the rich.
A small group of deaf and hard of hearing people, nominated by DeafSA, is testing subtitling software on the DStv personal video recorder.
Posted @ 4:28 AM
A.V. Israel helps officials hear the demands of the deaf
The time has passed when a child was doomed to living an isolated existence because he or she is hearing impaired. Digital cochlear implants, which are now in the basket of health services even for qualified adults, have brought about a revolution.
And in Israel, their successful use is the result of 13 years of hard campaigning and fieldwork by A.V. Israel, a voluntary organization founded by Elaine Matlow Tal-El - the mother of twin daughters diagnosed as profoundly deaf at the age of two - along with other interested parents and friends. Today she is an active chairman of the organization, which has facilities in Jerusalem and Ra'anana.
Posted @ 4:27 AM
June 27, 2007
80% of Patients Stop Discomfort from Tinnitus
It is estimated that between 10 and 17% of the population has suffered tinnitus at some time in their lives, according to a number of international studies.
Tinnitus is understood as the perception of noise in the ears or inside the head although there is no external source of sound, without any vibratory cochlear activity taking place (which occurs when an external noise is produced). Depending on the intensity of the symptom, the patient may have their everyday life affected. In extreme cases the discomforts may make working routines impossible or negatively affect normal daily life.
Posted @ 8:14 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
The growing importance of learning English
The Northern Ireland branch of The National Deaf Children's Society announces that, because of major renovation work at the Ulster Museum, the annual Young Authors and Artists Prize Day will be held next Wednesday at Belfast City Hall. The ceremony begins at 11am but refreshments will be available from 10.30am.
The old essay competition, as it used to be called, now involves most of the schools and hearing impaired units in the province and has been expanded to include prizes in art as well as writing for the 500 deaf and hearing impaired children in our schools.
Posted @ 8:02 PM
The deaf speak
The president of the Botswana Association of the Deaf (BOAD), Maggie Mapharing says she will raise the issue of communication breakdown at the up-coming conference on 'Deaf Women and HIV/AIDS in Africa' in South Africa.
Mapharing said that when the conference commences this week - June 21 to 23 - in Johannesburg, South Africa she would raise issues that affect them as deaf women in Botswana. She said that deaf women are marginalised because they are not able to communicate effectively with health care providers.
Posted @ 7:59 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
Deaf athlete John set to run for his country
A teenager who lost his hearing when he was a toddler is getting on his marks to sprint for Britain.
John Ruddy, 16, has been selected to run at the European Deaf Athletics Championships in Bulgaria next month.
The teenager has already won the UK title for deaf athletes over 200m and has been awarded 56 medals since he took up the sport at the age of 12.
Posted @ 9:50 AM
Deaf DJ Harcor Prepares to Make Some Noise
Following the hit movie It’s All Gone Pete Tong, a real life deaf DJs is about to rock the crowds by feeling the vibrations of the music...
Spencer Collins loves dance music, clubbing and DJing as much as any other aspiring DJ, with only one particular difference – he’s been deaf since birth.
But this hasn’t stopped him being on the verge of his first public gig under the name DJ Harcor. In fact, it may well have helped him get there.
Posted @ 9:45 AM
'For years, I refused to admit I was going deaf'
Stuck in a traffic jam, Jean Lawrence glanced up at her rear view mirror - and the strangest thing happened. "I heard the woman in the car behind me talking," says the 60-year-old, with a laugh.
"I knew I couldn't have; it was impossible. That's when I realised I'd lip read what she said - and my brain had added the sound. So what people had been telling me was right: I was losing my hearing. "For a long time I'd said 'No, no, that's not happening to me'. But that day, in the car, was the moment of truth."
Posted @ 9:44 AM
Deaf-mute but still a hero
A deaf and mute youth as a lead actor in a film? It sounds unreal since this has probably never happened in India's 94-year-old film industry.
But in a forthcoming Kannada movie, Snehanjali , 25-year-old Dhruv, congenitally impaired of speech and hearing abilities, has pulled off the unimaginable feat of acting in a lead role. Dhruv has lip-synced dialogues and songs with such ease and dexterity that viewers fail to realise that he has never spoken or heard a sound in his entire life.
Posted @ 9:44 AM
May 26, 2007
Deaf man's home is wrecked by burglars
A deaf Manton man returned home from a night out to find his house had been ransacked and flooded by burglars. Jamie Potts, who has been deaf since birth, has been left devastated after finding his home wrecked and his daughter’s toys stolen.
His uncle, John Potts, says his nephew has been to upset to speak about the matter and added that he didn’t deserve what happened.
Posted @ 7:28 AM
Child deaf-mutes sold to China pickpocket ring
Chinese police have detained the vice-principal of a school for deaf-mutes and other special needs children for selling 10 students to a ring that trained them to become pickpockets, the Guizhou Metropolitan Daily reported.
Police rescued the victims, the youngest of whom was 12, in Jiangxi and Henan provinces this month, the online edition of the newspaper said.
Posted @ 7:24 AM
Deaf people not well served by Liberals
The province is failing in its role in ensuring all citizens are treated equally by dismantling American Sign Language programs and support services for deaf and hard of hearing children. The erosion of these services - in favour of oral or auditory-verbal programs - flies in the face of a court decision in 1989 that extended the right to the deaf to have ASL taught in classrooms.
Posted @ 7:21 AM
Teachers Trained to Improve Education for the Deaf
Twenty-four teachers educating deaf learners have embarked on a five-day training course to support the development of inclusive education in South Africa.
The training workshop is an agreement between the Swedish and South African governments to support the Programme of Development of Inclusive Education in the country.
Posted @ 7:20 AM
March 27, 2007
Deaf robber jailed for targeting shops
A deaf man who robbed shops at knifepoint has been jailed for seven years.
The tough sentence comes just days after thousands of pounds was stolen from a building society by knife robbers.
Cash was scattered across the street as raiders fled from the Nationwide Building Society on Tuesday.
Posted @ 7:23 AM
Too deaf to face justice
An ailing 86-year-old charged with abducting a young girl will not face a trial - because he cannot hear the evidence.
Benjamin Fisher, who is profoundly deaf in one ear and has limited hearing in the other, also has little sight.
Now a Newcastle Crown Court judge has stopped the case as Fisher cannot give instructions to his defence team.
Posted @ 7:21 AM
Woman commits suicide with her deaf and dumb daughter in garden
A young woman set herself and her seven year old daughter afire in public garden in the Vastrapur area. She has left a long suicide note alleging harassment from her husband and in-laws.
The woman Praveena lived in Abhinandan apartment of Vadaj area. She went all the way to Vastrapur area late last night and committed suicide by pouring petrol over her body. She had her seven year old daughter Dhvani in her arms. Both died.
Posted @ 7:20 AM
NPO gives deaf chefs a hand
A nonprofit organization in Kagoshima has opened a workshop for people with hearing impairments so that they can produce and sell steamed buns and crepes.
"We hope to explore the untapped ability of each worker," said Rie Sawada, head of Deaf Net Kagoshima. "We also hope our customers realize they can communicate with hearing impaired people."
Posted @ 7:13 AM
Goonga Hotel — a rendezvous for the deaf and mute
LAHORE: The Goonga Hotel on Temple Road is a rendezvous for the physically and mentally challenged people.
People from various walks of life visit the hotel to enjoy hot tea and see the dumb and deaf communicating in sign language. The hotel was set up about 70 years ago. It gained popularity due to good quality of tea being offered here.
Posted @ 7:12 AM
February 24, 2007
Deaf boy robbed at gunpoint
A CALLOUS thug robbed a deaf boy and his teenaged brother at gunpoint in Stretford.
The deaf 12-year-old boy and his older brother were attacked as they walked home along Barton Road, near to the junction of Winster Avenue, at about 9.30pm on Tuesday.
Posted @ 5:42 AM
Tributes to sports fanatic who loved life
FRIENDS and family have paid tribute to a fun-loving sportsman who collapsed and died after playing in a football match.
Martyn Burton, aged 31, who was deaf, had been playing in a cup match for Manchester Deaf FC at Bridgend near Cardiff on February 4. But 90 minutes after the game ended, he collapsed.
Posted @ 5:36 AM
Signing row lands deaf man in court
A DEAF man arrested after police mistook sign language for an obscene gesture has lost his court battle for compensation.
Shaun Phuprate, of Town End Farm, was handcuffed and hauled before magistrates for making a two-finger salute at officers in Sunderland.
The now 26-year-old insisted he was making the sign for "I am deaf" and had not been rude.
Posted @ 5:35 AM
Big Brother’s a big bully says deaf man
A DEAF man has claimed he was unfairly discriminated against because of his disability at a Big Brother audition on Saturday.
Paul Cripps, 25, of Baker's Arms, Leyton, queued for more than four hours with thousands of other people at the ExCel Centre, in the Docklands, hoping to take part in the Channel 4 show.
Posted @ 5:25 AM
February 8, 2007
Films give hearing impaired chance to voice their problems
What started out as experimentation in film-making for a group of differently abled people, managed to achieve much more. Apart from ‘voicing their problems’, two films made by Vadodara-based 33-year old Rajesh Ketkar and his friends Virbahdrasinh Rathod and Kiran Kumar ‘Deaf Issues’ and `Family’_ were screened and awarded at the World Deaf Expo-2007, held in Coimbatore last month.
Posted @ 8:16 AM
Deaf studies centre launched
The country's first international centre of excellence in deaf studies is opened at the University of Central Lancashire today.
The International Centre for Sign Language and Deaf Studies (iSLanDS) will conduct research to document many global sign languages for the first time, as well as develop programmes to provide deaf students in developing countries with the same higher education opportunities as the UK deaf students it will engage with.
Posted @ 8:05 AM
January 29, 2007
Ontario to further protect industrial workers from hearing loss
Ontario is improving the health and safety of the province's workers by protecting industrial workers from hearing loss, says Minister of Labour Steve Peters.
"Noise-induced hearing loss is a serious and preventable occupational illness that impacts many of Ontario's industrial workers," said Peters.
Posted @ 3:32 AM
The only deaf comic in the country
There is only one deaf comedian in the UK, according to Steve Day, and if there are any others, he hasn't heard them. Steve has developed a career in writing and performing comedy which almost defies belief.
Posted @ 3:25 AM
Holiday ruined for deaf tourists
A brazen daytime theft of credit cards and airline tickets from a locked van on a busy Rotorua road has turned the holiday of two hearing impaired tourists upside down.
The van belonging to Irish visitor Stephen Gilligan and Korean friend Jong-Moon Kim was broken into opposite the shops on Tarewa Road between 10am and 12.15pm on Sunday.
Posted @ 3:25 AM
School for deaf celebrates 80th annual day
The 80th annual day celebrations of Little Flower Convent Higher Secondary School for the Deaf were held on Monday, with a variety programme by students.
Posted @ 3:23 AM
Health support for deaf people
A leading charity says it is to build four residential mental health units to provide specialist care for deaf people.
The Royal National Institute for Deaf people (RNID) wants to tackle what it calls "the crisis" in mental health provision.
Posted @ 3:22 AM
January 17, 2007
DVD highlights deafness issues
A film made by Oxfordshire youngsters is to be shown across the country to highlight the challenges faced by deaf people.
The DVD, Deafness Matters, was premiered on Saturday at the Oxford Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre in Littlegate Street.
Posted @ 8:36 AM
Israeli forces imprison deaf – mute man accused of involement with Islamic Jihad
Israeli soldiers did not believe that Farid Mahmoud Suleiman son was deaf – mute. Despite the protestations of fellow passengers in the car at the Nablus area checkpoint, he was bound, arrested, and taken to several detention centers before Jalameh Prison.
Posted @ 8:35 AM
Deaf children without barriers
If I were just a regular citizen reading Or Kashti's article "At Yehud high school, no exceptions for the deaf" (December 26, 2006), I would have been overwhelmed with emotion as to the plight of young deaf adults in Israel. How difficult their lives are! How lucky they are to go to a school like the Yehud Comprehensive High School that is so caring and supportive.
Posted @ 8:34 AM
Deaf teenagers, from Belfast, shortlisted in mini oscars
Holywood actress Kate Winslet and director Alan Parker will be judging the horror movie - Lil' Red - for awards which are announced next month.
The movie was made by the young deaf people working with The National Deaf Children's Society.
Posted @ 8:28 AM
Deaf teenager dives to new feat
Tristan Butler is not your average 15-year-old.
Despite being born deaf, he has defied the odds to pass his PADI Open Water dive course with flying colours, which is believed to be a first in New Zealand.
Posted @ 8:27 AM
January 7, 2007
Hearing aid pledge 'may not work'
Moves to cut waiting lists for the hard of hearing could result in even longer queues for hearing aids, the Royal National Institute for the Deaf fears.
Research by Conservative MP Grant Shapps found waits of up to five years for new digital hearing aids.
Ministers admitted queues were too long and said they will shortly publish an "action plan" to tackle the problem.
Posted @ 5:04 AM
Should we cure the 'deaf gene'?
Genetic counselling is quite a new branch of medicine and many people may not know what is involved. A leaflet sent to me from Cardiff University explains in general terms what to expect at a genetic counselling appointment.
Some conditions, such as deafness, run in families and the genetic team can give people information about these conditions; how they are inherited and how likely they are to happen in a family. If appropriate, they can also discuss the medical management of a disorder and what choices members of the family have in facing this situation.
Posted @ 5:00 AM
Ex-workers to sue Jaguar plant over loss of hearing
A raft of legal claims are being brought against Merseyside's Jaguar car plant by former workers who claim they have been left with hearing problems.
The claims relate to 12 ex-employees, many of whom worked at the site when it was a Ford factory, and could be worth between £3,000 and £25,000.
Posted @ 4:57 AM
December 26, 2006
Mobile phones aid for deaf children
Deaf children will now be able to communicate with their families by telephone, thanks to a donation by a telecom company.
MTC-Vodafone (Bahrain) donated 100 third generation (3G) video mobile telephones to hearing impaired children at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Hearing and Speech Development Centre, Sanad, yesterday.
Posted @ 7:24 AM
Kinny brings theatre to life for the deaf
As a child, it was a puppet show that first fired Edinburgh-born actor Kinny Gardner's love of theatre and opera.
Now based in Brighton, where he runs the acclaimed children's theatre company, Krazy Kat, the 47-year-old recalls, "I remember getting the bus to the West End and going to see Purves Puppets. They were doing a production of an obscure Gilbert and Sullivan opera called Thespis, performed with glove puppets. That was what sparked my love of opera and theatre.
Posted @ 7:20 AM
Teeing off for the deaf
MORE than 100 golfers are expected to come together next month to raise money for special devices that will give the gift of hearing to eight deaf Bahraini children.
The Rotary Club of Adliya is hoping that through the Bahrain Golf Invitational (BGI) 2007 it will be able to raise BD80,000 for special devices known as cochlear implants, which sell for approximately BD10,000 each.
Posted @ 7:14 AM
December 12, 2006
Toys that make children go deaf
Noisy toys can harm children's hearing, it was claimed yesterday. Fourteen out of 15 tested by charity Deafness Research UK produced noise levels above the recommended safety limit of 85 decibels when close to the ear.
