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On Friday, Feb. 19, 2010, two important new closed captioning rules were published in the Federal Register and went into effect. The new rules require immediate attention by video programming distributors -- including broadcast television stations -- to ensure that they respond promptly to viewer complaints regarding closed captioning issues, and to ensure that they timely file contact information with the FCC by March 22, 2010.

As detailed in Davis Wright Tremaine's November 2008 advisory and subsequent January 2009 advisory update, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a Declaratory Ruling and Order in late 2008 that, among other things, imposed new requirements on video programming distributors with respect to fielding inquiries and complaints about closed captioning. While the implementation of some aspects of those rules was delayed initially, with Friday's publication in the Federal Register, two of those are now in effect. The new rules, and the obligations they impose on video programming distributors, are discussed below.

Streamlined complaint process

First, the Commission's earlier Order revised the complaint process for complaints involving closed captioning rules, and with the Feb. 19 publication in the Federal Register, the new complaint procedures are effective immediately. The revised complaint procedures are as follows:

• Viewers who believe that a video programming distributor has failed to meet its captioning obligations may now file a complaint directly with either the FCC or with the program distributor, e.g., cable operator, television broadcaster or DBS provider. (Previously, viewers were required to first file complaints with distributors.)


• If a complaint is filed with a program distributor, then the distributor must respond to the viewer complaint in writing within 30 days of receipt. If a video programming distributor fails to respond to the complainant within 30 days, or if the complainant is unsatisfied with the response, the viewer may then file a complaint with the FCC within 30 days.


• If a complaint is filed directly with the FCC, the FCC will forward the complaint to the program distributor, which will be required to respond to the FCC in writing within 30 days of receipt. (Previously, distributors were required to respond to FCC complaints within 15 days.) In responding to a complaint, the video programming distributor must provide the Commission with sufficient records and documentation to demonstrate that it has complied with the Commission's rules.


• Viewer complaints must be in writing and must be filed within 60 days of the alleged violation (whereas previously complaints could be filed within the calendar quarter in which the alleged violation occurred). The complaint also must state with specificity the alleged Commission rule violated and include some evidence of the alleged rule violation.

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Joe Clark provides the details.

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From Hearing Aid Tax Credit web site:

What would the Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act do? And, what are the differences in the House and Senate legislation?

The bill in the House of Representatives (H.R. 1646) would provide a tax credit towards the purchase of each hearing aid of up to $500 per hearing aid, available once every 5 years. It would be available to 1) individuals age 55 and over, or 2) those purchasing a hearing aid for a dependent. The House bill excludes coverage for those with incomes over $200,000/year. The bill in the Senate (S. 1019) would provide the same $500 credit but would cover all age groups.

Learn more about the Hearing Aid Tax Credit.

Posted by at 6:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

No matter how you feel about the Dallas Cowboys — you have to give them credit. From Deaf Network of Texas.

Softeq Development Corporation has implemented DURATEQ Live with Intelligent Access mobile captioning, audio description, and assistive listening service at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. On a recent Sunday, guests who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or have low vision could access DURATEQ Assistive Technology Version (ATV) handhelds to enjoy the first NFC Playoff game in the stadium.

“The Dallas Cowboys Football Club contacted us to build a universal experience for all their fans, and we teamed up with Georgia Tech’s wireless captioning specialist Intelligent Access to create a customized assistive technology solution for them,” said Trey Litel, Vice President of Softeq Development Corporation. “The spectacular Dallas Cowboys Stadium has the best technology and now with DURATEQ ATV they have added real time mobile captioning and assistive audio anywhere in the stadium!”

Originally developed for the Walt Disney World theme park, the DURATEQ ATV makes the full game experience available to all guests. Softeq adapted its application to include the Intelligent Access software to add real time mobile captioning to the platform. The device also provides assistive listening of all public address system announcements and assistive audio play by play announcements in English and Spanish. Fully integrated into the existing Dallas Cowboys Stadium captioning infrastructure, the server broadcasts content over the stadium WiFi network and assistive band FM transmitters.

The DURATEQ ATV helps public entertainment venues meet Title II and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. Visit the Dallas Cowboy Web site for information for guests with disabilities. Visit Intelligent Access for information on wireless personal captioning.

Posted by at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Livestream, in partnership with PLYmedia, now offers live subtitling service for live streaming events. It’s not cheap at $850 for three hours of live captioning, but it’s an option. How many users can afford it considering many use the free version of Livestream. The company might want to consider alternate pricing for captioning videos AFTER they’ve aired.

Read more about LiveStream Subtitles and see an example video.

How can those who rely on captions find out what live events will be captioned? They might not be on the event’s mailing list. The Livestream guide needs to add a new search category for captions/subtitles. I’ve contacted the company about this.

One nitpick. One of the benefits says, “Reach the 36 million Americans that suffer from some form of hearing loss.” Many deaf and hearing impaired folks will tell you we’re not suffering. Some are quite proud. For some, it is what it is.

Posted by at 2:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Google has unveiled speech recognition technology to automatically add captions to many videos on YouTube. The technology will also allow users to automatically translate the captions into 51 languages.

Google introduced another service called “auto-timing” that allows users uploading videos to also upload a text file of the video’s script. Google will add captions to the video using the text file, automatically matching the audio with the file.

Like speech recognition technology, it won’t be perfect — but it’s a fantastic start. Read more…

New York Times

Google Blog

Thanks to Patty Bennett and Deborah Edwards-Onoro for bringing the links and story to my attention.

Posted by at 2:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

From Media Access Group at WGBH

The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media at WGBH (NCAM) has written guidelines for content providers who would like to create accessible iTunes U media via captions, subtitles and audio descriptions. This guidelines document provides step-by-step documentation on creating fully accessible media, including:

• Closed captions and audio descriptions that the user can turn on or off as needed.
• Open subtitles and descriptions that are available to everyone watching or listening.
• Closed subtitles for adding multiple language tracks to video files.
• Accessible PDFs.

Also included with the guidelines are links to eight video and audio clips that illustrate the various forms of accessible media discussed in the document. Using these guidelines, iTunes U content providers can create content that all people can learn from including people with vision and hearing loss.

To access the Creating Accessible iTunes U Content guidelines document and related media, see Creating Accessible iTunes U Content on Apple’s iTunes site.

About NCAM and WGBH

The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media at WGBH is a research, development and advocacy entity that works to make existing and emerging technologies accessible to all audiences. NCAM is part of the Media Access Group at WGBH, which also includes The Caption Center (est. 1972), and Descriptive Video Service® (est. 1990). For more information, visit http://access.wgbh.org.

WGBH Boston is America’s preeminent public broadcasting producer, the source of fully one-third of PBS’s prime-time lineup, along with some of public television’s best-known lifestyle shows and children’s programs and many public radio favorites. For more information, visit http://www.wgbh.org.

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We know The Miracle Worker is a wonderful play about Helen Keller. We’ve come a long way since the 1962 movie starring Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke. Deaf actors have landed more roles even several were the stars of their own shows. (Marlee Matlin starred Reasonable Doubts in and Deanna Bray in Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye.)

So, Broadway is welcoming a revival of The Miracle Worker. Who did the producers tap to play Helen Keller? Don’t bother trying to recall every teen actor who is deaf, blind or both. Instead, they went with Abigail Breslin of Little Miss Sunshine.

Can you guess what happened? You betcha. Advocacy groups like the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts share their disgust for the casting with the show’s producers. Oh, but they’re open to casting a deaf or blind actor as an understudy. You can see the scores of news articles on Google.

Disappointing indeed.

Posted by at 7:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you’re like me, you search for captioned video on a per site basis. For example, you use Hulu’s cc only caption feature, Google Video’s show captioned videos only feature and YouTube’s “closed captioned” type feature.

Even these search tools are not perfect. For example, I added subtitles to all of my YouTube videos, but they don’t show up on YouTube’s caption search. Why? Because I didn’t upload a separate file with captions. They were already in there when I uploaded it. I have no way (that I know of) to identify the video as captioned. 22frames.com did.

22frames aims to index every single captioned and subtitled video. Not only that. 22frames also includes videos that you can enjoy without hearing audio. Instead of going to the Hulus and YouTubes and searching for captions or watchable videos, you can go to 22frames rest assured you’ll enjoy every video (well, unless its content is lousy).

Love and appreciate this site! Learn more about 22frames.

Posted by at 8:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

From Deafnetwork

By Lise Hamlin
Director of Public Policy and State Development
October 2, 2009

“This is NOT a test: Will the Nation’s Emergency Alert System Deliver the President’s Message to the Public?” That was the topic of a 3 ½ hour hearing before the US House of Representative’s Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management. In addition to the testimony provided by Hearing Loss Association of America, the Subcommittee heard testimony from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), the Government Accountability Office, Maryland State Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), a Florida County Commissioner, National Council of La Raza, and Las Vegas PBS.

If an emergency happened tomorrow, do you know how you would get the information you need? Would it be accessible to you? If you live in a rural community that does not regularly caption the news, are you sure the emergency news that has been provided has captions or uses some other visual method (scrolling or crawling text, for example) to get the information to you? These are the kinds of questions we need to answer before an emergency.

Chairwoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and Ranking Member Mario Diaz-Balart had some hard hitting questions for FEMA. Others on the panel provided information to help the Committee ensure that information on emergencies gets out to everyone.

Still, in an emergency, we need to be sure that every one of us is prepared. It’s up to us to provide information to Congress and FEMA about what we need in an emergency. It’s also up to us to talk to local emergency responders, to join in CERT teams and to be actively involved with emergency planning to ensure that you are safe in an emergency.

View HLAA’s testimony (PDF format)

You can read the testimony of all invited to testify or view the video of the hearing on http://transportation.house.gov (go to Hearings section) - but will not be available for long. Or click here for a temporary direct link (look on the right column for the list of testimonies). The Committee has a number of hearing s coming up, so plant to keep the video only for a few days; the written testimony should be available longer.

For those or you who are curious about House proceedings: open captioning is not provided all the time: HLAA requested the captions. Captioning was provided remotely, even though there is a court reporter in the room who is responsible for the official record. In fact, there are two official court reporters - each one working no more than an hour at a time. We were also told that if the court reporters go on the House floor, they need only work for 15 minutes at a time. Each reporter cleans up the text during their breaks so that it can be ready for the official record as soon as possible.

We also learned from staff that several people in the room told staff said the captioning was great and they would love to see that all the time. Isn’t’ that always the case?

Source: http://www.hearingloss.org/advocacy/index.asp#notatest

Posted by at 6:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From DeafNetwork.

On September 9, 2009, the National Association of the Deaf requested that Netflix provide a captioned version of The Wizard of Oz movie that Netflix made available online, for free, for everyone on October 3, 2009. Netflix disregarded the NAD request along with thousands of letters, emails, comments, and tweets urging Netflix to caption the movie. Today, the NAD expressed its dismay at the lack of any response from Netflix and its failure to make this 70th anniversary celebration of The Wizard of Oz accessible to 36 million deaf and hard of hearing viewers.

Here is what the NAD said:

Monday, October 5, 2009

Catherine Fisher
Director, Communications
Netflix, Inc.
cafisher@netflix.com

Ms. Fisher —

On September 9, 2009, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) wrote to you in response to Netflix’s announcement that The Wizard of Oz would be freely available to everyone on October 3rd, the 70th anniversary of this classic film. We requested that Netflix enable people to choose to view a captioned version of this classic film by placing a “CC” icon on your webpage linked to the captioned version. We urged Netflix to take advantage of this unique opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to providing accessible entertainment to 36 million deaf and hard of hearing Americans. See http://www.nad.org/node/442. In addition to the NAD, Academy Award winning actress Marlee Matlin and many other people appealed to Netflix to caption The Wizard of Oz.

The process of captioning The Wizard of Oz is technically possible and relatively simple to achieve. The television version and the DVD version of the film have already been captioned. Captions can be programmed into the Microsoft Silverlight application that Netflix uses for its Watch Instantly feature. Captions have been included in videos, programming, and movies made available for viewing online. See, for example, http://www.hulu.com.

We received no response from Netflix. Our request for a captioned version of The Wizard of Oz on October 3rd was not honored. Unlike the characters in The Wizard of Oz, Netflix looks like it is still searching for its brain, heart, and courage. We view Netflix’s lack of response and lack of captioning for The Wizard of Oz as a blatant statement by Netflix that 36 million deaf and hard of hearing people are second class citizens. This is the message that our community received from Netflix.

Netflix must commit to a policy and timetable to provide captions for its online movie service to ensure equal access to this service by Netflix account holders who are deaf or hard of hearing. Such a policy is a not only a good business practice, it’s the right thing to do.

In addition, we ask Netflix to meet with NAD representatives, and the courtesy of a response to this invitation.

Rosaline Crawford Director, Law and Advocacy Center National Association of the Deaf 8630 Fenton Street, Suite 820 Silver Spring, MD 20910

Advocates need to continue to request captioning on Netflix Watch Instantly movies by sending messages to Netflix by Twitter via the Netflix twitter account at http://www.twitter.com/netflix or @netflix and http://www.twitter.com/netflixhelps or @netflixhelps, via the Netflix Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/netflix, by posting comments on the Netflix blog at http://blog.netflix.com/, and contacting:

Catherine Fisher
Director, Communications
Netflix, Inc.
cafisher@netflix.com
408-540-3847

Netflix Customer Service: 1-866-716-0414

Source: http://www.nad.org/news/2009/10/nad-calls-out-netflix-captions

Netflix: Wizard of Oz - 70th Anniversary: http://www.netflix.com/wizardofoz

Yahoo Tech: http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/57543/deaf-association-to-netflix-why-no-captions-during-free-online-showing-of-oz/

HackingNetflix.com: http://www.hackingnetflix.com/2009/10/netflixs-wizard-of-oz-showing-upsets-national-association-of-the-deaf.html

Posted by at 8:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Date: Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 1:10pm

New York Mets vs. Houston Astros

• A pre-game ceremony at home plate will honor key community supporters.
• Each person will receive a Citi Field Inaugural Season Scroll Pen (with advance purchase through this flyer or group ticket window).
• All deaf and hard of hearing supporters will sit together in Promenade Reserved and Promenade Box seating.
• Interpreters will be placed throughout the ballpark for assistance.

You can order tickets on the site by using the login HEAR and password METS to purchase tickets. The flyer has all the information.

Contact for more information: Matt Gulotta at mgulotta@nymets.com or Citi Field Phone: 718-559-3044.

Posted by at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Congress is working on HR 3101 known as the “21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009”, which would require making the internet more accessible using closed-captioning, real-time texting and video description.

NY Daily News reports, “The new bill would make closed captioning mandatory for large Internet television and movie distributors, excluding user-based sites such as YouTube. The bill would also lift an outdated standard enforcing closed captioning only on TV sets of 13 inches or greater, opening up captioning to smart phones and other portable devices that display video.

“The H.R. 3101 bill also aims to bring back a revoked standard on video description for the blind, a technology where a narrator depicts a televised scene in-between character dialogue.”

The trick thing about internet videos is that many of us individuals who know how to operate a video camera, don’t necessarily know how to do much more than upload the video. So how do you create a reasonable law? Of course, I’d like to see more online captions, but I also know we need to be realistic.

The real-time texting targets cell phones to speed response for 911 emergencies.

The baby boomers’ aging compels Congress to come up with more laws and smart businesses to ensure they provide accessible content. This Many Tribes video discusses the impact of HR 3101 (captioned and ASL).

Links: Laura Carlson

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Just got the following email — brilliant. They’re targeting the deaf. Because of their ability to not only identify me as a deaf person, but they also mention “Texas” (my home state). They mention National Association for the Deaf (NAD). The email doesn’t request a bank account — nonetheless, ignore the email. Here’s an excerpt:

The Entire Team of Deaf Charity organisation, Congratulate you on your Win of a Cash prize of $150,000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars) Only in today’s Draw.

We are also Pleased to inform you that you have been verified.

We got millions of Email address from the the deafvp and deafconnect and our electronic System Randomly Picks 10 Lucky People to win $150,000.00 Cash prize each all in the effort of empowering the deafs and the disabled in general.

We are Charity Organisations, Lending a Helping Hand to the Deaf, as we know that Disability is not Inability.

We are affiliated to Organisations Like NAD (National Association of the Deaf), UNAD ( United Nations Aid for Disabled)

Subsequent to the United Nations Disabled Day Held in texas in July 2009, we came up with a lottery tohelp the deaf through out the States.but u need to believe this cos it is real.

As matther of fact, the UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT is aware of this and also the department of IRS and we are compelled to give out the cash winnings to sucessful and lucky winners after they have met up with the laid down requirments and have been cleared

Our System Randomly Picked your Email Address and a Unique Winning Number assigned to you.

Are you Ready to claim your cash the Prize Now? As you have the Option of rejecting it and will be sent directly to the motherless babies home in europe within 48 hrs.

I need to advice you on this,pls once you get your money i will advice you to pls spend it wisely and reasonably 5 other winners have claimed there cash prize and now they are living happily with there family and you are the 6th winner…….u are so lucky..i am so happy for u………a check will be issued to you in your name………

Posted by at 9:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I don’t forget other people have different challenges from the deaf. Just received a note about TextAloud, a text reader solution that costs $30.

TextAloud software translates any written text into speech including web sites,emails, documents and PDF files. TextAloud doesn’t require other hardware. Users export their reading into sound files for listening on portable MP3 players, iPhones and iPods, Blackberries, laptops, TX using TiVO’s Home Media Option or burned to a CD. The software also integrates with iTunes.

A free trial is available.

Posted by at 8:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I heard the news on Twitter from an unexpected source: @marleematlin. I happened to browse Twitter and caught her tweet. It’s great to have someone with her name speaking out about Netflix’s lack of captions on streamed movies. Like it or not, celebrities can make things happen a little faster than as ornery folk.

