Volume 30 Issue 5

HOH-LD-News
Vol. 30, Issue 5
February 3, 2007

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

- Article 1: The Year's Hot Topics for ALDAns - Part 1

- Article 2: State of the Science on Aural Rehabilitation - Part 1

- Article 3: Time, Therapy Spur Recovery from Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

- Article 4: Short Takes

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:
Available - Contact larry@hearinglossweb.com
Second Premium Placement:
Harris Communications
Third Premium Placement:
Hearing Aid Repairs from Hearing Haven
Fourth Premium Placement:
Switch to Sprint
Get your special Valentine's gift from Sound Clarity Inc.
Classified Section:
Two online stores and three employment opportunities

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Article 1: The Year's Hot Topics for ALDAns - Part 1
Presented by Cheryl Heppner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cheryl is one of the leading national advocates for people with hearing loss, and is involved in just about every hearing loss advocacy organization on the planet. Here she is with her take on the current hot issues.

This article is part of our coverage of the 2006 ALDA National Convention (ALDAcon). For more coverage of this great convention, please point your browser to http://www.hearinglossweb.com/res/hlorg/alda/cn/2006/2006.htm

This is part one of three parts.

~~~~~

My plan for today is to walk you through some of the hot topics that are happening today in advocacy. I'm hoping to do this quickly, so we have time for questions and discussion.

Television Captioning Exemptions

I'm going to start with television captioning. There are two hot topics. One is that starting in 1999, through 2005, we had very few petitions from different groups wanting to have exemptions from captioning. Starting in 2006, 100% of new programming is required to be captioned. As we got closer to that deadline, we saw a huge increase in the requests for exemptions.

Before September we had 166 requests for exemptions. Nine of those were eventually withdrawn, and three of the exemptions were granted. Since September 1, 238 requests were granted, and 539 petitions have not been posted for public notice.

When the first two petitions were granted we were shocked, because it looked like the FCC was granting exemptions for reasons that had never been used before. So we joined with other organizations on October 12 and filed a petition for review. We're trying to get the exemptions withdrawn and would also like the FCC to discontinue the granting of these exemptions.

When we filed the petition for review, we discussed some of the things that were wrong with the process, including the fact that the FCC didn't follow their own regulations. I spent many hours going through the petitions for exemption, and I often found very limited documentation supporting the request.

The majority of the petitions were from faith-based organizations. I found that some of them showed assets in the millions of dollars.

Another thing that we noticed was that exemption requests used to be reviewed by the FCC's Media Bureau. But many of these exemptions were done by the Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau. We believe this procedure is not appropriate.

A company called Aberdeen Captioning says it provides captioning for both large and small ministries, and it charges $60 to $150 for a half-hour show.

Emergency Captioning

A second captioning issue that also came up very recently is also of great concern. In August 2006, the FCC released a clarification for providing visual information during emergencies in the top 25 markets in the US. Just two weeks prior, the FCC reminded broadcasters that they had to provide 100% captioning of all new programming. Now this clarification backs off from that. This clarification allows the broadcasters to use their good judgment to decide if they have to provide captioning. Of course we're very concerned about this, because there was no public discussion of this action.

We've combined with other organizations and filed an application for review based on the fact that the FCC is not following its own rules. It is in effect making new rulings rather than enforcing existing ones.

We also requested that they withdraw the clarification.

Captioned Radio

I was asked to speak to a conference this spring about the topic of captioned radio. I agreed, and flew out there to address this conference. I'm not used to talking to a bunch of engineers, and I was trying to figure out how to impress them with the seriousness of the situation. I gave them a bunch of statistics about how many people with hearing loss there are. Then I said, "I need captioned radio, because my husband is always listening to the radio when we're driving, and I need to know if he's listening to Howard Stern. I need to know. How can I control him if I don't know what he's listening to?"

Within the last week or so the Department of Educations has awarded a grant to NPR and WGBH, and they will be using part of this to look at captioned radio. They have funding for three years, and they are planning to build a prototype to field test.