Posted @ 5:54 AM
Police in text-it deal to help deaf
The plan is part of a raft of measures being brought in by Hertfordshire Constabulary as part of a new disability equality scheme.
Other measures include ensuring new police stations, such as that planned for Hatfield, are fully accessible to both staff and the public who have disabilities.
Posted @ 5:50 AM
November 18, 2006
Housing association launches new service for deaf residents
With the support of the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID), ASRA Greater London Housing Association has launched a specialist telephone service for its deaf and speech impaired tenants.
Posted @ 3:12 AM
Breaking the seal of silence
The Rotary Club of East Nassau recently presented thirty hearing impaired children throughout the Bahamas with new hearing aids and hearing aid replacements. As the children gathered in Doctors Hospital's conference rooms to be fitted with molds for their new hearing aids, or replacement hearing aids, the excitement could be felt in the air.
Posted @ 3:05 AM
Suffolk's amazing haul
Deaf athlete Cristine Suffolk has continued her amazing medal winning performances, picking up five medals, including four gold at the 2006 Masters Games in Alice Springs.
Suffolk dominated the 35-39 year age group at the titles.
Posted @ 3:02 AM
Deaf and dumb cry foul in Sierra Leone
An eight-man delegation of deaf and dumb persons, led by Chairman of the Deaf Welfare Organization (DWO), Alhaji Lahai Vangahun, last week-end, stormed the Awareness Times offices in tears, complaining of an alleged act of injustice by police personnel at the Adelaide Street and Central Police Stations respectively, for refusing to grant bail to nine of their numbers who were recently arrested.
Posted @ 2:59 AM
November 13, 2006
Deaf author to be illuminated on stage
Australia’s only professional theatre company for the deaf is putting on a play about Australia’s most celebrated, if reclusive, deaf writer.
Crime thriller writer Patricia Carlon produced 14 crime novels between 1961-70 to widespread international acclaim. While relatively neglected in her home country, she won comparisons in the UK to the queens of the genre, like Patricia Highsmith and Ruth Rendell.
Posted @ 6:41 AM
Hearing-impaired force a hearing
Members of the National Association for the Deaf (NAD) held a demonstration outside the office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD) to protest against the denial of allotment of civil services to the three hearing impaired candidates who cleared the all-India civil services examination.
Posted @ 6:27 AM
Hijacking leaves deaf pre-schoolers stranded
Fifteen deaf pre-schoolers have been forced to miss out on school for the past two weeks after their school bus was hi-jacked in Mfuleni, minutes after the driver dropped off the last pupil.
Posted @ 6:27 AM
Cathryn speaks out for deaf people
Cathryn King is aiming to make life a little easier for deaf people by improving the services they receive.
The 33-year-old entrepreneur, who has a degree in deaf studies and linguistics, has launched her own business called Communication Station.
Posted @ 6:25 AM
SABC sign language interpreters criticised
The South African Human Rights Commission has opened an inquiry into the “incorrect” use of sign language by SABC interpreters after a complaint by DeafSA.
Posted @ 6:03 AM
November 5, 2006
Aid for the deaf is sign of times
On the retirement of our old doctor just over a year ago we decided it was time to move to a practice nearer home and are now enrolled at Kerrsland Surgery in Ballyhackamore, Belfast.
I was there the other day for a routine blood test and was struck again by the way reception and other staff are trying very hard to practise deaf awareness and help relieve the stress of getting medical help.
Posted @ 12:33 PM
October 26, 2006
Deaf musician's charity gig
Being deaf makes Alan Higgins an unlikely musician. However, the South Norwood guitarist is using his knowledge of music to organise a charity rock gig in aid of breast cancer sufferers.
Posted @ 5:46 AM
Deaf lawyer is denied interpreter in court
A deaf lawyer has won a landmark settlement against a Peterborough court which refused to allow him the use of a sign language interpreter.
Posted @ 5:45 AM
Global deaf fury hits London
British students join the global debate over heavy-handed US police treatment after more than a hundred students are arrested at a deaf institution, STEVE EMERY was on hand to witness the protest.
Posted @ 5:39 AM
Northern Irish scheme to boost deaf access to live shows
A scheme to increase access to live performances for the deaf and hearing-impaired has been launched in Northern Ireland by development agency Audiences NI.
Although theatre venues in the province regularly programme signed performances for the 219,000 people registered as deaf or hard of hearing in the region, which represents one in seven of the total population, the new initiative, In the Loop, will look at how those events are marketed to their target audiences.
Posted @ 5:38 AM
Speeding ticket for deaf and blind man
Stunned Martyn Styles has been sent a £60 speeding fine - even though he cannot drive because he is deaf and blind.
Police say Martyn, 42, who has never even sat behind the wheel of a car, was caught in a speed trap doing 36mph in a 30mph zone.
Posted @ 5:34 AM
October 19, 2006
RNID welcomes the increase of subtitling on BBC parliament
Leading charity RNID, welcomes yesterday's announcement from the BBC (Monday 16th October), that it is increasing subtitling provision on the BBC Parliament channel. An increase from 450 hours of output per year to 810 has been confirmed, meaning deaf and hard of hearing people will have greater access to important debates in Parliament.
Posted @ 8:03 AM
Cameras focus on city's deaf school
Pupils at Donaldson's school for the deaf are to be the stars of a fly-on-the-wall documentary. Camera crews will spend up to 18 months following pupils as they prepare for a move from the school's historic home in Edinburgh's West End to a new purpose-built facility in Linlithgow.
Posted @ 7:59 AM
October 16, 2006
York welfare woe for deaf student
A deaf student is launching an appeal against City of York Council after it suddenly stopped her housing benefit - and demanded she repay nearly £2,000.
Louise Moody, 25, also receives incapacity benefit because her disability means she needs extra cash for her university studies.
Posted @ 3:55 AM
October 12, 2006
New service is hear to help deaf people
Deaf rights were given a huge boost after Wakefield Council unveiled its new communication and interpreting service. This means deaf people from across the district will now have access to council sign language interpreters, who will attend pre-booked appointments with places such as banks, doctors and solicitors.
Posted @ 6:13 PM
No funds for deaf OVC, says school head
The Government of Swaziland’s effort to ensure every child gets education by paying school fees for orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) seems to be taken for granted.
Pupils of the School for the Deaf in Siteki were informed that their fees could not be paid for since they were benefiting a lot from government.
Posted @ 6:11 PM
Hearing Concern has adopted Text-Connect™ to aid communication between its help desk
Hearing Concern has adopted Text-Connect™ to aid communication between its Help desk and deaf and hard of hearing clients. Hearing Concern are a national charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for people who are deaf or hard of hearing by providing advice, information and support, promoting communication access and raising public and professional awareness of the issues associated with hearing loss.
Posted @ 5:58 PM
Hearing Concern has adopted Text-Connect™ to aid communication between its help desk
Hearing Concern has adopted Text-Connect™ to aid communication between its Help desk and deaf and hard of hearing clients. Hearing Concern are a national charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for people who are deaf or hard of hearing by providing advice, information and support, promoting communication access and raising public and professional awareness of the issues associated with hearing loss.
Posted @ 5:58 PM
Hearing Concern has adopted Text-Connect™ to aid communication between its help desk
Hearing Concern has adopted Text-Connect™ to aid communication between its Help desk and deaf and hard of hearing clients. Hearing Concern are a national charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for people who are deaf or hard of hearing by providing advice, information and support, promoting communication access and raising public and professional awareness of the issues associated with hearing loss.
Posted @ 5:58 PM
Sign of times
The Council is now offering a free British Sign Language (BSL) interpreting service on demand at Kensington Town Hall. The borough has installed a direct video link to skilled BSL interpreters enabling anyone to an effective three-way conversation with staff at Kensington Town Hall.
Posted @ 5:51 PM
Deaf burned by smoke alarm costs: hearing society
The Canadian Hearing Society's target for a special dart tournament in Ottawa is to raise awareness about a potential hazard: How people with hearing problems respond to smoke alarms.
Posted @ 5:49 PM
October 2, 2006
Soldier claims £40k for losing hearing
An ex-soldier who claims that firing guns has damaged his hearing is demanding £40,000 compensation. Barry Tamburrini, 32, insists ear protection provided was inadequate and the Ministry of Defence didn't warn him of possible harm.
Posted @ 10:12 AM
Phonak acquisition makes it world number one
Swiss hearing aid company Phonak is to buy the ReSound group from the Danish firm GN Store Nord for SFr3.3 billion ($2.63 billion).The deal will create a "global powerhouse" in hearing healthcare, Phonak said in a statement on Monday.
Posted @ 10:08 AM
Help your firm reach 9million deaf customers
You may not think your business needs deaf awareness training but it will soon be a legal requirement for many receptionists, shop assistants, supervisors and managers.
Posted @ 10:07 AM
Opera House unveils Grand improvements
The Grand Opera House's new programme of events and brochure design was unveiled in the Malmaison Hotel in Belfast last Thursday.
Theatre director John Botteley outlined all the additional facilities that visitors can enjoy when the building reopens in October: four additional bars, a new eaterie called Luciano's and improved access to all floors will complement a mouth-watering programme of events.
Posted @ 10:00 AM
September 27, 2006
She matches steps, without music
Self belief can make impossible things possible. An astonishing exemplar is 23-year-old Bhumika Pujari who matches steps; dances to Garba tunes much better than many trained dancers despite being deaf and dumb by birth.
Posted @ 6:39 AM
August 28, 2006
Role models help deaf kids build life skills
A groundbreaking Deaf Role Model Project organised by the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) will be launched next Wednesday, August 30, with an informal lunch session in the dining room at Wilton House, College Square, Belfast, from 12.30 to 1.30pm.
Posted @ 9:05 AM
Deaf June starts a pet project
A profoundly deaf woman has set up her own pet care service. June Crisp, who was born deaf, uses the text service on her mobile phone, email and fax to offer pet sitting, dog walking and small animal care.
Posted @ 9:02 AM
Ran back into fire to save deaf daughter
A pregnant woman has told how she dragged her deaf daughter through a window to safety from their burning home yesterday.
Tracy Pannell had escaped the home with five of her children when she realised Rebekah, 8, had been unable to hear the commotion of the early morning emergency. She was asleep in the 130-year-old Mannum home.
Posted @ 8:58 AM
Deaf Canadians to get interpreters for federal services
Deaf Canadians said they've scored a major victory in the courts over the issue of government services for the hearing-impaired.
Posted @ 8:56 AM
Bridging the gap for the deaf
Goh Soo Leng can communicate in four languages, but she only speaks in three. For the fourth she uses her hands. It is known as the Malaysian Sign Language or Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia.
Posted @ 8:56 AM
Deaf boy’s win is reel achievement
A Carshalton teenager has made it to the regional finals of the National Lottery Awards 2006 for making cinema-going accessible to thousands of hearing and visually impaired people.
Dean Rhodes Brandon, who lives in Green Wrythe Lane, is one of four finalists in the south east of England to be nominated for the awards, which recognise successful lottery-funded initiatives.
Posted @ 8:55 AM
Shayli meets fellow deaf children
Teisha Robinson thinks that the whole of Thursday Island probably knows about the recent conference she and husband Sean attended in Sydney.
For the first time, their little girl Shayli was able to meet other children just like her – children who are deaf and wear hearing aids.
Posted @ 8:50 AM
August 18, 2006
Celebration night ends in deaf man brutally attacked
A celebration for workers at Toys R Us ended in tragedy when a deaf man was brutally beaten in an apparently motiveless attack. The 35-year-old victim has been left in hospital with bleeding to his brain after being stamped unconscious by a gang of six men.
Posted @ 5:38 AM
ASBO the answer for disruptive deaf man?
A DISTRICT councillor has urged his counterparts to look at placing an ASBO on a 53-year-old man to stop him disrupting public meetings. John Parker, who is profoundly deaf, has abused councillors at Failsworth and Hollinwood area committee meetings and was spoken to informally by a police inspector for causing disruption at a recent gathering.
Posted @ 5:31 AM
Bihar girl wins British Open Deaf Tennis Championship
A 17-year old girl from Bihar has won the British Open Deaf Tennis Championship - a first by an Indian. Patna's Shilpi Jaiswal won the under-18 championship title Saturday at Nottingham, Britain. She defeated Sweden's Fatima Tebibel in straight sets 6-2, 6-1 in the final.
Posted @ 5:22 AM
Union head reacts to layoffs at school for deaf
The head of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees says the province must come up with early retirement packages for people being laid off at the School for the Deaf in St. John's.
Posted @ 5:21 AM
Polish four 'in churchyard gang rape' of deaf woman
A deaf woman was brutally gang raped in a cemetery by a group of four Polish men who had come to Yorkshire for work, a jury has heard.
The woman, aged 36, believed her last drink in a pub in York might have been spiked, affecting her before one of the men led her from the bar in the early hours.
Posted @ 5:19 AM
A dumb and deaf girl drowned in a river at Anyinasu
Zakina Dauda, 10, a deaf and dumb girl, got drowned in River Woromso at Anyinasu near Tepa in the Ahafo-Ano North District last Sunday. According to police source, the girl fell into the river that has become stagnant at Anyinasu on the 45- kilometre Tepa/Mankraso road because a culver designed to drain the river across the road has been choked with silt.
Posted @ 5:18 AM
More avenues being considered for deaf viewers
Officials at TV6 are examining the issue of closed captioning and live deaf interpretation for the evening news, says TV6 General Manager Shida Bolai.
In a Sunday Express interview Bolai said that the station, launched back in 1991, had previously introduced a closed captioning system for the news that gave main headlines and information from the Teleprompter, though not the details in the reporter's stories.
Posted @ 5:17 AM
July 6, 2006
Sonic boom damages deaf children society's facilities
Israeli Occupation Forces damaged the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children's facilities in Gaza City during IOF's implementation of "Operation Summer Rain."
When Israeli warplanes caused massive sonic booms and nearby explosions in air strikes, the Palestinian NGO's building windows shattered. As a result, several deaf vocational trainees were injured from the shattered glass.
Posted @ 12:33 AM
Deaf community bonds at festival
Keg throwing. Mud wrestling. Pole climbing. Flying axes. No, not spring break. Those are all featured activities this weekend at the Eastern Deaf Timberfest at Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts in Natural Bridge. The biannual event drew about 500 adults and about 200 to 300 children from as far away as Poland and Japan, according to event organizers.
Posted @ 12:31 AM
Gory gangland murder left my life in tatters
A deaf and mute man who was wrongly charged with the murder of one of Wales' most dangerous gangsters was "fitted up", his solicitor claimed last night. Malcolm Martin always denied killing Cardiff career criminal Courtney Davies, whose badly burned body - stabbed 72 times in a frenzied attack - was found hidden in undergrowth in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire in December 2004.
Posted @ 12:27 AM
June 21, 2006
Deaf children given DVD safety lesson
A DVD warning deaf youngsters about stranger danger in sign language was being launched today. Who is a Stranger? is the first DVD of its kind in the UK, and is a partnership between Bradford Deaf Club, based in Manningham and Bradford Council's youth service.
