Deaf-owned Company Makes Mag Cover

The new issue of Fortune Small Business features the VP of Technology at Viable along with the company’s videophone. It could be the first time a deaf person or a communications device for the deaf has appeared on the cover of a business magazine. Viable was profiled because the company is deaf-owned and deaf-operated.

College Offering Minor in Deaf Studies

Students at the University of Minnesota Duluth can now earn a minor in deaf studies. The new degree came about after members of the group Access for All held a forum and various community leaders and lawmakers. ASL classes have long been popular at the school. Nearly 200 students are enrolled in ASL classes this year. Two instructors (one of them deaf) have been hired to run the program. For their effort, the student activists have been given the outstanding student organization award for 2008.

Celebrate ASL

A celebration of the International Day of Sign Languages will take place Friday afternoon at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. The World Federation of the Deaf designates one day a year as a time to show support for the use of sign language around the world. The National Association of the Deaf is leading it’s support to the gathering.

On the West Coast, the California Association for the Deaf is planning a gathering on Saturday at the state capital in Sacramento. Several dozen booths will exhibit materials and support for the use of sign language as a part of what’s being called the Californians for ASL Celebration.

Hearing Loss Among Troops

One in four soldiers serving in Iraq or Afghanistan have damaged hearing according to the Army.

House on House

Hearing Expert Dr. John House says he often is asked whether he’s the TV doctor. Fox’s show House is about a Vicodin addicted doctor solving medical mysteries. The real doctor named House is not only an expert on hearing, his father (Howard House)
founded the House Ear Institute and his uncle (William House) created and implanted the first FDA-approved cochlear implant.

House (the real doctor) points out that the TV doctor (played by Hugh Laurie) would (in real life) eventually lose his hearing because of his addiction to Vicodin (acetaminophen/ hydrocodone). Many go completely deaf. House (the real doctor) is concerned that many viewers are mislead by the lack of consequences to the addiction in the TV show. Of course, prescription painkillers affect people in different ways. One person may take Vicodin for years and not suffer any hearing loss. Another person may take large doses for few months and suffer profound permanent hearing loss.

Deaf Pilots

Of more than 618,000 pilots nationwide, the FAA says only 73 are deaf.

Hearing Aids Costs

A set of hearing aids costs anywhere from $800 to $3,500. The average is $2,200, according to an industry study sponsored by Knowles Electronics. For children, most hearing aids are not covered by insurance and can run between $1,000 and $3,000 a set. They must be changed every few years as children grow. Batteries can add about $600 a month to that amount because they must be switched every two to three days.

Children in Special Programs

Three decades ago, four out of five deaf or hard of hearing children in the US were in programs specially designed for the deaf. Today the numbers have literally flipped. Now, four out of five attend public school.

Deaf Group Loses $170,000

When the collapse of Silver State Bank collapsed a few days ago, several years of work by the Las Vegas County Association of the Deaf went down the drain. The group had slowly raised more than $170,000 through small fund-raisers. The association’s banking account is now worth only $100,000 because that’s the maximum amount insured by the federal government. The money was going to be used for a convention of the Deaf Seniors of America.

Frustrated Texas Parents

Parents of students in a program for deaf children in Houston are calling for consolidation. More than 100 students must travel to three different school districts located miles apart. The Galveston Brazoria Cooperative for the Hearing Impaired serves ten districts. School officials says there are no plans to change and students will simply have to adjust. KTRK-TV has more in this report (no captioning provided):

Hearing and Depression

Many people who suffering hearing loss also battle depression. A survey released by Australian Hearing found six out of ten people with hearing problems also have symptoms that are associated with depression. One out of five had at least three key symptoms.

Millions for Hearing Loss in Children

The University of Iowa is getting a federal grant of $8.9 million to study mild to moderate hearing loss in preschool children. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded the five-year grant to University researchers who will work with Boys Town National Research Hospital in Nebraska and the University of North Carolina.

ASL Popular in High School

KRBC-TV reports on sign language classes at a high school in Abilene, Texas (no caption):

Gallaudet Evacuation

Gallaudet University students were evacuated from two dorms Wednesday because of a chemical scare. A maintenance worker discovered containers of an unknown material hidden in an air duct above a second-floor room. Police and fire crews were alerted but only ordinary pesticides and fertilizers were found. Authorities say someone may have been growing marijuana and used the containers for storage at the DC campus.

Journal Critical of Researcher

A medical journal is reprimanding a Washington University researcher for his study that concluded firefighters weren't at risk for job-related hearing loss. The Ear & Hearing journal says William Clark failed to disclose a conflict of interest. Clark got money from a siren manufacturer while putting the study together at the university's medical school in St. Louis. Clark claims he did nothing wrong.

How Technology is Impacting ASL Storytelling

Hundreds are expected at a symposium planned for October about how technology is changing how ASL is used in the Deaf community. Redefining the Literary Expressions of Deafhood: The Impact of the Digital Age is being made possible by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities. It will take place October 3rd and 4th at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, New York. The focus will be storytelling. How are blogs and vlogs affecting the way artists express themselves and how stories are being passed to the next generation. The sessions are free and will include sign language performances and talks by assistant professor of English and ASL at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Christopher Krentz and English professor from Gallaudet University, Kristen Harmon.

