Volume 36 Issue 9

HOH-LD-News
Vol. 36, Issue 9
August 30, 2008

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Table of Contents
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- Article 1: HLAA Convention: Issues Encountered by People with Hearing Loss and Potential Solutions

- Article 2: Listening to Music through a Cochlear Implant - Part 1

- Article 3: Biophysical Method May Help To Recover Hearing

- 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:
YOUR AD HERE
Second Premium Placement:
Sale Ending Soon at Harris Communications
Third Premium Placement:
Hearing Aid Repairs from Hearing Haven
Fourth Premium Placement:
MAXI Digital from Bellman Audio now at Sound Clarity, Inc.
Classified Section:
One Online Store and three Employment Opportunities

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Contact information and disclaimers are at the end of this newsletter.
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YOUR AD HERE
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If you're interested in getting your message out to people who are hard of hearing or late deafened, and to the people who serve them, you might consider a premium ad in this newsletter! Our rates are surprisingly affordable and we reach the movers and shakers in the hearing loss world. And this newsletter (unlike some of the others) is strictly "opt-in", which means that everyone who receives it WANTS to receive it!

For more information please point your browser to: http://www.hearinglossweb.com/res/pub/nsltr/hln/adv.htm
or contact larry@hearinglossweb.com
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- Article 1: : HLAA Convention: Issues Encountered by People with Hearing Loss and Potential Solutions
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Editor: This article is part of our coverage of the 2008 HLAA National Convention. For our comprehensive coverage of this great convention, please point your browser to http://www.hearinglossweb.com/res/hlorg/shhh/cn/2008/2008.htm

This presentation by NTID's Jim DeCaro and Larry Scott was part of the Sunday morning Research Symposium.

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Jim DeCaro began this portion of the Research Symposium by pointing out what an abysmal job we do of providing services to hard of hearing (HOH) children in the public schools. If the approximately 876,000 HOH students, only eight percent are currently getting services. This means that 92% are NOT getting services!

This handbook, "Hard of Hearing Students in Postsecondary Settings", focuses on the roughly 414,000 HOH college students among the total student population of 15 million.

One important consideration is how ready a person is to accept help. Chapter Three of our handbook includes a look at the four stages of readiness. People normally progress through all four stages as they work towards resolution of an issue.

Stage One - person doesn't realize that he needs help
Stage Two - person realizes that he needs help, but doesn't realize that help is available
Stage Three - person realizes that he needs help and that it is available, but is not yet ready to seek help.
Stage Four - person realizes that he needs help, and that it's available, and is ready to seek help.

Jim then read one of the vignettes from Chapter One of "Hard of Hearing Students in Postsecondary Settings". Peter graduated from high school as the only identified HOH student in his class. After working for three years, he enrolled in his local community college. Despite his 47 db hearing loss, he didn't wear hearing aids, and refused to reveal his hearing loss. After struggling for a semester, Peter decided that college wasn't for him and dropped out.

Jim mentioned that Larry Scott would take a look in his presentation at how technology could have helped Peter.

Jim concluded his presentation by considering what HLAA can do to further the goal of appropriate access for HOH students. He mentioned that the individuals in this room are uniquely qualified to advocate for HOH students and to serve as role models, because they have found strategies that enable them to overcome the barriers. And he suggested that HLAA, as a consumer hearing loss organization, is in a unique position to make a difference for HOH students.

Larry Scott

Larry Scott took the floor following Jim's presentation to discuss the services that are available at NTID. He began by noting that most of the students who attend NTID have had good services in their school careers and are used to working with the school system.

But he noted that he often consults with representatives of schools whose students haven't been so fortunate and he generally focuses his recommendations in two areas. One is the necessity of providing a role model for the student, and the second is providing appropriate technology to improve communications.

Larry listed the following issues that affected Peter's academic failure:
1. Lack of understanding of the communications issues in his life
2. Lack of hearing aids
3. Difficulty communicating in the presence of noise
4. Large venue classrooms
5. Lack of support for dealing with his hearing loss from family, friends, and school

Larry's recommended course of action included:
1. Counseling in issues related to his hearing loss
2. Education in the appropriate use of technology
3. Providing a sound field or FM system for his classes

Back in 1997 NTID did a study of the complaints of their HOH students. Not surprisingly the chief complaint was the lack of access to auditory information. At that time NTID used old FM systems, didn't have enough of them, and expected the students to educate the instructors. Things have really changed since then!

