Winter 2000 Issue | Volume 9 Number 1
A publication of advocates for better communication
a volunteer program allied with the League for the Hard of Hearing
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Editorial: New Initiatives
New Book: HEAR AGAIN
Jury Duty
Captioned Audioguides
Federal Reserve Captioned
Illinois Advocacy
St. Louis Advocacy
Accessible London Trip
Ruth S. Bernstein Honored
MoMA Arts Access Program
Meet Florence Steiger
Captioned Programming Resources
Personal Captioning System Reviewed
AGBell Assn. and SHHH Convention Info
As you browse through the articles in this issue, the very first of the new millennium, you will notice that a.b.c. has broadened its outreach. Our readership continues to expand far beyond our New York City metropolitan area, and our advocacy efforts are keeping pace with this trend. With increased Internet use, and our Internet version of this newsletter on our website, we’re networking in ways never before possible. You’ll notice reports from advocates in Chicago and St. Louis, as well as information about captioned movies and museum guides around the nation - and the world!
Several advocates have taken the time to report their advocacy triumphs and activities, and we appreciate their efforts. We are reminded that, in many cases, all it takes is one person requesting needed accommodations to make a difference. Whether it’s getting an orientation film captioned at the Federal Reserve, or having TTY pay phones installed at railway stations, our writers have proven that you can make a difference if you speak up (or write)!
It’s thrilling for us to be able to share this kind of information, hoping that this will encourage others to speak up. We are learning that we are not alone, and our needs are not unique. Each success makes it easier for the next person.
Another item in this issue that is dear to my heart is the announcement of the publication of my book, Hear Again: Back to Life with a Cochlear Implant. It chronicles my first year with my cochlear implant, and shows, in so many ways, how important our sense of hearing is. There’s no way to truly appreciate the impact of this powerful sense on our lives than to lose it and get it back again. I hope you will read it, enjoy it, and let others know about it. See page 3 for ordering information.
My best wishes to you all for a happy and healthy 2000! No matter where you are on this globe, if you have some advocacy news to report, we’d love to hear from you!
Arlene Romoff
Editor-in-Chief
a.b.c. Reports
REAR WINDOW CAPTIONING NOW AVAILABLE IN AREA MOVIE THEATERS
A new movie theater with Rear Window Closed Captioning and Descriptive Narration technology is now in place at the General Cinema Clifton Commons 16 in Clifton, NJ (ten miles west of Manhattan on Route 3, next to Barnes & Noble). The contact phone number for movie information is 973-614-0966.
The Rear Window technology opens up the movies for patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing because it allows the viewer to attend any showing of the movie in that theater. The Descriptive Narration technology, which is also available, gives blind patrons information about the visual aspects of the film, using special receivers.
The best place to sit when using Rear Window captioning is in the stadium seating section of the theater on the same side as the letterboard screen which is on the back wall of the auditorium. You should not sit in the back six rows, or in the front six rows of the theater. Your seat needs to be one with a cupholder, which holds the lucite panel that reflects the captions off the back wall of the auditorium. There is no additional cost for using this equipment, just the cost of a regular movie ticket.
The following General Cinema theaters are equipped with rear-window captioning:
These theaters are also equipped with infrared listening systems. Contact the theater directly for movie availability and title. With this technology, it is hoped that eventually, there will always be a new movie available. You can request to be notified by email about upcoming movie titles and times available with this captioning technology by contacting General Cinemas at bcallagh@gencin.com. General Cinema’s goal is to have a steady stream of new films coming into the theater at all times. Your help is needed to spread the word about these captioned movie showings, so that the movie studios are convinced that there is an audience for captioned movies.
TRIPOD CAPTIONED FILMS DEDICATED SCREENS UPDATE
TRIPOD, which provides open captioned films to movie theaters, is pleased to report that the following movie theaters have one screen dedicated to showing open captioned movies 52 weeks a year/7 days a week.
