Volume 39 Issue 13

HOH-LD-News
Vol. 39, Issue 13
June 27, 2009

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Table of Contents
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- Article 1: HLAA Convention: Induction Loops: Completing the Hearing Aid

- Article 2: SoundCure to Market Tinnitus Therapy Developed at UC Irvine

- Article 3: Captioning the HLAA Convention

- 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:
Cellphone Accessories on Sale at Harris Communications
Third Premium Placement:
Hearing Aid Repairs from Hearing Haven
Classified Section:
One Online Store, one Hearing Aid Liner, 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
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- Article 1: HLAA Convention: Induction Loops: Completing the Hearing Aid
by Cheryl Heppner
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Editor: Induction loops are wonderful devices that must seem like magic to those who don't know about the technology. They allow a person with a hearing aid to activate the telecoils and have a personalized public address system broadcasting directly to their hearing aids!

This workshop was presented by Scott Peyton and Terry Simon from Wireless Hearing Solutions (http://www.wirelesshs.com)

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Induction loops have been used everywhere in Europe for 40-50 years, but much of the U.S. has gone in a different direction with FM and infrared listening systems. In Terry Simon's Spring Lake, Michigan induction loops are used everywhere. A big part of the reason is that his wife, Peg is an audiologist there.

Dr. David Myers was a big influence on the Simons. He gave persuasive presentations about the advantages of the induction loop and shared his experiences in Europe, where as a hard of hearing guy he discovered that the widespread use of induction loops with his hearing aids helped him function better than people who could hear. Dr. Myers has since looped the entire city of Holland, Michigan through the use of grant money and volunteers.

Terry Simon was also influenced by an audiologist in California by the name of Bill Dials, who started giving induction loops to all his patients. The results were startling. Dials found that of 71 patients to whom he gave those loop systems, their satisfaction with the hearing aid rose dramatically. Originally they said their new hearing aid was okay, but as soon as they started to use it with the induction loop, they reported that they really loved the hearing aid.

Terry Simon and his wife started to copy what Dials was doing. Terry used his background in industrial design and product development to become involved with installing induction loops and now it's what he does. He has a hearing loss he attributes to "noise trauma from working in factories."

Why an Induction Loop?

Hearing aids and cochlear implants can do a lot for hearing, but when there is a room with a lot going on - several conversations, noise from a heating or cooling system for example - their limitations become apparent.

Terry Simon played short sound tracks to illustrate what a person with a hearing aid hears in the noise of a cocktail setting, then in an acoustically prepared classroom, and then through use of a telecoil. The demonstration showed the advantage that any type of assistive listening system can provide by eliminating background noise and delivering audio directly to a person's ear.

Infrared listening systems have low consumption and don't burn a lot of batteries, but with both infrared and FM systems you must use a headset to hear instead of the hearing aid you've had fitted to be optimal with your unique hearing loss. [It was later noted that sometimes you can use a silhouette to avoid this problem].

If using a headset without silhouette with infrared and FM systems, you may be unable to hear well enough to talk with anyone else in the room. In addition FM systems can cause spillover of sound if they are installed in two adjoining rooms unless they are using different channels.

Bluetooth solutions don't work well because they are too large to go on the hearing aid and pull too much energy (translation: a big drain on battery life). The band used by Bluetooth is regulated by the government to a limited number of frequencies.

More About Induction Loops

Induction loops allow you to take advantage of a hearing aid that has been adjusted to your hearing loss. Since they are magnetic loops that transmit the same signal anywhere in the world, they can come in handy in all sorts of places. Inside the Grand Rapids airport in Michigan, for example, you can walk through the terminals and pick up announcements as you go by using the induction loop system. Induction loops can also be installed at drive-through windows, in train stations, and all kinds of other locations. There is an induction loop on the floor of U.S. House of Representatives.

The challenge is that people who install audio systems are used to FM and infrared and often unfamiliar with induction loops.

Induction loops systems can be engineered so there is no spillover. Where there is "loop bleed" it may be possible to create sound canceling.

Terry Simon worked with an architect who was so thrilled with the result of the induction loop installation that the architect now intends to make induction loops standard in his plans.

Telecoils

Originally called a "telephone coil," the term has been shortened over time to telecoil or t-coil.

The telecoil in your hearing aid is small and can cost about $25. If not installed in the hearing aid, a telecoil can be added for $50-70.

A loop allows you to be inconspicuous when using the technology since there is no need for you to wear anything in addition to your hearing aid. You can choose to have a direct feed from the induction loop to the telecoil or to mix it between the telecoil and microphone.

Telecoils don't use any electricity and they don't affect the battery life of a hearing aid. Because they are in the super low frequency range, telecoils do not create interference.

