Volume 25 Issue 4

HOH-LD-News
Vol. 25, Issue 4
October 22, 2005

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Table of Contents
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- Article 1: Hearing Loss From Immune System Attack

- Article 2: On the Need for a Hearing Aid Tax Credit

- Article 3: Misonix Takes Step Forward in Ultrasonic Hearing Aid Market

- Article 4: Technology puts years on young ears

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: Do You Have a New Harris Communications Catalog?
Second Premium Placement: NAD Book on Your Legal Rights
Third Premium Placement: IHHD Online Educational Opportunities
Classified Section: One Workshop, one Senior Living Availability, one California Relay Service Public Meeting, and several Employment Opportunities

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Contact information and disclaimers are at the end of this newsletter.
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Do You Have a New Harris Communications Catalog?
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The new 2006 Harris Communications catalog has arrived. If you have not received yours, request a free copy today. Remember to go to our website for the latest product offerings and keep coming back for new product specials.

For more information go to http://www.harriscomm.com or contact us at mailto:info@harriscomm.com

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- Article 1: Hearing Loss From Immune System Attack
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Editor: When a person suddenly loses his hearing, doctors often prescribe steroid therapy in an attempt to restore hearing. This therapy works in some cases, but not all; unfortunately doctors are unable to predict in advance which patients will benefit from steroid treatment, and which will not. They're also unable to explain why it works for some patients, and not for others.

Researchers at the University of Michigan may be changing that. Here are portions of a press release describing their recent work. The complete press release is available at http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2005/hearingloss.htm

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New laboratory research may eventually help those who lose their hearing due to immune system attacks

University of Michigan-led study may one day lead to test that could show which patients may be helped by immediate steroid treatment

ANN ARBOR, MI - Our immune system protects us from disease, destroying invading microbes with a swarm of attacking cells. But it can also go haywire for no apparent reason, ganging up on normal tissues in our body and wreaking havoc.

In thousands of people each year, the immune system attacks the inner ear, home to the tiny, delicate structures that allow us to hear. Without warning, in days or weeks, patients lose the ability to hear in one or both ears. Some might get part or all of their hearing back if they take steroid medicines, but many are left to cope with partial or total deafness without knowing what caused it. And no one knows why it happens.

Now, new research based at the University of Michigan's Kresge Hearing Research Institute may help more patients find out quickly if steroids could help them, or if they can be spared the drugs' harsh side effects. It may also expand the definition of the condition, known as autoimmune sensorineural hearing loss or AISNHL, and help more people get a firm diagnosis of what's causing their mysterious hearing loss. Please note, this procedure is not ready for clinical use.

In the August issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, researchers reports results from a study of 63 people with rapidly progressing hearing loss in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Indiana, and 20 people with normal hearing. The patients were suspected of having an auto-immune cause for their hearing loss, and all received steroids, but they hadn't been formally diagnosed.

The researchers found that more than half of the hearing-loss patients had antibodies against a protein found in the inner ear, called IESCA for inner-ear supporting cell antigen. This is a sign their immune systems recognized it as foreign.

"In all, 28 of the 63 patients experienced improvement in their hearing after steroid treatment, and 35 did not. But the vast majority, 89 percent, of those who improved had a positive immunofluorescence test for an antibody to IESCA that we have studied at U-M for years," says senior author Thomas Carey, Ph.D., a professor and distinguished research scientist at the U-M Medical School and department chair in the School of Dentistry. "The results strongly suggest that a direct test for antibodies could accurately predict which patients will regain hearing with steroid treatment." Such a test, he notes, is still several years away from being available to patients.

The new findings also may be important to people with systemic autoimmune disorders such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. Such people may be prone to losing all or part of their hearing due to an overzealous autoimmune reaction. All eight study participants who had systemic autoimmune diseases showed signs of antibodies against IESCA. Six of them regained hearing after steroid treatment.

U-M researchers have been studying IESCA for several years in animals and have found that it may be a main target of the immune system's deafening attack on the inner ear. IESCA is found in the supporting cells that help make up the organ of Corti, a tiny but crucial structure inside the cochlea, or inner ear.

Inside the organ of Corti are the ultra-sensitive hair cells, whose movement in response to vibrations creates the nerve signals that are fed to the brain and interpreted as sounds and speech. Damage to the organ of Corti and hair cells, whether due to immune system attack, loud noise, trauma or medications, can diminish or destroy hearing.

[snip]

Interestingly, Carey notes, nearly all of the patients who had sudden hearing loss over hours or days had antibodies, and nearly all improved with steroids.

Since this kind of rapid-onset hearing loss has historically been excluded from the formal definition of AISNHL, Carey suggests the definition may need re-examining in light of this strong evidence for an immune-system cause in these patients.

