HLAA Convention Exhibits - Part 3

By Cheryl Heppner and Lise Hamlin

- HearingImpaired.Net
- Sound Clarity
- Rochester Institute of Technology

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HearingImpaired.Net

Hearingimpaired.Net is based in Fountain Hills, Arizona. Its owners are Wayne and Anne Wicklund. Wayne is always easy to spot; he is the tall man with the gorgeous hearing dog that looks like the classic German Shepherd, except that he is pure white. The dog, Snow, is the inspiration for Mr. PAWS designs -- signage for people with hearing loss (stickers, stand-up signs, door plaques, window decals) and many other items.

This company provides Service Dog Packages that include a custom ID card with a photo of the service dog and partner, a federal law card, vest, patch, rocker, and Elements of Public Access. The cost is $49.95 for a medium/large dog package and $41.95 for a small dog package. All vests are available in red, blue, green and orange. The items in th package are also sold separately.

You can find all the items and order by mail at the company's website, which has both English and Spanish versions. There are lapel pins and bracelets that say "hearing impaired" as well as desk signs. A plastic-coated door hanger slides over a door handle for your hotel room or other location to give instructions about how to inform you of an emergency. You can also purchase a car or home window decal or anti-static window cling in bright yellow that lets emergency personnel know a hearing impaired person is inside.

For more information: http://www.hearingimpaired.net

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Sound Clarity

I particularly wanted to talk to the folks at Sound Clarity, because I purchased an item almost two years ago that I had questions about: the CLA7 amplified powered neckloop. While the amplification is great, particularly for my cell phone, the design is such that the button that controls the amplification is much too easily turned on. In fact, when it sits in my carrying case it can turn itself on, so that when I need it, the batteries are dead. The other design problem is the case that holds the batteries and amplification really is too heavy for the light neckloop. Over time the wires have pulled away from that part of the device, so that now my reception is intermittent. I'd love to see it redesigned.

George Khal, President of Sound Clarity, was staffing the booth with his wife Barbara. George is both knowledgeable about his products and helpful to consumers. He did understand the problem with the CLA7. He suggested that I consider a lightweight silhouette headset called the T-Link that plugs into a cell phone. While there is no amplification, when I tried that, I heard very well with it in the noisy exhibit hall. Not only that, it costs less than the CLA7, which retails for $119.95 ($95 at the convention special price). The T-Link normally sells for $60 for a single silhouette or $69 with a silhouette for both ears,

Sound Clarity's convention special was $39 for the single, $42 for the double T-Link; however only the double silhouette is designed for a cell phone. The single silhouette has a jack that is too large for that use, it is intended to be used for other audio devices. You should be aware that you might want to test it before purchase, or be willing to ship it back if you purchase it via catalog: two friends who have Nokia phones discovered the T-Link does not work with their phones.

But there's more. George also showed me a new device hot off the market. It' s so new, he doesn't have it in the catalog and had only brought one as a sample: it's a Bluetooth neckloop. It works with a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. When the phone rings, the signal goes to your hearing aid via the telecoil switch. With a microphone on the devices, it allows for hands free operation. George was selling this on a convention special too for $119, which includes shipping directly to your home. The Bluetooth neckloop normally retails for $159.00.

The other hot item George showed me was a Clarity Professional C120 TV Listener. This is a new Infrared (IR) assistive device that amplifies the signal up to 50dB. What's particularly interesting about this IR device is that it transmits on three different frequencies, so that you can use it at home with your television, at the movies, concert halls, or just about anywhere else you can use an infrared device. It also allows for telephone notification: if you plug your telephone line into the base, you'll be able to hear the phone ring through the headset. And this also had a great convention discount: the C120, which retails for $189.95, could be had for $139.95 at the convention site.

Sound Clarity had many other products at the convention and far more through their catalog. You can check them out at www.soundclarity.com

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Rochester Institute of Technology

The Rochester Institute of Technology had a booth this year, as they have for many years. In fact, RIT is one of the sponsors of the convention. The booth was staffed by two enthusiastic people, Mary Ellen Tait and Stacy Bick, who spent some time explaining some of the many programs at RIT and why they exhibit at the HLAA Convention.

One of the main reasons they attend is to get the word out that RIT is one option for deaf or hard of hearing students looking for an associate's degree. They have many programs at the college, and all are accessible via C-Print and voice recognition notetaking, interpreters and assistive listening devices. RIT serves everyone from to high school students trying to get a handle on their career options through the RIT summer programs, to students interested in getting a Masters of Deaf Education. They also work to help their students find employment - in fact, students aren't awarded a degree until they have had real world experience working their chosen field through the Cooperative Work program.

Mary Tait has been working at RIT for 25 years and is still enthusiastic about their programs. Now serving as their Assistant Director for the Center on Employment, she hopes to open more doors for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. She has succeeded in opening doors at such companies as CitiGroup and JP Morgan. RIT also supports employers by providing trainings on working with people who are hard of hearing or deaf. And she says their website is a great source of information for all.

Check it out! http://www.rit.edu/ntid/coops/jobs

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