It's Valentine's Day. All the elements are in place for a romantic dinner. A dimly lit table at your favorite restaurant. Music. Candlelight. For most people, these ingredients will come together to create magic. But for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, they can be a recipe for disaster. The League's Senior Speech Language Pathologist, Leslie Van Frank, has communication tips for couples enjoying a romantic dinner out this Valentine's Day. She says:

Applying some basic communication strategies will help you overcome distracting background noise:

• Sit as far away as possible from the main entrance and kitchen
• Sit far away from the piano or music source
• Make sure the light is on the speaker's lips and not in your eyes
• Ask the speaker not to chew or cover his face with his hands while speaking
• Always have a small pad and pen with you

If you haven't yet selected a restaurant, consider this:

• Choose a restaurant with carpets and drapes
• Try to sit in smaller rooms with low ceilings
• Make reservations for an off-peak hour

The surest route to successful communication is the use of an FM or a direct audio-input microphone for your hearing aid(s). This, in combination with speechreading, should give you the result you're looking for. Now relax and enjoy!

Many of you saw the article in the Wall Street Journal about a reporter's experiences as a new (and frustrated) hearing aid wearer. The following is a response from the League's Executive Director, Dr. Laurie Hanin.

It's too bad Melinda Beck had a disappointing experience as a 7-day hearing aid wearer. We know that for millions of other Boomers just like her, the outcome can be very different. With proper counseling and patience, most people today who we see end up as very satisfied hearing aid users. We believe that the best hearing aid for anyone is the one that helps them the most - not necessarily the one that is the most sophisticated or most expensive. For example, had Ms. Beck tried a hearing aid with a T-coil, like so many of our clients do, she would have been able to successfully use her hearing aid with a telephone and her ipod at the gym. Hearing affects every aspect of life and closing the door after only 7 days simply does not make sense. We encourage Ms. Beck to try again - it's too important not to.

The League Buzz invites you to share your thoughts on this issue. Email us your comments using the link at the bottom of the page. We'll print a sampling of responses in next month's Buzz.

For those who haven't read the article, we urge you to click the link below and prepare to get fired up.

Remember the January 31st debate? The one that closed with Clinton and Obama in a near embrace, speaking softly to one another out of earshot of the microphones. The subject of that conversation was revealed thanks to speechreading expert and League friend George Oberlander.

For a few hours Sunday, League kids said no to Nintendo. They gathered, instead, at the Annual Winter Carnival to experience the timeless joys of cupcakes, face painting, and troll tipping. More than 200 kids and parents took part to make it a fun and festive afternoon. We thank our generous sponsor, Time Warner Cable, and the terrific volunteers from Project Sunshine.

Great news for deaf and hard-of-hearing Web users. AOL is testing the first real-time instant-messaging service. It enables users to see each letter as it's typed, rather than wait for the completed message to be sent. This way, deaf users can respond and react to words as they are typed just as hearing people do to spoken words in a voice conversation. This feature is available in the latest beta version 6.8 of AIM software.

Hollis Kegg, Gary Kirsch and other parents and friends of the League know that tennis balls hold the key to a quieter classroom. Putting the balls on the bottom of chair legs cuts down on noise. That helps children with hearing loss communicate better. We thank Hollis, Gary and all the parents who are making so much progress in this area.

Do you know a child that's in school or approaching school age that could benefit from a more conducive classroom environment? Check out the link below.

League board member Arlene Romoff brings to our attention a valuable website, c2net.org. It provides a schedule of open-captioned live-theater performances across the country.

The League's annual Two Nights of Comedy is scheduled for April 29th and 30th. Mark your calendars for this truly special, one-of-a-kind event. For information call (917) 305-7702.

Our next Cochlear Implant Support Group will be Thursday, March 27 from 5:30-7:00 PM here at the League. We invite implant users along with those thinking about a cochlear implant to attend. The topic will be "How to Use Your Cochlear Implant Accessories." You are encouraged to bring your own CI accessories, and we'll help you learn how to use them. Guest speaker is Jodie Rodrigues, Awareness Manager at Cochlear America. For more information, please call (917) 305-7751.

An Early Childhood Studio Workshop for Children and Friends of the League will take place April 6 from 10:15 AM to 12:00 PM. It's a unique opportunity for children age 4-7 to view and create art at MoMA. It's free, but reservations are needed. Please phone (917) 305-7808.

The next NF2 Meeting (i.e., Neurofibromatosis Type 2) is scheduled for Wednesday, February 20th at 6:00 PM here at the League on the 2nd floor. Captioning and munchies will be provided.

We encourage you to use the "Forward the Buzz to a Friend" feature at the bottom of this page to send this invitation to anyone you know who might be interested in attending these events.

Show your valentine how much you care. Come to the League for complementary "his and hers" hearing screenings.

Free screenings are available at the League for the Hard of Hearing by appointment only every Tuesday and Thursday:

Tuesdays, Noon-2:00 PM
Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 PM

Location: 50 Broadway, 6th Floor, NYC, NY 10004

Call (917) 305-7766 or email appointments@lhh.org to reserve a screening time. (Tell them that the League Buzz sent you!)

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We invite you to join us as partners in brightening the lives of people who are deaf, hard of hearing and deaf-blind. There are countless ways that you can become involved and help. Together we can assure a world without limits.

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