World Without Hearing News

World Without Hearing News
ISSN 1715-2488 On Line Edition
August 2010, Vol. 4

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Enjoy reading! - Carol Finch, Editor
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USA STATE

CALIFORNIA: Special Photography Exhibit In San Petro
    GLAD / - The Eyes of Deafness: Photographs by Deaf and Hard of Hearing Adults is an exhibit that will run from September 2-29 at the FiNding Art Center. FiNding is located at: 470 W. 6th Street, San Pedro, CA 90731. The opening reception is on Sept. 2^nd at 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. The opening is part of the Art Walk, so there will be many other galleries open as well as cafes and restaurants within walking distance of fiNdings. This is an opportunity to explore and discover an historical neighborhood that has been revitalized. Website: www.gladinc.org/events/www.finding sart center.org.

TEXAS: Austin Cops Bullied A 90 lb Deaf Girl
    Austin / adfelaw / - A young deaf Austin woman was arrested last June for resisting arrest when she and her girl friend were walking down an Austin sidewalk. She and her friend were in a discussion using ASL when an APD officer saw them and misinterpreted their movements as physical fighting. As they walked on, the officer yelled for them to stop. When they kept on walking, he ran after them and grabbed the girl who was deaf. The officer then let her go and began talking to her in spoken English. The young Deaf girl began trying to call 911 on her cell phone. The officer started yelling for her to stop as she walked away from him. He then ran after her, grabbed her, and threw her to the ground, injuring her leg and ankle as well as a pre-existing wrist fracture, knocking her hearing aid out and her glasses off. The officer then arrested her by handcuffing her with her hands behind her back and putting her in the back of his patrol car—all the while ignoring both her and her girlfriend, who tried to explain to him the fact that she was deaf. EMS was called to evaluate the young woman for her injuries. The entire incident lasted more than three hours and is captured on videotape. At no time did the officer or the two responding officers attempt any other type of communication with her nor was an interpreter called, says adflelaw.com. For updates, see: www.adfelaw.com or email adfelaw@gmail.com.

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INTERNATIONAL

DENMARK: Study On Interpreter Training Completed
    Ministry of Education / - In March, Tina Nedergaard of the Ministry of Education conducted a study to determinelong term solutions for sign language interpreter training, including the department in Aarhus. The analysis, which has now been completed, among others, indicate that there is a continuing need to train sign language interpreters, both in Copenhagen and Aarhus.   The study seeks to ensure the greatest possible candidate base and to meet the demand for sign language interpreters in Denmark. The study also says that training should be adapted to changing need for interpretation. The Danish deaf association Danske Døves Landsforbund says: "DDL is pleased that the Ministry of Education has decided that sign language interpreters program in Aarhus will continue and that existing training should be developed and made more contemporary. Talented and dedicated sign language interpreters are vital to ensure equality between deaf and hearing in Denmark. DDL has meeting with UCC on August 26 to help ensure that there will be a sensible and sustainable economic base for future education, "says Asger Bergmann. Danish sign language version: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&langpair=da%7Cen&u=http://deaf.dk/nyheder/tegnsprogstolkeuddannelsen-i-aarhus-fortsaetter.

HAITI: NTID Grad Offers Help to Haiti
    NTID News / - Tara Thorn, a graduate of NTID's American Sign Language and Interpreting Education program Tara Thorn, '09, is moving to Haiti, where she hopes to open a school for deaf children in the mountain village of Petionville. "I visited Haiti for 12 days in June, after the earthquake," she says. She planned to spend time with her uncle and aunt, who have lived in Haiti for more than 30 years working as missionaries. "Right from the moment our plane landed, people came right up to us using sign language and started talking." It was Thorn's second trip to Haiti. Her first one was as a tourist prior to the massive January earthquake which killed more than 200,000 and destroyed 5,000 schools. "It looked like the earthquake hit five days before. There was rubble still in the street, heaps of containers of relief food and supplies just sitting in the ports because it's taxed so heavily. We really want to raise awareness of these issues." Even before the quake, schools were unregulated and teachers were undertrained. There were elementary schools for the deaf, but none in the region she's hoping to build one. "The deaf audience isn't getting reached," Thorn says. "We realized the need. I completely fell in love with the country and the people. Everything was touching my heart when I was there. So I decided to make the move now." She plans to stay with her uncle and aunt in Haiti through the end of the year as she prepares to identify students, teachers and potential revenue sources to help fund the school. "My goal eventually is to turn it over to the Haitian people and have them run it and staff it," she says. . Thorn, 24, originally from Marathon, N.Y., worked as an interpreter for a year after graduating from Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute for the Deaf. While she found the work was fulfilling, she says her heart now takes her to Haiti. And she's able to pack up and start another chapter in her life. "I could have stayed in Rochester, but my heart is in Haiti. My home is in Haiti," she says.   Website: http://haitian school for the deaf. com.

