June N&v Hlaa-manhattan

News & Views June 2009

www.hearingloss-nyc.org

E-mail: [email protected]

Hearing Loss Association of America exists to open the world of communication to people with hearing loss through information, education, advocacy, and support.

Scholarship Awards Program and Reception On Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Editor’s Corner – Elizabeth Stump

Welcome to the June 2009 issue of the HLAA-Manhattan News & Views! Are you ready for the digital TV transition? Originally planned for February, the final deadline is June 12. If you have any questions, contact the FCC at [email protected]; 888-225-5322 (voice); 888-835-5322 (TTY); or www.dtv.gov. For more on captioning and the transition, visit http://dtv.c-s-d.org.

From left: Winners Aldo Almanzar, Navena Chaitoo, and Jacqueline Drexler.

In lieu of this month’s Chapter meeting, on June 2nd we had a special event: the Scholarship Awards Program and Reception. $1,000 scholarships were presented to three hard-of-hearing high school seniors from NYC and eastern Long Island: Aldo Almanzar, Navena Chaitoo, and Jacqueline Drexler. These students also will be receiving one-year memberships in HLAA. Aldo Rufino Almanzar wears one aid for his moderate to severe/profound hearing loss. He will be attending Rochester Institute of Technology. Navena wears two hearing aids for severe to profound loss. She’ll be attending Fordham University. Jacqueline wears two hearing aids for her severe to profound hearing loss. She will be attending University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We listened to the winners talk about their backgrounds, hearing loss challenges, and college plans. A reception in the students’ honor followed.

There will be no more Chapter meetings until September 15. Enjoy your summer!

As you know by now, the HLAA annual national convention is this month. Many members have registered and are looking forward to several days of workshops, socializing, and fun events in Nashville.

2 A reminder for those of you who are attending: we should try to be seated together at the Birthday Party Banquet (6/19) and the Awards Breakfast on Sunday (6/21). Also, attendees should give their Birthday Party Banquet vouchers to Joe Gordon or Mary Fredericks soon after receiving their convention package upon checking in. Have a peaceful, enjoyable summer! See you at the September 15th meeting!

C H A P T E R P L A N N I N G C OM M I T T E E Join us on the first Tuesday of each month (except in July & August) to help plan programs & events. HLAA Manhattan Chapter Phone Number: (voice) (212) 769-HEAR (4327) Barbara Bryan [email protected] Barbara Dagen, Newsletter Committee [email protected] Mary Fredericks, Secretary (212) 674-9128 [email protected] Joe Gordon [email protected] Toni Iacolucci, NYC Walk4Hearing Co-chair

[email protected] HLAA’s "Purchasing a Hearing Aid: Consumer Check List," published in the May/June issue of Hearing Loss Magazine, is now online here: www.hearingloss.org/learn/hearingaids.asp. Consumers should use it to understand hearing health care best practices and what to expect when getting fitted for a hearing aid. Download the list and take it with you when you purchase your hearing aid. Also available on the Web site are HLAA policies on hearing aids, FDA regulations on sales of hearing aids, and information on hearing assistive technology and evaluating the performance of a hearing aid.

Help the Chapter Go Green! Would you like to receive N&V by e-mail only rather than receive a mailed version to help us cut down on paper consumption and save money? It costs about $8 a year to provide one member with 10 issues — that’s more than half of one’s annual dues. Please notify [email protected] if you’d like to make this change. The Chapter thanks you! Reasons to Go Green: Receive the e-mailed N&V and… *The links are clickable and take you to the Web site immediately! *Color is prettier! *Font size is adjustable *You’re saving trees, labor, printing expenses, and postage!

Shera Katz, Web Site Coordinator [email protected] Anne Pope, Immediate Past President, HLAA Board of Trustees; NYC Walk4Hearing Co-chair [email protected] Ellen Semel (212) 989-0624 [email protected] Susan Shapiro, Treasurer [email protected] Dana Simon [email protected] Elizabeth Stump, Newsletter Editor [email protected] Diane Sussman [email protected] Advisory Members Amy McCarthy Lois O’Neill Robin Sacharoff Professional Advisors: Josh Gendel, Technical Director, Center for Hearing

and Communication (CHC) Laurie Hanin, PhD, CCC-A Exec. Director, CHC Joseph Montano, Ed.D., Director, Hearing & Speech, Weill Cornell Medical College

3 WHAT YOU MISSED IN MAY Mary Fredericks

though there is a slight time delay between the audio and the visual display.

