League Buzz

Issue 9

You’re reading the League Buzz, January, 2006. Issue 9. Happy New Year!

To be added to the League Buzz mailing list, please email us at LeagueBuzz@lhh.org and write “add” in the subject of the email.

Go ahead…Spread the Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW
Ski? Snowboard? Ice Skate? If you or your child is planning to take lessons this season, there is no reason to miss a word the instructor says. Dr. Ellen Lafargue, the League’s Director of Audiology advises families to introduce the instructor to an FM System. The instructor wears an FM microphone that transmits his or her voice directly to an FM receiver connected, or even built into your child’s hearing aid. Using an FM system, the instructor can be as far as 20-30 feet away and the speech will sound as if your child were only inches away. No need to miss any of the instructions as you learn how to dodge moguls, skate pirouettes, and snowboard down black diamonds!
Helpful Tip: Extra care should be taken to eliminate moisture that may collect from spraying snow. Place hearing aids in a hearing aid dehumidifier overnight. For more information, contact SoundBytes at www.soundbytes.com or visit the store located at the League’s offices at 50 Broadway.

NO NEED TO ASK TWICE, COME CHECK OUT AN ASSISTIVE DEVICE! Free Device Demonstration
Tuesdays from 1pm to 2pm
Located at the League's office at 50 Broadway, New York City
Please call (917) 305-7700 or email info@lhh.org for more information.

FUN.FRIENDS. FAMILY
2006 Winter Carnival - Save the date!
Children of all ages are invited to an afternoon of fun and games at The League's Winter Carnival on Sunday, February 12th from 1-4pm. The event includes live entertainment, carnival games and activities, super raffle, refreshments and more! The Winter Carnival is also a great opportunity for parents to get together and chat while their kids play! For ticket information, please contact Susan King, Director of Special Events at sking@lhh.org or (917) 305-7804.

PARENT CORNER: AN EVENING AT THE MOMA- Save the date!

The Museum of Modern Art and the League for the Hard of Hearing are delighted to invite parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing for an evening at MoMA on January 25th, 2006 from 5:30 – 7:00pm. The evening will begin with a wine and cheese reception in a MoMA Classroom. During this reception MoMA staff will introduce the Museum and MoMA programs that are currently being offered for families and children. The League for the Hard of Hearing and MoMA will then introduce possible future collaborative programs that would be made available to children who are deaf or hard of hearing. The reception will be followed by an hour-long guided tour in the galleries. During the tour a MoMA educator will present ways in which families can integrate art into everyday life and their children’s education.

To RSVP for this Parent Program, please contact Astrid Flores in the Development office at the League at (917) 305-7820 or at aflores@lhh.org by January 20th.

SNOWBIRD?
Did you know that the League for the Hard of Hearing has an office in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida? For all of you snowbirds (or any of your relatives or friends), the League for the Hard of Hearing- Florida provides hearing testing, hearing aid dispensing and mental health services. There is no need to miss a Cochlear Implant Support Group meeting either; join the League for the Hard of Hearing –Florida at their next meeting on January 22. The League-Florida is also hosting a health lecture on Monday, January 9, 2006 from 1:30-3:00pm. For more info, please call (954) 731-7200 (voice or TTY).

WHAT’S NEW AT THE LEAGUE
Congratulations are in order
Our very own, Dr. Laurie Hanin, Executive Director of the League for the Hard of Hearing, received an award on Dec 7th from the NYC Speech-Language-Hearing Association for "Outstanding Service to the Field of Audiology." Congratulations to Dr. Hanin on this great honor!

Something to talk about
On Wednesday, December 21st, Linda Kessler, Speech-Language Pathologist, and Assistant Director of the Communication Department at the League for the Hard of Hearing gave a demonstration speechreading class at the Bergen County Chapter SHHH meeting. According to Bergen SHHH, “Linda's 35 years of experience showed! Her presentation was fantastic, fascinating, and filled with useful information - all done in a lively interactive way that kept us rapt the entire time.” For more information about speechreading lessons, please call the League’s Communications Department at (917) 305-7840.