SAUDI ARABIA: Campaign Started To Teach Sign Language To The Public
    Jeddah . – Arab News reports that malls and public places in Jeddah are conducting a campaign that aims to teach the public Saudi Arabian sign language. The Amongst Us A Deaf Person initiative intends to increase awareness about how to interact with people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The campaign, which is organized by the Saudi Association for Hearing Impairment in Makkah province, will also host a number of events and programs to help deaf people interact with the public. Over half a million copies of Arabic sign language brochures will be distributed.

UNITED KINGDOM: Southampton To Conduct UK’s First CI Operation To Give Sound In Both Ears
    University of Southampton / - The UK’s first operation to fit a single cochlear implant capable of giving sound in both ears took place August 27th, thanks to the work of the South of England Cochlear Implant Centre (SOECIC), based at the University of Southampton. A cochlear implant is an electronic device that can help both adults and children who have a severe to profound hearing loss. It has two parts: an internal receiver/stimulator package and electrode array, and an external speech processor that looks like a hearing aid. The device uses small electrical currents to directly stimulate the hearing nerve, which then sends signals to the brain where they are interpreted as sound. Julie Brinton, Joint Head of the Centre, comments: “Over the past 20 years the South of England Cochlear Implant Centre has implanted over 500 people with different implants. Some adults and children have already received two implants, with one in each ear. The difference with the device being used on Friday is that, although information is delivered to each ear, there is only one implant.” Although around 40 of these devices have been implanted in patients in Europe, this is the first of its kind in the UK. The operation was carried out at Southampton General Hospital by Mike Pringle, Consultant Otolaryngologist based at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth. Mike Pringle says: “This is different to other types of implant as it is one implant going into both ears. It’s not unusual for children to have two implants, one in each ear, but adults usually just have one. “This type of device has an internal receiver/stimulator with two wires; one will go directly into one inner ear and the other will go over the top of the head, under the scalp, to reach the other inner ear. There will be a microphone on each ear collecting sounds from both sides. “The advantage is that it allows adults to have bilateral hearing. Having two ears working makes it easier to hear in noisy backgrounds and also helps with localisation, or hearing where sounds are coming from. Also, because there is only one processor and one internal receiver stimulator this makes this device significantly cheaper than two separate implants.” The recipient of the implant is a 44-year old woman from the Isle of Wight. She has been deaf all her life and has used hearing aids until now. Dr Helen Cullington, Clinical Scientist (Audiology) at the University of Southampton, adds: “Following the surgery she will need to wait for four to six weeks before the device is tuned and she can begin to have auditory rehabilitation to encourage her listening with the new sensation she will experience. “There is an individual program for each patient; a computer is used to assess the levels and frequencies of sound that the patient can hear and tune the implant accordingly. This is a very exciting opportunity for a deaf adult to obtain hearing in both ears.”

Simon Cowell Sued Over Comments on Britain's Got Talent
    The Daily Mail reports that the TV show Britain's Got Talent is being sued for£250,000 by a Madonna impersonator, claiming that Simon Cowell's remarks have ruined his life. Philip Grimmer, 57, who was in the semi-finals, accuses the show of discriminating against him because of his disability and that fact that he was introduced as a drag queen. Grimmer has some hearing loss and is near sighted. Cowell called him a 'hard of hearing and short-sighted Madonna.' Cowell also said the act was 'monstrous' and ' horrendous' , adding: 'Madonna at 95 would look better and dance better than you.'   Mr Grimmer is suing the ITV show on the grounds discrimination because of disability, sexual orientation, age and sex bias and is demanding £250,000 for lost earnings and emotional pain and suffering.
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HAVE YOUR SAY

This section is an open forum for organizations and individuals to make statements and share various points of view. Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not represent the views of World Without Hearing News. All submissions are subject to editing of length and content. Opinions Online features links to informative blogs and vlogs on the Internet about current issues.

Canada: Calling Deaf Or Disabled Artists
by Elizabeth Sweeney Disability Arts Officer, Equity Office
    I am the Disability Arts Officer at the Canada Council for the Arts and I am working on a series of policies so that the Canada Council can better support artists with disabilities and Deaf artists, and those working in the Disability and Deaf arts sectors. I will be visiting Nova Scotia during the second week of September to visit with local artists, arts professionals and scholars in these sectors, to learn about their practices and discuss the local arts environment. I am looking for any contacts or names of artists with disabilities or Deaf artists, (or organizations supporting artists, arts professionals, etc.including those working in Visual arts, Theatre, Music, Dance, Writing, Media, Film, Aboriginal, or Integrated arts. Any help is greatly appreciated. Contact: elizabeth.sweeney@ canada council.ca.