When I first mentioned captioned radio to people I got some odd reactions. They said that a person can't look at captioned radio when she's driving. I said I agreed, but the passengers can.

----------------------------------------------------------
Sweet Deals for Valentine's Day at Harris Communications
----------------------------------------------------------
As the Big 25th Anniversary Sale continues, find some big 25% discounts on products for Valentine's Day.

1) The Sweetheart Clock by Sonic Alert is on sale now for only $32.25 (Regularly $42.95)!

2) The popular book, "Signing: How to Speak with Your Hands" is now on sale for only $14.95 (Regularly $19.95)!

3) The Clarity Professional(r) C4210TM amplified 2.4GHz cordless phone is on sale for only $142.45. (Regularly $189.95)!

This sale ends February 9, 2007. Check back every week for more amazing sales! For more information, go to
http://www.harriscomm.com/link/?www.harriscomm.com?sr=hlw
or contact us at mailto:info@harriscomm.com
----------------------------------------------------------

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Article 2: State of the Science on Aural Rehabilitation - Part 1
by Mark Ross, Ph.D.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Editor: What do you think of when you hear the term "aural rehabilitation"? If you don't really quite know what it means, you're not alone. And that's an unfortunate thing, because aural rehabilitation is very important to people with hearing loss.

Here's Mark Ross' discussion of the recent "State of the Science on Aural Rehabilitation" conference. This article first appeared in Hearing Loss Magazine (January/February 2007), and is reprinted with the author's kind permission.

This is part one of five parts.

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

The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Hearing Enhancement held a national conference on Aural Rehabilitation September 17 through September 20, 2006 at Gallaudet University. This was designed to be a "State of the Science" meeting, in which the latest information on all aspects of Aural Rehabilitation (AR) was presented to an audience composed primarily of practicing audiologists, researchers, and university professors. The presentations included papers on evaluations, various kinds of training procedures, efficacy of some hearing aid features, and a review of theoretical considerations underlying performance with cochlear implants. The last day was entirely devoted to topics concerning people with dual sensory loss. The scope and sophistication of the papers clearly reflect evidence of a maturing profession, one that is able to examine a topic as amorphous as aural rehabilitation with scientific rigor.

To ensure the inclusion of the human side of AR, a panel was convened daily, and people with various degrees of hearing loss and dual sensory problems had an opportunity to recount the challenges they faced in their lives and the kinds of changes they hoped could take place in the near future. The panelists did not hesitate to criticize what they felt to be inadequate or insensitive professional services. Thus, the audiologists in the audience could hear how "the other side" felt and how they viewed the professional community. The issues and information presented covered the entire gamut of AR, and it would be impossible for me to summarize it all here. Rather, I would like to make some personal comments about the AR process, while referring to just some of the topics and conclusions made in a few of the papers.

It is generally agreed that AR began during and immediately after WW II. Faced with a large number of newly deafened servicemen, whose hearing losses could not be treated medically or surgically, the military services organized AR programs in a few military hospitals around the country. Money was not an issue, or at least not a major one (very different from nowadays!). What "the boys" needed, they got. The military brought together specialists in a number of areas, such as medicine, acoustics, psychology, speech correction, deaf education, and lipreading. These specialists were tasked with the challenge of organizing an optimal AR program. It was basically an "a priori" judgment, since there were only a few people with AR experience with whom these people could consult. Although "schools" and methods of lipreading had existed in the US and Europe since the late 1800s, little or no objective information existed about the efficacy of the various procedures that had been developed. So the specialists used their best judgment and included what, on a logical basis, appeared to be the necessary components of an ideal AR program.

At the time lipreading and auditory training constituted just about the entirety of what was thought to be AR, so these were the areas that were stressed. However, unlike the lipreading programs of earlier years, wearable electrical hearing aids were available in the l940s, and their selection and use was included in the planning and became an important component of the program. The inclusion of hearing aids necessitated the development and utilization of somewhat more sophisticated audiometric tests than those that were generally employed by ENT physicians. Later, the field of Audiology, whose genesis can be traced to the AR programs organized during WW II, would stress this "scientific" aspect of rehabilitation activities more than any other component. The AR component became, and in my judgment has remained, a bit of a professional "step-child" ever since.

