Volume 24 Issue 7

HOH-LD-News
Vol. 24, Issue 7
August 13, 2005

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Table of Contents
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- Article 1: OHL Questionnaire Results and Conclusions - Part 2

- Article 2: Captioning Hollywood: Methods, Might, Cinema and Civil Rights - Part 2

- Article 3: 123 Reasons (For Not Wearing Hearing Aids) - Part 3

- Article 4: Artificial Hearing Bones

Our advertisers make it possible for us to provide HOH-LD-News as a free service. Please let them know you appreciate their support, and please mention that you saw their message in HOH-LD-News.

- Advertisers in this Issue
First Premium Placement: Harris Communications
Second Premium Placement: Hearing Aid Repair: Fast and Affordable
Third Premium Placement: SUBMISSIONS WANTED FOR GROUNDBREAKING NEW BOOK
Classified Section: Two Employment Opportunities

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Contact information and disclaimers are at the end of this newsletter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

----------------------------------------------------------------
Free Shipping Offer --- Limited Time Only
----------------------------------------------------------------

Harris Communications has free shipping on orders of $50 or more on most
products* in our store. Are you going to school soon? Buy the products
you need and save! Or, take advantage of this offer to purchase
something new, like a Trix Bruce DVD or a Sonic Ring Videophone
Signaler. Hurry, this offer is only available until August 21, 2005.

* Some product restrictions apply. Offer available on UPS Ground
shipments in the continental U.S. For more information, go to
http://www.harriscomm.com/link/?www.harriscomm.com?sr=hlw or contact us
at mailto:info@harriscomm.com
----------------------------------------------------------------

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Article 1: OHL Questionnaire Results and Conclusions - Part 2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We've finally finished tabulating and analyzing the responses to our first OHL questionnaire (whew!). We undertook this project because we sensed a growing dissatisfaction among the **Oral Hearing Loss** (OHL) population with the lack of services appropriate to them, and we wanted to get a sense of what services people want and how they should be provided.

(**We use the term "Oral Hearing Loss" to include people with hearing loss who prefer spoken language as their primary means of communications. This includes people who are hard of hearing, late-deafened, and oral deaf.**)

For general information about the survey, caveats, etc., please see part one of this article. This is part two of five parts.

Question 2

Do you believe that members of the OHL community currently receive adequate services? If not, what can be done to improve services to the OHL community?

Thirty-seven people responded to this question. Three of them believe that the OHL folks receive adequate services, 32 believe they do not, and three believe that service quality depends on where a person lives.

The second part of the question provides an opportunity for those who feel services are not adequate to propose solutions. Suggestions were divided into three broad areas: specific services for the OHL community, specific services for the general community, and characteristics of service agencies

2a. Specific services for the OHL community

This category contained 26 suggestions, many of which are similar to those offered in question one. But read carefully, because there are some new ideas presented here.
- 12 suggestions addressed communications access. Media captioning was mentioned four times; transportation communications access, twice; and telephone access, twice.
- 4 people mentioned programs to teach OHL people to advocate for themselves.
- 3 people stated the importance of doing outreach.
- 2 suggestions were for local centers that demonstrate assistive devices and alerting devices
- 2 respondents mentioned programs to improve peoples' self-esteem
- other suggestions included a mentor program, technology education, and recommending hearing aids.

2b. Specific services for the general public

Respondents made sixteen recommendations that involve the general public.
- 9 suggestions were to educate the general public about hearing loss.
- 4 people stated a need for advocacy services to intervene with members of the public on behalf of OHL folks.
- other recommendations were to lobby governments, require hearing aids to be available over the counter, and universal designs that accommodate people with hearing loss without requiring special equipment.

2c. Characteristics of service agencies

Thirteen suggestions related to characteristics of agencies that provide services to OHL people.
- 5 respondents stated that OHL agencies/services must be separated from Deaf agencies/services
- 2 people mentioned that services to OHL folks must be provided by OHL folks
- 2 people suggested teaching service providers about OHL people
- other recommendations were that agencies must be visible to newly deafened people, must be certified by OHL authorities, must provide low-cost or free services, and must provide one-stop shopping

Analysis and Comments

Most people replied to this question with suggestions for establishing new or improving existing services, and those responses tended to resemble the responses to question one.

Those people who responded with desired characteristics of service organizations approached the question from a higher level of abstraction. The implication is that if we establish service agencies with the appropriate characteristics, quality services appropriate to the served population will follow.

The most common response in this category is that OHL agencies/services must be separated from Deaf agencies/services. This approach is a significant departure from the current approach of having a single agency provide services to Deaf and hard of hearing people; it is a trend worth watching.