1 In 5 Teenagers Has A Hearing Loss
    New Zealand / National Foundation for the Deaf / - One in every five Ameerican teenagers has a hearing loss, and the National Foundation for the Deaf fears the same applies to New Zealand teens. Research published in the United States shows the number of teens with a hearing loss has jumped from 15 percent to 19.5 percent in a decade – a 30 percent increase. NFD Chief Executive Louise Carroll says that while the hearing loss found in the surveys was relatively slight, it had implications for those teens’ education and social lives. “The high tones, where the research found the loss to be, are essential for understanding speech in everyday environments,” she said. “Given the similarities between teen cultures in the United States and New Zealand, we have to accept that the same sort of hearing loss is probably occurring here too. “We also have to understand why this is happening. A 30 percent jump in a decade suggests a change in practice across teen society, and one potential cause has to be the way teens listen to music, particularly through MP3 players.” The researchers at the Brigham and Woman’s Hospital in Boston looked at two separate surveys of 12-19-year-olds, done in 1988-1994 and 2005-2006. The results are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The researchers found 14.9 percent of 12-19-year-olds had a slight hearing loss in 1988-1994, but that jumped to 19.5 percent of teenagers in 2005-2006. However, the researchers also found there was a 77 percent increase in the number of teens with mild or worse hearing loss over the same period. “We have to wake up to what we are doing to our hearing,” Mrs Carroll said. “Too many of us dismiss hearing loss as an old person’s problem, and young people consider themselves bullet-proof. “It is not just the volume people listen to music at, but the length of time they are listening that does the damage. The rule of thumb is 60 decibels for 60 minutes, but how many of us have sat in buses and trains and heard music coming from other passengers’ MP3 players? “Damaged hearing is damaged for good. This research should be a wake-up call for everyone.”

OPINIONS ONLINE
USA: California - The Last Stand For The Deaf In California
USA: California - How might assembly bill 2072 affect Sacramento's deaf community?
Japan: Expensive fire-alarm device at home unpopular for the Deaf
Philippines: Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Person
Uganda: Uganda: For Women with Disabilities, Barriers and Abuse
United Kingdom: Deaf in London: time to sit up and listen?
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WHAT'S NEW

ON THE INTERNET
    USA: a new website is showing songs that are interpreted into American sign language and has blogs. Website: http://aslsongs.blogspot.com.

PRODUCTS:    Panasonic Digital Hearing Instruments Now Available In The U.S. Hearing Care Market
    Pansonic / - Panasonic Corporation of North America, has announced that Panasonic Hearing instruments have been delivered to the U.S. market. The company is debuting three types of digital hearing instruments, including a new form factor that resembles the style of an MP3 player, a receiver-in-canal and behind-the-ear models. Panasonic is currently establishing a distribution network throughout the U.S. "We are thrilled to bring three new Panasonic digital hearing instruments to the U.S. and make products available from a brand that is associated with quality sound. Panasonic digital hearing instruments deliver the same high-quality, reliability, and innovation that our customers have grown to appreciate from our audio products. We manufacture our own digital signal processors and have developed a unique algorithm to enable precise sound reproduction," said Yoshi Yuasa, Senior Vice President, Panasonic Corporation of North America. Panasonic says that they are attractive, comfortable to wear, easy to use and have a unique circuit design for high performance and long battery life. Panasonic introduces the JZ Series, a newly-styled digital hearing instrument that resembles the style of an MP3 player. This palm-sized unit features an LCD screen and a stereo binaural headset (earphone with microphones), was created for increased usability and designed to be comfortable for long hours of wear. The company claims that JZ Series is ideal for individuals with dexterity challenges, impaired vision and those with situational hearing loss, such as when watching TV. This digital hearing instrument features a Scene Select function that allows the user to view the listening modes on the LCD screen and select the most appropriate mode based upon the surrounding environment from the four modes available. This unit includes a rechargeable battery that can easily be charged by placing the main unit in a charging cradle. Alternatively, the JZ Series can also use commercial AAA alkaline batteries. The Panasonic 4-Series is a Receiver-in-Canal (RIC) digital hearing instrument that is the smallest of Panasonic's three introductions. The waveform design and small size of the device make it possible for it to be worn discreetly behind the ear. The RIC provides a comfortable open fit solution for patients with mild to moderately severe hearing loss. The Panasonic 2-Series is a Standard Behind-the-Ear (BTE) digital hearing instrument that integrates Panasonic's advanced digital signal processing technologies and is designed for moderate to severe hearing loss. Panasonic 2-Series and 4-Series digital hearing instruments both feature Dual Focus technology that integrates noise reduction and directivity control to improve the accuracy of analyzing noise components. Dual Focus suppresses noises coming from the rear and sides. Accordingly, the focus is on voice communication coming from the front producing comfortable hearing conditions and optimizing speech intelligibility.

