Volume 22 Issue 3

- Article 1: ALDs and Movies: Missed Opportunities and How to Overcome Them - Part 2
- Article 2: Precedent-setting Decision on Emergency Evacuations for People with Disabilities Issued in Maryland
- Article 3: Deaf Blind Actors
- Article 4: NCOA Praises Commitment to Improving Nation's Hearing Health
- Classifieds
- Contact Information and Disclaimers

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Contact information and disclaimers are at the end of this newsletter.
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- Article 1: ALDs and Movies: Missed Opportunities and How to Overcome Them - Part 2
By Steve Barber, Hard of Hearing Consumer and SHHH Member
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Editor: Chances are pretty good that your local movie theater has assistive listening devices to help you better understand the movie dialog. Chances are also pretty good that the batteries are dead or that no one knows how to work them, or that they don't know where they are! Why is it such potentially beneficial equipment is virtually unused? Is there other equipment that might be useful? How about other strategies to help people with hearing loss enjoy movies?

Here, with everything you want to know about maximizing access to movies, is Steve Barber. Steve maintains the North Carolina Self Help for Hard of Hearing People website (www.nchearingloss.org), which won the SHHH's "Best Overall State Website" award in 2004. Two of the website's features are a comprehensive hearing loss glossary and a very cool 3D model of the ear.

This article originally appeared on the Healthy Hearing website (www.healthyhearing.com). It is presented here in four parts. This is part two.

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A- Movie Theater Owners and Operators (continued)

Some people have sophisticated hearing aids and ALDs of their own. For them, having "interface" equipment available is a big plus! For example, "neckloops" are telecoil signal receivers that are much larger than the tiny T-coil with the hearing aid. Often, neckloops can be plugged into hearing aids equipped with T-coils -- for even better reception. Many telecoil compatible hearing aids don't ''hear' telecoil signals well, but those same systems work very well with a neckloop.

Many people have their own FM transmitters used with tiny FM receivers in their hearing aids. If your ALDs have a standard female miniplug on them, users could plug in their most effective user interface; a neckloop, silhouettes, Direct Audio Interface or an FM transmitter.

Make sure you're buying your ALDs and having them installed by someone who knows about hearing loss ... not just about the ADA and not just about audio. If they can't explain how the ALD will serve people with mild losses through severe losses, then you've got the wrong supplier or contractor. Here's a tip to help you know whether they understand: Ask them about neckloops, DAI, and silhouettes. If they say "You don't need those" or "I don't know," look for someone who knows what they're doing!

Encourage patrons to bring their own compatible receivers. As more and more people become sophisticated hearing aid and ALD users, they will be able to bring their own receivers and their most effective user interface and simply use your transmitted signal. You'll make these more sophisticated users happy and you won't need to loan them your ALD receiver.

You might negotiate with your ALD supplier to place a poster in your lobby or an ad in your ALD brochures about the ALD supplier. Perhaps some of them would like to buy their own personal ALDs to use in the theater, with their TV, phones, at meetings, in the car, or in restaurants.

Offer specials to groups likely to have people with hearing loss. Perhaps a discount for "off nights" if they will try your ALDs. Perhaps a "reception" and introduction to your ALD technology. Groups to consider include; senior centers, retirement communities, assisted living homes and hearing loss support groups like SHHH (find local chapters through www.hearingloss.org).

Prepare a PowerPoint presentation about your ALD products and services to help customers hear as well as they can. Offer to give your presentation at those same groups ... such meetings are a good place to offer your discount tickets, or to hand out some tickets as door prizes

Offer a "Hear Better at the Movies" night. Invite people with hearing loss to see a free movie and your presentation about ALDs. Obviously, do this on a night when you wouldn't lose any paying customers.

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--------------- NAD Book on Your Legal Rights ------------------
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"Legal Rights:The Guide for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People"
Safeguard your civil rights! Learn about deaf and hard of
hearing rights in the workplace, in the hospital, in the legal
system, and more.