One respondent summed it up like this:

"Clearly there is a huge shortfall in adequate services for the OHL/HOH community. On a statewide basis no agency supports the needed services. There is no governmental support, which apparently goes entirely to the deaf community. Some groups are able to provide some of the services, but they are entirely volunteer and as a whole are inadequate for the need. The community has no knowledge of its needs and how to fill them."

Question 3

Please list or describe some of the important characteristics of organizations that serve the Oral Hearing Loss (OHL) community.

The responses to this question were similar to those in the previous two questions, so we'll avoid all the detail and report just the new ideas.

- 14 people stated that the agency personnel must understand and be sensitive to the unique needs of OHL people.
- 5 people mentioned the need for socialization and an opportunity to share and discuss experiences.
- 3 people stated that the agency must accept and respect all communications choices.

----------------------------------------------------------------
Hearing Aid Repair: Fast and Affordable
----------------------------------------------------------------
Many hearing aid users are excited about discovering Hear Rite, a hearing aid repair lab that accepts repairs directly from the public.

Our factory trained technicians have many years of experience.

We repair all brands, no matter how old they are, usually within 48 hours after we get it.

Visit our web site for detailed articles on hearing aids and hearing aid repair:
http://www.repair-your-hearing-aid.com/whorepairsaids_bnr.html
----------------------------------------------------------------

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Article 2: Captioning Hollywood: Methods, Might, Cinema and Civil Rights - Part 2
By Cheryl Heppner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Editor: Have you noticed more captioned movies in your area recently? It's not happening everywhere, but people in many communities have much better movie access than they had a couple of years ago. Many of the folks who were involved in making that happen were on a Movie Captioning panel at the SHHH convention. Cheryl Heppner captures their reports of how it all happened and what you can do to make it happen in your area in this great article.

If you'd like to share this article, please be sure to credit NVRC. (See credit at the end of the article.)

This is Part 2 of 3 parts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Panel Members:
Mary Watkins, Media Access Group, WGBH
Cheryl Heppner, Coalition for Movie Captioning
Joe Gordon, SHHH State Coordinator, NY
Tom Simeone, Trial Attorney
Arlene Romoff, SHHH New Jersey

[Ed. Tom Simeone's remarks preceded Arlene's in the actual panel discussion. I've taken the liberty of rearranging them to better conform to our article length constraints. Tom's remarks will appear in Part 3.]

Arlene Romoff, SHHH-NJ

New Jersey now has 37 screens showing RWC movies and legal actions are still pending against another company.

She serves on the advisory board of the state Division for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, which meets quarterly.

New Jersey Attorney General Frank Vespa-Papaleo was honest in saying he was not familiar with movie captioning when he first met with SHHH members. At two town hall meetings with a nice turnout, people talked about movie captioning. As a result, Vespa-Papaleo put it at the top of his priority list. The state Division of Civil Rights was involved and also the Division for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

[Comment from Arlene Romoff: The New Jersey Attorney General is Peter Harvey. He was the one who called two town hall meetings in conjunction with the NJ Division of Deaf and Hard of Hearing. And it was at these meetings that he learned that this population was being excluded from going to the movies because of the lack of captioning. It was the Attorney General who made captioned movies his priority. Frank Vespa-Papaleo is the Director of the NJ Division of Civil Rights. His staff of lawyers handled this case. I mentioned Frank's name at the presentation specifically because he is deserving of recognition for being so responsive, supportive and knowledgeable about our needs at SHHH-NJ.]

The state legal team looked at the ADA but decided it was better to use the NJ anti-discrimination law, which has its 60th anniversary in 2005. They decided to go after the largest chains because it would be least burdensome to them. Their goal was for no one to have to drive more than 30 minutes to see a movie. They had to decide what was a reasonable accommodation, and decided on a schedule that required captioning at all showings.

In the past, she'd been going 20 minutes from her house to see movies. Open caption movies were old by the time they arrived and shown on Monday nights when nobody went to movies. She'd seen movies in RWC and liked them.

[Comment from Arlene Romoff: The open captioned movies were shown on weekday nights only once a month. The one theater in NJ with RWC was 20 minutes from my house, showed current films at all showings. So my husband and I became "regulars" of RWC movies - attending only at prime time showings. Getting the captioning panel became second nature to me.]

Lawyers sat down with them before announcing the decision to the public so they understood what they could get, and had two conferences. The lawyers answered questions and talked about why they made their decisions. She walked away confidant they really understood and felt it was an excellent effort.

SHHH was asked to file letters of support for the settlement. Their letter was in the press packet. It was picked up by the Associated Press and got some "good ink."

Regal refused to settle. It didn't want RWC and said that people prefer open captioning. But Regal wasn't willing to show open captions in prime time and that lawsuit is still in mediation.