Netflix responded to the caption issue in its blog. While I appreciate the company’s action to deliver captions in 2010, I take issue with a few things:

1. Silverlight: “Reed Hastings (Netflix CEO) is on Microsoft’s Board of Directors.” No wonder why Netflix is only looking at Silverlight instead of what’s best and fastest. Heck, I captioned my own YouTube video. Also see http://www.codeplex.com/amp. Besides, Microsoft hasn’t implemented all of the SAMI specs.
2. A year? Really? Even the major TV networks caption full-episodes. Hey, Hulu even does some!

Pshaw. Give us a better answer, Netflix. Not looking at the gift horse in the mouth, but the fact you’re letting your own “constraints” affect customer service.

Posted by at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Mashable has a post on CaptionTube, a service that makes it easier for users to add captions to their YouTube videos. CaptionTube requires a Google account (I think many of us have this by now).

I tried out the service on my skydiving video. It was easy! I just played, paused, entered captions. However, the camera guy is off camera and I couldn’t remember what he said or figure it out. So I mostly captioned my side of the conversation and hubby helped me with the cameraman’s captions.

I had to play with the timing a little bit. This part was clunky. The best way to fix timing is to watch the video again and pause it right where you need a caption. Note the time. Click the timeline where the text is that you need to move. Enter the new time in the caption start time.

The default caption duration works well. When you have a longer line, increase the duration. If the caption disappears too fast, increase the duration. If it carries over to the next line, decrease the duration.

The results!

Posted by at 7:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Laura Carlson reports many exciting accessibility updates. Why should businesses bother captioning? National Association of the Deaf (NAD) reports that 32 million Americans have some type of hearing loss and another 32 million Americans were born in another country (learning English). 18 million Americans are five-years-old or younger (reading).

Now the latest happenings:

The Paciello Group captions their webinars. Wow. Learn from ‘em, webinar folks!

The Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) developed the keys to access guidelines for captioning.

Stanford Online Accessibility Program on captioning media for iTunes.

iTunes U and Accessibility discussion.

Man With Small F (The Inaccessible PDF Song)

Podcast Captions tutorials.

Creating Accessible Components in Flash and Flex and Part 2

Adobe Flash accessibility design guidelines

Great stuff, eh?

Posted by at 7:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Many of us have said, “It’s on the tip of my tongue… I know it. I can’t remember the word I’m looking for.”

It happens to signers, too. This study indicates that it’s the brain’s misplacing of a memory — not a phonetic or vocalization issue. Deaf Signers Feel the Words on the Tip of Their Fingers explores this deeper by comparing American sign language with British sign language.

Fascinating read.

Posted by at 6:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Audism Free America Targets The Volta Bureau

The purpose of the one-day rally is to call attention to how the Volta Bureau/AGBell Association has been an active force in the denial of linguistic and human rights of Deaf citizens through its practices of Audism. Audism is the assumption that behaving in ways of those who speak and hear is best and desired. Audism manifests itself as a stigma, bias, discrimination, and prejudice against Deaf culture, American Sign Language and Deaf people.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) March 6, 2009 — Audism Free America (AFA), a grassroots Deaf activist organization, will stage a one-day protest rally on April 3rd 2009 in front of the Volta Bureau at 1537 35th St., NW in the greater Washington DC metropolitan area.

The purpose of the rally is to call attention to the denial of linguistic and human rights of Deaf citizens and to highlight how the Volta Bureau/AG Bell Association has worked to perpetuate the denial of these rights.

The newly formed AFA organization serves to expose AUDISM—practices and attitudes based on the assumption that the behaving in the ways of those who speak and hear is best and desired. Audism manifests itself as stigma, bias, discrimination, and prejudice—in overt or covert ways—against Deaf culture, American Sign Language and Deaf people from all walks of life.

The national landmark known as the Volta Bureau houses a shameful history in the establishment and perpetuation of audism in the United States. The Volta Bureau was established by Alexander Graham Bell in 1893 who was the chief architect and advocate of the oral / aural-only exclusive method in Deaf education in the US. Bell never tolerated sign language as part of the Deaf child’s educational program. The primary reason for this relates to his position as a staunch eugenicist. His fear of the formation of an undesired “Deaf race” drove him to work toward denying Deaf people the right to use sign language, be educated together, be taught by other Deaf people, and socialize together.

These ideas provide the historical roots of the AG Bell Association today and its mission “advocating independence through listening and talking.” The organization’s fanatic lobbying for governmental resources for “exclusive” programs which focus on audition and speech “without the use of sign language or lipreading” for Deaf children results in infringing on the rights of Deaf children who would benefit from becoming bilingual—-using American Sign Language and English.

Several years ago, the AG Bell Association publicly objected to a Pepsi commercial with two signing Deaf characters—-an act which highlights their determination in the promotion of speaking and listening as the only desirable and acceptable means for Deaf people to communicate and function successfully in mainstream society…which is clearly audism.

AFA organizers challenge the assumption inherent in the Volta Bureau’s purpose: that to be “a center of information for deaf and hard of hearing persons,” neglects to the most part the accomplishments of Deaf signing people and their culture (in the United States and worldwide).

The AFA objects to how the AG Bell Association has sought to control the media, the medical establishment, educational professionals and families with Deaf children while outright neglecting the views and experiences of Deaf Americans. As a result of the advocacy of the AG Bell’s Association, the American public is indoctrinated with attitudes of paternalism, bias and discrimination toward Deaf people.

The AFA protest on April 3rd serves to direct attention to the audism that is promoted by institutions like the Volta Burea/AG Bell Association.

In the spirit of the new administration in Washington DC, the AFA organizers call on those working at the Volta Bureau and the AG Bell Association to work with us to promote freedom from audism in American life for ALL Deaf citizens. Yes, we believe, we can.

For additional information on the Audism Free America Protest Targets the Volta Bureau, visit http://www.audismfreeamerica.blogspot.com.

Posted by at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Well, everyone knows by now that Amazing Race 14 has a mother and son team where the son is deaf. Only one episode has aired (I write this watching the second) and Margaret and Luke won the first leg. Cool!

So far, when we hear from Margaret and Luke (other than giving directions to each other), the editing repeatedly showed them discussing deafness and the ability to do anything. Well, maybe it’ll ease up — but all of us deaf folk don’t spend our energy talking about we can do anything.

When people tell me they’re amazed I can do this or that. I respond that I’m no different from the next person. Nothing amazing about it. Just like with any difference — you’ll find people who excel and people who don’t. Heck, people who have nothing different about them — some excel and some don’t.

The only time I let my deafness get in the way is when exchanging emails with a prospect. If the prospect asks me to call — I do my best to avoid that. Calling people through the relay removes too much of me from the conversation having a third party who sounds nothing like me and can’t capture my personality.

If the prospect understands the implications of a relay call, then I’ll call ‘em. This doesn’t mean I’m not grateful for the relay service. I am. I prefer to connect with people directly.

So far, this approach has caused no problems. I’m lucky to have great clients.

Oh, I freaked when I saw Mike of Mel and Mike. I had just seen him on a TV show. Aw, now they’re struggling in the race as Mel has an injury that prevents him from making a long trek.

Posted by at 7:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Two University of Michigan grad students in the College of Engineering’s Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, have developed a system that translates sign language into speech using cell phone technology.They call it MSigns, which stands for Mobile Sign Language Systems.

Love the idea… of course, I’d like something that can convert spoken language into text. The Michigan Daily has the full story and the project page at UofM.

Posted by at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I love The Amazing Race. If I had the energy, I’d like to appear on it and have the opportunity to travel… but it’s hard to take in all the places and thoroughly enjoy them when you’re constantly go, go, going. Besides, I don’t function well on little sleep.

Meet Margie and Luke, a mom and son team, with the son being the deaf one. Luke doesn’t speak or read lips. He figures communicating with his mom will avoid any extra communication barriers. After all, contestants deal with language barriers for starters.

They race against stuntmen, Southwest Airlines flight attendants, former National Football League cheerleaders and University of Louisville college athletes. Brother-and-sister team where both are Stanford University and Harvard Law School graduates and work as California corporate litigators.

Apparently, the communication between the two wasn’t smooth sailing. The show’s new and 14th season starts February 15.

Posted by at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Inauguration YouTube channel features videos recorded by President-elect Obama, Michelle Obama, Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) Executive Director Emmett Beliveau, and others.

President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden are working on making this the most accessible inauguration in history. PIC is partnering with Project readOn to add closed captioning to our YouTube videos. Read more about Project readOn.

What a cool birthday present! I’m a January 20th baby. Interesting, I am not big on politics. I read candidate thoughts, and I vote. But I am glad to have an inauguration birthday as it helps me remember some of the memorable events in history.

In 5th grade, my social studies class watched Carter exit office, Reagan swear in, and the freed hostages getting off the plane. Indeed a memorable day and birthday!

Posted by at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I went to look up a show on ABC’s web site and ran into the player. In big letters, it said ABC.COM has a full episode player. A few lines down, “Closed Captioning.” I tried to install the player in FireFox and followed all the directions including the “Allow” stuff, but it wouldn’t work after five tries.

My other computer’s FireFox loads the video player… but it runs on and on without ever playing the episode.

So I opened Internet Explorer and it worked. It required having the browser window completely opened or else you miss the player at the bottom along with the cc button. I selected Life on Mars as I was curious how the character went from 2008 to the ’70s.

After sitting through a commercial, the show started and so did the captions. They were harder to follow than on a TV screen as they work differently. The latest dialogue appears at the bottom while older dialogue scrolls up. Maybe it would be better to have newer dialogue at the top closer to the picture.

It makes sense to display the latest three lines of dialogue, but it can be hard to pinpoint the most current with conversations happening quickly.

Nonetheless, it was exciting and I hope the other networks will follow ABC even if it means I have to watch the videos in Internet Explorer.

Posted by at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Based on press release (pdf file) with edits.

On election night, deaf and hard-of-hearing people can experience live radio coverage for the first time, when NPR, Harris Corporation and Towson University simulcast the first ever live, captioned radio broadcast.

NPR, Harris Corporation and Towson University is coordinating the broadcast as part of an initiative to make radio more accessible to the millions of consumers with sensory disabilities around the world.

Nearly seven million people in the United States are either deaf or hard of hearing, and more than 28 million Americans report having trouble with their hearing, according to Gallaudet University.

Stations hosting these broadcasts:

• WTMD in Baltimore
• WGBH in Boston
• KCFR in Denver.

The election broadcast is the latest event coordinated by the International Center for Accessible Radio Technology (ICART), which is headquartered at Towson University in Towson, Maryland.

WGBH in Boston will be acting as a technical resource for monitoring and caption production. WAMU (where I went to college!) in DC will serve as the transmitting station. The election broadcast also will be carried simultaneously on the Internet for anyone, anywhere, to view at NPR.org. A link to the broadcast also will be available at http://www.harris.com.

The broadcast uses cutting-edge digital HD Radio(TM) technology where viewers can view live radio content on specially equipped receivers.

HD Radio enables station operators to split their broadcasts up into multiple channels, providing several CD-quality channels for their audiences. Through this accessible radio initiative, a small amount of the total data capacity will be used to carry textual data that will be shown live on a screen on new versions of HD Radio receivers, essentially providing a closed-caption transcript of live broadcasts for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Another aspect of the project is designed to serve people who are blind or visually impaired. Specially equipped HD Radio receivers are in development with several features to provide the visually impaired audience with better access to broadcasts, such as audio prompts that notify which direction the tuner is going, what channel the radio is on, and larger, easier-to-read text on the radios.

Posted by at 8:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CNet reports on a study of MP3 usage performed by the EU’s Scientific Committee. The study says that one in ten iPod users could go deaf. It shouldn’t scare anyone away from buying an iPod or other MP3 player, but encourage users to use common sense in controlling the volume.

Please note the important distinction — it’s the VOLUME not the product. I’m seeing comments that some people are reluctant to buy a new iPod or MP3 player because of this. It’s akin to saying eating makes a person overweight. Eating and weight also depend on human behavior, not the act of eating.

My kid’s school had the “Experience the Awareness” program. The program involves the kids moving from station to station to learn about the different differences including asthma, ADHD, autism, blindness, deafness, etc. I, of course, worked at the hearing station.

The station activity doesn’t work well. Kids put cotton balls in their ears, don headphones, and listen to a recording. The cotton balls are supposed to muffle the sound. Well, last time we did this (two years ago), a lot of the kids could still hear. Plus, we had to keep listening to the headphones to make sure the volume was at the right level since you can’t see the volume.

So we changed it to bring a TV into the room with no volume and the captions turned on. The kids entered the room and my presentation partner would start talking to them without her voice. I’d tell the kids that she asked them a question and she was waiting for an answer.

Then I’d tell the kids that I went to speech therapy for 10 years and my voice isn’t perfect and it never will be. But because my speech is imperfect doesn’t mean I don’t have a working brain. I mention that I went to a school like theirs, graduated college, have a good career, three kids, volunteer with the PTA. That I am just like them except I don’t hear well.

My friend would talk about the different things that cause deafness — birth, an illness, or playing music too loud (which is why I bring this up). I hope the kids heard the last part. I’m sure they forgot it by the time they went home.

We received a few comments from parents who said the kids liked our presentation. The problem was that it requires a lot of talking and our voices were so tired by noon. You can’t do much with a TV and captions. And the kids switch stations every 5 to 10 minutes.

Anyway — let’s educate our friends and family to use common sense when playing with the volume. No pumping up the volume!

Posted by at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Two calls for applications…

Call for Applications: Research in Hearing and Balance Science

The Deafness Research Foundation (DRF) requests applications from both new applicants, and DRF awardees applying for a second year of funding, who are dedicated to exploring new avenues of hearing and balance science. All proposals related to research in hearing and balance, both basic and applied clinical, will be considered.

DRF is the leading national source of private funding for basic and clinical research in hearing and balance science. Each year DRF awards research grants in the amount of up to $25,000 to researchers who are dedicated to exploring new avenues of hearing and balance science.

Eligibility: To be eligible for consideration, applicants should demonstrate experience and strong research training as well as sufficient institutional support (facilities, time, and mentorship) to carry out the proposed work. Applicants should hold the M.D., Ph.D., or equivalent degrees as well as a faculty or post-doctoral appointment. Graduate students are not eligible for DRF grants. Applications from Principal Investigators with research funds exceeding $100,000 will not be accepted. Applications for research continuation or bridge funding should not be submitted.

First Year Applicants: Please use the First Year Application form on the DRF web site. Application and all supporting documentation must be sent in electronic formats. Electronic format requires a PDF file and must be uploaded through DRF web site. First Year Application is due by 5 PM EST on December 1, 2008. Late applications will not be accepted. To download a copy of the application and view the general instructions, please visit the web site.

Second Year Applicants: Second year applicants must submit a “Letter of Intent” to apply for second year funding to Trisha Donaldson, Grants and Programs Coordinator, Deafness Research Foundation, 641 Lexington Avenue, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10022 DRF by 5 PM EST on December 1, 2008. Emails to grants@drf.org are acceptable. In addition, the completed second year application/progress report must be submitted in electronic format that requires a PDF file and uploaded through the DRF website. Second Year Application is due by 5 PM EST on January 14, 2009. Late applications will not be accepted. To download a copy of the application and view the general instructions, please visit http://www.drf.org/research+grants/.

For additional information about the application process, contact Trish Donaldson at 212-328-9483 or send an email to tdonaldson@drf.org. For more information on our grant policies, visit http://www.drf.org/grant+policy/.

Call for Applications: DRF Centurion Clinical Research Award

The Deafness Research Foundation (DRF) is partnering with the American Academy of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery’s (AAO-HNS) CORE Grants Program to offer a new one-year grant of $50,000 for clinical research in the hearing and balance sciences. The purpose of this award is to support clinical research projects in hearing and balance science. Clinical research involves human participants and may be directed toward diagnosis, epidemiology, genetics, clinical pathophysiology, and treatment.

Eligibility: To be eligible for consideration, candidates for this award should hold the M.D., Ph.D., or equivalent degrees as well as a faculty or post-doctoral appointment and demonstrate experience and strong research training as well as sufficient institutional support (facilities, time, and mentorship) to carry out the proposed work. Ideal candidate should be in their first 5 years after completion of formal training.

A faculty mentor should be identified and a letter of support and availability should be included in the application. Previous DRF or AAO-HNS Foundation research grant recipients are eligible to compete for this grant. However, candidates who have successfully obtained funding from a private or federal funding agency for the same research are ineligible. Candidates who have applied for support of the same research from other funding sources, and who are notified of an award from both another agency and from DRF must choose only one of the awards.

Format: Applications are in a similar format to the National Institutes of Health. All applications must be completed and submitted online through Proposal Central at https://proposalcentral.altum.com. See the AAO-HNSF website to begin the application process.

Submission Deadlines

• Letter of Intent – submit electronically by December 15, 2008 midnight EST
• Application - submit electronically by January 15, 2009 midnight EST
• Late Applications will not be considered.

For additional information about the application process, contact Stephanie Jones, Assistant Director, Research and Quality at 1-703-535-3747 or send an email to SLJones@entnet.org.

DRF is the leading national source of private funding for basic and clinical research in hearing and balance science. Each year DRF awards research grants to researchers who are dedicated to exploring new avenues of hearing and balance science. The DRF Centurion Clinical Research Award is funded by the Centurions of the Deafness Research Foundation. To learn more about the Centurions, visit http://www.drf.org/Centurions.

Download DRF Flyer Call For Application: (PDF format)

Download DRF Flyer CORE Application: (PDF format)

Posted by at 5:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Friday, October 10 (9:00pm/8:00pm cst) episode of Supernanny features a family headed by a deaf couple. Kip and Dorothy Baulisch of Omaha, Neb. and their four children — Melissa, 18; Jessica, 8; Jennifer, 7; and Kristin, 7.

http://www.aslclips.com/mar2008/supernanny_marie.swf (Flash Player Required)

The episode should provide insight into families where the parents are deaf and the children are hearing.

Posted by at 8:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thanks to Karen for posting about YouTube and captioning in which to points to Bill Cresswell’s post.

