The SW Connecticut Chapter appeared in the Wilton CT weekly newspaper about a workshop the chapter recently held. During the workshop-They also did a presentation award to 2 middle school “scholars” on an award winning project that they had recently presented. It was entitled HEARING LOSS as it effects the aging population. Their parents and the principal of their school were also in attendance at this workshop, coverage was also provided by the local cable TV station.

Mike Gravitz reported that over 50 people attended the affair (which was hosted by the Wilton Senior Center) and comments were all favorable.

Article in Word format

Downstate New York Prepares for Second Walk4Hearing Walkathon

By Ellen Semel

The Downstate New York area – Manhattan, Westchester, Mid-Hudson, Queens and South Nassau Chapters – is gearing up for its second Walkathon.   The Walk4Hearing Walkathon will again take place in FDR Park in Yorktown Heights, NY in Westchester County, on Saturday, May 5, 2007.

The Downstate New York walk was the leader of the six walks last year, raising over $125,000. With the funds raised by our walk, we have provided a grant to the New York School for the Deaf, funded scholarships to the American Academy for Hearing Loss Support Specialists, provided speechreading lessons for those who couldn't afford the fees, provided accessibility to our important monthly support groups, and funded advocacy efforts to promote infant hearing screening as well as telecommunications and community access.

In addition, we are developing programs to reach people with hearing loss in the workplace to educate them about the strategies and technology available to enable them to lead productive lives. We are also funding subscriptions of Hearing Loss Magazine to NYC libraries and hope to supply hospitals with pocket talkers to help patients with hearing loss communicate better with their health professionals.

We are on our way to again raise awareness and funds in order to develop more projects to help those with hearing loss. There are 31 million people in this country with hearing loss and only 10,000 belong to our organization. We need to get the word out to all these others about coping techniques and assistive technology so that they can create a better quality of life for themselves.

So, put on your walking shoes and come walk with us. And/or, you might want to try to get a corporate sponsorship for the walk from your audiologist, doctor, dentist, neighborhood restaurant, fruit store, cleaners, maybe your daughter's company, your neighbor's son's company. It is a good feeling to raise money to help others realize their own potential.
To get involved in the planning of this event, contact Ellen Semel at ellen13@rcn.com or 212-989-0624.

Excerpted with permission from the Manhattan Chapter News and Views
Editor, Dana Simon (dana2cat@gmail.com)

 What You Missed in January
Compiled by Lois O'Neill & Anne Pope

Ruth Bernstein was our first speaker in our courtroom accessibility program, addressing the consumer point of view. Ruth is a founding member of advocates for better communication ( a.b.c.).She emphasized that when you receive a jury summons it's important to respond immediately. If you can't reach the phone number listed, write a letter, stating your need for an assistive listening system, CART (Real-time Translation), and/or sign/oral interpreter. Send the letter to Mr. Vincent Homenick, Chief Clerk of the Jury Division, County of NY and mail it to address listed on summons. Keep copies of all written correspondence. For more information go to: www.nyjuror.gov/home/access.php.
When you go to court, there are helpful signs directing you, and the staff is usually helpful. Bring your own communication device and/or paper and pencil in case you have difficulty hearing the staff. Prospective jurors are questioned individually. Ruth uses both a personal FM system as well as CART during the questioning. She finished her talk with a reminder of the importance of writing a "thank you" note. Although access is mandated by the ADA, people like to know their efforts are appreciated.
We next viewed the video, "Silent Justice," on what it's like for a person with hearing loss to serve as a juror or a witness.
Our next speaker was Judge Richter, who has been a judge since 1990, and is currently sitting in the N.Y. County Supreme Court. In 1997 she helped create the NYS Advisory Committee on the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), and has since co-chaired the committee. She is a member of the Supreme Court Anti-bias Committee and has also been a participant in the statewide Jury Trial Innovation Project.
Judge Richter agreed that notes help the judge and other court personnel to know when they have done the job right. It's important to ask for the technological assistance you need, which might include infrared or FM systems, CART, sign language or oral interpreters. In addition, if you'd like microphones to be used in the courtroom you need to request them. The same rules apply when serving as a witness or in small claims court – it's critical to ask ahead of time.
She explained the difference between jury selection in criminal and civil courts: in criminal cases selection is supervised by the judge, whereas jury selection in civil cases are lawyer-run— jurors won't see the judge until after they are selected. Many lawyers receive some training about disabilities but if a lawyer isn't respectful, ask him/her to stop for a minute and go find a clerk. The clerk will remind the lawyer of the court's legal requirements to accommodate you, under the ADA.
The jury selection room is very large, with high ceilings. If you haven't yet asked for accommodations you will need to talk with the jury clerk. If you've already asked for them, tell someone – the clerk, the judge, other personnel – don't just sit down and expect court personnel to announce their availability - ask for them as soon as you arrive. If you don't hear the questions asked of jurors, that is time wasted for the judge and for you – raise your hand and tell someone.
After viewing an introductory film (captioned) you may sit for a long time – bring a book, laptop, etc. Your name is called at random, so you can't ask for the room that is best for you acoustically (size, height of ceilings, rugs, etc). However, if you are chosen as a juror and placed in a room in which you cannot hear well, tell someone right away. Some lawyers won't pick jurors with hearing loss, others will. If you ask for an accommodation you are likely to get it. You need to decide whether the accommodation of your choice will enable you to serve as a juror.