Posted @ 12:03 PM
Man arrested for raping deaf and dumb girl in Kashmir
Jammu, June 14: Police today a man for allegedly raping a deaf and dumb girl in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, officials said here.
Posted @ 9:21 AM
June 13, 2006
Uganda: The brain behind the Ugandan dictionary for the deaf
When he smiles at you, you cannot tell he is deaf. When I met Assistant Professor, Lars Willians at UNISE, Kyambogo, he only smiled when I greeted him. It was after I attended a workshop where he was a facilitator that I learnt of his impairment. Lars has an interpreter.
Posted @ 5:24 AM
Gay deaf awareness presentation
Greenbow, the Gay Deaf Organisation will make a presentation highlighting the realities of the lives of Deaf LGBT people in Ireland on June 15. The presentation will provide an opportunity for Greenbow to network with hearing LGBT organisations in the future. Their presentation will focus on; what is Irish Sign Language?
Posted @ 5:19 AM
One for yes, two for no
One person in every seven in the UK will experience some loss of hearing. And over 650,000 people in the country are severely or profoundly deaf. Much like guide dogs for the blind, hearing dogs for the deaf can be an essential life-line for those with the most significant hearing difficulties.
Posted @ 5:12 AM
Top accolade for 'life changing' dog
A deaf Windsor woman was today celebrating with her hearing dog after he was honoured for making an "immeasurable" difference to her life. Eight-year-old cavalier King Charles spaniel, Harry, has been named the Life-Changing Hearing Dog of the Year by the Hearing Dogs for the Deaf charity for making such a difference to 63-year-old Pat Preston's life.
Posted @ 5:05 AM
June 8, 2006
Thug knifed deaf mute in pool table row
A thug stabbed a deaf mute and left him for dead in a sickening attack in a Glasgow pub toilet, a court was told. Peter Bradley, 45, followed Gordon Sellar and assaulted him after a dispute about whose turn it was to play pool at the Fat Cats pub in Craigpark.
Posted @ 7:44 AM
Students are a step ahead with a doorbell alert for deaf
A vibrating wrist band which alerts people who are deaf or hard of hearing when the front door-bell rings has been invented by a group of students at Heriot-Watt University. The 18 students produced the idea as part of their course in management studies. The device is activated by a signal triggered by the doorbell.
Posted @ 7:37 AM
June 5, 2006
New center is music to the hearing-impaired
There's an old folk song about four beggars having fun. The lame beggar dances, while the mute sings, the deaf listens and the blind watches. The joke, of course, is in having the four people doing what supposedly they are not capable of because of their handicap.
Posted @ 4:56 AM
AIDS threatens deaf
The deaf people will be wiped out if no action is taken to increase their access to information about the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Uganda National Association of the Deaf (UNAD) director, Alex Ndeezi, said 90% of the deaf population in the country cannot write or read and some people were taking advantage of their ignorance to sexually abuse them.
Posted @ 4:45 AM
June 1, 2006
FLA shows commitment to deaf and hard of hearing people
The FLA (Finance & Leasing Association), the principal representative of the asset, consumer and motor finance sector in the UK, has been awarded the Louder Than Words charter, which honours them for offering quality services to deaf and hard of hearing people.
Posted @ 4:36 PM
Deaf inmate ran theft ring from prison cell
Shanghai police arrested 13 members of a pickpocket ring earlier this year that was allegedly run from behind bars by a deaf, mute inmate in Jiangxi Province, they announced yesterday. Police allege the gang members, all of whom are deaf mutes, were responsible for more than 73 thefts on public buses in Shanghai since last June.
Posted @ 4:29 PM
Winner Matt’s bowled over
Matthew Forsyth became the youngest medal winner at the European Deaf Ten-Pin Bowling Championships in Switzerland. The 15-year-old (pictured) was up against adult competition but showed nerves of steel to bag a bronze in the singles event, where he was one of 109 competitors, and then take a silver in the trio section alongside Dominic Bates and Ray Lay.
Posted @ 4:24 PM
May 29, 2006
Princess returns
The Princess Royal unveiled a refurbished service for deaf and blind people in Barnet on Monday 12 years after originally opening the facility. The Anne Wall Centre, in Hyde Close, Barnet, provides skill development and recreational facilities for those with both sight and hearing impairments. It is run by the national charity Sense, of which the Princess is a patron.
Posted @ 11:06 AM
Project gives deaf people new hope
There is dead silence among the five people sitting in a circle around a clay oven. The group are all part of a bead-making project and they are waiting for the glass to melt so that they can work with it.
Posted @ 11:03 AM
Bach, falling upon deaf ears
Getting deaf teens to sing Bach is: (a) Exploitative and voyeuristic. (b) Culturally inclusive and respectful. (c) A celebration of failure and chaos. (d) A celebration of determination and hope. (e) Art.
Posted @ 11:00 AM
Fulham secures British Deaf Cup
Shylon Morally's late strike guided Fulham Deaf Football Club to a 3-2 victory over Belfast United DFC in the British Deaf Cup final at the weekend. Fulham were 2-1 up at the break after striker Kevin Harewood scored twice at the Bridgend Town Football Club, Wales.
Posted @ 10:53 AM
May 24, 2006
Grant for deaf theatre
A major cultural festival for the deaf will be staged in Akureyri, Iceland, 10-16 July this year.A large number of international theatre groups will attend and the Nordic Cultural Fund is provided a grant of DKK 200,000.
Posted @ 10:52 AM
Family makes sacrifices for daughter's speech
One family's love for its little girl means they'll miss much of her childhood. Stephanie Umunna, 3, was born deaf. Up until a hearing implant last year, she had never heard a sound.
Posted @ 10:51 AM
National Lottery supports deaf gay men
The Gay Men’s Health Charity (GMFA) has been awarded funding to provide signers for deaf gay men, from the National Lottery.
Posted @ 10:50 AM
Collision leaves Kosi with hearing loss
Justin Koschitzke is still to regain the hearing in his right ear and may not play for St Kilda again this year. Eighteen days after fracturing his skull in a sickening on-field collision with Western Bulldog midfielder Daniel Giansiracusa, Koschitzke has only partial hearing in his right ear above which the fracture is located.
Posted @ 10:49 AM
May 22, 2006
A look at how airlines treat the disabled
Airlines operating in South Africa will be summoned to parliament to answer questions on how they accommodate people with disabilities on their planes. The decision was taken on Friday by parliament's Joint Monitoring Committee on the Improvement of Quality of Life and Status of Children, Youth and Disabled Persons.
Posted @ 9:00 AM
May 18, 2006
Legend's daughter makes splash
Jamie-Lee Lewis, 15, is profoundly deaf but excels at water polo – which she cannot play with her cochlear implant in. Following in the footsteps of her father, football legend Wally Lewis, Jamie-Lee has made the Queensland team. "I love sports so much – I just looked up to my dad and I just want to be like him," she said.
Posted @ 12:07 PM
Deaf man's joy at hearing again
For 43 years the Gibson Way telecoms engineer had managed without hearing in one ear, but when the hearing went in the other, he was plunged into terrifying silence and depression. But now, thanks to a cochlea implant switched on recently, he can hear again.
Posted @ 12:06 PM
Hearing loss costs $12 billion a year
Hearing loss is costing Australia almost $12 billion a year with 160,000 people not working because they can't hear well enough, a new report has found. Compiled by Access Economics, the report found the loss to the economy equated to $3,314 for every one of the 3.55 million Australians who have some form of hearing loss.
Posted @ 12:05 PM
May 13, 2006
Deaf students in Baghdad face compounded dangers
The Iraqi capital is one of the deadliest and noisiest cities on Earth: Car bombs or improvised explosive devices blow up with sickening regularity, firefights erupt spontaneously, helicopters thunder across the skies, and ambulance sirens blare.
Posted @ 6:24 AM
Why sign language isn't a joke
It was an evening of nostalgia in Wilton House, Belfast, during the annual meeting of the Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People (CACDP). Professor Mary Wilmot, former director of Social Services in Northern Ireland, spoke on her personal and professional experiences of deaf people and the changes that she feels are still required.
Posted @ 6:23 AM
How I cope being partially deaf
Press Packer Catherine is partially deaf. In her report she tells us about the different ways in which she communicates. "I'm partially deaf. My mum and step-dad are fully deaf and my sister and my real dad are hearing.
Posted @ 6:20 AM
May 11, 2006
Drinking red wine may help prevent deafness
Age-related deafness, and hearing loss caused by loud noise, may be reduced by the antioxidants in red wine, green tea and aspirin, it was claimed yesterday. The compounds they contain could help protect the delicate hairs of the inner ear that are vital to hearing, new research suggests.
Posted @ 6:31 AM
May 8, 2006
Deaf girl excels in writing
Zhang Xini, a 15-year-old deaf girl from Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong Province, has published four fictions with 1.7-million Chinese characters, created three websites, and made two inventions.
Posted @ 4:55 AM
May 3, 2006
Deaf and hard of hearing people still face discrimination in the job market
According to the results of an RNID survey issued today to mark the start of Deaf Awareness Week, only 63% of deaf and hard of hearing people of working age are in employment, compared to 75% of the national work force. Thousands of deaf and hard of hearing people are still facing serious barriers to employment and RNID is urging employers to help combat discrimination and create more accessible workplaces.
Posted @ 4:58 AM
May 2, 2006
Prison service blasted for treatment of deaf inmate
A judge yesterday criticised prison authorities for failing to provide proper medical attention to an inmate whose hearing has deteriorated during his seven years behind bars.
Posted @ 1:24 AM
May 1, 2006
Fair deal for deaf people urged
Thousands of people with hearing problems in Scotland face discrimination in the job market, with many unable to find work, campaigners say. About 758,000 deaf and hard- of-hearing people live in Scotland, and figures from the RNID charity suggest more than a third are unemployed.
Posted @ 1:22 AM
April 28, 2006
Audiologists deliver aid to Mexico
Angi Martin-Prudent told her colleague Dr. Amanda Silberer she wasn't going to cry. The two audiologists were on a mission trip earlier this year in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, helping to fit more than 200 adults and children with hearing aids, and Martin-Prudent wanted to keep her emotions in check.
Posted @ 10:37 AM
Residential home real 'dutch treat'
During a conference in Holland some years ago we were invited to visit a residential home for retired deaf people just outside Amsterdam, which has been described as the most enlightened in the world.
Posted @ 10:35 AM
April 18, 2006
Highlighting needs for ear protection
Employers and employees in Shropshire are being warned to take hearing damage more seriously now that the new Control of Noise at Work Regulations have come into effect. The regulations, which came into effect on April 6, provide improved protection for workers from one of Britain’s most serious occupational diseases, but many employers are unprepared for the stricter regime.
Posted @ 7:43 AM
Own club for the deaf in Sabah
The deaf community in Sabah have finally got their own club. Located at the YMCA KK premises in Damai here, it was officially opened on Sunday by Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun, who was represented by his assistant Jahid Jahim.
Posted @ 7:42 AM
A sign of things to come
Pupils across East Lancashire are set to be taught sign language in class in a pioneering bid to tackle prejudices about the deaf. The scheme, believed to be one of the first of its kind, is the brainchild of Debbie Reynolds, 31.
Posted @ 7:41 AM
April 17, 2006
Deaf people´s place of fun
Cafe culture is very much alive in Vietnam - although many cafes are actually streetside tea shops. Locals gather at tea stalls across the city after work or school to chat, exchange news and to feel a part of a community. And now a new tea shop is providing that same sense of community, and employment, for a particular group of people -- the hearing impaired.
Posted @ 5:41 AM
April 16, 2006
BNP propopes 'British Sign Language' lessons
One of Britain's smallest parties proposes the teaching of "British Sign Language" to primary school children, the abolition of any choice of school meals for pupils and teachers and the "reintroduction" of head lice checks in schools.
Posted @ 5:38 AM
April 15, 2006
I hear ya, eh?
Anyone interested in a hot tip on how to make a lot of money without any risk? It's not my job to pass along financial advice, but in this instance I can't resist the urge. Invest in a hearing aid company, because the next generation is going deaf and they don't know it.
Posted @ 5:30 AM
April 14, 2006
Hearing-impaired may drive soon
Hearing-impaired people will be allowed to drive, possibly in two years, under certain conditions, the National Police Agency said Thursday. People who are hearing impaired have been asking to be licensed to drive to make it easier for them to participate in society. About 129,000 people in Japan are deaf, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
Posted @ 5:50 AM
April 13, 2006
New wireless hearing aid set for launch
A young Cambridge company could be within only two months of launching a product which it hopes could revolutionise life for the nine million people in the UK that are hard of hearing. Auriplex, a start-up based at Cambridge Science Park, has employed wireless technology to develop a brand new kind of hearing aid – iEar – which it says addresses the myriad short-comings of existing technology.
Posted @ 3:00 AM
April 12, 2006
Hearing aid that's cool with school
Youngsters with hearing difficulties are being given help to beat the bullies by fictional secondary school Grange Hill. Starkey Laboratories, a hearing aid manufacturer based in Stockport, has been given permission to include logos and pictures of characters from the children's drama series in the earpiece of their hearing aids.
Posted @ 3:15 AM
April 11, 2006
Deaf mute made world pageant history
Deaf mute sportsman selected for national male pageant, Mister Singapore 2006. Is history being made? Perhaps for the first time in international male and female pageant history, a death mute sportsman has been admitted to the second round of Mister Singapore 2006 contest, the most prestigious annual male pageant in the country.
Posted @ 5:00 AM | Comments (1)
April 10, 2006
One killed, seven hurt when tree falls on deaf tourists
A century-old tree fell on a group of deaf tourists in central Italy on Sunday, killing a man and injuring seven people who were unable to hear a bus driver’s shout of alarm, police said. The Italian tourists had finished a day of sightseeing and were about to board a bus in a square outside the L’Aquila train station to return to their homes near Rome, police said.
Posted @ 4:46 AM | TrackBack (0)
He wants all to sign up for sign language
He has no radical ideas to bring out change in the world for hearing impaired people. But he has been trying to promote the ‘Sign Language’ as a major tool of ‘communication’ for the deaf.
Posted @ 4:27 AM | TrackBack (0)
April 7, 2006
Tighter noise law compensation claim
Speculation that tighter legislation to protect workers from harmful occupational noise could spark a wave of new compensation claims for work-related hearing problems(1) when it comes into force this Thursday is not necessarily true, according to new research by UK health & safety experts Croner.
Posted @ 12:58 PM
March 30, 2006
Sign language communication is key
For some it's an intimidating set of hand movements, but for hundreds sign language is their sole means of communication. Tonight News Five's Jacqueline Woods takes a look at what one institution is doing to try and bridge a silent divide.
Posted @ 7:55 AM
Mother forms own hearing aid
When Joanna Fricot’s daughter was diagnosed with a severe hearing impairment, all she wanted to do was talk to the mother of another deaf child. Ms Fricot said she did not want to hear from another specialist or a doctor, but instead wanted to speak to a parent who had gone through a similar experience.