About 67% of new hearing aids have a telecoil. Arizona and some other states are now requiring that hearing aid dispensers inform patients about telecoils.

Using Induction Loops

You can sit on an induction loop instead of wiring a room because it creates a small personal magnetic field.

People who got personal induction loop systems for use with television programs liked them so much they started asking their churches and public places to install them so they can have that same experience elsewhere.

A loop system and FM system can be used side by side and complement each other.

Critical Factors

It is critical that your hearing aid's telecoil be adjusted by someone who uses a loop system. In Europe where induction loops are common this is not a problem, but here in the U.S. some audiologists don't know how to do it. Peg Sass-Simon, M.A., CCC is available to call audiologists who need technical support to adjust hearing aids to work with induction loops.

The level of the telecoil (decibel output) can be adjusted in most hearing aids.

It is also critical that installations include an education program with a qualified audiologist. Fluorescent lights may cause a hum, and a good audiologist may be able to adjust the telecoil to reduce that hum.

Adding a sound field system to the induction loop system can increase buy-in of hearing people who otherwise are unaware that the induction loop is working to provide improved audio.

Installation of an Induction Loop

The company's ballpark cost for an induction loop system for a church with 300-500 people is under $4,000. For a school the cost can be $2,400; less than the cost of one child's FM system.

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(c)2009 by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons (NVRC), 3951 Pender Drive, Suite 130, Fairfax, VA 22030; www.nvrc.org. 703-352-9055 V, 703-352-9056 TTY, 703-352-9058 Fax. You do not need permission to share this information, but please be sure to credit NVRC.

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Cellphone Accessories on Sale at Harris Communications
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Keep connected this summer with a cellphone headset or neckloop. Harris Communications has many options for hearing aid wearers with t-coils. Products such as the Blue Freedom Bluetooth Headset with DAI (HC-BLUEFREEDOM), the Clarity CE30 Neckloop Telephone Amplifier (CL-CE30) and the Geemarc CL BlueHook Bluetooth Neckloop (HC-BLUEHOOK) are all on sale with 15% discounts.*

Check our website to see the large selection of cellphone headsets and neckloops on sale. Hurry, these savings won't last long.

*Sale prices available July 1 - July 9, 2009.

For more information, go to:
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- Article 2: SoundCure to Market Tinnitus Therapy Developed at UC Irvine
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Editor: Have you noticed that there are suddenly LOTS of tinnitus treatments available? I guess that's a sign that the professionals are starting to take tinnitus seriously! Personally, I'm a bit skeptical about some of these treatments, but I think time will sort out those that really work from those that aren't so hot.

Here's a press release about a new company that will market the treatment developed by Dr. Zeng and others at UC Irvine.

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Allied Minds has established SoundCure, Inc. to improve the lives of people suffering from tinnitus (ringing in the ear). Allied Minds, a seed investment corporation specializing in early stage university business ventures, will provide the initial funding and has partnered with the University of California at Irvine to establish SoundCure, LLC to commercialize a novel acoustic therapy for the treatment and suppression of tinnitus originally developed at UC Irvine.

Tinnitus is a debilitating disease characterized by a ringing in the ear in the absence of any external sound. It is believed that over 17% of the general population suffers from tinnitus and based on a recent report from the Department of Veterans Affairs, tinnitus is now the #1 disability affecting returning troops. While tinnitus can affect anyone, it is more common with increasing age and occurs at higher rates with individuals who work in noisy environments or listen to loud music for prolonged periods of time.

SoundCure is actively developing technology that was first pioneered at the University of California at Irvine by Dr. Fan-Gang Zeng and Dr. Qing Tang as a treatment to quiet the ringing in their patient's ears. Of the many available treatments for tinnitus few can provide any relief beyond simple masking (providing a sound louder than the tinnitus) while others require the use of long retraining regimes or the use of powerful drugs with similarly dangerous side effects. The SoundCure technology does not require sounds louder than the tinnitus being treated and uses customized sound frequencies and pulsed tones to counter the effects of tinnitus. The technology has shown to provide long-term suppression of tinnitus through treatment.

"We are very excited about the contribution that SoundCure will make to stem the terribly debilitating affects tinnitus has on its patients. SoundCure will also pioneer a transformational way technology can be applied to treat disease and provide patient care only dreamt of in the past," said Allied Minds COO, Marc Eichenberger. To learn more about SoundCure please visit www.soundcure.com.

About Allied Minds, Inc.

Allied Minds is a seed investment company creating partnerships with select universities to fund corporate spin-offs resulting from successful early stage technology research. By providing corporate development support as well as funding, Allied Minds aims to guide early stage companies to commercial success, thereby generating value for all stakeholders. For more information, logon to www.alliedminds.com.