YOUNG AT HEART
The League has a social group, affectionately called the “Old Timers.” This group meets bi-monthly on Saturdays from September through June for fun programs that stress social interaction, recreation and education. All seniors with any degree of hearing loss are welcome. Please join in for the January meetings on January 14th and 28th. For more information, please contact John Salatino at (917) 305-7701or jsalatino@lhh.org.

Drum Roll Please…A new regular League Buzz Addition:
HEAR MY STORY
By Sophie Phillips, Age 12

When my progressive hearing loss worsened to deafness at age 3 1/2, my life changed forever. I always made the best of things though, so I was just grateful there was technology to help me back to hearing. There have always been ups and downs and struggles through the years, but as I approached preteen years, things became much more stressful and frustrating. So many fragile and tangling wires, batteries to be changed – always something to deal with on top of normal changes that we middle schoolers have to deal with! I felt so alone with my inner frustrations – no one could relate to these changes.

All that changed when I went to a meeting for hearing impaired kids and their parents at the League for the Hard of Hearing. I came in thinking, “what if other kids think I’m weird or I’m unusual?” I know I shouldn’t have been thinking about that, for the whole point of this meeting was to meet other kids just like me, talk about things that we have in common, what we do about them, and things that can make our lives better. But I couldn’t help it. I felt nervous.

When I came in and saw the other kids, I saw that they all had various aided hearing, too. I felt like gleefully running all around the room and shouting, “Hey! You’re all just like me!” I felt like I wanted to blurt out all my troubles and how difficult life has become because of my hearing loss. And that’s just what I did! Since there were only 8 kids at the meeting, I very easily met them. The first two girls I met were Veronica and Liz. We talked and talked and could have gone on for hours. We became so close, so quickly! I wished the meeting would never end! I had never been so happy in my whole life.

What made it even better was hearing from the older kids. It was a big weight lifted when I heard they shared the same challenges and that they’d gotten through. I learned how important it is to be my own advocate!

Before I knew it, the meeting had to end. All the kids, including me, were very sad the meeting was over. I felt like apple pie separated from vanilla ice cream. But I thought of one thing that made me feel better. The League will do it again next year, and when they do, I think every deaf child in the world should pack to go to New York City to the meeting, because it really helps kids relieve their stress, frustration, and fears. They’ll make new friends who can relate to their lives, too!

For more information about the League’s Adolescent Workshop, email info@lhh.org.

Calling all submissions for “Hear My Story”! Please send Your Story to leaguebuzz@lhh.org for consideration.

SOUND SOLUTION
FREE Hearing Screenings
Every Tuesday, noon-2pm
Every Thursday, 4pm-6pm
Location: 50 Broadway, 6th Floor
When was the last time that you had your hearing screened? Not since elementary school? Chances are, your hearing has changed.
Call (917) 305-7766 or email appointments@lhh.org to reserve a screening time.

SAVE THESE DATES

Cochlear Implant Support Group for individuals who have a cochlear implant, those who are contemplating a cochlear implant or those who desire information about cochlear implants. All are invited to share, listen, learn, teach…and support. This group has no affiliation with any particular implant center. Next Meeting: January 26, 2006, 50 Broadway, 2nd Floor from 5:30pm to 7pm. Light refreshments will be served. Please bring your questions, comments and personal experiences. A New York State Licensed Audiologist with expertise in cochlear implants will serve as the facilitator. For more information, call or email the Audiology Department at (917)305-7751.

The League’s NF2 Support Group
Next meeting: Monday, March 6, 2006 at 50 Broadway, 6pm, room TBA. Individuals with Neurofibromatosis Type 2 and their families continue to meet every two or three months. Meetings are captioned, light refreshments are served, and all are welcome! Please join us. For more information, call or email Ilene Miner at Voice/TTY 917-305-7730 or iminer@lhh.org.