Phonak came out with the MicroLink system, and it was compatible with the Listen Technologies systems, and the two of them together provide a very capable system for the HOH students. So when NTID built their new field house in 2004, they incorporated an FM system. It worked great, so they installed the same system in some of their auditoriums. They are also including the systems in classrooms as they renovate them. Peter would have certainly benefited from such a system.

Larry mentioned that CPrint was developed at NTID, and it provides a near-verbatim transcription of what the instructor says. This is another solution that Peter could have used.

Next year NTID will be installing some of the new Phonak Inspiro (FM) transmitters. This system has the advantage of allowing multiple transmitters to be used in a single system, with the output of all available to users. One important application of this system is to allow a microphone for the instructor and one or more microphones for the class, so that HOH students can follow class discussions, hear student questions or answers, etc.

Larry remarked that this system is also great for teachers, who may need some assistance to hearing their students!

Q. The last system you described really only works if the students take the time to get the microphone before they speak. Do they really do that?
A. I can't say that it happens all the time, but the technology is there to accommodate it. At that point it's up to the instructor to enforce it. Also, we now have 50% of our students mainstreamed into other (hearing) colleges at RIT, and we see it as our duty to educate the faculty and staff at those colleges about the needs and technology requirements of our students.

C. I use the Inspiro, and I think the limit is six or eight microphones. So that's really quite a lot. Away from the educational system, the issue is, of course, cost! They're not cheap!

Q. Your technology is really commendable. The barrier we find is audience or classroom participation.
A. At NTID we have a program called "Class Act" to educate the instructors about the needs of HOH students and the technology we provide. That's really the bottom line. If the instructor doesn't enforce the "rules", then the technology won't work as well.

Q. I've read your handbook and presented it to the administration at the college where I work, but I can't get them to recognize it as an issue. How can we reach the community colleges in New York?
A. You might contact PEPNet Northeast, which is located at NTID, which is one of several PEPNet regional centers. Their job is to do exactly what you're asking.

C. I've worked in the California Special Education program with a wide range of disabilities. I'm happy to hear about this program, but the notion that kids in K-12 get services is just false. Some schools do a wonderful job, but others are really poor.

C. I'd like to offer my daughter as a case study of a student who had wonderful services in K-12. Laying the groundwork during that time is crucial!

C. I'd like to emphasize that choosing the right college is also crucial. We have a list of 350 colleges and universities that offer targeted services, and I think choosing one of those colleges might be a good idea.

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Sale Ending Soon at Harris Communications
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Many people are shopping the Harris Communications Storewide Back-to-School Sale to save 15% on our large selection of assistive devices.* Hurry, to take advantage of low prices on hundreds of products. This sale is ending soon!

We have all the products you need, whether it is a new Sonic Alert clock, a personal amplifier from Williams Sound or a TV listening device from Sennheiser. Plus, save on many new items that have just come in.

There is a great selection and great savings at the Harris Communications Storewide Back-to-School Sale!

* Sale ends September 4, 2008. Some product exclusions will apply. See website for more details.

For more information, go to:
http://www.harriscomm.com/link/?www.harriscomm.com?sr=hlw8 or contact us
at: mailto:info@harriscomm.com .
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- Article 2: Listening to Music through a Cochlear Implant - Part 1
By Mark Ross, Ph.D.
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Editor: Cochlear implants (CIs) are changing people's lives every day! Restoring the ability to understand speech for someone who has struggled with that task is often a life-altering experience. And almost all the CI users I know are thrilled with their progress. Music is a different matter. Many CI users who hear remarkably well report that music just doesn't sound good. But focused efforts by the CI manufacturers to improve music appreciation is quite recent, and we're starting to hear stories of CI users who once again enjoy music.

Here's Mark Ross with thoughts on his attempts to appreciate music using his relatively recent CI. This article originally appeared in "Hearing Loss" magazine and is reprinted with the author's kind permission.

This is part one of four parts.