Kansas City, MO AMC Olathe
Rochester, NY Regal Henrietta
Milpitas, CA AMC Milpitas
Phoenix, AZ AMC Arizona Center
San Diego, CA AMC Fashion Valley
For more information, contact TRIPOD at:
TRIPOD
1727 West Burbank Boulevard, Burbank, CA 91506-1312
Phone: 818-972-2080 (V/TTY), Fax: 818-972-2090
info@tripod.org - - www.tripod.org
COCHLEAR IMPLANT CORNER: New Book!
Hear Again: Back to Life with a Cochlear Implant
by Arlene Romoff. New York: League for the Hard of Hearing Publications, 1999
Arlene Romoff, editor of this newsletter, and co-chair of the a.b.c.’s Cultural Affairs committee, chronicles her experiences with a progressive hearing loss, and her return to hearing with a cochlear implant. She began losing her hearing during her college years. It continued to decline gradually until, almost thirty years later, she was left profoundly deaf. When hearing aids no longer worked for her, she elected to get a cochlear implant, a computerized device that bypasses the damaged nerve fibers of the ear and stimulates the auditory nerve directly. With the internal component surgically inserted, and the external speech processor activated, she regained a significant amount of hearing.
For the next year, Arlene shared her experiences with family, friends and colleagues via e-mail. These "postings" are brought together in Hear Again, a fascinating and moving account of life without hearing, and her return to the "hearing world."
Some comments about Arlene’s chronicles:
"It means so much to me to read your first-hand accounts with the implant. It gives me so much hope. As my hearing continues to get progressively worse (gradually), I know the implant is a very viable option. Thank you for taking the time to share all of this with us." Carolyn Ginsburg (hard of hearing friend)
"I have learned more from you than any other single person what it is like to lose one’s hearing and then regain some of it via an implant."
Mardie Younglof (CI user and Associate Editor, CONTACT, the publication of Cochlear Implant Club International) "Your writing catches and shares all the emotions and poignancy, the pains and joys that hard of hearing people experience. You do it extremely well." Rudy Vener (dear/blind CI user)
Orders are now being taken for Hear Again. Send $15.95 (postage paid) to:
League for the Hard of Hearing, 71 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010-4162
For additional information, contact Joe Brown at jbrown@lhh.org or 917-305-7810
JURY DUTY: Experience and Advice
by Lise Hamlin
This summer, I served as a juror in a civil case at New York State Supreme Court in New York City. I requested, and received, communication access from the court in the form of an Infrared Listening (IR) System and Computer Assisted Realtime Translation (CART). The access was terrific and sorely needed; I could not have served without those accommodations.
If you have a hearing loss and you receive a summons for jury service, you can assure that you get the kind of access you need by being polite, persistent, and knowing your needs:
When I served jury service, the IR system was put immediately into place, the CART stenographer
arrived shortly thereafter. The orientation video was open captioned and all the clerks were helpful and courteous. When I was impaneled a juror, the judge went out of her way to make sure I had access and both the attorneys and the other jurors understood why the accommodations were in place and how they worked.There was a time when citizens with hearing loss were exempt from service on a jury. No more. The New York State jury system has been overhauled. The system is now much more "user friendly": the summons has more information and is more clearly written, there are few automatic exemptions - even Mayor Giulliani and Governor Pataki have had to appear for jury service - and the courts have been working hard to provide accommodations for people with disabilities. It's surely taken a long time, but access is finally possible.
CAPTIONED HANDHELD COMPUTER TESTED AT WHITNEY MUSEUM
Members of a.b.c., along with others with hearing loss, were invited by the Whitney Museum of American Art to test an experimental handheld computer developed by Intel. Designed as an auxiliary educational tool for the current exhibit, "The American Century: Art & Culture 1900-2000," the computer was equipped with a digital screen, complete with captioning capability. The audio portion of the unit could accommodate headphones, a loop for hearing aid users, or a patch cord for CI users.
The best part of this unit, for those with hearing loss, was that the audio portion could be reset to any location, along with the captions which were synchronized with the audio portion. This gave the user complete freedom to replay those portions that might have been missed, or to follow along with the captions as needed.