Posted @ 7:54 AM | Comments (1)
March 29, 2006
Beware of those high decibels
Next time you increase the volume of your television or radio or speak louder because of the noise around you, remember that the noise will take its toll not just on your hearing but also on your voice.
Posted @ 6:05 AM
March 28, 2006
Deaf demand special news
The Uganda National Association for the Deaf (UNAD) has protested the failure by the Uganda Broadcasting corporation-TV to provide for a sign language interpreter during its news bulletins.
Posted @ 7:10 AM
Butterfly fundraising appeal music to their ears
Butterflies released at the fundraising launch for a hearing-impaired children’s therapy centre were silent as they fluttered their way skyward yesterday, but the children who released them squealed and chatted away with delight.
Posted @ 7:05 AM
A gift of hearing for newborns
Hearing problems in newborns can now be detected in health centres across the country, thanks to the generosity of a local Rotary club. Eight devices that can detect hearing problems in newborns, each costing around BD10,000, were purchased by the Rotary Club of Adliya from funds raised at the club's Bahrain Golf Invitational (BGI) held in January.
Posted @ 7:00 AM
March 27, 2006
Seashell Books to raise money for South African Cochlear Implant Fund
Seashell Books aims to raise much-needed money for the Cochlear Implant Fund in South Africa with the publication of inspirational books in conjunction with Lulu, the world’s fastest-growing provider of print-on-demand books.
Posted @ 6:54 AM
Tuned to sounds of silence
It's possibly a world first. Lawrence English, a Brisbane-based sound artist, has just put a sound installation for the hearing-impaired in the Queen Street Mall. Silence Listening is based on a series of ideas the musician has been researching for the past year, which also gave rise to his artwork that was on show in the Window display space at Queensland Performing Arts Centre that "visualised soundwaves".
Posted @ 6:52 AM
Hearing loss
Sadly, the sense of loss from not being able to clearly hear those close to them becomes a painful experience for many people. It is an interesting and relatively unknown fact that more than 10 per cent of the UK's adult population suffer from hearing loss that needs attention, but only one in seven does anything about it.
Posted @ 6:50 AM
March 26, 2006
First sign language programme for hearing babies launched in S'pore
Parents who find it hard to understand their babies can now learn to communicate with them through sign language. A programme has been launched in Singapore and it teaches infants as young as six months to use sign language to tell their parents what they want.
Posted @ 6:42 AM
March 24, 2006
Parrot saves deaf man from fire
A parrot was Friday credited with saving the life of his British owner from fire by mimicking the sound of the smoke alarm and running up and down his legs, according to reports. Peter Taylor, from Mirfield in the northern county of Yorkshire, had taken out his hearing aids and was asleep when the fire broke out.
Posted @ 8:45 AM
March 23, 2006
Speaking up for the deaf
A few of you have written in to enquire about sign language (SL) recently. You were fascinated with this powerful means that the deaf use to communicate with each other. Last week, I spoke to Lucy Lim, assistant manager of Majudiri Y Foundation for the Deaf in Kuala Lumpur, and asked her to tell me more about the special language used by the hearing impaired.
Posted @ 4:55 AM
RNID Conference tackles healthcare barriers
Breaking down the barriers faced by Scots with hearing problems will be discussed at a major conference being held in Edinburgh today. Delgates at the RNID Scotland seminar will look at making it easier for hearing impaired people to access healthcare and a range of other issues.
Posted @ 4:50 AM
March 21, 2006
Request for better news in sign-language
Keeping track of the daily news on TV is nearly impossible for Cyprus’ deaf population and the House Interior Committee met yesterday to discuss ways of improving the situation. With the notable presence of private broadcasting channels Antenna and Mega, the Committee appointed its first related meeting, following the suggestion of Deputies Katie Cleridou of DISY, Yiannos Lamaris of AKEL, Androulla Vassiliou of the United Democrats, Antigoni Papadopoulou of DIKO and Green Party leader George Perdikis.
Posted @ 4:45 AM
Hearing aid cuts down the racket
A device the size of two weetbix is set to quieten things down in one Yarra Ranges home. Yarra Junction resident Thomas Hughes no longer has to have his television blaring, thanks to his new assistive listening device.
Posted @ 2:35 AM
March 19, 2006
I play in a deaf football team
Press Packer James is a player in a deaf football team. In his report he tells us why he thinks it's important to show hearing players that being deaf doesn't stop you from playing great football.
Posted @ 6:29 AM
March 17, 2006
WHO on Hearing Care in DCs
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new set of training manuals aimed at equipping health care workers in developing countries (DCs) with simple and cost-effective methods to reduce deafness and hearing problems through actions at the primary level of health care.
Posted @ 6:30 AM
Housing association plumber aims for sporting success
A housing association's apprentice plumber is hoping to swap his tools for sporting success later this month. Nick McKen, from Magna West Somerset Housing Association, hopes to gain selection for the England Deaf Rugby Union team's squad.
Posted @ 6:25 AM
March 16, 2006
Meningitis vaccine to be tested in Africa
A vaccine against meningitis A will be tested and if all goes well could be available in the next few years in Africa where the disease kills thousands of people each year, researchers said on Wednesday. The Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP) and the privately owned Serum Institute of India Ltd said Phase 1 trials of the vaccine have paved the way for tests in Gambia and Mali later this year following approval from regulatory authorities.
Posted @ 4:23 AM
Hearing tests for all new-borns
All parents in England will be offered the chance of a hearing test for their new-born baby shortly after its birth. Over 1,600 babies will be screened every day as part of the NHS New-born Hearing Screening Programme as it is rolled out across the country.
Posted @ 4:22 AM
March 15, 2006
Deaf children victims of bureaucratic turf wars
The Wellington Association for Deaf Children is calling upon the Government to provide free New Zealand Sign Language classes for all deaf children and their families. The New Zealand Federation for Deaf Children supports the parents in their demand.
Posted @ 5:09 AM
March 14, 2006
I was just looking for my deaf dog
A sheperd has been banned from driving - after he claimed he had to use his pick-up truck to round up a deaf runaway sheepdog. James Hogg had downed several whiskies at home when his dog, Gael, went missing late at night.
Posted @ 1:39 AM
March 10, 2006
Seminar focuses on sign language for hearing babies
Canada -- A free introductory seminar on teaching sign language to hearing babies will be presented Wednesday, March 29 at 7:30 p.m. and again Saturday, April 1 at 10 a.m.
Posted @ 8:59 PM
No substitute to use of sign language
That was the startling announcement from Janet Young, resource development officer of the Deaf Association of Northern Ireland. She was speaking last week at the Stormont Hotel, Belfast, during the launch of a DVD promoting sign language as an effective tool in acquiring and understanding language during the critical period from birth to the age of three.
Posted @ 8:58 PM
March 8, 2006
Breaking the silence
Every year Sabine Muller helps send about 70 information packs - complete with cuddly toys wearing hearing aids - to families who've learned their children are deaf. It's a way of supporting families who've had to cope with what can be a very hard blow.
Posted @ 7:12 PM
Hearing loss
Your hearing will not normally be tested at a routine check-up but, if you suspect it has deteriorated, your GP may do some preliminary tests at the surgery or you may be referred for specialist investigation. A free hearing test is also available over the telephone from hearing charity RNID, call 0845 600 5555 to take the test.
Posted @ 7:11 PM
March 7, 2006
Sign language to proclaim the Gospel
Fr Takawej, a parish priest in Bangkok, organised a sign language course to teach the language of the deaf to some of his parishioners. He said: “10 deaf people attend our Sunday Mass and two of them have converted.”
Posted @ 6:15 AM
March 6, 2006
Sign-language takes to the web
IT Week: As chief executive of sign-language services provider SignPost, can you explain why web sites need live signing? Malcolm Wright: I always thought that the deaf can read subtitles, so it wouldn't matter [if sites do not offer sign language], but there are about 70,000 people in the UK who use British Sign Language [BSL] as a primary means of communication.
Posted @ 10:43 PM
Hearing the results of research
Early detection of infant hearing problems has become a growing priority in Canada. The earlier problems are detected, the less likely a child will be to fall behind in speech, language and social skill development. Research at the National Centre for Audiology (NCA) at Western has proven invaluable since the recent implementation of universal programs for infant hearing screening in Canada.
Posted @ 10:42 PM
Train to be the friend of a young deaf person
The trauma of being deaf or hard of hearing will be eased for children across Wales with help from a pioneering scheme to encourage volunteering. The Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) has been given a £7,000 Millennium Volunteers grant towards its Peer Befrienders project, which trains young people to provide counselling and befriending for children with hearing difficulties.
Posted @ 3:40 AM
New association for the deaf launched
The launching ceremony, held recently at the Docklands Cinema on Latanier Road, was marked by the presence of the Minister for Health and Social Services, Vincent Meriton, the chairperson of APHI, Anita Gardner, a group of people with hearing impairment, other members of the association, parents and guests.
Posted @ 3:39 AM
Ear infection vaccine developed
A vaccine which could help prevent ear infections in young children has been developed by Czech scientists. Also known as acute otitis media, the infections can be very painful and - very rarely - cause long term damage. The vaccine was effective against two bacteria - the streptococcus pneumoniae and haemophilus influenzae, the Lancet reported.
Posted @ 3:26 AM
March 5, 2006
Listen up, early hearing tests are serious
Michael Thomas is your average five-year-old, an active go-getter who swims, bowls and even plays golf. The only indication that Michael might not be your average kid is a bright blue hearing aid. He has hearing loss in one ear, a condition detected by chance when he was three.
Posted @ 3:31 AM
March 4, 2006
Hearing problems, safety risks cited with headphone use
Portable music headphones that are best for your hearing can put you at risk by blocking out warning sounds around you. Audiologists worry many young people risk permanent hearing damage due to the high volume levels of their iPod, MP3 or portable CD players.
Posted @ 3:28 AM
What’s that? Speak up!
Ssorry, could you repeat that? Didn’t catch that. What’s with ? Such phrases are often heard over conversations in noisy environments such as parties, shopping malls and so on. This typically involves the older age group and unfortunately is often ignored and labelled “old age’ and “can’t be helped”.
Posted @ 3:27 AM
March 3, 2006
Tragedy of deaf children on the waiting list
The tragedy of deaf children on the waiting list for cochlear implants (CI) was in the media recently.[1] The news items focused on the need for increased funding so that more CI operations could be financed to increase the current total of 28 operations a year.
Posted @ 12:14 PM
Mark to make deaf-defying run
Fifteen years after a cowardly pub assault robbed Warrnambool's Mark Gravolin of his hearing, the 36-year-old is preparing a deaf-defying run along Raglan Parade. Mr Gravolin will carry the Queen's Baton from McDonald's central restaurant west to Macey's Bistro during leg eight of Sunday's route from Warrnambool to Hamilton.
Posted @ 12:11 PM
Demand outstrips supply of interpreters
The two biggest changes affecting the quality of life for deaf people over the past 20 years are the profusion of subtitles on television and the professional interpreter service inaugurated by the RNID.
Posted @ 12:10 PM
Disabled and deaf in pioneering new history project
A northern city's disabled and deaf community are being urged to record their experiences for a pioneering new history project. English Heritage and the Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People (GMCDP) are opening a unique collection of photos, posters and books chronicling the experiences of disabled and deaf people across the UK.
Posted @ 12:09 PM
March 2, 2006
Search is on for Ear of the Year
The leading charity for the deaf and hard of hearing has launched a search for the Buckinghamshire's sexiest pair of ears. Hot on the heels of the Celebrity Ear of the Year 2006 which saw singer Charlotte Church and Dr Who actor David Tennant walk off with the top accolade.
Posted @ 10:05 PM
March 1, 2006
Hearing impaired demand fairness
In a silent demonstration, some 50 hearing impaired people marched to the West Nusa Tenggara provincial council Tuesday to bring attention to the discrimination they receive from the government.
Posted @ 2:55 AM
Orphan girl to get cochlear implant
Katrina Mercy is one among the approximately five people born deaf in every thousand. Possibly abandoned by parents at birth, she was lucky enough to get temporary guardians through the Children's Mission Charitable Trust.
Posted @ 2:50 AM
February 28, 2006
All teachers must learn sign language, braille
Need physically challenged children be treated ‘differently’ and sent to ‘different’ schools? Certainly not if teachers of regular schools learn a little bit of sign language and Braille so that these children can be accommodated in regular classrooms alongside normal kids!
Posted @ 11:12 PM
Two deaf mutes cry rape
Two deaf-mute women yesterday complained to Police Precinct 1 that two unidentified teenagers molested and robbed them at the seawall in Purok Bag-ong Dalan, Brgy. 35 in Bacolod City at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday.
Posted @ 4:15 AM
February 27, 2006
Railway staff learn sign language
Rail staff across Scotland have returned to the classroom to learn sign language and help deaf passengers. Pupils attending the voluntary scheme include train drivers, ticket collectors and administrative staff.
Posted @ 4:09 AM
February 26, 2006
New test offers hope in effective hearing aid design for babies
A new technique to test and identify 'dead regions' in the brain that could be responsible for hearing loss in children is being developed by Karolina Kluk, a Cambridge University student. The finding could eventually pave way for development of individualized hearing aids for children.
Posted @ 2:40 PM
February 25, 2006
Hope for better baby hearing test
A brain test to detect which frequencies babies cannot hear could help design individualised hearing aids for them, a researcher suggests. Karolina Kluk, a PhD student at Cambridge University, is developing the test to identify "dead regions" in babies' hearing.
Posted @ 2:39 PM
The new baby talk
Dancer Julia Aplin has been home from rehearsal with her baby, Jenny, for less than an hour when a visitor appears at the door. Jenny squishes her hand together and brushes her chin, then nuzzles her head into Ms. Aplin's neck.
Posted @ 2:38 PM
February 23, 2006
New Zealand sign language bill
He ao kapua te rangi ka uhia, ma te huruhuru ka rere ai te manu - As clouds bedeck the heavens, so do birds need feathers to fly. Madam Speaker, today we bear witness to the wonderful event of New Zealand Sign Language being wrapped around our deaf community, providing the warmth and protection of one's language as a primary means of being in the world.
Posted @ 1:54 PM
February 22, 2006
Deaf boy succeeds in school case
The program for students with disabilities in government schools has come under attack, with a tribunal criticising funding levels and questioning the expertise of staff across the system. Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal deputy president Cate McKenzie said the program had "a number of shortcomings", and urged the State Government to review the system.
Posted @ 11:49 AM
February 21, 2006
Hearing loss is no handicap to Anthony
Anthony Shing has never heard the crowd’s roar as he swims to first place, nor will he hear Dawn Fraser call out his name at tonight’s Young Australian Sports Award ceremony in Sydney. All of Anthony’s remarkable swimming victories have been won in silence as the 18-year-old from Bli Bli was born with a profound hearing disability and has a 95% hearing loss.
Posted @ 4:04 PM
Cochlear's China push
"China has huge potential," Cochlear chief executive Chris Roberts told The Daily Telegraph. Cochlear's assault on the Chinese market is spearheaded by a low-priced implant, the SP33. At $19,000, it is 40 per cent cheaper than other Cochlear implants.