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My first exposure to music while using my cochlear implant (CI) occurred when I left the NYU Center, right after the implant was activated. It was a cold day in January and I was lucky to find a cab right outside the Center to take me across town. The cabbie might have been the only one in NY whose radio was tuned to a classical music station. A familiar piano piece was being played; it sounded great, and I was thrilled. This, I felt, was another good omen for successful implant use (in addition to being able to somewhat understand the implant audiologist's speech at that initial stage). But since at the time I was mainly focused on understanding the cabbie's speech, I stored the music experience in the back of my mind. This is not to say that I considered the ability to listen to and enjoy music to be unimportant. It is, as a matter of fact, the second most frequently expressed desire among CI recipients. Much of our cultural and social life is bound up in exposure to music.

In the ensuing months I did occasionally listen to music, with rather mixed results I'm afraid. Although I was able to recognize a number of melodies, after a while I essentially stopped listening. I think what happened is that my memory of what music had sounded like pre-implant was just too vivid in my mind; I would play some piece that I recognized and had liked in the past, hear some flat notes or atonal passages, and just quit listening. I liked music too much for too long to have the patience to listen to it being mutilated, or so it sounded to me. So, while I had some "successes" with musical recognition (i.e., in spite of a few discordant notes, I could recognize a number of old favorites), I still considered speech perception to be the primary challenge, and that's what I focused on.

Then it occurred to me that the music I listened to pre-implant, the sounds that I had so much enjoyed over the years, was itself distorted or modified in some fashion. I've worn hearing aids for fifty-six years and except for the last year or so, I've spent my life listening to music (and everything else!) through them. But, clearly, the acoustical elements that I perceived and those that a normal hearing person would perceive could not be the same. The music I was hearing was being delivered to an impaired auditory system by two imperfect hearing aids (and all of them are imperfect to some degree). For example, hearing aids in the early years could not amplify high frequencies very well (3 or 4 KHz was the limit) and up to 10% distortion was considered acceptable (although enough to give an audiophile apoplexy). But still this did not prevent me from obtaining a great deal of pleasure while listening to music. This would be true, to a lesser or greater degree, for every hearing aid user.

What must have been happening is that over the years the musical sounds I heard via my hearing aids became my norm. It was what I was used to; it had evolved into the standard to which I was now comparing the music I heard through the implant. And, right now, the CI fell short. It therefore seemed apparent that a similar developmental process would have to take place with the implant if I were to fully enjoy music again. I needed to find out whether what I heard through the implant could also evolve into some sort of standard, one that provide me with sufficient listening pleasure to make the effort worthwhile. To make this determination, I needed to engage in a personal "musical auditory training" program, one that required a significant time commitment over several months. I'll report on my experiences and impressions in Part 2 of this article in the next issue.

Given that my interest in this topic is both personal and professional, the first steps I took were to examine both the professional literature and the experiences of other implantees. I am far from the only implant user going through this experience and CI manufacturers are well aware of the challenge they face in this respect. By design, CIs were engineered to improve speech perception, not music appreciation. There are significant acoustical differences between speech and music, and processing strategies that are appropriate for one modality may not necessarily work for the other. In fact, while implant users can obtain excellent speech perception scores, their recognition and enjoyment of music still leaves much to be desired. In spite of large individual differences, implant users generally have noted that they have difficulty recognizing and enjoying music. For some implant users, particularly those for whom music had played an important role in their lives, this difficulty is distressing.

To better understand exactly where listening deficiencies occur, researchers have examined the various components of a musical signal, i.e., the beat, rhythm, pitch, timbre, and melody. "Beat" is a steady sound pulse, while "rhythm" is the grouping of beats to create any succession of durations of sound. It is that aspect of the signal that impels people to tap their toes and clap their hands. Research has shown that implant users can perceive the rhythmical patterns of music as well as normally hearing people. So it seems that, at a minimum, people using a cochlear implant can respond to the rhythmical qualities of a musical piece and enjoy and respond to that feature of the music.

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- Article 3: Biophysical Method May Help To Recover Hearing
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Editor: One method of reversing hearing loss is to "reprogram" the cochlea to use those regions with relatively intact haircells to process all frequencies. Another is to replace the damaged cochlea with an artificial one. Both options are discussed in this press release.

