Subject: HearingExchange News Week of 6.18.01 HearingExchange News http://www.HearingExchange.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Welcome to the latest edition of HearingExchange News! You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to it at HearingExchange.com. Feel free to forward this to anyone else who might be interested in HearingExchange. Subscription and removal information are at the end of the newsletter. If the links don't work or you are an AOL user: please copy and paste the links into your browser. - - - - - - - - PLEASE VISIT OUR SPONSOR - - - - - - - - - Don't miss another program! The SoundPlus Listening Systems are perfect for TV listening, small group meetings, offices, and conference rooms. The WIR950 model is a high quality unit with low sound distortion. Has adjustable tone and balance controls and comes with a five year warranty. Check it out at Harris Communications: http://www.hearingexchange.com/featured_product/gotoad.cgi?042601161652 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - IN THIS ISSUE: * Letter from the Editor * What's New * Feature Article * News * Contributing Article * Message Boards * Featured Site * Award Winners * Upcoming Events * Featured Book * Ask the Experts * Poll Results * Featured Product * Get Involved * Sponsor Message ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " L E T T E R F R O M T H E E D I T O R " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " Hi Everyone! I've relocated to New York for the summer months and I was surprised to find that it is already just as hot and humid here as it was in the Midwest. My hearing aids seem to sound fuzzy and my daughter's earmold tubes fill up with moisture daily. We've found the electrical Dry & Store system does a good job of drying out our aids overnight. This is especially helpful for the waterproof aids we use in swimming pools. What do you use to alleviate moisture in your aids or cochlear implant processors? Tell us about it in our Deaf/HOH forum at: http://www.hearingexchange.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000094.html Have a good week! ~ Paula ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " W H A T ' S N E W " " " " " " " " " " Meet the founder of HearingExchange! I'll be participating on a panel of parents offering their perspectives on transitions and raising hearing impaired children at the AG Bell Summer Conference, July 27-29 in Bethesda, Maryland. Valuable information on genetics and hearing loss as well as parenting, mainstreaming, cochlear implants and much more will be offered. Childcare is available. The pre-registration deadline is July 6th. For further information please click on the links below: http://www.agbell.org/escd.html http://www.agbell.org/genetics.html http://www.agbell.org/gnoregis.html - Prices and Registration CHAT ANYONE? We are planning to start our weekly chat session next week. Come join us on Thursday evening, June 28th at 9 pm, EST. I hope to "see" you there! The articles in the Paula's Pearls section on the main page of HearingExchange are now available for syndication. We have received many reprint requests from hospitals, teachers, therapists, childcare providers, parents, website publishers and others. If you are interested in reprinting any of these articles, please send an email to mailto:reprints@hearingexchange.com. You can sign up to be notified when new articles are available by entering your email address in the Sign Up box on the main page of the site and select HearingExchange Syndicated Content. ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " Sponsored by: F E A T U R E A R T I C L E Barnes & Noble " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " Stages of Hearing Loss by Margie Littell Ulrich, CCC-A, Clinical Audiologist Audiologists confronting hearing loss in people on a daily basis often find it baffling that vision loss can be immediately rectified with a doctor's visit or the purchase of glasses. However, hearing loss is often "lived with" or ignored for years after the first realization of the problem. This fact is especially amazing since vision loss just concerns the individual but hearing loss affects the whole family, often causing a profound interpersonal communication handicap. As one grandchild said to his grandpa, "Gramps, it would be so much more fun to talk to you if I didn't have to repeat everything." Read this entire feature article here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/articles/featured_article061501.htm ============================================================ " " " " N E W S " " " " June 18, 2001--Pyrosequencing AB (SSE:PYRO.A) and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia today announced that they have initiated a sponsored research agreement to analyze genes linked to hearing loss and to develop diagnostic tests using Pyrosequencing(TM) technology. Developing genetic tests will facilitate the diagnosis and allow for the early treatment of hearing loss, the most common birth defect in children. Read more: http://www.hearingexchange.com/articles/henews-061801a.htm = = = = = June 14—The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), a college of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in New York, is hosting its 18th annual Explore Your Future (EYF), a week-long program designed to provide deaf and hard -of-hearing high school juniors an opportunity to better understand careers in the arts, business, computers, engineering, the helping professions, and sciences. Click here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/articles/henews-061501.htm = = = = = June 5 - Songbird Hearing Inc., maker of the world's first disposable hearing aid, today announced that two independent studies have shown that the Songbird Disposable Hearing Aid performs equal to or better than even the most advanced traditional hearing aids. The findings were presented at the recent American Academy of Audiology's annual conference in San Diego, California. For further information, click here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/articles/henews-060701.htm = = = = = June 4, 2001--MovieFlix (http://www.MovieFlix.com), a leading broadband movie provider on the Web, and the Captioned Media Program (http://www.cfv.org), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and provides free-loan open-captioned videos to deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, today announced a new content agreement that will make it possible for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to enjoy streaming movies on the MovieFlix.com Web site. Learn more: http://www.hearingexchange.com/articles/henews-060501.htm = = = = = These and other news briefs and articles are all available on the main page of HearingExchange. Go to http://www.HearingExchange.com and review the News and Articles sections and their archives. ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " C O N T R I B U T I N G A R T I C L E " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " Is Your Child Living in a Language-Rich Environment? by Dorothy P. Dougherty, MA, CCC-SLP Even though most children do not say any recognizable words before their first birthdays, the first year of life is an exciting and crucial part of language development. By creating an environment that is fun, loving, and nurturing, you can "shape" your baby's brain and set the groundwork for future learning. Is your child living in a Language Rich Environment? You should be able to answer YES to the following questions. Click here for more: http://www.hearingexchange.com/articles/article-061501.htm ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " " " M E S S A G E B O A R D S " " " " " " " " " " " " " " Have something to say? Say it on our Message Boards! You don't need to register to participate. You can easily post a new topic or reply to current threads. As we all know, living with hearing loss can be a difficult and sometimes isolating experience. One member in our Deaf/ HOH forum sent this message: I am a 54 year young gal from N.J. who finds herself very lonly [sic] and isolated without contact with other nearby deaf or hoh friends. I would like to make the acquaintance of some that are located near enough that we could communicate by tty or attend events together, etc. This is my S.O.S. to the deaf/HOH for help. I am loosing [sic] my hearing rapidly and find the isolation too much. Please e-mail me if you or you know someone who is interested in being of help. Respond here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000092.html - - - - - My five year old son was recently recommended for hearing aids. He has hearing lost from horrible ear infections as a child and ear tubes. Are there any programs in the United States or the State of Illinois that will provide the hearing aids at a reduced cost, or no charge? Please post any helpful information on this topic at: http://www.hearingexchange.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000093.html - - - - - We received this letter today in our Parenting forum - please read it carefully and see if you can be of assistance. Hello, I am the grant coordinator of a small not-for-profit agency in St. Louis Missouri. The Center for Hearing-Speech has been providing audiology and speech pathology services for 81 years and is in the process of establishing relationships with area hospitals to provide diagnosis and treatment services for infants as part of a Universal Newborn Screening Program. I wondered if any of you might be willing to write a letter telling your story and why early identification and treatment programs are so important. These letters will be used to solicit grant funds to purchase program equipment and to provide financial assistance to families for diagnosis, treatment and 12 months follow up services. My address is: Jane Conley-Mackin, Grant Coordinator Center for Hearing-Speech 9526 Manchester Rd St. Louis, Missouri 63119 Also, if you are aware of any comprehensive early identification and intervention programs, we are looking to establish a professional dialogue regarding their experience. We hope to learn what is working for them and what unexpected problems they have encountered. Thanks so much. - - - - - A dedicated mother of hearing impaired children posted this message to me - but I'd like to seek your help as well, read on: I am always interested in what unique situations my kids may encounter due to their hearing losses as they get into the upper grades. Could you give me any suggestions about things we should be working on now in terms of socialization skills, accomodations, assistive listening devices, etc. I know I can't anticipate everything that life will throw at them, but maybe I can give them the tools to deal with these situations themselves. Please post your ideas at: http://www.hearingexchange.