SHHH Boulder Chapter

January 2002 Newsletter (text)

Jan 14, 2002

BOULDER SHHH CHAPTER JANUARY 2002 NEWSLETTER

Sunday, January 20th, 2002, 2-4 pm at the Boulder Public Library - Meadows Branch. Discussion on "Hearing Loss, What Did You Do About It, and How Did You Find SHHH?"

By Debbie Mohney, President

Happy 2002! It seems just like yesterday we were enjoying our Holiday Party! We had a good turnout, the weather cooperated beautifully, the food was outstanding, nobody got hurt during the gift exchange and everyone enjoyed themselves. So, what more could you ask for? Thank you to everyone for the wonderful food contributions, we should think about food more often, we have good cooks amongst us! And many thanks to Frank Churgin for arranging for the clubhouse at Villa Del Prado, we have enjoyed using this convenient and friendly atmosphere for several years now.

Our next meeting will be Sunday, January 20th, 2002, 2 - 4pm at the Boulder Library - Meadows Branch. The meeting will feature a discussion on "How did you discover your hearing loss, what did you do about it, and how did you find SHHH?". I will also do a short presentation on SHHH and what the national organization has done about Hearing Loss Issues. We will be welcoming the Connections group, a social group for Hard of Hearing Adults, to our meeting this month. So, please come ready to share in the discussion, it is always interesting to hear the diverse background stories from fellow members, and I always learn something new from somebody!

For those of you who are on my Boulder SHHH Chapter e-mail list, you received an e-mail action alert regarding sending comments to the FCC about Digital Phone/Hearing Aid compatibility issues. Since the deadline was January 11, 2002, we are lucky to have e-mail so that we could notify people about this important issue. If you have ever submitted comments to the FCC or any other comparable government agencies, you have seen the long list of requirements for doing so. Through the internet, comments could be submitted by following instructions on two pages, however, mail-in comments required 27 copies, so the benefit of electronic submission becomes immediately apparent!

Hearing Aid compatibility with digital phones is a concern of mine, as I use a digital phone. Until recently, when I bought a HATIS device that utilizes the t-switch in my hearing aid, my only other option was to turn OFF my hearing aid to use the phone. Otherwise the interference between the phone and my hearing aid makes it impossible to use the phone. And, I am lucky enough to have enough residual hearing, that I can sometimes hear well enough to turn my hearing aid off. But, there are still enough times that I spend all of my "airtime" saying "What? Can you hear me? I can't hear you..." If that were an emergency situation, it would be as if I had no digital phone to begin with!

I hope to see all of you at the January meeting!

DENVER CHAPTER NEWS

Sat. January 19. Happy New year. May your year be filled with nothing but positive speech sounds.

Next regular meeting on Saturday. January 19th, at 1:00 for socialization and program at 1:30.

We are pleased to have Jill Boice, respected audiologist with the Center for Hearing Speech and language to enlighten us with valuable insights. Her primary topic will be "Beaming In On The Benefits Of Good Speech-Reading." This will be a "lips-on" live demo rather than just an intellectual discussion.

Ms. Boice may also have time to give us some updates on the latest innovations in hearing aid technologies. You will not want to miss this informative program.

The Center is located at 4280 Hale Parkway. See map for directions. Inquiries may be directed to Dave Conant. 303-xxx-xxxx voice.

Ann Pruitt's News and Notes
SHHH Colorado State Coordinator

Welcome to 2002. Where does our world go from here? Surely we are entering this new year with a much different mindset than all the Januarys of our past. So much has changed, and where do we go from here? Globally, locally...it's all rather intriguing, isn't it? In any case, our fine band of SHHHers is ready to kick off a new season of connecting with each other and the strange world beyond. And I just realized this is the 16th year that I've written a column for the chapter newsletter!

Technology: The biggest change I've seen for hard of hearing people has been the dramatic impact of computers in our world, especially in hearing aids and cochlear implants. And we've gone from toxic clunky mercury batteries to tiny zinc air. Have you been able to find the Energizer EZ battery changer? SHHH recently sent out $2 coupons for the EZ, but the product isn't on every street corner yet. Let me know who's stocking it in the Boulder/Denver area.

