Hearing Loss Support

[salleh]

Hearing Loss Association's upcoming meeting

The Hearing Loss Association of America-Central Florida will be having its next meeting on Tuesday, January 7th, 2014, at the Churchill Street Recreation Center, 2375 Churchill Downs, The Villages, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., in the Triple Crown room. We're honored to have a returning guest speaker, Virgi Mills, an Outreach Manager for the MED-EL Corporation. Ms Mills will provide auditory rehabilitation activities and websites that she enjoys from her personal journey with bilateral cochlear implants. Ms Mills will also be sharing exciting updates about MED-EL’s cochlear implant technology such as the RONDO, an all-in-one-processor (nothing behind the ear!). Please come with questions about auditory rehabilitation for both cochlear implant and hearing aid users. The Triple Crown room will be looped for your hearing assistance.

Everyone is Welcome

[salleh]

Publix is supporting equal access and improved communication for the hearing loss community here in The Villages. Shopping this week at the Publix Supermarket in Colony Plaza, I tried the newly installed hearing loop at the pharmacy windows and at the customer service counter. As a hearing impaired Villager and cochlear implant recipient it is often difficult for me to hear in many retail locations. I found that the counter loop systems at Publix will make it much easier for me and others with hearing loss to communicate with store associates.
The three movie houses in The Villages recently installed similar systems at the ticket windows as well as closed captioning and assistive listening systems in each auditorium making the movies accessible to many hearing impaired who had given up going to the movies. Andrew Finlayson

[salleh]

Every once in a while I hear hard of hearing people talking about "loop systems." What are loop systems? How can they help hard of hearing people hear better? Are they expensive? Where are they installed?

A hearing loop is a wire that circles a room and is connected to a sound system. The loop transmits the sound electromagnetically. The electromagnetic signal is then picked up by the telecoil in the hearing aid or cochlear implant.

To use a hearing loop, you flip on the t-switch on the hearing aid or cochlear implant to activate the telecoil. Usually, no additional receiver or equipment is needed. Using a telecoil and hearing loop together is seamless, cost-effective, unobtrusive, and you don't have to seek additional equipment. Hearing loops are also called audio-induction loops, audio loops, or loops. If your hearing aid doesn't have a telecoil, you will need a headset plugged into a loop receiver to achieve the same effect.

A small loop system for the TV at home would cost about $200. Publix is supporting equal access and improved communication for the hearing loss community here in The Villages. Shopping recently at the Publix Supermarket in Colony Plaza, I tried the newly installed hearing loop at the pharmacy windows and at the customer service counter. As a hearing impaired Villager and cochlear implant recipient it is often difficult for me to hear in many retail locations. I found that the counter loop systems at Publix will make it much easier for me and others with hearing loss to communicate with store associates.

The Villages Amenity Authority Committee meetings at the Ashley Wilkes Room in the Savannah Center are looped as well as the District's Supervisors' Board meetings on Laurel Blvd.

The three movie houses in The Villages recently installed similar systems at the ticket windows as well as closed captioning and assistive listening systems in each auditorium making the movies accessible to many hearing impaired who had given up going to the movies.

[salleh]

Hearing Loss Association meeting - October 1st

Be sure to mark your calendars to set aside Tuesday, October 1, 2013 for our next HLA meeting at the Churchill Recreation Center, 2375 Churchill Downs, The Villages. We meet from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. in the Triple Crown Room.

Paige Holt, AuD, from Lake Ear, Nose & Throat in The Villages will be speaking about the latest developments in hearing aids. She is also going to give us information on the screening process for Cochlear Implant candidates.

Please feel free to come with your questions or concerns regarding hearing loss. The room will be looped for your hearing assistance. Any questions, please contact Jan Sharp at 352-751-4532, Muriel Raine at: 352-751-3464 or <murhlaactrfl@aol.com> or Andy Finlayson at <abf1144@yahoo.com>.

ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND

[salleh]

Hearing Loss Association meeting Tuesday, October 1st.

If you, a family member or a friend are experiencing problems with hearing loss, you are welcome to attend our October 1st meeting to hear Audiologist, Paige Holt, AuD., with Lake Ear, Nose and Throat, speak about hearing loss, hearing aids, assistive listening devices, and pre-qualifying for a cochlear implant.

