Volume 26 Issue 2

HOH-LD-News
Vol. 26, Issue 2
January 7, 2006

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Table of Contents
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- Article 1: Deafness From Chemotherapy More Common Than We Think - Part 1

- Article 2: A New Resource for Learning Lipreading/Speechreading at Home

- Article 3: Harkin Presses for Stronger Emergency Preparedness And Response for People with Disabilities

- Article 4: How to Find a Hearing Aid Compatible Cell Phone

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: New Vibrating/Audible Timer at Harris Communications
Second Premium Placement: "In The News" - HLW Provides Ongoing Hearing Loss News Coverage
Third Premium Placement: IHHD Online Educational Opportunities
Classified Section: One FM Receiver and five Employment Opportunities

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Contact information and disclaimers are at the end of this newsletter.
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New Vibrating/Audible Timer at Harris Communications
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The Vibrating/Audible Timer is a unique timer with three alarms that work independently or together: red alarm light, audible alarm and vibrating alarm. With its many uses---as a timer for cooking, for speeches and presentations, and for exercising---it is a very practical item to have in your home. The display of the Vibrating/Audible Timer has large, easy-to-read numbers while the timer itself is small and can be clipped to a waistband or be opened up to be self-standing.

For more information go to, http://www.harriscomm.com/link/?www.harriscomm.com?sr=hlw or contact us at mailto:info@harriscomm.com
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- Article 1: Deafness From Chemotherapy More Common Than We Think - Part 1
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Editor: We all know that some drugs and medications can cause hearing loss, so it should be no surprise that those used in chemotherapy can do so. Perhaps more surprising is the fact that the incidence of hearing loss due to chemotherapy may be underreported.

Research at the Oregon Health & Science University addresses this issue and offers potential treatment that may prevent hearing loss due to chemotherapy.

This article is reprinted with permission from Medicalnewstoday.com. This is part one of two parts.

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By 14, Peter Johnson had survived brain cancer and a relapse of the disease in his shoulder. But it was treatment for the last tumor that would create his life's greatest challenges.

Johnson, now 33, has suffered since 1986 from the effects of ototoxicity, a condition in which platinum-based chemotherapy drugs, such as carboplatin and the more common cisplatin, damage the tiny hair cells in the inner ear that vibrate in response to sound waves. This leads to progressive, irreversible hearing loss and reduced quality of life for patients.

Despite surgery and intense radiation therapy to remove the brain tumor, Johnson says the hearing loss resulting from the chemotherapy for the shoulder tumor has been the most disabling.

"The hearing loss is difficult," said Johnson, a Portland resident who started losing his hearing in 1986, about a year after his chemotherapy treatment for the shoulder tumor ended. "What I don't think the general public understands is that surviving cancer isn't the same as a broken leg. Once the leg is healed, you're pretty much back to normal. Once you survive cancer, the after-effects are numerous and you just keep discovering them."

To scientists at Oregon Health & Science University, Johnson's experience is not surprising. A new study published in the current edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that ototoxicity's frequency and severity, as well as its long-term effects on development, have long been underreported by the medical community.

The research found that a well-known classification system doctors use for reporting toxicities in patients, the National Cancer Institute's Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, or CTCAE, doesn't consider high-frequency hearing loss, allowing the magnitude of ototoxicity in children treated with platinum agents to be miscalculated.

The purpose of the study is "to make people aware that this is more common than people think and we need to follow this issue," said Kristy Gilmer Knight, M.S., a pediatric audiologist at OHSU's Doernbecher Children's Hospital and the study's lead author.

Knight said a major problem for doctors trying to diagnose hearing loss from ototoxicity is that it's not that obvious. "The way it manifests itself is not that children lose all their hearing," she said. "The way it manifests itself is tricky. The typical presentation is high-frequency hearing loss, and so it may not look like they're having a problem, especially when communicating one-on-one in a quiet room. And kids won't complain about not understanding what was said when they're really little."

And that can lead to development issues for children. A 1998 study that evaluated the educational performance and social-emotional functioning of about 1,200 children with minimal hearing loss found that 37 percent failed at least one grade in school compared with the normal rate of 3 percent. They also had more problems with behavior, energy, stress, self-esteem and social support.

OHSU researchers tested the hearing of 67 patients, ages 8 months to 23 years, who received platinum-based chemotherapy. Data was analyzed to determine the length of time to hearing loss using criteria from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, or ASHA, and the effects of treatment and patient characteristics on the incidence and severity of ototoxicity.

According to the study, hearing loss was found in 61 percent of patients, with average onset beginning 135 days after chemotherapy. This included 55 percent of children treated with cisplatin; 38 percent of children treated with cisplatin's less-toxic derivative, carboplatin; and 84 percent of children treated with both agents. Children treated for osteosarcoma, neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma, the form of brain cancer Johnson had, experienced greater incidence and severity of hearing loss.

But researchers say many of these children are falling through the cracks. The study found that while the ASHA criteria and CTCAE grading scale were similar in how they defined hearing loss progression, results from clinical trials often focus only on CTCAE grade 3 toxicity, which represents hearing loss requiring therapeutic intervention, and grade 4, which requires a cochlear implant and additional speech and language development services. The study said agreement between the CTCAE and ASHA criteria was "inadequate."

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"In The News" - HLW Provides Ongoing Hearing Loss News Coverage
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Hearing Loss Web (Publisher of HOH-LD-News) is thrilled to announce a new chapter on our website. Called "In the News", this section will keep you current with what's happening in the hearing loss world between weekly issues of HOH-LD-News.

We're using the same editorial discretion about what stories to include on "In the News" as we do for stories to include in HOH-LD-News. So what you'll see are the hearing loss stories that we think are important!

If you like the HOH-LD-News story selection, you'll like the "In the News" story selection.

Don't forget to bookmark:
http://www.hearinglossweb.com/news/curr.htm
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- Article 2: A New Resource for Learning Lipreading/Speechreading at Home
by Mary J. Allen, Ph.D., University of South Australia
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Editor: We're seeing a growing interest in speechreading (also called lipreading) within the hearing loss community. Speechreading interest seems to have lagged in the past few years, but we've recently been getting requests for speechreading resources.

There's nothing like a "live" class for learning speechreading, and we encourage people to take them whenever possible. If that's not an option, you might consider computer based instruction that you can do at home. Here's Mary Allen, Ph.D., of the University of South Australia, with her thoughts on the subject.

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Hearing loss is a common problem in today's society. It is expected that the numbers of people with hearing loss will increase due to: (a) increasing ageing population, (b) earlier onset of hearing loss in young people (LePage, 1994) (c) more people acknowledging their previously undiagnosed and unreported hearing loss, due to increased public education and growing awareness about hearing loss. This could mean that existing aural rehabilitation providers may not be able to meet the increased demand to provide lipreading/speechreading training as part of aural rehabilitation. Greater use of computer technology could be used to alleviate this expected demand; either in class or self instruction. Using computer technology to provide aural rehabilitation would also allow the person with a hearing loss ready access to necessary information, help and communication - and even, lipreading/speechreading training.

Generally, lipreading/speechreading is taught face to face but this is not always possible for people who live in areas (especially rural) where such help may not be available, or are housebound due to physical or psychological restraint. At present, self-instruction of lipreading/speechreading is available using videotapes and paper-based materials, which are limited in providing feedback and interaction.

The advent of computer technology has brought enormous potential as a new medium for active learning. This is evidenced by the wide range of educational software available, and the existence of the Open University in England which delivers a wide range of university educational courses externally to a very large population of students. Computers are changing the way we work, and the way we live and learn.

The advantages for learning lipreading/speechreading from a computer are:
* Ready access to lessons, in a private, non-obligatory, non-threatening environment of their home
* Flexibility of learning in style, pace and rate
* Ease of access to replay or revision of elements of material learnt or being learnt
* Instant feedback

To the best of my knowledge, there are seven (7) English lipreading/speechreading programs in the world; 3 in the US, 2 in Australia, and 2 in the UK. I have seen all these programs, except for one of the US ones, and have found them all fascinating from a researcher's point of view. It is encouraging to have as many lipreading programs available for the person wanting to learn lipreading/speechreading, as it is variety and different approaches create good learning opportunities.

It is not possible to review all of the lipreading programs here but they essentially all cover the speech movements of the English language, and present words and sentences in either moving video or graphic animation form. They all provide opportunities for the learner to test their lipreading skill, in either a test or exercise format.

The following is an illustration of an interactive exercise in the Australian lipreading program "Learning to Lipread: an Introductory Course" (Allen, 2000). [Ed. Illustration not provided.]

Results from a clinical trial of this lipreading program with hard of hearing adults proved that it is possible to improve lipreading/speechreading skill using computer based training.

There will continue to be a place for face to face teaching of lipreading/speechreading as hard of hearing adults need contact with others like themselves. The nature of hearing loss already places a person in isolation and less interaction may increase the feelings of isolation. Therefore, contact and meeting and interaction with other people should be encouraged, as well as looking at all the resources and help available for the hard of hearing person to improve their quality of life.

But what about those hard of hearing people living in areas where there is no access to lipreading/speechreading classes? Apart from doing these lipreading/speechreading programs at home, it is possible to start up a self-help class using various materials. At this present time, I am actually developing a working model for such a self-help class, to be piloted in Australia and the US (with the help of American colleagues and organisations) hopefully in the near future.

In conclusion, I would like to repeat a question a presenter raised at the international conference (3rd adult aural rehabilitation, Hearing Rehabilitation Foundation, Boston) I attended in Portland Maine in May 2005: "Is aural rehabilitation dying?" I would suggest that it is not, as long as support groups such as SHHH and ALDA exist to help and support hard of hearing people, and to encourage them to augment their hearing loss with hearing aids, information and self-help strategies to cope with daily life.

Email me at: DrAllen@lipread.com.au, if you have any comments or answers to that question, or wish for more information on the lipreading programs, or the pilot self-help class, or even to tell me about aural rehabilitation services in your area. Let's open up a debate on aural rehabilitation and help keep it alive.

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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: Harkin Presses for Stronger Emergency Preparedness And Response for People with Disabilities
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Editor: You may recall that emergency personnel were pretty much unprepared to deal with people with disabilities during the recent emergencies in the US, and that people with hearing loss were most often excluded from access to emergency services.

Senator Tom Harkin has introduced legislation that attempts to ensure that emergency planners do a better job of considering the needs of people with disabilities. One important provision is the creation of a Disability Coordinator within the Department of Homeland Security! We applaud this effort.

Here's the press release from the National Organization on Disability

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Washington, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today introduced the Emergency Preparedness and Response for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2005. The legislation will address the needs of individuals with disabilities in emergency planning and relief efforts.

"Hurricane Katrina's aftermath has shown us that we need to have a better emergency response plan, especially one that includes preparations for assisting people with disabilities," said Harkin. "This bill is an important step to ensure that the needs of disabled Americans will be addressed in case of an emergency."

Under this legislation, a Disability Coordinator would be created in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who will report directly to the Secretary. The Coordinator would be responsible for:

* Working with local, state and federal authorities about the needs of individuals with disabilities in emergency planning and relief,
* Developing a curriculum for first responder training on the needs of individuals with disabilities,
* Ensure telephone hotlines and websites containing information about evacuations are accessible, and
* Provide guidance about the rights of individuals with disabilities regarding post evacuation residence and relocation, among other things.

The Emergency Preparedness and Response for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2005 will also require that 30 percent of temporary housing for disaster victims be accessible, and usable by individuals with disabilities, and would provide incentives to create more accessible housing during reconstruction efforts.

Harkin is a longstanding advocate for individuals with disabilities in the U.S. and has worked tirelessly to call attention to disability rights. He was the chief sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), landmark legislation which seeks equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for millions of Americans with physical and mental disabilities.

Hilary Styron, Director
Emergency Preparedness Initiative
National Organization on Disability

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- Article 4: How to Find a Hearing Aid Compatible Cell Phone
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One way, of course, is to walk into your local cell phone store and look for phones marked with an "M3" or "M4" rating. Note that M4 is the best. I would strongly encourage you to try the phone out before you purchase it; if you can't do that, getting an "M4" rated phone might be even more important!

But before heading off to your local phone store, you might want to spend some time looking at PhoneScoop (www.phonescoop.com). They allow you to select a phone based on a myriad of features, service providers, air interface preferences, etc. Unfortunately the original features list used for selection does NOT include hearing aid compatibility (HAC). But if you proceed with your selection based on other factors, you'll get a list of all the phones that meet your requirements. You can directly compare up to five of these phones at a time, and that screen DOES include the HAC rating for the phones.

Note that HAC has NOTHING to do with telecoil use. The rating indicates how well the phone prevents interference when a hearing aid is using the microphone for input. Beginning in September of 2006, phones will also be rated for telecoil compatibility.

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- Classifieds
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One FM Receiver and five Employment Opportunities appear in this issue. (Ads appear after this brief table of contents.)

Universal FM Receiver
Landmark Audio Technologies
www.landmarkfm.com

Employment Opportunity 1
Physical Therapist, Registered - Framingham Campus - Part Time
The Learning Center for Deaf Children
Framingham, MA

Employment Opportunity 2
Residential Overnight Dorm Staff (Girls) - Framingham Campus - Full Time
The Learning Center for Deaf Children
Framingham, MA

Employment Opportunity 3
Physical Education Teacher - Framingham Campus - Full Time
The Learning Center for Deaf Children
Framingham, MA

Employment Opportunity 4
Child Care Workers (Overnight and Residential) - Walden School
The Learning Center for Deaf Children
Framingham, MA

Employment Opportunity 5
Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR/L)
The Learning Center for Deaf Children
Framingham, MA

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Universal FM Receiver
Landmark Audio Technologies
www.landmarkfm.com
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Landmark Audio Technologies is proudly introducing its new Radio Orpheus universal audio receiver. The Orpheus receiver is compatible with nearly all existing FM-based large area listening systems and is priced at $59 or less.

Landmark Audio Technologies is a producer of affordably priced assistive listening systems that are easy to use and satisfaction guaranteed. You can find us online at www.landmarkfm.com or please give us a call at 888-677-4387.

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Employment Opportunity 1
Physical Therapist, Registered - Framingham Campus - Part Time
The Learning Center for Deaf Children
Framingham, MA
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Provide Physical Therapy services for pediatric population with a Primary diagnosis of deafness or hard of hearing along with other diagnoses such as developmental delays, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, failure to thrive, mental retardation, mental illness, CHARGE and other musculoskeletal disorders. Services will include evaluations, goal development and direct treatment. Also, the Physical Therapist will provide appropriate intervention services designed to enhance the student's potential for learning, assist the student in acquiring those functional skills needed to participate in and benefit from the educational environment, and help the student function independently.

Requirements: BS in Physical Therapy from an accredited college or university. Eligible for licensure by the State of Massachusetts Board of Allied Health. Basic American Sign Language skills preferred. Pediatric experience preferred.

Supervisor: Special Needs Program Supervisor

Functions and Responsibilities:
1. Performs all duties within compliance of the APTA recommended guidelines for practice and code of ethics
2. Performs duties of a Physical Therapist in accordance with physician's orders when medically necessary
3. Performs student evaluations and screenings pre referrals, once appropriate consent is obtained
4. Establishes treatment goals, objectives and plans that are educationally relevant and will be used in the student's educational programs
5. Communicates findings and recommendations of evaluations of Physical Therapy services to educational staff, parents, students, and when appropriate, to other professionals and agencies concerned with the student
6. Provides reassessment of students focusing on areas of need at intervals determined to be educationally relevant
7. Consults with other members of the educational team and the family to plan appropriate programs for each student as needed

Please contact:
Lynn Marshall
Personnel Coordinator
The Learning Center for Deaf Children
848 Central Street, Framingham, MA 01701
fax # 508-875-3355
phone # 508/879-5110 v/tty
or email: Inquiries@tlcdeaf.org