Download the NAD Store catalog from:
http://www.nad.org/store/index.html

For more information contact Donna Morris at sales@nad.org
TTY: 301-587-6283 Voice: 301-587-6282 FAX: 301-587-4873

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- Article 2: Precedent-setting Decision on Emergency Evacuations for People with Disabilities Issued in Maryland
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Editor: We are happy to see the growing realization among the folks who do emergency planning that they must consider the special needs of people with disabilities. I've been involved a bit on the local level and have found a preoccupation with those who are mobility-impaired to the exclusion of those with other kinds of disabilities. But that's a start. I figure once the committee is satisfied with the plans for people in wheelchairs they'll be willing to expand their horizons a bit.

A Maryland court recently ruled that public places must consider the needs of those with disabilities in their evacuation plans. Here are excerpts from the press release.

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For the first time, a court has declared that the Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA) requires places of public accommodation to consider the needs of people with disabilities in developing emergency evacuation plans. This groundbreaking decision - issued on December 28, 2004 by Judge John W. Debelius III of the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland - means that shopping malls, stores, restaurants, movie theaters, museums, and other private entities subject to the ADA throughout the country, whether landlords or tenants, must now seek to accommodate people with disabilities in the development and modification of emergency evacuation procedures.

"This is a significant decision that should greatly enhance the safety of persons with disabilities in the post-September 11th world," said Elaine Gardner, Director of the Disability Rights Project at the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. "The ADA always has been understood to help get people with disabilities into places of public accommodation. Now, for the first time, it also has been found to require that public places try to get those same people out in the event of a fire, terrorist attack, or other emergency."

The court's significant decision arises out of a lawsuit that was filed in Spring 2003 by Katie Savage, a Washington, D.C. resident who became trapped during an emergency evacuation in a local shopping mall that had no accessible exits for persons with disabilities. Ms. Savage, who uses a wheelchair, was shopping at a Marshalls store in Silver Spring, Maryland's City Place Mall on September 3, 2002, when the store and the Mall were evacuated. After Marshalls required her to exit into an area of the Mall that is below ground level, Ms. Savage found that she was trapped there and unable to evacuate, because the elevators were shut down and all the exits had stairs. Abandoned by store employees and trapped, Ms. Savage resolved to use her terrifying ordeal as a vehicle for ensuring that fellow citizens with disabilities would not be similarly victimized in emergency evacuation situations. Ms. Savage joined the Disability Rights Council of Greater Washington (the DRC) in filing a lawsuit against Marshalls and City Place Mall that alleged violations of the ADA in both the Mall's emergency evacuation plan and Marshalls' corporate-wide evacuation policies.

In briefs filed with the court last Fall, Marshalls took the position that the ADA does not require places of public accommodation to modify evacuation plans in order to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities. The court, however, rejected Marshalls' view and held that "a store's nationwide evacuation procedures would certainly constitute a public accommodation's 'policies.'" Therefore, the court wrote, "it is certain that Title III of the ADA does apply to this situation."

"I am delighted by the court's decision and hope that it has a lasting impact on improving safety for people with disabilities," said Ms. Savage. "Regrettably, Marshalls and other major retailers have seen fit to evacuate non-disabled persons, while leaving people with disabilities to fend for themselves in an emergency. That is not only a poor business decision, it is also now against the law."

One of Ms. Savage's attorneys, Steve Hollman, agreed. "We've all heard stories about people with disabilities being trapped and left to die on September 11th and in other emergency situations," said Mr. Hollman, a partner with Hogan & Hartson L.L.P. in Washington, D.C. "Hopefully, this decision will serve as a wake-up call to public accommodations across the country that they must start considering the needs of people with disabilities in their evacuation plans."

The Opinion of the Court also was significant for refusing to allow a tenant to abdicate its responsibility to patrons with disabilities by merely placing them outside a store's entrance in an emergency evacuation situation and leaving actual evacuation to a shopping mall's owners.

[snip]

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- Article 3: Deaf Blind Actors
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Editor: Talk about "no limits"! Deaf blind actors are right up there when it comes to not allowing disabilities to stand in their way.

This article originally appeared in the Cleveland Jewish News and is reprinted with their permission.

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Israel News
Miracles on stage for deaf-blind actors
By: SIMA BORKOVSKI Freelance Writer

Imagine the simple pleasure of listening to radio or TV or conversing with family or friends is something you can only dream about, a fantasy that could never be fulfilled.