Josh Gendel is not only the Technology Director at the Center for Hearing and Communication (formerly the League for the Hard of Hearing); he is also our chapter’s technical professional advisor. Walk-in demos are available at CHC on Thursdays at 2 pm; they are of a general nature geared toward professionals such as visiting nurses. It is recommended that individual appointments be scheduled for personal advice.

To contact the Center for Hearing and Communication: 917-305-7700; [email protected] For Josh Gendel: [email protected]

Josh gave us a good basic overview of the types of ALDs; they are generally classified as: alerting devices/alarms (tell you that something is happening, like a door or phone ring) and communication systems/devices (help you to hear speech, like audio loops, infrared systems, amplified phones). He demonstrated a remote doorbell ringer with a strobe light; this can be installed in several locations and is battery operated. The transmitter is wireless; the receiver/flasher must be plugged in. Sonic Alert systems can be set for doorbells, phone, baby cry, smoke alarms. Alarm clocks can be loud ringers, flashing lights and/or vibrating types. (Some people sleep with their hearing aids on; this is not a good idea — the ears need to be ‘aired’ at times to avoid the possibility of infection.) Surveys have shown that flashing light smoke alarms are not the best way to wake someone. Try a system connecting with a bed shaker. An interesting Q&A session followed. Some apartment dwellers have difficulty hearing visitors on the intercom; try asking an expected visitor to call your apartment from their cell phone to let you know s/he has arrived. You can also have a customized intercom installed. Regarding phones, virtually all wired phones now are hearing aid compatible — not so with cell phones. Look for cell phones with M4/T4 ratings for the mic and the T-coil. Try going to a phone store when it is not busy; arrange in advance with a friend ready to read to you from a newspaper when you try different phones. To reduce interference, it sometimes helps to hold the cell phone a little distance away from hearing aids. There are no phones compatible with zero or extremely poor speech discrimination; CapTel phones are a very good substitute, even

ALD Suppliers: Harris Communications: 1-800-825-6758 (Voice); www.harriscomm.com/ or [email protected] (Harris Communications gives HLAA members a 15% discount off selected items.) Hearmore: 1-800-881-4327; www.hearmore.com/ Soundbytes: 1-888-816-8191; www.soundbytes.com/ Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms: Kidde: 1-800-880-6788; www.kidde.com/

Metropolitan Calendar

Tuesday, June 2: Scholarship Reception in lieu of regular Chapter meeting Tuesday, June 9: Center for Hearing and Communication Golf Tournament; for more info. call (917) 305-7804 or go here: www.lhh.org/calendar/events/events_golf.html. Thursday, June 18 – Sunday, June 21: HLAA Annual Convention in Nashville, Tennessee A Few Highlights: Wed., June 17: Registration opens (Noon - 6:00 pm) Thursday, June 18: Newcomers Orientation (11:00 am – Noon. If you have never been to an HLAA Convention, you will want to attend!) Friday, June 19: Birthday Party Banquet Sunday, June 21: Awards Breakfast (8:30 - 10 am) *Founder's Day Recognition at the Awards Breakfast. Thursday, July 23: Center for Hearing and Communication Cochlear Implant Support Group 50 Broadway, 2nd Floor; 5:30 pm to 7 pm *For more information, call (917) 305-7751 or e-mail [email protected].

4 Advocacy for People with Hearing Loss The Manhattan Chapter Advocacy Committee has been on a roll! We’ve already had several successes. A favorite summer pastime is watching movies. Thus, we became involved in advocating for captioning the outdoor summer film festivals occurring in NYC. Thanks to our efforts, Riverside Park South agreed to show captioned films in their free 'Movies Under the Stars' summer film series...for the first time ever! The six films will be shown Wednesday evenings from July 8th - August 12th at dusk (8:30 pm), on Pier 1 at 70th Street & the Hudson River (www.riversideparkfund.org/calendar). The order of films: The Age of Innocence; Wall Street; Dinner at Eight; The Out-of-Towners; Drums Along the Mohawk; and Sweet Smell of Success. Our second advocacy success is that the Central Park Conservancy will show captioned films at their festival, also for the first time! It runs for five nights in a row, from Aug. 18-22. The films are: Shaft (1971), Ocean’s 11 (2001), Sex & The City (2008), Twilight (2008), and Viewer’s Choice. Vote at www.7online.com from July 21 to August 21 for one of the following: Men in Black (1997); Goldfinger (1965); or Desperately Seeking Susan (1985). The 7th Annual Central Park Film Festival, sponsored by Bloomberg L.P., is free and starts at 8 PM (gates open at 6 PM). To find Rumsey Playfield, enter the Park at 5th Avenue and 69th Street. Rain or shine. (Go to www.centralparknyc.org/site/Calendar?view=Detail &id=106781.) Many thanks to Toni Iacolucci, Elizabeth Stump, Ruth Bernstein, and Joe Gordon for their help in making this happen. Note that there are two more film festivals showing captioned films (for the first time!) this summer: RiverFlicks for Grown-Ups (at Pier 54) and RiverFlicks for Kids (at Pier 46). (For more info., go to www.hudsonriverpark.org/events.asp.) While this captioning is not a direct result of our Chapter’s advocacy efforts like the two festivals mentioned above, but rather of a person with hearing loss not affiliated with our Chapter, the situation still demonstrates that it takes outspoken people to raise