About the UC Irvine, Office of Technology Alliances

The UCI Office of Technology Alliances (OTA) exists to foster faculty/industry alliances and commercialization of UC Irvine technology for the broad public benefit. OTA emphasizes accessibility, timeliness, and flexibility in its operations and negotiations to ensure that the federal, state and private investment in UCI research has the greatest possible positive impact on people and the economy.

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- Article 3: Captioning the HLAA Convention
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Editor: One of the really wonderful things about the hearing loss conventions is the accessibility provided for virtually all activities. For most people with hearing loss, real time captioning (CART) is the accommodation of choice, and it's ubiquitous at the conventions.

One of the evening activities this year is a performance of the Grand Old Opry, and even that will be captioned (for the first time ever!)

Here's a press release from the National Court Reporters Association about captioning at the convention.

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Specially trained court reporters using realtime translation will share their skills for events at the Hearing Loss Association of America convention June 18-21 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. Among the events to be captioned is a performance at the Grand Old Opry, the first time open captions will be used there.

Virtually everyone attending the convention has some degree of hearing loss. The court reporters will use computer assisted realtime technology (CART) and captioning to capture all of the presentations and seminars and project the words onto screens as readable text as they are spoken. CART and realtime captioning instantly translates a court reporter's stenographic notes into English and transmits them onto screens. The same skills are used to create captions of live television programming and to provide instant access to transcripts of court proceedings.

About 350 convention participants will attend Saturday's performance at the Grand Old Opry, where open captions will be used for the first time to make the performance more accessible to people with hearing impairments. Karyn Menck, of Tennessee Captioning in Nashville, will provide the captioning.

The HLAA convention in Nashville is expected to draw about 1000 people from across the country and internationally. The keynote speaker will be computer scientist Vint Cerf, recognized as the 'father of the Internet' and now a vice president of Google.

HLAA is a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to the well-being of people of all ages and communication styles who do not hear well. As many as 36 million adults in the U.S. have some degree of hearing loss, making CART and realtime captioning important communications tools for many Americans.

"Realtime has been used throughout the United States to help hard-of-hearing and deaf people participate in college and even high school classes, conventions, meetings, gubernatorial and presidential addresses, congressional hearings, and other public and private events," says Deanna Baker, of Flagstaff, Ariz., a court reporter who has coordinated realtime services for the HLAA convention for more than 15 years. Baker and a team of CART providers and captioners will cover events at the HLAA conference.

HLAA: www.hearingloss.org

Communication Access Realtime Translation: www.cartinfo.org

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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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Regrowing Hair Cells in the Human Cochlea

More than 20 years ago, Douglas Cotanche, PhD, then at the Medical University of South Carolina and now affiliated with Children's Hospital Boston, discovered that the hair cells within the chick cochlea were capable of a "significant amount of recovery and regeneration" following acoustic trauma. His unexpected discovery began a cascade of research on the question of whether hair cells within the human cochlea could someday achieve the same regenerative results. If and when this happens, many of the causes of hearing loss in humans, from noise to aging, can finally be resolved without the need for hearing aids or cochlear implants. Although steady progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms underlying hair cell regeneration, human subjects have yet to participate in clinical trials concerned with regrowing hair cells. Such trials may still be years away. Let's look at a sampling of the research in 2008, which moves us ever closer to the goal of restoring hearing in this most natural way.

http://tinyurl.com/lc4vv3

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Music and Cochlear Implants: Not in Perfect Harmony

Jana has been fitting Barry Jameson's hearing aids since he was identified with a mild hearing loss at age 5. Over time, Barry's hearing loss has become more severe. At 16, he scores poorly on speech perception tests and he is getting less benefit from his hearing aids. Barry's parents are considering a cochlear implant (CI). They've heard very positive reports about how CIs enhance speech perception, but Barry's parents also heard that they aren't so great for music, which Barry loves. He has been actively involved in music at school and listening to music always has been a favorite pastime. Mrs. Jameson would like Jana's input regarding CI use when listening to speech and music. In discussing the pros and cons of cochlear implantation, audiologists can draw on considerable research evidence regarding the benefits for speech perception. With current technology, adult CI recipients can achieve excellent word recognition in a quiet listening environment following three to six months of implant use (Wilson, 2000). The precise temporal and coarse spectral cues that characterize signal processing effectively transmit the most salient features of speech. Unfortunately, coarse spectral cues are less effective in transmitting several key aspects of musical sounds (Kong, Stickney, & Zeng, 2004).

http://tinyurl.com/mdykek

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Why Netflix Doesn't Offer Subtitles or Closed Captions

Netflix's chief product officer, Neil Hunt, wrote an interesting blog post today about why his company doesn't offer subtitles or closed captions on its streaming content. Evidently, adding subtitles and closed captions is harder than it looks. English subtitles don't need to be added to most English movies (they are "burned in" to the stream for foreign language movies), so the company needs to figure out a way to let individuals turn the words on or off.

http://tinyurl.com/ksned4

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- Classifieds
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One Online Store, one Hearing Aid Liner, and three Employment Opportunities (Ads appear after this brief table of contents.)