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Scientists based in Switzerland and South Africa have created a biophysical methodology that may help to overcome hearing deficits, and potentially remedy even substantial hearing loss. The authors propose a method of retuning functioning regions of the ear to recognize frequencies originally associated with damaged areas.

Hearing loss is an increasingly important problem in societies of growing average age. The conventional hearing-aid and cochlear implant technology have only been partially successful in recreating the experience of the fully functioning ear.

A possible reason for the lack of success could be because the cochlea - the hearing sensor - must be fully embedded into the corto-cochlear feedback loop. While recent artificial cochleas have been developed that are extremely close to the performance of the biological one, the integration of artificial cochleas into this loop is an extremely difficult micro-surgical task.

In an attempt to circumvent this problem, the authors investigated the biophysics and bio-mechanics of the natural sensor. They have identified modifications that would enable the remapping of frequencies where the cochlea malfunctions to neighboring intact cochlear areas. This remapping is performed in such a way that no auditory information is lost and the tuning capabilities of the cochlea can be fully utilized.

Their findings indicate that biophysically realistic modifications could remedy even substantial hearing loss. Moreover, with a recently designed electronic cochlea at hand, the changes in the perception of hearing could be predicted.

The surgical procedures needed to establish the authors' suggested biophysical corrections have not yet been developed. Recently developed lasers could play a prominent role in these surgical procedures, similar to their role in correcting deficits for another important human sensor, the eye.

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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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Is Speech Recognition FINALLY Ready for Prime Time?

One vision we had dating back to 1980 when we started speech recognition was to apply this to the deaf. The idea is that a deaf person would have a little display, which could be built into their eyeglasses where they would basically get subtitles on the world. On the one hand it's a demanding technology because it has to be speaker-independent, have a large or unrestricted vocabulary, and support continuous speech. On the other hand, it doesn't require perfect accuracy. . . . I think we're pretty close to being able to do that at least in good acoustic environments, maybe not at a cocktail party, but if the person is being picked up, with pretty good accuracy.

http://tinyurl.com/6jebl7

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First Cochlear Implant Performed Thirty Years Ago

Thirty years ago at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital Professor Graeme Clark made medical history, implanting the world's first prototype of the cochlear implant. The pioneering technology turns sound waves into electrical signals through electrodes surgically implanted inside the cochlea, part of the inner ear. Since 1978, when Melbourne man Ron Saunders became the first recipient of the implant, the technology has been fine tuned to produce almost normal hearing in many patients. Research has shown that the best results are yielded from implants fitted at an early age.

http://tinyurl.com/6xguc6

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Hearing Aids Are Loud, Hip

How can you make a hearing aid sexy? You call it "Passion" and color it shocking pink or lipstick red. You call it "Vibe" and dress it in leopard print or checkered flag that looks positively NASCAR. Manufacturers are banking on such flash to attract baby boomers who have punished their ears with loud concerts and music played through headphones. Of 78 million boomers, one in six is estimated to have hearing loss. The latest in hearing aids were on display at the Charlotte Convention Center this spring at the annual conference of the American Academy of Audiology. "It's about self-expression," said company rep Tom Powers, standing near a giant photo of an attractive young woman at one convention booth. In her ear was the Vibe, a device the size and shape of a fake fingernail. But instead of blending in with her skin, it bore a bold pattern just like her leopard-print blouse.

http://tinyurl.com/5jvrsx

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- Classifieds
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One Online Store and three Employment Opportunities appear in this issue. (Ads appear after this brief table of contents.)

WCI. Providing Solutions for People with Hearing Loss.
NEW COMFORT DUETT AND SERENE INNOVATION WATCH 10% OFF!
http://www.weitbrecht.com

Employment Opportunity 1
Various Positions
GLAD
Various Southern California Locations

Employment Opportunity 2
Various Positions
Deaf Services Center (DSC)
Glenside, PA

Employment Opportunity 3
Text Outbound Marketing Group (OMG) Sales Representatives
GoAmerica
Rocklin, CA

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WCI. Providing Solutions for People with Hearing Loss.
NEW COMFORT DUETT AND SERENE INNOVATION WATCH 10% OFF!
http://www.weitbrecht.com
-------------------

The versatile Comfort Duett is perfect for that extra boost in one-on-one conversations or noisy situations. It's on sale now at 10% off the regular price! Can be used as earphones in place of hearing aids, as a sound amplifier in conversations, watching the summer blockbuster movies at the theatre and more! It's about the size of a small MP3 player and easy to use. Features amplification up to 60dB and comes with headphones and earbuds or neck loop, charger base unit, AAA rechargeable NiMH battery and headphone rest stand.

