Volume 22 Issue 4

- Article 1: ALDs and Movies: Missed Opportunities and How to Overcome Them - Part 3
- Article 2: Age-Related Hearing Loss, Possible Route for Treatment
- Article 3: What's Up with the Songbird Hearing Aid
- Article 4: Oklahoma Project Distributes Smoke Alarms
- Classifieds: One Survey, one Pager and Accessories ad, one Education Opportunity, and two Employment Opportunities
- 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 3
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 three.

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B. Hard of Hearing Consumers

One important concept, and a key to maximizing "residual hearing" is to realize that hard of hearing consumers, themselves, have a responsibility to do all they can too! It's not just up to others to help - you must help yourself too! Many hard of hearing people have to overcome a history of hearing loss denial, and they must re-focus to educate themselves about how to be good (or great) at having hearing loss. It can be done -- It's a skill and an attitude. Embrace suggestions that make a real difference in your life. These are things YOU (the hard of hearing person) can do; no one else can do them for you. It's not a matter of "the audiologist didn't sell it to me," or the "hearing aid dispenser didn't tell me..." It has a lot to do with acceptance of products and services by the end user (see section B.1 below). Hearing aid manufacturers offer amazing products, and the professionals would be pleased to have you ask for, desire or gratefully accept these products, because let's face it, it helps pay the bills! But if you treat the professionals like used car salesman when they offer to tell you about T-coils, ALDs, directional mics, etc., ...they probably get pretty frustrated! Imagine selling products that few people admit to needing, few people want to use and no one wants to pay for! The professionals and the manufacturers really have the tools and the knowledge available to help you....but you have to allow them to provide it to you!

You have hearing loss. Deal with it and get over it!

Go to an audiologist for a full audiometric evaluation, not a hearing screening! It's time to do it right. Get the whole evaluation and review the results in detail with your personal audiologist. Bring your "significant other" to the audiology appointment. You do not hear well! It will be useful for you to have your significant other there to help hear, understand and manage the situation. You should leave the audiologist's office understanding your hearing loss in terms of your degree (normal, mild, moderate, severe, profound) of hearing loss and the type of hearing loss (sensorineural or conductive) and you should have an understanding of pure tones, how well you understand speech, how well you hear in noise, whether your eardrum and middle ear is functioning correctly and whether there are other factors involved. If you need a medical referral you will get one, and if you need assistive listening devices or hearing aids, they will be recommended. Review step one ("You have hearing loss. Deal with it and get over it.). Ask the audiologist to WRITE down the results and recommendations, and to give you a copy to keep, and a copy for your physician.

See your doctor. A small percentage of hearing loss can be "medically or surgically corrected" and some types of hearing loss can be a sign of other problems that need medical attention to prevent more serious problems.

Get the hearing aid (and assistive listening device) technology you need to hear your best. Your first consideration should be how to maximize your hearing, not how to get the cheapest or smallest or most "invisible" hearing aid! Remember, even the largest hearing aid is less visible than your hearing loss! People don't really care whether you have hearing loss or not or whether you wear a hearing aid. They do care (and notice) if you aren't hearing well. Pretending to hear when you are indeed missing things looks pretty silly.

Learn about the features in hearing aids to couple them with ALDs, to help you hear in difficult situations and with telephones, TVs, computers, and movies. Make sure your next hearing aid includes the right features. You need to know enough about hearing aid features and ALDs. Choose a hearing healthcare provider that can help you choose your hearing aids and ALDs wisely.

Learn how to use your hearing aid and ALDs and practice strategies that help you hear your best. Hearing aids are not like glasses - you can't just put them on and have perfect hearing. You have to get used to hearing the sounds you've been missing and you'll need to learn to use amplification features to your advantage.

Join SHHH (www.hearingloss.org) if possible. It's one of the best places to learn the things you need to know. It's only $25 per year to belong to the most influential and informative organization for people with hearing loss.

When you go to the movies, ask for the ALDs. Get there early so there's time to get the ALD and to get ready to use it. Make sure to thank the theater and tell them you appreciate being able to hear the movie better. If they hear that enough, they'll realize that their ALDs can be good business.

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- Article 2: Age-Related Hearing Loss, Possible Route for Treatment
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Editor: Those who have been following the progress of hair cell regeneration have seen several breakthroughs in recent years. It appears that this may be another. Scientists have discovered a gene that prevents hair cell regeneration, and removal of that gene causes hair cell proliferation.