awareness and obtain accommodations for those with hearing loss. ‚One of the best lessons I've learned in this process has been the need to ask,‛ said Advocacy Committee Chair Toni Iacolucci. ‚As people with hearing loss, I think we're so used to being denied access, it doesn't occur to us to request it. Also, we often assume people are insensitive and don't care about the difficulties we experience. With a positive attitude and patience in educating people about our experience, I think they will be more receptive than we anticipate.‛ To join the Advocacy Committee or ask questions, email us at: [email protected]. Sports and Hearing Loss With summer here and greater opportunity for children, teens, and adults to play sports outdoors, it’s important to ensure that, despite sweating from physical activity, one’s hearing aids or cochlear implant (CI) stays safe and dry. According to HLAA’s Hearing Loss Magazine (Nov./Dec. 2008), hearing aids and CIs rely on earlevel microphones that work only up to about six feet. For greater distances, personal FM systems will help, but are only appropriate for non-contact sports (contact sports include football and soccer) and sports that don’t require rapid movement and projectiles (like tennis) — examples where FM systems can be used are hiking/walking, golf, bowling, and fishing. Water-resistant and waterproof hearing aids and CIs may be a good option if one is in the swimming pool. For sweating in general, use an absorbent sweat band, placed above the hearing device. Other products include the Hearing Aid Sweat Band (www.hearingaidsweatband.com) and latex covers called Super Seals (www.justbekuz.com). Post-activity, remove your device and thoroughly dry it with an absorbent cloth. Also place the device in a dehumidification system. Some use chemical desiccants like silica gel, while others create and circulate heat to remove moisture. An example is www.dryandstore.com.

5 Lastly, the article warns against using both helmets and your hearing device. One should certainly use a helmet in certain sports like biking, football, or skiing, but carving out spaces in the helmet’s padding to accommodate hearing aids or CIs is not wise — chances are you still won’t hear well and you won’t be able to trust the safety of the helmet if you’ve modified it. It’s smarter to instead take off your devices and store them in a safe container while playing.

under the cushions. Adjust the headband so the cushions exert even pressure around the ears. *The whole ear has to be placed inside the hollow space inside the earmuff. There should be no spaces between the earmuff and the head. *Earplugs should be placed in the ear canal after pulling the ear outward and upward with the opposite hand so that one has good access to the canal. Earplugs should be placed to get a snug fit. *For very loud noises, the best protection can be achieved by using earplugs plus an ear muff.

Report from the Hearing Conservation Seminar I attended the Hearing Conservation Seminar sponsored by Aearo Technologies, a 3M Company. The conference, free of charge, took place in the Pfizer Building on E. 42nd St. on Thursday, April 16. Free samples of a large array of earplugs were provided and many types of earmuffs were on display. It was a full-day session, but I only attended the morning session, which was moderated by Dr. Elliot H. Berger, M.S. He is Aearo’s Senior Scientist, Auditory Research, and ‚is responsible for research in hearing protection, hearing conservation, and the effects of noise on hearing.‛ Dr. Berger gave a lively, enjoyable, and informative presentation.

When I asked Dr. Berger about hearing protection for people who wear hearing aids, he said that if a person had an in the canal hearing aid they could use earmuffs. As to shutting off your hearing aids, he didn’t think that was effective as there is a vent in the hearing aid through which noise can pass. As to users of hearing aid types other than those in the ear canal, Dr. Berger said it would be best to consult with one’s audiologist. —Susan Immergut *Visit www.turnittotheleft.com for the American Academy of Audiology’s public awareness campaign about the dangers of noise-induced hearing loss.

Most of the people in the audience were people involved with occupational hearing conservation who worked in companies where the employees were required or encouraged to wear protection because of harmful noise levels. Ways to encourage the use of hearing protection were discussed. Dr. Berger compared the relative simplicity of wearing eyeglasses to the complexity and cost of wearing hearing aids. Unlike hearing aids, eyeglasses don’t need batteries. If you walk into a shower with your eyeglasses, it doesn’t create a problem. But doing the same with your hearing aids can spell disaster. Eyeglasses may cost $300.00 while hearing aids can cost $3,000. You have an occlusion effect with a hearing aid and wax build-up which you don’t with eyeglasses. Dr. Berger likened hearing loss to macular degeneration.

