From the State of Washington, Dave Pearson Reports - Good News for NC Students

WINSTON-SALEM, NC – To provide student scholarships and training to alleviate the critical shortage of rehabilitation counselors nationwide, Winston-Salem State University's Rehabilitation Counseling Program has been awarded two federal training grants totaling $1.25 million.

The U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration grants include $500,000 for training for deafness and hard-of-hearing, and $750,000 for rural vocational rehabilitation training. The scholarships are targeted at recruiting, retaining and graduating new vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselors to supply significant demands in the industry. The grants will fund about 40 scholarships for students seeking a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling. Grant funds will also support job placement and efforts to increase the number of minority VR counselors.

"The vocational rehabilitation industry is in a critical shortage," said Dr. Yolanda Edwards, WSSU associate professor of rehabilitation counseling and coordinator of the grants. "Generally, it can take three to five times longer to fill jobs in this industry than it does in others, which could mean a time period of a year or more."

The deafness and hard-of-hearing grant will support in-state tuition, a book allowance and a monthly stipend for 20 students over the five-year period. Applicants must have a sincere desire to become employed in VR and work with the deaf and hard-of-hearing population after graduation. Priority will be given to current VR employees who wish to pursue a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling with emphasis on the deaf and hard-of-hearing population. Persons with disabilities and applicants from underrepresented backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Applicants must have American Sign Language (ASL) training prior to entering the program.

Grant fund recipients will be required to do their practicum/internship in a state vocational rehabilitation rural setting working with deaf or hard-of-hearing population.

The rural vocational rehabilitation grant supports in-state tuition, a book allowance and a monthly stipend for 25 students over a five-year period. Applicants must have a sincere desire to become employed with VR in a rural setting upon graduation. Priority will be given to current VR employees who wish to pursue a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling. Persons with disabilities, applicants from underrepresented backgrounds, and individuals who are bilingual are encouraged to apply.

Grant fund recipients will be required to do their practicum/internship in a state vocational rehabilitation rural setting. Funds for both grants will be available to on-campus and Distance Learning students. www.wssu.edu.

Hearing Aid Survey Prize - Drawing Soon!

If you haven't done so already, please take a moment to complete the Wireless RERC's Hearing Aid Compatibility Survey. Everyone who completes the survey by midnight on August 31, 2008 will be entered into a raffle for a $250 Amazon.com gift certificate. To be entered into the raffle, be sure to enter your contact information at the end of the survey!

To take the survey, just click here:
http://www.wirelessrerc.org/news/take-the-2007-hac-survey.html

A quick link to the survey is also provided on our home page at:
http://www.wirelessrerc.org

We greatly appreciate your participation and input. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact me at: lynzee_head@shepherd.org (800) 582-6360 or (404) 367-1288

News from State Organizations: HLA DE Instrumental in Successful assage of New Legislation

Linda Heller, president of HLADE, writes: The Hearing Loss Association of Delaware (HLADE) has great news! The Hearing Aid Insurance Bill for Kids, HB355 with 2 amendments passed 20 in favor to 0 with one absent today in the Senate! This is a huge positive step forward and HLADE thanks Rep. Gerald Brady who championed the bill in the House and obtained the support and help of Senator Nancy Cook to get it passed in the Senate today about 3:30pm! Representative Brady did a great job getting HB355 in spite of the powerful insurance lobby in Dover!

The vote ended up being unanimous! Many members of the General Assembly spoke about the calls, emails and letters they received and I am sure this made a difference in the bill's passage!

I also want to thank Insurance Commissioner Matt Denn for his fantastic support and technical advice throughout the whole process of this bill and he was also on the floor when the bill passed! Eileen Reynolds, was a huge support in educating House Members about hearing impaired kids in the schools to counter opposition and wowed the House Committee with her presentation! Rep Melanie Marshall gave us the up front encouragement and support we needed to get the bill off the ground! Joanne Holbert, board member was there when we needed her from the beginning to give advice and help! Our national office staff and website of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) gave us valuable insight and information. And many of you did the critical part of contacting your own representatives and that made a HUGE difference in the support also!

In short, this was a time when the community of people with and without hearing loss worked TOGETHER for a common goal for the common good! A great example of true democracy and community at work! This bodes well for the future as there is much more that we can do together accomplish or mission to give help and hope to both deaf and hard of hearing people!

The bill will provide $1000/ear/every 3 years for hearing aids for kids 0 through 24 years of age! I will be sending you follow up information. It will not include earmolds.

So to all of you, I say thanks to the Board Members and all champions of this bill for getting this passed! Kids with hearing loss and their families will thank you for years to come that they were more successful because you cared to make a difference and work on getting this legislation passed! Please remember to contact your legislators and thank them for their "Yes" vote and write letters to the editors of local newspapers thanking Rep Brady, Senator Cook and Matt Denn, Insurance Commissioner. Thanks to everyone for doing their part to give kids with hearing loss help and hope!!

Press release from the Governor’s office:

Governor Minor Signs Bill Requiring Improved Insurance Coverage for Hearing Aids

Dover, DE 18 June 2008 – Governor Ruth Ann Minner today signed a bill in her Legislative Hall office that will improve insurance coverage for children in Delaware. House Bill 355 will benefit hearing impaired youth, and House Bill 286 is designed to ensure that children without health insurance receive coverage.

H.B. 355, sponsored by Rep. Gerald Brady, requires individual and group health insurance contracts to provide coverage for hearing aids of up to $1,000 per ear, every three years, for their customers who are 24 and under.

“This is obviously a bill that will be of tremendous help to our hearing impaired youth and their families,” Gov. Minner said. “I thank Rep. Brady and our General Assembly for passing this important legislation.”

“I am very proud that my colleagues in the General Assembly supported my efforts to provide these benefits for children throughout our state, and I thank Governor Minner for signing this legislation as quickly as possible,” Brady said.

The Bill's co-sponsors included: Representatives Carson, Ewing, Keeley, Kowalko, Longhurst, Manolakos, Mitchell, Outten, Schooley, Williams; and Senators Henry, Marshall, McDowell.