YouTube on captions and subtitles covers how to turn them on/off, add/edit captions, and getting help with captioning a video. If only YouTube had a way to search for captioned/subtitled videos. Sure, you can enter “caption” in the search box… but it won’t be accurate as caption can appear in non-captioned videos and people might use “closed-captioned,” “captioning,” “subtitled,” “subtitles,” you get the idea.

Also, Project ReadOn accepts captioning requests. It’ll take a long time to see our faves captioned as we all have faves all over the place with few overlaps.

Posted by at 7:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Researchers at the University of Washington developed software allowing users to talk to each other using ASL over cell phones. The researchers have succeeded in making project a reality. They’ve received a grant from National Science Foundation that will allow them to conduct a 20-person field project in Seattle next year according to ScienceDaily.

Many deaf people have expressed excitement with the project. They feel ASL cell phone communication works faster than text messaging plus it does a better job of letting users show their emotions. I guess smilies have their limits.

It’s great to see such an advancement and I know the Deaf community will eagerly follow the programs in hopes of getting their hands on MobileASL. Meanwhile, oralists like me won’t be able to do much with it. Lips are much smaller than hands on a cell phone screen. Besides, lipreading people on television doesn’t come easy. So it certainly won’t be better on a tiny screen.

See the phones in action in the video below. Cool stuff.

Posted by at 7:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

The FCC rules [pdf file] that all relay providers must offer 10-digit phone numbers to their customers. “What the Commission proposes is a complex but doable plan that, at its center, requires participants to build a big central database of people who use TRS accessibility applications. That database will allow participants to enjoy the “functional equivalence” of a ten-digit ID,” writes ARS Technica.

But I’ve had my own 10-digit phone number for a long time. You call that number and it’ll go through a relay service. The relay service contacts me through AOL instant messenger. However, I suspect as the article points out — my phone number only works with one vendor using one method. This ruling allows us to have an universally recognizable phone number.

How does this affect long distance phone calls?

How does this affect how we receive our calls? Home phone? Mobile phone? Computer?

It’s a milestone, but a confusing one. Who wants to read a 79 paged government-created order?

Posted by at 5:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I remember when the original American Gladiators aired how excited I was to see Shelley Beattie was known as Siren, a Gladiator who was deaf. Unfortunately, she passed away earlier this year.

I caught a few of the new American Gladiators, but missed the one with a deaf competitor who won! I read about it in Karen’s blog.

Posted by at 7:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

This won’t surprise you. We love technology, but technology also brings more problems. The internet makes it possible for us to chat online like everyone else, send e-mail, and so on. Online technology has encouraged many to create videos that we can’t follow. The Washington Post revisits laws that made our lives easier and the need for new ones.

Also, a Gallaudet student expresses frustration with the Metro, Washington D.C.’s wonderful subway. I lived in D.C. for six years and it’s the best one I’ve seen. I didn’t experience these problems, but good to know about them.

Posted by at 4:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yet another online service doesn’t provide captions or subtitles for videos. So what else is new? It would be a huge job for anyone to try to fight all the sites that don’t caption their videos, but the i711 article discusses the situation and what you can do.

Posted by at 5:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My friend Karen Putz is the person behind the story! Captioned and ASL video. And of course, her blog entries on the topic.

Posted by at 8:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TMCNet.com reports that Sorenson Communications launches SIPRelay (Sorenson IP Relay) Mobile for BlackBerry smartphones. It works like a regular relay service. BlackBerry users download the software the first time they use it.

The user enters the phone number to call. An operator calls the phone number and relays the deaf person’s messages by voice and types the hearing person’s responses. You can watch a video showing how it works. No captions — ASL only.

SIPRelay also offers VCO and other relay services.

Posted by at 5:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Wow, it’s been over a year since I mentioned Irene Taylor Brodsky and her film appearing at Sundance. Hear and Now has reached cable TV for those of us who don’t get to go to Sundance. Hear and Now premiered on HBO late last week and is still available for viewing.

No HBO? I’m sure it’ll be available for rent soon enough.

The story is about Brodsky’s parents, who are in their 60s, deciding to get cochlear implants after living their lives completely in silence. Why change after all this time? It’s harder for older people (even in their 30s like me) to learn to hear without reading lips.

Before anti-CI folks start throwing fire… beware that even Brodsky says, “Mom and Dad are just really good at being deaf people. So why risk failing at this point? Why hear now?”

You got to admit — that’s the million dollar question. Why bother? Sure, they still have 20+ years of living possible, but seriously. Furthermore, they’re not ideal cochlear implant candidates.

The couple met at a deaf boarding school and went on to mainstream in high school. I look forward to watching the film and see how things turn out. The trailer on HBO’s web site has no captions except when the couple talks. But here is a captioned trailer. In the meantime — as expected — folks are discussing the movie…

Cochlear Implants Online

ASL-Cochlear Implant Community

Misha

Blogger News Network

Heart Crossings

Posted by at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The following questions and answers are specific to the Certificate of Deafness for Tuition Waiver:

Do I need to submit a new certificate to my college/university each semester?

No, the enabling statute states your certificate is good for the entirety of your program. The only time a college/university may ask for another certificate is if you change your major or focus of study.

I only have a copy of my certificate and the college/university wants an original, what do I do?

If the college/university wants an originally signed document and you no longer have one, you can request one from DHHS. However, the date of the certificate will be the date you originally were deemed eligible for the program. You will need to let DHHS know your current address when you request the duplicate.

Does the certificate cover expenses other than tuition?

The tuition waiver only covers tuition and tuition-based fees. If the amount of the fee is determined by the amount of your tuition (or how many hours/credits you are taking), then that fee should be covered by the waiver. The waiver never covers books, supplies or the cost of any needed accommodation.

Do I need to re-apply for a certificate after a certain timeframe?

No, your certificate does not expire.

Is there a limit to the educational level I can achieve using my Certificate?

There is no limit. Individuals who qualify can enroll for studies up to and including the post-graduate level, as long as enrollment is at a state-supported college or university.

Can my old audiogram be used for my Certificate of Deafness for Tuition Waiver application?

As long as the audiogram reflects your current hearing status there is no time limit on when the test was done.

If I meet the criterion in Part II, do I need to complete Part III and/or Part IV?

No. Parts III and IV are alternate criteria to establish eligibility when the regular criterion is not met.

Other questions about this program should be directed to dhhs@dars.state.tx.us or CollegeForTexans.com

Certification of Deafness for Tuition Waiver

Provides a certificate that verifies hearing loss for applicants for tuition waiver at state supported post-secondary schools in Texas. The basic criteria for applicants is either an unaided average hearing loss of 55 decibels (dB) or greater (using 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz) or an aided average hearing loss of 30 dB or greater using the same frequencies. Alternate options for eligibility are listed on the tuition waiver application for individuals who are “functionally deaf and the primary mode of communication in the classroom is through visual modes.”

You can find all these information at website - see links below.

http://www.dars.state.tx.us/dhhs/dhhsfaqs.shtml#codtw - the application, general information

http://www.dars.state.tx.us/dhhs/trnganded.shtml#Certification - regular criteria for eligibility

Other questions about the CODTW – send email to dhhs@dars.state.tx.us - Thanks

Doug H. Dittfurth
Outreach Development Specialist
Office for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services of the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services/Division for Rehabilitation Services PO Box 12904 - Austin, TX 78711
4900 N Lamar Blvd, 2-172 - Austin, TX 78751
Office/Voice: 512/407-3273 Office/TTY: 512/407-3274
Office/Video Phone: 161.137.23.204 Office/ Fax: 512/407-3299

Posted by at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Times reports on a new hearing aid — new meaning completely different. Not behind the ear, not requiring surgery, not requiring typical batteries, not requiring full ear molds.

The Lyric looks like an ideal hearing aid for those who don’t have severe or profound hearing loss. Wearers most likely have to give up swimming. However, the company’s web site says the hearing aid can be removed for MRIs and similar unique situations, but not swimming and scuba diving.

The Lyric provides an interesting and expensive alternative for qualified candidates.

Posted by at 8:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Aww… Marlee Matlin was ousted on this week’s Dancing with the Stars. I hated to see her go, but the last two weeks didn’t go well for her and Fabian. After all, this is a dancing contest, not a popularity contest. I voted for her, of course.

I had hoped she recover from last week’s less than stellar performance since her partner specialized in mambo. But it wasn’t enough. According to judge Carrie Ann, the mambo focused on the relationship with the music more than any other dance.

I hope she’s proud of her work and that deaf people are proud of her for representing us.

I finished Sweet Nothing in My Ear and thought the movie portrayed the issues well. Marlee Matlin, Jeff Daniels, Phyllis Frelich, and Ed Waterstreet did a superb job in their roles.

Did you know Phyllis Frelich and Ed Waterstreet also played a couple in Love Is Never Silent?

Posted by at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Deaf actor Howie Seago appears in LAByrinth’s “The Little Flower of East Orange” now playing off-Broadway at The Public Theater. It’s a new play by Stephen Adly Guirgis (“Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train” / “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot”), directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, and tells the story of a hearing woman (played by Ellen Burstyn) visited by the ghost of her deaf father – much of it in ASL.

The production runs through May 4 with two sign-interpreted performances: Sat April 19 at 2pm, and Sat May 3 at 2pm — and after both performances, the cast will return to the stage after curtain to chat with the audience.

Watching the subtitled video.

Posted by at 8:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marlee Matlin stays busy. On top of Dancing with the Stars, she has a TV movie coming out on CBS. Sweet Nothing in My Ear debuts on Sunday, April 20 telling the story of a couple (one deaf and one hearing) struggling with the decision of getting a cochlear implant for their son. Matlin’s character is against the CI while her husband wants the CI.

Linda Bove, the long-time librarian on Sesame Street, acted as an advisor on the set. In this interview, she said she reviewed all the takes to make sure view of the signer showed clearly. The staff also paid attention to every little detail and asked her questions like if it was OK to sign with rubber gloves on while washing the dishes or to turn off the light while someone is signing.

No doubt this will lead to heated discussions in the deaf community. I don’t think it’s our business to dictate the lives of others. Education is always OK with me — forcing or pushing for one thing over the other is not.

Posted by at 3:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The Human Future points to a fascinating story of a deaf couple in the UK that has a deaf daughter. Now they want another child. The mother is in her 40s, so the coupled needs to do intro-vitro fertilization (IVF). OK, so what’s wrong with that? The couple may not get the deaf embryo.

From The Guardian, “The trouble is that, according to clause 14/4/9 of the bill, the selection of a hearing child through IVF is permitted, but embryos found to have deafness genes will be automatically discarded. ‘This sends out a clear and direct message that the government thinks deaf people are better off not being born.”

Does the government have the right to dictate the condition of an embryo? I understand the need for the rule to protect parents from receiving problematic embryos, but what of parents who want a unique one?

Posted by at 4:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Donate old hearing aids to to HARP. From Deafnetwork.

What is HARP?
HARP stands for the Hearing Aid Recycling Program. It is a program based in Dallas that collects old or used hearing aids and distributes them to deaf and hard-of-hearing people that cannot afford to buy hearing aids.

How are the hearing aids distributed?
The hearing aids go to the Callier Center at the University of Texas at Dallas. The Callier Center then distributes the hearing aids to people who demonstrate a significant financial need.

Are the donations tax deductible?
Yes. All hearing aid donations to HARP are tax deductible under the Callier Center’s 501(c)(3) status.

How can I donate my used hearing aids?
The best way to donate is through the mail. After contacting HARP, you will receive an envelope in the mail with a case to put the hearing aids in along with a postage-paid, pre-addressed envelope. Simply put the hearing aids in the case, put the case in the envelope, and mail the envelope.

Who should I contact to donate my hearing aids?
E-mail Laurie at harp@utdallas.edu or call her at (214) 905-3055 to donate.

Posted by at 1:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Exciting news! Marlee Matlin joins the next round of Dancing with the Stars. I never thought deaf people couldn’t learn to dance the fancy stuff (tango, ballroom, etc.), ballet, or tap.

I took ballet and tap when I was five and that was it. My dancing career ended as sports was my thang. Sometimes I think about taking dancing classes, but then again… dancing isn’t something I’m comfortable with. It has nothing to do with my hearing loss.

Actually, I don’t mind trying a few moves when I am alone and no one is watching. I love musical theater and the dancing they do. I’m sure Matlin will be a formidable opponent.

Posted by at 8:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Hey, this is exciting news… considering I live in Plano. Just watched the — of course, captioned — video and laughed out loud. Well, congrats… Pepsi is getting more promotion out of it with blogs like this posting about it. Hope it makes up for the big budget they put into airing it during the Super Bowl.

From The Dallas Morning News…

By Karen Robinson-Jacobs

PepsiCo Inc. is hoping to make some noise with a Super Bowl ad featuring 60 seconds of silence.

During the Fox network’s pregame show on Feb. 3, the nation’s second-largest soft drink maker will air a commercial conceived by a PepsiCo employee, starring him and three others, including two who are deaf.

Continue reading "Pepsi's silent Super Bowl ad was Plano man's idea" »

Posted by at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Can’t tell you how many times I’ve been embarrassed while playing sports. Just last weekend, I was running to the far side of the tennis court when I see classmates waving at me and pointing to the other side. Obviously, I needed to go to the near side of the court. Usually, I make sure I am going in the right place, but it doesn’t always happen.

Yesterday’s The Dallas Morning News (might require free registration) has an article about a local (Richardson is a Dallas suburb) hearing teen who invented Ref for the Deaf (site coming soon). The device consists of a bracelet for the deaf athlete and a transmitter for the referee. When the ref blows the whistle, fires a starter gun, or does anything to stop the action, the bracelet vibrates or lights up.

Two University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) grad students created a business model for the invention. It’s wonderful that a teen set out to solve a problem that she saw. I would’ve appreciated something like this during my regular sports playing days. Since I just play tennis now — I usually tell my opponent that if I keep playing after the ball is dead — it’s only because I may not be sure the play has stopped. They are respectful about that.

Posted by at 7:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Radio was never a top priority for captioning mainly because I don’t sit in the passenger’s seat very often. I’m not about to read radio and drive. What I do want is the ability to see the song and group singing it so I know what songs I like. I know lots of radios do that, but I am driving a 10+ year old car with an outdated radio that shows only the station and time.

PC Magazine also reports on captioned radio.

However, streaming radio through a service like RadioTime.com would be cool as you can get it on any computer — so no danger of reading and driving.

Gizmodo reports on captioned radio from CES 2008.

Posted by at 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I remember when Senator Tom Harkin made news back in the ’90s. From the Alamanac of American Politics 2000: “His interest in deafness prompted him and Senator Jennings Randolph to bring the first closed-caption TV to the Carter White House; in 1991 he passed a law requiring close-captioning on all 13-inch-plus TVs starting in 1995.”

He has taken on another project — captioning of online videos. The following comes from DeafNetwork.

Continue reading "Closed Captioning of Web Video Receive Senate Support" »

Posted by at 9:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Deafmac writes, “…we complained about their offering to the hearing people to have Voice-Only plan on their iPhones. As we all know, it spoke of discrimination and they removed it. Now we both, hearing and deaf, are back to square one where we have to pay $59.99 a month for both voice and data plans.” However, read the comments as well as the following blogs for a full picture.

Gizmodo caught wind of this and posted on the topic. According to a Gizmodo follow up, AT&T is bringing a data only plan for iPhones. But what if we don’t want an iPhone? Wish Verizon would follow suit and give us more choices.

• CrunchGear

• TUAW.

• Apple Gazette has a podcast, but that won’t do some of us much good.

Continue reading "AT&T Causes uproar with Deaf Customers" »

Posted by at 5:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

This is focused on Texans, but the information could be valuable to those outside of Texas. The information comes from DeafNetwork.

Texans with Disabilities Know Your Voting Rights!

Accessibility - State law requires all polling places meet strict accessibility standards.

Private Ballot - It is your right to cast a private and independent ballot.

Voting Assistance - You have the right to assistance — from any person you choose — when registering to vote or when voting if you can not read or mark the ballot or application. You have the right to an interpreter. It is illegal for the person assisting you to try and influence your vote.

Vote By Mail - If you requested a mail in ballot you must return in by 7:00 on Election Day.

Continue reading "Voting Rights for People with Disabilities" »

Posted by at 7:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From DeafNetwork:

In an effort to overcome technology and production barriers, the leading providers of Web-based video have joined with media access pioneer WGBH/Boston to develop solutions that will increase the amount of online video accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

AOL, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo! have asked WGBH and its Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) to establish and manage the Internet Captioning Forum (ICF). The ICF will initially address the technical challenges presented by online video repurposed from broadcast or other previously captioned sources, as well as video created specifically for the Web.

Continue reading "Companies Team up for Online Captioning" »

Posted by at 7:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Oct. 2—High school students with hearing loss in 10th or 11th grade can enter the third annual RIT SpiRIT Writing Contest, and compete for prizes, including a summer camp scholarship.

Winners will have their choice of a scholarship and travel expenses to the Explore Your Future program at RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf, or a $500 cash prize. EYF is a six-day career exploration program for deaf and hard-of-hearing students that gives them the opportunity to sample different careers.

Complete contest guidelines and entry information are available at the RIT Web site. The deadline to enter is March 1, 2008. For more information, contact WritingContest@ntid.rit.edu or call (585) 475-7695 (voice/TTY).

Rochester Institute of Technology is internationally recognized as a leader in computing, engineering, imaging technology, fine and applied arts, and for providing unparalleled support services for students with hearing loss. More than 1,100 students with hearing loss from around the world study, live and socialize with 14,400 hearing students on RIT’s Rochester, N.Y. campus. U.S. News and World Report has consistently ranked RIT among the nation’s leading comprehensive universities.

Posted by at 7:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Oh, brother. Captions / subtitles fall victim to India outsourcing. The Infoweek article [Thanks, Stone Deaf Pilots] gives a good example of what happens when you send English translation to a place where English isn’t the first language.