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000066.html - - - - - Do you have auditory training ideas? A high school student member in our forums got her cochlear implant in February. She would like to learn to rely less on her interpreters and be able to focus on listening and understanding more in her classes. Do have any advice or tips on this subject? Please reply to her here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/000019.html - - - - - Are you struggling with sudden hearing loss? Join the thread in our Late Deafened forum at: http://www.hearingexchange.com/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000010-2.html - - - - - Are you a professional working with people or children with hearing loss? Join in our Professionals forum for networking and information exchanges. Don't forget, you can change the "show topics" default to show ALL the topics posted in a forum. Click here to visit the Professionals forum: http://www.hearingexchange.com/ubb/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=Professionals+Section&number=7&DaysPrune=20&LastLogin= - - - - - Are you a student in high school, college or graduate school? Visit our Students forum to meet others with like interests in hearing loss and ASL. Click here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/ubb/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=Students&number=8 http://www.hearingexchange.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000078.html These topics and more can be found on our message boards. Click here to see a list of all the forums available: http://www.hearingexchange.com/ubb/Ultimate.cgi ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " " F E A T U R E D S I T E " " " " " " " " " " " " " CLARION® by Advanced Bionics® launches the exciting new CII™ on their website. The website also includes information on comparing implants, breaking news regarding hearing related issues, and user stories. While visiting, checkout and signup for their email newsletter called TEAM CLARION to receive the latest news, website updates, and more. Click: http://www.hearingexchange.com/tracking.cgi?http://www.bionicear.com ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " " A W A R D W I N N E R S " " " " " " " " " " " " " HearingExchange offers awards to websites that offer valuable information for people with hearing loss, parents of deaf and hard of hearing children or the professionals who work with them. Check out who has won our award so far: http://www.hearingexchange.com/dir/Award_Winners/ Do you know of an exceptional website that deserves an award from us? Go to: http://www.hearingexchange.com/awards.htm and submit them for consideration. ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " U P C O M I N G E V E N T S " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " June 22-25 - Self Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH) Convention - New Jersey http://www.shhh.org June 29 - Auditory Verbal International 2001 Conference - Colorado http://auditory-verbal.org July 13-16 - Cochlear Implant Association Convention Minneapolis, Minnesota http://www.cici.org/convmain.html July 14-18 - Educational Audiology Association Summer Conference - Portland, Oregon http://www.edaud.org/Conference/conf.html July 19-22 - Say What Club Chicago Convention Chicago, Illinois http://www.saywhatclub.org/swc-events/chicon/chicago.html For further information on these events, visit our Event Calendar for the months of June and July at: http://www.hearingexchange.com/events/calendar.cgi ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " " F E A T U R E D B O O K " " " " " " " " " " " " " "A Quite World: Living with Hearing Loss" David Myers has written an insightful diary about coping with hearing loss. Although filled with significant information on hearing loss and technology, this book reads more like a novel as he discusses his family and the impact his hearing loss has had on them. The chapter "Understanding Hearing and Its Loss" should be of particular interest to people who know someone with hearing loss. This is a must-read for those dealing with hearing loss in adulthood as well as their family and friends. Get it here: http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=2181&sourceid=34200770&bfpid=0300084390&bfmtype=book Our Bookstore is growing! Find great books for people with hearing loss, parents and professionals. Visit the HearingExchange Bookstore today to learn more: http://www.hearingexchange.com/bookstore/index.htm ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " " " A S K T H E E X P E R T S " " " " " " " " " " " " " " Questions for our Cochlear Implant Expert, Dr. Pat Chute: Q. There has been some debate at the pediatric facility that I work at on the usefulness of vestibular testing in children pre-implantation. What is your opinion on the worthiness of such testing, and, if you do recommend it, can you tell me your rational and protocol? If you know of any good written resources on vestibular testing in pediatrics, I would be very interested, as well. Q: I have a son who is currently 2 years old. We found out in February that he is profoundly deaf and he was fitted with hearing aids in March. He has done very well on his hearing tests ranging around 30 to 45 with hearing aids. I want to give him a chance with the hearing aids since he is doing so well. But I fear that we might have to have a cochlear implant done if he dosn't develop speech. We are currently at LIJ in New York and the Clarke school in Manhattan as of next week. My fear is to do a cochlear implant and then some new research pans out in the future! Do you know of anything in the works that might rejuvenate the hair cells or other causes of deafness? Read Dr. Chutes's response and previous questions and answers at: http://www.hearingexchange.com/experts/cochlear_implant.htm Question for our Audiology Expert, Ira Springer: Q. What technology is available to assist in