NOTES FROM THE NEWS

Furry Friends
Build-A-Bear Workshop® introduces a hearing aid accessory for stuffed animals. “We’re excited to have a hearing aid for our furry friends. Part of the Build-A-Bear Workshop experience is having the opportunity to make your stuffed animal unique; the hearing aid accessory gives our guests another great way to personalize their friend,” said Maxine Clark, Founder and Chief Executive Bear of Build-A-Bear Workshop. Janice Schachter, Chair of The Hearing Access Program says, “Kids will hopefully see the hearing aids as ‘just another accessory’, and will be more likely to be accepting when they see a hearing aid on a friend, classmate or grandparent.” The stuffed animal hearing aid is available on www.buildabear.com and at the biggest Build-A-Bear Workshop store in the world in New York City.

Lights, Camera, Action
On December 5th, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer announced a series of agreements that will help people with visual and hearing impairments enjoy the movies. Under the agreements, eight movie theater chains will expand the availability and use of assistive technology and take other steps to encourage people with sensory disabilities to patronize movie theaters across the state. “Movies are an important part of popular culture,” Spitzer said. “Every adult and child should be able to enjoy a film with family and friends, especially during the holiday season. These agreements will permit individuals who are hard of hearing, deaf and visually impaired to share in the cultural experience and entertainment of a movie screening.”

Under the agreements, the theater companies will utilize a variety of technologies to make their films accessible to individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Some of the theaters will offer “closed captioned” films by installing Rear Window Captioning (RWC) technology. Deaf and hard of hearing patrons use transparent acrylic panels attached to their seats to reflect the captions so that they appear superimposed on the movie screen. The reflective panels are portable and adjustable, enabling the caption user to sit anywhere in the theater. Other theaters will offer “open captioned” films where the captions are displayed directly on the movie screen, as with subtitles in a foreign language film. The agreements also require theaters to make available hearing aid-compatible assistive listening devices. Under the agreements, the movie theaters will offer hearing aid-compatible loops or headsets that will interface directly with telecoils in hearing aids, enhancing the ability of individuals with hearing aids to enjoy a film. As a result of the agreements, 38 theaters throughout New York will offer captioned and/or narrated films and 140 theaters will offer hearing aid-compatible assistive listening devices.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!
Ruth R. Green, Executive Director Emeritus of the League, provided accessibility training to some of the staff at the Bronx Zoo as the first part of a multi-step training process. In the spring, the zoo will be setting up training for the staff stationed at the various exhibits. The zoo is working hard to eventually make the zoo fully accessible.

TRIVIA

Which animal has the best sense of hearing?
To many Americans, the ball dropping at Times Square in New York City signals the start of the new year in this country. What was the first year that the ball was dropped in Times Square?
Did you know that January is National ____________ Month?

THANK YOU FOR READING THE LEAGUE BUZZ

The League for the Hard of Hearing’s mission is to improve the quality of life for infants, children and adults with all degrees of hearing loss.

We accomplish our mission by providing hearing rehabilitation and human service programs for people who are hard of hearing or deaf, and their families, regardless of age, ability to pay, or mode of communication, and by striving to empower consumers to achieve their potential. We hope that you enjoy the League Buzz, our premier email newsletter!

If you like what you've read, please pass along the buzz to friends and family...

To be added to or removed from the League Buzz mailing list, please email us at LeagueBuzz@lhh.org. In the subject of the email, please write “add” or “remove.”

For more information on the League for the Hard of Hearing, visit www.lhh.org or call 917-305-7700.

DID YOU GET THEM RIGHT? TRIVIA ANSWERS:

Dolphins have the best sense of hearing amongst all the animals. They are able to hear 14 times better than humans.
1907. The original Ball, constructed of iron and wood and adorned with 100 25-watt light bulbs, was 5 feet in diameter and weighed 700 pounds. Today’s Times Square Ball has 696 lights and 90 computer-controlled rotating pyramid mirrors.
National Blood Donor Month, National Hobby Month, National Hot Tea Month, National Oatmeal Month, National Soup Month