Movie theater companies started scurrying to install RWC. RWC is a little difficult to get used to at first, but she really likes it. [Comment from Arlene Romoff: Even before the movie settlement, one theater company installed RWC in one theater, and Regal started showing more OC movies.] Her hearing friends now ask if she can recommend a movie. Websites of different theaters are going to be listing RWC movie showings. She can't say there are no problems because some of the theater cup holders were not a good fit for the reflector screens. She has gone to different theaters and found the managers were eager for the movie to be a good experience. Thanks to being able to see movies in RWC, she learned her husband adored movies.

[Comment from Arlene Romoff: So the managers ensure that the panels are working properly.

I also mentioned that it's also important to consider that while most people prefer open captioning, RWC does have some advantages - it enables you to integrate yourself into the mainstream, regular movie showings at prime times. And the process of getting a panel is similar to borrowing an ALD receiver.

Also mentioned was the national conference of state Attorneys General. The NJ Director of Civil Rights presented at this conference on the movie captioning litigation. So it is important to be aware that now is a good time to approach your own state's Attorney General and Civil Rights division, because they will already know about this case. Several states are already considering taking similar legal actions.]

WGBH has done a lot of work to advocate with theaters and studios. They provide information about how to contact them.

***************
(c)2005 by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons (NVRC), www.nvrc.org. When sharing this information, please ensure credit is given to NVRC.

----------------------------------------------------------------
SUBMISSIONS WANTED FOR GROUNDBREAKING NEW BOOK
----------------------------------------------------------------

Handwave Publications is currently accepting submissions for a groundbreaking new book, "On the Fence: The Hidden World of the Hard of Hearing." We're looking for eye-opening stories from hard of hearing writers, ranging from 2 to 8 pages in length. Poems also accepted. Stories and poems may be empowering, funny, sad, inspiring, angry, triumphant... anything goes! The main criterion is to show the world what it means to be hard of hearing. Deadline is September 30, 2005. For more information, contact Mark Drolsbaugh at (215) 368-8282 TDD or e-mail Handwave@aol.com.
----------------------------------------------------------------

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Article 3: 123 Reasons (For Not Wearing Hearing Aids) - Part 3
By Richard Wagner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Editor: I'm sure you all know someone who could wear hearing aids and would benefit from them, but just chooses not to. What reason do they offer for not doing something that would help them communicate? I'm sure some of us have heard some really creative excuses. I know Richard Wagner <rewagner@airmail.net> has, because he's actually compiled a list!

Richard is a freelance pastoral counselor and psychotherapist who has been hard of hearing since age four and deaf since about 1980. He has been very active in the Dallas area chapter of Self Help for Hard of Hearing People.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2002 issue of Hearing Health Magazine. It is reprinted here with Richard's permission. This is part three of three parts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Different Environments/Venues

1. Too much interference from different environments wears me out.
2. Electronic interference from the fluorescent lights is too much.
3. The on-site equipment makes my hearing aids useless.
4. I don't want to use my aids there because they may have to be adjusted, shifted or otherwise changed.
5. They pick up so much noise and confusion that I become disoriented.
6. They make me feel like everyone is roaring at me.
7. I know what I can hear or not hear one-on-one. I avoid groups.
8. I don't want to be the center of attention.

Employers/Professionals (Hearing or Otherwise)
(Some hearing bosses or professionals are uncomfortable with employees who wear aids.)

1. It doesn't look "professional."
2. It would freak out the clients/office staff.
3. How can they trust us if something's "wrong" with our employee(s)?
4. We can't advertise communications problems.
5. People might try to take advantage of our company.

Seniors/Grandparents

1. I can hear just fine, thank you.
2. Why bother? I only have a certain amount of time/money/energy left.
3. I don't want to be bothered by folks yammering at me. They don't speak up anyway.
4. The TV and radio are not worth the effort.
5. I'm too old to learn new tricks.
6. I'm embarrassed that I just can't seem to put them in anymore.
7. I can't put those tiny batteries in.
8. Who cares what they say anyway? No one has anything interesting to say.
9. No one really cares to communicate with me.
10. They simply don't help me anymore.

Many folks actually believe that life is supposed to be fair. If life were really fair, there would be no major health problems for anyone who takes good care of their bodies. Unfortunately, life experience tells us that we get different gifts and face different challenges and losses. It is up to us to determine how we let those affect us. What happens to us does not make us who we are; how we handle what happens is what creates who we are.

Typically, non-hearing people are in denial as to how much they are missing. To their loved ones, friends and co-workers, the solution seems obvious: Get hearing assistance. In reality, though, the most important factors for these individuals are adjusting their attitudes, improving self-image and choosing strategies to hear better.