Dr. Terry Portis, Executive Director of the Hearing Loss Association of America to Speak on April 9th in Delaware

Dr. Terry Portis, Executive Director of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), headquartered in Bethesda, Md., will speak on “Burning Issues for People with Hearing Loss” at the Hearing Loss Association of Delaware’s (HLADE) April 9th meeting at 7:30pm at Agilent Technologies, Inc., Little Falls Site, 2850 Centerville Road Wilmington, DE 19808.  HLADE is a non-profit organization that offers help and hope to people with hearing loss through information, education, and advocacy. It is one of The HLAA’S 250 local chapters. Real time captioning will be provided and other accommodations must be requested 5 days in advance. The meeting is open to the public and there will be a “Question and Answer” time following his presentation. This event will kick off Delaware’s celebration of “Better Speech and Hearing Month” in May. Refreshments will be served.

Terry is a graduate of Covenant College and received his Master’s Degree from NC A&T State University. He has a doctorate in Counseling Psychology. Terry also is an adjunct professor of psychology at Taylor University.

Terry became interested in hearing loss when his wife, Denise, began to experience severe hearing problems 15 years ago. He has been in education and human services for 18 years and in a leadership position for 14 of those years. He has spoken on various topics at conferences and workshops across the country on non-profit leadership, psychological and religious issues of acquired disabilities, and the family and faith dynamics of disability, loss and trauma. Terry is based in the Hearing Loss Association’s Washington, DC office in Bethesda, Maryland.

For directions and further Information on this event, go to www.hlade.org or contact HLADE at hlade@comcast.net, or (302) 292-3066 (Voice/Relay/Phone/Fax).

Hearing Loss and Shyness

Do Hearing Loss and Shyness Go Hand In Hand? For some people, the answer is yes. I remember not attending socials or events because I could not hear very well. It was difficult to follow a conversation or feel comfortable with my hearing loss because nobody liked to take the time to repeat themselves.

So, what do you do?

More often than not, you withdraw from the hearing world. Sometimes you become shy. Your interactions become more limited. It's lonely. Hearing loss is an invisible handicap. You wish you could meet other people like yourself – someone with hearing loss or deaf. But, how???

For me, I had been interested in sign language. I was taking a class and met a few other people with hearing loss that were also taking the same class. One of the women taking the class was Evelyn Leonard (former president of the Chicago Northside Chapter). She struck up a conversation with me. So, I got to know her during the 10 week sign language class. She told me about HLA and how nice it was to have a place to go to and meet other people with hearing loss. That got my attention. I asked her a few questions like, “How do you hear or follow the meetings?” She told me about CART (Computer Assisted Real Time) Captioning: You read every spoken word.

This sounded really interesting. A way to be pro-active. It took me a few months to work up my courage to come to the meeting. And “WOW” was all I could think of at the time. I felt like I connected with this group of people who have hearing loss. And even better that there was a way for me to follow the meeting -- read every spoken word on the giant TV screen!! So what happens next? Well, I found my world opening more, becoming less shy. I joined the chapter and haven't regretted it.