I'm a little curious about the title of this press release, however, because it seems to me (and the article also indicates) that blocking the effects of this gene will treat any hearing loss caused by damaged or missing hair cells, not just age-related hearing loss.

Again, I encourage you to NOT hold your breath for a treatment to be commercially available. But this does appear to be a large step in that direction.

Here's the press release from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

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Researchers have discovered that deletion of a specific gene permits the proliferation of new hair cells in the cochlea of the inner ear -- a finding that offers promise for treatment of age-related hearing loss. This type of hearing loss is caused by aging, disease, certain drugs, and the cacophony of modern life. It is the most common cause of hearing loss in older people.

The research team, which included Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator David P. Corey, published their findings on January 13, 2005, in Science Express, which provides rapid electronic publication of selected Science publications. Zheng-Yi Chen, who is at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, is the senior author of the article. He trained with Corey at Harvard Medical School. Other co-authors are from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Tufts-New England Medical Center, and Northwestern University.

Hair cells in the cochlea detect sound by vibrating in response to sound waves, triggering nerve impulses that travel to the auditory region of the brain. Normally, humans are born with a complement of about 50,000 hair cells. But since the cells do not regenerate, the steady rate of hair-cell loss that can accompany aging produces significant hearing loss in about a third of the population by the time they reach 70-years-old.

Chen did a broad survey that examined patterns of gene expression during embryonic development of the balance organ of the inner ear. His results suggested that there might be a gene that produces a protein that acts as a permanent "brake" on hair-cell regeneration. That survey, which was done in mice, revealed that the retinoblastoma gene seemed to be particularly active during embryonic development.

At the same time, co-author Philip Hinds at Tufts-New England Medical Center had developed a knockout mouse lacking the retinoblastoma gene Rb1.

"He noticed that these mice ran in circles, and for an inner-ear biologist, a mouse running in circles immediately tells you that there is some problem with the vestibular system of the inner ear," said Corey. Thus, he said, Chen began a detailed study of the hair cells of the knockout mice. Those studies revealed that the mice without Rb1 had more hair cells than normal mice, and the cells were actively proliferating.

Corey and his colleagues then launched studies to determine whether the proliferating cells were, indeed, functional hair cells. They found that mechanically stimulating the cells generated an electrical signal characteristic of hair cells. Also, Corey and his colleagues found that the cells absorbed a fluorescent dye that only moves through the membrane channels of functional hair cells.

In further studies, Chen and his colleagues found that knocking out the Rb1 gene in cultured mature inner ear cells from mice triggered the cells to begin proliferating. "This experiment demonstrated that it was a direct effect of the Rb gene and not some indirect effect during development that controlled proliferation of hair cells," said Corey. "So Zheng-Yi has found that deletion of this gene can allow functioning hair cells to continue to divide. They are no longer limited by whatever growth controls existed before. This work gives us an invaluable window into the control mechanism, which could lead to eventual clinical application in regenerating lost hair cells," said Corey.

According to Corey, the findings also have important implications for basic research. "A major obstacle to hair-cell research has been that, since there are not very many hair cells in the inner ear, it has been hard to get enough material for study," he said. "But with Zheng-Yi's work, we now have the potential for generating cultured lines of hair cells for experiments."

"While we are very excited about the potential for hair-cell regeneration from this work, much basic research needs to be done," emphasized Corey. "Simply inactivating the Rb gene allows the hair cells to keep dividing and dividing, which might produce tumors in the inner ear. So, Zheng-Yi and his colleagues will be seeking ways to inactivate the gene only long enough to allow a clinically useful amount of proliferation, before turning the gene back on." The approach, he said, will require a greater understanding of the mechanisms controlling the Rb signaling pathway.

Contact: Jim Keeley keeleyj@hhmi.org
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

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------ Hearing Loss Network: Serving Southern California -------
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Looking for hearing loss help in Southern California?

Hearing Loss Network is here to meet your needs. We provide coping and communications workshops, computer classes, a speakers bureau, an advisors bureau, and community outreach. And let us know if there's a needed service that isn't being provided. We'll see what we can do to help!

Email info@hearinglossnetwork.org or
visit us at http://www.hearinglossnetwork.org

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- Article 3: What's Up with the Songbird Hearing Aid
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For those who are not familiar with the Songbird hearing aid, it created quite a stir when it was introduced several years ago. Costing only $30 or $40 dollars, it delivered good quality sound at a great price to people with "normal" mild or moderate hearing loss. The downside was that the battery was only good for about a month and was not replaceable. So a user had to buy a new hearing aid every month.