Posted @ 4:04 PM
February 20, 2006
Postman recovers valuable hearing aid
A Westmount resident recently discovered that Canada Post sometimes does more than deliver mail—they can also provide lost and found service. Robert Stevenson of Mount Pleasant Avenue carries his hearing aids and a special wristwatch device for controlling them in a small black satchel. The total value is about $15,000.
Posted @ 6:09 PM
February 16, 2006
Sounds, not silence
Dr Sandra De Sa Souza, 62, is not only one of the best-known ENT (ear, nose, throat) surgeons in India, she is also the first woman surgeon in the world to have performed a cochlear implant surgery, way back in 1987. Estimates say that for every 10,000 births, there is at least one hearing impaired newborn child. It has been Souza's life's work and ambition to reach out to as many hearing impaired persons as she can.
Posted @ 8:05 AM
February 15, 2006
Deaf student beats government ruling
A hearing impaired teenager has won a landmark anti-discrimination case against the Department of Education and Training (DET) after he was denied a classroom interpreter. The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) last week found in favour of former Pearcedale Primary School student Dylan Beasley who had claimed he was left out of classroom activities because the school failed to provide him with suitable tuition.
Posted @ 7:52 PM
City ready to lend more helping hands to deaf-mutes
As the capital of the world's most populous country, Beijing never seems to have a problem with its workforce. It enjoys an abundance of people in almost every industry, be it artistic geniuses or construction workers. The one profession, which is short-handed and also demands delicate hands, is to provide sign language service.
Posted @ 7:51 PM
February 14, 2006
AIIMS doctors claim cochlear breakthrough
New Delhi: Doctors at the Capital's premier All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) claimed to have successfully carried out and rehabilitated the country's first bilateral cochlear implantation patient who underwent the complicated surgery to have cochlear implants fitted in both ears.
Posted @ 7:46 AM
Cochlear posts record bionic ear sales
Cochlear today reported a half-yearly net profit of $43.76 million, up 33 per cent. During the half, Cochlear achieved record revenue from all-time high sales of its implants. Cochlear expects $80 million earnings in 2005-06. Cochlear sold 6518 bionic ear units over the six months to December 31, 2005, up 30 per cent, with revenue jumping 34 per cent to $221.1 million.
Posted @ 7:45 AM
February 13, 2006
Totally implantable cochlear implant is the future of cochlear implant
A cochlear implant surgery at grand old age of 71 made dramatic changes in the life of renowned artist Satish Gujral. Hearing sounds after 62 long years of silence, Gujral now adds more vibrant colours to his paintings, discarding the usual dreary dark and light. Such is the impact of sounds! And hence the significance of cochlear implant surgeons like Dr Sandra DeSa Souza.
Posted @ 8:52 AM
Take sound advice, check your hearing
Nobody likes to admit to being a bit deaf as they see it as a sign of aging, but hearing can be damaged at any age and should be checked as often as your eyesight. If you haven't had a hearing check in the last two years, here is some advice from Specsavers Hearcare's Cardiff director Gareth Morris.
Posted @ 8:46 AM
When baby talk equals flying fingers
Two Port Macquarie mothers hope to break into the publishing world with their educational kit on baby sign language. Gina Mansfield, a casual teacher, and Jodi Scantlebury, a massage therapist met at an ante-natal class three years ago. The 32-year-olds became interested in the art of communication with their babies a year ago but thought the books available were too difficult.
Posted @ 8:42 AM
Review of phone relay service for the deaf
Submissions sought on review of phone relay service for the deaf. People with an interest in Deaf issues can have their say about the review of the Telecommunications Relay Service, say Communications Minister David Cunliffe and Disability Issues Minister Ruth Dyson.
Posted @ 8:41 AM
February 10, 2006
University launches UK's first sign language degree
A three-year degree course in British Sign Language (BSL), which academics claim is the first of its kind in the UK, will take its first students this September. The University of Central Lancashire says the course is unique because it offers undergraduates the opportunity to study sign language in the same way as any other modern language.
Posted @ 10:23 AM
When deaf men find it hard to talk to a doctor
Clark Denmark is a prominent and much loved figure in the British deaf community and, when he appeared on See Hear some time ago to speak emotionally and frankly about his battle with prostate cancer, the programme caused quite a stir. With his masterly signing ability, Clark went into explicit detail about the symptoms of the disease, the pain and embarrassment it had brought him, the sessions with the doctor and the resultant diagnosis and treatment.
Posted @ 10:22 AM
Youth clears every hurdle
A childhood illness left Andrew Sampson profoundly deaf and able to hear only with the aid of a cochlear implant. Despite the hurdles he's had to face since then, the Quirindi teenager is embarking on a career in medicine that will one day see him become a doctor. The 18-year-old will leave his hometown tomorrow for Newcastle where in less than two weeks he will begin studying a Bachelor of Medicine degree at the university.
Posted @ 10:21 AM
February 9, 2006
Sign language needed in constitution
Swaziland’s deaf community wants the new constitution to be interpreted into sign language so that they could also comprehend it. Swaziland National Association of the Deaf (SNAD) Executive Director Makhosini Makhubu said they were also looking forward to extensive civic education from relevant stakeholders in order to be able to know their rights and responsibilities as citizens of the country.
Posted @ 6:41 AM
February 8, 2006
Country's first bilateral cochlear implant
New Delhi: Doctors at AIIMS claimed to have successfully carried out country's first "bilateral cochlear implantation" surgery, in which electronic devices called "cochlear implants" were fitted in both ears of a hearing impaired patient, and said the patient now has "almost normal" hearing capabilities.
Posted @ 7:22 AM
February 7, 2006
£2.7m boost for sign language users
This is the first scheme of this size in the UK and will benefit the 3,000 people in Wales who use British Sign Language ( BSL ) as their first or preferred language. Professional interpreters allow Deaf sign language users quicker and better access to services such as the NHS, the police and local authorities.
Posted @ 8:23 AM
February 6, 2006
Deaf teacher gets management post
Durban teacher Ingrid Parkin has become the first Deaf deputy principal of a school in the history of education in the developing world. Parkin, 33, has taken over the management post at the Fulton School for the Deaf in Gillitts, where she has been teaching for the past nine years. And the pupils are delighted as they feel that for the first time someone in a management position understands what it is like to be Deaf and that they are represented at the top level.
Posted @ 6:56 AM
£2.7m for more deaf interpreters
Plans to increase the number of sign language interpreters in Wales is being launched with a £2.7m scheme. The British Sign Language (BSL) Futures scheme which is funded by the EU and Welsh Assembly Government is said to be the largest of its kind in the UK. Equalities Minister Jane Hutt said it would benefit the 3,000 deaf and hard of hearing people in Wales who use BSL.
Posted @ 6:55 AM
February 5, 2006
Hear! Hear! to productive life
If one is fated to be born with a serious handicap, the "best" disability is deafness. So says Rochele, a young haredi Jerusalemite mother of nine who has a lot of experience. Four of her children - aged two to 15 - inherited a pair of mutant recessive genes that caused their handicap. Although she and her husband underwent genetic tests before they married, deafness genes - such as Connexin 26, which is responsible for a third of all congenital deafness and 90% of all deafness in hearing parents - were then not testable.
Posted @ 6:27 AM
Baby sign language ‘could hinder speech’
Scots parents are flocking to classes which teach their babies to “talk” through sign language, despite some experts fearing the practice could hinder the development of speech. Baby signing courses have sprung up across Scotland after the craze crossed from America to the UK.
Posted @ 6:26 AM | Comments (1)
February 3, 2006
How can we give deaf children a better start?
Tomorrow morning my grandson will get the results of his 11-plus exam and the whole family is on tenterhooks. The Government is determined to bring down the curtain on academic selection and Ryan may be the last member of our family to take the test, but we're sure he'll make the best of the situation whatever the outcome.
Posted @ 7:30 AM
February 2, 2006
Two men acquitted of raping deaf woman
Two men accused of raping a deaf mute woman in her southern Brisbane home walked free from court yesterday afternoon after they were found not guilty of the crime. A Brisbane District Court jury took less than four hours to acquit Leigh Evan Hardwidge and Selwyn Allan Russon of one charge of rape.
Posted @ 5:41 PM
January 31, 2006
Ski holiday ride 'cures' deaf man
A former soldier who lost his hearing 15 years ago has suddenly regained it on a ski lift in the Italian Dolomites. Derek Glover, 72, from Bourne, Lincolnshire, was 7,000ft up on holiday with his daughter when he heard a loud pop and his hearing returned. Mr Glover's hearing was first damaged while on National Service 50 years ago and gradually worsened until he had to have a hearing aid fitted 15 years ago.
Posted @ 5:23 PM
January 29, 2006
Kids lend helping ears to Vietnamese students
Forty hearing aids, collected by Takamatsu middle school students with hearing disabilities, were shipped to Vietnam last week through the Kagawa Supporting Organization of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers. Thirteen students attending the prefectural middle school for children with hearing impairments launched a drive in November to collect hearing aids after learning how expensive the devices were in Vietnam.
Posted @ 8:43 PM
The sound of success
“I’ll never forget that moment”— that’s how Soudnya Gondekar, describes the time when she heard her three-year-old daughter Addya say ‘ma’ for the first time. While this is an occasion that all mothers cherish, for Gondekar it holds an extremely special place, as Addya was suffering from a hearing impairment since birth, and was only able to respond to sound after undergoing a Cochlear Implant at the age of two.
Posted @ 8:42 PM
January 28, 2006
Good vibrations
Most people with hearing aids want them tiny and unobtrusive, tucked inside the ear where they can't be seen. But when conventional aids failed to give John Pepperell the level of sound sense he wanted, he decided to use his head -- literally -- and think outside the box. Far from unobtrusive, Pepperell's hearing aid is actually housed in a box attached to the side of his head -- and it uses his noggin to boost his hearing.
Posted @ 8:35 PM
January 26, 2006
Deaf collie hopes for thumbs up
A Devon animal centre has taught a rescue dog to recognise sign language in a bid to find him a new owner. Blue, an eight-month old blue merle collie, is deaf and is being cared for at the RSPCA's Little Valley Animal Shelter in Blackhat Lane, Exeter. Blue now knows seven signed signals and commands - his favourite being the thumbs-up sign, meaning "good boy".
Posted @ 2:52 PM
Ear specialists launch society
A society dedicated to supporting people with hearing impairment has been launched in Bahrain. The newly-established Bahrain Society for Cochlear Implantation and Hearing Impairment aims to support children and adults to obtain hearing aids, cochlear (inner ear) implants and other new advances in the field.
Posted @ 2:51 PM
January 25, 2006
Online ear and hearing diagnosis to break sound barrier
In an Australian first, an online 'decision support system' is being developed to enable general practitioners to speed up the diagnosis of ear and hearing conditions. The unique software – which is expected to be available for doctors in 12 months' time – will be a collection of ear and hearing diagnoses and associated symptoms collated from reports published by medical experts in international scientific and medical articles, reports and journals.
Posted @ 1:44 PM
Quinolone antibiotic eardrops best for treating middle ear infections
Topical quinolone antibiotics can clear aural discharge better than systemic antibiotics. This was the finding of a systematic review of literature published in the latest update of The Cochrane Library. Chronically discharging ears associated with underlying persistent eardrum perforations (chronic suppurative otits media (CSOM)) are a common cause of preventable hearing impairment, particularly in low and middle income countries.
Posted @ 1:23 PM
January 24, 2006
Men on trial for rape of deaf and mute woman
A profoundly deaf woman who was allegedly raped by two men in her southern Brisbane home was unable to call out for help because she was also a mute, a court has been told. The woman's vulnerability was compounded by the fact that three of her friends who were in the house at the time and who may have been able to help her were also impaired and did not realise she was in trouble.
Posted @ 1:12 PM
Urging our readers to listen up
For two decades young radio producer Kate Wright struggled through life with the hearing of an 80-year-old. Then one routine visit to a doctor changed her life. As a charity reveals nearly four million of us could be suffering with poor hearing, reporter Glenn Ebrey investigates a problem we should all be keeping an ear out for...
Posted @ 1:11 PM
January 23, 2006
Deaf design sign dictionaries for banking, AIDS education
When Godisa's deaf hearing-aid technicians became economically empowered through employment, they faced a new challenge — keeping track of their money. While most people dislike having to deal with financial institutions, banks can be a far greater challenge for the deaf. Never shy of a challenge, Godisa's staff created Botswana's first banking sign-language dictionary — with signs for account, credit, finance and other terminology — and taught the language to customer service representatives at the First National Bank.
Posted @ 11:53 AM
January 22, 2006
Hi-tech help for babies with hearing problems
Hearing problems in more than 1,500 babies a year may now be detected within their first few months, thanks to a charity campaign. The Rotary Club of Adliya Bahrain Golf Invitational (BGI) committee is raising money to purchase high-tech equipment that detects hearing impairment in newborns.
Posted @ 12:11 PM
Deaf technicians share SolarAid success
Inside the large and lively Motse Wa Badiri Camphill compound of special-needs workers, the small Godisa Technologies shop may be the quietest workplace in southern Africa. At a desk littered with wires, circuit boards and equipment, technician Akanyang Kelaotswe checks the soldering joints on a tiny PC board.
Posted @ 11:51 AM
January 21, 2006
Hi-tech aids that can make life much better
From their headquarters in Wilton House, Belfast, the RNID and its 45 staff reach out to all areas of Northern Ireland, organising campaigns and providing services such as sign language interpreters for hospitals and other medical needs. Director Brian Symington called the other day with a copy of the new 2005 Impact Report on how they are helping to change the world for deaf and hard of hearing people.
Posted @ 12:02 PM
Cinema set to reel out sign language films
A season of films made by deaf or hard-of-hearing actors and filmmakers is to be held in the Capital next month. Sign Language Cinema at the Filmhouse on Lothian Road will showcase a different film every Saturday afternoon in February, focusing on the relationship between sign language and the big screen.
Posted @ 11:44 AM
January 20, 2006
Shock as 180 jobs go at hearing aid firm
A Danish company which runs the country’s only hearing-aid manufacturing firm is to close its Cork-based operation within weeks with the loss of 180 jobs. The news came as a complete shock after a good year for the company, staff said last night.
Posted @ 10:41 AM
Police hunt for missing deaf teenager
Police in the West Midlands are searching for a teenage boy with hearing and sight difficulties who has gone missing from home. Leon Smith, 15, from Shard End, Birmingham, has not been seen since leaving the family home in Lea Ford Road on Wednesday afternoon.
Posted @ 10:40 AM
January 19, 2006
Love is a sign of the times
Sarah Hateley and partner Bryn Davies use sign language to communicate with each other -- and with their deaf pets. Safi and Zuri, purebred Australian shepherds, know more than 25 Auslan signs.
Ms Hateley and Mr Davies, both deaf, adopted the dogs when they found they were to be put down.
Posted @ 11:55 AM
Julian drafts disabilities bill
When NDP MP Peter Julian knocks on doors in his Burnaby–New Westminster riding, he can communicate to constituents fluently in English and French. If the residents also happen to be deaf or hearing-impaired, Julian uses what limited American Sign Language he knows. Few running for office on January 23 could overcome a similar communication barrier, but Julian said he is simply opening up dialogue and access to government for all Canadians.