For example, in the movie My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Uma Thurman utters the line “We have a zero-tolerance policy for (sexual harassment).”

But as rendered by Indian workers, the line reads like it’s from a Borat movie: “We hold the highest standards for sexual harassment by foreign workers.”

Yeah.

Oh, and Stone Deaf Pilots also reports on AOL captioning videos.

Posted by at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

From news release: WGBH has received a $600,000 grant from the Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research to support its efforts to make handheld media accessible for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Titled “Captioning Solutions for Handheld Media and Mobile Devices” (award number H133G070122), the grant provides WGBH’s Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) with $600,000 over three years to research and develop technical solutions for delivering captioned content to iPods, cell phones, PDAs and other mobile devices.

The grant gives WGBH the opportunity to find ways to embed captions for handheld devices and build prototypes. It will also create strategies for captioning media streamed on mobile devices.

AOL, Hewlett-Packard Company, MacNeil/Lehrer Productions (producer of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer), the Open Media Network and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. will partner with WGBH in this effort.

Posted by at 7:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I generally don’t take online awards seriously since they’re usually a way to help the person starting the award gain more traffic or a popularity contest. However, on occasion they provide meaning and value. Christy of Writer’s Reviews created such awards that I think meet the criteria. They are:

• The Inspirational Blogger Award

• The Courageous Blogger Award

• The Charity Blogger Award

• The Thoughtful Blogger Award

• The Creative Blogger Award

Stephen Hopson of Adversity University passed the Courageous Blogger Award to me. I’ve never thought of myself a courageous person because I live my life as best as I can. Thank you, Stephen. He also made it challenging to think of five people to award as the awards require passing it on (hence, my thoughts in the start of this post).

I award the following folks and also tag (better late…) them for the “Secrets of Dealing with Adversity” tagging experiment:

• Christine: The Creative Blogger Award.

• Grant Laird, Jr.: The Courageous Blogger Award.

• Ridor: The Courageous Blogger Award.

• Lette: The Creative Blogger Award - check out her poems and creative scribbles.

• Adam Darowski: The Inspirational Blogger Award.

• Aaron Potts: The Inspirational Blogger Award.

Posted by at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Someone wrote me a note about Bionic Woman, the TV show, that’s coming back this fall. I haven’t taken much of an interest until I received the email about one of the characters. Jamie Sommers has a deaf sister, but the produces filled the role with a hearing actress. In fact, I like the actress and have seen her in many shows. But I’m disappointed that they couldn’t find someone from the deaf actors’ talent pool (don’t know if they even bothered to look).

If this doesn’t sit well with you, go to NBC and let them know how you feel. NBC has posted clips since they have already filmed several episodes. The hearing actress, Mae Whitman, mimics a deaf voice and they use sign-language until there is too much dialogue at which time they switch to speaking and lip-reading.

Can’t believe the part about mimicking the deaf voice.

Posted by at 8:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

‘Chat line’ to aid calf of deaf dolphin is a fascinating story of a deaf dolphin expecting a calf and how she will learn to communicate with her baby. Dolphins have poor eyesight, so their hearing is critical for survival. I wonder how the Service figured out she was deaf.

Posted by at 8:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The appropriately named article Eew Tube tells of a product where we’d be able to see inside our own ears so we can clean them safely instead of use Q-tips (oh, excuse me… “cotton swabs”). I quit using cotton swabs years ago when I learned the cotton swab caused an ear infection I had. It took a lot of will to stop using them, but it worked. Only time I use them is when I have a bad itch.

I like the thought of this technology to clean the ears safely. I remember years ago when I had problems with my ears, the doctor cleaned it out well. It felt good and clean. I’ve tried those drops, but they take too long and don’t produce much results.

OK, I’ll stop with this Eew entry.

Posted by at 7:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

From Deafnetwork:

By Cheryl Heppner

On February 17, 2009, analog television will be cut off and television in the U.S. will go totally digital. If you watch television as a cable or satellite user, you will be able to get the conversion to digital from your cable or satellite provider. If you are in one of the estimated 14.86% of U.S. households that still watch television over-the-air by antenna, you will need to purchase an analog-to-digital converter box.

Continue reading "Digital TV Challenges" »

Posted by at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Gallaudet University reports that “Through Deaf Eyes,” a two-hour PBS documentary exploring nearly 200 years of Deaf life in America, airs on March 21, 2007 at 9pm ET (check your local listings). “he film presents the story of Deaf life in America - a story of conflicts, prejudice and affirmation that reaches the heart of what it means to be human.”

The film was inspired by the exhibition, “History Through Deaf Eyes,” curated by Jack R. Gannon of Gallaudet University. I’ve had the honor of meeting Mr. Gannon in person when he spoke at the Department of Transportation during Deaf Awareness Week in 1993. Stockard Channing narrates the program, which includes interviews with Dr. I. King Jordan, Marlee Matlin, Bernard Bragg, historians, and deaf Americans.

Based on what I’ve read about the documentary, it takes an honest look into the things that separate people who are deaf. Those “who are part of the cultural-linguistic group who use American Sign Language and often define themselves as ‘Deaf’ - with a capital, and cultural, ‘D’ - and deaf people who, for a variety of reasons, do not identify with the Deaf cultural community.”

Personally, I respect each person’s choice. Just wish people wouldn’t hold it against a person for making such a choice.

Posted by at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

WGBH Access Division Creates “CC for Flash” to Simplify Captioning for Adobe Flash Technology

http://ncam.wgbh.org/webaccess/ccforflash/

Accessibility and Search Enhanced by Free Tool; Easy-to-Embed Flash-Based-Media Player also Available

Use of Adobe® Flash® technology to add dynamic and engaging video content to Web sites is growing exponentially. With WGBH’s new solution, developers are able to more easily add captions in Flash. Now, millions of users who are deaf or hard of hearing are better able to experience Web-based video in Flash and search engines are able to capitalize on captions as search metadata for SWF content.

WGBH, Boston’s public broadcaster and a decades-long pioneer in developing access solutions to media for audiences with disabilities has created a component for Flash, CC for Flash, that can be authored into any SWF file for playback in Adobe Flash Player. The component is easy to use, and freely available from the NCAM Web site at http://ncam.wgbh.org/webaccess/ccforflash.

Funding for development of CC for Flash was provided by a grant to WGBH’s Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) from the NEC Foundation of America, with additional support provided by Yahoo!

CC for Flash: The Details

• Uses external files produced in the W3C’s Distribution Format Exchange Profile (DFXP) of the Timed-Text Authoring Format.

• Imports existing formats such as Apple QuickTime’s QTtext, with support for Microsoft’s SAMI format soon to follow.

• Exposes many of its internal functions through ActionScriptTM language so that the author can control and customize many of the features.

• Can play back caption metadata that has been embedded in the video by tools such as Captionate.

• Can be linked to any video playback components in Flash or directly to Netstream objects in the SWF of the FLV file.

• Allows the author to set the caption display box coordinates and default text attributes, like background color, text foreground color, font face and size, opacity, etc., at authoring time. At playback time, any text attributes that are explicitly defined in the external caption file will override the defaults.

• Captions can be added after the video content in Flash is posted, allowing for flexibility across production and distribution environments.

• Allows captions to be searched.

• Comes with an optional player, ccPlayer for Flash, which allows those unfamiliar with Flash programming to embed video content in Flash into a Web page with minimal effort.

• Is compatible with Flash MX2004 (7) and 8 authoring packages.

A Best Friend for CC for Flash: MAGpie

MAGpie, NCAM’s free do-it-yourself captioning and description application allows developers to create captions once, and then to output those captions in multiple formats, including QuickTime, Windows Media, and Real.

NCAM has now added the W3C’s new timed-text format, the Distribution Format Exchange Profile (DFXP), to MAGpie’s caption export options. MAGpie version 2.0.2 is the only tool available today for authoring DFXP caption files. With MAGpie and CC for Flash, it’s now easier than ever to provide captions for Flash Player compatible video content.

WGBH’s Media Access Group can also provide Flash caption authoring services for long-form content not easily handled by MAGpie, and for producers who would rather outsource their captioning work. WGBH’s Media Access Group, since 1972 the leader in providing captioning and description to the broadcast, film, educational and online media worlds, is now the first organization that can provide DFXP captions for Flash presentations.

Posted by at 1:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Oscar nominated movie, Bable, has a deaf Japanese woman character who struggles to communicate with her father. The irony is that Japanese deaf moviegoers couldn’t follow the movie as explained ‘Babel’ ignores deaf audience. Variety also has a report.

Embarrassing, but not surprising overssight.

Posted by at 8:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Kokonut Pundits reports on Greg Gunderson First Deaf NASCAR Driver! I’ll let him do the talking while I go recover from the flu.

Posted by at 2:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Couples with differences or disabilities wanting children like them isn’t anything new. However, USA Today reports couples who are trying to create babies using in vitro fertilization and embryo screening. Not a cheap procedure with a cost of over $15,000 — something insurance companies aren’t most likely to pay for. Insurance companies may pay for the in vitro fertilization, but not for any additional procedures. But first, the couple most likely has to show they can’t have children the old-fashioned way.

Posted by at 8:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Deaf Americans should be grateful for the relay options we have as most of it is free especially the Internet-based services. According to UK Telecoms opening up for deaf callers, users must pay one pound (equivalent of USD $1.89) PER MINUTE!

Posted by at 6:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Michelle Hinn campaigns for more accessibility for disabled gamers addresses something few of us think about. Well, I think about it when I play games with a lot of audio, but when do I ever have time to play games?

I remember a few instances where one of my kids played a game and asked for help. I couldn’t because it meant hearing the audio. Then we got a Harry Potter game and it came with an option to turn on sub-titles. But captioning video games and videos isn’t the only accessibility problem as the article shows.

Posted by at 8:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A deaf family appears tonight on CSI: NY in its Silent Night episode. If you miss it, just be on the look out for this episode title during reruns.

In the episode, an intruder breaks into a home, shoots the teen daughter and almost kidnaps the baby without the mother hearing a sound. The entire family is deaf. The CSIs search for the intruder with the mother’s help.

It stars Marlee Matlin and Sasha Cohen. Ironically, you can watch a video preview… without captions. The other deaf actors are Amber Stanton and Troy Kotsur.

Posted by at 9:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Gallaudet University announced the selection of Robert Davila as the university’s interim president. As interim president, “The Board expects the interim president will serve on an interim basis only, for a period of eighteen months. The Board and the interim president, by mutual agreement, may extend this period for an additional six months if needed.”

As for the permanent president, “The Board expects to announce a separate search process for the permanent president, after an interim president has been selected.”

One person commented he didn’t want Davila for president. Well, this is just interim and it doesn’t guarantee Davila will continue on as permanent president.

The Washington Post reports on the story.

Posted by at 3:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Gallaudet University reports the Interim President Selection Advisory Committee has three men (no women — will this start another protest?) standing in line for the president position. One of those is Robert Davila. I remember him well from when I worked in Washington, DC for the government. I contacted his office once, but I don’t remember why. He has an impressive background and sounded liek a likeable person.

Weiner got his Ed. D. from my school at the same time I graduated with my BA — The American University. He also worked at the Texas School for the Deaf.

All three have been involved with Gallaudet. So the first thing I wonder — do students who know them, like them? JKF worked there and that’s one of the things that started the whole protest — she wasn’t likeable among other things. The candidates look good on paper, but what about off paper?

A long weekend waits the committee as they plan to make a final decision.

Posted by at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

To keep things simple in explaining this important project, I’ve listed the bullets from the Open and Closed Project Web site.

1. Write standards for the four fields of accessible media — captioning, audio description, subtitling, and dubbing — based on research and evidence.
2. Conduct research when the existing research or evidence does not exist or is insufficient.
3. Test standards for a year in the real world, make any changes necessary, and publish them.
4. Develop training and certification programs for practitioners.

While all of the above happens, they will also do the following two things:

1. Design and test improved fonts for captioning and subtitling (already underway).
2. Develop and test file formats for the four fields of accessible media.

Joe Clark is looking for supporters to donate small amounts of cash — micropatronage, as he calls it — to start up this project.

Posted by at 8:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Not only is she a female, but she’s also deaf. Union-Tribune reports on Leni Hall’s first professional boxing match, which ended in a draw. Her handler, Bernie Navarro, believes she can make an impact in women’s boxing as a super flyweight.

I love sports, but boxing isn’t one of my interests. It’s always exciting to hear about woman making advances in any sport.

Posted by at 8:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A green ear mold caught my eye on TV right before commercials (you know how the news likes to tease us), so I stuck around. It was the story [free registration required] of kids with iPods getting ear molds made to protect their ears. Audiologists say custom-fitting ear molds work better than ear buds because they don’t come close to the ear drum like ear buds can. As a result, the ear mold shuts out background noise so the listener can hear the audio better.

Even the kid in the story thought ear molds weren’t cool until she learned they come in a variety of bright colors. That’s why my hearing aid is silver and not beige. I got so sick of that color as that was the color of ear molds and hearing aids I wore for most of my life.

Hmm… maybe I should get them for my family. Don’t want them to lose their hearing. Now I can just see the deaf world coming after me for saying that.

Posted by at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Shoshannah Stern sent an email to the deaf network asking we watch her show this coming Wednesday, November 29. Here’s her note from Deaf Network.

This Wednesday, November 29, (2006) is a very special episode of Jericho for me. As some of you might know, I am a regular on this show, which airs on CBS at 8 pm Pacific time. There are so many people on the show, however, that there is so much ground to cover. I’ve been trying for a scene ONLY in sign language (no voice over or simcom) from the beginning. The writers and producers have been amazing and even let me try my hand in writing part of the scene! It will be aired THIS Wednesday. I don’t know how much of the scene will actually make it because of time constraints, but I would LOVE if you guys would watch and help me spread the word! This is a big step for everybody within the deaf community and of course for my character, Bonnie. Please, please watch… or at least TIVO it! Feel free to forward this to whoever you think may be interested!

For more information about this TV show “Jericho”: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/jericho/

Shoshannah Stern - The Offical Web Site: http://www.shoshannah-stern.com/

Posted by at 6:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Internet Scammers Target Deaf Community doesn’t surprise me. Many people view senior ciritizens and people with disabilities as weak — easy to scam. That’s why I believe religious organizations keep coming to me (there’s no question they target me because I’m deaf). Such organizations believe deaf people are easier to sway especially since we can feel socially isolated.

I know of a religious organization that preys on senior citizens especially when they’re hospitalized. They visit them and show interest in their lives. Sadly, many seniors don’t have family involved in their lives, so when they don’t feel lonely as a result of the organization’s visits, they’re more likely to give in.

My rule: I have to be the one who approaches an organization when it comes to helping and donations. If the organization approaches me, I’m not going to cooperate unless I know the organization and the folks behind it.

Posted by at 8:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An update to previous entry on Captioning News: Not Good News:

By Cheryl Heppner

Many of you have been following the recent saga of sudden mass exemptions granted for closed captioning of TV programs. The exemptions, over 270 of them, were given by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to mostly faith-based organizations. Few of these organizations provided the required evidence to show that captioning would be an undue burden.

Actions by Consumer Organizations
I have been working with a team of advocates from TDI, NAD, AAPD, CSD, DHHCAN and HLAA to address the serious errors committed in the granting of these permanent exemptions from closed captioning.

Among our actions were:
- Two meetings were held with FCC Commissioner Deborah Tate, one with Commissioner Robert McDowell, one with Chairman Kevin Martin, and conversations with Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein.

• An “Application for Review of Bureau Order” filed with the FCC. We asked that all grants of exemption be rescinded and that the FCC individually review each petition for exemption to determine undue burden, and place all current and future exemptions on public notice. We pointed out that the FCC had violated the Telecommunications Act and Administrative Procedures Act, and had committed a number of procedural violations.

• A “Petition for Emergency Stay” was also filed with the FCC. In this petition, we noted that the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau arbitrarily overruled its own precedent without giving any rationale. We also reminded the FCC that the Bureau did not have delegated authority to create new rules or categories of captioning exemptions, only to administer and enforce rules and policies already created.

Action by National Religious Broadcasters in Opposition
The National Association of Religious Broadcasters (NRB), which is based at Technology Drive in Manassas, VA, filed an opposition to our “Application for Review of Bureau Order”, requesting that it be denied by the FCC.

In response, we filed a reply today that refutes their argument. The NRB gave as its interpretation of the test of undue burden a requirement that shows captioning would “likely produce a central interference, a mission-critical intrusion onto the non-profit organization’s ‘programming’ or ‘other activities important to its mission’”. Among other things, we pointed out that it’s not clear how the FCC would characterize an organization’s “mission”, or determine which activities are “important” or which intrusions are “mission-critical”.

Yesterday’s Shocking Development The FCC released a Public Notice on November 7, 2006 that we did not receive until the afternoon of November 8, 2006. This notice said that the FCC had put the petitions for those 290+ entities which received exemptions on its website on October 12, 2006 The FCC also made information about additional petitions available on its website.

Buried in a footnote was the news that the petitions for exemption already granted by letter order were being “held in abeyance until the comment cycle on these petitions has ended.”

Good news: The FCC is indicating that its earlier decision to grant 290+ exemptions apparently isn’t final.

Bad news: We must submit comments on these and hundreds more new requests for exemption - a total of about 600 petitions - even though most of them clearly lack any information to justify an undue burden exemption. The FCC staff needs only to look in their files to see this.

Incredibly bad news: We have 20 days to file our comments. That’s 20 days from the date the Public Notice was released. We already lost 1 1/2 days before we knew of its release. Tomorrow and November 23-24 are holidays. November 11, 12, 25, and 26 are weekends. This gives us a total of 11 working days to go through and write up comments before the deadline of Monday, November 27, and two of them are already gone. That’s an average of 66 or 67 we’d have to comment on each working day.