I've heard good reports from several Songbird users. Some used it to determine if a hearing aid would help them, and if they would like it. Others used them in place of a regular hearing aid, but replaced them once a month or so.

Now, it seems that the Songbirds will no longer be available. Here's the notice from their website (http://www.songbirdhearing.com)

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Songbird 400 Hour Digital Disposable Hearing Aids

Effective Monday, November 15th, Songbird Hearing, Inc. no longer offers the Songbird 400 Hour digital disposable hearing aid.

Current Songbird 400 Hour users: If you need customer support please send an email to CustomerService@SongbirdHearing.com, or call Customer Service at 800-789-1830 between 8 AM and 8 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

Effective Monday, January 31st, Songbird Hearing, Inc. will no longer offer Songbird Pro disposable hearing aids.

Thank you, Songbird Hearing, Inc.

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So what's up with that? Hard to say, but it appears that a large consumer product company made a significant investment in Songbird in November 2004. That may have something to do with removing the Songbird from the market. Here's a notice from the website of the Prism Venture Partners (http://www.prismventure.com/portfolio/lifescience.asp), one of the founders of Songbird.

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Songbird Hearing is a consumer health company with a unique hearing care platform. The company's flagship product, the Songbird 400 Hour Digital Hearing Aid, is the world's first disposable hearing aid, which can be fit without a hearing exam. The platform meets the needs of one of the most underserved markets in consumer health by correcting mild to moderate hearing loss so simply that consumers are empowered to make their own decisions. Songbird 400 Hour is easy to own, requiring no battery changes, professional maintenance or repairs. In 2004, the company validated consumer demand and succeeded in creating large-scale retail sales. A major investment in late November 2004 by one of the world's largest consumer product companies has validated this opportunity. This investment is expected to result in a more defined consumer strategy, a larger overall market opportunity, as well as a future re-launch. Prism Venture Partners founded Songbird in collaboration with Sarnoff Corporation.

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Don't you love a good mystery? If anyone knows anything about this situation, I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks to bhNEWS for the lead on this story.

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- Article 4: Oklahoma Project Distributes Smoke Alarms
By Cheryl Heppner
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Editor: Have you priced a visual smoke alarm lately? Unlike smoke alarms intended for the general population, visual alarms are expensive! So I'm happy to see that Oklahoma is distributing them at no cost to people with hearing loss.

Are other states doing this? Is your state? If not, why not? What can you do about it?

This article originally appeared in NVRC News, January 18, 2005. If you share this article with others, please be sure to credit NVRC News.

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Last fall I spent some time in Oklahoma where I gave presentations on two days at a state-wide conference. One of the most interesting things I learned while at this conference was about a "Fire Safety Solutions for Oklahomans with Disabilities" project by Oklahoma ABLE Tech and Fire Protection Publications at Oklahoma State University. I found this project to be very well designed and a good model for others.

The Fire Safety project was funded through a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for fire protection and safety. People who are blind or have low vision, deaf or hard of hearing, or have mobility impairments, if they qualified to participate, could get free smoke alarms that met their needs, and have them installed for free as well. The visual smoke alarms for deaf and hard of hearing persons that I saw on display were the hard-wired ones that are much safer than the stand-alone battery-powered units.

Individuals participating in the program got training on fire protection and safety as well. Installers worked with them to develop the most effective home fire exit plan.

I saw a copy of the application form, which was fairly simple and straightforward. Some kind of documentation of disability -- vision, hearing, mobility -- that would limit your ability to exit the house during an emergency is required. Naturally deafness and hearing loss meets that criteria because if you can't hear the sound of flames, shouted warnings, etc. you will not be in any hurry to leave the house. Documentation can be provided by a doctor or licensed medical provider such as an audiologist, optometrist, or physical therapist. Oklahoma ABLE Tech estimated that they had funding to provide smoke alarms to 500 to 1,000 people, depending on how many smoke alarms were needed for each individual's house.

For information:
Linda Jaco
Oklahoma ABLE Tech
1514 W. Hall of Fame
Stillwater, OK 74078
1-800-257-1705

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- Classifieds
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One Survey, one Pager and Accessories ad, one Education Opportunity, 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

Pagers and Accessories
Deafpager.com

Education Opportunity
Gallaudet University
Masters in Social Work (MSW) Program
Washington, DC

Employment Opportunity 1
Various Opportunities
GLAD
Various Locations in Southern California

Employment Opportunity 2
Michigan Division on Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Hard of Hearing Specialist
Lansing, Michigan

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Environmental Sound Survey
Chance to Win $25 Gift Certificate!
Sponsored by MIT and NTID
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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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Pagers and Accessories
Deafpager.com
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Deafpager.com has a new Hot Accessories section with the latest and hottest accessories for your Sidekick and Blackberry!