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Employment Opportunity 1
Exciting Career Opportunities at GLAD
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Employment Opportunity 2
Various Employment Opportunities
Georgia School for the Deaf
Cave Spring, GA

Employment Opportunity 3
Total Communication/Auditory Oral Early Childhood Instructor of the Deaf and Hearing Impaired
Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind
Nampa, Idaho

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WCI. Your Single Source for Assistive Technology
10% OFF ALL WILLIAMS SOUND PRODUCTS!
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WCI is offering 10% off all Williams Sounds Products during the month of June. Now you won't miss hearing a thing during all the special moments in your life including graduations, weddings or hearing your grandchild say "I love you Grandpa!" on Father's Day. There are several products to choose from plus the new Motiva Personal FM System that delivers superior FM audio and enhances sound by overcoming distance and background noise.

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Employment Opportunity 1
Exciting Career Opportunities at GLAD
Various Southern California Locations
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Exciting Career Opportunities at GLAD

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, Pacoima, Santa Ana, CA
* Community Interpreter (Two positions open) - 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

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Employment Opportunity 2
Various Employment Opportunities
Georgia School for the Deaf
Cave Spring, GA
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Currently accepting applications for the following positions:

Assistant Director for Residential Services - see http://www.hearinglossweb.com/res/emp/gsd2.htm
Assistant Director of Instruction (12 mth. position)
Teacher - Graduation Coach (10 mth. position)
Teacher - High School Math (10 mth. position)*
Teacher - Middle School Language Arts (10 mth. position)*
Teacher - Middle School Science (10 mth. position)*
Teacher - Reading Content Specialist - Pre K-12 (10 mth. position)*
Accountant Paraprofessional (12 mth. position)
Housekeeper (12 mth. position)
Job Coach (hourly paid)
Instructor - Residential Services (12 mth. position)
Residential Advisor (10 mth. position)*
Secretary I (12 mth. position)
Speech Language Pathologist (10 mth. position)*
Substitute Teachers (hourly paid, based on credentials)
Systems Support Tech (IT Assistant) (12 mth. position)*

* 10 month employees work 200 days (10 months) but receive payroll checks during each of the 12 months of the year.

For more information about these positions, visit the Georgia Department of Education web site at http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/pea_hr_jobsearch.aspx

Download Job Applications at:
http://www.spa.ga.gov/word/jobinfo/stateapp-emp.doc

Completed applications may be mailed, e-mailed, or faxed to:

Denise Clark, Personnel Office
Georgia School for the Deaf
232 Perry Farm Rd. SW
Cave Spring, Georgia 30124
denise.clark@doe.k12.ga.us
Fax: (706) 777-2240

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Employment Opportunity 3
Total Communication/Auditory Oral Early Childhood Instructor of the Deaf and Hearing Impaired
Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind
Nampa, Idaho
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Begin Date: August 2009

Nature of Work: Develop and implement a continuum of educational activities for D/HH preschool age children; develop IEP goals and attend other meetings required for the delivery of educational services; teach one session of total communication and one session of auditory oral preschool; other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications: Idaho Standard Exceptional Child Certification with a Hearing Impaired Endorsement; Early Childhood Endorsement preferred; Experience teaching deaf children in Total Communication/Auditory Oral Settings; Bachelor's degree required, Master's degree preferred.

Salary: Commensurate with education and experience.

Benefits: Comprehensive fringe benefit package included.

To Apply: Interested persons are to submit a letter of application, resume, official transcripts, copies of certification and three letters of recommendations to:

Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind
ATTN: Human Resources
1450 Main St
Gooding, ID 83330

Location: Parkview Early Learning Center, Nampa, Idaho

Closing Date: Open until filled.

Successful candidate will be required to furnish a background check within three months of employment per Idaho Code 33-130.

Hiring is done without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age or disability. In addition, preference may be given to veterans who qualify under state and federal laws and regulation. If you need special accommodation to satisfy testing requirements, please contact the Human Resources Department.

Department of Human Resources, 1450 Main St, Gooding, ID 83330 208.934.4457

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