[snip]

Special note for hearing-loss patients: The new findings, while exciting, are laboratory results and cannot be immediately applied to human treatment. It will take several years to develop a test that could be used in patients who have recently developed hearing loss. If you have recently begun to experience hearing loss that is progressing, seek immediate attention from an otolaryngologist, sometimes called an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor. He or she can advise you on immediate and long-term treatment options.

[snip]

Written by Kara Gavin

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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: On the Need for a Hearing Aid Tax Credit
by Stephen O. Frazier
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Editor: You've probably heard about the hearing aid tax credit proposal, which would allow a tax credit when a person buys a hearing aid. The bills haven't been passed yet, but the possibility of getting these bills through Congress is looking better all the time.

Here's Stephen Frazier's letter with some good arguments for the bill. Stephen invites people to model a letter to their congresspersons on his work, and includes some helpful information on how to do that following his letter.

Steve is VP for PR for the Albuquerque Chapter of Self Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH). Take a minute to visit their wonderful website at www.abqshhh.homestead.com. While you're surfing, also have a look at the Hearing Aid Tax Credit website Steve put together - http://www.nowhearthis.homestead.com/

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Hearing loss does not just affect the individual, it affects those around that person - family, friends, co-workers and, often, the general public. It can be the cause of family friction, lowered productivity at work, loss of contact with the outside world.

Based on averages reported in a study by Gallaudet University, the nation's premier institution of higher learning for the Hard of Hearing and the Deaf, it is estimated that there are in excess of 150,000 Hard of Hearing citizens in the state of New Mexico and an additional 10,000 who are deaf. The great majority of these people, including many of those who are deaf, could benefit greatly from the use of hearing aids but, unfortunately, only a small percentage of these people have the devices.

The single largest impediment to the use of hearing aids is cost. Although there are models available for under $1,000, the average hearing aid now costs $1,700 ($3,400 for a pair). For the most advanced technology, the cost can be considerably higher. Even at the average figure, the cost puts hearing aids out of reach for many with hearing loss - particularly that 26% of the public over the age of 65, nearly a third of whom have some degree of hearing loss.

According to government statistics, hearing loss in seniors is the third most prevalent but treatable disabling condition, behind arthritis and hypertension. Medicare, however, does not cover hearing aids nor do almost all health insurance policies. For many seniors on a limited income, what happens when they suffer hearing loss is often a gradual withdrawal from social activities with friends and family resulting in growing isolation, loneliness and a deterioration of their quality of life because they do not have the financial resources to purchase hearing aids.

Seniors, however, are not the only ones who suffer from hearing loss. The Journal of the American Medical Association (April 8, 1998) reports that 14.9% of children ages 6 to 19 have a hearing loss of at least 16 decibels in one or both ears. The American Academy of Otolaryngology reported way back in 1990 that 7% of second graders and 15% of eighth-graders have measurable hearing loss.

For the hard of hearing children of struggling young parents, the lack of hearing aids can have a dramatic impact on the children's education, their social skills, and their resulting success in life as they go out into society. Untreated hearing loss in their early, formative years, can handicap these children for the rest of their lives even if they are later fitted with hearing aids.

To at least partially address this problem, a bill has been introduced in the house by Congressman Jim Ryun of Kansas (HR 414 - the Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act) that would make a $500 per ear tax credit available to qualifying individuals once ever five years for the purchase of hearing aids. A companion bill (S 1060) has recently been introduced in the Senate by Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota.

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People are welcome to adapt the information above to compose a letter to their own delegation in Washington. They can come up with estimated HoH figures for their state by going to the Gallaudet University web site, printing a copy of a the information posted there on the Prevalence and Characteristics of Persons with Hearing Trouble, then checking the U. S. Census figures for the population in their state. The Gallaudet report's address is: http://gri.gallaudet.edu/Demographics/factsheet.html

People can learn more about both the Senate and House versions of the bill at the SHHH web site. For info on the house bill: www.hearingloss.org/html/HC.html and for info on the Senate bill is: www.hearingloss.org/html/HC01.html .

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You're Career Oriented... Career Driven...and Hard of Hearing or Deaf
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The Institute for Persons Who Are Hard of Hearing or Deaf (IHHD) is a nonprofit Congressionally-funded agency dedicated to facilitating workplace and career advancement for aspiring professionals like you.

IHHD provides important online educational opportunities to share experiences, access top professional leaders, and develop crucial communication and business skills. Choose from a number of programs that cover all aspects of career growth - from starting a business to leadership and advocacy development.