Early Intervention

The earlier children get intervention services for hearing loss early the better. That’s the finding of new research that shows children who get help even before the age of three months have higher language scores than those who receive no special help. Details are in the latest issue of the medical journal Pediatrics.

Hearing Aids Planted in the Brain

The nonprofit House Ear Institute in Los Angeles is working on digital hearing aids that put sound directly into the brain. Nearly a dozen procedures that involve penetrating the surface of the cochlear nucleus right into the brain. Researchers hope the auditory brainstem implant will be ready for use in people with residual hearing in another 5 years. While analog hearing aids amplify all sound, digital can be nuanced to be more selective. Tiny computers can screen out noise and amplify pertinent sounds.

Stem Cell Research

Stem cells may repair cochlear damage that causes hearing loss. That’s the finding of Italian researchers. Details are in the current issue of Cell Transplantation.

Hearing the TV without Blasting Others Out of the Room

People who use hearing aids no longer need the TV loud. What’s called an “induction loop system” allows users tie into the audio-out of a TV or stereo system. A small transmitter plugs into the jack and a thin wire is run in a circle around the room. The technology is in wide use in Europe. Wireless Hearing Solutions offers a typical set-up that runs $185.

Sign Language Opera

A new form of entertainment is sweeping Finland – opera singers who also sign. Producer Marita Barber started the trend on the tiny Aland islands with her addition of 'opera signers'. They amplify the nonverbal characteristic of normal opera with sign language adapted to convey the mood and tone of the music. The Theatre Totti is the only permanent theater to produce sign-language-only plays in the country.

Still Teaching, Still Connecting

John Kuhlman made the rounds as a popular economics professor for years. Now he teaches immigrants to read and write English, one-on-one, at the Literacy Council of Buncombe County in western North Carolina. The 84-year-old was given a second teaching life because of a cochlear implant. Many of the clients ask for Kuhlman because of his passion and patience.

Cheap Hearing Aids Not Worth It

A study of over-the-counter hearing aids finds only a few met the basic requirements for a good fit. Michigan State University professor Jerry Punch tested eleven over-the-counter hearing aids and found most of them not only failed to fit properly but they did not help many common types of hearing loss. Details of the study are in the American Journal of Audiology. FDA regulations are not enforced for low-cost amplifying devices that are sold through mail order and on the Internet.

Troy Program Opens

Troy University’s internatraining program for sign language interpreters has begun. The Alabama school is offering classes to prepare students to pass the National Interpreting Certification Exam.

Help During the Hurricane

When you watch the news coverage of hurricane Gustav, you may see Shari Bernius. She’s administrator of the Deaf Action Center, an agency of the Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans. Both of her parents were deaf and she understands the difficulties of those who are deaf during emergencies. Bernius signed many news conferences during Hurricane Katrina and now her skills are being called upon again. Her job is critical because there is no closed captioning for these emergency weather announcements, leaving the deaf community no way of knowing what's going on apart from the work of interpreters like Bernius.

Professor Going to Jail

A professor at Rochester Institute of Technology is going to jail. Michael Krembel was given an 11-year prison sentence for having sex with a 14-year-old boy. Krembel met the teen online. He taught graphic arts at RIT's National Technical Institute for the Deaf and for 35 years but was fired after pleading guilty to the charge.

Hearing Loss among Baby Boomers

Hearing loss among "baby boomers" has increased significantly to about 15% of people between the ages 45 and 64, according to the Better Hearing Institute. In fact, the AARP says there are more people between the age 45 and 64 with hearing loss (10 million) than there are people over 65 with hearing loss (9 million). The reason: listening to loud music.

The number is expected to climb because by the year 2010, the baby boomer generation reaches age 65. The number of Americans with hearing loss could rise as high as 78 million by 2030, according to the National Institute on Deafness.

Getting to Know.. Deaf Culture

Deafness is one of the only medical conditions associated with its own set of cultural traditions. Many are concerned that technology will water down the use of sign language and minimize social interaction between deaf people. Some even shun devices designed to help them hear to protect the sanctity of deaf culture.

Ear Infections

How They Happen
· When viruses or bacteria get inside the ear (from a cold or other illness) fluid and mucus can become trapped deep inside the ear.

Who it Affects
· Three out of four children will suffer from ear infections before the age of three

Symptoms
· irritability
· loss of sleep, appetite, and balance
· tugging at the ear
· fever
· lack of response to quiet sounds
· signs of hearing difficulty (i.e. sitting too close to the TV)

Treatment
· Tylenol
· warm baths
· "watchful waiting" (with children over 2)
· antibiotics if symptoms persists, however, it only works against bacterial infections
(some have become resistant to certain antibiotics)
· Doctors have no way of knowing if a virus or bacteria is causing any given infection

Effects
· Can result in hearing loss, though doctors say that's usually temporary.