I want to start a contest to see who's wearing the most expensive hearing aid or implant, and if you think it was worth the high cost. Can we put a price on our hearing?

The IMAX Theater in Denver now has Rear Window (r) captioning. You need to inquire at the box office at least 20 minutes before showtime. Has anyone tried it out yet? Perhaps it's time for another group field trip!

ABC News had a story last month about a necklace invented for severe and profoundly deaf people by a Stanford engineer called a Directional Hearing Array. Costing about $2,500, it has six tiny microphones that can cut down "extraneous" noise.

Local Boy: Greg Bland, our future rocket scientist, is looking for a used FM system. Call him at 303-499-8612, V/TTY.

SHHH National: The National Day of Hearing Screening will be in October 2002, moved from May.

Don't forget the 2002 convention is in Seattle, finally back in the West, on June 21-24.

The Director of Public Policy, Tim Creagan, will be in Denver Feb. 26-March 1 for the Accessibility Forum. He has considerable expertise in many topics-hearing aid legislation, telecommunication issues, state commissions and councils, IDEA Reauthorization, etc.,--and I'd like for those of us interested in policy, process and rabble-rousing to meet with Tim when possible. Please let me or Debbie Mohney know if you'd like some "Time with Tim", too.

Hearing Dogs: Curlie Sue wants her buddies to know that she now has two new bright orange leashes in four- and six-foot lengths. International Hearing Dog is using a brighter orange color that should help with identification problems, especially with all those harassing people who think we look too "normal" to need a service dog. (Honey, I am normal; it's my hearing that's weird.)

Boulder Chapter: The January meeting is an opportunity to share what's going on in your hard of hearing world. Come join your friends in our groovy little city by the Flatirons.

Quote of the month

To be able to be caught up into the world of thought--that is to be educated.
--- Edith Hamilton.

HOH-LD-News, Vol. IX, Issue 12, December 22, 2001
Microphone Array Improves Hearing Aid Performance

The "buzz" in the hearing loss world this past week has been about a new hearing device that improves hearing aid performance by filtering out unwanted background noise. Invented by Bernard Widrow, a Stanford University electrical engineering professor, the device consists of a set of microphones that are worn around the neck like a necklace. Signal processing algorithms selectively combine the inputs from the microphones to provide a signal that emphasizes the sound coming from directly in front of the user and rejects sounds coming from other directions. This feature is similar to that offered by directional microphones, like that provided with the MicroLink.

Called the Directional Hearing Array; the device costs about $2500. The press has built this up as a "miracle device", and some of the people on the hearing loss lists are promoting this as "the answer" to hearing loss. There's no question that directional arrays can improve the quality of the signal delivered to a person's hearing aid; but I'm concerned that all the hype will elevate people's hopes and expectations far beyond what's reasonable. This device may be an incremental improvement over "standard" technology, but I doubt it's much more than that.

You may remember a similar device called the Radiant Beam Array developed by Starkey Labs a couple of years ago. (See http://www.hearingcenter.com/info_files/Radiant_Beam_Array.html). It sounds like a very similar device to the Directional Hearing Array. There were all kinds of excitement when that device was introduced, as well, but I haven't heard anything about it for a long time. It seems to have quietly faded away.

I don't mean to discourage people from trying this or any other new technology. By all means, give it a test and see if it helps you. But let's not get everyone's hopes up with promises of a "miracle cure".

For information on Professor Widrow and the Directional Hearing Array, point your browser to http://www-isl.stanford.edu/~widrow/.

OPEN-CAPTIONED MOVIES (See http://www.tripod.org for latest info)

NOTE: If you wish to get the latest e-mail updates on open-captioned movies in Colorado, please send e-mail to debbie@mountainocean.com to be added to the mailing list.

Colorado Springs
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Carmike Chapel Hills
February 26, 27

Denver
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Century Aurora
February 12, 13

Denver
Vanilla Sky
AMC Highlands Ranch
February 19, 20

Denver
Monsters, Inc.
AMC Highlands Ranch
January 15, 16

Interested in Receiving A Year's Issues of this Newsletter?