Kiddie Corner Here are some hearing protection products made especially for kids’ tiny ears. For noisy surroundings: *‚BabyBlues‛ ER-20 High Fidelity Earplugs preserve sound quality but reduce output by 20 dB. www.etymotic.com/ephp/er20.aspx

Dr. Berger spoke about the proper use of earmuffs and earplugs. Here are some tips that will ensure good protection:

*Peltor Junior Earmuffs come in several different colors; they fit on infants 3 months and older. http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/ejuearmu.html

*The headband should be placed on the head from front to back and hair has to be pushed away from

*Mack’s SafeSound Jr. soft foam earplugs, for kids age 7 and older: www.macksearplugs.com.

6 For iPods/MP3s/gaming devices: *LoudEnough are volume-limiting earbuds for kids ages 6 and older. They come in several colors and limit sound output by 20 dB: www.loudenough.com. *EarSaver Volume Limiter is plugged between the music and your earphones: http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/earsavolifor.html

*Custom Earmolds are another option you can get from most earmold companies. While more pricey, they provide the best seal possible for tiny ears. For more information on protecting your child’s hearing, go to www.noisyplanet.nidcd.nih.gov.

National HLAA News *HLAA will adopt hearing loss statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics, which is 36 million. The number previously used was 31 million. Of the 5 objectives for hearing created by the Department of Health and Human Services for the year 2010 — decreased number of office visits for otitis media in kids and teens; increased newborn screening; increased use of hearing aids by adults; increased adult hearing examinations; increased use of ear protection and decreased noise-induced hearing loss — the objectives met are decreased visits for otitis media and increased hearing screenings. The 2020 objectives being written now will include many of these current objectives not yet met.

second paragraph on page 4 should have begun: ‚If the auditory nerve is anatomically intact after acoustic neuroma surgery, sometimes a cochlear implant can be used. If the auditory nerve is not intact, then a brainstem implant might be used in exceptional circumstances (i.e., if the patient is bilaterally deaf). …‛ WALK4HEARING: Save the Date! Our second annual NYC Walk4Hearing will take place on Sunday, October 18, in Riverside Park. Last year we had a great beginning. Five hundred people walked. We were toddlers and seniors and every age in between. We were people with hearing loss and people without. We were consumers, educators, ENTs, and audiologists. We were families, friends, and colleagues. We worked together to say loud and clear that hearing loss is an important health issue with serious challenges, not a minor (and laughable) inconvenience. We walked together to say this is what hearing loss looks like. It was a wonderful day, and we had a wonderful time. Watch the video on www.hearingloss.org to see us in action. But our walk is more than fun. It is the most important thing each of us can do to eliminate the stigma of hearing loss. If youngsters with hearing loss are able to fulfill their potential, if people in the workforce are to be considered for their talent and not dismissed for their disability, if older people are ever to live free of demeaning jokes, we need to change the way people think about hearing loss. To make that happen, we must keep working together to tell the public our story. This year we want to double the number of walkers and double our impact.

*The HLAA membership brochure is being revised to further highlight chapters, and the Q&A brochure that many chapters use for health fairs is being divided into two Q&A brochures: one on the emotional aspects of hearing loss for people who are new to it, and a second one on forms of hearing assistive technology.

What can you do to help? Become a sponsor or help us find a sponsor. Just send us a note at [email protected] and we will see that you get the forms. You can also organize your own team by going to www.walk4hearing.org, clicking on the NYC walk, and following the prompts. Or you can join an existing team. Or you can be a volunteer on Walk day. Anyone on the Planning Committee will be glad to talk with you about being part of the Walk. We want to grow every year until there is a great river of people flowing farther than the eye can see.

Correction: There was a small error in May’s ‚Ask the Expert!‛ response from Dr. Paul E. Hammerschlag. The

Come join us. All of us who were there last year can tell you that there is nothing like being part of the Walk4Hearing.