More Information
· American Academy of Pediatrics
· National Library of Medicines

Closed Captioning on YouTube

Videos posted on YouTube can now be closed captioned. Video contributors can upload subtitles for as many languages as they want. They can be turned on and off by clicking on the “CC” button that pops up at the bottom right.

A Scientific First

Researchers in Oregon say they’ve figured out how to make new hair cells grow in the inner ear of unborn mice. Work in humans is still a way off, but the efforts at the Oregon Health and Science University could lead to ground-breaking gene therapy that could one day restore hearing in the deaf. The effort is being lead by neurobiologist John Brigande who is profoundly hard of hearing himself. Details of the study are in the journal Nature.

Getting to Know.. Gallaudet University

The Name: Gal-luh-det not Gal-yoo-det

Address: 800 Florida Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002

Website: http://www.gallaudet.edu

Year founded: 1864

Setting: Urban

Campus Size: 99 acres

Religious affiliation: None

Employees: 1,129 (41% deaf or hard of hearing)

Undergrad Degrees: 40 Bachelor's degree majors

Graduate Degrees: programs in social work, deaf education, international development and clinical psychology

Enrollment: about 1,800 Undergraduate student body: In the past five years, undergraduate enrollment has declined from about 1,400 to just under 1,000

Hearing Students: about 5%

Registered Clubs and Organizations: 31

Number of Fraternities and Sororities: 4/4

Student Newspaper: the Buff and Blue is published biweekly

What’s Happened to Jane Fernandes?

Former Gallaudet University provost Jane Fernandes now holds the same position at UNC Asheville. Fernandes, who was born deaf, served in the post for Gallaudet for six years. But when the Gallaudet Board decided to appoint her as president of the school, students protested until she withdrew from the position.

In Silent Prayer

Father Anthony Russo has written a book about his 40 year ministry to the Deaf community. In Silent Prayer follows his path through churches in the Philadelphia area where the congregation is exclusively deaf and others where only a couple of people in the congregation is deaf. He traces this ministry back before his own time to the mid-1800’s. Russo was first assigned to the deaf when it was discovered that he himself suffers a mild hearing impairment. More information.

WHNS-TV in Greenville, South Carolina reports on an investigation into the state's school for the deaf and blind. (No captioning provided)

Sign Language Over Cell Phones

Seattle will be the testing ground for new software that allows deaf and hear-of-hearing to use sign language over a cell phone. The National Science Foundation has given researchers at the University of Washington a grant to test their program. A prototype of MobileASL has been posted on YouTube (see it below). Users can hold the phone in front of them and sign with one hand but most prefer to set the phone on a table and sign with both hands. More information.

Rochester Gets $900,000

Rochester’s School for the Deaf is getting nearly $900,000 over the next five years for its after-school academy. The money is coming from the state education department. The Rochester After School Academy is free and open to all deaf and hard-of-hearing school-age students.

School Takes Year Off from Football

There will be no football program at the Louisiana School for the Deaf – for one year. The school is suspending the program citing lack of interest and experience. The War Eagles have been playing in an eight-man football league for deaf schools. Last year’s record was 2 and 5. Only 11 players signed up to participate this year. In 2005 the school went undefeated and won the Deaf Schools National Championship.

Olympic Cyclist

Maria Belen Dutto got the chance to compete in the Beijing Olympics this week. The Argentine cyclist is almost entirely deaf. She competes in the BMX where cyclists race through a dirt circuit in less than a minute. She attended regular schools as a child and is now 21-years-old. A beep usually tells riders that the barrier before their front wheel is about to drop. Since Dutto cannot hear the beep, her father usually taps her back to let her know. That’s not necessary in the Olympics which has lights to indicate the start to riders. She didn't make it to the finals, but she came in 7th in her semifinals run today.

Drummer Keeps the Beat

Drummer Ben Herson was born with a degenerative hearing loss. But that hasn’t kept him from touring North American with some big acts during the last 15 years. His work has included hip-hop, reggae and African music. Herson has nerve damage in both ears and uses hearing aids.

Misdiagnosis of the Elderly who are Deaf

Elderly patients who are may get low scores on mental health tests because of a language barrier, according to a new study. A professor at Macon State College says this can lead to misdiagnosis of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. David Feldman found deaf patients typically scored between three and five percent lower on the exam than those who are hearing. The main reason was that the questions used language difficult to translate into sign language. He sees an experienced interpreter as critical to getting an accurate assessment.

Hearing Loss and Older Adults

Most common chronic conditions among older Americans:

1. Hypertension
2. Arthritis
3. Hearing Loss

As many as 29 million people in the US may have at least some hearing loss, according to the Archives of Internal Medicine.

One-third of adults over the age 60 are hard of hearing and up to half of those age 75 or older are hard of hearing, according to the House Ear Institute.