This unit holds great possibilities, and a.b.c. was delighted that the opinions of deaf and hard of hearing people were actively sought.
MUSEUM AUDIOGUIDES WITH SCROLLING TEXT
Audioguides with captioning capability are currently being used at museums across the country. The company which provides these guides, Antenna Audio Tours, advises that only the permanent museum collections have the scrolling text, not temporary exhibits. The units also have a jack, which accepts regular headphones, loops for hearing aids with t-coils, and patch cords for cochlear implant processors.
So far, we have no first-hand reports about the caption feature of these units. We’d like to report on this in a future issue. If you are able to access any of the museums on the following list, please ask to try these audioguides, and ask to use the scrolling text feature. Please let us know your experience so that others can benefit.
U.S. Programs:
European Programs:
Have you discovered any accessible treasures that you think others would enjoy? Write to us so we can share this information with our readers. We’d love to feature YOUR story in our next issue.
ACTIVE ADVOCACY:
Federal Reserve Bank Tour Captioned!
by Stephanie Anello Krivicich
A while back, my family and I took a tour at the Federal Reserve Bank located on Liberty Street in New York City. My husband and I are hearing impaired and unbeknownst to us, a twenty-minute film was shown before a walking tour. Of course, my husband and I were at a loss.
After the tour, I spoke with the tour guide about captioning. She, in turn, gave me the name of the tour director, Mr. Alan Leisengang. Shortly afterwards, I called Mr. Leisengang via VCO Relay, and explained to him about open captions; how it would benefit deaf and hard of hearing people. Mr. Leisengang requested more information and promised to look into it. I then called the League for the Hard of Hearing, and spoke with a.b.c. members Ruth Shapiro Bernstein and Joe Gordon to find out how I could assist Mr. Leisengang in his attempt to provide captioning for the film. I relayed the information to him.
Last month, Mr. Leisengang called me via VCO Relay to inform me of the wonderful news that the introductory film now has open captions, and I am thrilled! I’m deeply grateful to Mr. Leisengang. I hope the deaf and hard of hearing community will take the opportunity to visit the Federal Reserve Bank and enjoy this interesting tour.
ANOTHER ACTIVE ADVOCATE: Advocacy in Illinois
By Paul Lurie
In February, 1999 I found myself stuck in a train station in Springfield, Illinois due to a snow storm which had closed the airport. I had to wait several hours for the next train. When I used the public pay phone, I noticed that there were no amplified phones and, of course, nothing for a TTY connection. I inquired about a TTY and the attendant said that there was something in the "back room."
On March 1, 1999, I wrote one short polite letter to the Illinois Department of Human Services in Springfield about these ADA violations. On March 9, 1999, I received a reply from a specialist at the Department saying that he had done an investigation and that the supervisor of the station agreed to replace the defective TTY and provide appropriate signage. At that time I was told that Amtrak had a nationwide contract with Ameritech for pay phones, that Ameritech had been contacted and that amplified phones would be installed by April 6, 1999.
Most importantly, the Illinois Department specialist stated in his letter: "I really appreciate your advocacy and bringing this to our attention." I received another letter from the Department on April 29, 1999 stating that all the changes had been installed. On his own initiative, the specialist had gone to the airport, and found other telephone violations which were in the process of being corrected. This all took one short letter.
My favorite advocacy story occurred in 1998. Over a winter holiday weekend, I had taken my wife and two of my teenage children to Washington, D.C. One of our excursions was the FBI tour. The tour starts with a ten minute video. I noticed that it was not closed captioned and I saw no signage concerning assistive devices.
I wrote a polite letter to the U.S. Department of Justice unit in charge of ADA enforcement. Of course, the irony was that the FBI is also a unit of the Department of Justice. There was a delay of several months, while they evidently tried to determine a response. (I would have paid to see the face of the person that first read my letter.) After three months I received a formal three page letter acknowledging that the FBI tour site had numerous ADA violations having to do with signage in addition to the lack of closed captioning on the video. To their credit, the DOJ handled this complaint just like any other ADA violation. Immediate correction was promised. (I didn't get the same thank you as I did from the Illinois Department of Human Resources.)