You can find the FCC’s Public Notice at: http://www.fcc.gov/da062287.pdf

And More Gripes! We didn’t need another stab to the heart, but the Public Notice issued on November 7 had a lot of objectionable language and inaccuracies. One that definitely didn’t sit well was the FCC’s note “where similar petitions were previously placed on public notice, an opposition was filed by only one coommenter:. Our coalition of organizations that had worked together to file comments in the past (aided enormously by pro bono lawyers at Bingham McCutchen) does its best to represent the more than 30 million people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

The FCC’s public notice also blames our coalition for deciding not to put any more petitions for captioning exemption on public notice. They cite a letter sent to them in after we learned that more than 450 exemption requests had been sent to the FCC. In this letter, we said that it was a hardship to our organzations to file oppositions to petitions that were “clearly deficient” — the ones that didn’t have all the information required by the FCC’s own regulations. We said we’d only file oppositions to petitions that raised new issues. We felt that after filing dozens of oppositions we had established a clear precedent with the FCC that we expected them to put each petition to the test contained in their own regulations.

The November 7 public notice says, “As a result, the Commission stopped placing these petitions on public notice.” the November 7 public notice says. How crazed is that? How can we know if the exemption requests are clearly deficient or not unless they’re placed on public notice? And why assume that we are the only people in the entire nation who might have something to say about the petitions for exemption?

So this is our reward for speaking up, 600 petitions to respond to in 20 days.

©2006 by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons (NVRC), 3951 Pender Drive, Suite 130, Fairfax, VA 22030; www.nvrc.org Items in this newsletter are provided for information purposes only; NVRC does not endorse products or services. You do not need permission to share this information, but please be sure to credit NVRC. This news service is free of charge, but donations are greatly appreciated. To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your email address, or report a problem receiving the news, send an email to cheppner@nvrc.org

Posted by at 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Whoa! Press release from Gallaudet:

TO: Campus Community FROM: Board of Trustees RE: Board of Trustees Meeting

Today, we announce with much regret and pain that after serious deliberation in a special, all-day Executive Session of the Board of Trustees, we have voted to terminate Dr. Fernandes’ appointment as President-Designate (currently effective) and President (effective beginning January 1, 2007) at Gallaudet University.

We understand the impact of this decision and the important issues that inherently arise when a Board re-examines decisions in the face of an on-going protest. The Board believes that it is in the best interests of the University to terminate Dr. Fernandes from the incoming President’s position. Although undoubtedly there will be some members of the community who have differing views on the meaning of this decision, we believe that it is a necessity at this point. The Board is continuing to meet to discuss transitional issues.

It has certainly been a difficult and trying time for our Gallaudet community. Now is the time for healing. The hope of the Board of Trustees is for our beloved community to come together to work for a stronger and better Gallaudet.

On Reprisals

The Board of Trustees respects the right of people to express their views in a peaceful manner. However, individuals who violated the law and Gallaudet University’s Code of Conduct will be held accountable. We expect the University to honor its long tradition of respect for each other and property and to return to normal.

Posted by at 6:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Washington Post attempts to educate readers with an article explaining the protests over the selection of Jane K. Fernandez for Gallaudet presidency. This started last spring, but apparently last week — the faculty voted they have no confidence in her leadership.

It’s a insightful must-read article as it looks at the big picture of the situation, reporting on it, and its affect on students.

Posted by at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Got an update to the court case I mentioned in this 2004 entry (two years!). The US court states that UPS may not exclude deaf people from applying for driving lighter delivery trucks. No information explains the situation with other types of trucks, however.

Posted by at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Dallas Morning News writes a story about a teen who is deaf and doing very well with a cochlear implant. He has a bright future ahead of him.

The article also looks at the contoversy with cochlear implants. Here are insightful statistics on deafness and cochlear implants that appear at the end of the story:

According to the Food and Drug Administration’s 2005 data, nearly 100,000 people worldwide have received cochlear implants.

In the United States, roughly 22,000 adults and nearly 15,000 children have received them.

Cochlear implants were first approved by the FDA in the United States in 1985 for adults and in 1990 for children.

Since 1990, the North Texas Cochlear Implant Program has given about 350 children cochlear implants.

About 1 in every 1,000 infants is born deaf. Another 1 in every 1,000 infants has a hearing impairment significant enough to make speaking difficult.

More than half of all deafness or hearing impairment is believed to have genetic cause(s). Recessive hearing impairment accounts for the largest portion of deafness or hearing impairment.

About 90 percent of infants who are born deaf are born to hearing parents.

Interestingly enough, I went to House Ear Institute in 1984 to learn about cochlear implants. At the time, they were not FDA-approved (stats say 1985) and only had a few channels.

Posted by at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

About time someone did something! Closed Captioning Hits Google Video says that Google is captioning select videos. You can see a list of videos with captions here. Mostly stuff from NOVA and documentaries, but you can find a few fun videos like Mariah vs. Whitney. Unfortunately, the captions are a little faster than the singer.

Posted by at 7:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

MyHearingHealth is a blog for anyone with a hearing loss and their loved ones - it’s a place to learn, share and grow. The site’s vision is to create a vibrant community and it accepts blog posts and feature articles from our readers in addition to the content written by Clarity and The EAR Foundation.

If you don’t have a blog, here’s a place you can share an experience or a story. You’re also welcome to contact me and I’d be glad to post the story with your name or anonymously. What I like about the site is that it’s open to submissions from anyone. I can only share so many experiences here, but when you include the community — you gain real insight into life with hearing loss.

Posted by at 2:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Hearing-Impaired Fans Sue for Access to Closed-Captioning. Go fans! Get ‘em! Can you tell I’m a Dallas Cowboy fan? It was fun living in Washington, DC for six years and watching the Cowboys win the Superbowl twice!

When I finished my assignment with one of the agencies, they gave me a Redskin shirt for a going-away gift. I wore it… for workout when I could sweat all over the shirt and make it yucky. :)

Posted by at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Time to start writing! From DeafNetwork:

The News Just Got Worse!

By Cheryl Heppner

In addition to the two exemptions announced today, the Federal Communications Commission has sent out 250 more letters granting captioning exemptions! They are apparently poised to send out another huge batch of letters that will amount to a total of about 550 exemptions.

Nothing about these other exemptions has appeared in the FCC’s Daily Digest to notify the public. The FCC is just making them available in the Public Reference Room. You wouldn’t even know to look for them there.

Continue reading "Captioning News: Not Good News" »

Posted by at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PBS cartoon Maya & Miguel celebrates Deaf Awareness Week (September 24–30, 2006) by featuring a character who is deaf and uses sign language to communicate. The episode, “Give Me a Little Sign,” premieres on September 25 and runs daily until Friday, September 29. This episode will have open captions, a first for PBS KIDS GO!sm programming.

Captioned Media Program (CMP) provides two flyers.

Two-page flyer with an in-depth explanation of the episode: http://www.captionedmedia.org/flyers/nadf131.pdf [pdf]

One-page flyer with several brief points about the episode: http://www.captionedmedia.org/flyers/nadf132.pdf [pdf]

Posted by at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Researchers have found another gene that increases a person’s risk for hearing loss. The gene known as KCNQ4 may be the cause of “age-related” hearing loss rather than long-time noise exposure.

Here are previously mentioned genes also linked to hearing loss.

Posted by at 7:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Shoshannah Stern, a deaf actress, is a cast member of Jericho, a new CBS TV show about the after-effects of a nuclear mushroom cloud appearing in the distance from Jericho, a small town in Kansas. Stern is a fourth generation member of a deaf family. Her brother and sister are also deaf.

She attended California School for the Deaf and Gaulladet University. Stern has guest-starred on Providence, Boston Public, and ER. She has a recurring role in Weeds, a Showtime show. She’s the only deaf actor to have a major role in two prime time TV shows in the same season.

Posted by at 8:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

• U.S. Army in Iraq and the International Kids Fund donate funds to help an Iraqi girl get a cochlear transplant.

• Discrimination in golf. Makes me grateful I never had a problem with sports or lessons and I’ve played or tried most of them (basketball, soccer, volleyball, softball, tennis, golf, and racquetball).

• Two car racers, best buds.

Posted by at 8:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Take a bow-wow-wow tells the story of a dog who helped a boy. Jordon Marchant-Winsor lost his father when he was 18-months-old and he stopped speaking.

Posted by at 9:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I remember writing an article years ago, but can’t recall where or for whom. It was about interviewing people with disabilities from a job perspective. This article from Poynter on interviewing people with disabilities from a reporter’s perspective triggered the memory. This fine article shows how to do a story on someone who has a disability without sounding like a pity party.

The article quotes Joseph P. Shapiro, a reporter for NPR who said that “disability issues are rich territory for unusually rewarding stories. Why? Because disability issues are interesting and often complex. Because most coverage is cliched, leaving plenty of room for thoughtful stories that stand out. Because good reporting can change the way people think.” This quote comes from Reporting on Disability: Approaches and Issues, a style guide. Where is it? I couldn’t find it.

I love that last line. That’s what I try to do with this blog. Here are resources for interviewing people with disabilities from different perspectives:

• Job Interviews from Federal Employment of People with Disabilities

• Diversity World

• U.S. Department of Labor

• QuintCareers

• National Organization on Disability

• Monster: Workers with Disabilities

• Disability & HR: Tips for Human Resource Professionals from Cornell

• Interviewing Applicants with Disabilities for Doctoral and Postdoctoral Internship Positions

Posted by at 8:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Purdue’s Envision Center for Data Perceptualizatoin reports its computer graphics students have created a virtual world using high-tech cameras and “cybergloves” that can translate body and hand motions into digital images to help teach math to deaf students. This technology lets a user interact with virtual characters. [Link: Kotaku]

Posted by at 8:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A press release indicates that “The Board of Trustees of Gallaudet University is meeting this Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29, 2006 for a two-day session which will include at least one closed-door meeting.”

As Wonderland’s Alice said, “Curiouser and curiouser.”

Posted by at 8:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Carolina Panthers quarterback Stefan LeFors, a CODA (child of deaf adults), and brother, who is deaf, Eric LeFors are planning a football camp for the deaf at Camp Lakodia in South Dakota.

Posted by at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike McConnell has been keeping up with Greg Gunderson, a race car driver who happens to be deaf. Gunderson is up for an upcoming TV reality show called “Racin’ for a Living.” If Gunderson gets enough votes, he’ll become the first deaf driver to compuete in the show. Voting ends on July 31.

I even overlooked a driver from Texas just to vote for Gunderson. It looks like you can vote more than once as the thank you for voting page says, “To Vote again, return to the home page HERE. If you hit the back button, your next vote might not count.”

P.S. If you’re reading this through a feed — the feed stopped updating on June 30. I’ve fixed the problem. I’m also working to remove the Yahoo Ads. Apologies.

Posted by at 7:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

About time something like the Samsung’s Braille mobile phone hit the market. Kudos to Samsung. By the way, Wired lists Samsung as the #3 company in its Wired 40 list.

Also came across Assistive Media site that contains over 800 audio recordings. I’ve added this resource to the Audio Training Resources list.

This is the third time I’ve updated this entry as I keep coming across related information today. HumanWare announces a PDA for people who are blind and visually-impaired.

Posted by at 7:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

From DeafNetwork:

What is HARP? HARP stands for the Hearing Aid Recycling Program. It is a program based in Dallas that collects used hearing aids and distributes them to deaf and hard-of-hearing people that cannot afford to buy hearing aids.

How are the hearing aids distributed? The hearing aids go to the Callier Center at the University of Texas at Dallas. The Callier Center then distributes the hearing aids to people who demonstrate a significant financial need.

Are the donations tax deductible? Yes. All hearing aid donations to HARP are tax deductible under the Callier Center’s 501(c)(3) status.

How can I donate my used hearing aids? The best way to donate is through the mail. Donations through the mail can come from anywhere in the United States. After contacting HARP, you will receive an envelope in the mail with a case to put the hearing aids in along with a pre-stamped, pre-addressed envelope. Simply put the hearing aids in the case, put the case in the envelope, and drop the envelope in the mail.

Who should I contact to donate my hearing aids? E-mail Laurie at harp @ utdallas.edu or call her at 214-905-3055 to donate!

Posted by at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From TDI by way of Deaf Network:

ATTENTION: IF YOU ARE DEAF OR HAVE HEARING LOSS AND HAVE PURCHASED, RENTED, OR OTHERWISE OBTAINED A DVD OR OTHER HOME VIDEO PRODUCT, OR IF YOU HAVE OBTAINED SUCH A PRODUCT FOR USE WITH CAPTIONING OR CLOSED CAPTIONING, PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY, YOUR RIGHTS MAY BE AFFECTED BY THIS PROPOSED CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT. THIS NOTICE IS PROVIDED BY COURT ORDER.

Continue reading "DVD CC Labeling Class Settlement Notice" »

Posted by at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

New Hearing Aid Is ‘Hybrid’ makes no sense. I don’t see how this is different from a regular cochlear implant. One thing, though — I don’t think there is a big difference in how things sound through a hearing aid and a cochlear implant.

Posted by at 7:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Black and deaf, golfer chases his dream is a nice story. I remember reading that Tiger Woods had many challenges in becoming a pro golfer simply because he was black. This guy is not only black, but also deaf. I hope he doesn’t encounter barriers, but who knows? We’re rooting for him.

Posted by at 9:36 AM | Permalink

I read two articles on the deaf spelling bee and I’m not sure how it works. I know that words are signed without using fingerspelling while the kids spell through fingerspelling. However, spelling bees use many obscure words that don’t necessary have a unique sign for them. Anyone?

Posted by at 7:46 AM | Permalink

I was pleased to read about my favorite hockey team, Dallas Stars, donated to Dallas Hearing Foundation and other charities. The team has a foundation known as the Dallas Star Foundation that awards grants to local children’s charities in support of a variety of needs. “The grants focus on a myriad of worthy causes such as heath services for disadvantaged youth, educational and social issues, family suppers, and crisis intervention,” said Dallas Stars Manager of Community Relations Claire Kinzy. The team awards grants twice a year.

The Dallas Hearing Foundation received a $9,200 grant to help the organization continue providing hearing aids to children not eligible for cochlear implants. “The DHF clearly supports and is dedicated to enhancing the lives of the children which it serves through providing medical services. In addition to aiding children, the DHF has a well defined and established plan of action for use of the funds, including directly providing children with hearing aids and other tangible services,” Kinzy added.

Stars are not only champs on the ice, but also in spirit.

Posted by at 8:00 AM | Permalink

This is unbelievable. Deaf Ballplayer on Kauai Fights for Right to Play. I thought we came a long way from such events. For goodness sakes, it’s been over 20 years since I was 11 (And I started playing not long after Title IX in 1972, so you’d think I’d have more resistance then than today.) and there was no question as to whether or not I should play.

But there is one difference between the Kauai boy and me: he used an interpreter (his own dad!). No matter — it doesn’t affect the game to have an interpreter.

Posted by at 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Gallaudet Board Chief Steps Down (may need free registration. Here’s a source from the school) stating stress and “numerous aggressive threats.” The article also reports that Fernandes has no plans to step down like the original candidate selected prior to I. King Jordan’ selection. The students protested. The candidate stepped down. Jordan became president.

I’m all for the students speaking out against something they don’t like. However, I’m questioning the validity of this protest as it sounds like they’d protest anyone selected and find a reason to do it. One resource indicated they protested because they were no minority candidates. Well, last I checked, being a woman was considered a minority.

I read Fernandes’ bio and she has a most impressive background in deaf education. Let’s Move on is right on and I think it tells the real story that the rest of us are missing.

Update: Please read the comments. Finally got insight! Even I think Gallaudet’s board made a big mistake now.

Posted by at 7:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

While working for the federal government, I remember discovering that of all disabilities and differences (other than mental retardation), deaf employees had the lowest average salary. So I’m not surprised to read that Third of deaf people without work.

Like Helen Keller said, “Blindness cuts us off from things, but deafness cuts us off from people.” I believe it to be true even with my ability to talk and lipread. When I attended conference calls, I felt cut off from those on the other side of the line and had to rely on those in the room with me.

Posted by at 8:23 AM | Permalink

Read an article in The Dallas Morning News that the latest reason the students don’t like the president-elect is because she’s not “deaf enough.” She knows the perfect deaf person is one who is born of deaf parents, marries a deaf person, and has deaf children. Wow, lots of pressure on genetics.

The president-elect is married to a Gallaudet professor who is hearing and has hearing children. Obviously, her husband knows sign language, and she can’t help it if her kids aren’t deaf.

The first reports indicated the students didn’t like her demeanor. That has more merit, I think. What are the chances you’re going to find someone qualified for the president position that comes close to the “perfect deaf person?” The president-elect is a current employee with the university, so students are familiar with her.

So far, the administration doesn’t look like it’s going to back down and neither are the students. We watch and we wait.

Posted by at 7:12 AM | Permalink

I read about the $44 wheel chair in Reader’s Digest some time ago. The fact the guy made an effort to invent something much needed and make it affordable amazes me. Wish we could do something like that for hearing aids. Maybe it’s possible, but I’m no engineer.

With the popularity of American Inventor, perhaps the company will have a second edition and we’ll see more inventions along these line. There was a guy who had a flosser for those who can’t use the regular flosser. He didn’t make it to the final 12, but I’m betting companies are noticing those who don’t make the finals and calling them up. I hope so.

Speaking of the show, the final four inventions are:

• baby car seat
• bike with site on the handles for a second rider
• football receiver tool
• Word Ace, an educational (shh…) game

I think the bike should’ve never made it this far. I hated that the toilet seat filter people had to go up against the baby car seat. The baby car seat looks amazing and I hope they pull it off. I’m interested in Word Ace as I love games, but for $50?

Seeing people lose their jobs or going bankrupt during the show was terrible. I hope that those who didn’t make it to the final four got noticed and perhaps, saw some benefit come from the show. Haven’t spent much time trying to find out what happened to them, especially Jodie (Headliner).

Posted by at 2:41 PM | Permalink

Students are not happy with the new president selected to replace I. King Jordon who is retiring. The committee selected a deaf person and female, but students protest because they believe Provost Jane K. Fernandes didn’t pay attention to their wants and needs.