Moreover, imagine living in total darkness, in perfect silence, when your only contact with the world is by touch.

Welcome to the world of the Nalagaat theater group.

Na lagaat in Hebrew means "please touch," and basically this is what these special deaf and blind actors ask us to do in order to communicate with them.

"Light is Heard in Zig Zag" is the name of their acclaimed show that expresses their dreams and fantasies in a way that gets the audience up on its feet.

Every Nalagaat actor is accompanied on stage by a personal interpreter. Interpreters help with timing, costume changes, and conveying the audience's applause by tapping on the actors' knees.

During the show, one has to remind oneself time and time again that these actors cannot hear the music nor see their fellow actors. Their self-assured movements give the impression of experienced, trained performers for whom the stage is a second home.

"It all started as a drama class, but I recognized the potential of the group and fell in love with its people" says Adina Tal, Nalagaat's founder and director. "The actors had low expectations of themselves, but eventually they made remarkable progress."

"Light is Heard in Zig Zag" opens with the actors sitting in three rows making typing gestures while Dolly Parton's "Nine to Five" plays in the background. Being a productive part of society seems to be their most basic wish. It is the root from which their individual dreams sprout.

After 46 sold-out shows in Israel and rave press reviews, Nalagaat made its international debut in June 2004, when the group was invited to perform by Boston's renowned Perkins School for the Blind and New York's Helen Keller National Center. The group also toured Toronto and Montreal.

"We are considered a 'social breakthrough,' as we are the only deaf-blind theater group in the world," says Tal. "However, we lack both technical and financial means. For the first year-and-a-half, Eran Gur, the group's manager, and I worked voluntarily. When we started to run the show and it became a success, the money we earned made it possible to go on. Since the actors are from all over Israel - Jaffa, Beit Yitzhak, Jerusalem, and other places - each rehearsal demands tremendous organization and costs quite a lot of money, " Tal explains.

In meeting these particular actors, a verbal "hello" does not suffice. We introduce ourselves to one another by touching each other's hands and faces. The warmth and receptiveness communicated is amazing. More than anything, they are grateful for the opportunity they have been given to step out of the darkness and silence that surround them and into the (lime)light, even if it is just for a limited time.

"I hardly believe this is happening to me," says Shoshana. "Before I got involved in this production, I was always ignored. People never paid any attention to me. But now I am the one in the spotlight being applauded. Our success is the success of all blind and deaf people in Israel."

Bat-Sheva, another actress, says she has always dreamed people would come to see deaf people perform, and now her dream is being fulfilled.

According to a review of the tour presented on Nalagaat's web-site (www.nalagaat.org.il), the show was a great success wherever it was performed. As in Israel, audiences abroad were deeply touched. In Manhattan, people stood and applauded the 12 actors a full quarter of an hour!

This special group of actors shows us "normal people" that the human spirit knows no limits.

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- Article 4: NCOA Praises Commitment to Improving Nation's Hearing Health
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Editor: The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is applauding the creation of a new organization called the Hearing Health Network (HHN). A collaboration between family doctors and hearing health professionals, HHN will encourage people to have hearing tests and seek treatment, if necessary. Here's the information.

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Recognizes Newly Formed Network of Doctors as Important First Step

The National Council on the Aging (NCOA) is committed to improving the nation's hearing health and applauds the creation of The Hearing Health Network (HHN)(TM).

The NCOA recognizes the value of HHN, a new partnership established earlier this week between family doctors and hearing care professionals to improve and expand access to hearing health care in the United States. HHN aims to dramatically change an alarming statistic: of the 28 million Americans who suffer from some degree of hearing loss, only 6 million are being treated.

According to James Firman, Ed.D, president of the NCOA, The Hearing Health Network is "a very important initiative, and the fact that people can now go to their family doctor's office and ask for testing is a very valuable step."

Hearing-impaired patients become five to eight times more likely to seek help when advised to do so by their family doctor, reports MarkeTrak -- the most widely recognized study on the hearing aid industry. In addition, a new survey by PKS Research indicates that 49.9% of people have not had their hearing tested in the last decade, which is no surprise. The survey also found that 94% of respondents would be "extremely likely," "very likely," or "somewhat likely" to seek treatment if their family doctor diagnosed a hearing problem.