ANOTHER ACTIVE ADVOCATE:
Dr. Paula Brown Glick
Dr. Paula Brown Glick, founding a.b.c. coordinator, and now co-chair of a.b.c.’s Cultural Affairs committee, has always been an active advocate. As with other a.b.c. board members, her advocacy efforts have led her to take on additional responsibilities. In New York City, Paula is a member of the Manhattan Borough President's Disability Advisory Council, Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) Hearing Technology Research at The Lexington Center, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Art’s Programs and Services for People with Disabilities Advisory Council. On this last committee, she has advised provision of, or improvement of, assistive listening equipment in the Lincoln Center theaters, Walter Reade theater, and in the many sites used in the Lincoln Center Festival. The Walter Reade theater now has infrared headset receivers, while the FM receivers with earbuds are still available. Paula suggests asking for what you prefer. Paula has also suggested improved signage and the use of the international symbol of access for people with hearing loss in announcements.
Paula has made many visits and complaints to the Cinema Village on 12th St. in Manhattan, an independent movie house that shows offbeat films. Now they have installed an infrared system, but they have not put signage in the box office! Ask!
a.b.c. is working towards the reduction of noise in public places, particularly restaurants, where loudness seems to be a criterion of popularity but not of pleasant conversation with friends. Paula’s letter to the editor addressing this issue was recently published in the New York Times.
Paula found that the New York Times TV weekly guide and daily lists stopped including the CC closed caption logo in September. On inquiry, she was told that an "expert" had informed the editor of the TV section that all programs are captioned and there is no need for this! Protests followed by a.b.c. members, with explanation of the true state of captioning and FCC regulations. We are happy to tell you that the editor has now reinstated the CC logo for programs. We continue to monitor and advise newspapers and providers about the importance of captioning, and the importance of accurate information about aids and services for people who are hard of hearing and deaf.
After a complaint and inquiry, we learned that the FCC rules enacted in 1996 "require that repeats of captioned programming must be shown with the captions intact," but only if the program has not been edited prior to its rebroadcast. Editing a captioned program can destroy the captions and may require that the captions be reformatted. The Commission's current rules encourage, but do not require, that captions be reformatted. The Commission plans to review the rule in future. Paula plans to participate in the review when possible. She suggests that writing letters to TV and cable stations will tell them how important captioning can be to people who watch TV.
As this summary shows, there is a continuing need for watching, checking, and sharing information about aids and services for people who are hard of hearing and deaf. We welcome comments and suggestions from readers, and hope that when you write to organizations and providers you send us copies so we can follow-up on problems and improvements.
NEW ADVOCACY GROUP FORMS IN ST. LOUIS
The Consumer Advocates for the Hearing Impaired, an advocacy group based at Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) in St. Louis, began with a grant from the Missouri Assistive Technology Project in 1993. Originally, six persons with hearing loss were trained by Elizabeth Mauze (CID audiologist), and Susan Binzer (Washington University School of Medicine audiologist) and Linda Baker-Oberst (social worker). They are currently training two more advocates.
All advocates and professional advisors volunteer their time to educate individuals and public facilities about hearing loss, Assistive Listening Systems and the ADA. For more information about this group, you may contact Susan Binzers at: binzers@msnotes.wustl.edu
TELEVISION CLOSED CAPTIONING UPDATE
We welcome the new year - because by January 1, 2000, the first Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandated regulations on television closed captioning become effective. By this date, at least 25% of "new" programs ("new" programs are those produced after January 1, 1998) must be closed captioned. More education and advocacy has to be done on this issue. a.b.c. is involved and will report in future issues.
