League Buzz

Issue 16

You’re reading the League Buzz, August, 2006. Issue 16.

Go ahead…Spread the Buzz.

SUMMERTIME, SUMMERTIME, SUM, SUM, SUMERTIME
Concerned about moisture damaging your hearing aids but don’t know what product is right for you? Not all hearing aid dehumidifiers are created equal. Take a look at the following questions and decide for yourself.

During hot and humid months, do you spend most of your time in an air-conditioned environment? If yes, a non-electric hearing aid dehumidifier may be enough to do the trick. Regardless of the season, do you play sports or find yourself outdoors often? If yes, it would be recommended that you use a dryer that uses air and light as well as a desiccant brick. Have you tried non-electric dehumidifiers and find that you are still having trouble with moisture? If yes, you would be better off using an electric model.

Don’t forget, you can protect your Hearing Aids while exposing them to harmful moisture with Super Seals or a Hearing Aid Sweat Sock. These and other products are available at SoundBytes, located in the League's New York (917-305-7924) and Florida (954-717-4034) offices and online at www.soundbytes.com.

TAKE OUR ADVICE, COME AND 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.

HEARING AIDS IN HISTORY
Since hearing loss is one of the oldest of the known disabilities, attempts to amplify sound go back several centuries. Check out this link to see examples of non-electric hearing aids (speaking tubes, ear trumpets, etc.) and the development of electric hearing aids. http://www.lhh.org/archives/hamuseum.htm

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD!
On Monday, October 23, over 40 of New York’s most celebrated chefs will join forces with local newscasters and daytime television stars at the 14th Annual Feast With Famous Faces, one of New York’s most exciting and glamorous culinary galas, which benefits the League for the Hard of Hearing. The Feast, located at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers and hosted in cooperation with Wine Spectator, is a culinary extravaganza that draws a glittery array of famous faces. Feast Co-Chairs Kassie and Jim DePaiva will be joined by other cast members of One Life to Live, as well as fellow actors from All My Children, As the World Turns, and The Guiding Light. The Broadcast Chair is television news anchor Jim Ryan, who brings broadcasters to the event from all of the major television networks, including NY1, WCBS, WNBC, WNYW, WABC, WWOR and WPIX.

Restaurant Chair Vincent Scotto of Gonzo ensures that the Feast With Famous Facesis a gastronomical evening to remember. Some of this year’s restaurant participants include: Beacon Restaurant & Bar, Butter, Gonzo, Riingo, Zoë, Jovia, Fresco by Scotto, Metro Bis, Trio Restaurant & Wine Bar, and Naples. Fine kosher options will also be available with Le Marais, Prestige Caterers, and My Most Favorite Food serving signature dishes. A star-studded, not-to-be-missed evening, the Feast delivers glamorous company, delectable cuisine, a grand raffle and a fabulous silent auction while supporting one of New York’s landmark organizations, the League for the Hard of Hearing. The Feast also includes wines exclusively from Moet Hennessy. For more information about purchasing Feast tickets, please contact Susan King, Director of Special Events, at sking@lhh.org or 917.305.7804.

CHOOSING A PRESCHOOL?
With early identification of hearing loss, early use of hearing aids or cochlear implants, a strong communication therapy program, and ongoing support services, at the League, we believe that many children with hearing loss can be mainstreamed successfully, beginning in pre-school. League psychologist, Dorene Watkins has helped many families through the sometimes confusing process of selecting the right pre-school for your child. There are many factors involved in choosing the right school for your child. Consider the following in your decision making process: Go and observe the school; meet with the principal; get a sense if the school is welcoming to children with individual differences; see your child’s potential classroom; meet your child’s potential teacher. Ask the following questions: Does the school have experience with other children with hearing loss and if so, what kinds of support were offered? Are the teachers open to working with your child’s therapists?

Look at the facility and pay attention to the acoustics of the classroom. Consider: is there carpeting? Is the school on a noisy street? Do the windows of your child’s classroom face out to a noisy street? Is the classroom structured into areas with physical barriers to reduce noise? And finally…Talk to as many people as you can, and if possible, connect with a parent in your area that has a child with hearing loss and has already been through the school selection process.

CALLING ALL 5th-8th GRADERS!
The League’s Adolescent Workshop – Navigating the World!
The Adolescent Workshop, for kids in mainstream classes, grades 5-8, will take place on Sunday, November 12, 2006 from 9:30am-3pm. Students and parents are invited to join us for a day of sharing, learning and making new connections. The guest speaker at the workshop will be Josh Swiller, born with a profound hearing loss, who went on to graduate from Yale University. Josh’s experiences include: spending a year in Northern California as a forest ranger, living and working in a remote village in Zambia, Africa as a member of the Peace Corps, and while completing his MSW from NYU, working as intern for the League! Josh is currently completing his memoirs, slated for publication by Henry Holt Publishers next summer. For more information or to put you name on the mailing list, please contact Dorene Watkins at 917-305-7881 or dwatkins@lhh.org.

WHY DOES A HEARING AID WHISTLE?
Ever go to the movies, theater or a classical concert and hear someone’s hearing aid whistle? Here are two possible reasons why: the hearing aid or earmold may not fit tightly enough in the ear for the volume output, or it may just be that the volume is turned up too high. Keep in mind that the hearing aid user may be unaware of the whistling. Don’t get angry; just kindly inform them that their hearing aid is whistling.

If it’s YOUR hearing aid that keeps whistling, maybe it’s time to check in with your audiologist or pay a visit to the League’s dispensary! No appointment is needed for the dispensary, just come on down to 50 Broadway, 6th floor, Monday-Friday, between 9am-4pm. For more information, call (917)305.7921.