These early pioneers did an excellent job and deserve an "A+" for their accomplishment. I can say this on the basis of personal experience. In early 1952, I was a patient in an AR program that had its inception during WW II. We lived at the hospital (the Forest Glen section of Walter Reed) for eight weeks while we attended classes full-time and underwent various audiometric and medical examinations. The selection, use, and care of hearing aids (monaural body aids) was included as an integral component of the program. Most of the time was spent on various lipreading and auditory training procedures, which were extensive and very creative and included memory span exercises, cognitive training, and lots and lots of lipreading practice. Except for some informal evaluations, I do not recall being given any type of objective measure regarding our lipreading prowess. I do know that all of us patients felt that we were learning how to communicate more effectively. I'm confident that the instructors sincerely believed this also. On its face, the AR program clearly had a great deal of merit. I, personally, will always be grateful that I had the opportunity to participate in this program.

----------------------------------------------------------
Hearing Aid Repairs from Hearing Haven
----------------------------------------------------------
Your old hearing aids may be valuable - to you! Most hearing aids can be repaired, regardless of age. Send your hearing aids to Hearing Haven. If we can't repair it, your only cost is the shipping. If we can repair it, you will have another hearing aid to use and enjoy.

Visit us at http://www.repair-your-hearing-aid.com and bookmark it. You'll find all the details and free articles. We can also remake the shell of any custom hearing aid to fit your ear.

Visit our website, call 888-412-3337, or email us at
CustomerService@HearingHaven.com with your questions.
----------------------------------------------------------

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Article 3: Time, Therapy Spur Recovery from Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Editor: A surprisingly large number of people suffer from sudden sensorineural hearing loss every year, and a surprisingly large number recover, either spontaneously or with treatment. Here's more information from the American Academy of Otolaryngology.

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

A first-of-its-kind study into time-dependent treatments of sudden sensorineural hearing loss published in the February 2007 issue of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery has determined that a combination of time and oral corticosteroid therapy can play a key role in helping patients regain full hearing, often within a month of the initial loss of hearing.

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss, which affects approximately 4,000 Americans each year, is hearing loss of 30 dB or more that develops over a span of several hours to three days. While the spontaneous recovery rate is high (30 to 60% of patients may experience recovery within two weeks), little is known about the exact cause.

The study's authors found that of 121 patients who recovered within three months, nearly half (45.5%) showed delayed recovery after ten days of oral corticosteroid therapy, and of that group, over 78 percent fully recovered within one month.

The study also showed that when there was a lesser degree of hearing loss, the chance of a delayed recovery increased. According the study's authors, this suggests that even if a 10-day course of treatment fails to spur recovery in a patient, there is enough time to pursue alternative treatment (such as intratympanic steroid administration).

Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery is the official scientific journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF). The authors of the study are Sang-Won Yeo, MD; Dong-Hee Lee, MD; Beom-Cho Jun, MD; and Yong-Soo Park, MD. They are associated with the Department of Otolaryngology at the Catholic University of Korea's College of Medicine in Seoul, Korea.

About the AAO-HNSF: The American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (http://www.entnet.org), one of the oldest medical associations in the nation, represents more than 12,000 physicians and allied health professionals who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the ears, nose, throat, and related structures of the head and neck. The Academy serves its members by facilitating the advancement of the science and art of medicine related to otolaryngology and by representing the specialty in governmental and socioeconomic issues. The organization's mission is: "Working for the Best Ear, Nose, and Throat Care."

----------------------------------------------------------------
Switch to Sprint