Joe Gordon
Chair, Telecommunications Committee
TRAVELIN’ EARS: A Hearing Accessible Trip to London
by Ruth Shapiro Bernstein
A DREAM COME TRUE
Saturday, March 25 - Sunday, April 2, 2000
As those of you who read the "Travelin Ears" column know, I love to travel, and work hard at making my trips hearing accessible. I have dreamt about going on a trip where accessibility would be arranged by the tour company and I could just sit back and enjoy. Now that dream is coming true.
theatre development fund Travel (tdf Travel), advocates for better communication (a.b.c.) and the League for the Hard of Hearing have worked together to arrange a hearing accessible theater tour of London from Saturday, March 25 to Sunday, April 2, 2000. Because this is the first time tdf Travel has run a hearing accessible tour, the group is limited to 25 people. The trip includes two captioned theater performances, a backstage tour of the Globe Theatre, and a trip to the Millennium Dome in Greenwich. There will be a group FM system supervised by a League staff member. Every effort is being made to provide accessibility in hotel rooms, including hearing aid compatible, amplified phones, visual fire alarms, door knock alert and captioned TV. The cost of the trip is $1999.00 per person. There is no sign language interpreting on this trip.
London is remarkably accessible. Many theaters, concert halls and movie houses have assistive listening systems. The Royal Opera is captioned. Several of the major museums have audio loops. If you have a hearing aid with a T-switch or a cochlear implant that can be used with an FM system, this trip is accessible for your type of hearing loss. After registration each traveler will be asked to fill in and return a form to the League so that everyone’s hearing needs can be addressed. There will be a trip orientation to demonstrate the FM system and answer questions.
For more information about future hearing accessible trips, contact Terry Erkkila at tdf Travel, 212-221-0885, ext. 251 or by e-mail at travel@tdf.org
RUTH SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN HONORED BY a.b.c.
Ruth Shapiro Bernstein was honored at the September board meeting of a.b.c. for her two years of service as Coordinator. The baton was recently passed to Charlotte Roth and Florence Steiger, who now share the Coordinator’s responsibilities. A plaque commending Ruth on her dedication and service to a.b.c. was presented to her. Refreshments were served in celebration of this well-deserved honor.
The following congratulatory remarks from Keith Muller, Executive Director of the League for the Hard of Hearing, were read at the meeting:
"Whenever someone steps into the empty shoes of previously excellent leaders, a challenge exists to do as well and, of course, hopefully to also be a great leader doing wonderful things. a.b.c. has been blessed with leadership from its inception that brought the right mix to the table to get things done. When it became Ruth Shapiro’s turn, she stepped right up - eagerly but humbly.
Over these past two years, Ruth has performed admirably as the Coordinator of a.b.c. This vital advocacy group has continued the record of the past and added to the list of successes. Ruth has truly worked at building team spirit and rightly recognized the contributions and talents of other members. She is quite comfortable sharing the joy of success while maintaining her interests.
Travel access and working with others on cultural access have been her strong areas. Assisting in educating our elected leaders, here, in Albany, and elsewhere, is a task she took on enthusiastically.
The time for transition arrived and Ruth worked with all concerned to make sure this transition works - in the best interests of a.b.c. and its members. In honor of such good service, work ethic, camaraderie, and ardent support for a.b.c., I join with others in celebrating her contributions.
And, we are all glad she is not leaving us, but instead remains determined to keep working to get the job done."
MoMA HOLDS SPECIAL
TWO-PART PROGRAM ON DISABILITIES AND THE ARTS
The Museum of Modern Art recently held a two-part program entitled, "Beyond Barriers: Accessing the Arts."
PART I: THE ART OF THE DANCE
by Toby Kurzband, Ed.D.
"Art of the Dance" was the theme of a program at the Museum of Modern Art on September 28, 1999 as part of its program on how artists overcome their disabilities and how museums can be made more accessible to visitors with special needs.
The program began with a dance by Fred Beam, Director of the Deaf Dance Theatre, who has performed with the Gallaudet Dance Company. It was followed by a slide talk by Dr. Deborah M. Sonnenstrahl, formerly head of the Art Department at Gallaudet University. She showed paintings on dance themes by Degas, Matisse, Picasso, Chagall and several others, including Mondrian’s "Manhattan Boogie Woogie." Her commentary, in American Sign Language, was particularly noteworthy for its dance movements as she spoke. The dialogue was voice interpreted, an infrared system was available, and realtime captioning was offered.