Arrogant Assumptions About Hearing Loss

1. No one except me can really understand what I go through every day.
2. I'm the one who counts as important. The needs of other folks aren't important to me. Your words are unimportant to me.
3. I know what I hear always, exactly and no one is going to tell me differently!
4. My comfort is more important to me than my fuller participation in the world.
5. My stress level is more important than truth or effectiveness.
6. Feeling good about my image is more important than my real image.
7. I really know how well I can and cannot hear in any situation.
8. I believe that I can fool other people most of the time; nobody notices whether or not I'm wearing my hearing aids.
9. No one really communicates well so what difference does it make?
10. It's just not fair! Why do I have to work harder than everybody else to understand?
11. I look more professional without hearing aids. I look more masculine/feminine or attractive without hearing aids.
12. People will assume I'm older if I wear aids and that makes me feel bad.

The basic essential truth, as Helen Keller put it, is that hearing is about connecting to life and to people. The more we hear, the more fully connected we are. This does not mean we are unable to connect to life without hearing. However, it does mean that in order to avoid isolation, we have to either work harder or learn other communication skills (e.g., speech- reading, sign language, etc.). Or, of course, we can choose to hear, a la hearing assistance.

As adapted from Hearing Health Magazine, Summer 2002
http://drf.timberlakepublishing.com/index.asp

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Article 4: Artificial Hearing Bones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Most of us who don't hear well suffer from sensorineural hearing loss, which means that the tiny hair cells within the cochlea that are instrumental in relaying sound information to the auditory nerve are damaged or destroyed. But a substantial percentage of folks have conductive hearing loss, which means that problems with the outer or middle ear impede the transmission of sound energy to the inner ear. One of the common causes of conductive hearing loss is deterioration in the three hearing bones of the middle ear.

A new device called SMARTFIT replaces these bones and promises improved results compared to current treatments. The developers hope that it will be commercially available within ten years.

For the full story from The Scotsman, please point your browser to:
http://news.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=1682632005

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Classifieds
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two Employment Opportunities appear in this issue. (Ads appear after this brief table of contents.)

Employment Opportunity 1
Early Childhood Educator
CID Oral School & Outreach Center
Silver Spring, MD

Employment Opportunity 2
Mental Health Counselor Internship (Paid Position)
Family Wellness Program of The Center for Childhood
Philadelphia, PA

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Employment Opportunity 1
Early Childhood Educator
CID Oral School & Outreach Center
Silver Spring, MD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CID Oral School & Outreach Center seeks an Early Childhood Educator for a teaching position in the preschool department for the 2005-2006 school year. CID is an auditory oral school where hearing-impaired children learn to listen and talk. Candidates should be motivated, organized and flexible, have experience teaching young children, and be willing to work closely with a team of teachers of the hearing impaired. Bachelor's degree and teaching certification in Early Childhood Education is required; Master's degree is preferred. Additional certification in special education is desirable.

We offer a competitive salary commensurate with experience along with excellent insurance benefits, retirement, and a tax-sheltered savings plan. Qualified applicants may send resume, cover letter and salary history to:

Teacher
c/o Human Resources
Central Institute for the Deaf
4560 Clayton Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63110

or e-mail to: atighe@cid.wustl.edu

EOE/M/F/D/V

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Employment Opportunity 2
Mental Health Counselor Internship (Paid Position)
Family Wellness Program of The Center for Childhood
Philadelphia, PA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Paid Mental Health Counselor Internship with Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Children and Families Available!

With the Family Wellness Program of The Center for Childhood of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. For a graduate student in final semester during Spring 2006. Under an LPC's supervision, the intern will provide group and individual therapy, psycho-social consultation, information and referral, and training and work with a full range of HOH/Deaf children and children with Deaf/HOH parents. Previous experience with Deaf/HOH individuals required. For more information see: www.chop.edu/ccc and go to "Resources for Healthcare Professionals" or email GrossmanA@email.chop.edu

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Contact Information and Disclaimers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

Visit our Website at: http://www.hearinglossweb.com

To subscribe to this newsletter, email
HOH-LD-News-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Yahoogroups will respond with a subscription email.

To unsubscribe to this newsletter, email
HOH-LD-News-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. Yahoogroups will respond with an unsubscription email.

Archives for this newsletter are on our website at:
http://www.hearinglossweb.com.
Click on "HOH-LD-News" in the header.

Advertising information for HOH-LD-News and Hearing Loss Web is available at http://www.hearinglossweb.com/Misc/adv/adv.htm.

Publication of articles or advertisements does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services offered, nor of the companies that offer them.