Hearing loss associated with aging most often results from cumulative damage to the hair cells in the cochlea, which, like other body parts, suffer the wear and tear of age. The first to decline are those in the outer part of the cochlea that are sensitive to high-frequency sounds, including those produced by the consonants f, sh, ch, p, s and t, which are crucial to clarity in perceiving speech. The low-frequency vowel sounds are the last to go.

School President Being Replaced

Something's wrong at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind. The State Law Enforcement Division has launched an investigation into the school, though agents are not saying why. At the same time, the board of the school is replacing president Pamela Shaw. Shaw has been on the job only about half a year. Vice president of outreach services, Carol Mabry, is taking over as interim president.

$3 Million for Implant Study

If you can hear out of only one ear, how will that affect your ability to use a cochlear implant? The National Institutes of Health is giving a $3 million grant to find out. Jill Firszt, a cochlear-implant specialist at St. Louis’ Washington University School of Medicine will spend 5 years trying to answer the question. Firszt expects the study will find that having hearing in one ear improves the outcome over being deaf in both ears. The study should also help determine whether someone should get a second implant right away or wait a while.

Step inside the Ear Canal

If we could stroll up the ear canal for a quick visit, we might find some wax blocking our way. At the end of the fleshy tunnel, we would have to squeeze around a huge, circular membrane - better known as the eardrum. After than, we would sidestep the oddly shaped middle ear bones and step into the inner ear. Up ahead we would see, rising like skyscrapers, a cluster of slender and interconnected inner ear hair cells. Bundles of them would gently bend as sound waves pass. These receptacles take in those sounds and transforming them into electrical signals, sending them to the brain for interpretation.

Can Apes Learn ASL?

Beginning in the late 1960s, several famous projects claimed to have taught language to baby chimpanzees. These claims quickly captured the public’s imagination and were played up in popular science books and magazines and television programs. Most of the trainers were schooled in the behaviorism tradition of B.F. Skinner and are ignorant of the study of language; they latched don tot the most tenuous resemblance between chimp and child and proclaimed that their abilities fare fundamentally the same.

The apes did not “learn American Sign Language”. This preposterous claim is based on the myth that ASL is a crude system of pantomimes and gestures rather than a full language with complex phonology, morphology, and syntax. In fact the apes had not learned any true ASL signs.

Steven Pinker
The Language Instinct

American Sign Language Facts

• ASL can be traced at least to the late 1600s when a form of sign language was used by the deaf community on Martha's Vineyard.
• ASL moved closer to its current form in the early 1800s with the help of Protestant minister Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet.
• By the late 1860's signing was outlawed in many schools for the deaf. Some offenders were even forced to wear mittens.
• It's the primary language for as many as 500,000 people
• ASL is the second most taught language on college campuses according to National Public Radio.
• ASL has a distinct vocabulary. One dictionary lists more than 7,000 entries.
• More than 100 four-year universities accept it as a foreign language requirements
• More than 700 public high schools offered sign language classes in 2004 (456 more than in 2000)

Getting to Know… Marlee Matlin

• Born August 24, 1965
• Grew up in Morton Grove, Illinois near Chicago
• Became deaf when she was a year and a half old after she suffered a series of fevers
• Won an Oscar for her role as the deaf student in Children of a Lesser God
• Played a lawyer on her own TV series, Reasonable Doubt
• Took the role of a political analyst on The West Wing
• Plays a character on Showtime’s The ‘L’ Word
• Attended the Jewish Temple for the Deaf B’nai Shalom located in Skokie
• Discovered by Henry Winkler
• Author of two Children’s books

72-year-old Gets Implant

A report from WCBS-TV in New York on one woman's implant story (no captioning provided).

Gallaudet.. By the Numbers

Mid 90s: There were as many as 1600 undergraduates

1999 – 2005: undergraduate graduation rates are about 42%

2001 - 2005: graduates who found jobs the first year out of Gallaudet drops every year

2002: 758 high school seniors applied to Gallaudet

2006: The number of new students shrinks to just 281

2006 – 1200 undergraduates

2007 - 1080 undergraduates this year

2007 - The institution of choice for only 13% of US deaf and hard-of-hearing high-school graduates who enroll in four-year colleges (according to the US Department of Education)

Call Center Shutdown Planned

Communication Service for the Deaf is shutting down its call center in Jacksonville, Florida in October. The move will put 114 people out of work. The center takes calls from people all over the country and has been in operation for three years. The nonprofit company is based in South Dakota. A spokesman admits that new technology is slowly eliminating the needPublish Post for the text relay service.

New App for iPhones and iPods

There’s a new tool for learning the ASL alphabet. An educational app has been designed for the iPod and iPhone called ABC Sign. Three choices are presented on the iPod or iPhone touch and the user selects the correct one. A quarter of the profits will go toward the benefit of deaf artists.

Lottery for the Deaf

A scam is going around the US that promises money through a so-called “lottery for the deaf.” The trick involves a call, mail contact or text that tells the person they get their winnings after paying taxes and fees up front, often through Western Union. Sometimes, they attempt to gain personal information from the deaf person, such as a Social Security number or bank account numbers.