These month-long courses are delivered online using National University's acclaimed state-of-the-art interactive learning system to provide optimal accessibility. Visit: http://cha.nu.edu/ec/formihhd-careerdev.html?ypd002
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- Article 3: Misonix Takes Step Forward in Ultrasonic Hearing Aid Market
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Editor: Several years ago we reported on the HiSonic hearing aid, which caused quite a stir at the time. It is an ultrasonic, bone conduction aid that the manufacturers said could assist people with sensorineural hearing loss who did not benefit from conventional hearing aids. It was even suggested as a potential alternative to Cochlear Implants. (See http://www.hearinglossweb.com/res/ha/hisonic.htm)

Then the company and product seemed to just disappear, until now. A company called Misonix has apparently bought Sonic Innovations (HiSonic developer) and is working to commercialize the HiSonic product.

Here are portions of the press release.

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FARMINGDALE, N.Y., Oct. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Misonix, Inc. (Nasdaq: MSON), a developer of ultrasonic medical device technology for the treatment of cancer and other healthcare purposes, today announced that it has contracted Ceres Biotechnology, LLC for services to assist in brining to market its ultrasonic medical devices for those with severe hearing impairment. These activities are an important element to Misonix's strategy for preparing for commercialization the products that had been in development by Hearing Innovations. As announced earlier this year and following its reorganization under Chapter 11, Hearing Innovations, a developmental company with patented HiSonic ultrasonic technology intended to alleviate profound deafness and tinnitus, became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Misonix.

Virginia-based Ceres Biotechnology has been contracted for an indefinite period expected to last approximately 18 months. Deliverables under the contract include professional consulting services for the development of technology, software programming, technical and product development engineering, selection of commercial partners, and the creation, testing and development of prototypes. As part of the contract, Ceres Biotechnology will conduct a clinical trail intended to prove efficacy. Ceres envisions the development of a multifunctional unit that will incorporate technologies addressing sensory processes essential for hearing and interpreting sound. The technology also will enable improved hearing by those less impaired, thus significantly expanding the addressable market.

[snip]

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- Article 4: Technology puts years on young ears
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The Chicago Tribune recently reported on the devastating effects of high-volume noise on young people's ears. According to the Better Hearing Institute 18% of baby boomers have hearing loss, and 7.4% of Generation Xers! The article placed much of the blame on the proliferation of audio devices, including iPods, MP3 players, and cell phones.

The devices are capable of producing audio at a very high volume; some devices produce volumes above 120 db, far in excess of the 85 db threshold above which hearing loss can occur. Europeans have taken steps to limit the effects of high-volume devices, capping iPod outputs at 100 db. No such limits exist in the United States. Researchers note that people are also listening to these devices much longer each day than in the past; some people are using them virtually all day!

As you might expect, the longer a person is exposed to loud sounds, the less time is required for hearing damage to occur. While 8 hours of 85 db sound is considered the damage threshold, a 120 db rock concert can cause damage in as little as 7.5 minutes.

Many musicians and concertgoers are familiar with a phenomenon called "temporary threshold shift", which includes hearing loss, tinnitus, and "fuzzy" hearing. The symptoms may be temporary, but they indicate that permanent damage has been done.

The message is simple. If possible, avoid loud sounds. If you must be exposed to loud noise, wear hearing protection!

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- Classifieds
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One Workshop, one Senior Living Availability, one California Relay Service Public Meeting, and several Employment Opportunities appear in this issue. (Ads appear after this brief table of contents.)

Stop Bullying and Victimization in Your School
Workshops Offered
Dr. Patricia S. Hodgdon
Frederick, MD

Water Tower View Senior Housing Applications Available
Greenfield, Wisconsin

California Relay Service Advisory Committee Public Meeting
Friday, October 28
Van Nuys, CA

Job Opportunities at GLAD
Various Positions
Various Southern California Locations

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Stop Bullying and Victimization in Your School
Workshops Offered
Dr. Patricia S. Hodgdon
Frederick, MD
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Need Help With Bullying And Victimization In Your School?

- Do your students hit, kick, and shove each other?
- Do your students use name calling as a form of intimidation?
- Do you know how to stop a bully?
- Are you frustrated about what to do?

- Workshops offered

Patricia S. Hodgdon, Ph.D., is a consultant specializing in bullying and victimization. She provides consultation to teachers, parents, deaf and hard of hearing students in Public Schools and Residential Schools for the Deaf all over the country. Her consultation efforts are based on increasing faculty and staff awareness of bullying and victimization; helping school staff recognize and evaluate the amount of bullying, pecking order, and relational aggression in their schools.

She is a certified school psychologist.

E-mail Dr. Hodgdon for additional information at:
mailto:PSHodgdon@aol.com

Dr. Patricia S. Hodgdon
P.O. Box 11
Frederick, MD, 21705

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Water Tower View Senior Housing Applications Available
Greenfield, Wisconsin
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Water Tower View senior housing for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf-Blind is welcoming applications. This senior housing has been designed with a variety of amenities and is sponsored and supported by the Southeastern Wisconsin Deaf Senior Citizens, Inc. Cardinal Capital Management, Inc. is the developer.