-- Anne Therese Furey

Hearing Loss Group Names New Official for NM

Bethesda, MD, Feb. 15 - The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) has announced the appointment of Stephen O. Frazier of Albuquerque to the position of New Mexico State Chapter Coordinator. Frazier replaces retiring long time Coordinator Virginia Carr who is also one of the founding members of the Hearing Loss Association of Albuquerque and a highly respected advocate for the Hard of Hearing in New Mexico.

HLAA is a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Bethesda, MD that provides support and other services for the nation’s thirty-one million people with hearing loss. They are the nation’s largest Hard of Hearing (HoH) consumer organization and a leading voice in lobbying and advocacy on behalf of the HoH. Laws and regulations regarding
telecommunications, TV and movie captioning and many other areas of concern to the HoH have been written or strengthened through the efforts of HLAA. The organization also works to raise the public awareness of the needs and concerns of the HoH with their public relations efforts.

HLAA has a nationally distributed publication, Hearing Loss Magazine, and holds an annual convention where there are workshops and other presentations providing information on products, services and coping strategies of interest to those with hearing loss, their families and friends. This year’s convention will be held in Oklahoma City from June 21 through June 24.

There are over two-hundred and fifty local HLAA support groups affiliated with the national organization. These chapters hold monthly meetings where the same support, educational programs and advocacy efforts are presented on a local level and where those with hearing loss can develop friendships with other HoH people and learn from one another. As Chapter Coordinator, Frazier will be the New Mexico liaison for the national office, nurturing existing chapters and working to develop new chapters throughout the state. Among potential locations for new chapters are Las Cruces, Santa Fe, Farmington and Roswell. Albuquerque has had a large and successful chapter for over twenty years with a membership currently numbering over 150.

Frazier, hard of hearing himself, is a retired buyer for a New York department store chain and, before that was the Vice President and Eastern Booking Director of the Community Concerts Division of Columbia Artists in New York City. He had also served as Head of the Publicity Department of Columbia Artists and Publicity Director of Community Concerts.

Anyone interested in learning more about HLAA can contact Frazier at HLAAnm@juno.com or (505) 401-4195. The national organization maintains a web site (www.hearingloss.org) and can be reached by phone at (301) 657-2248-voice or (301) 657-2249 - TTY or emailed at info@hearingloss.org.

Announcement in PDF format.

HOUSE CONSUMER AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE HEARING ON KIDS HAs/HEALTH INSURANCE

Because there were so many people there (including small, HoH children ages 1 yr to 18) wanting in the room to testify, the hearing aids for kids/health insurance matter was moved up from #6 on the agenda to #1 today at the legislative committee meeting and people already in the room for other matters were asked to leave to make their seats available to the hearing loss contingent.

Several members of the committee expressed their surprise when they saw the bill and learned that HAs are not covered by most health insurance policies and that there is a sales tax on them (you'll recall there's to be a separate bill removing the sales tax). The members of the committee seemed uniformly in favor of the bill and voted to send it on with a "do pass" recommendation.

The bill will have to go before at least one more committee (House, Health and Government Affairs) before it goes before the full House and pretty much the same procedure will be followed when it gets to the Senate.

As parents, an audiologist, a public schools rep and others were so terrific in their testimony and they were ready to cut off any more speakers, I kept my testimony brief,, only indicating that people not directly affected by hearing loss such as Lions Clubs, Sertoma clubs and others have programs addressing hearing loss which indicates that it is a problem with broad public concern. I told them about our chapter, that our chapter membership voted to support this legislation, and then pointed out to the members that they had all been provided with a letter of support from Bethesda for which the chairwoman thanked me. At this point they cut off testimony, leaving several disappointed speakers.

Terry Portis and Brenda Battat deserve our thanks for getting a letter of support to me on extremely short notice. Members of the study committee responsible for this legislation and staff from the Commission for Deaf and HoH all expressed their appreciation to Terry for the letter.

Reported by Steve Frazier, Albuquerque Chapter

Terry Portis - Letter in PDF

Escondido group enhances quality of life

By Pat Sherman
San Diego Union-Tribune
TODAY'S LOCAL NEWS
January 11, 2007

Each year, the Escondido chapter of the Hearing Loss Association awards a scholarship to a hearing-impaired high school senior planning on attending college. The chapter is now accepting submissions. The deadline is Feb. 28. Contact Eric Wormser at eric@hearinglossescondido.org for an application.