In a discussion after the performance, both Ms. Sonnenstrahl and Mr. Beam discussed their careers and how they were challenged by being deaf. Mr. Beam also gave a demonstration of Boogie Woogie.
The program was enjoyed by several members of a.b.c., as well as many others with hearing loss.
PART II: ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO THE ARTS
On October 5th, the second part of this special program was presented. It was a panel presentation entitled "Alternative Approaches to the Arts" featuring Paola Antonelli, Curator, Department of Architecture and Design at MoMA; Willard Boepple, sculptor; Stephen Kuusisto, author of the New York Times bestseller, Planet of the Blind, A Memoir; and Dr. Deborah M. Sonnenstrahl, Professor Emeritus, Museum Studies/Art History, Gallaudet University. The program was moderated by Charles A. Riley II, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief, WE Magazine.
The evening’s program was completely accessible to people with hearing loss. The auditorium was equipped with an infrared system, realtime captioning, and sign language interpreters. It is important to note, also, that both types of infrared receivers were available - regular headsets, and receivers that could be used with a loop for hearing aid users, and a patch cord for cochlear implant users.
MoMA has been a leader in providing accessibility for people with hearing loss. Thanks go to Francesca Rosenberg, Assistant Director of Education, and to Elly Karp, Special Needs Coordinator, for their awareness, sensitivity and responsiveness to the needs of people with hearing loss, which has brought about the increased hearing accessibility at MoMA.
CULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE UPDATE
Karin Mango now chairs the museum access subcommittee. She has prepared and distributed a questionnaire requesting information about various aids and services in museums: TTY, amplified tours and lectures, captioning on videos and lectures, signage about assistive services, sign language programs, etc. The information is being compiled and when completed, a report will be made and copies will be available from a.b.c.
We are preparing new information for the guide to accessibility in New York area cultural centers. Some of this is now on the advocacy web page. Check there, too, for information on captioned movie presentations, prepared by Rosalind Pretzfelder.
MEET FLORENCE STEIGER -
NEW a.b.c. CO-COORDINATOR
Florence Steiger, a.b.c.’s new co-coordinator, is a native New Yorker. She holds a B.S. in Education from Brooklyn College and a Master’s degree in Education from State University Stony Brook. Florence taught for many years before embarking on a successful career in real estate. A profound hearing loss forced her to retire in 1995.
Florence and her husband are avid lovers of theater, movies and classical music. They attend performances frequently although somewhat limited because of Florence’s hearing loss. In seeking services for her own hearing loss after she moved to Manhattan, Florence became acquainted with the League for Hard of Hearing, where she began taking speechreading classes. While there, she learned of the many volunteer opportunities and became a Docent for the museum at the League. Shortly afterwards, Florence became involved with a.b.c. She began her duties as co-coordinator last July, sharing responsibilities with Charlotte Roth. Florence hopes to continue the fine work of her predecessors.
CAPTION PROGRAM RESOURCES
For those with Internet access, the following websites have a wealth of
information about captioned movies and theater in the NYC metropolitan area:
www.handson.org (The calendar is great!)
www.lhh.org/movies
The Theatre Development Fund’s Theatre Access Project (TDF/TAP), 1501 Broadway, NY, NY 10036, offers open captioned performances of Broadway shows. Call 212-221-1103 or tap@tdf.org and ask to be put on their mailing list for captioned performances. Their website is: htttp://www.tdf.org .
The Paper Mill Playhouse, Brookside Drive, Millburn, New Jersey 07041, runs one or two open captioned performances for each of its productions. The theater has an infrared listening system. Call 973-379-3636 or email Michael Mooney at Mmooney@PaperMill.org and request to be put on their mailing list for captioned shows. Their website is: http://www.papermill.org .
The George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, open captions one performance of each of its productions of the season. The theater has an infrared listening system. Contact the theater at 732-246-7717(V) or 732-846-0825(TTY). Request to be put on their mailing list for future captioned performances. Their website is: http://www.georgestplayhouse.org .
The new New Jersey Performing Arts Center, One Center Street, Newark, NJ 07102 is offering open captioned performances of national touring company productions of Broadway shows. Contact Schary Cole at scole@njpac.org, or call 973-297-5873 or fax 973-648-6724 to order tickets, or to be put on their mailing list for future captioned performances.
To get a monthly listing by email of captioned movies shown at Clearview Cinema theaters, send your request to: wsalisch@clearcin.com
For information about the captioned movies shown with the Rear Window system at General Cinema movie theaters, email bcallagh@gencin.com to be put on their mailing list. For the Clifton (NJ) Commons schedule, call 973-614-0966 for movie information.
For listings of captioned and foreign subtitled movies shown at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center, email to M2NYC@aol.com or write to the Film Society of Lincoln Center, 70 Lincoln Center Plaza, NY, NY 10023-6595
HEALTH CARE COMMITTEE UPDATE
by Ruth Green
With a population that is aging, the number of people with both vision and hearing impairments is growing. With that in mind, the Health Care Committee has developed a kit, "Suggestions For Better Health Care Access for Consumers With Hearing and Vision Loss." Included in the kit is information on consumer rights, glossary on hearing loss, glossary on vision loss, suggestions for the service provider, communication strategies and much more. Kits are available from a.b.c. for $6.
PERSONAL CAPTIONING SYSTEM: DEMONSTRATION REVIEW
by Paul Lurie
On October 20, 1999, I attended the performance of Bluff, a play at the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago. Victory Gardens has a long history of interest in accessible theater. I went to see a demonstration of Dr. Murray Fisher’s Personal Captioning System.
The technology consists of a computer hooked up to a book-sized TV transmitter which transmits a video signal to Walkman-like TV receivers. There were two prototype receivers. One was an "off the shelf" palm-size TV with a small 2" x 3" screen. The other receiver was a unit which is put in a pocket and is attached to a miniature monitor which is hooked onto eyeglasses.
This is how the system works. The text of the play is entered into a computer with outputs to the TV transmitter. A person familiar with the play pushes a computer key which causes the dialogue to scroll one screen at a time on the portable TVs. The effect is similar to what you see in opera houses; however, you are seeing all of the text of the play rather than the abridged version that you see in opera houses.
The advantage of the eyeglass mount is that it enables you to see the text in front of you while you are watching a play. With the hand-held TV receiver, you must hold the unit up to eye level in order to gain maximum benefit. Dr. Fisher envisions that the receiver units would be mounted on goose necks attached to seats so that you would not have to hold the receiver in front of you.
Please note that this was very difficult to hear. In the future, the volume needs to be increased.
After the performance, Dr. Fisher and I talked about what would be the ideal kind of receiver. I suggested that not only should it have a video output, but also should have an audio output. The audio output should consist of a 3.5mm jack which could be plugged into either a telecoil for people with hearing aids, or plugged into a cochlear implant speech processor. I also told him that the audio receiver needs to be capable of receiving both a standard infrared signal and also an FM signal. He had not thought of these features.
Dr. Fisher is an educational specialist working with the handicapped. He sees his initial market as the educational market. The part of the technology which was not being used in the theater context involves the use of voice-to-text speech recognition engines. He believes that he can effectively use speech recognition in a classroom setting because the speakers can be trained to the system.
Dr. Fisher’s first goal is to finalize the equipment which consists of the wireless technology for video. Most video applications, such as CART reporting, are all hardwired. By going wireless, he opens this technology to a broad audience. Evidently he is first going to try the speech recognition technology in the educational market.
I will keep you informed as to future progress.
NEW & IMPROVED ASSISTIVE LISTENING SYSTEMS AVAILABLE
New and improved assistive listening systems are becoming available. Now the Manhattan Theatre Club stages 1 and 2 have more microphones on stage, and both infrared and FM systems installed. A patron can choose the system he prefers, and bring an infrared receiver if desired. City Center and the Manhattan Theater Club have an excellent new FM system with potential for translations and audio description as well as amplification.