SERVICES: USA: DSHS announces CapTel PSA through Washington Relay
    Olympia, Washington, USA / Washington Relay /– CapTel Relay Services is a captioned telephone service that enables a relay operator to use voice-recognition technology to translate spoken messages into text (captions) on a CapTel telephone display screen that permits a person with hearing loss to read the conversation from and to speak directly to the other caller, who may or may not have a hearing loss. The Department of Social and Health Services hass launched a televised public service announcement campaign in the Seattle-Tacoma, Spokane and Pasco-Yakima regions on the following weeks listed below: Aug. 16-20, Sept. 6-10 & 13-17, and Oct. 4-8, 11-15 and 18-22. The CapTel PSA will be broadcasted through the following television networks: King NBC, KSTW CW, KOMO ABC 4, KIRO CBS 7, KREM CBS 2, KHQ NBC 6, KXLY ABC 4, KAPP ABC 35, KIMA & KEPR CBS, and KNDO/KNDU NBC 23.
    "Our message is to promote public awareness about the availability of this invaluable service to hard of hearing or deaf people who need access to telephone services." said Eric Raff, director of the DSHS Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. He explained Washington Relay CapTel relay operators connect CapTel users and hearing people through specialized communications equipment distributed by ODHH or purchased by their owners. CapTel callers use a CapTel phone to process phone calls through the CapTel services to friends, business associates and others and voice their own responses to the callers in return. Raff said there are approximately 20,000 people relying on Washington Relay who make approximately 60,000 relay calls per month. ODHH is partnering with Sprint Relay to run a series of televised public service announcements that underline the "CapTel Service" message. The announcements features a young boy talking the phone with his hard of hearing grandmother about the first soccer goal he scored during the game. The announcer says "Washington Relay brings you Captioned Telephone service" and the CapTel telephone that uses voice recognition technology to show captions of everything the other person says." The young boy's grandmother concludes the call with her grandson by saying "I'm so proud of you!" The announcer then concludes the PSA by saying that qualifying Washington state residents can get a CapTel telephone. The PSA concludes with a website link and phone number to find further information about the newer CapTel phones and information that refers them to DSHS. To learn more go to www.captelwashington.com.

RESEARCH: Australia: Cutting Edge Technology Will Help Children With Hearing Loss, Says RIDBC
    RIDBC / - On an average day in Australia, one child is born deaf or with hearing loss – or becomes deaf or hard of hearing. The Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children’s Renwick Centre says that it can demonstrate how cutting edge technology can help parents to improve their child’s language. LENA, a child-worn pocket-sized digital recording device and software system, is being tested with young children who are deaf or hard of hearing, in an Australian-first study exploring their ‘auditory diet’ in everyday life. Dr Robyn Cantle Moore, from RIDBC’s Renwick Centre for Research and Professional Education, is conducting the trial. “LENA records and analyses an all-day view of a child’s sound and speech environment and delivers a graphic report card for parents,” said Dr Cantle Moore. “We anticipate our research will show that having access to this information helps parents improve their child's daily diet of speech experience. The device allows teachers and parents to pinpoint times in the day when the most speech is heard, shared and produced. This information enables parents to identify experiences and strategies that promote their child's speech and language development.”
    Dr Cantle Moore says that this groundbreaking use of the technology should assist with early intervention and guidance in the first years of a child’s life. "Accessing intensive early support greatly improves the outcomes for these young children, particularly in language development but also in many other key areas such as cognition and social development,” she added. If early trials are successful, “Preliminary results of the study are promising" said Dr Cantle Moore. "The families trialling the technology are finding the LENA report of their child's daily speech experience to be enlightening and empowering. For the first time they are able to take stock of the everyday language environment that nurtures their child's speech development.” The software and recording device, which costs more than $10 000, was donated to RIDBC. Each additional device is a further $450. “In Hearing Awareness Week 2010, the Access All Ages tag reminds us that no area of life should be closed to the one in six Australians of all ages who have a hearing loss, and that everyone with a hearing impairment should have access to the best available technology and support,” Dr Cantle Moore said. Across Australia, 12,000 children have a significant hearing loss. This year, the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children marks its 150th anniversary. Australia’s largest independent special educator that assists more than 920 children and their families across Australia, and provides hearing or vision screening for thousands more each year.

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