The newest item in our inventory is color bumpers for your Sidekick II - easy to put on, easy to take off! The hard part is trying to decide between Pink or Purple? Maybe it would be easier to decide between Red or Blue? Made up your mind which color you like? Only $8.95 per set!

Still can't make up your mind? Don't worry, we sell sets of three for only $20.95! We also have auto chargers for the Sidekick II for only $7.95! Visit our site for our excellent selection of cases and pouches. We offer qualified customers a Free Sidekick II (after rebates) as well as color Blackberries for qualified customers for $49.99 after rebates. We now have an unlimited data-only plan for the new Motorola A630!

Check all these deals out and more at our website: www.deafpager.com! Email: info@deafpager.com.

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Education Opportunity 1
Gallaudet University
Masters in Social Work (MSW) Program
Washington, DC
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Become a School Social Worker with Deaf/Hard of Hearing Children:
If you have an undergraduate liberal arts degree, a GPA of 3.0,
and want to work as an MSW school social worker, take advantage
of the final incoming class to participate in our Department of
Education Grant. You will receive half tuition waivers and $6,000
for two years. Sign language skills required to participate in
classes. Applications accepted until spaces are filled.
Contact: mary.arcari@gallaudet.edu for more information.

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Employment Opportunity 1
Various Opportunities
GLAD
Various Locations in Southern California
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JOB OPPORTUNITIES @ GLAD
GLAD is an Affirmative Action Employer with equal opportunity for men, women and people with disabilities.
For more information on the following positions, go to: www.gladinc.org
Status of all positions is: Regular, Full-time, Non-Exempt, Full Fringe Benefits unless otherwise noted.
All positions are open until filled. Revised 01/14/05

HIV PROGRAM INTERPRETER
Location: Los Angeles
Program Name: Health Education/Svcs.
Salary Range: Negotiable based on experience
Brief Summary: Under the supervision of the Director of Health/Education Services, the HIV Program Interpreter will perform all duties and tasks as outlined in the AESD program scope of work, interpret initial HIV antibody test and results, update and maintain a pool of qualified HIV-trained interpreters to assist with interpreting assignments, interpret and coordinate interpreter services to deaf and hard of hearing consumers with HIV/AIDS for any HIV-related services including but not limited to case management, medical and mental health within Los Angeles County, promote the availability of interpreter services to the deaf community and service providers, implement survey to assess consumer satisfaction of interpreter services provided....

REGIONAL DIRECTOR
Location: Riverside
Program Name: CODIE
Salary Range/Status: Negotiable based on experience/Exempt
Brief Summary: Under the direction of the Chief Executive Officer, the Regional Director will plan and supervise the day-to-day activities of the CODIE office in Riverside; provide direct counseling, personal advocacy and other assistance to clients of all ages; develop and implement education, advocacy and resource development efforts in the service area; ensure programmatic objectives are carried out by monitoring program progress and contract compliance; provide ongoing consultation, support and training to staff and supervise staff; complete progress reports to government agencies; assist in the grant writing process and seek out additional funding to expand services....

RECEPTIONIST/CLERK
Location: Riverside
Program Name: CODIE
Salary Range: Negotiable based on experience
Brief Summary: Under the direction of the Regional Director the Receptionist/Clerk will answer and transfer all incoming TTY and voice calls, greet consumers and visitors in a professional manner, assist the Regional Director, perform clerical duties, including but not limited to typing, opening and logging all incoming mail, perform light housekeeping duties as needed. The Receptionist/Clerk will work with GLAD's Resource Advocate regarding updates of the Directory of Resources, provides information and referral as needed, order all office supplies and maintain inventory of all office supplies, record/collect statistics on a daily basis related to provision of services.

JOB DEVELOPER/INTERPRETER
Location: Crenshaw
Program Name: EDD
Salary Range: Negotiable based on experience
Brief Summary: Under the direction of the EDD Program Manager, the Job Developer/Interpreter will provide assistance with Job Development/Placement efforts, work in conjunction with traditional employment resources, develop employment opportunities, identify openings and opportunities for clients in need of employment assistance, other duties include job interviews, job counseling to clients and employers...

