2002 SHHH Convention
The 2002 SHHH Convention was held in Seattle, WA from
June 21 to June 24, 2002. Char and I were fortunate to attend, and some
of the articles that follow were penned by yours truly. But Cheryl
Heppner of NVRC beat me to the punch in writing up many of the sessions
that we both attended, so many of her articles are included as well.
Thank you, Cheryl.
Here's Cheryl's report on Friday night's Opening
Session.
The Business Meeting was very
interesting, because of the discussion of the recent SHHH
financial problems and the election of new
board members.
If you want to know what's going on with hearing aid
technology, the Exhibit Hall at the SHHH Convention
is a great place to learn. It took Cheryl four articles to record all
the information she gathered in her five hour visit!
Saturday morning kicked off with Dr. Edwin Rubel's Plenary
Session on Hair Cell Regeneration. Dr. Rubel did a great job of
explaining where we've been and where we're going with this promising
technology.
One of the wonderful workshops at the convention was Mark
Ross' workshop entitled "Review of Current Hearing Aid
Research". Dr. Ross describes what's new and exciting in the world
of hearing aids.
It's amazing to me how much a few dedicated people can
accomplish with limited resources. How would you like to be responsible
for providing hearing loss services in a state like Arizona. Read
about how a couple of agencies tackled that situation.
One of the really interesting Saturday sessions was an
"open mike" question and answer session with two M.D.s. Here's
Chery'ls report on the questions they were asked and their answers.
Sunday's Plenary Session featured
Dr. George Gates and
Dr. Douglas Backous. Dr. Gates discussed Implantable
Hearing Aids and Meniere's Disease and the Meniett.
Dr. Backous discussed Bilateral Cochlear Implants.
We've been following David Myer's project to loop his
hometown for awhile, and we were privileged to attend his workshop
describing the current status of his effort. Davit's workshop was
entitled "Let's Loop America".
We've been learning a lot about the impact of various
drugs on hearing loss, but the information has been scattered and not
very accessible. Dr. Neil Baumann's workshop entitled "Ototoxic
Drugs Exposed" does a great job of explaining a complex and
often confusing subject.
Three women with hearing loss presented a great
discussion of hearing loss issues in the workplace. If you're having
problems at work, you may want to check out some of their
ideas.
What's going on with the ADA? Donna Sorkin, former SHHH
president, presented a workshop entitled "The New
ADA Guidelines and SHHH". This workshop focused specifically on
the Access Board recommendations for the new ADA Guidelines.
Robbi Bishop of the Listen for Life Center at Virginia
Mason Hospital presented a very informative workshop on Bilateral
Cochlear Implants. Marcee Widland, one of the subjects of a recent
bilateral CI study, was also onhand to answer questions.
One of the final events of the Convention was the Research
Symposium. If you're interested in current research into issues
affecting people with hearing loss, this is a must read.
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SHHH Awards Presentations
June 2002
Editor: Here's Cheryl Heppner's report on the SHHH award
presentations. Peruse these listings for some of the movers and shakers
in the hearing loss world.
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Awards presented at yesterday's SHHH Convention at the Chapter Awards
Ceremony and Tea:
Keystone Award - George DeVilbiss, VA
Outstanding Young Adult - Mark Foster, OR
Spirit of SHHH Award - Inge Zeller, CA; Sandi Streeter, CA; Susan
Kosiur, WA, Maurice Wilson, TX
Family Involvement Award - Ellen Batchelor, GA; Sharon Howard, OK
Outgoing State Coordinator Awards: Russell Green, NJ; Winnie Hargis
and Ron Vickery, GA; Jeff and Trudy Green, OH; Tommie Wells, TX; Frank
Abernathy, NC; Ann Pruitt, CO
Outgoing State Office Director: Mimi Clifford, NC
Professional Advisor Award: Deirdre Knight, MS, CCC-A, NY
Chapter Development Award: Southwestern Connecticut Chapter
Outreach Award: Quiet Corner (CT) Chapter
Advocacy Award: Ron Vickery, GA
Best Overall Newsletter, Chapter: SHHH News, Minnesota #1 Chapter,
Editor Phyllis Nesset
Best Overall Newsletter, State: The SHHH Californian - Grace Tiessen,
Editor and Raymond Blue, Layout
Best Overall Website, Chapter: Quiet Corner (CT)
Best Overall Website, State: Pennsylvania
Mildred Savell Memorial Scholarship: Frank Stocco, Sarasota, FL
Cheryl Heppner, NVRC, reporting.