Boulder Chapter: Please pay $10/year dues to continue receiving the News. Checks are payable to Boulder SHHH, and sent to Sue Gossett, 555 E. 16th Ave., Longmont, CO 80501-3069.
Denver Chapter: Contact Marjorie von Frantzius at 303-368-7838 voice.

Editior's note: Even though the date is past, the rest of the information below is still pertinent.

DEAFNEWSOFCOLO@AOL.COM
Colorado Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing's New Director
CCDHH Commissioners are pleased to announce Barbara Jean Wood is the new Executive Director of the Colorado Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Barbara Jean (B.J.) Wood brings a wealth of experience to this position as she has served as CEO for the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing since 1986. Under B.J.'s leadership, MCDHH has been a model for commissions throughout the United States for many years. B.J. will begin working as our Executive Director during part of January and February then transition to full time beginning in March. B.J.'s first Commission meeting will be January 3, 2002, from 3 to 6:30 p.m. at the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation 2211 W. Evans in Denver. Commission meetings are open to the public and interested parties are encouraged to attend. Additionally, Sprint has offered to host a welcoming celebration for B.J. and the Commission looks forward to planning this with Rex Moers. Please watch for forthcoming information and come celebrate with us soon!
Susan Dickinson, Chair CCDHH
E-MAIL: Deaf.Commission@state.co.us
WEB: http://www.cdhs.state.co.us/ods/dvr/colorado_commission.htm

DEAFDIGEST GOLD - JANUARY 6, 2002

A Fly's Mission?

A fly's mission? A research team at Binghamton University, New York, have patterned a new hearing aid model after a parasitic fly (Ormia orchracea).

The patterned model, if perfected, would detect frontal noises, but block out rear noises.

Why? Don't the hard of hearing people want to hear those tip toeing behind them or those that talk behind their backs?

At any rate, the researchers acknowledge that mass production of this one-dimensional hearing aid is difficult.

DEAFDIGEST BLUE - JANUARY 6, 2002

OPEN CAPTIONS AND THE HEARING AUDIENCE

Why do the hearing people watch foreign movies with subtitles yet make it a point to avoid English-titled open captions?

Said one subscriber "When hearing people do not understand the spoken foreign language there is no conflict with the captions.

When voices are in English and these spoken words do not match the captions exactly, then they get distracted."

Or to "tease" their deaf friends that what they are seeing are not exactly what they are not hearing!

ATTENTION!

If we don't already have your e-mail address, please send it to: debbie@mountainocean.com.

We would like to send you reminders about the meetings and any other important hearing or chapter news.

Also, check out our chapter website at:
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/org/shhhboulder.

SHHH Boulder Chapter
President: Debbie Mohney
Vice-President: Dianna Attaway/Jack Gibson
Secretary: Karen Keil
Treasurer: Sue Gossett
SHHH Colorado State Coordinator: Ann Pruitt
SHHH Central Denver Chapter
Chapter Contact: Dave Conant
Membership Contact: Marjorie von Frantzius

If you have a news item, article, clipping, anecdote, story, book review, new product, personal/general member news, etc., to contribute to the newsletter, please contact Karen Keil, 11610 E. Bayaud Dr., Aurora, CO 80012 by mail or by home phone 303-363-8917 TDD or E-mail: kkeil75@yahoo.com. If urgent, contact me for details on faxing. (Please include source, date (and page number if possible.))

Submission deadline for February 2002 newsletter: no later than first weekend in February. The newsletter is mailed at least 10 days prior to monthly meeting.

A major objective of SHHH is to develop a constituency of hard of hearing people. This cannot be achieved without members throughout the U.S. Members of SHHH groups and chapters should be members of SHHH National to help accomplish the goals that will benefit all hard of hearing people and at the same time receive the benefits of that national membership.

Individual: $25/USA, $35/Canada/Mexico, $45/Overseas (via airmail).
Professional: $35/USA, $45/Canada/Mexico, $55 /Overseas (via airmail).
(Other types of memberships include Library, Non-Profit Organization and Organization, etc.)

For information, send a SASE to SHHH, 7910 Woodmont Ave., Suite 1200, Bethesda, MD 20814.

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