Fundraiser for Deaf Boy

A benefit concert takes place a week from Friday (August 22) for a deaf Honduran boy at The Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Sponsored by the Help Me Hear Foundation, tickets to the benefit concert are just $15. All the money that’s raised will go toward the purchase a cochlear implant for the boy. Seven local bands have agreed to appear for no charge.

Right Brain, Left Brain

When deaf people shadow one-handed signs in American Sign Language they find it harder to (simultaneously) tap with their right finger than with their left finger. That’s because the right finger competes with language for resources of the left hemisphere. When a person (either a signer or speaker) has to shadow a goodbye wave, a thumbs-up sign, or a meaningless gesticulation, the fingers of the right hand and the left and are slowed down equally.

Deaf signers with damage to their left hemispheres suffer from forms of sign aphasia (a loss of the ability to produce and/or comprehend language ) that are virtually identical to the aphasia of hearing victims with similar lesions. (They) are unimpaired at nonlinguistic tasks that place similar demands on the eyes and hands, such as gesturing, pantomiming, recognizing faces, and copying designs. Injuries to the right hemisphere of deaf signers produce the opposite pattern: they remain flawless at signing but have difficulty performing spatial tasks, just like hearing patients with injured right hemispheres.

It is a fascinating discovery. The right hemisphere is known to specialize in (spatial) abilities, so one might have expected that sign language, which depends on (spatial) abilities, would be computed in the right hemisphere. (But) language.. is controlled by the left hemisphere. The left hemisphere must be handling the abstract rules and trees underlying language, the grammar and the dictionary and the anatomy of words, and not merely the sounds and the mouthings at the surface.

From The Language Instinct by Steven Pinker

Most Widely Studied Foreign Language in Colleges

1. Spanish

2. French

3. German

4. Italian

5. American Sign Language

Source: Modern Language Association

Screening Newborns

All but seven US states now require newborns to be screened for hearing loss before leaving the hospital. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says all children should be screened for hearing loss before one month of age. The procedure takes less than 10 minutes. Hearing loss is the most common birth defect in the US, occurring in three out of every 1,000 newborns, according to the CDC. Two of those children will have a partial hearing loss while one will be profoundly deaf. That means roughly 12,000 babies are born each year with permanent hearing loss.

But many babies that fail hearing tests do not get the follow-up they need. About a third of the 76,000 newborns that did not pass their screening test last year did not get the further testing needed to determine if they actually have hearing loss, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, The CDC blames a shortage of audiologists and a lack of understanding on the part of parents. If a child doesn’t get a follow-up and diagnosis by 3 or 4 months, the problem isn’t likely to be caught until age 2 or 3 when it has started affecting language and social skills.

Randy Rutherford

Folksinger Randy Rutherford describes his journey toward hearing loss in his one-man show called Singing at the Edge of the World. Rutherford began losing his hearing during his 20’s and has left the musician with 70% hearing loss at the age of 58. He now wears digital hearing aids but still struggles to make out conversations.

Noise Levels: Ordinary and Military

Lawnmower: 90 decibels

Rock concert: 110

Blackhawk helicopter: 110

Abrams tank (speed increases decibels): 117

9 mm pistol: 157

M60 machine gun: 160

Hand grenade (50 feet from target): 164

TOW II missile launcher (on vehicle): 179

105 Towered Howitzer (artillery on tank): 183

Source: U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventative Medicine

Your Hearing Doctors

Otolaryngologist
A physician who specializes in problems of the ear.

Audiologist
A professional who can identify and measure hearing loss who can help you determine if you need a hearing aid.

Lawsuit against St Paul Police

Doug Bahl is suing police in St. Paul, Minnesota. The well-known deaf activist was arrested and beaten during a traffic stop. Bahl was stopped for running a red light (this photo shows him with swollen, black eyes and blood on him). When he tried to communicate that he was deaf, officers sprayed him with mace and hit him. The policemen blame Bahl for starting the confrontation, saying he hit and bit one of them. But the officer's written account indicates show they were frustrated that Bahl did not "speak" with them and they failed to grasp that Bahl was deaf during the altercation. Then Bahl spent nearly four days in the Ramsey County Jail without the knowledge of his family. He says deputies wouldn't get him an interpreter. The sheriff says he offered Bahl a TTY phone the first day but he wanted to send an email to his family. Bahl says the next three days he was not provided an interpreter or allowed access to TTY. His first court appearance was even put off because Ramsey County authorities failed to provide him with an interpreter. Bahl ultimately was convicted of a misdemeanor. The Sheriff’s office says conditions have improved since the incident.

Closed Captioning State Law

A new Minnesota law requires candidates for state-level offices to include closed captioning in advertising. That means professionally produced ads that run on television and internet videos of two minutes or more will have to provide text. Transcripts of radio ads must be posted on the candidate's Web site. The exceptions: Judicial candidates are exempt. And ads for senate and presidential campaigns won’t have to abide by the law because they fall under federal campaign rules.