Posted @ 11:54 AM
January 18, 2006
The sounds around us
One of my greatest pleasures, and one of the most soothing in these days of relentless stress, is listening to the sound of the sea. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the pounding of waves during a winter storm or the soft susurrations of more gentle surf, the sound can smooth away all my anxieties. It’s one of the reasons we continue to live on these Islands.
Posted @ 10:20 AM
January 17, 2006
Banking on sign language for cheques and balances in MP
Twenty-year-old Sharad Pande, who can neither speak nor hear, doesn’t have to struggle to operate his account at the Vijaynagar branch of Bank of India. The staff here have learnt the basics of sign language and are all out to help these special customers.
Posted @ 10:57 AM
Deafness no barrier to determined Louise
Being profoundly deaf has proved no obstacle for Louise Rea, who recently completed training as a exercise and fitness instructor. The Belfast girl finished her training after receiving funding from Belfast City Council's Support for Sport Scheme, Disability Sport NI and the Ulster Deaf Sports Council.
Posted @ 10:55 AM
January 16, 2006
2 deaf and mute people arrested over sign-language intimidation
Japan - Two deaf and mute people who intimidated another disabled woman using sign language, forcing her to pay them 3 million yen, have been arrested, Kagawa Prefectural Police said. Arrested were Harumi Otani, 59, and Hirofumi Takaya, 65. Takaya's 40-year-old daughter Masami was also arrested in connection with the crime, police said.
Posted @ 9:04 AM
Robotic hand translates speech into sign language
An 80-centimeter robotic hand that can covert spoken words and simple phrases into sign language has been developed in a town in Fukuoka Prefecture. The robotic hand was shown at a two-legged robot tournament held at the Fukuoka Prefecture Education Center in Sasagurimachi, where it won applause from appreciative spectators.
Posted @ 9:03 AM
Deafness no obstacle for badminton duo
Eighteen-year-old badminton players Shin Geyong-deok (left) and Gang Myeong-jung (right) got good news recently: they were both accepted to Donyang University’s sport science department. They also happen to be deaf.
Posted @ 9:00 AM
January 15, 2006
Thousands dial up hearing test
More than 150,000 people have checked their hearing via a telephone test, a charity says. RNID launched its Breaking the Sound Barrier Campaign with an advert on Christmas Day - attracting on average 5,500 calls a day to the phone number.
Posted @ 9:06 AM
January 13, 2006
Mylo hit by loss of hearing
Dance star Mylo has been forced to pull out of an influential Australian music festival after losing his hearing in one ear. The Scottish DJ picked up a virus in South Africa and has cancelled his six gigs on the touring Big Day Out Festival in New Zealand and Australia, which were due to kick off on January 20, as well as two solo concerts. The virus is so severe that he has lost all hearing in one ear and all but partial hearing in the other, but he has been told by doctors that his hearing should return after a few days rest.
Posted @ 8:43 AM
Appeal for return of vital deaf aid
Aa 11-year-old schoolgirl whose lessons have been ruined by the theft of her teaching deaf-aid has appealed for its safe return. The transmitter, a crucial piece of equipment costing more than £3,000, was stolen in a break-in at West Wight Middle School, Freshwater, over the Christmas holiday.
Posted @ 8:43 AM
Style of iPod headphones key to protecting ears
A new market for headphones is developing as concerns emerge over the possibility of hearing loss as a result of the use of portable digital music players. The popularity of the mini-players, such as iPods, has resulted in hearing problems in young people who listen to music at loud levels for long periods of time. "I think you are looking at a generation that will have greater problems than the previous generation," audiologist Marshall Chasin said.
Posted @ 8:42 AM
January 12, 2006
Deaf people to receive better care as doctors learn to sign
The Xinhua Neighborhood Health Center in Changning District became the nation's first hospital providing doctors with basic sign language skills to serve patients with a hearing disability. Fifteen doctors passed an examination from teachers at a deaf school yesterday. The doctors specialize in different types of medicine at the hospital.
Posted @ 8:43 AM
January 11, 2006
Candidates asked to listen up
Hearing impaired and other disabled face frustration during elections. Elections always bring a raft of complaints to Kelly Duffin's office from constituents who can't communicate with the candidates in their ridings. Campaign offices frequently have neither teletypewriter services nor sign-language interpreters available, leaving her hearing-impaired clients at best frustrated and at worst excluded from the democratic process.
Posted @ 9:31 AM
Tearing down barriers for the deaf in Las Tunas, Cuba
Being born with a hearing impairment or losing that capacity in the course of time can be a serious problem. In the eastern Cuban province of Las Tunas, efforts are being made to educate hundreds of deaf children and teenagers to overcome their problems. The efforts are proving that the disability does not necessarily have to prevent children from communicating, or having access to indispensable rights such as studying, working, and enjoying themselves when there is a social willingness to help them conquer their natural barriers.
Posted @ 9:28 AM
Let's not overlook the deaf and hearing impaired in 2006
My last job as a television subtitler trained me always to prioritise the needs of deaf and hearing impaired viewers. We were taught to 'put ourselves in the position of a deaf viewer.' Nothing was more valuable a lesson in editorial training than trying to watch a programme with the subtitles on and the sound turned off. The written quality of the often heavily edited subtitles was, in the early days of my training in the mid Nineties, essential.
Posted @ 9:27 AM | Comments (1)
January 10, 2006
Vadodara team pockets deaf cricket tournament
The Vadodara team became the champion in the deaf cricket state tournament, after winning the final that was played at the Gujarat Refinery sports ground on Monday. Fast bowler Imran Sheikh got the Man of the Match and Man of the Series trophies. Twenty individuals from all the state teams were also selected on the occasion for participating in the National Championship to be held in Chennai between February 22 and 28.
Posted @ 7:48 AM
January 8, 2006
Sonu Nigam to hearing impaired students
Sonu Nigam might have crooned his way up through commercial singing, but on Thursday afternoon at the Lion’s School for the Hearing Impaired, Nigam matched duets for a cause - and giving him competition were the 30 odd speech and hearing impaired students. Not only did he entertain the students, but he also decided to present them a unique New Year gift - a set of 10 sophisticated hearing aids. An NRI from London also made a donation of 20 pieces of hearing machines.
Posted @ 5:59 AM
January 7, 2006
Infant sign language course helps babies to communicate
An international early-age education institute launched a sign language course in the city yesterday for babies. Initiated by two US child language experts, the Baby Signs course teaches infants from six months to two years old to communicate with their parents by using unified gestures before they can speak.
Posted @ 7:47 PM
Music to their ears but it has a downside
While the Christmas dreams of receiving an iPod or MP3 from Santa came true for many people on the Sunshine Coast, a new study has thrown a dark cloud over the world’s newest trends in music.
Posted @ 7:45 PM
January 6, 2006
Hijackers take car and hearing aid
Two armed hijackers held up a woman (76), in Germiston on Thursday and fled with her car, cash, cellphones and a hearing aid, police said on Friday.
Posted @ 6:23 AM
January 5, 2006
White noise
While veteran rocker Pete Townshend blames his hearing loss on a lifetime spent using headphones experts say today's iPod Generation is storing up trouble for the future by listening to music at high volumes. Is this a crisis in the making?
Posted @ 8:05 AM
January 3, 2006
Unions call for phone ear test
Unions yesterday launched a campaign to encourage Britain's 28 million workers to check their hearing. The TUC is backing the Royal National Institute for the Deaf's Breaking the Sound Barrier initiative, which uses a telephone test to tell people concerned about their hearing whether they should seek help.
Posted @ 2:04 PM
January 1, 2006
How's your hearing?
The world’s largest telephone hearing check has been launched to reach out to the 4 million people in the UK who are losing their hearing but doing nothing about it.
Posted @ 6:33 AM
December 30, 2005
Making silence heard
What should have been one of the happiest moments in any mother's life — giving birth to her child — was, instead, clouded by foreboding for Teresita Canilao. She could barely hear her baby crying, nor could she hear the doctor or nurses clearly as they congratulated her.
Posted @ 12:56 PM
PAWS signals God's love
Praise And Worship through Sign (PAWS) is a 10 member sign language group which believes in making the ministry available to all, in whatever form. "PAWS is a ministry with one aim in mind, to minister to the hearing impaired and to those who can hear. Our destiny is heaven," said Tameko Smith, a member of the group.
Posted @ 12:55 PM
December 29, 2005
Helping hard of hearing access city services
Canada's aging population is fueling an increase in the numbers of Canadians living with hearing loss. Projections are that the numbers of citizens living with hearing loss will increase at a faster rate than the rate of growth of the total population.
Posted @ 12:58 PM
The world is still their oyster
There was a lot of gesticulating, drawing and jotting that went on at a corner table in a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur recently. A European family was trying to order lunch.
Posted @ 12:57 PM
December 28, 2005
Sound of success helps dancer beat disability
That she was deaf only became clear to Chinese dancer Tai Lihua when she was 5. She had been playing a game of tag with her friends. But when it came her turn to be blindfolded and chase the other children, Tai suddenly realized she was unable to do so. She got scared and couldn't stop crying.
Posted @ 12:40 AM
December 27, 2005
Ministry of Education regulates Brazilian sign language instruction
Beginning next year, teachers and interpreters of Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) will be given official training courses by the National Institute of Education for the Deaf (Ines), an organ linked to the Ministry of Education (MEC). Initially, the courses will be limited to Rio de Janeiro.
Posted @ 9:08 AM
December 25, 2005
Girl hears 'Jingle Bells' after implants
A British girl who was born deaf has gotten to hear Jingle Bells, other carols and the Black Eyed Peas after she got cochlear implants in both ears.
Posted @ 10:50 AM
December 23, 2005
Hearing of joy
A girl of 12 born deaf is enjoying carols for the first time after surgery allowed her to hear. Josie Caven could only pick up simple sounds with hearing aids but now has cochlear implants.
Posted @ 9:05 AM
December 21, 2005
Award for work with deaf
A woman who has dedicated her life to helping deaf youths recently received recognition for her work from Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) in Tunis, Tunisia.
Posted @ 11:30 AM
December 20, 2005
Telephone first step to help deaf
The world's largest telephone deafness check was launched yesterday to help the four million people in the UK who are losing their hearing but doing nothing about it.
Posted @ 9:50 AM
December 19, 2005
Millions urged to check hearing
The Royal National Institute for Deaf people (RNID) says 4 million people are losing their hearing but doing nothing about it and hopes to change their attitudes. A survey by pollsters Mori suggested embarrassment was the main reason people did not discuss hearing loss.
Posted @ 8:35 AM
December 18, 2005
Simple Plan aids deaf teens
Rock group Simple Plan is helping out some deaf teenagers in Canada enjoy their music by testing a high-technology wireless device during their 19-city tour.
Posted @ 8:29 AM
December 17, 2005
Only three p c of hearing impaired can afford hearing aids
Seven crores among the Indian population are affected by hearing loss, but only about three per cent of them can afford to use some kind of hearing aid.
Posted @ 7:35 AM
Montreal band helps hearing-impaired hear music
Montreal rock band Simple Plan is helping a bunch of their hearing-impaired fans to actually hear them perform with the help of some cutting-edge technology.
Posted @ 7:34 AM
December 16, 2005
Wireless FM devices a dream for the deaf
Punk, rock, jazz, gospel . . . that Mariah Angus is a lover of all music is hardly surprising: it’s in her blood. Her dad sang lead and played bass guitar in his own band, and she grew up in what she describes as a musical family, but "I can’t pick up a tune to save my life," she admits.
Posted @ 8:40 AM
December 15, 2005
Why you should be able to hear your name across a crowded room
Hearing your name mentioned across a crowded room at the Christmas party may trigger an uneasy feeling. But, according to a Welsh expert, the fact your ears prick up at all is testament to just how sophisticated the body's auditory system really is.
Posted @ 8:25 AM
December 14, 2005
The deaf take Magic Seeds play to National Theatre
They have always been referred to as disabled persons who cannot do any thing on their own. But this time round, members of the Silent Threatre, a drama group, comprising of deaf people in Uganda have stood out of the crowd to prove to the public that disability is not a barrier to success.
Posted @ 8:06 AM
December 13, 2005
Sign, choirs of angels
A band of volunteers signed up to take part in a Christmas carol concert with a difference. As part of a campaign to raise awareness of British Sign Language (BSL), a choir performed some of the most popular Christmas carols using hand movements, as shoppers at Norwich's Castle Mall shopping centre watched on.
Posted @ 6:59 AM
Deaf, dumb and HIV positive
Ever wondered how it feels when you want to share your problem and you can't? You have people around you who are willing to listen but you simply cannot talk? Not that you have no voice but because you are deaf and dumb?
Posted @ 6:50 AM | Comments (1)
December 12, 2005
Ear-plugs for orchestras at risk of being deafened by their music
The swelling sound of an orchestra may sound impressive from the stalls, but to the players the noise can be painful, and Britain’s orchestras will today be presented with a prize for efforts to do something about it.
Posted @ 6:00 AM
December 10, 2005
How to give baby talk a helping hand
Andrew Marr and Peter Snow are well-known for their wild - some would say distracting - hand gestures. But new research has revealed how exaggerated hand and arm movements are unconsciously used by parents talking to their young children to help in the development of speech.
Posted @ 5:50 AM
December 8, 2005
Deaf community alerts DPP of 'dubious' interpreter
A female police officer may have to answer for volunteering to interpret for a deaf suspect at the Mbabane Magistrates' Court last week. Constable Funekile Gamedze is said to have interpreted, or rather misinterpreted, in the case of Jabula Mkhonta who was charged with malicious damage to property.
Posted @ 6:55 AM
Early detection key to checking the problem in India
Please Repeat! Say it Again are the common phrases we hear in day to day conversation without realizing that it could all have to do with hearing loss. Doctors say around 10 to 12 per cent of the Indian population suffers from some degree of hearing loss. But delay in detection of the ailment and taboos attached to hearing aids are further compounding the problem.
Posted @ 6:54 AM
December 7, 2005
All I want for Christmas is a hearing aid
Let's see, seven from 25 leaves 18 shopping days before Christmas. Martha and I have agreed to give each other hearing aids. We've been in denial about our ability to hear long enough.
Posted @ 6:55 AM
Deaf youngsters get into drive mode
Deaf and hearing impaired young people from Coventry and Warwickshire have graduated with honours from a course designed to hone their skills behind the wheel.
Posted @ 6:54 AM
December 5, 2005
Hearing-impaired children need early intervention
Sonam was born profoundly deaf in both ears. But a year old now, she responds to sounds and has also started calling out to her parents thanks to a successful cochlear implant when she was only eight months old.
Posted @ 12:05 PM
December 2, 2005
Deafness 'must be treated early'
Cochlear implants could restore hearing to children who are born deaf by triggering the reconnection of sound-transmitting nerves, a new study suggests.