When Dorothy Wormser leaves a group of people at a party to retrieve something from the kitchen, she doesn't need to be brought up to speed on the conversation when she returns.

Although she is 95 percent deaf, she often knows what the pastor has whispered to the choir director, despite sitting 300 feet from her church's pulpit.

She's not omniscient. The Escondido resident is hearing better these days thanks to advances in listening-assistance devices, such as transmitters she leaves on a table at parties or that can be hooked up to the church PA system. A wireless FM receiver allows her to hear the music when square dancing with the Valley Center Promenaders.

Dorothy learned about the devices through the Hearing Loss Association of America, a national education and support group for people with hearing impediments. She and her husband, Eric Wormser, serve as co-presidents of the Escondido chapter, which has 65 North County members.

The group works to enhance hearing and quality of life through educational presentations for people with moderate to severe hearing loss.

“We encourage the members to socialize, and, of course, they feel a little bit more comfortable oftentimes communicating with other people who have hearing problems, who understand better,” Eric said.

Dorothy joined the group 19 years ago. “I can't tell you what it's done for her,” Eric said. “She used to be an introvert, but now she's more of an extrovert than I am. We've been married for 54 years. With the equipment that's available nowadays, she hears much better than she did when we were first married.”

The Escondido chapter's monthly meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at the Joslyn Senior Center in Escondido. Kathe Robbins, coordinator of the deaf and hard-of-hearing program at Escondido High School, will discuss issues, programs and challenges for hearing-impaired students in North County schools. The meeting is free.
People often are in denial about their hearing loss, Eric said. They delay treatment and suffer in silence. The Hearing Loss Association encourages members not to hide their condition.

“A lot of people want to get what they call in-the-canal hearing aids so that nobody can tell that they're wearing one,” he said. “When you go to a Hearing Loss Association convention, you'll see people with big hearing aids over their ear painted red or green and their hair cut short to make sure that people see it.

“People are so vain. Nobody seems to be ashamed of the fact that they wear glasses.”

There is good news and bad news for deaf and hard-of-hearing students within the public education system, Robbins said.
Newborns are screened for hearing problems before leaving the hospital, but hearing loss often is misidentified or unrecognized in students born outside the United States and in those who have suffered damage through ear infections or other conditions.

Although technology has improved, the cost of obtaining a hearing aid or cochlear implant can be daunting. Hearing aids can run from $2,000 to $4,000; a cochlear implant can cost between $40,000 and $70,000. It may take a person on Medi-Cal as long as 18 months to be approved for such a device, Robbins said.

“It's a lengthy process,” she said.

Wearing a listening device can be a difficult for teens striving to fit in, but such challenges are abating, Robbins said.

“When I started in 1968, the kids had to wear these huge boxes on their chests. We stuck them on with these big plastic straps that went around their backs and over their shoulders and they had these big, hot earphones.”

With the advent of wireless technology such as Bluetooth, listening devices can convey a cool aesthetic to younger students.

“It's like being Mr. Robot Man,” Robbins said. “They get them in purple and pink and orange and violet. ... It's become a bit of a psychological plus.”

Hand-held e-mail devices also have made it easier for hearing-impaired students to correspond with each other and with teachers.

“If they need an interpreter and they're in a class, they can e-mail me and say, 'Help, I need an interpreter,' ” Robbins said. “It's just made their world totally different.”

Hearing Loss Association of Escondido
Topic: Deaf and hard-of-hearing issues in public education
When: 10 a.m. Saturday
Where: Joslyn Senior Center, 210 E. Park Ave., Escondido
Chapter Donations requested: $6 a year
Information: (760) 745-5408, (760) 747-3813 or hearinglossescondido.org

______________________________

January 23, 2007

Congratulations!! Florida has a new chapter .

Central Florida Chapter
( The Villages, FL)

Please Contact Wayne Cook for details

Wayne E. Cook, Jr.
cookeagle@aol.com
352-751-6065

_____________________

Southwestern CT chapter is proud to announce It’s program / speaker schedule for the winter / spring ’07 meetings: