Volume 28 Issue 7

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- Advertisers in this Issue
First Premium Placement:
Protect your hearing aids with Ear Gear from Sound Clarity
Second Premium Placement:
New Comfort Duett at Harris Communications
Third Premium Placement:
IHHD Online Educational Opportunities
Fourth Premium Placement:
Switch to Sprint
Classified Section:
Two online stores, one poker tournament, and one employment opportunity

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Contact information and disclaimers are at the end of this newsletter.
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- Article 1: Access Board Information Meeting on Communication Access - Part 2
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Editor: There seems to be a growing awareness of the issues faced by people with hearing loss in life-threatening and emergency situations. I think it's a long ways from emerging awareness to the implementation of effective systems, but awareness is certainly a start! Here's a report on Lise Hamlin's recent presentation to the Access Board.

This report is presented courtesy of NVRC. You are welcome to share this information, but please be sure to credit NVRC. (See full credit at the end of this article.)

This is part two of four parts.

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On July 25, 2006, the U.S. Access Board held a public meeting on Communication Access in Washington, DC.

Warning Systems That Give Directions

- An emergency requiring sheltering in place instead of evacuation, or requiring instructions typically provided through loudspeakers or bullhorns, is problematic for deaf or hard of hearing persons. Alternative means for alerting should be considered.

- Such a system must take into account a wide range of hearing losses as well as a wide range of experience in using technology. A senior citizen with a hearing loss may be less likely to use a pager or PDA than a young deaf college student. Someone who is hard of hearing but not wearing their hearing aids may be in the same boat as someone who is deaf; both are in a different situation than someone who is deaf-blind. In short, there is no one system that will be useful to all. Therefore, NVRC has long recommended redundancy for any alerting system. If several systems are in place, when one system fails to work, another, or several others, can be used as a back up.

- Some technological alternatives that will help get the word out in an emergency include:

· Private paging - Private paging systems are currently available that can send a short-range signal. Such systems are similar to those vibrating alerts distributed at restaurants to indicate availability of tables for diners. These types of systems can also provide information similar to a traditional pager - a short message sent within a building or targeted area to alert recipients of the page about the emergency event.

· SMS to smart phones and PDA - Many cell phones are equipped with the ability to receive short messages, such as those typically received by PDAs. Such messaging systems can be set up to broadcast within a building or local area.

· Emailed messages - Office workers often spend long hours in front of a computer screen doing their work. The USDA has a system in place to alert staff with a pop-up message when an emergency occurs. Such systems could be used for other large companies or places where the computers are networked.

· Visual Paging - Visual signboards, LED, or plasma displays with automatically scrolling messages have been available for some time now. Typically they are used with a pre-recorded message, but software is available that would allow the message to be manipulated by staff.

· Other visual methods to provide emergency information - When providing information to people who are deaf or hard of hearing, the key is to provide the information visually. A system as basic as providing a strobe or multicolor light array with a pre-recorded message is another way to approach the problem of providing visual information in an emergency.

Another type of visual display is currently used by Amtrak where a passenger on the station platform is warned to stay away from the edge of the platform with an audible alert as well as a sign flashing the words: "Stand Back" and an arrow pointing to the track on which the train will be arriving. The same kind of system could be developed to provide emergency information in a building. For example, a yellow light could flash with a message such as: "Emergency Alert: Stay Inside - Safe Zone: Away from Windows." The same board could include an orange light behind the message: "Emergency Alert - Stay Inside - Safe Zone Top Floors" and red light might be used for the message saying: "Emergency Alert - Stay Inside - Safe Zone Basement" while white lights could be used for a message such as: "Emergency Alert - Evacuate the Building" along with a traditional fire alarm sounding. Flashing lights could also be designed in an arrow shape to point in the direction of a safe exit.

- NVRC urges the Access Board to set standards for accessible warning systems that inform deaf or hard of hearing building occupants when audible paging systems are used to inform building occupants that evacuation is not in their best interest or when building occupants are audibly directed to take other measures for safety.

,...............

(c)2006 by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons (NVRC), 3951 Pender Drive, Suite 130, Fairfax, VA 22030; www.nvrc.org Items in this newsletter are provided for information purposes only; NVRC does not endorse products or services. You do not need permission to share this information, but please be sure to credit NVRC.

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New Comfort Duett at Harris Communications
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The Comfort Duett is a small, easy-to-use, rechargeable personal assistive listening device with superior sound. Use it with earphones in place of a hearing aid, or use it with an induction neckloop (not included), to amplify conversations and sounds from a variety of sources like the TV, radio, telephone, etc. With a switch of the setting, the Comfort Duett goes from being an acoustic amplifier to an induction receiver, able to pick up the signals from a loop system.

For more information, go to
http://www.harriscomm.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=18812
or contact us at mailto:info@harriscomm.com
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- Article 2: Reader Response to Denise Portis' "Perspective"
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Editor: We recently published Denise Portis' article by about her surprise at what her daughter's blog did NOT contain. In her description of her mother, Kyersten didn't mention her mom's hearing loss. If you missed Denise's interesting thoughts on that experience, see the first article at http://www.hearinglossweb.com/res/pub/nsltr/hln/v28/i4.htm

Reader Andrea Olson (olson3@spiritone.com) offered her thoughts on why a teenager might not mention her mom's hearing loss. I think you'll find her comments thought-provoking, as well.

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I read your perspective section and Denise's story left me sort of perplexed. I grew up with a moderate hearing loss, that is now severe and getting worse (I'm in my early 40's). I have a 14 year old daughter and a 10 year old son. My hearing loss is very much a part of who I am. My daughter doesn't have a blog, but she freely tells people that I am hard of hearing. Especially when I am talking to people and she can see that I am not following the conversation. I think she sort of takes pride that I am different. She is very open about it. Her referring to my hearing loss actually makes me feel better. I tire of telling people that I am hard of hearing sometimes. When she brings it up herself, I feel sort of validated in a strange way, and normal at the same time. It's something I HAVE to deal with everyday anyway.

I wonder if I could bring in a different possible reason why the 16 year old did not refer to her mother's hearing loss in her blog ..... could she have shame about her mother's hearing loss and not want to say anything about it? I know that when I was 16, I hid my hearing loss as best as I could. When my school wanted me to be a peer advisor to another student with hearing loss, I wanted nothing to do with it. I wanted so desperately to be "normal"- like my classmates. Could Denise's daughter want the same of her mother?

I am in a vocational rehabilitation master's degree program. In one class that was open to students outside of the program, we all had to introduce ourselves and say one thing about ourselves that describes who we are. I said that I was "Andrea Olson, and I am hard of hearing." One of the students outside of my VR program later said to the class that she was so impressed that I was so open about telling people about my hearing loss. I think my hearing loss makes me "different" and unique (but at times VERY frustrated, too).

If my daughter stops telling people that her mom is hard of hearing for awhile, I'll understand because she is "going through a phase of growing up." Maybe she'll want to fit in with all of her friends. I just wouldn't want her to put me down or belittle me. And if she does, I'll remind her that people can't help things like this. Ever since she was young, I've pointed out people with all kinds of disabilities and told her (and my son), that people don't necessarily choose to have disabilities, but they have to deal with whatever they've got. We all have disabilities of some sort anyway. For example, some people fear public speaking and will do anything they can to avoid those situations.

I wouldn't want to hurt Denise's feelings. My hearing loss is just so obvious now, that I can't imagine people not referring to me without it. It's certainly not fun in any means (but it is funny sometimes, trying to figure out what I thought I heard...), but if people completely leave that out about me, it makes me wonder why.

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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: Crank it Down
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Editor: By now we should all know the dangers of noise induced hearing Loss (NIHL) and bow to prevent it. If you or someone you know needs a refresher, this article from "Inside, the NIDCD Newsletter" should do the job.

"Inside" is published by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communicative Disorders (NIDCD). The material in not copyrighted, and republication is encouraged!

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Your mother was right when she told you to turn down the volume. Too much noise can permanently damage your hearing. No matter how old or young you are, and no matter whether it's loud music coming from an MP3 player, the sudden blast of a hunting rifle, or the roar of a lawn mower, exposure to loud sounds can be harmful.

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a serious problem. Some 30 million Americans are at risk for NIHL in the workplace, in recreational settings, and at home. In fact, it is the most common work-related disorder. Already 22 million Americans between the ages of 20 and 69 have permanently damaged their hearing by exposure to loud sounds or noise in their environment. Research also is finding an ever-increasing number of young people who are experiencing hearing loss to the same degree as that typically found in older adults.

When you think about noise, remember this: How loud? How close? How long? The blast of a firecracker experienced at close range can damage hearing permanently in an instant. Repeated exposures to noises from engines and machines such as motorcycles can erode hearing more slowly and so can long hours spent listening to loud portable music players.

If you are a construction worker, farmer, factory worker or airline employee, harmful sounds may be a regular part of your job. Harmful noises at home include those from vacuum cleaners, gas-powered lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and shop tools. Some noisy recreational activities include target shooting and hunting, snowmobiling, go-cart riding, woodworking, and playing certain computer games. Even some children's toys have been found to produce sounds in the danger zone.

How loud is too loud? Prolonged exposure to sounds louder than 85 decibels (dB) can cause gradual hearing loss. A decibel is a unit that measures the intensity of sound. The predominant range of human hearing is represented on a scale from zero to 140 dB. A normal conversation is about 60 dB. Many personal stereo systems played at maximum volume are over 100 dB. Rock concerts and firecrackers can be 140 dB and higher.

NIHL is 100 percent preventable, but once it happens, the hearing loss can be permanent.

NIHL usually happens slowly and there is no pain. Right after exposure to noise, you may notice some "ringing" in your ears. You might have trouble hearing people talk. After several hours or even a few days, these symptoms may go away. However when you are exposed to loud noise repeatedly, you could have hearing loss that lasts forever.

How does NIHL cause damage to hearing? Exposure to loud sounds can damage or destroy the inner ear's sensory hair cells. Once damaged, hair cells cannot grow back on their own. Scientists once believed that NIHL damages the hair cells by the pure force of the loud sound vibrations. Recent studies, however, have found that exposure to loud noise triggers the formation of free radicals--molecules that cause damage to cells and are known to kill hair cells. Scientists supported by NIDCD have demonstrated that antioxidants, such as aspirin and vitamin E, when given as long as three days after noise exposure can protect against the damage caused by free radicals and significantly reduce hearing loss in guinea pigs. Research is needed to determine if similar results can be obtained in humans.

NIDCD-supported researchers also have learned that gene therapy may one day be used to help restore lost hearing. Gene therapy is the addition or deletion of genes, in this case those that are involved in the regrowth of hair cells. Gene therapy was found to restore hearing in animals that had been deafened by drugs that damage the inner ear. These and other efforts bring scientists closer to the development of new ways to prevent and treat hearing loss.

What can you do to prevent NIHL? All individuals should understand the hazards of noise and how to practice good hearing health in everyday life. As parents you can encourage your children to wear hearing protection in noisy environments. You also can set a good example by turning down the volume levels on all household noise sources, and by wearing hearing protection when you mow the lawn, vacuum the house, blow dry your hair, or operate power tools.

If you buy your children an MP3 player, take the time to show them how to protect their hearing from permanent damage (Some researchers suggest that the volume should be no higher than 60 percent of the maximum and listening time should be limited to no more than one hour a day.)

The good news is that you can make "hearing health" a part of your lifestyle. Know which noises are harmful and carry ear protection with you. It's up to you to prevent noise-induced hearing loss.

You Can Protect Your Hearing!

* Know which noises can cause damage.

* Wear earplugs, earmuffs, or other protective devices when involved in a loud activity.

* Teach your children to lower the volume on their portable music players and to limit listening time.

* Be alert to hazardous noise in the environment.

* Protect children who are too young to protect themselves.

* Tell family, friends, and colleagues about the hazards of noise.

* If you think you have a hearing loss, see your doctor. He or she may refer you to an otolaryngologist, or a physician who specializes in diseases of the ears, nose, and throat, or to an audiologist, who will perform a hearing test to assess the type and degree of loss.

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- Article 4: Short Takes
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Editor: Here are our picks of some additional stories that you may find interesting. For more, please point your browser to: http://www.hearinglossweb.com/news/curr.htm

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Stem Cells May Be Key To Deafness Cure

In a dusty, cluttered lab at Stanford University, a team of young scientists is on a quest. Curing deafness is the goal, reports CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Kaledin, and Stefan Heller says stem cells hold the key. Heller and his entire team were recruited away from Harvard, and they've made a breakthrough discovery: They've found that stem cells have the capacity to regenerate in the inner ear.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/07/eveningnews/
main1872163.shtml
or http://tinyurl.com/lv8w7

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Steps Towards Totally Implantable CI

In the past year, my lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has completed work on a bionic-ear processor that does the job of the digital-signal processor, is small enough to be implanted, and could run on a 2-gram battery needing a wireless recharge only every two weeks. As the best batteries currently available can be recharged about 1000 times, this device is the first to permit 30-year operation without surgery to replace the battery. Last year, a deaf woman replaced her conventional processor with ours, though it was not implanted, and afterward she could understand speech easily and well.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/print/3433

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Nanotechnology Improves Touchless Telecoils

By contrast, Destiny contains a piece of nanotechnology called a giant magnetoresistance (GMR) switch, which uses electron spin rather than magnetic charge to sense signals and store information. Developed for Starkey by Eden Prairie-based NVE Corporation, the sensors consist of layers of magnetic thin films just a few atomic layers thick--about one-third the size of the mechanical reed switches that hearing aids typically use. This makes the sensors small and sensitive enough to use in even the smallest of hearing aids--a completely-in-the-canal (CIC) device--and allows the Destiny aid to quickly switch modes automatically as a wearer picks up a phone. And this isn't a help solely over the phone lines. "We're hearing that for the first time people don't want to take their hearing aids out even when they go to bed, because they're not getting any feedback from the pillow," [Starkey R&D executive Tim] Trine says.

http://www.nve.com/inthenews/aug2006.htm

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- Classifieds
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Two online stores, one poker tournament, and one employment opportunity appear in this issue. (Ads appear after this brief table of contents.)

WCI. Providing Solutions for People with Hearing Loss.
Save 15% on Products for Home and School
http://www.weitbrecht.com

Potomac Technology - Everything You Need Under One Roof!
NOW MORE CHOICES THAT EVER
POTOMAC TECHNOLOGY'S NEW CATALOG!
http://www.potomactech.com

Las Vegas World Deaf Poker Tournament
October 11, 2006
www.poker.deaflasvegas.com

Employment Opportunity
Various Positions
GLAD
Los Angeles

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WCI. Providing Solutions for People with Hearing Loss.
Save 15% on Products for Home and School
http://www.weitbrecht.com
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Save 15% on Products for Home and School

It's back to school and WCI is ready to help with 15% off several items including the Portable Compact/C (from Ultratec). It's small enough to fit in a backpack or pocket for that person on the go! Connect to a compatible digital cell phone or use it with any traditional phone. Or, Take 15% off all Simplicity products! Get the perfect signaler to fit your college dorm room, apartment, or house. With 15% off either the Wake Assure or Big Time alarm clocks, you'll make it to class on time. Wake Assure's buzzer will shake you out of bed or it flashes when connected to a lamp. The Big Time features a strong bed shaker and a large red easy-to-read display. It runs on batteries in case of a power outage.

Call us now at 1-800-233-9130 (V/TTY) or visit us online at http://www.weitbrecht.com (use code WCIH08 when ordering).

WCI. Providing Solutions for People with Hearing Loss.

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Potomac Technology - Everything You Need Under One Roof!
NOW MORE CHOICES THAT EVER
POTOMAC TECHNOLOGY'S NEW CATALOG!
http://www.potomactech.com
-------------------

NOW MORE CHOICES THAT EVER
POTOMAC TECHNOLOGY'S NEW CATALOG!

Our new product catalog is filled with all the items you need from Amplified Phones and Alerting Systems to Books, Specialty Items and more! During August, save 10% off your first order from the new catalog. Just in time for all those back to school purchases. Save on top brands & latest models. Call us now at 1-800-433-2838 (V/TTY) or visit online at http://potomactech.com (use code PTECH806 when ordering).

Potomac Technology. Everything You Need Under One Roof.

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Las Vegas World Deaf Poker Tournament
October 11, 2006
www.poker.deaflasvegas.com
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2nd Annual Las Vegas World Deaf Poker Tournament

When? October 11, 2006; 6 PM; Door opens at 12 noon.

Where? Palms Casino and Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Event? No Limit-Texas Hold'Em/ All in. For all deaf and hard of hearing people who wish to participate. Must be 21 years or older to play.

Prizes? Based on 300 entries, 1st place winner will receive $27,000.

Cost? $300 entry fee per player.

Hosts? Southern Nevada Silver Knights and Southern Nevada Coalition of Organizations of and for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Both are non-profit organizations and the net proceeds will be donated to worthy deaf community charities.

Comments? Last year the 1st annual tournament was a complete success. Many local deaf poker tournaments were held across the country because of this success. So far none of them have not met the magnitude of this one. It has the "major league" status. The "big one". Since Las Vegas is the poker capital of the world, no wonder it is so popular here.

Web Site? Go to www.poker.deaflasvegas.com. This will give you all the information needed, such as tournament entry form and Orleans Hotel room reservation form.

E-Mail? Need to e-mail for additional information? Email lvdeafpoker1@earthlink.Net.

From the Committee: We are anxious to treat all of you to the unique and exciting experience in the world poker. Come to Las Vegas, the city of awe and thunder. It is your chance to come as a winner. See you all in "Viva Las Vegas".

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Employment Opportunity
Various Positions
GLAD
Los Angeles
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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, please 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.

* DEPUTY DIRECTOR - Los Angeles
* COMMUNITY ADVOCATE - Los Angeles

If interested for any of these positions then please submit resume and application to:

Jeff Fetterman
Human Resources Specialist
Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness, Inc.
2222 Laverna Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90041
V/TDD: (323) 550-4207
Fax #: (323)550-4204
E-mail: jfetterman@gladinc.org

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