Volume 41 Issue 13

HOH-LD-News
Vol. 41, Issue 13
December 26, 2009

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

- Article 1: Improved Emergency Warning System Promises Texting Improvements

- Article 2: More action is needed to support millions of tinnitus sufferers worldwide

- Article 3: Military Veterans with Hearing Loss Project

- 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:
Happy New Year from Harris Communications
Third Premium Placement:
Hearing Aid Repairs and Reduced Price Hearing Aids from Hearing Haven
Classified Section:
One Online Store and two Employment Opportunities

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

----------------------------------------------------------
YOUR AD HERE
----------------------------------------------------------
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
----------------------------------------------------------

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Article 1: Improved Emergency Warning System Promises Texting Improvements
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Editor: FEMA and the FCC are working to launch a new emergency system that fully supports text messaging, which is great news for people with hearing loss. While emergency alerting capabilities have made great strides in recent years, too often people with hearing loss have been left out. We're happy to see an explicit effot to include us!

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

As part of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), the nation's next generation of emergency alert and warning networks, the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today announced the adoption of the design specifications for the development of a gateway interface that will enable wireless carriers to provide its customers with timely and accurate emergency alerts and warnings via their cell phones and other mobile devices.

The Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) is one of many projects within IPAWS intended to provide emergency mangers and the President of the United States a means to send alerts and warnings to the public. Specifically, CMAS provides Federal, state, territorial, tribal and local government officials the ability to send 90 character geographically targeted text messages to the public regarding emergency alert and warning of imminent threats to life and property, Amber alerts, and Presidential emergency messages. The CMAS is a combined effort of the federal government and cellular providers to define a common standard for cellular alerts.

Today's announcement marks the beginning of the 28-month period, mandated by the FCC in August 2008, for commercial mobile service providers who have elected to participate in the design specifications known as CMAS to develop, test and deploy the system and deliver mobile alerts to the public by 2012.

"Working as a team with our partners in the public and private sectors, the adoption of the CMAS standard brings us even closer to making the nation's next-generation of emergency alerts and warnings - Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) - a reality," said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. "Our goal is simple, to give one message over more devices to more people for maximum safety."

"Today's announcement brings us one step closer to ensuring that Americans receive critical emergency alerts and warnings to protect themselves on the go, anywhere, anytime," said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. "I applaud FEMA for its leadership and look forward to working with both FEMA and the wireless industry to expedite the delivery of this important public safety service to consumers."

Wireless carriers who choose to participate in the CMAS will relay authorized text-based alerts to their subscribers. To ensure that persons with disabilities who subscribe to wireless services receive these emergency alerts, the FCC adopted rules in 2008 that will require participating wireless carriers to transmit messages with both vibration cadence and audio attention signals.

The adoption of CMAS culminates the collaborative specification development work between FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T), the Alliance of Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and begins the next phase of CMAS collaboration with industry in which FEMA will build the Federal Alert Aggregator/Gateway. This collaboration with industry is a key component of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) Programs' ability to provide alerts and warnings to the public through as many means as possible, including commercial mobile services.

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Stay informed of FEMA's activities online: videos and podcasts available at www.fema.gov/medialibrary and www.youtube.com/fema ; follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femainfocus and on FaceBook at www.facebook.com/fema.

----------------------------------------------------------
Happy New Year from Harris Communications
----------------------------------------------------------
As the year comes to an end, Harris Communications wants to thank you for your patronage and wish you a very Happy New Year.

Be sure to check our website frequently in 2010 for new product information and specials. Or, sign up for our newsletter to be notified about specials throughout the year.

Let us know if you are looking for new products or have questions. You can call, email or contact us through Facebook or Twitter.

Go to: http://www.harriscomm.com/index.php?utm_source=hlw
&utm_medium=news&utm_campaign=122709
or contact us at: mailto:info@harriscomm.com .
----------------------------------------------------------

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Article 2: More action is needed to support millions of tinnitus sufferers worldwide
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Editor: It's good to see tinnitus in the news! The affliction is surprisingly common, and affects many veterans returning from our overseas conflicts. Here's a pretty good review of the condition from the folks at Wiley-Blackwell.