FIELD STUDY – PARTICIPANTS NEEDED
NYU School of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology is conducting a field study to evaluate hearing aid performance in the “real world.” Each subject is asked to come to NYU Medical Center for a hearing aid evaluation and to wear the special hearing aid for two months. Then they are asked to return to the center and wear a belt worn computer for several hours and rate the hearing aids in a variety of listening situations. Each subject needs to be willing to return to the research center for ten visits over 5 months. Participants will be compensated at $10 per hour and public transportation expenses will be refunded. If you are between the ages of 18 and 80, have a moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss, have worn bilateral hearing aids for at least one year, have difficulty using hearing aids in noisy environments and are interested in participating in this study please contact Dr. Arlene Neuman, NYU School of Medicine, at 212-263-3472 or by email at Arlene.neuman@med.nyu.edu

NEED TO RENEW A MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION?
Save up to 70% off the newsstand price on more than 750 popular magazines and the League for the Hard of Hearing receives 40% profit from your purchases and renewals. With 70% off the newsstand price, you won’t have to spend one extra penny beyond what you would normally spend for magazine subscriptions. And 40%, nearly half of the overall magazine revenue generated, is provided to our organization. Need to renew your subscription to Oprah or Newsweek? Please visit www.milesaheadnetwork.com!

BECAUSE BETTER HEARING IS BETTER BUSINESS
Are you having trouble hearing on the phone at work? Are business dinners hard because of all of the background noise?
FREE Hearing Screenings
Every Tuesday, noon-2pm
Every Thursday, 4pm-6pm
Location: 50 Broadway, 6th Floor
Call (917) 305-7766 or email appointments@lhh.org to reserve a screening time.

Free screenings are also available at the Florida office on Thursdays 9:00 to 12:00 and 1:00 to 3:00.

CAPTIONED TELEPHONE SERVICE – HOT OFF THE PRESS
Check out http://www.eisinc.com/release/storiesh/NYSDPS.654.html for information from the New York State Public Service Commission on making captioned telephone service available for customers who are hearing-impaired in New York State through the state's existing relay service provider. According to Commission Chairman William M. Flynn, "New York has a large hearing-impaired community that will benefit from captioned telephone service. The proposed roll out of 300 captioned phones per month would be the largest monthly installation rate of the service in the country. If demand should exceed this amount, I would expect that the industry will take a look at expanding the roll out and report back to us."
The Commission will issue a written order reflecting the 7/19/06 vote. That order, when ready, can be obtained from the Commission's Web site at http://www.dps.state.ny.us by accessing the Commission Documents section of the homepage and referencing Case 06-C-0524. Commission orders can also be obtained from its File Office, 14th Floor, 3 Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223 (518-474-2500)
FLORIDA FACTS
On Thursday, July 6, 2006 from 12:00-2:00 pm LHH/CSC Summer Challenge Program held their first ever summer show/ open house for parents at Margate Elementary School. The campers performed a dance they had been working on weekly with instructor, Melissa Florida, from Beat the Street Inc., Dance Company.

Campers also signed the song “Camp Granada, taught to them by Assistant Coordinator/Interpreter, Suzanne Bandy and teacher Assistant Kelly Maggi. League for the Hard of Hearing-Florida staff and parents where filled with pride as they watched the children “hip hop” to music and interact with their teachers and friends. It ended with cookies and cupcakes for everyone.

ADVOCACY ALERT
From the League's advocacy committee, advocates for better communication (a.b.c.): Thanks to successful efforts to get more captioned movies, there are now many theaters that show movies that have Rear Window Captioning, which allows patrons to go to any movie showing. To find theaters that are located near you, go to www.mopix.org, and click on the "View Theaters" link. You'll find the latest listing of theater locations in every state. The phone numbers listed reach real live people, so call the theater for captioned film titles and times. Whether you want to see a film locally, or are planning a vacation away from home, you can now "take in a movie"!
Still not sure how to do all this? Email us at abc@lhh.org for help!

HEAR MY STORY
By Darby Leigh
Darby Leigh, a League for the Hard of Hearing “alumna” is a native New Yorker who toured as a leading actor with the Tony award-winning National Theater of the Deaf. Both The New York Times and Variety reviewed favorably his 1997 NTD performance as the lead in Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt. He is an accomplished athlete and was asked to compete for the US Deaf Olympic snowboarding team. He is a new father, husband of a medical student, and will be the first deaf man to be ordained as a rabbi by any of the major rabbinical seminaries in the US.
Darby was born with a profound bilateral hearing loss. His parents are also deaf and he has a sister who is fully hearing. Darby attended the Communication Program at the League during his elementary school years. He says he sometimes feels like he grew up at the League and credits his earliest audiologists and speech pathologists with his current abilities and successes with the auditory/oral approach to communication.
Darby was educated in the mainstream and attended the Dalton School in Manhattan. He received his B.A. in religion, summa cum laude, from the University of Rochester and an M.A. in religion from Columbia University. He is currently attending the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) and is expected to graduate in 2008.

Darby has been involved in a varied mix of activities prior to attending rabbinical school; he was an actor and consultant to theatrical productions. In 2001, he provided consulting services for the Oscar-nominated documentary Sound and Fury and for Hands ON, an organization that provides sign-language interpreting for Broadway and off Broadway productions. He was a social worker and teacher and has taught on issues related to deafness for such organizations as the New York City Fire Department, the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and the New York City Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities.
To submit your “Hear My Story” to the League Buzz, please email leaguebuzz@lhh.org for review.

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 implant center. Please note: there will be no meeting in August; the next meeting will be September 28. 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.

TRIVIA

For whom is the month of August named?
What are the flowers of August?
"I'm as corny as _____ in August" is a line from a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. What's the missing word?

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!

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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:

August was named in honor of Augustus Caesar
poppy and gladiolus
Kansas