They also say the selection process was racist because none of the top three candidates was black. No winning with this group. This time the committee picked a deaf person AND female. Before Jordan became president, the students protested the president selection because the first choice wasn’t deaf.

It’s great they’re speaking up and being heard, but this racist thing is a little too much. Who knows how many applied. Maybe none of the black candidates was deaf. I don’t know enough to comment.

More on the story from The Washington Post, but it requires free registration.

Posted by at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Three of Cathy’s deaf dogs still need homes…and maybe a 4th. They are in Georgia. Transportation can be arranged. We only have till next weekend to save them. Even if you’re not in the market for a dog, you might know someone who is. The three deaf ones that need help are:

Felix, 3-yr-old Aussie/JRT mix, FEMALE (applications FAILED 2 TIMES) http://www.deafdogs.org/adoption/profile.php?dogname=felix&id=20

Mitzi, 4-yr-old ACD http://www.petfinder.com/pet.cgi?action=2&pet=4054187&adTarget

Hennessey, 4-yr-old mastiff/pit mix http://www.deafdogs.org/adoption/profile.php?dogname=hennessy&id=102

And there looks like there is a problem with Spaz’s adoption. Spaz, 3-year-old pit mix http://www.deafdogs.org/adoption/profile.php?dogname=spaz&id=23

Any and all ideas, offers or thoughts are welcome.

H E L P. Please.

Otherwise, next week (4/24), they go to a shelter. And will almost certainly be PTS. If interested, please contact Cathy at catsaye@tmail.com or Catrock5@yahoo.com

Posted by at 5:38 PM | Permalink

Univity of Texas at Dallas Professor awarded a $1.3 million contract to build an interface that allows PDAs to send sounds to those who wear cochlear implants. It could potentially replace speech processors with PDAs creating more affordable and accessible technology.

Posted by at 8:17 AM | Permalink

rediff.com: Say hello to Tom, Dick and Harry is a film with three characters: one deaf, one blind, and one mute. They live together and fall for the same girl. They also work in the restaurant / bar together with the girl who owns it. This Indian movie should be a fun one. I hope it comes t o the U.S. At least on video.

Posted by at 8:39 AM | Permalink

Freak accident… awful. Falling Tree Kills Deaf Italian Tourist. That’s one advantage of having an implant — even if you can’t hear what’s said, you can’t miss screaming. Anything louder than usual catches my attention.

Posted by at 8:16 PM | Permalink

Social Security Administration’s Disability Service Improvement has announced that the final rule establishing a new disability determination process is on public display at the Office of the Federal Register. This is for those who receive or need to receive supplemental security income (SSI).

Mary Chatel (Mary.Chatel at ssa.gov), Executive Director of Disability Service Improvement, is available to discuss this.

Posted by at 8:25 AM | Permalink

Tara Rose McAvoy didn’t have to die. She wasn’t even ON the railroad tracks, but near them. Obviously she and many others didn’t know that walking a a couple of feet away from the track could be dangerous. Gerri Hall, president of Operation Lifesaver said, “Many people do not realize there is at least a 3-foot overhang of a train on both sides of the tracks.”

Because McAvoy couldn’t hear the train’s horn, she didn’t know a train was coming and that she was in harm’s way. Operation Lifesaver sent out a press release stating they’re working to educate deaf and hard-of-hearing people about walking near the tracks.

The organization has 3,000 certified presenters in the U.S. and Canada who give free safety presentations to community groups and organizations. Let’s hope McAvoy’s death means saving many lives as people learn about the dangers of walking alongside the train tracks.

Posted by at 8:55 AM | Permalink

Wired article on preventing hearing loss talks about music, headphones, and speakers and how they affect hearing. The second page of the article provides tips for preventing hearing loss. A lawnmower is 85 - 90 dB. Here’s a list of sounds and how loud they are.

Dangerous Decibles is working to help prevent noise-induced hearing loss. It has an interactive Virtual Exhibit that’s worth checking.

Posted by at 8:42 AM | Permalink

Olympian Vonetta Flowers Deaf Son Hears Cheers after receiving a rare auditory brain-stem transplant in Italy, a surgery that’s not approved in the United States. Flowers gave birth to twins who arrived prematurely. The daughter has normal hearing while the son has bilateral atresia (underdeveloped outer ears).

A cochlear implant doesn’t help people with a damaged cochlea or auditory nerve. So the option of simulating the brainstem with the auditory brain-stem transplant works for some people who fall in this group and Jorden was one of them.

Posted by at 8:47 AM | Permalink

A Danville, Kentucky, resident wrote a letter to the editor in support of a deaf candidate for mayor. Couldn’t find more info on the Web other than short excerpts essentially saying the same thing.

Posted by at 8:25 AM | Permalink

Thanks to Codeman38 for pointing out these articles from MSNBC regarding the lack of captions or transcripts on online videos. It’s a fast-growing frustration especially with video in iPods, PDAs, and another portable players. I can’t download TV shows and enjoy them like most of the public.

The Red Tape Chronicles

Subtitles: Deaf to the Problem

iPod screens too small for captions? Please. I’ve used a PDA since 1995 and have had no problem reading the smaller text that appeared in many apps when I reviewed PDA software.

Continue reading "Media Notices Captions Lacking Online" »

Posted by at 3:45 PM | Permalink

Bad news: Miss Deaf Texas Struck and Killed By Train in Austin. Apparently she was walking alongside of the tracks where she was close enough to get hit. Hearts and prayers go out to her family.

More articles on Miss Deaf Texas and one from CNN.

Updated on March 15, 2006

“DPHH Austin wants to make announcement that DeafCities.com just launched Tara Mcavoy Memorial Website where you can find information, news, photos, guestbook and other such. You can see it live at:

http://www.taramcavoy.com

“Tara Mcavoy Memorial Trust Fund information is available on the web site.

“Any photos you want to add, please send to deafcities@deafcities.com and they will add it for you. If you have poems or anything, please go to the guestbook and write them. Within 60-90 days, we will hand over the website to Tara’s family for their memorial.

“As you know, our special event on April 8, 2006, we were suppose to have a surprise guestspeaker, this was for Tara Mcavoy that we are to donate money to support for Miss Deaf America, but with this tragic death, we feel deep hurt and sad, please give prayers for Tara and we will never forget her. We will contiune to donate the money to Miss Deaf Texas to compete for Miss Deaf America and to Tara Mcavoy Memorial Trust Fund.

“Please give them your support, they will be fully appericated.”

Thank you.
Regards,
DPHH Austin

Updated on March 14, 2006

From Deafnetwork: IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE!

“We are saddened to announce the death of our Miss Deaf Texas 2005-2007, Tara Rose McAvoy. She was killed on Monday, March 13th in Austin, Texas. Her friends and family will sorely miss Tara. Tara will always leave behind a legacy that will always be remembered. She represented Texas with dignity and pride and that will never be forgotten. Tara will always hold a special place in our hearts. Tara will be honored at the Miss Deaf America Pageant this summer in Palm Desert, California during the final night of the pageant. We want to express our deepest sympathy to Tara痴 family during this time of loss.

Continue reading "Miss Deaf Texas Killed by Train" »

Posted by at 7:43 AM | Permalink

Doctors training in sign language isn’t an ordinary sign language course, but one that focuses on medical terms. This could be something we’ll see more of in the future… sign language tailored to specific professions — at least the critical ones like medicine. The article explains that more than one-third of hard of hearing patients didn’t understand their conditions because of communication barriers.

I never leave the doctor’s office without being clear on what came of the visit. When it was more important, I usually bring Paul or Mom with me. Sounds childish, but health is important and we don’t want to misunderstand when it comes to that.

Posted by at 8:52 PM | Permalink

I admire the Deaf Skydivers folks simply because I’m afraid to do such a thing! Paul would like to try it, but I’ll stay firmly grounded, thankyouverymuch. Guess you wouldn’t call me a daredevil. Scariest thing I did was rappel down a mountain and it was not that steep.

I love indoor rock climbing, though. That I do. No bungee, parachuting, or anything along those lines for me. That’s why I’d never try out for Amazing Race. I’d freak out on too many of the events. Besides, those long car trips would not work out well.

Posted by at 1:41 PM | Permalink

From Deafnetwork:

“On March 2, the Captioned Media Program (CMP) is launching a nationwide Read Captions Across America (RCAA) event as a part of the National Education Association’s (NEA) ‘Read Across America.’ RCAA is the first national reading event that puts emphasis on the importance of captioned media as a reading tool for children with or without a hearing loss. Federal law mandates the captioning of television programming, but no law requires the captioning of educational media (DVD, video, CD-ROM, etc.). The goal of the CMP is to encourage teachers and librarians to think about the benefits of captioning for everyone!

“By participating in or passing the word on about Read Captions Across America, you are helping to break new ground in improving literacy and generating interest in reading in your state or region. Furthermore, you are doing so with the support of both the CMP and the NEA. With your participation, the CMP hopes that Read Captions Across America will make the NEA’s ‘Read Across America’ event an even greater success than ever before! To learn more about this event and the CMP, click on the following links:”

Visit our Read Captions Across America edition of the CMP Client E-Zine

More Read Captions Across America (RCAA) Links:

RCAA press release

“Read Across America” (NEA)

Captioned Media Program (CMP):

Article: “Read Captions Across America!” [pdf file]

Article: “Reading Captions Wakes Up the Brain Cells!” [pdf file]

Posted by at 7:39 AM | Permalink

Four family members from one family received cochlear implants during the same week in 2004. Can’t believe they did that because some people don’t recover well from the surgery (me).

The parents had their surgeries one week apart, but it took me over a week to recover from the side effects. Nonetheless, it’s an interesting story and interview. Not the first time a family has undergone cochlear implants together. I know there was a husband and wife that also went through it.

Posted by at 7:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Deaf bloggers have “been using the Internet to keep track of developments in the case and dispel stereotypes about deaf people.” The case involves the murder of Darlene VanderGiesen, a deaf woman in Sioux Falls, where the suspect is another deaf person. Whoa. According to the article and the bloggers who are quoted, people believe that deaf people don’t have the capability to kill someone.

Well, obviously murdering is wrong… no matter who you are. I’d like for all of us not to have the ability to murder, but deaf people can certainly do it just like anyone else of any race, age, or gender. What a topic to debate.

Bloggers mentioned: Kokonut Pundits, Jamie Berke of About.com, and Ricky Taylor.

Posted by at 8:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

What do you do when you get sick of the politics in the hotel business?Open your own restaurant. What makes this one different is that it proactively hires people who are deaf to work there. One of its owners is deaf.

Posted by at 8:29 AM | Permalink

New Cochlear Implant using ribbon technology from University of Michigan might help improve hearing for profound deaf people and make the surgery less invasive.

Here’s another article on the University of Michigan research.

Posted by at 7:25 AM | Permalink

A student from UC Berkeley who is blind is suing Target because its Web site isn’t usable for those who can’t see. The student says the site is missing the alt attribute and uses image maps to go to other parts of the site that people with sight impairments can’t use.

This could be the lawsuit that I had in my 2005 predictions… that there would be a major lawsuit related to lack of accessibility. I was one year too late, but I’m not happy about that. You’d think by now companies would get the message about building accessible sites. Even the Torino Olympics site remembered the alt attribute this time and used “” anytime it wasn’t needed.

The good thing about this lawsuit is that Target is a big company and it may be a way to send a message to other companies.

Posted by at 3:55 PM | Permalink

In the UK, Real-time texting for deaf people says that there is software that allows deaf people to have real-time text conversations using a mobile phone, but the organization that created the service has not fulfilled a legal obligation to make the services accessible.

Posted by at 8:29 AM | Permalink

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communications Disorders (NIDCD) has published statistics that provide insight into who has a hearing disorder. Here is what the organization has reported:

• Hearing loss is greater in men.
• Almost 12 percent of men who are 65 to 74 years of age are affected by tinnitus. Tinnitus is identified more frequently in white individuals and the prevalence of tinnitus is almost twice as frequent in the South as in the Northeast.
• Approximately 28 million Americans have a hearing impairment.
• Hearing loss affects approximately 17 in 1,000 children under age 18. Incidence increases with age: Approximately 314 in 1,000 people over age 65 have hearing loss and 40 to 50 percent of people 75 and older have a hearing loss.
• About 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in the U.S. are born deaf or hard-of-hearing. Nine out of every 10 children who are born deaf are born to parents who can hear.
• Ten million Americans have suffered irreversible noise induced hearing loss, and 30 million more are exposed to dangerous noise levels each day.
• Only 1 out of 5 people who could benefit from a hearing aid actually wears one.
• Approximately 59,000 people worldwide have received cochlear implants. About 250,000 people would be good candidates for a cochlear implant. In the U.S., about 13,000 adults and nearly 10,000 children have cochlear implants.

Posted by at 9:27 AM | Permalink

Nice to read a happy story from the Telegraph. Deaf dog learns new tricks to find a home. The dog learned sign language in hopes that someone will adopt him. He sounds like a sweet dog.

Posted by at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Why screaming doesn’t make you deaf is an interesting story that explains how your auditory system behaves when you cheer for your favorite team. Be warned that this doesn’t apply when the person sitting next to you screams when you stop. The concept might also explain why we can’t tickle ourselves.

Posted by at 8:22 AM | Permalink

I’m at a loss for words… Deaf youth sterilized five months after marriage. It’s not clear from the article what happened. Something about a health worker who has since been suspended.

Deaf and mute isn’t necessarily a hereditary condition. Of course, there isn’t enough info in the article to draw conclusions. The only thing that seems clear is that this man was sterilized against his will.

Posted by at 9:38 AM | Permalink

My friend Kim says, “Do not let her breed be a deterrent to helping her. She’s a pit bull but those poor dogs have been given a horrible rep thanks to what these gangs do to them. This dog looks like she may have just been more than her dorky owners were willing to give her. She looks bright and sweet.”

Meet Hope

“I am a 6-month-old Pit Bull mix about 30 lbs and all white (very pretty). I love people and other animals and love to play. I am deaf so I need a little more attention but I can learn very quickly. Please call my friend that is fostering me at 214-828-0800. I promise you will fall in love with me. Love, Hope”

Posted by at 5:30 PM | Permalink

Rocker Townshend cautions iPod users on hearing loss to turn down their MP3 players otherwise to avoid damaging their hearing. According to the article, Townhend’s hearing loss is from wearing earphones in the recording studio not from The Who’s loud concerts.

There’s a comment from someone who probably didn’t read the article closely as the comment focuses on loud concerts instead of earphones.

My daughter got an iPod and I’ve told her about the reported dangers of playing it too loud. I hope she listened this time…

Posted by at 11:33 AM | Permalink

What a nice story to close the year especially since I’ve been reading a lot about abandoned pets lately. Inside Bay Area reports on the top ten chubby, deaf, and blind pets who found homes in 2005. Big thanks to those owners who took them in. I’d say this is a good way to end another year. Here’s to a happy and healthy new year to the dogs, their new families, and everyone.

Posted by at 10:41 PM | Permalink

Theaters improve for disabled people reports that New York approved agreements for 140 theaters to provide listening devices that work with hearing aids while 38 theaters will provide captioning.

The article has an excellent photo of the rear window set up, although I never could get mine to sit up that straight. The arm of the window is bendable and in some positions, it just flops and can’t hold.

Posted by at 7:20 AM | Permalink

Wireless FM devices a dream for the deaf as they have handheld device-sized receivers that enable them to hear the music and lyrics. The article explains why it works better.

What makes the Mikroport System 2015 unique is a special priority circuit that lowers the sensitivity of the hearing aid microphones when the audio signal is received, helping to optimize speech accuracy and sound clarity.

Posted by at 8:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

From Deaf Network of Texas:

Other dogs

I’ve been working with Cathy who owns Deaf Paws Haven. She is looking for homes for a few deaf dogs that she rescued from shelters because some were going to be put to sleep just because they were deaf and she saved their lives to give them a chance to live a full live in a good home. You would not believe that “deaf” is a death sentence for the deaf dogs. Owners would dump them after finding out they are deaf.

If you are interested in adopting a dog, we will work on getting the dog to you. Please contact Cathy at deafpaws@yahoo.com, if you’re interested. Yes, she is deaf herself.

Another link: DeafDogs.org

Continue reading "Deaf Dogs Needing Homes" »

Posted by at 6:23 AM | Permalink

As a result of a lawsuit, SFO (San Francisco International Airport) to install video monitors for deaf, hearing impaired. It doesn’t say how the videos will work, but I assume that text will appear. 80 videos is a lot and is expensive especially for larger airports like DFW and Chicago’s O’Hare as they would need more than 80 to ensure coverage in all areas where passengers go.

When I travel, I check with the employee at the ticket desk for updates. I’ve never had a problem in all the times I’ve traveled alone.

I think the most challenging situation would be if I were transfering to another flight. But I usually check with the flight attendant. I think once I had trouble finding the baggage claim as the signs were lousy or the baggage area didn’t indicate which flight’s baggage was coming on which carousel.

International travel… now that’s another story.

Posted by at 1:07 PM | Permalink

Oh, thank goodness I live in the U.S. It’s probably the best place to be deaf. Countries like Japan have a ban on deaf drivers. Though I’d rather not be chauffeur, I can’t imagine what my family would do if I couldn’t drive. My whole life would turn completely upside down if I couldn’t get a driver’s license.

I’m glad I had the opportunity to be like any other 16-year-old — eager to get my driver’s license. The first day I could take the test was Martin Luther King Day, so the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles was closed. I went on Tuesday and there was no more room for testing because of the holiday weekend. Went on Wednesday and scored!

If I lived in D.C. or New York, this driver’s license thing wouldn’t be as big of of a problem as it would be in Dallas. While we do have trains in Dallas, I have to drive to get to a station.