Both the Millennium Hotel and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) have FM systems using the newest upper level frequencies recently assigned by the FCC for Assistive Listening System use. MoMA has the new, improved, FM devices for services in its Programs for Visitors with Disabilities and Special Needs. The Millennium Hotel, formerly the Hudson Theater, now has the FM system in its large meeting room.
WEDDING VIDEO CAPTIONED!
Our daughter, Dawn, was married on July 3rd. Dawn was born with a profound, bilateral hearing loss. The entire night was perfect, from the outdoor ceremony to the reception. The rabbi was facing Dawn the entire time, so she was able to lipread him during the ceremony. It seemed as if the wedding was over almost before it began. The best way to prolong this wonderful evening and to catch whatever part of the night we somehow might have missed, was to have a video of the wedding. Since it was Dawn’s wedding, my husband and I wanted her to enjoy the video as much as we did.
I cannot describe the look of amazement on Dawn’s face when she started watching the video and realized that it was captioned. It was a breathtaking moment. I had contacted many companies that provided captioning services and found that this service was generally not available to the private consumer. The company that captioned our wedding video is Captions, Inc. located in Burbank, California. Robert Troy, sales manager, and his staff were most accommodating and a pleasure to work with.
Ellen V. Plotkin
A.G. BELL CONVENTION:
JULY 8 - 11 IN PHILADELPHIA
"Sounds of Freedom," the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing’s 2000 International Convention, will be held at the Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel in Philadelphia, PA, July 8 - July 11, 2000. Presentations and short courses will be offered on a variety of topics, including advances in hearing technology, the biologic implications of early intervention, cochlear implant candidacy, innovations in captioning, and mainstreaming issues for children with hearing loss.
At this biennial four-day event, hundreds of professionals, parents, and people of all ages with hearing loss will share their experiences and educate one another in a collaborative, supportive environment. Special activities and childcare will be available to children ranging in age from infants to teens.
Founded in 1890 by Dr. Alexander Graham Bell (best known for his invention of the telephone), the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is a unique organization dedicated to improving opportunities for people with hearing loss. A.G. Bell’s mission is to promote early identification of hearing loss and to encourage individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to learn to speak, speechread, and use their residual hearing to communicate and succeed in the hearing world. Ongoing and up-to-date information concerning the convention may be found on A.G. Bell’s website at www.agbell.org.
SHHH NATIONAL CONVENTION:
JUNE 16 - 19 IN ST. PAUL
Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc. (SHHH) announces the 15th International SHHH Convention to be held in Saint Paul, Minnesota from Friday, June 16 through Monday, June 19, 2000 at the Radisson Hotel.
Some of the exciting and informative activities include:
For more information about the convention, or to be an exhibitor, contact:
Barbara N. Thomas, Meeting Planner
SHHH 2000 Convention
7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 1200, Bethesda, MD 20814
301-657-2248 (Voice), 301-657-2249 (TTY) 301-913-9413 (FAX)
Email: bthomas@shhh.org - - www.shhh.org
The mission of advocates for better communication (a.b.c.),
a volunteer group allied with the League for the Hard of Hearing, is to make it possible,
through education and advocacy, for people with all degrees of hearing loss to participate fully in society.
Editor-in-Chief: Arlene Romoff
a.b.c. Executive Board:
Co-Coordinators:
Charlotte N. Roth
Florence Steiger
Cultural Affairs Committee:
Arlene Romoff and Paula Brown Glick, Ph.D., Co-Chairs
Health Care Committee:
Ruth R. Green and Dr. Orin Kaufman, Co-Chairs
Restaurant Committee:
Ruth Shapiro Bernstein, Chair
Senior Centers: Ruth C. Green, Chair
Telecommunications Committee:
Joseph Gordon, Chair
Travel Committee: Ruth Shapiro Bernstein, Chair
League Representatives:
Keith Muller, Executive Director
Lise Hamlin, Access & Advocacy Coordinator
Josh Gendel, Technical Services Director
Amy Hohn, Director of Volunteers
Justin R. Cristaldi, Web Designer