Hearing Loss Among the Young

A new study suggests more young Americans may be suffering from hearing loss than what has previously been reported. Here are some of the findings:

• 16% (about 29 million people) have hearing loss in one (9%) or both ears (7%)
• 31% (about 55 million people) had high-frequency hearing loss (12% in one ear and 19% in both)
• Hearing loss was especially prevalent at high frequencies for people age 20 to 29 (8.5%) and age 30 to 39 (17%)
• Men were 5.5 times more likely than women to have hearing loss
• Black participants were 70% less likely to have loss of hearing than white participants with white
• Mexican American men having the highest occurrence of both high-frequency hearing loss and hearing loss in both ears.

Details of the study are published are in the July 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Deaf Hockey Coach

Devils Lake High School in Dickinson, North Dakota has a new hockey coach – who’s deaf. David Zimmerman has been an assistant coach at the school for the past six seasons. He uses hearing aids and reads lips to communicate and played hockey during his entire time in high school. For two decades, Zimmerman has given himself to coaching peewee and bantam hockey teams.

Getting to Know… Videophones

Callers see an interpreter on their TV screen and sign a message to the interpreter, who then contacts the hearing recipient on a standard phone line and relays the conversation between the two parties.

Video Relay Services (or VRS) help the deaf to call hearing people. The customer dials a toll-free number and sees a picture of an interpreter on a home television screen. The operator contacts the desired hearing person and then serves as a go-between the two parties, signing to the deaf person and speaking to the hearing person, just as they would do in person. The service is free to the deaf because the cost is underwritten by the universal access surcharge that telephone users pay.

When video relay began in January 2002 only about 7200 minutes where used each month. That rose to more than 3 million minutes last year, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

Large Companies offering Video Relay Service: Sprint, AT&T, Verizon/MCI, Hamilton and Sorenson

Tennitus Survey

A survey of annoyance levels for tinnitus sufferers. Tennitus is a a ringing, buzzing or whistling sound in one or both ears occurring without outside stimulus.

How Annoying is it?

• 39.2% - mildly distressed 23.9% - severely distressed
• 12.8% - most severely distressed

How Loud is it?

• 60% - medium degree of tinnitus loudness
• 32% - strong degree of tinnitus loudness
• 8% - rated their condition as weak

Source: Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery

New Testing Rules in Tennessee

Tennessee has joined 43 other states and begun requiring all newborns to undergo a hearing test before leaving the hospital. Testing is also required on children born outside of hospitals within 48 hours. The Tennessee rules went into effect in July first.

Twitter and 12seconds

Twittering is a social networking site that is growing so fast that it is wrestling with the problem of going down from too many users trying to access it. A good problem to have.

Twittering is sort of micro-blogging or perhaps Group IM (instant messaging). Like the status updates on Facebook, twittering explains what I’m doing right now in just a few words. Ten, 20, a 100 people may be signed in to get my twitters.

Working on the same premise is 12seconds. You create video updates that are 12 seconds in length – a similar limitation to Twitter’s 140 character limit.

Deafness in America

About 7.8 million Americans 15 year of age and older had difficulty hearing a normal conversation, including 1 million who were deaf in 2004, according to US Census Bureau. That puts the number of deaf in the US to be about 10% of the total population. An estimated 50-70,000 Americans under 18 are profoundly deaf. And it's estimated that 78 million Americans will have hearing loss in the next quarter century.

Prelingually

A "prelingually Deaf" person is someone who is either born deaf or who lost his or her hearing early in childhood, before acquiring language.

Family Income

More than half of those with severe to profound hearing loss have a family income of less than $25,000. Source: Project HOPE.

My Heart Glow

There’s a new book coming out that explains to children how American Sign Language got its start. Written by Emily Arnold McCully, My Heart Glow: Alice Cogswell, Thomas Gallaudet and the Birth of American Sign Language tells the true story of a deaf child, Alice Cogswell, and her teacher Thomas Gallaudet. She inspires him to help found the first permanent school for deaf children back in 1817. Gallaudet had seen sign languages among American Indians and traveled to France to look for the best teaching methods. The American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut helped with research. The illustrated book retails for $15.99.

Earphones to Protest Your Hearing

A British company says it’s come up with a way to provide music lovers great audio at a low volume – a combination necessary for protecting hearing. Advanced Communication Solutions is offering custom-molded earphones for $1000. With nearly all external noise blocked out, listeners can drop the volume of MP3 player by half.

Deaf Rabbi

Darby Leigh is the new assistant rabbi at B’nai Keshet, a synagogue in Montclair, New Jersey. The 35-year-old profoundly deaf man is the son of deaf parents. Leigh toured with the National Theater of the Deaf before attending rabbinical school to learn Hebrew. Leigh was the first male, deaf student to attend on of the major rabbinical seminaries in the US. Here is a video about him. (no captioning)

Hearing Damage Comes Fast

Nine-out-of-ten young people who had spent the night at a club or loud bar had hearing damage – after just one night. The study by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People found nearly all of them had symptoms of dull hearing, ringing in the ears and over-sensitivity to sound. The charity is launching a competition for fashionable earplugs as a result since only 3% of youth wear them.