This summer WCI is also offering the Serene Innovation Watch at 10% off during August. Two knobs make setting the time and alarm easy. Special features include genuine leather band and the strongest vibration in its class.

Call us now at 1-800-233-9130 (V/TTY) or visit us online at http://www.weitbrecht.com for details. Use code WCIH808a to order Comfort Duett and code WCIH808b to order the Serene Innovation Watch.

For a copy of our NEW catalog, email your request to sales@weitbrecht.com

WCI. Your Single Source for Assistive Technology

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Employment Opportunity 1
Various Positions
GLAD
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, 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.

* Job Developer/Interpreter - Anaheim, Crenshaw, Norwalk, Pacoima, and West Covina, CA
* Community Interpreter - Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Riverside, CA
* Community Advocate - Ventura, Los Angeles, CA
* LIFESIGNS Dispatcher - Riverside, CA
* Administrative Assistant - Riverside, 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

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Employment Opportunity 2
Various Positions
Deaf Services Center (DSC)
Glenside, PA
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Deaf Services Center (DSC) is a dynamic team of behavioral health professionals serving Deaf and hard of hearing children and adults. We take great pride that our program is strongly Deaf centered with about 85% of our staff being Deaf or hard of hearing. Our staff environment is one of incredible teamwork and mutual support. As a result, we are rapidly growing with new programs and expansions of our existing programs. Whether you are a high school graduate, recent college graduate or have many years experience in the field of human services we have a career building position waiting for you!

DSC is looking for dedicated, motivated, energetic individuals who are fluent in American Sign Language and knowledgeable about Deaf Culture and the Deaf Community to fill the following positions:

Community Mental Health Therapist
Staff Interpreter
Case Manager
Residential Counselors

Come be a part of our exciting growing professional TEAM! For more information go to our website at www.salisb.com under our job section.

Send your letter of intent and resumes to:
Linda Sivigny-Claypool, Office Manager/HR
Deaf Services Center
614 N. Easton Road, Glenside, PA 19038
Email: lclaypool@salisb.com or Fax: 215-884-9774

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Employment Opportunity 3
Text Outbound Marketing Group (OMG) Sales Representatives
GoAmerica
Rocklin, CA
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Text Outbound Marketing Group (OMG) Sales Representatives are responsible for educating, and qualifying potential customers by cold calling and selling companywide products and services. The OMG representative will call hearing business customers in an effort to recruit hard of hearing customers who can benefit from our text relay product. The OMG representative will also be required to maintain accounts through follow up and customer retention surveys, as well as maintaining accurate records within our Customer Relation Management Database. As a part of our commitment to create jobs for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities we encourage Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals to apply for these positions. Since our Text Relay product will be used to contact our target customers, the candidate does not need to know ASL or have the ability to voice a conversation. The ideal candidate will conduct business utilizing Text Relay.

Areas of Responsibility:

1. Making outbound relay calls to our perspective customers
2. Balance quality and quantity of calls to ensure adequate recruitment of new customers
3. Qualify leads provided by Outreach Representatives
4. Market to business customers with the highest potential to employ or provide services to the hard of hearing individuals in an effort to recruit those individuals as our customers
5. Provide follow up support for all accounts
6. Presenting our solutions matching up with the customer's needs
7. Utilize our sales process by bringing customers into our opportunity funnel and close them as a customer

Minimum Qualification Requirements:

1. 1-2 years of Sales experience
2. Results driven with excellent phone etiquette
3. Able to handle high volume and stressful environments
4. Understanding of sales processes
5. Excellent customer service skills
6. Possess confidence in presentation skills
7. Organized
8. Good command of the written English language
9. Good text and typing skills

To Apply; please go to www.gopurple.com

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- Contact Information and Disclaimers
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