Posted @ 5:35 AM
Region's first ear implant surgery on tomorrow
A 40-year-old woman, who has been hearing-impaired since birth, will be given a new lease on life tomorrow. Local and overseas doctors will fit her with a device to improve her hearing in what is being called the 'first cochlear implant surgery in the English-speaking Caribbean'
Posted @ 5:33 AM
December 1, 2005
New sign language service in schools
Deaf students will shortly benefit from a new service of sign- language-teaching in Maltese to be offered in schools.
Posted @ 11:23 PM
Singing in choir is music to ears
When Billie Charleston was born nine years ago her world was filled with silence. Now her days are filled with music.
Posted @ 11:20 PM
November 30, 2005
Cousin's cochlea drives Tomas
Tomas Scheckter is raffling one of his IndyCar helmets in an effort to raise funds to cover the costs of a cochlear implant for his cousin, Jaki Scheckter.
Posted @ 6:10 PM
November 29, 2005
Deaf community suffering because of lack of interpreters
The deaf community is suffering because of a lack of interpreters and the inability to adequately communicate at places such as hospitals or courts.
Posted @ 2:56 PM
November 24, 2005
Deaf need to have use of interpreters
The Canadian Hearing Society is in complete support of the Canadian Blood Services' goal as outlined in Chief Operating Officer Ian Mumford's letter, "to ensure that Canada's blood supply is as safe as possible."
Posted @ 3:50 PM
Deaf man hit by train
A train struck and killed a deaf man Wednesday, but police said they were not sure whether his hearing loss was a factor in the accident.
Posted @ 3:49 PM
November 23, 2005
Hospital reaches out to hearing-impaired patients
In partnership with the Canadian Hearing Society (CHS), the Sudbury Regional Hospital is participating in a pilot project to improve service and communication with emergency patients who are deaf and communicate using sign language.
Posted @ 3:02 PM
November 22, 2005
Pupils prove that being deaf doesn't mean stupid
Starting a new school can be a real challenge, especially if you are an "odd one out". Five years ago Bibi Tilly, Lerato Maake-ka Ncube, Mpho Dlukulu, Kishayla Naidoo and Nyeleti Nkwinika enrolled at Parktown School for Girls in Johannesburg.
Posted @ 3:07 PM
Music to their ears
Tom, now six, had just been fitted with hearing aids to combat the moderate to severe hearing loss that had gone undiagnosed until a few weeks before.
Posted @ 3:05 PM
November 18, 2005
Making theatre accessible to deaf audiences and actors
Being disabled means one doesn't receive the same opportunities most people are guaranteed. But in terms of arts and culture that could change, thanks to development projects such as From the Hip: Khulumakahle (FTH:K) based in Cape Town.
Posted @ 8:15 AM
Men hunted for attack on deaf woman
A 36-year-old woman was attacked in St Martin's churchyard, off Micklegate, in the early hours of Sunday. Police have revealed that the victim was deaf and was unable to shout for help during her ordeal.
Posted @ 8:14 AM
Encourage deaf and dumb to lead satisfactory life
Service rendered at deaf and dumb school is in no way inferior to prayers offered at temples and churches, said General Manager (P and A) of VISL Jeevesh Mishra.
Posted @ 8:10 AM
November 17, 2005
Keep it down, will ya?
It's not just at the heavy duty night spots that you have to scream to be heard by your companion; noise levels at malls and coffee shops, too, have now reached levels where it's impossible to have a conversation without shouting.
Posted @ 7:12 PM
Tests of cochlear implant delayed by animal rights activists
Objections from animal rights activists are delaying clinical trials of the low-cost indigenous cochlear implant developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, Surg. Vice-Admiral V K Singh said today.
Posted @ 7:10 PM
November 15, 2005
'Iqbal' inspires NCERT to introduce sign language
Filmmaker Subhash Ghai's critically acclaimed venture 'Iqbal', story of a deaf and mute youth who aspires to become a cricketer, has inspired the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to introduce sign language for Standard three students.
Posted @ 8:29 AM
November 11, 2005
The first sounds
Little Sara is listening carefully, her head bobbing just above the table on which the cards are laid out. As the instructor engages her in conversation through questions and clues, Sara scans the table for the card that will be her answer.
Posted @ 10:09 AM
November 10, 2005
NCERT to introduce sign language course
Inspired by Nagesh Kukunoor's new movie, Iqbal the NCERT has decided to introduce a course to teach sign language and Braille to junior school children across the country.
Posted @ 3:11 PM
November 8, 2005
The AcceleGlove - Capturing hand gestures in virtual reality
A glove that translates the hand movements of sign language into written text or speech is just one on the incredible benefits that will flow from developments in VR technology like the AcceleGlove.
Posted @ 10:39 AM
November 6, 2005
Eircom operators to undergo hearing tests
Former and current telephone operators are undergoing hearing tests in preparation for litigation against Eircom for hearing damage allegedly sustained at work. A number of operators have already been diagnosed as suffering from hearing damage, possibly as a result of faulty or old equipment, and several are preparing to sue Eircom for damages.
Posted @ 6:48 AM
New hope for hearing impaired
There is some good news for the hearing impaired. An indigenous ear transplant technique being developed by DRDO might be an answer to many Indians with hearing impairments as it would bring down the cost of the implant by almost a tenth.
Posted @ 6:45 AM
November 4, 2005
Cause of vet's hearing loss falls on deaf ears
For 2 1/2 decades, Gerald Austin served in the Royal Canadian Navy. He sailed aboard destroyers, frigates, an aircraft carrier, a cruiser and a minesweeper. He saw combat in Korea, earned seven medals and watched three of his children follow in his footsteps and join the Armed Forces.
Posted @ 1:21 PM
Assistive Technology Centre for hearing-impaired ready next year
A new Assistive Technology Centre for the hearing-impaired will be ready by March next year. Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan announced this at the Samsung Digitall Hope 2005 Award ceremony.
Posted @ 1:20 PM
November 3, 2005
Eid joy for four deaf children
Four deaf Bahraini children were given the gift of sound for Eid thanks to a re-launched cochlear implant programme by the Health Ministry. The surgeries, costing BD12,000 for each child, were performed free of charge at the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC).
Posted @ 10:30 AM
November 2, 2005
Normal noise often painful to autistic kids, study finds
Autistic and some gifted children are among the most severely affected by noise, a study in early education by Massey University has revealed.
Posted @ 6:29 AM
Ban on deaf drivers under review
A group of deaf people is asking the National Police Agency (NPA) to allow people with hearing impairments to obtain driver's licenses, claiming that safety is not an issue.
Posted @ 6:28 AM
November 1, 2005
Noise annoys autistic children
A new study of noise in early education has found children with autistic disorders are among the most severely affected of any group of children in early education. Some gifted children are also affected.
Posted @ 6:12 AM
October 31, 2005
Two treats of a lifetime for deaf schoolchildren
The Star Seaside Fund children received special treatment aboard the SAA flight when the captain ordered the plane to fly over the Joburg central business district - something most air travellers rarely experience.
Posted @ 7:25 AM
October 29, 2005
Stop that noise
This week is European Week for Safety & Health at Work. This year the campaign, which will run in more than 30 countries across Europe, aims to raise awareness on the issue of noise at work.
Posted @ 9:35 AM
October 28, 2005
Ministry upgrades services to deaf school children, parents
Deaf school children have access to better services after a restructure of the way they are educated, according to Minister of Education Terry Lister.
Posted @ 4:01 AM
October 27, 2005
Right ear, right now
One in four children in a classroom may have some form of mild hearing loss on any given day, but according to an Australian of the Year it is something that can be improved.
Posted @ 6:28 AM
Landlord cued up on the signs
A PUB landlord has learnt sign language – after taking on an all-deaf pool team. Dave Proctor, landlord at the Brewer’s Arms in Ladybarn, picked up the skills in one year because he struggled to communicate with the players.
Posted @ 6:25 AM
October 25, 2005
Disc jockeys run the risk of going deaf
While you may like shaking your leg everytime you go to your favourite discotheque, spare a thought for the disc jockey, who churns out the lovely numbers, for one day he may not be not able to hear his own voice, because of his long exposure to loud music.
Posted @ 3:00 AM
October 24, 2005
Deafness warning for UK bar staff
People working in pubs and clubs risk permanent hearing loss because of extended opening times, according to a leading charity and the TUC.
Posted @ 5:19 AM
Noise pollution could get you too
Walkmans can be dangerous to your child's health. Teach children to keep the volume low and not to use the walkman continuously for hours each day to prevent hearing loss, say experts who are beginning to see the cumulative effects of noise pollution from workplaces, functions, pressure horns and other noise on the road.
Posted @ 5:18 AM
October 23, 2005
To restore a special sense
Early diagnosis and intervention and the success of cochlear implants can help the hearing-impaired children overcome their disability.
Posted @ 2:48 AM
October 21, 2005
New transplant fund for deaf children
The city has created a 60,000 yuan (US$7,407) fund for hearing-impaired children under seven years to have an artificial cochlea transplant.
Posted @ 5:22 PM
Noise pollution
Noise, particularly in dense urban areas like Manila, is a form of pollution. Like air pollution caused by the emission of vehicles and factories, many Filipinos have come to accept it as part of everyday life.
Posted @ 5:18 PM
Textile workers to sue over hearing loss
Textiles companies could face potential fines of millions of pounds if found guilty of letting their employees go deaf through work.
Posted @ 5:16 PM
October 20, 2005
Implant to help deaf hear music
British scientists are developing a device that will allow deaf people to listen to music. Cochlear implants already allow deaf people to hear speech, but the existing versions only pick out frequencies that are prominent in the human voice and are therefore unsuitable for listening to music.
Posted @ 2:25 PM
October 19, 2005
New technology helps deaf access emergency services
A text messaging service that allows those who cannot use a voice telephone to contact the emergency services has been launched in Merseyside.
Posted @ 12:57 AM
MP shows support for deaf people
Paul Goodman has shown his support for deaf and hard of hearing people by getting his hearing tested at the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool.
Posted @ 12:54 AM
October 17, 2005
Hearing tests for newborn babies sound practice
Little Imogen Huddlestone-Holmes had no idea of the part she was playing in making medical history. The four-day-old bub lay still, happily snoozing as the staff at Townsville's Wesley Hospital went about their business.
Posted @ 4:06 PM
October 15, 2005
Hear, hear, our boy's fine
Amy Watson and Damien Harrison have profound hearing loss. Two weeks ago, Amy gave birth to Ryder, their first child, a boy. Ryder was tested with Acuscreen, a new screening unit that detects hearing loss in newborns.
Posted @ 2:20 PM
October 13, 2005
Cops learn to 'hear' deaf
The deaf community in Gauteng will no longer find it difficult to report acts of crime committed against them. Communication has been made easier after police introduced a sign language programme in the province to enable them to "hear" those whose speech and hearing is impaired, the government news agency BuaNews reported.
Posted @ 4:49 PM
Disco and iPod junkies can turn deaf
Party hoppers whose idea of fun is to dance all night at a club amidst blaring music, or attend rock concerts where their heart beats are in tune with the loud music, risk permanent hearing damage due to the high decibel levels.
Posted @ 4:48 PM
Hospital hearing service 'needs to be restored'
A campaign to reinstate Edgware Community Hospital's walk-in audiology department has been launched. A petition, signed by all 41 attendees at the Burnt Oak Pensioners' Voice's monthly meeting, has been sent to Barnet Primary Care Trust, which runs the hospital in Burnt Oak Broadway, Edgware.
Posted @ 4:45 PM
October 11, 2005
Chemo hearing-loss action urged
Drugs companies are being urged to do more to combat hearing loss among cancer patients having chemotherapy. The Royal National Institute for Deaf people (RNID) says thousands are suffering "unnecessary" hearing damage caused by anti-tumour agent cisplatin.
Posted @ 12:11 AM
Hearing damage 'could be prevented'
Tens of thousands of cancer patients in Britain are in danger of permanent hearing damage which could be prevented, campaigners have said. Certain types of chemotherapy which are crucial in saving the lives of millions of people with cancer can lead to hearing loss. Drugs have been identified that may block the damaging effects of the chemotherapy - without affecting its ability to kill cancer cells.
Posted @ 12:08 AM
October 7, 2005
Workshop for hearing-impaired kids at PGI
A cochlear implant education programme for the hearing-impaired and their deaf children was organised by the Department of Otolaryngology, PGIMER, here. Around 150 patients and their parents attended the programme.
Posted @ 1:38 AM
October 6, 2005
McCartney: 'Martin's hearing loss is partly the Beatles' fault'
Sir Paul McCartney holds himself and his fellow Beatles partly responsible for music legend George Martin's hearing loss.
Posted @ 11:43 AM
October 5, 2005
iPod message falling on deaf ears?
The message to iPod and other personal stereo users is loud and clear - turn the volume down. Researchers at Australian Hearing's National Acoustic Laboratories have issued a warning to music lovers that one quarter of iPod users receive daily noise exposure levels high enough to eventually cause hearing damage.
Posted @ 6:42 PM
How to knock in auditory sense
Phonak AG, the Swiss-major in hearing aid instruments, is expanding its service centres and dispensing network for its range of digital hearing products in the country.
Posted @ 6:41 PM
October 3, 2005
Hearing tests for newborn babies
A new hearing screening programme for all newborn babies in Northern Ireland has been announced. Health Minister Shaun Woodward said £500,000 had been made available to screen newborns in hospitals.
Posted @ 3:54 PM
Wait for hearing aids increases
Patients in Watford face waits of up to 38 weeks to get an NHS hearing aid, according to a new report. Research carried out by The British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists (BSHAA) suggests that demand for digital hearing aids, which had to be fitted in all NHS audiology departments by spring of this year, are to blame for the delays.
Posted @ 3:52 PM
October 1, 2005
Life saver for Mersey deaf as 999 texting service launched
A life-saving 999 text messaging service has been set up for deaf people on Merseyside. From today, emergency pleas for help can be sent from mobiles to fire, police, ambulance and coastguard.
Posted @ 4:06 PM
September 30, 2005
House call turns into nightmare for deaf Iqaluit man
A deaf man has launched a formal complaint against two Iqaluit RCMP constables for using "excessive force" during what should have been a routine house call.
Posted @ 4:51 AM
Turn down the volume
Sex and drugs are not the only dangers associated with rock and roll. Hearing loss is a serious health problem linked to regular exposure to loud music and a recent British study has warned of an epidemic of premature deafness.
Posted @ 4:50 AM
September 29, 2005
Bandh Buddha turns deaf ear
Eyes twinkling, Bhattacharjee chose to turn a deaf ear to the flurry of questions on how his government planned to foil Thursday’s strike and keep the city in work mode.
Posted @ 2:16 AM
Cisco technology provides UK’s first IP video call centre for deaf people
SignVideo (part of Significan’t), Britain’s only Video Contact Centre for deaf people has launched a specialist video service offering deaf people immediate access to highly qualified sign language interpreters to communicate with their local authorities and other public sector organisations. The contact centre has been developed using a converged voice and data network, based on Cisco’s CallManager Video Telephony and Internet Protocol (IP) Contact Centre (IPCC) technology.