----------------------------------------------------------------
Try the latest version of the FREE Sprint IP Wireless application for BlackBerry users!

* Click on your Blackberry Internet browser
* Go to www.sprintrelay.com/download/ to begin the FREE download.
* Check out the new updates on Sprint IP Wireless!

Don't have a BlackBerry device, add SprintIP to your AIM Buddy list to make a relay call.
----------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------
Get your special Valentine's gift from Sound Clarity Inc.
----------------------------------------------------------
Try the Sweetheart alarm clock or the Sonic "Bomb" alarm clock from Sonic Alert. Or try the infrared TV listening system from Williams Sound. These and many more items are on sale for Valentine's Day.

Hearing Aid Batteries always shipped FREE anywhere in the U.S.

For more information go to http://www.soundclarity.com/hohnews
or contact us at mailto:info.sc@soundclarity.com
----------------------------------------------------------

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Article 4: Short Takes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

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

Hybrid Implant a new remedy for hearing loss

So Davis underwent an experimental surgery last week to implant a hybrid auditory device in his right ear as part of a newly approved Food and Drug Administration study. The UW Medical Center is one of 20 sites in the United States and Europe involved in a clinical trial performing a total of 100 surgeries. So far 90 people have undergone the surgery worldwide. The UW performed three in January, Davis being the third. First established at the University of Iowa, the hybrid auditory implant uses a shorter version of the traditional cochlear implant electrode. Surgeons and researchers hope to restore hearing without damaging the low-frequency hearing, which would happen with a traditional, longer cochlear implant.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/301568_auditory29.html

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

Foreign-flagged cruise ships will be required to meet ADA requirements

The federal government proposed new rules this week that would apply the Americans With Disabilities Act to cruise ships for the first time. The rules, published in the Federal Register on Jan. 23, ban discriminatory practices by foreign-flagged cruise ships that dock in the United States. Guidelines for the design of ships have yet to be hammered out. Ted Thompson, a vice president at the International Council of Cruise Lines, said that when they are, the rules will be merged into one document.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/local/sfl-zcruise27jan27,0,3145983.story

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

Beta-Carotene and Tinnitus

I went ahead and performed a literature search on Vitamin A and tinnitus using the PubMed database of peer reviewed research studies (www.pubmed.org). I found several articles on the topic from the 50s and the 60s but there were not any abstracts listed, so I could not read the results. If Vitamin A would have worked back then, it would be common medical practice for treating tinnitus today. I did find one research study out of a German research journal from the early 80s (Brand, H. (1983) that looked at 96 cased of tinnitus treated with vasodilators and Vitamin A. The treatment method was reported as "unsatisfactory".

http://www.audiologyonline.com/askexpert/display_question.asp?question_id=452

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

Two online stores and three employment opportunities appear in this issue. (Ads appear after this brief table of contents.)

WCI. Your Single Source for Assistive Technology
IT'S A NEW YEAR FOR SAVINGS AT WCI!
http://www.weitbrecht.com

Potomac Technology. Everything You Need Under One Roof!
SALE! SALE! SALE!
http://www.potomactech.com

Employment Opportunity 1
Various Positions
GLAD
Los Angeles

Employment Opportunity 2
Executive Director
CalCLAD
San Leandro, CA

Employment Opportunity 3
Online Customer Service Representative
LunarPages Web Hosting
Work From Home

-------------------
WCI. Providing Solutions for People with Hearing Loss.
Valentine's Day all month!
http://www.weitbrecht.com
-------------------

It's Valentine's Day all month with 14% off The Sonic Bomb Sweetheart alarm clock. What a perfect gift for that special someone! Featuring the powerful 12-volt bed shaker and extra loud audio alarm. Now waking up and getting out of bed will be easier. Comes with battery backup and 1 year Sonic Alert warranty. It's on sale for only $36.95. Call 1-800-233-9130 (V/TTY) or online http://www.weitbrecht.com

WCI. Providing Solutions for People with Hearing Loss.

-------------------
Potomac Technology. Everything You Need Under One Roof!
Sweet Prices on Special Items!
http://www.potomactech.com
-------------------

Sweet Prices on Special Items!

