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."

Protests at Convention

Hundreds of protesters descended on the convention of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing taking place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this weekend. The Deaf Bilingual Coalition brought together people from around the country to demonstrate against what it claims is a bias by the Bell Association against sign language. A spokesman says Bell is not against sign language and supports choice for parents- whether that be technology like cochlear implants or traditional sign language.

Gallaudet Gets Reaffirmed

Good news for Gallaudet. The school’s accreditation has been reaffirmed. The DC University has been on probation for nearly a year. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education took the action after student demonstrations. It determined that a Gallaudet failed to meet a majority of commission’s 14 standards.

The Ear Popper

The EarPopper is a noninvasive way of treating multiple ear infections. Approved by the FDA three years ago, it can also relieve pain from flying in an airplane and sinus infection. When your ears “pop” they are following a natural way of relieving pressure imbalances of the middle ear. The EarPopper is a device for equalizing pressure in the middle ear by treating fluid buildup when the natural method doesn't work. It doesn’t work for all ear conditions and patients. Your doctor can advice you whether its appropriate for a particular situation.

Gally Gets New Board Member

The Gallaudet University Board of Trustees has a new member. Senator Sherrod Brown is a Democrat from Ohio with a master’s degree in education. He joins two other members of congress on the board: Republican Ray LaHood of Illinois, and Democratic Congressman Lynn Woolsey of California. They each will serve two-year terms.

Breaking Down for Children

Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois broke ground yesterday on a new facility that will help children with hearing loss. The $6.25 million project should be open by the end of next summer. It brings the ECHO center - Expanding Children’s Hearing Opportunities and the Carle Auditory Oral School under one roof. The hospital has fitted more than 200 children for cochlear implants and 400 for hearing aids.

Expanding ADA

The ADA law may soon have some new teeth. The US House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday by a vote of 402-to-17 that would expand workplace discrimination under ADA to include people with hearing aids. Since ADA became law, the Supreme Court has limited ADA's protection in that area, leaving out people with partial physical disabilities and physical impairments that can be treated with medication or devices (like hearing aids). The legislation now moves to the Senate for consideration.

Aiming at the Majors

Ryan Ketchner is working his way to the major leagues. He’s pitching for a minor league team in Tennessee called the Diamond Jaxx, a double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Ketchner was born deaf. Hearing aids give the left-hander about 10% hearing ability. Ketchner was Seattle's 10th-round pick in the 2000 draft and earned the USA Deaf Sports Federation male athlete of the year in 2003. He had a 3.45 earned-run average and won playoff MVP honours for the California League-champion Inland Empire 66ers. In 2004, he was a Southern League all-star with Double-A Jacksonville. But arm trouble lead to surgery in 2005. If Ketchner makes it to the big leagues, he would be the first deaf major league pitcher in one hundred years.

The Library of Congress

Videophones have been placed in the Library of Congress in Washington, making the Library of Congress one of the first federal agencies to set up a videophone network agency-wide for the benefit of staff members who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. There are 20 deaf staff members who work in a variety of positions throughout the library.

Coleman at Emmys

Rachel Coleman, host of the PBS show Signing Time, was up for an Emmy Award. But she didn't win. The Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Series. That honor went to Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Steve Irwin for her Discovery Kids show. After Coleman's daughter was born profoundly deaf, Rachel learned ASL and started teaching sign to hearing children through song. She writes all the music for Signing Time. She now lives in Salt Lake City.

Silent Thunder

Eric Thunander tells his story in a new book called Silent Thunder. The deaf college football standout was a part of the University of Oklahoma’s 2000 National Championship team. But his book not only chronicles his triumphs but his low points.

The defensive end endured abuse and multiple foster homes as a child, finally hitting the bottom when a head injury ended his football career. He wound up trying to commit suicide. But Thunander got back in school, completed his degree and is now a motivational speaker after turning his life over to God.

The Eyes Have It

There may be a new way to diagnose hearing problems in babies. Looking at their eyes. Researchers at the University of Oregon say a person's eyes will slightly dilate in response to sound. And the pupils will respond in proportion to the volume of that sound.

Washington Outfielder

An outfielder for the minor league baseball team in Everett, Washington has a severe hearing impairment. The AquaSox like the speed of Tyson Gillies. The 19-year-old has been in the starting lineup for most of the games so far this year. He grew up in British Columbia and the Seattle Mariners picked him in the 25th round of the 2006 draft. Last season, he batted .221 and stole nine bases for a club in Peoria, Arizona.

1st Police Intern

Robert Harris became the first deaf student to intern the Frederick, Maryland Police Department this spring. His experiences included teaching sign language to officers and playing the role of an uncooperative suspect for a class of recruits. Now, the 17-year-old is working on a visual communication tool to help first responders interact with people who have hearing loss. The city of Frederick has more than 2000 residents who are deaf, thanks in part to the Maryland School for the Deaf being located there.

Video Relay Gets Simplified

In order to receive telephone calls through Sorenson Communications video sign language interpreter services, users have had to give out two numbers. One for the call center (in order to connect to an interpreter so that the caller can see the interpreter's sign language on a video screen) and another phone number for the person being called. But not anymore. The company is now making it possible for deaf customers to give out just one number. All three parties will be connected automatically. This also means a deaf person calling another no longer has to go through a call center to be connected through a video screen.

New Construction at School

The Maryland School for the Deaf is getting a new elementary school this year as part of a $20 million project. The building is southeast of the main campus in Frederick. Along with the school, a 72,000-square-foot Family Education Complex is going up. It will host sports and academic competitions in its gym and include a cafeteria, an audiology and speech center and an elementary and a family education school for babies.

New Gallaudet Board Members

James Sorenson and Tiffany Williams-Granfors have agreed to serve on the Gallaudet Board of Trustees. James Sorenson heads up Sorenson Development, a major force in videophones and video relay services out of Utah. Gallaudet alum Williams-Granfors oversees the Winter and Summer Deaflympics and the World Deaf Championships.

University Delays Audiology Shutdown

The University of Tennessee is putting off a decision on whether to cut its Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology until October. Parents and program supporters came out Friday to rally in support of the department. US News and World Report ranks the program among the 25 in the country. Another program in the state, at Nashville's Vanderbilt University, is number one. The University of Tennessee says that even if the department closes, the Hearing and Speech Center will remain in operation. It serves some 2500 people.

Help for Cyclone Victims

Gallaudet University has raised $2,300 from students and faculty to support deaf victims of the cyclone in Burma (also known as Myanmar). The donation is being sent through non-profit organization assisting deaf people worldwide called Partners in Excellence. A relief worker involved with the Mary Chapman School for the Deaf will handle the distribution of the funds. The government in Burma provides no social services to deaf people.