Posted by at 7:51 AM | Permalink

I was surprised when I came across this article: Implant may help deaf hear music as I thought the implant helps with everything. So it was an interesting read. I guess it’s hard for me to say how well an implant works with music because I’ve never had hearing to begin with. But when I learn a song by heart, I can follow along with the music. I’ve lost my place while listening to the song and found it.

Today is speech therapy day, so we’ll see what I learn. Been practicing “asked” and saying “s” like a “z” where appropriate. I hope it makes a difference.

Posted by at 6:51 AM | Permalink

Foxy Brown Reveals She Is Going Deaf. She has a rare condition that affects 1 in 10,000, but the article doesn’t say what. She may not have been in this position had she sought help as soon as she knew something was wrong. Whenever something changes… listen to your body and get the help you need. Stubborness only gets you in trouble.

Posted by at 8:58 AM | Permalink

From DeafNetwork: Compu-TTY, Inc. has announced the availability of a new Braille TTY, the VTouch Braille TTY. The lightweight and portable TTY is only three pounds. The VTouch does not have batteries in the Braille display like older models. Plus, it comes with one adapter and one cable between the TTY and the Brailled display. Older models had two AC adapters, making it easy for some to confuse them.

The TTY has a Braille display on the terminal itself, and can connect directly using a telephone line or acoustic couplers for standard telephone handsets. It also has a built-in answering machine with password-enabled remote message retrieval.

Also, the TTY has a tactile ring pager, so that if someone is away from the TTY, she or he can still know when a call is coming in by feeling the pager’s vibrations. The device retails for a hefty $5,995.

Posted by at 8:34 AM | Permalink

The Washington Post interviewed a Gallaudet student who was affected by Katrina as well as two employees who discuss emergency preparedness and awareness. Lisa Fabstein, a spokeswoman for Washington, D.C.’s Metro, said it best: “But right now if people need to evacuate, realistically, deaf passengers would just follow others out.” That’s what I do when in alone such situations (getting off an airplane and doing a fire drill, for example).

Posted by at 8:40 AM | Permalink

From Deaf Network of Texas: Victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita who have a speech disability need to know that they can use a free telephone service 24 hours a day. This service, called “Speech to Speech” (STS), provides communication assistants (CAs) for people who have difficulty being understood on the telephone. STS is a form of relay service.

STS is provided through the TTY relay in each state. Unlike TTY, STS enables people with speech disabilities to communicate by voice through a CA as many people with speech disabilities have difficulty typing.

People with speech disabilities can dial toll free to reach a patient, specially trained CA who is familiar with many speech patterns and has excellent language recognition skills. This STS CA places telephone calls for them and repeats their words exactly in a 3-way calling environment. Every month users make about 12,000 calls nationally. STS is the only way for many people to communicate by telephone with people who are not accustomed to their speech.

Many STS users have Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, ALS, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy or stroke. Other users stutter or have had a laryngectomy or other conditions affecting clarity of speech.

STS also helps people who use speech synthesizers (also called Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices. AAC users may ask the STS CA to set up the call, negotiate the menu, introduce the call explaining AAC and then go into the background. This enables AAC users to communicate independently once the other party is on the line.

Bob Segalman, Ph.D. has cerebral palsy and developed the concept of STS. Now it makes telephone use much easier for him. To try out STS, report problems or get more information: Call 800-854-7784 and ask for Dr. Bob Segalman (direct 916-362-0982). You may also visit the STS website: http://www.stsnews.com/ or contact Katherine Keller at info@stsnews.com to place you on the STS List Serve.

For a list of U. S. Speech-to-Speech access numbers go to: http://www.stsnews.com/RelayNews/STSDialUpTelnumbers.html

You can also access STS by dialing 711 and asking for Speech to Speech. If the communications assistant can not place a call for you, please let Bob (drsts@comcast.net) know stating your name, date and time of call, location, and telephone number.

Posted by at 6:22 PM | Permalink

What in the world does the show, Monster Garage have to do with this blog’s topic?KVUE of Austin reports that students from the Texas School for the Deaf appear in an upcoming episode of the show on Discovery Channel. The episode was shot on the school’s campus as it has its own auto-body garage.

They’ve been challenged to build a rat-rod, which is a hot rod built from junk-yard parts, in five days from scratch. Very cool.

Posted by at 8:34 AM | Permalink

C21Media reports Soundproof, a TV special will air in 2006. In the movie, the main character is deaf and a suspect in a murder. The police bring in a sign language interpreter to help questioning the suspect and the suspect falls in love with her. Apparently, there is a series with the same name — these are not related.

Posted by at 8:21 AM | Permalink

NYTimes reports on Bluetooth, a hearing aid add on that allows hearing aids to connect with the cell phone’s Bluetooth. It’s supposed to reduce feedback noise that often accompanies hearing devices when making phone calls. The device costs $300. It’s bad enough hearing devices cost over a thousand dollars and many people can’t afford that. The add on only works with behind the ear hearing aid models and according to the article, only 30% of hearing aids fall in that category.

You can check out the user’s manual [pdf file]

Posted by at 8:24 AM | Permalink

Shelter notice for Deaf Service Accessibility

Deaf Evacuees recommended to go to Austin for shelter in area. Exact Official Shelter Location is not yet decided, but assumed and hoped to be Delco Center Convention Center.

Austin area is now organizing Deaf Services to be in shelter for Deaf/Hard of Hearing evacuees.

Deaf/HOH Services are planned to be complete with Interpreters, Video Phones, TTYs and service representatives for deaf/hard of hearing residents.

For emergency contact or questions, Please Contact: Sandy Evans 281.782.8779-V/Text 936.448.2927-TTY Sandyevans@tmail.com Sandy Evans, BSM, BEI 281.782.8779 Sandyevans@tmail.com

Praying for minimal impacts from Hurricane Rita.

Houston Evacuation Map and Zones

Rita Path Info

Posted by at 8:17 PM | Permalink

This week is Deaf Awareness Week. First I’ve heard about it, but that’s right. I helped with Deaf Awareness Week in Washington, DC when I worked for the government and it was this time of the year. As part of the week, the winners of the New Zealand Deaf Film Competition have been announced.

Posted by at 8:54 AM | Permalink

Many stories have come to the forefront regarding people who are deaf and have been impacted by the hurricane. According to WHAM-TV, the Louisiana deaf community has 9,000 people and it was a frustrating and scary time for them. They couldn’t hear what was going on like the others could.

Imagine being deaf AND blind during this time. Two elderly brothers were oblivious to the storm and its dangers. Gallaudet and NTID (National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester) have admitted students.

In spite of all the sadness and horrors, there’s a heartwarming story that resembles the Pied Piper. A volunteer at the Astrodome wrote DEAF on a cardboard sign and soon people came to him.

A construction worker who is deaf went to the Superdome and ended up helping. He carried a man with no legs through the filth. Heartbreaking. This article has more information and also mentions the Deaf sign at the Astrodome. It’s plain scary when you can hear. When I was 14, the hotel I stayed at in Los Angeles got hit with carbon monoxide. Thank goodness, my parents were with me and could hear. If it weren’t for them, I may not be writing this. We stayed at the hospital for 24 hours to clear out the poisonous gas. I feel pains in my stomach when I think of that experience.

Update: Videoconferencing services have been set up at shelters.

Posted by at 9:55 AM | Permalink

From Cochlear of Americas:

“We at Cochlear are very saddened by the devastation Hurricane Katrina has left behind. As always, we are committed to supporting our users and keeping them ‘on the air,’ even those displaced by the event.

“In an effort to provide some assistance, Cochlear Americas is launching a battery relief program. Through this program, we will provide a three-month supply of batteries to Nucleus recipients displaced by the storm. The batteries can be claimed by calling a special phone number that has been established in Denver. Details for the program are as follows:

“The toll-free help line is 1-800-458-4999. Hours are 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (MST), Monday – Friday.

“Recipients will be asked to provide their name, device serial number, and an address we can ship to. Cochlear will ship a 90-day supply of #675 Zinc air batteries at no cost to the requestor.

“In addition, Cochlear is working with the national Self Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH), to provide batteries. SHHH has organized a relief support group, Hear2Care, to help victims with hearing loss and deafness get technology and batteries.

“Cochlear is also working with our audiology clinics to coordinate services for those who may have been evacuated to a different city. For more information, please contact our Hurricane Hotline at 1-800-458-4999. 400 Inverness Parkway, Suite 400, Englewood Colorado 80112, USA.”

Posted by at 9:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Soccer player who happens to be deaf joins USC team. I love a story like this. At one time, I wanted to play college ball, but gave up those thoughts while in high school as I didn’t play volleyball all four years of high school, one of my biggest regrets. I can’t honestly remember what prompted me to stop pursuing volleyball.

Softball was my best sport, but unfortunately, my school district didn’t have softball leagues. My local softball association had so few teams as girls lost interest in the sport by high school. I liked soccer and basketball, but didn’t enjoy it in high school. And with that kind of attitude, how can I move up to the next level?

Besides, my studies were important to me. I know that in college ball, the teams travel and I feared it would disrupt my studies especially since it was hard enough keeping up with the lectures.

I’ve got it in the back of my mind that I want to pursue a masters degree from Texas Tech. The school has an online program and I enjoy online courses as my deafness doesn’t stand in the way. The problem, however, is time. Between three kids, volunteering, and freelancing — it doesn’t leave me enough time to give my studies the attention it needs.

Posted by at 8:42 PM | Permalink

Just reported on a center in Fort Worth that helps build skills. Another one popped up in Boca Raton News. Deaf Service Center helps those who are hearing-impared and deaf. However, the reporter wrote “suffering with hearing loss or impairment.” Ouch. Yeah, we have a fever and need to get plenty of bed rest.

But I won’t get into that since the reporter gets credit for giving press to the clinic. The clinic offers hearing tests, provides hearing aids, distributes assistive technology and provides counseling.

Posted by at 9:11 AM | Permalink

I was born and bred in Fort Worth, Texas. My parents still live there — it’s about an hour’s drive from where I live. Yet, I’ve never heard of this center. It has been around since before I was born. How does a center like this escape my family’s and other Fort Worth residents’ attention?

My parents took me to Easter Seals, TCU, Dallas’ Callier Center, and I’m sure a few other places that I don’t remember. I believe Bluebonnet Elementary offers deaf-related help. Anyone who lives in Fort Worth or has friends in the area — please spread the word. It sounds like an excellent place for people who are deaf and hard of hearing.

Posted by at 10:31 AM | Permalink

Did you know that the winner of Survivor: Palau has a daughter who is deaf and had cochlear implant surgery at age 2? His bio confirms it. I hardly keep up with the contestants’ backgrounds and accidentally found this information. According to New York Daily News, he is leaving (if not already) his fire fighter job with FDNY.

Posted by at 8:52 AM | Permalink

Yee haw! Would you believe there is a person who is deaf that’s a cowboy? 19-year-old Clint Thomas competes in steer wrestling, calf roping, and team roping. He started competing when he was 10 years old and won the Georgia junior all-around.

How does a person get into the sport of rodeo? His dad was into the rodeo circuit and he has been around horses for all of his life. He learned how to tie a loop with a rope at the age of two. Ride ‘em, Clint!

Posted by at 6:15 AM | Permalink

Otovation has created Pocket Hearo LE that turns a Pocket PC into an audiometer. Should make it easy for audiologists to conduct testing out in the field.

Posted by at 6:19 AM | Permalink

Always great o read a success story like this Deaf student who proved doctors wrong; she’s headed to Yale. She also won a scholarship from the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. I won the same scholarship twice. I have always wondered if I could have gotten accepted at harder to get in schools. I went to TCU for one year and then finished my college education at American University in Washington, DC. I also applied and got accepted at Drake University and Texas A&M, but decided Drake wasn’t right and A&M was too big.

Posted by at 9:31 AM | Permalink

This is a heartwarming story about a deaf dog who was seen as aggressive, but wasn’t. Two-year-old Lauren is a cattle dog mix who was born deaf and learned hand signals. Her owner plans to teach her more sign language so she can be a therapy dog for deaf children.

I had a pet Beagle named B. Dodger (B stands for Brooklyn). He died last year. He was a wonderful companion. We got him a few of years after we were married and he kept me company since Paul traveled a lot then.

B. Dodger lost his hearing practically overnight in early 2003 at age 12 and it changed his personality. He became a scared old dog. We had to send him to my in-laws’ because he was attacking (not dangerous attack, but nibbling) my older son who didn’t provoke him (only once). With the baby on the way, we couldn’t risk it. He lived his last year peacefully out in the country. Couldn’t ask for anything more.

Posted by at 8:21 PM | Permalink

Bet you thought it would never happen, eh? All-deaf rock band has released a CD. How cool is that? Love the name of the band and its CD: Beethoven’s Nightmare presents its first CD, Turn It up Louder. Appropos, eh? Rox’n!

Posted by at 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Unless you’re from Missouri, don’t panic. Currently, the state imposes a 10-cent monthly surcharge for covering Relay Missouri. That charge could go up five cents for a total surcharge of 15 cents per month. Small potatoes, right?

I’m sure there will be an outcry from phone customers who don’t use the relay service. But to them, I say, we have to pay taxes for many things we never use. If the surcharge doesn’t change, then “the funds for Relay Missouri could be gone by April 2006.”

Posted by at 8:46 PM | Permalink

I never dreamed of learning how to fly, but Paul was in the Air Force. He originally wanted to be a pilot, but the kind of plane he wanted to fly—he was too tall for it. So he went into IT instead. It’s awesome that an Airman teaches deaf man to fly.

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Posted by at 9:23 AM | Permalink

How’s that for a headline? ThisisLondon reports London commuters riding the tube (subway) and trains are at risk for tinnitus and severe damage to the inner ear because they turn up the volume to dangerous levels due to the background noise on public transportation.

What’s so unusual about this? We’ve had Walkmans for years. It’s thanks to the the popularity of the iPods, which have the ability to carry up to 30 hours of music on a single battery charge. The Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) has a Web site to spread the word about the problem.

The solution is to turn down the volume. Convincing users to do it won’t be easy. Young folks believe nothing bad will happen to them.

Which is worse? Enjoying music for many years at acceptable volume levels or enjoying music for a few years at dangerously loud levels. Doesn’t seem like a tough choice to me.

Posted by at 9:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Someone stole a Deaf Student’s Hearing Device from school. I’m sad to say that it doesn’t surprise me because something similar happened to me. Only the item cost a fraction of what a cochlear device costs. When I worked with the Federal Highway Administration, I had to sit at a table meant to hold books, a fax machine, and printer. Due to lack of space, I made it my “office” and kept my TTY there.

You figured it out. The TTY was stolen. This is in a Federal government building. You can’t get in without a badge. I hope it wasn’t an employee, but logic dictates otherwise. I got a replacement and it hasn’t happened again.

That’s one reason I feared getting a cochlear implant. It’s more expensive than a hearing aid. I have a backup, but it’s the awful body-aid style device and I don’t want to go back to it after growing up with one.

Posted by at 8:40 PM | Permalink

First I’ve heard of this. According to this short article, two babies are born deaf every day with 90 percent having hearing parents.

Posted by at 7:56 AM | Permalink

I’ve been hearing about avatars and the latest does sign language. This avatar compares nothing to the ones we see in forums, pictures of favorite people, shows, things, and whatnot. Sites and applications adapting human avatars have them walking in front of the Web content you’re viewing much like a tour guide.

It sounds like the sign language avatars work in a similar vein based on reading the news report. Great concept and wonderful for those who know sign language, British sign language in this csae. However, I think captions work better since it reaches a wider audience than just sign language.

Posted by at 9:32 PM | Permalink

I got a great comment from Alicia Lane. Rather than putting it in the comments of the post from April 14, I’m posting it here. She offers an argument that I had not considered. However, I still can’t compare English / ASL to those who speak Spanish as the primary language and English as a second language. You can’t use ASL in writing. That’s where English plays a role. Nonetheless, tricky situation as Alicia raises important points to consider.

I think Bosson touches upon a concept that doesn’t get discussed enough: because of its inaccessibility, English ends up being a second language for many deaf children—and they face similar language acquisition issues as hearing children learning English as a second language. Studies have shown that those who have a strong foundation in their primary language do much better in acquiring English, regardless of whether their primary language is (for example) Spanish, French, or ASL.

Continue reading "Writing Proper English Follow up" »

Posted by at 2:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Will wearing captions be fashionable? :)

Posted by at 6:19 AM | Permalink

A couple of international news.

What a scary situation to be in. Six deaf Israelis rescued in Nepal.

Indian deaf cricket team goes to Pakistan and promotes peace between the two countries. Nice to see a happy story.

Posted by at 6:32 AM | Permalink

A professor in my hometown has won a $1.5 million grant for improving a hearing aid device. “The end result of the project will be to enable users of cochlear implants to hear better in noisy situations and listen to music.” Isn’t that what Cochlear’s whisper feature is for? We can listen to music with our existing implants. So what’s different about this?

Dr. Philip C Loizou says, “In the near future, we envision patients being fitted with at least three distinct programs—one they can use in relatively quiet environments, one for noisy environments and another for listening to music.” Maybe it will be easier to use. I never use the whisper feature and my implant has two programs. It’d be nice to have more options and control them with a quick switch.

Posted by at 6:18 AM | Permalink

The Nucleus Freedom implant has received FDA approval this month. You can see photos and details in this news release. According to the release, “is the only speech processor designed to be water resistant and the only system to offer SmartSound(TM) technology, a combination of three unique sound technologies designed to enable better hearing in everyday listening situations.” It offers the following features:

• The first and only two-microphone system designed to soften distracting background sounds allowing for focused listening in crowds.

• Automatically adjusts sound levels to deliver a balance of clarity and comfort. Ideal for listening to music and in dynamic environments.

• Whisper enhances softer sounds allowing recipients to understand them more clearly.

• Up to five days of battery life. Unlike other systems that rely on brand-specific rechargeable batteries that last only a few hours, the Nucleus Freedom can operate on one set of commercially available batteries for up to five days, depending on the user’s coding strategy and rate.