Dr. Firman states that The Hearing Health Network has the potential to greatly improve the nation's hearing health by including hearing testing in a routine physical. In this way, family doctors can identify more patients with hearing loss and refer them to a hearing care specialist for treatment.

"Untreated hearing loss can lead to a whole host of problems, including depression, sadness, isolation, lack of involvement in activities and often a lot of friction inside the family," according to Dr. Firman.

The NCOA understands the challenges and opportunities to hearing loss detection thanks to its landmark study entitled, "The Consequences of Untreated Hearing Loss in Older Persons." That study, completed five years ago, addressed the consequences of untreated hearing loss in older persons.

According to the study, seniors whose hearing loss is treated generally enjoy better relationships with their families; better feelings about themselves; improved mental health; and greater independence and security.

The NCOA study concludes, "Because of the potential negative consequences of untreated hearing loss on a person's quality of life and family relationships, hearing loss should be a routine topic of discussion for older persons and their doctors."

Please visit http://www.hhnusa.com for additional information about The Hearing Health Network(TM).

Founded in 1950, The National Council on the Aging is a national network of organizations and individuals dedicated to improving the health and independence of older persons; increasing their continuing contributions to communities, society, and future generations; and to building caring communities. For more information on NCOA or the hearing study, visit http://www.ncoa.org.

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- Classifieds
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One Survey and two Employment Opportunities appear in this issue. (Ads appear after this brief table of contents.)

Environmental Sound Survey
Chance to Win $25 Gift Certificate!
Sponsored by MIT and NTID

Employment Opportunity 1
Community Development Specialist
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Burke, NC

Employment Opportunity 2
Chief of Administration Officer
South Carolina Association of the Deaf
Columbia, SC

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Environmental Sound Survey
Chance to Win $25 Gift Certificate!
Sponsored by MIT and NTID
http://rledev.mit.edu/selectsurvey/selectsurveyaspadvanced/
TakeSurvey.asp?SurveyID=145
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Complete a Survey and Enter a Drawing to
Win a $25.00 Amazon.com Gift Certificate!

Environmental Sound Survey

We are a research team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) and would like input from people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

We are interested in developing devices for receiving ENVIRONMENTAL SOUNDS (not speech) and have developed a survey to find out (1) what kinds of devices you are currently using to receive environmental sounds and (2) what kinds of devices you would find useful in the future. Your opinion will help us with future research.

The survey is on line and should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. We promise you that we will not collect, sell or give any usernames or remote computer names will be to anyone for any purpose. If you choose to provide identifying information through email it will remain confidential.

To thank you for taking this survey we will hold a drawing on February 1, 2004 and give away 20 gift certificates ($25.00 each) to be used at Amazon.com. If you would like to enter the drawing, please provide your email address at the end of the survey. We will use this address ONLY to send a certificate if you are one of the 20 winners. If you prefer NOT to enter the drawing, you do not need to give us your email address.

To proceed with this survey, please go to the link below.

http://rledev.mit.edu/selectsurvey/selectsurveyaspadvanced/
TakeSurvey.asp?SurveyID=145

If you would prefer a paper copy of this survey for yourself or someone you know, please contact us at the address below.

Lorraine Delhorne
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
RLE 36-749
Cambridge, MA 02139
Email: delhorne@mit.edu (subject line: Environmental Sound Survey)

Thank you for assisting us in this work. If you have any questions, please contact us at delhorne@mit.edu. Please be sure to put "Environmental Sound Survey" in the subject line.