Our meetings take place at the Churchill Recreation Center, 2375 Churchill Downs, The Villages, in the Triple Crown Room from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Any questions please contact: Jan Sharp at 352-751-4532, Muriel Raine at murhlaacntrfl@aol.com, or Andy Finlayson at abf1144@yahoo.com.

[jojo]

I'd like to take my mother to the theater but thought hearing would be a problem. What is a t-switch on hearing aids?

[salleh]

I'd like to take my mother to the theater but thought hearing would be a problem. What is a t-switch on hearing aids?

A t-switch is a switch or button on a hearing aid that activates the t-coil. A t-coil is tiny device in most hearing aids that uses magnetic induction to wirelessly stream sound from the TV, movies theaters, telephones, etc. and loop systems.

Here is a website that will help explain what the t-coil and induction loop are all about. <www.hearingloop.org>

The theaters in The Villages are equipped with two types of receivers for the hearing impaired as well as closed caption devices.

[salleh]

Hearing Loss Association meeting Tuesday, November 5th.

Everyone is Welcome

We're honored to have a returning guest speaker, Sheila Adams, a retired teacher. Sheila and her husband will be talking about the impact of hearing loss on marriage. They address this subject together, sharing how her declining hearing affected him and the adaptations they have made over the years, coping with medical appointments and hospital stays, etc.

Our meetings take place at the Churchill Recreation Center, 2375 Churchill Downs, The Villages, in the Triple Crown Room from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, December 3, 2013.

Any questions please contact: Jan Sharp at 352-751-4532, Muriel Raine at murhlaacntrfl@aol.com, or Andy Finlayson at abf1144@yahoo.com.

[DeafDeaf]

Publix is supporting equal access and improved communication for the hearing loss community here in The Villages. Shopping this week at the Publix Supermarket in Colony Plaza, I tried the newly installed hearing loop at the pharmacy windows and at the customer service counter. As a hearing impaired Villager and cochlear implant recipient it is often difficult for me to hear in many retail locations. I found that the counter loop systems at Publix will make it much easier for me and others with hearing loss to communicate with store associates.
The three movie houses in The Villages recently installed similar systems at the ticket windows as well as closed captioning and assistive listening systems in each auditorium making the movies accessible to many hearing impaired who had given up going to the movies. Andrew Finlayson
Please be advised that the term, “hearing impaired” is unacceptable. Here is the explanation:

The term "Hearing Impaired" is a technically accurate term much preferred by hearing people, largely because they view it as politically correct. In the mainstream society, to boldly state one's disability (e.g., deaf, blind, etc.) is somewhat rude and impolite. To their way of thinking, it is far better to soften the harsh reality by using the word "impaired" along with "visual", "hearing", and so on. “Hearing-impaired” is a well-meaning word that is much-resented by deaf and hard of hearing people. This term was popular in the 70s and 80s, however, now is used mostly by doctors, audiologists and other people who are mainly interested in our ears "not working."

While it's true that their hearing is not perfect, that doesn't make them impaired as people. Most would prefer to be called Deaf, Hard of Hearing or deaf when the need arises to refer to their hearing status, but not as a primary way to identify them as people (where their hearing status is not significant).

We are deaf, and not people with impairments (obstacles) in life!

Hope that you and your people respect by refusing to use the outdated and offensive term. Hearing loss is more acceptable for everyone who is not just deaf.

Deaf vs Hearing Impaired (http://www.eastersealscrossroads.org/blog/2011/september/deaf-vs-hearing-impaired)
Terminology (http://www.deafau.org.au/info/terminology.php)
Community and Culture - Frequently Asked Questions | National Association of the Deaf (http://nad.org/issues/american-sign-language/community-and-culture-faq)
Agreement of terminology - IFHOH (http://www.ifhoh.org/papers/agreement-terminology/)

[billethkid]

while I do not claim to be an expert, I offer the following opinion, as a member of the aging and one who is hard of hearing.

If terminology is based on the obnoxious term/genre of politically correct (barf....happens everytime I use the term!!) it is a red flag that telling the truth is not involved.

IMHO!

btk