I have a Nucleus and it uses disposable batteries that last three days. Five days sounds nice… but don’t know if my coding strategy would last that long. Not all other implant systems use rechargeables. In fact, only one does (at least, at the time when I made my decision).

Posted by at 6:21 AM | Permalink

March 13 - April 15 is Deaf History Month. When I lived in DC, we had deaf week at the Department of Transportation. We set up speakers and a showcase. Gosh, I can’t remember the details and I was on the planning committee. Probably because I was pregnant with my first. Anyway, you can get the details from Jamie Berke, the longtime Deafness / Hard of Hearing guide for about.com. I met Jamie when I lived in DC. We had a few meetings regarding captioning and have stayed in touch after all these years.

Posted by at 11:39 AM | Permalink

I’ve previously talked about how like people who have accents, sign language also has its accents. I saw it for the first time when watching Four Weddings and a Funeral, which took place in the UK. The Mirror briefly discusses these dialects.

Posted by at 1:45 AM | Permalink

From DeafNetwork: DeafCities.com, has launched a brand new Web site to provide tools for deaf users.

Features on the site:

Listings

Browse through the listing directory and post job listings created by people in DeafCities network.

Roomate and Friend Finder

Why live with a complete stranger when members could live with the friend of a friend?

Buy and sell stuff

Buy stuff from your friend at a cheaper price? Members can also sell old or unused goods to their friends who will cherish them instead of selling it to someone they don’t know.

Create and manage groups of people

Use DeafCities to organize existing groups and/or identify and draw together individuals who share a common interest. These Groups can be focused on any subject, affiliation, or activity. Book clubs, soccer teams, and alumni groups can form their own Groups, as well as family members, hobbyists, or professionals.

Messaging

DeafCities message system allows members to send a note to friends, colleagues and people who are listing items that interest them. Members can communicate with their Groups via group message boards and they can also schedule events to inform everyone in their Group of an upcoming event.

Answer life’s questions

DeafCities social network is a valuable online resource that contains most of the answers members need. Whether they are seeking a dentist, an organic grocery, or an inexpensive oil change, there is a very high chance that someone in the member’s network already has the solution or expertise.

Posted by at 2:51 PM | Permalink

I hope Rear Window comes to the movie theater near me. However, when I talked to the company (over a year ago), its reps said it has no plans to do such a thing. Accessibility is the new star in movie theaters. My kids love to go to movies, but I never take them. They have an aunt who loves movies and she does that or my husband does. There is a theater with open captions, but it is too far for a busy family like ours to attend.

Posted by at 10:25 AM | Permalink

Many of you probably know of Curtis Pride, a deaf- and speech-impaired ball player. He’s been on the verge of making the majors a few times. Currently, he is at camp with the Angels in California.

We may have another Pride coming up. Fellow southpaw and pitcher, Ryan Ketchner, is trying to get there. At the moment, he recovers from elbow surgery. I like Ryan ‘cuz he’s with the Dodgers at the moment and he’s a lefty :) I’m a big Brooklyn Dodgers fan—thanks to my dad.

I played sports all through my childhood. Loved it. I gained a lot of confidence and felt at home. Being deaf was never given a thought. I had no problems following anything and I played soccer, softball, basketball, and volleyball. One of my biggest regrets was not sticking with volleyball for all four years of high school. Funny, I earned a varsity jacket by playing on the soccer team, my weakest sport.

My daughter loves volleyball. She’s tried soccer, basketball, and t-ball, but dropped those for volleyball. It’s amazing how much politics and competition there is even in 11-years-old age group. Hello? These kids need to learn and master skills instead of killing each other and fighting for dominance.

Posted by at 12:46 PM | Permalink

About time. I believe ASL should be offered in schools for foreign language credit. Deaf Alabama residents seek to make signing a foreign language. If they succeed, perhaps this will be start of ASL entering public schools.

Posted by at 6:21 AM | Permalink

Wicked! That’s a play on words. Wicked is the name of one of Broadway’s current hit shows. This technology also wicked cool. I can’t answer why I grew up as a person who loves musicals. I still do, but not to the extent before 2000. Maybe it’s because my life got busier and I couldn’t keep up.

This is the kind of technology I hope we see someday. It’ll be a while before it makes its way to Dallas, I’m sure.

Posted by at 6:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

MIT debuts bionic ear processor that is supposed to take less power and require rare battery changes. Currently, I change batteries roughly every three days. According to the the article, this device would need no replacement for 30 years! Mega-impossible! :)

Posted by at 10:31 AM | Permalink

ABSL is not the name of a professional sports league. Rather it’s Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language (ABSL), the language of Deaf Arab villagers. According to a linguist, it’s an exciting discovery because it’s the first documented case of a language that came about with no outside influence.

After previously reporting on the Nicaraguan Deaf and reading this one, I wonder if other cultures have created their own sign language that we have yet to discover?

Ah, I just found another one. “The case of Bobby Suwarak, a deaf man from Baker Lake who communicates with gestures not related to standard sign language, has raised the possibility of an indigenous sign language known to Inuit for centuries.”

Posted by at 8:48 AM | Permalink

I am delighted with my Sidekick II and now my husband and daughter have one. We gave it to her for her birthday. Paul put the Sidekick II in her room under the covers and had my mom call wishing her a happy birthday. She was confused because it was not her birthday (it’s in two weeks). Man, she was giddy when she realized it was hers.

It makes it easier for us all to stay in touch. We use AOL IM and I’ve used SMS only once in testing the feature with a friend’s cell phone. Paul looked at another QWERTY keyboard phone for her, but it was difficult to use compared to the Sidekick II.

Danger hiptop Serves 3 Billion Instant Messages

Posted by at 6:19 AM | Permalink

According to Word getting around about sign language, more students are taking ASL to meet their school’s language requirement because they think it’s easier than Spanish, French, or other foreign languages. I may not use ASL, but I know it’s a challenge to learn it like any other language even though it’s in “English.” Signing an ASL sentence, unlike spoken and written English, doesn’t involve signing every word in the sentence as we would when writing ot speaking it. Instead of, “My name is Meryl,” it’s “name Meryl” or something similar.

Regardless of the reasons for taking ASL, it’s good to see more people are taking an interest in it.

P.S. Happy 6th birthday to my son!

Posted by at 7:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In the past, I’ve reported on a gene linked to deafness called Connexin 26. Another has been found called the Rb1 gene. Fascinating reading. It doesn’t mention how people who are deaf can learn whether or not it’s the cause.

Thanks to MtRushmorePat for the article.

Posted by at 8:14 PM | Permalink

From Jon Udell:

I owe a huge thank-you to Eleanor Kruszewski, who has transcribed my audio interview with Intervoice’s Ron Owens. And we should all thank her for raising the uncomfortable issue of podcast transcriptions which, for the most part, are missing in action.

Podcasting is yet another trend that isolates people who are deaf. It would take a lot of time and energy to read scripts from Podcasts since it’s time consuming and tiring on the eyes. But here, Udell discusses how Podcasting is also at a disadvantage for those who can here. Good stuff. [ Link: Cox ]

Posted by at 8:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

America Online and MCI have introduced a service to allow users to have their own relay number. I have signed up for it and received my new phone number by email within two days. I’ve distributed the number, but no one has tested the service yet.

I have a Sidekick II that has AIM (AOL instant messenger), so this would be a great service to have if it works well especially since you get your OWN phone number. No more explaining to people the process of making a relay call—call this number, tell them to call my number, blah blah blah. I’ve had better luck using AIM than the relay on the device. I’ll report on the service once I’ve tried it.

Posted by at 6:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Today’s Dear Abby column addresses deaf infants and testing. I agree that the sooner you detect a child’s hearing loss, the better. My parents figured it out when I was about six months old based on their experience with my two older siblings. If I could rewind time, I’d make today’s implant available when I was a baby.

The complete column follows in case the link becomes invalid in the near future.

Continue reading "Dear Abby" »

Posted by at 8:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Gifts For The Disabled: Accessibility To The Arts (Gotham Gazette. December, 2005) lists four ways to help New Yorkers with disabilities enjoy the arts in the city. Of course, these should be adopted by metro areas around the country and the world.

Posted by at 9:23 AM | Permalink

Would you believe my childhood pen pal found me and made contact just a few weeks ago? Amazing, how the Internet brings people together, eh? Anyway, I mentioned Eddie Killian because he brought up stem cell research. Here’s what he said (with some editing):

I heard deaf people have a problem with stem cell research that can make hair cells and cure deafness because they are afraid the deaf culture will die. However, I want to become hearing because it is important for my job. I want to get my hearing back so I can earn more money and make more hearing friends. I heard that Sweden, Denmark, and Holland are looking to solve the cancer and other problems with steam cells. I hope we will soon see miracle cures from them. I heard news from Korea that stem cells have enabled a paralyzed Korean woman to walk! Anyway, what do you think about this stuff? I know life changes will be fine. Not everybody wants to stay deaf. If I become hearing, then I would still use sign and I will still hang out with deafies. But maybe deaf culture will disappear and I will miss it too, but I know it will be all right.

I am a strong supporter of stem cell research. It does not come from a live fetus, so those against abortion do not have an argument. This research could lead to many cures. Please write your congress person and ask to support the research.

Posted by at 9:23 AM | Permalink

Hearing for Children is an organization that is working to create a low-cost cochlear implant (LCCI) to serve the majority of the world’s deaf. Present devices are too expensive, and the the organization offers one solution.

Another similar effort from Project Impact is working to develop low-cost hearing aids.

These are admirable organizations who are working to provide a product to those who can’t afford it otherwise. No doubt, the Deaf culture won’t be happy with such organizations, but it is not their business nor their choice to make. Every person should have a choice and not base their decisions on whether or not they can afford it. Instead, it should be whether or not they want it.

Posted by at 3:49 PM | Permalink

A letter to my deaf son shares a letter from a mother who is proud of her son’s accomplishments and making it into the ABA League. Read about the signing of Osei Morris to the L.A. Stars.

It’s not often we hear heartwarming stories from professional athletes in a day and age when greed and drugs have tkane away the integrity of the sport.

Posted by at 3:38 PM | Permalink

They’re just now noticing Google is a deaf user? Actually, much of the Internet is as podasting, videos, and audio files grow by (cliche’) leaps and bounds. Between the entry and the comments that follow including a couple from Joe Clark, I think it’s all been said. What about other disabilities? I am suer they run into a few brick walls.

In past, I wrote about Viascribe, a new technology, but it isn’t going to be mainsteam anytime soon.

Posted by at 6:19 AM | Permalink

This story gives me a lot to think about. The author makes good points. Since these events are “deaf competitions,” should every athlete be on even ground by having rules that don’t allow them to wear hearing aids, cochlear implants, or any other device that helps with the hearing?

Then again when you practice, practice, practice—whatever you practice with becomes a part of your game. I played sports for my entire childhood and every little thing makes a difference. It’s no surprise many athletes are superstitious and have little things or rituals they do or wear for a game because it puts them in the right frame of mind.

Taking off a hearing aid or glasses will throw off the athlete’s game. She has been working hard wearing the device that it has become a part of her routine. It’s like Ken Jennings of Jeopardy. Once he got the hang of when to push the buzzer, he kept on winning as he beat everyone to the buzzer. He had an advantage of staying in long enough to figure it out.

Let’s say he wears contacts and loses one with no time to replace it before a show. So, he wears his glasses instead. It wouldn’t surprise me if his game is “off” as it impacts his focus and comfort.

What’s the right thing to do? [ Link: Deafnetwork ]

Posted by at 9:58 PM | Permalink

I’ve reported on the Captel phone in the past and Fredericksburg.com has an article about real life experiences with it. One question remains: how accurate are the captions? I’ve sent an email to the writer.

Posted by at 9:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The article is about the Vardon family that you may have seen on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I could not imagine how a son who is blind could communicate with his parents who are both deaf. Well, I thought of a few ways, but still couldn’t imagine the challenges. The article explains the technology that helps ease communications in the family.

Posted by at 10:46 AM | Permalink

Oh, how I’d love to have the ViaScribe for meetings and conferences. Unfortunately, this is for college settings and not personal use. I contacted a person working on the project who confirmed this. Maybe once this succeeds, personal use is the next step. That’s my hope–to have technology for translating what people are saying much like Douglas Adams’ Babelfish with words and nothing to insert into the ear!

Posted by at 7:46 PM | Permalink

This is not just another “baby got a cochlear implant” story. His mom invented pants for crawlers to prevent their knees from hurting and donated part of the proceeds to the Learning and Listen Foundation. I apologize for the next sentence. Isn’t that just the bee’s knees?

Posted by at 4:39 PM | Permalink

While reading Student sues college over notetaking, I recalled my own experiences with notetakers in college. I had one excellent one in my freshman year and a lousy one. Go figure, the lousy one was in the economics class, where I needed extra help as I stuggled with classes like that. He was an economics major, but that doesn’t mean he knew how to take notes so I could understand what was going on.

Gee, should I sue the schools (I went to two colleges) for giving me poor notetakers that caused me to have lower grades or to drop a class due to lack of information? Somehow, I made it through college with a decent GPA. It’s a shame that it was before online classes were readily available. It would’ve made life easier for me as a student.

Posted by at 6:22 AM | Permalink

Deafbase has good tips for people who are deaf in finding a job. It’s awful searching for jobs especially when you don’t have one or despise your current one. My husband has been out of work since March 2003. I wouldn’t whine about it as I do have two jobs to support the family (barely), but I am sick all the time. I don’t think I’ll ever get well until I can lighten my load, which can’t be done until someone hires Paul.

Posted by at 8:10 AM | Permalink

A person who is deaf sued Jack in the Box for discrimination and he won. He got a job with McDs after the rejection. When I was in high school, there was one place that rejected me: WalMart. Looking back, I wonder why. I worked at Toys R Us with no problems and the work is similar between the two companies. Here’s another article.

Posted by at 8:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

John Brewster, Jr. (1766-1854) was born deaf and received fame as an artist from New England. Reading this article was first I’ve heard of this artist. Harlan Lane has written a biography about the artist. Here are sites displaying his work and info:

Ask Art

Fenimore Art Museum

WGBH Lecture (sign language interpreted)

Boy with Finch

Posted by at 2:39 PM | Permalink

This LA Times letters to the editor (requries free registration — excerpt below.

I am very much in favor of any court decision that allows the handicapped the widest possible latitude in the workplace (“UPS May Appeal Ruling on Deaf Drivers,” Oct. 23). However, I have concerns about total deafness behind the wheel. In UPS’ case, its drivers are continuously exposed to every kind of urban traffic scenario including the frequent screams of emergency vehicle sirens, which could become a recipe for disaster to an operator who cannot hear them. Alan P. Linsky Beverly Hills

First he uses ‘handicapped,’ a most inappropriate term that needs to go away (including the name of the parking spaces).

I read in several places that people who can’t hear are better drivers. We’re not on the cell phone while we’re driving. We rely on our eyes more. There is equipment to help notify the driver if there are sirens nearby (I had one and hated it — it scared the heck out of me and it went off when there were no sirens).

Posted by at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I grew up playing and watching sports. I miss those days and my sports time is limited to watching my kids play. I used to joke that my university, American University, was not a real school because they had no football team (I am from Texas, y’now?).

KU tried to do the right thing at its basketball game, but ended up fouling out.

Foul 1 - agreed.

Foul 2 - puleeeaaazzzeee! The only politically incorrect term is “handicapped.” Some people are truly hearing impaired. KU isn’t going to know if it its attendees are deaf, hearing-impaired, or both. Who cares? I use both terms. I can’t make up my mind.

Foul three and four: agreed.

Foul five: agreed. I’ve had this happen in training sessions. How the heck am I supposed to read lips in the dark? Perfect time for a nap!

Posted by at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Wow. What took so long??? Deaf, mute, blind woman votes for first time at 90. Great story.

Posted by at 6:22 AM | Permalink

Maybe I am not up with UK’s usage … but this article’s title: Hug for Charles from Deaf-Dumb Boy is offensive, don’t you think? Here in the US, dumb means “not smart.” I know the article is talking about a kid who doesn’t speak, but I think dumb has gone the way of the also offensive ‘handicapped.’

Posted by at 6:11 AM | Permalink

Kodak employees spend the day at RIT where they learned to communicate using only body language.

Posted by at 6:20 AM | Permalink

Previous, I reported a family with deaf members and a blind member were getting an Extreme Makeover. Now, you can see the reveal before the TV reveal. The show is supposed to air on November 7. This show is amazing. It’s unbelievable what they do for deserving families. A girl who is severely allergic to the sun can now enjoy any room in her house AND her backyard!

The head of household in last week’s family helped thousands of people with her program called “Operation Confidence.” She hardly slept in her bed as she would allow others in need of help to sleep in her bed and instead she slept in her chair, which was next to her computer. In this episode, Ty got her an office for her operation. Wow. [ Link Deafnetwork ]

Posted by at 6:06 AM | Permalink

Deaf Benefit Greatly from SMS is not news, but the problem is that the U.S. has not adopted it as much as other countries have.

Posted by at 11:04 AM | Permalink

At first glance, this article looks like a scientific article that might not interest some of you (I admit such articles bore me and I’d rather read about it in a newspaper story or non-scientific magazine.). It starts off:

“Ludwig van Beethoven was 28 years old when he first noticed a ringing and buzzing in his ears. Soon he was unable to hear high notes from the orchestra; speech became indistinct. By 1802, four years after the first symptoms, he was profoundly deaf.

“Beethoven fell into a deep depression. He describes this period in his Heiligenstadt Testament, meant to be read after his death:”

For me there can be no relaxation in human society; no refined conversations, no mutual confidences. I must live quite alone and may creep into society only as often as sheer necessity demands…. Such experiences almost made me despair, and I was on the point of putting an end to my life葉he only thing that held me back was my art … thus I have dragged on this miserable existence.

That describes how I feel up to the despair

The next paragraph talks about a guy who lost his hearing by 34 and now hears well enough to recognize 100 percent of over 1400 words thanks to an implant.