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Employment Opportunity 1
Community Development Specialist
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Burke, NC
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Vacancy Number: 4451-2018-2200-033
Salary Grade: 70
Salary Range: $31451 - $51044
Department: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
Position: Community Development Specialist
Division: SERVICES FOR DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING
Type of Appointment: Perm Full-Time
Location: BURKE
Posting Date: 12/15/2004
Closing Date: 01/21/2005
Number of Positions: 1

Description of Work

This position handles the day-to-day operations of the Morganton Regional Resource Center and may in addition supervise another Regional Resource Center as well. This position overseas development & provision of programs & services in accordance with the Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing mission statement, goals and objectives. This position represents the agency within the region in various gatherings. This position facilitates and coordinates activities of 5 professionals working in the center and possibly an additional 5 professionals in another Regional Resource Center staff and programs in addition to community development and outreach. This position also has some direct services responsibilities in serving consumers who are deaf, hard of hearing or deaf-blind.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Applicant must have in-depth knowledge and understanding of the scope of hearing loss, previous experience in social and cultural activities in def or hard of hearing community. Applicant must be fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) or be committed to attain sign language interaction at SPCI-Advanced plus within 2 years from date of employment as well as be fluent in English. Applicant must have knowledge of federal and state laws, programs and services related to consumers who are deaf and hard of hearing. Applicant must have excellent public speaking and communication ability.

Management Preferences:

At least 5 years of management experience in the field of deafness and hearing loss or 5 years experience in program development, community relations, public speaking and community assessment. Master's Degree in relevant field, or in the field of Human Services, Rehab Counseling, Deaf Education, Business Administration or Social
Work.

Training and Experience Requirements

Graduation from a four-year college or University and three years of Experience, preferably in a field related to the specific program assignment; or an equivalent combination of training and experience.

Contact Person: DIANA SIMMONS
Contact Agency: DHHS-SV DEAF/HEARING
Contact Address: 2301 MAIL SERVICE CENTER
319 CHAPANOKE ROAD,#108
RALEIGH , NC 27699-2301
Contact Phone: 919-661-4810
Contact Fax: 919-773-2990

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Employment Opportunity 2
Chief of Administration Officer
South Carolina Association of the Deaf
Columbia, SC
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Position Purpose:
Serve as Chief of Administration Officer of the South Carolina Association, a non-profit organization serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing citizens of South Carolina. Oversee day-to-day operation of a 2-3 person office. Coordinate programs of the Association, including membership development, fundraising and resource development, advocacy, Interpreter Assessment program, and community outreach.

Job Duties:
1. Serve as administrative officer of the South Carolina Association of the Deaf.
2. Fundraising/Resource Development.
3. Membership Development.
4. Attend official SCAD Board meetings, SCAD workshops and the biennial SCAD Conferences.
5. Provide assistance to the statewide associations and committees of SCAD as appropriate.
6. Oversee publications of the Association including South Carolina News, all SCAD Conference Proceedings, SCAD Schedule of Events, and other publications as deemed appropriate.
7. Maintain a visible presence for the Association within in the state of South Carolina (Travel 2 to 3 days per week).
8. Position reports directly to the President of the Executive Board.

Requirements:
1. Bachelors Degree in Business or Public Administration, Communications Arts or a relevant field, plus 5 years experience working with Deaf/Hard of Hearing individuals and administrative supervisory experience. Preferred Masters Degree in Administration, Communication Arts or a relevant major, plus 3 years experience working with Deaf/Hard of Hearing individuals and administrative supervisory experience.
2. Fluency on American Sign Language, awareness and ability to use other variations of sign language (SEE, PSE, etc).
3. Familiarity with the public policy process.
4. Excellent Interpersonal and public speaking skills.
5. Three plus years of fundraising experience, which includes membership development as well as experience in large gift solicitations, and at least two years of successful grant writing experience.
6. At least two writing samples.

Salary:
Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications. This is a permanent position, entitling the successful candidate to benefits including 12 paid holidays per year, annual and sick leave, health and dental insurance, and access to a retirement plan. SCAD is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis or race, gender, religion and/or disability.

Participants, who are interested in this position, please reply by the 23rd of January 2005 to:
Lillian H. Weldon
SCAD Chairperson of Job Research Committee
20 Yeamans Road
Charleston, South Carolina 29407

Any questions or more information, please feel free to email me at LHW1936@AOL.COM
803-794-3175 (Voice)
803-794-7059 (TTY)
803-794-4420 (FAX)
info@scadservices.org
www.scadservices.org

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- Contact Information and Disclaimers
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We are very interested in your comments concerning the content and format of this newsletter. We want this publication to be useful to you. Please send your comments and suggestions to: hearinglossweb@hearinglossweb.com

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