Posted @ 2:15 AM
Your mum was right - it will send you deaf
Three out of four nightclubbers are at risk of permanent hearing damage, with many reporting symptoms that could lead to incurable tinnitus or premature deafness.
Posted @ 2:14 AM
September 28, 2005
Canadian charity bails out blind, deaf children
Charity begins at home is an age-old saying. Three summers ago in 2002, after returning from a trip to Kenya and Uganda, I casually told two fellow educators of the great needs for more educational resources for deaf and blind children in Africa.
Posted @ 1:35 AM
September 27, 2005
Saying it through SMS
Silence is their only companion. For the hearing impaired, expressing their emotions instantly through Short Messaging Service (SMS) has opened up a world of possibilities.
Posted @ 12:35 AM
September 26, 2005
Programme to prevent hearing disorders
The national programme for deafness to prevent hearing disorders will be implemented in Malappuram district before next year, said Dr. Jayaram, director of the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysore.
Posted @ 8:32 AM
Association for Deaf People holds information stand
The Mid West office of the National Association for Deaf People are bringing their Mobile Resource Unit (MRU) to a number of locations in Limerick City and county.
Posted @ 8:31 AM
September 23, 2005
Turning on to the causes of hearing loss
Damaging noise is quickly becoming a major bugbear for inner city dwellers and people with hearing impairments. Whether it is the boom-boom stereos in passing cars, the racket as boy racers go through the gears, or the everyday background noise and music in pubs and restaurants - life is becoming too noisy for many.
Posted @ 5:31 PM
September 22, 2005
Newborns in Kochi get screened for hearing loss
Kochi: Kochi has become the first city in the country to have screened all high-risk newborns for identifying and remediating hearing loss by fixing aid as practised in the developed countries.
Posted @ 5:09 PM
September 16, 2005
Hospital fails to meet demand for hearing aids
Patients are waiting a whopping 69 weeks for a hearing aid at Chase Farm Hospital, according to a recent report.
Posted @ 12:42 AM
September 15, 2005
Vietnam gets first sign language dictionary
Vietnam’s first-ever sign language dictionary was launched Wednesday by the Ho Chi Minh City Education University with assistance from Samsung Electronics.
Posted @ 4:15 PM
September 14, 2005
Patient wait 3 years for an NHS hearing aid
The average wait has increased by seven weeks in the past year, despite efforts by the Government to shorten queues. On average, hard-of-hearing patients have to wait 47 weeks for an aid. Longest queue is three years at City Hospital, Birmingham then two-and-a-half years in Leeds and Brighton.
Posted @ 2:30 AM
September 10, 2005
Teacher denies molest charges
A secondary school teacher has been charged with five counts of outraging the modesty of three hearing-impaired schoolgirls here.
Posted @ 1:00 AM
September 8, 2005
Deaf compile own sign dictionary
The Fiji Association of the Deaf has received a grant of $61,000 from the Australian Government in its effort to produce Fiji first sign language dictionary.
Posted @ 12:27 AM
September 7, 2005
Deaf couple save neighbours from blaze
A profoundly deaf couple helped save the home of a family of three after spotting a blaze in the back garden.
Posted @ 4:07 PM
September 5, 2005
Nearly blind, deaf and mentally challenged -- but he's the Drum King
Sixteen-year-old Huang Huiqi is mentally challenged, severely hearing-impaired and very nearsighted, but of late he's become something of a musician. Six years ago, Huang joined the Taichong City Rongzhong Congregation's children's percussion group, where his classmates became his ears and eyes.
Posted @ 1:00 PM
September 3, 2005
Nunavik schools re-wired to aid hearing impaired
The alarm clocks ring early every morning, and kids are pulling themselves out of bed and running out to the school bus: classes in all schools under the Kativik School Board have started once again.
Posted @ 8:25 AM
Breaking down the barriers
As part of its campaign to achieve acceptance of signing as the preferred form of communication for deaf people, DANI (Deaf Association of Northern Ireland), has launched a unique educational DVD aimed at the 16 to 26-year-old age group and focusing on the key areas of sex education, getting a job, education and training, and starting a business.
Posted @ 8:22 AM
Coping with noise from new airport
When Suvarnabhumi airport finally opens its runways to commercial traffic, few will join the celebrations as enthusiastically as residents of communities scattered around the old airport at Don Muang. After decades of being deafened by aircraft screaming skyward, they will be able to enjoy some relative peace and quiet as take-offs slow to a trickle.
Posted @ 8:16 AM
September 1, 2005
Indian performs live cochlear implant surgery
An Indian surgeon did live cochlear implant surgery, for the first time in Pakistan, at the First National Cochlear Implant Symposium held at a local hotel in Lahore, said a press release on Wednesday.
Posted @ 12:12 AM
Teacher in students’ ears
Ever sat at the back of the class to have a nap during maths? That’s no longer an option in one class at Elm Park Primary School after the teacher began wearing a microphone headset.
Posted @ 12:09 AM
Hear, hear, implant trial's a success
If your baby is born with a hearing problem, listen to this. There is a 90 per cent chance that he will be able to attend a normal school and interact with his hearing friends and teachers.
Posted @ 12:07 AM
August 31, 2005
Hearing testing goes to workplaces with mobile testing centre
A new mobile audiometric testing service means workers in NSW and Queensland need not leave the workplace for their pre-employment and annual hearing tests. Queensland Hearing, an exhibitor at The Safety Show, Sydney, which runs from October 26-28 this year, expects its new service to hit the road next year.
Posted @ 12:16 AM
Sign language course to improve teaching methods
Awang Semaun Secondary School recently hosted a four-day sign language introductory course, organised by Programme for Children with High Support Needs (HSN) Section for the Hearing Impaired, Special Education Unit of the Ministry of Education.
Posted @ 12:15 AM
Alarming hearing loss in digital music generation
"One in five Australians now has damaged hearing. One in every two Australians will suffer hearing loss by the time they are in their 60s and 70s."
Posted @ 12:10 AM
August 25, 2005
A better future for deaf and hearing impaired
New Zealand's 450,000 Deaf and hearing impaired people are set to benefit from a unique conference being organised by the National Foundation for the Deaf (NFD) in September.
Posted @ 1:29 PM
August 19, 2005
Call for hearing checks for babies
Screening newborn babies for hearing loss can improve early detection of the condition by 43%, say researchers.
Posted @ 9:53 AM
August 18, 2005
MP3 users hearing damage warning
The surge in sales of iPods and other portable music players in recent years could mean many more people will develop hearing loss, experts fear.
Posted @ 12:09 PM
Experts warn of deafening growth in personal music
The rapid rise in the sale of iPods and other MP3 players can only increase the risk of long-term hearing loss, users were warned after researchers found that a quarter of listeners to personal music players have the volume at danger levels.
Posted @ 12:03 PM
August 15, 2005
Activity boost for the deaf
After an indifference of more than five years, the Singhbhum District Association of the Deaf (SDAD) is all set to streamline its activities and chart out a growth plan.
Posted @ 12:51 AM
August 13, 2005
Not being able to hear roar of the crowd doesn't stop junior hockey player
It's something Steve Downie loves. Going into the corner, delivering a big hit, getting the fans on their feet cheering.
Posted @ 4:32 PM
August 12, 2005
Custom moulded hearing protection
Sonomax's products provide significant improvements over conventional hearing protection, such as the SonoCustom HPD. This device was designed for the ‘real world’ in ear testing. The company will display the SonoCustom and other innovative products at this year’s Sydney Safety Show (stand N16).
Posted @ 1:08 PM
August 11, 2005
Detect hearing loss in children early
Many children are born with hearing deficit or develop it in early childhood. In fact, it is believed that around 1.5 to 6 babies per 1,000 live births are born with hearing loss.
Posted @ 1:13 PM
August 10, 2005
Being deaf hasn’t stopped Sophie following her dream
Sophie Stone is the first deaf student to win a place at the acclaimed drama school Rada. She talks to Ushma Mistry.
Posted @ 12:53 PM
Juhi Chawla boots her voice for the deaf
The chirpy actress Juhi Chawla is always up to something or the other. Of lately she has taken to a noble cause. Juhi will act as a goodwill ambassador to raise funds for a play called ‘Silence To Sound’.
Posted @ 12:51 PM
August 8, 2005
Force launches 999 text service
An innovative new service that will allow deaf, hearing impaired and speech impaired people to contact 999 in an emergency via mobile phone text messaging is being launched by West Yorkshire Police.
Posted @ 12:06 PM
August 7, 2005
Help at hand for hearing-impaired
A city student claims to be developing an easy-to-operate device to help hearing-impaired people use the phone. Arvindakshan Ravichandran, a student of Sri Sairam Engineering College, says it will aid those who can speak but are hearing impaired.
Posted @ 1:23 AM
August 6, 2005
Andrew is deaf linesman
Soccer official Andrew Rodda will today become the first profoundly deaf person to be a linesman at a Football League match.
Posted @ 4:19 PM
August 5, 2005
Hear's to the new fashion
Some flicker, some look like flowers. You can wear them like glasses or jewellery. And best of all: you can use them to shut out the sound of a screaming child, or to turn up the volume of your friend's voice in a noisy bar.
Posted @ 12:17 PM
Dangers of same blood marriages
Several studies have proven that consanguineous marriages are the cause of hearing impairment in a new born. This article proposes to demystify the role of consanguinity and the resulting deafness in children born out of such marriages.
Posted @ 12:08 PM
August 4, 2005
Ears to a much brighter future
If Emma Towns ever returns to Fiji she hopes some of the children will hear her coming. The audiologist was part of a team from Phonak New Zealand, that spent several days at special needs schools in Lautoka and Nadi, carrying out hearing tests, fitting and repairing hearing aids.
Posted @ 12:00 PM
August 3, 2005
Police sign up to help deaf
Police, traffic wardens and fire fighters in North Devon and Torridge have been learning basic sign language to help them communicate with deaf people.
Posted @ 1:16 PM
August 1, 2005
New study shows possible cure for hereditary deafness
Scientists from the University of Iowa and researchers from Okayama University in Japan have shown a potential method to cure a type of hereditary deafness by stopping the gene that causes the hearing loss.
Posted @ 8:37 AM
July 30, 2005
Stick it in your ear
If you wear a hearing aid, are you a cyborg? How about if you wear hearing augmentation gear, even though your hearing is otherwise fine?
Posted @ 12:52 AM
July 27, 2005
Centre breaks sound barriers
Walking into the Hear and Say Centre at Auchenflower yesterday, little Ruby Hughes asked, and was told, the name of the fish on the front counter.
Posted @ 9:00 AM
July 26, 2005
Claims deaf travellers are getting raw deal
Deaf public transport users are not getting a fair deal according to a new survey.
Posted @ 12:25 PM
July 25, 2005
Call for 'designer' hearing aids
The UK's largest charity for deaf people and a design magazine are launching an exhibition of futuristic hearing aids to make them more popular.
Posted @ 12:20 PM
July 18, 2005
Learning ways to communicate
A multi-sensory extravaganza is helping improve the health of babies across the region. Craig Thompson finds out how a group in Blyth is helping keep children's minds active.
Posted @ 9:58 AM
July 17, 2005
The miraculous gift of hearing
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia celebrates the 10th anniversary of its cochlear implant programme this year. StarEducation learns how the implant works and what a difference it has made to those with hearing loss. KAREN CHAPMAN reports.
Posted @ 7:57 AM
July 15, 2005
Suffering in silence after horror
As I write this, the number of confirmed deaths from the tube and bus bombings has been put at 52. There are no reports of any deaf person being involved, but a BDA staff member in Belfast was very relieved to hear that her husband was able to walk away uninjured after travelling through one of the same London stations.
Posted @ 8:31 AM
July 13, 2005
Special needs education: deafness is not hopeless
The society for the welfare of the deaf, created in 1968, runs a school for deaf children. The main centre of the school is situated in Beau-Bassin. Two more units exist: the Doorgachum Government School in Goodlands, and the Southern Handicapped Association in Riambel.
Posted @ 8:20 AM
July 12, 2005
Doctors say London bombing victim's hearing 'saved by his Apple iPod earphones'
Tad Grglewiecz, a 52-year old civil engineer from Cricklewood, North London survived the recent London terrorist bombings.
Posted @ 8:14 AM
July 10, 2005
Right to hear for the hearing impaired
Hyderabad -- The State Government is planning to set up a Right to Hearing Society to aid those who have hearing disabilities.
Posted @ 12:09 PM
Cochlear implantation on five kids
The Government Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Hospital here will conduct cochlear implantation on five children during the next two days.
Posted @ 12:07 AM
July 9, 2005
New restaurant for deaf and dumb in Italy
Starting next week the Italian capital will have its first restaurant for the deaf and dumb, who number some 4,500 in the city.
Posted @ 2:10 AM
July 6, 2005
Deaf 'missing out' on health care
People with hearing difficulties in Northern Ireland are missing out on health care, it has been claimed.
Posted @ 1:45 PM
Student helps Nigeria with hearing services
Traveling to Nigeria to set up the country?s first audiology center isn?t a far reach for CMU doctoral student Irene Okeke.
Posted @ 1:36 PM
July 1, 2005
Bowling 'em over!
The First GCC Bowling Championship for the Hearing Impaired is being organised by Bahrain Disabled Sports Federation (BDSF) and co-ordinated by Phoenix Creations. The event, which continues until July 8, is the 29th sporting event being conducted by the GCC Organising Committee (GCCOC) for the Sports of the Disabled.
Posted @ 12:50 AM
June 30, 2005
Where visuals promote hearing
The faculty of speech, which most people take for granted, eludes millions of people born with congenital deformities. Speech is generally correlated with hearing ability. Thus, it is common to find people, who are deaf and dumb at the same time.
Posted @ 12:59 AM
Hearing is believing for brave young pioneer
Bubbly William Taylor is the state's latest medical pioneer at the tender age of 18 months, becoming the first Queensland child to receive a new type of cochlear implant set to revolutionise hearing aids.
Posted @ 12:55 AM
Nigeria begins infant hearing screening
Nigeria has endorsed infant hearing screening as a strategy for ensuring timely intervention in childhood hearing loss.
Posted @ 12:52 AM
June 28, 2005
Deaf Palestinians use Jawwal SMS messenger as a means of communication
Deaf and mute Palestinians are using Jawwal mobile telephones to send SMS messages as a means of communication, according to the Deaf Association in Nablus.
Posted @ 12:45 AM
June 27, 2005
Deafblind slate 'senseless' tech
Deafblind people find technology difficult and frustrating to use, a survey has found. The study by the national charity Sense was the largest ever asking the views of deafblind people.
Posted @ 11:09 AM
June 24, 2005
Improving the world's hearing
High quality electronic products have historically been produced by giant Asian electronics' companies from huge factories. Such electronics come from Japan or Taiwanese electronics firms like Fuji, Sony, Panasonic and LG.
Posted @ 8:37 PM
Deaf sound off about public transport failings
Deaf and hard of hearing passengers of public transport in Richmond feel they are being failed by services, according to a new survey by the RNID (Royal National Institute for the Deaf).
Posted @ 9:56 AM