Cochlear Market Expected To Surge

A new study predicts a surge in sales of cochlear implants over the next four years. The market is projected to grow from $725 million in 2008 to $1.59 billion in 2012, according to Neurotech Reports. More than 130,000 devices are already in use worldwide. The average cost of implant surgery is around $30,000.

M-TV Show Features Cochlear Implants

MTV's show True Life airing today at 1pm will feature a teen and college student who were born profoundly deaf and chose to have cochlear implant surgery. They have the devices installed and activated – all the while cameras are rolling. The award-winning documentary series showcases real-life stories of young people. The episode titled True Life: I'm Deaf was shot last winter. One student is a 22-year-old from Maryland attending college and the other is a teen from New Jersey.

Grace's Law

A New Jersey bill has passed the state Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee that would require health insurance companies to provide $1000 in coverage for hearing aids for children under age of 16 every two years. The legislation is called Grace’s Law and is named for Grace Gleba, an 8-year-old girl has a severe hearing impairment. Her mother, Jeanine Gleba started lobbying lawmakers to pass the bill nine years ago.

Implant Maker Sees Strong Sales

A new cochlear implant produced by Med-El is doing very well. The company says sales of its Opus 2 speech processor is up more than 30%. The latest version of the devise received FDA approval in April. It has switch-free operation and works with wireless FM and Bluetooth. Based in North Carolina, Med-El is the third largest hearing-implant company in the world.

Boy's Implants Stolen Twice-CNN

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Implant Maker to Pay Million Dollar Fine

Federal regulators have reached a settlement with Advanced Bionics over changes to production of one of its cochlear implants which could have exposed patients to unnecessary health risks. The California hearing device manufacturer agreed to pay a civil money penalty of more than $1 million. The head of the company will pay $75,000. Advanced Bionics issued a recall of the the HiRes90k Implantable Cochlear Stimulator in 2006 since materials for the implant came from an unapproved supplier. The FDA says excessive moisture that could leak into the devices and cause device failure and lead to possible surgery. Advanced Bionics admitting no liability.

Taking McDonald's to Court

Karen Tumeh is suing McDonald's. The deaf women says several times, workers at a Nebraska restaurant refused to let her order at the drive-thru window. Tumeh considers that a violation of ADA law. Workers wanted her to come inside to order even though she has autistic children. Tumeh is hoping her suit will force the fast food company to accommodate deaf drive-through customers. McDonald’s hasn’t commented on the suit.

National Parks Services

Looking for a sign language interpreter or captioned movies and services at national parks? The federal government has set up a site for those needs, along information on trails, programs and other activities for the disabled at nation parks. The National Park Service web site is called National Parks: Accessible to Everyone. There is a section called Parks with Features Accessible to Hearing Impaired Features.

The Football Drum

Although Gallaudet no longer uses a drum to signal the start of plays in football games, a drummer still bangs one when it's time to switch warmup exercises during pregame stretching. A hand signal or a touch on the center's leg is used to call for the snap to the quarterback. Rather than feeling the vibration from the drum, players now watch for ball movement to start plays. The Bison keep defenses off balance by calling plays in sign language at the line of scrimmage, although the huddle was created at Gallaudet back in the 1890s.

Football Coach Grounded in Deaf Culture

The new football coach at the University of Mississippi grew up playing and communicating with deaf children. Houston Nutt’s parents taught at the Arkansas School for the Deaf. The 50-year-old Nutt took over at "Ole Miss" after resigning from Arkansas, where he spent a decade coaching the Razorbacks. During his tenure there, he led the team to three Southeastern Conference Western Division titles and was named 2006 SEC coach of the year. His father, Houston Nutt Sr., grew up with a slight hearing impairment in a deaf household. At the Arkansas School for the Deaf, the elder Nutt served as dean of students, teacher, coach, groundskeeper, athletic director. Perhaps most importantly, he served as father figure to children who would leave home at the age of 4 or 5 to live at the school.

Miss Universe

The Japanese beauty crowned Miss Universe 2007 has a connection with the Deaf Community. Riyo Mori learned American Sign Language when her host guardian in Canada began suffering from hearing loss. She began volunteering to work with Deaf children, especially art activities. She passed on her crown last night to Miss Venezuela in Vietnam who was selected Miss Universe 2008.

Celebrity Helps Oral School

You may have seen Countess Lu-Ann de Lesseps on the reality TV show The Real Housewives of New York. What you may not know is that she uses her celebrity status to bring attention to the Auditory Oral School of New York. She says the school’s goal is moving either deaf or children with hearing loss into mainstream classrooms in New York. Her husband, Alexandre Count de Lesseps, began having trouble hearing in his right ear five years ago. So she considers it a personal mission to help anyone who has difficulty in the same way.

Ferry Lawsuit

A lawsuit filed by a group called the Washington Communication Access Project is aimed at making Washington State Ferries become more hearing loss friendly. The nonprofit group filed the suit in Kitsap County, across the Puget Sound from Seattle. The group claims the Ferries failure to provide translations of audio messages is a violation of the Washington Law Against Discrimination. Reader boards and video monitors have already been installed at some of the ferries' stops and on some of the ferries themselves.