being able to hear/understand discussions in a board meeting (around a large table)? I have no hearing in my left ear and minimal in my right ear as a result of Meniere's Disease. Read Ira's response and previous questions and answers at: http://www.hearingexchange.com/experts/audiologist.htm Question for our Special Educator Expert, Valerie Frigo: Q: I am teaching a severely hearing impaired child in the fall, and I am trying to prepare an action plan in order to help her in my class. Her IEP states she will wear her FM system in class every day. This is something she has failed to do in the past. Her parents are frustrated because she continually "loses" or "breaks" her system...I would like info that will help me make her fifth grade year the most successfull ever, be proud of her differences, help other students understand she is a normal person, and prepare her for the future. Read Val's response and previous questions and answers at: http://www.hearingexchange.com/experts/special_educators.htm ============================================================= " " " " " " " " " " " " P O L L R E S U L T S " " " " " " " " " " " " Our last poll asked: How does your hearing loss affect you? Answers: 5% said: In social relationships. 5% said: In professional relationships 82% said: In both social and professional relationships. 8% said: It doesn't affect me. This week, our What Do You Do? Poll asks: What do you do when you don't hear what is being said? Be sure to vote in this poll located on the main page of the web site! http://www.HearingExchange.com ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " F E A T U R E D P R O D U C T " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " Check out the SoundPlus WIR950 Listening System. Don't miss another program! The SoundPlus Listening Systems are perfect for TV listening, small group meetings, offices, and conference rooms. The receivers are compatible with large-area systems and can be used at most movie theaters. The transmitters connect directly to TV or audio output jacks, or can be used with the accompanying microphone. Click here to find out more: http://www.hearingexchange.com/featured_product/gotoad.cgi?042601161652 ============================================================ " " " " " " " " " " " " G E T I N V O L V E D " " " " " " " " " " " " Link to Us! We now have terrific graphics and banners for those of you with websites. Grab one of our links today and let us know when you do. We will be happy to offer a reciprocal link to your website. Go to: http://www.hearingexchange.com/link_to_us.htm Refer a Friend! We've made it easy for you to tell your friends, family and colleagues about HearingExchange. Simply click on this link and fill out the form, we'll take care of the rest! http://www.hearingexchange.com/recommend/index.html Do you work with deaf or hard of hearing children or adults? Do you want to? Visit our free Employment Board! Post your resume or list an open position at your organization today. All posts must be related to hearing loss fields. Go to http://www.hearingexchange.com/jobs/ Like to write? HearingExchange is currently accepting article submissions. We encourage you to participate by submitting your original articles, tips or ideas for articles. Submissions should be 500 to 800 words maximum. Visit this page to learn about our Writers Guidelines: http://www.hearingexchange.com/article_submissions.htm Hosting an event of interest to the adults, parents or professionals who deal with hearing loss? Looking for workshops or seminars on this issue? Visit our Event Calendar and browse around, there are many great seminars around the U.S. Be sure to click on the actual date of an event to read more about it. Post your events by clicking here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/events/calendar.cgi Are You an Expert? We Need You! We're currently seeking qualified experts. If you're an expert or know someone who is, please send us their email address or have them contact us at mailto:info@hearingexchange.com. We especially need a medical expert in the field of Otolaryngology. All experts must have experience with hearing impaired adults and/or children. Our Resource Directory is growing! We now have 232 hand-picked links related to hearing loss for you to review. When you're looking for organizations, assistive devices, hearing aid manufacturers, listservs and much more, visit: http://www.hearingexchange.com/resources/ Use our Add a Site feature at: http://www.hearingexchange.com/resources/add.cgi to refer great links you have found. We will review and post them promptly. " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " S P O N S O R M E S S A G E " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " Aural rehabilitation specialists recommend the use of books on tape to help cochlear implant users develop and enhance their listening skills. Start listening to NY Times Bestseller Audiobooks today! Click below to order audiobooks from RecordedBooks.com: http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=6j5NMWZ2SlU&offerid=31231.4&type=3&subid=0 ============================================================ Your input is always welcome at HearingExchange. Send us your comments, suggestions and any news related to hearing loss. Looking forward to "hearing" from you, Paula Rosenthal, Founder & Publisher HearingExchange - http://www.HearingExchange.com Exchanging Ideas & Information on Hearing Loss To subscribe to this newsletter visit our site and enter your email address in the newsletter subscription box. All addresses are kept strictly confidential