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Access to the Arts in New York City

OPEN-CAPTIONED THEATER - Find captioned theater listings nationwide on www.c2net.org Theater Access Project (TAP) captions Broadway and Off-Broadway productions each month. Tickets are discounted. For listings & application www.tdf.org/tap or 212-221-1103, 212-719-45377 (TTY) *Upcoming OPEN-CAPTIONED Shows: [Must register/order with TAP for tickets] Desire Under the Elms (6/7, 3 PM); Twelfth Night (7/6, 8 PM); The Bacchae (8/30, 8 PM) OPEN-CAPTIONED MOVIES – For updated listings, go to www.insightcinema.org/links.html or www.regalcinemas.com/movies/open_cap.html REGAL BATTERY PARK STADIUM 11,102 N. End Avenue–Vesey & West Streets (212) 945-4370. REGAL–UA KAUFMAN STUDIOS CINEMA 14, 35th Ave. & 38th St., Long Island City (718) 786-1722. REGAL–UA SHEEPSHEAD BAY-BROOKLYN, Knapp St & Harkness Ave (718) 615-1053.

REAR-WINDOW CAPTIONED MOVIES - For listings go to www.FOMDI.com. Ask for a special window when buying your ticket. The window reflects the text that’s shown on the rear of the theater. AMC Empire on 42nd Street. (212) 398-2597, call Tues. afternoon for next week’s schedule. Clearview Chelsea Cinemas, 260 W. 23rd St., Auditorium 4, 212-691-5519 www.clearviewcinemas.com/tripod.shtml The Bronx: AMC Cinema Bay Plaza, 718-320-1659.

MUSEUMS WITH CAPTIONED EVENTS & ASSISTIVE DEVICES The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave. 212-879-5500 Ext. 3561 (V), 212-570-3828 (TTY) Real-Time Captioning of lectures upon request – This service requires at least three weeks notice. Gallery Talk with ALDs (meet at gallery talk station, Great Hall) The Museum of Modern Art, 1 East 53rd St., Access Programs 212-708-9864, 212-247-1230 (TTY) ALDs are available for lectures, gallery talks, & Family Programs. Infrared is available in Titus Theaters.

Housing Info. Videos

New CapTel Phone

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has produced videos for YouTube and Facebook designed to educate deaf and hard-ofhearing consumers about their fair housing rights, housing counseling services, and loan programs. For more information, go to www.hud.gov/news/index.

Coming soon: the new CapTel 800i Phone! It will work with highspeed Internet and a telephone line. The phone can be used with a headset or a neckloop. Go here for more information: www.sprintrelay.com/doc/Sprint_ CapTel800i_flyer_04_03_09.pdf For Sprint CapTel customer service: 888-269-7477 (voice) or 800-482-2424 (TTY)

Find Support Online! We’re on Facebook! Receive alerts and connect with other members (www.facebook.com).

Here's the link to our message board on Meetup.com: www.meetup.com/Hearing-LossAssociation-of-America-ManhattanChapter/messages/boards/.

Mention of suppliers or devices in this newsletter does not mean HLAA-Manhattan endorsement, nor does exclusion suggest disapproval.

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c/o Barbara Dagen, 141 E. 33rd St. (3B) New York, NY 10016

FIRST CLASS MAIL (DATED MATERIAL)

Please check your address label for the date of your last dues payment and, if you are a National member, there will be an “NM” after the date. Report any discrepancies to Mary Fredericks. Thanks! Manhattan Chapter Annual Membership Application

Please complete and return this form, with your chapter dues of $15 (payable to HLAA-Manhattan) for the period September 1, 2008, to August 31, 2009 Send to: Mary Fredericks 520 East 20th St. (8E) New York, NY 10009

HLAA Membership Application Please complete and return this form, with your dues payment of $35 for a one-year membership (including subscription to Hearing Loss Magazine) To: HLAA Membership, 7910 Woodmont Ave. Suite 1200, Bethesda, MD 20814. NAME (please print)

NAME (please print)_____________________

ADDRESS/APT_____________________________ CITY/STATE/ZIP________________________ PHONE (Home or Work?)_________________ E-MAIL ADDRESS_______________________ SEND A NEWSLETTER BY E-MAIL YES NO MEMBER OF HLAA NATIONAL? YES NO HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT US? ________________________

ADDRESS/APT_____________________________ ____________ CITY/STATE/ZIP________________________ PHONE (Home or Work)__________________ E-MAIL ADDRESS_______________________ ARE YOU NOW A MEMBER OF HLAA NATIONAL? YES NO (receiving Hearing Loss Magazine)?______ IF YES, I.D. No.________________

ADDITIONAL DONATION_$_______________ TOTAL ENCLOSED_$____________________

ADDITIONAL DONATION_$_______________ TOTAL ENCLOSED_$____________________

HLAA is a volunteer association of hard of hearing people, their relatives and friends. It is a nonprofit, non-sectarian educational organization devoted to the welfare and interests of those who cannot hear well. Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. We are a 501(c)(3) organization.