Say "I love you" to that special someone with the gift of an ILY item from Potomac Technology. You'll find that perfect gift for your sweetie like ILY jewelry for her or an ILY travel mug for him. During February all ILY items are an extra 10% off. If your sweetie is always a little late, the fun, new Sonic Boom Sweetheart alarm clock is a great solution. With a powerful 12-volt bed shaker and pulsating flashing alarm lights being on time won't be a problem! The price is even sweeter at only $32.50. That's a 15% savings!

Visit us online at http://www.potomactech.com or call 1-800-433-2838 (V/TTY).

Use code "PTEC207H" for 10% off the ILY products.

Potomac Technology. Everything You Need Under One Roof!

-------------------
Employment Opportunity 1
Various Positions
GLAD
Los Angeles
-------------------

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.

* Building Manager - Los Angeles, CA
* Regional Director - Riverside, CA
* Community Interpreter - Los Angeles, CA
* Mexican Sign Language Interpreter - Riverside. CA
* Job Developer/Interpreter - Norwalk, CA
* Community Health Educator-Los Angeles, CA
* Grant Writer - Los Angeles, CA

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

-------------------
Employment Opportunity 2
Executive Director
CalCLAD
San Leandro, CA
-------------------

The California Center for Law and the Deaf seeks candidates for Executive Director. The position will be open as of July 1, 2007.

CalCLAD was established in 1978 and is the first and only non-profit full-service legal services corporation in America devoted exclusively to serving deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Its mission is to protect and advance their legal rights to enable them to live independent, productive lives, with full access to the rights, privileges, entitlements, services, educational and employment opportunities available to others. CalCLAD is located in San Leandro, CA, and provides services statewide.

For more information about duties, qualifications, and how to apply, please go to www.deaflaw.org or submit an inquiry to calclad@deaflaw.org.

-------------------
Employment Opportunity 3
Online Customer Service Representative
LunarPages Web Hosting
Work From Home
-------------------

We are looking for people who love working on their computers from home, have the time and the motivation to have a real career in customer service with a company offering daily challenges and a stable and secure future.

At Lunarpages Web Hosting supporting our customers in an efficient, responsive and friendly manner is our primary goal. At this time along with our phone support, we provide email support and open community forums.

We also intend to offer live chat support 24/7 and we need smart, reliable and technically savvy people. If you love spending time online, and are willing to learn all that we are willing to teach, please contact us as we would love the opportunity to interview you.

At Lunarpages we are aware that within our society there are limitations for job choices for many people due to impairments, social disorders and accessibility issues. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone and we will provide the training and support you need to excel in customer service.

JOB DESCRIPTION:
1. Level I technical support issues via email support, chat and Lunarforums.
2. Utilizes Level I security access to Account Management System to assist customers.
3. Transfers static customer accounts from previous web host to Lunarpages' servers.
4. Supports sales and billing as a secondary role.
5. Escalates or flags tickets and calls to senior personnel when necessary.
6. Adds features to accounts via billing manager when requested.
7. Assists customers in Lunarpages support chat.
8. Answers Help Desk tickets as a secondary responsibility.
9. Reads, troubleshoots and answers Lunarforums threads.
10. Continues development of Lunarpages and systems knowledge to more effectively answer calls.
11. Answers all Level I technical questions.
12. Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.

SKILLS:
* Ability to communicate effectively.
* Skill in the use of personal computers and related software applications.
* Ability to work productively and efficiently to meet deadlines and quotas.
* Attention to detail.
* Analytical skills.
* Knowledge of customer service principles, techniques, systems and standards.
* Ability to work in a team environment.
* Internet and computer skills to include but limited to:
* General knowledge of the Internet including surfing and how to search terms using search engines such as Google.
* Operating Systems.
* Email clients.
* General knowledge of HTML Editors
* Ability to use an HTML editor a plus.
* Knowledge and ability to use Internet Browsers such as Internet Explorer, Netscape or Firefox.
* MS Office Applications: Word, Excel.
* Web forums, blogs or bulletin boards.
* Familiarity with Cpanel or other web hosting tools a plus
* Familiarity with HTML or other scripting languages a plus
* Familiarity with file transfer via the Internet (FTP) a plus.

We offer excellent benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Sick Leave, Vacation, and a 401K program. Interested applicants should apply for position by emailing jobsonline@lunarpages.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- 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 "Free Email Newsletter" 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.