Applicants for this affordable housing must meet certain qualifications, specifically:

- At least one member of the household must be a minimum of 55 years of age
- The household income must not exceed the limit set by the IRS Section 42 tax credit program
- The household must be able to show a good credit rating

Location:
3983 S. Prairie Hill Lane,
Greenfield, Wisconsin
(87th & Howard Avenue in Woodland Ridge)

For more information, and to order an application, please contact:
- Katie Voss at mailto:kvoss@cardinalcapital.us or call VP/TTY 888-532-4135, or
- Carol Comp at ccomp@cardinalcapital.us or call VP/TTY 888-532-4107

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California Relay Service Advisory Committee Public Meeting
Friday, October 28
Van Nuys, CA
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ATTENTION CAPTEL USERS, CRS USERS, AND ANYONE ELSE INTERESTED IN THE CALIFORNIA RELAY SERVICE (Public Meeting)

Learn about Captioned Telephone Service (CaptTel), an exciting opportunity to read what the other calling party is saying during a telephone conversation.

Meeting: California Relay Service Advisory (CRSAC) Public Meeting

What is CRSAC?
The California Relay Service Advisory Committee (CRSAC) reviews specialized phone services for hard of hearing, deaf, and speech-disabled callers.

When: Friday, October 28, 2005

Where:
Airtel Plaza Hotel, 7277 Valjean Avenue, Van Nuys, CA, 91406
Airtel Plaza Hotel Telephone: 800-2-AIRTEL (800-224-7835)

Room: Concorde III Meeting Room

Time:
2:00pm - 5:00pm Business Meeting
5:00pm - 6:00pm Dinner Break
6:00pm - 7:00pm New Captioned Telephone Expanded Field Trial: Overview and user panel
7:00pm - 8:00pm Public Input

Additional Meeting Information:
No cost. No obligation.
6:00pm - 7:00pm CapTel users will describe their experience with this new free service.

Public comment is invited.

Communication Services Available:
ASL Sign Language interpreters
Real-time captioning

For more information: Changchup Nyima
Voice: 1-510-302-1100 Ext.: 110
TTY: 1-510-302-1118
Email: changchup@ddtp.org

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Job Opportunities at GLAD
Various Positions
Various Southern California Locations
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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. The status of all positions is: Regular, Full-time, Non-Exempt, Full Fringe Benefits unless otherwise noted. All positions are open until filled.

PROGRAM ASSISTANT/INTERPRETER in Los Angeles
Brief summary: Under supervision of the Director of Health Education/Services, using the guidelines of the assigned scope of work provided by the California Department of Health Service's Community Challenge Grant, the Program Assistant/Interpreter will:

Work closely with the Community Health Educators on activities for GLAD's program including plan and participate in community events and educational workshops as stated in the project scope of work; Provide interpreting services for teleconferencing meetings, collaborative meetings, OFP regional meetings, FamilyPACT clinic meetings, and appointments or any other situations which may arise to facilitate communication for project staff; Make arrangements and schedule with schools, programs and clinics for project educational/prevention activities; Responsible to coordinate Deaf Youth Advocacy Presentation and Mentoring Program; Implement media including articles, publications and GLAD's website; Prepare Collaborative Alliance meeting minutes; Compile and distribute educational and promotional materials to project staff and community; Compile all documents for filing and prepare monthly progress reports; Clerical duties as well as such tasks and responsibilities as may be delegated

JOB DEVELOPER/INTERPRETER in West Covina, Pacoima
Brief summary: Employment services offered at GLAD assist deaf and hard of hearing individuals with job information, job training, job placement and accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Co-located at 5 Employment Development Department (EDD) Offices and at each local office. The programs under employment services are: Job Readiness Training, Workplace Accessibility, Job Development, Placement and Follow-up

COMMUNITY ADVOCATE in Riverside
Brief summary: Under the supervision of the Regional Center 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, assists deaf and hard of hearing consumers with independent living skills, educate the deaf and hard of hearing community about various laws and programs benefiting and protecting the rights of deaf persons such as Department of Rehabilitation and Social Security policies and the ADA, etc., work with the Resource Advocate regarding updates of the Directory of Resources, refers consumers to community resources and other organizations, secure information and resources beneficial to the department pertaining to social security, immigration, mediation, etc. through workshops, seminars and through networking with other agencies, some typing and other light office duties as necessary, driving is required as part of the job, perform such tasks and responsibilities as may be delegated.

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- Contact Information and Disclaimers
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