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

As many as one in seven people will experience tinnitus, or ringing in their ears, at some time of their life, but not enough is being done to support patients who experience this distressing condition, according to an extensive research review in the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

Tinnitus is the most common injury arising from the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and 75% of 18 to 30 year-olds who go to nightclubs and concerts may experience temporary tinnitus.

"Despite the fact that it is a very distressing condition and can affect people's lifestyle and quality of life, around 94% of patients are simply told that nothing can be done to alleviate the condition" says Professor Susan Holmes from Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent, UK.

"Tinnitus is a widespread condition that affects millions of people across the world and there is considerable debate about its causes. The condition, which can be permanent or temporary and acute or chronic, increases with age and can also occur after bereavement or during stressful periods.

"It is sometimes referred to as a 'phantom sensation' as the sound - often a high-pitched noise with mechanical, electrical or musical qualities - is experienced in the absence of external stimuli."

Professor Holmes teamed up with Mr Nigel Padgham, an ear nose and throat surgery specialist from Kent and Canterbury Hospital, to carry out an extensive research review of nearly 150 papers published since 1983.

This showed that although considerable research has been carried out on the subject, nurses - who are often the first people patients turn to - have received very little guidance or information on the condition.

"We believe that affected patients need considerable support and advice on healthcare options, encouragement to try different treatments and recognition that help and hope are available" says Professor Holmes.

"Though patients may have to learn to live with tinnitus, the most important thing is that they recognise that help is available."

Other key findings of the research review include:

* Ten to 15% of people experience tinnitus at some time in their life. Five per cent of the UK's 4.7 million sufferers experience severe and persistent tinnitus that affects their lifestyle. 19% of Americans have the condition - with only 12 million seeking help. 14.5% of Italians have prolonged spontaneous tinnitus and 1.5 million German adults experience 'considerably annoying tinnitus'.

* Tinnitus increases with age and hearing impairment and 85% of patients also have hearing loss. Only 1% of people under 45 get tinnitus, compared with 12% between 60 and 69 and 25% to 30% over 70. Women appear to experience more complex tinnitus, but the reasons are unclear.

* It is unlikely that tinnitus has a single underlying cause. Many cases relate to ageing and hearing loss, but other causes appear to be damage to the middle ear, cochlea and audiovestibular nerve and cerebral pathways between the cochlear nucleus and primary auditory cortex.

* Temporary or permanent tinnitus may be due to ototoxic medications, such as certain antibiotics and antimalarial drugs, cancer chemotherapy drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents and diuretics.

* In most cases the onset is gradual and not attributable to any specific event. It can arise in the absence of any hearing problems.

* Various studies show that 62% of tinnitus sufferers have a "lifetime prevalence of major depression", 63% display "defined psychiatric disturbance" and 62% have "signs of lifetime depression".

"While there is debate about what causes tinnitus, it is acknowledged that both acute and chronic tinnitus can be distressing and, for some, persistent tinnitus affects their lifestyle and quality of life" says Mr Padgham.

"Although there has been a significant amount of research on tinnitus, most of this has focused on developing a better understanding of the cause and therapy rather than on its impact on patients or ways of helping them to cope with the condition.

"Most patients are told that nothing can be done, making them feel hopeless and enhancing the effect the condition has on them.

"But steps can be taken to treat or alleviate tinnitus in many cases, including medication, surgery, hearing aids to amplify external sounds and mask the tinnitus or distraction techniques, such as TV and radio. Healthcare professionals also need to tackle the psychosocial distress caused by the condition, which can include tension, frustration, anger, loss of concentration and sleep disturbance."

The researchers believe that nurses and other healthcare professionals can play a key role in making patients aware of the fact that help is available and providing them with the support they need to live with their condition.

"Telling patients that nothing can be done is not acceptable" concludes Mr Padgham. "Providing nurses and other health professionals with more information on the condition, and how to manage it, is the first step in that process."

----------------------------------------------------------
Hearing Aid Repairs and Reduced Price Hearing Aids from Hearing Haven
----------------------------------------------------------
Don't throw away your hearing aids! Even if you've been told they can't be repaired - give Hearing Haven a try.