JOB DEVELOPER/INTERPRETER
Location: West Covina
Program Name: EDD
Salary Range: Negotiable based on experience
Brief Summary: Under the direction of the EDD Program Manager, the Job Developer/Interpreter will provide assistance with Job Development/Placement efforts, work in conjunction with traditional employment resources, develop employment opportunities, identify openings and opportunities for clients in need of employment assistance, other duties include job interviews, job counseling to clients and employers...

COMMUNITY ADVOCATE
Location: Cypress
Program Name: OC-DEAF
Salary Range: Negotiable based on experience
Brief Summary: Under the direction of the Regional Director, the Community Advocate will assist deaf and hard of hearing consumers in the area of communication access via TTY relay, document translation, and other duties, provide advocacy in the areas of social security, education, employment, consumer affairs, and others, record statistics on a daily basis related to provision of services, counsel deaf and hard of hearing consumers with problems related to personal and family adjustments, finances, employment, food, clothing and housing....

COMMUNITY ADVOCATE
Location: Ventura
Program Name: TRI-COUNTY GLAD
Salary Range: Negotiable based on experience
Brief Summary: Under the direction of the Regional Director, the Community Advocate will assist deaf and hard of hearing consumers in the area of communication access via TTY relay, document translation, and other duties, provide advocacy in the areas of social security, education, employment, consumer affairs, and others, record statistics on a daily basis related to provision of services, counsel deaf and hard of hearing consumers with problems related to personal and family adjustments, finances, employment, food, clothing and housing....

RECEPTIONIST/CLERK
Location: Ventura
Program Name: TRI-COUNTY GLAD
Salary Range: Negotiable based on experience
Brief Summary: Under the direction of the Regional Director the Receptionist/Clerk will answer and transfer all incoming TTY and voice calls, greet consumers and visitors in a professional manner, assist the Regional Director, perform clerical duties, including but not limited to typing, opening and logging all incoming mail, perform light housekeeping duties as needed. The Receptionist/Clerk will work with GLAD's Resource Advocate regarding updates of the Directory of Resources, provides information and referral as needed, order all office supplies and maintain inventory of all office supplies, record/collect statistics on a daily basis related to provision of services.

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Employment Opportunity 2
Michigan Division on Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Hard of Hearing Specialist
Lansing, Michigan
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The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth announces a vacancy for a full-time Hard of Hearing Specialist position located in Lansing, Michigan within the Michigan Commission on Disability Concerns' Division on Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Information on DODHH is on www.mcdc-dodhh.org.

This position is responsible for providing a contact point for hard of hearing consumers and individuals with disabilities statewide who request information on assistive technology, housing and job referral resources; collecting, compiling, and distributing specialized information concerning disabilities; conducting training or informational seminars for consumers and professionals regarding needs of, and issues related to, hard of hearing persons and people with disabilities; and performing other duties as assigned by the division director and the commission's executive director.

Applicants must possess the following:
1. A bachelor's degree in a human service field, or an equivalent accumulation of hearing loss-related experience
2. At least two years of experience in hearing assistive technology
3. Working knowledge of laws, policies and procedures related to people with disabilities with an emphasis on those who are deaf or hard of hearing
4. Experience in public speaking and advocacy
5. Experience in using word processor software, e-mail and the Internet on the computer
6. Excellent writing skills
7. Basic American Sign Language skills or willing to learn it upon employment.

Applicants must meet the Michigan Department of Civil Service education and experience requirements in order to be considered for this position. A position description is available upon request.

The State of Michigan provides excellent medical, dental, vision and life insurance benefits. Entry level pay for this position starts at $16.54 hr and will progress to $24.74 hr level in Rights Representative 9-11 classifications. The level placement depends on education and experience.

Interested applicants are required to submit a cover letter, resume and transcripts by February 14, 2005 to:
Chris Hunter, Director
Division on Deaf and Hard of Hearing - DLEG
320 North Washington Square, Ste 250
Lansing, MI 48913
FAX: (517) 334-6637
E-MAIL: hunterc2@mi.gov

A Pre-employment Form and Civil Service Application must also be completed. To obtain these forms, go to Michigan Dept. of Civil Service website: http://www.state.mi.us/mdcs/ftp/formsweb.htm or contact Margie Holben at (517) 373-4771 voice or e-mail: maholbe@michigan.gov.

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- Contact Information and Disclaimers
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