Miss Deaf America Winner

Gallaudet University student Michelle Lapides of Maryland won the Miss Deaf America 2008-2010 title at the National Association of the Deaf Conference in New Orleans. First runner-up was Miss Deaf Texas, Katherine Murich. Second runner-up was Miss Deaf Missouri, JoAnn Benfield.

College Bowl Winners

Gallaudet University has won first place in the annual College Bowl tournament taking place during the National Association of the Deaf convention in New Orleans. The Washington, DC school competed with teams from California State University at Northridge and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The final score was Gallaudet 127, NTID 79, and CSUN 76. The Gally team showered coach Robert Weinstock with Gatorade following the victory.

Disney Gets Award

Walt Disney World in Orlando is has been given the National Association of the Deaf's Access Award for it’s use of sign language interpreting service at the park. Since Walt Disney World often invents its own names for things, it has invented hundreds of Disney-specific word signs. Signs that are unique to a character or to a location must be learned by all the interpreters who work there.

Many of the stage shows, parades and other attractions at the park offer ASL interpretation services at least once a week. The Disney-signs were created with the help of ASL Services located in nearby Kissimmee, Florida.

The award is not for Disney’s new words but for the way the routines are choreographed and how interpreters use their faces and bodies as well as with their hands to convey the language.

Six Flags

Six Flags over Texas in Arlington has 11 deaf employees on staff. Some work at the restaurant while others man food stands, park gates and guest services. Most are students from the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin. Six Flags employs some of the students during the school year as well. It provides an opportunity to deal with all sorts of different people.

Mentoring Program

Sorenson Communication is offering a new mentoring program that will give interpreters a change to improve their skill with one-on-one help from ASL experts. The Language Mentor Program provides 16-weeks of training for Video Relay and will help to prepare interpreters for national certification. The sessions are free for interpreters who work in Sorenson’s VRS system and can be taken in the home through the company’s videophones.

ASL Bible Convention

Jehovah's Witnesses are holding an American Sign Language Bible convention in Norco, California. It starts today and runs through the weekend. Some 2000 people are expected to attend. Mormons' and Jehovah's Witnesses' have generally been more aggressive in evangelizing the deaf community than Protestant and Catholic denominations. Jehovah's Witnesses are creating an ASL version of the Bible on DVD. A Mormon ASL Bible and Book of Mormon were released several years ago.

Graduate Studies for Deaf Education Gets Boost

Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas is getting a four-year grant for deaf education. The funds come from US Department of Education which is giving out more than $4 million nationwide for training doctoral, post-doctoral and other graduate students to work with children with disabilities. Lamar's portion will be $190,000 a year for four years.

Florida Deaf Woman Attacked

A deaf woman walking her service dog many have become the latest victim of the so-called 'East Side Rapist' last night in Orlando, Florida. The woman says she tried to fight the man off. Police say same man could be responsible for a string of attempted rapes in the same area and the murder of a University of Central Florida graduate. Her dog ran home and alerted her family.

Schools to Fight Plan

Administrators at the Oregon School for the Deaf are appealing a decision by state officials to combine it with the Oregon School for the Blind. The plan approved by State Schools Superintendent Susan Castillo is to sell the land occupied by the Oregon School for the Blind and move students to the facilities operated by the Oregon School for the Deaf. Officials at both schools say they will appeal to the state Board of Education. The School for the Deaf is located on 52 acres in Salem, Oregon.

South Dakota Case Settled

A settlement has been reached over a suit alleging sexual abuse at the South Dakota School for the Deaf. While jurors were still deliberating the civil trial came to a halt. Neither side would say what was agreed upon. But the lawsuit was brought by three former students who accused a fellow student had sexually assaulted them. Two interpreters were brought in from other states for the trial. Their $20,000 bill is about a quarter of how much the county spends on interpreters for the entire year.

A Hearing Loss Drug

Scientists at the Oklahoma City’s Hough Ear Institute and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation are working on a drug that may cut down on hearing loss suffered by soldiers, factory workers, machinists and others who work in a loud environment. A few years ago, Robert Floyd and Richard Kopke gave soldiers a drug called NAC before they went to a firing range. The troops who received the drug kept about a quarter more of their hearing than those who did not receive it. Now they are combining it with nitrone which is used for treating cancer. They believe the combination of both drugs will prevent hair cells in the ear from dying.

Former University Prez on Gallaudet

A longtime university president who now teaches at George Washington University has written a column for the Chronicle of Higher Education about the protests at Gallaudet. Stephen Joel Trachtenberg says, "Next year will be a particularly critical one for Gallaudet as the constituencies endeavor to stabilize the campus. Stakeholders must move forward on an agenda to create a constructive, open atmosphere, with positive communication and the free exchange of ideas.. Too many people rely on its contributions for it to permit self-indulgence on the part of a few to detract from its important standing in the higher education universe."