Come check out our "Hearing For Life" program too; cutting the upfront price barrier of new aids, and giving you peace of mind with total hearing aid care.

Visit us at HearingHaven.com
1-888-412-3337
CS@HearingHaven.com
----------------------------------------------------------

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Article 3: Military Veterans with Hearing Loss Project
By Bonnie O'Leary
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Editor: I think most of us are aware that many of our returning veterans are suffering from hearing loss. The folks at NTID have established a program to assist them, and they presented this great workshop at the HLAA Convention.

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

This session was presented by Alan Hurwitz, President of NTID, along with Allen Ford, Project Coordinator. This project was designed especially for veterans who have suffered hearing loss as a result of their military service.

The Veterans with Hearing Loss program is a coordinated effort of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID). RIT has been designated a "Yellow Ribbon" college, which allows veterans who have served since 9/11/01 to receive additional financial assistance for tuition, as well as existing veterans' benefits for housing and textbooks. The Military Veterans with Hearing Loss Project plans to admit recent, honorably discharged veterans with hearing loss who can earn bachelor or graduate-level degrees from NTID at RIT with access services, such as real-time captioning and notetaking in the classroom.

Demographics and Statistics

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, loss of hearing is a common disability for veterans. More than 46,700 veterans from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom have reported permanent hearing loss as a result of exposure to gunfire and explosions during their tours of service. From overall post-9/11 conflict demographics, of the 299,585 veterans in VA health care, the number one disability is tinnitus, which affects 94,000 veterans. The number two disability is hearing loss, which affects 78,000 veterans. Exposure to continuous sound at more than 85 decibels or to 140 decibels for any length of time can damage hearing. A rifle can produce 160 decibels of sound. On average, men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have served more combat time than in any other US military conflict.

Sixty eight percent of our veterans are wounded in action by blasts or by improvised explosive devices. Auditory and vestibular symptoms associated with blast injuries include earache, tinnitus, dizziness and vertigo, distorted hearing, auditory processing disorders, loudness sensitivity, hyperacusis, aural fullness, and hearing impairment. Of the 72% of our service men and women who return to Iraq and Afghanistan, 35% already have hearing loss, and some have had additional injuries.

This group of veterans is demographically different from previous generations. They are younger, more disciplined, and are technologically savvy. They reflect a wide range of tastes and preferences, and have varying family dynamics, education and employment.

Benefits of the Military Veterans with Hearing Loss Project

For qualified veterans, RIT, through NTID, will provide educational access services, including note-taking and C-Print(r) captioning services. They will also provide audiology services which will include cochlear implant mapping. NTID has 14 audiologists to work with the veterans who have a 70dB loss or greater.

Counseling will be offered to matriculated veterans with hearing loss. RIT and NTID will partner with local Veterans Center, VA Outpatient, VR & E and other veteran-based organizations to complement services offered to matriculated veterans. And they will offer cooperative work and placement services to assist in securing employment. RIT and NTID are also partnering with the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), www.hlaa.org. HLAA will offer free membership to the veterans in the program.

The project hopes to enroll 10 veterans in 2010, the pilot year, increasing each year until there are 50 veterans enrolled in 2014. However, the project will take as many qualified applicants as want to come.

To learn more about Veterans with Hearing Loss, visit www.rit.edu/ntid/veterans

~~~~~

(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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- 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

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

Implantable Hearing Aid Gets Nod from FDA Panel

A FDA advisory panel has unanimously recommended that the agency approve the first fully-implantable hearing aid for patients with moderate to severe hearing loss. By a 15-0 vote, the Ear, Nose, and Throat Advisory Committee decided Friday that despite concerns about lingering adverse effects -- including sense of taste disturbances that can last longer than a year -- the Esteem hearing system, improves hearing better than partially-implanted hearing aids. Esteem is fully-implantable in the middle ear, unlike other hearing aids, which are only partially implantable. The agency does not have to take the advice of its scientific panels but usually does. In a company-sponsored trial, all patients had improved hearing after implantation with the Esteem hearing system, which is made by Envoy Medical Corp. of St. Paul, Minn. [snip] Also of concern, 26 of the 57 patients continued to experience adverse events beyond one year after surgery, including taste disturbance and facial palsy. Because of that risk, the panel recommended the device's label indicate the risk for facial nerve injury, taste disturbance, and a statement that some patients are more satisfied with their hearing aids.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/ProductAlert/DevicesandVaccines/17616

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

After losing her hearing, singer Mandy Harvey aims to inspire

Mandy Harvey dreamed of a life singing. She started as a toddler and joined her church choir. At Longmont High School in 2006 she was named top female vocalist. Harvey entered Colorado State University later that year. Her goal was to earn a doctorate degree and teach university-level jazz voice. Then she began to lose her hearing. One of the first signs of serious trouble was that she could no longer hear the rustling of her pants when she put them on or the zipper, she recalled. It became hard to hear her teachers. During the course of nine months, her dreams drained away as the world around her became increasingly quiet, then silent. She performed for the last time the following spring in a freshman recital. She clutched the piano to feel the music.

http://www.timescall.com/print.asp?ID=19835

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

ESPN Writer Comments on TV Closed Captioning

I like bars. I like sports. I like watching sports in bars. This is a topic my wife could discuss with you at length. But I couldn't fully enjoy this hobby if it weren't for an invention more miraculous than even boneless teriyaki chicken wings: closed captioning. Closed captioning, or, as many closed captioners spell it, CLOTHES CAP SHUNNING, is what stenographers type onto the bottom of your screen, moving faster than a double-parked meth freak, when you press "CC" on your remote. These people are generally very good at their jobs, but sports announcers spew between 150 and 200 words per minute, and most stenographers were French majors at Swarthmore, so mistakes are made. I've seen HALL OF FAME LINEBACKER DICK BUTT KISS, and Atlanta Brave Chipper Jones come up to BAT RYE HANDED. (I wonder if Babe Ruth ever did that?) I've watched MIKE PIZZA and MIKE PIZZERIA. I've seen a thousand FIELD GOLDS and a few hundred torn INTERIOR CRUCIAL LIGAMENTS, some belonging to members of the Alabama RIMS AND TIDE.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=reilly_rick&id=4743743

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

One Online Store and two Employment Opportunities (Ads appear after this brief table of contents.)

WCI. Your Single Source for Assistive Technology
FREE GROUND SHIPPING IN DECEMBER
http://www.weitbrecht.com

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

Employment Opportunity 2
Teaching Positions at GSD
Georgia School for the Deaf
Cave Spring, GA

-------------------
WCI. Your Single Source for Assistive Technology
FREE GROUND SHIPPING IN DECEMBER
http://www.weitbrecht.com
-------------------

Holiday Shopping is a breeze at WCI! We're here to help you find just the right gifts for all your family and friends. FREE GROUND SHIPPING on orders over $50.00! (excludes both CapTel 200 and 800i) 1-800-233-9130 (V/TTY) or visit us at http://www.weitbrecht.com/onsale?php?utm_source=hlw for more details.

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

We're now on Facebook! Come visit us!

WCI. Your Single Source for Assistive Technology

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

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-- Crenshaw, CA
* Job Developer/Interpreter - Rancho Cucamonga, CA
* Community Interpreter - 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
Teaching Positions at GSD
Georgia School for the Deaf
Cave Spring, GA
-------------------

Position 1
High School Math Teacher

Minimum Qualifications: Must possess or be eligible to obtain Georgia Professional Standards Commission Certification in the area of Special Education Deaf Education AND High School Math. Sign language proficiency at the "Intermediate Level" as measured by the Sign Communication Proficiency Instrument is required. Note: Candidates selected for employment must meet the "Highly Qualified" provision of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Note: Must submit required certification documentation with resume and cover letter or application.

For Additional Information:
http://www.hearinglossweb.com/res/emp/gsd_math.htm

~~~~~

Position 2
Substitute Teacher (Part-Time/Hourly)

Minimum Qualifications: High School Diploma or GED and four hours of initial substitute teacher training provided by a local education agency in Georgia and sign language proficiency at the "Intermediate Level" as measured by the Sign Communication Proficiency.

For Additional Information:
http://www.hearinglossweb.com/res/emp/gsd_sub.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- 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.