"The Cincinnati Inquirer ran a story about Betty taking her granddaughters to a captioned showing of Toy Story 2 in Covington. It told about what a nice change it is to be able to go to a movie and enjoy it like everyone else! This was a good advertisement for a service from Tripod Captioned Films. (Locally these show at National Amusements theaters.)
Betty is also involved with the DEPT. OF AGING & MENTAL HEALTH Coalition that needs input from us--- especially for senior citizens who are deaf or hard of hearing. Betty is working for nursing home access with the Dept. on Aging and the Nursing Home Association.
In December, we had a holiday party at Ann Rosenbaum's apartment complex - just as we do every year! This one was especially well-attended. We were pleased to have Laura Kogut and her family present too. Laura is our CART provider for meetings. (CART= computer assisted real time captions)Our president, Louise Wisdom, recently had the initial surgery for a cochlear implant and is patiently awaiting the connection to her processor. We are all just as excited about it as she is!
And of course Paula Esterle has been named KY CO-Coordinator for the state. Mary Lee is overjoyed to have someone help reach out across the state!
Derbytown continues its two other activities: a monthly dinner at a local restaurant (4th Tuesday), and a weekly Sign language practice session on Monday nights. This had started with a summer class taught by Dr. Carol Holm. Now Bob Stuckey and Robert Deddens have been helping with the practice sessions.
Several other areas around the state have expressed interest in starting a group. If you live in or near Bowling Green or Hopkinsville, you should contact your state co-coordinator for information - - there is hope!
If you agree that captioning is vital and should be funded at all levels and
for all kinds of programming, you can voice your thoughts via e-mail to
The FCC has mandated a longer phase-in period for 100% captioning. Meanwhile,
if the Dept. of Education does cut back on it next year, we stand to lose a
lot of shows we depend on.
As a teacher, your editor has protested this change as endangering the
education of a group of children who have just finally been able to have the
same access to the language that others do. While we all lament the content
of TV and question the appropriateness of many shows for our children, there
is a language acquisition benefit to watching captions - - with parental
supervision of content! In this light it might even be difficult for the
Dept. of Education to define what is educational and what is not.
Make your voice heard on this subject now - - don't wait until you suddenly
discover a previously captioned show to be now "silent".
Attending the Leadership Training Seminar in Bethesda, Maryland was an
opportunity to focus on ways we achieve our goal of improving the quality of
life for hard of hearing people. On October 1-3, approximately 40 participants
convened from across the US to the Bethesda Ramada that was two blocks from
the national office of SHHH. The conference was underwritten by a generous
grant from the AT&T Corporation. Its purpose was to unify and inform the
far-flung chapters of SHHH in order to strengthen the organization.
I was proud to be attending as a member of the Derbytown Chapter. We
were hosted, inspired, and entertained (and served dinner!) by an enthusiastic
group from the national office including Marilyn Finn, Brenda Battat, and
Barbara Thomas. We were even addressed by the founder of SHHH, Rocky Stone.
Beth Wilson, a "graduate" of the previous course gave an inspiring talk on the
humorous aspects of training hearing people to accommodate us. The weekend
was filled with practical solutions to the difficulties we face in achieving
our goals. It was far from being boring and dry, as is this synopsis.
There
was a bit of time to socialize and sightsee in nearby Washington D.C.
The proof of the forum's effectiveness will be in the future results.
Toward this end, great action plans were developed and signed in blood.
Well,
they were taken seriously.
If additional funding can be acquired, there is hope of offering additional
training sessions during the upcoming year. Okay, who would like to apply for
the next session?
Actually seeing the national headquarters was interesting. Many factors
that enhance the quality of life for persons who are hard of hearing are
addressed in a policy-making forum. I have learned that while it can be
empowering to help myself, some issues such as access to employment
opportunities, education, communication, health care, and entertainment
require a unified voice from the national office. That voice is kept strong
by national membership in SHHH. I admit that I belong for purely selfish
reasons. They are looking out for my interests. I rely on them as a strong
source of advocacy. It falls to them to share information to prevent the
reinvention of the wheel.
In addition to the many good ideas exchanged, there were other attendees
who were personally at the technological frontier. A participant from the
northwest had just received the latest model of cochlear implant from the
Advanced Bionics Corporation. His understanding of speech seemed remarkable.
Read more on his type of Clarion device at
An attendee from Michigan had a bulletin board to serve the group the
Monday after our return. Now, we can quickly post questions or information
that will be dispersed to other chapters across the country. They are a
source of information we can directly access.
A leader described the meetings that her board conducts online. During
these cyber-meetings everyone meets in a chat room at a given time and
decisions are discussed and even voted on. This is allows better
communication when members are geographically separated.
The most intriguing possibilities for our chapter, in my opinion, lie in
the area of creating alliances with more community groups than we do at the
present. In other chapters, partnerships have been formed with diverse groups
such as the Lions Clubs, Kiwanis, and the public library. These organizations
could provide financial support as well as community visibility.
As I listened to the struggles of those living in areas without an
established group, I was grateful for the years of work and support given from
our membership. While some chapters are hundreds strong and have access to
resources such as mobile labs for testing ALD's and university programs, I
was proud to be from a small but strong chapter. I doubt any can rival the
dedication and caring bonds present in the Derbytown Chapter.
On May 6, 2000, during Better Speech and Hearing Month, people can receive
free hearing screenings in selected communities throughout the United States.
Sites will be announced by March 31, 2000 and posted by state on the SHHH
website, www.shhh.org. This will be an annual event.
Retired Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, MD Sc.D., is the spokesperson for
the
National Day of Hearing Testing. Collaborators of the National Day of Hearing
Testing include: AARP; Academy of Dispensing Audiologists; American Academy of
Audiology; American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Inc.;
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association; EMM Creative; and the National
Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes
of Health. Event Sponsors are: Hearing Industries Association; Phonak; and
Starkey Laboratories Inc. SHHH is determined to eradicate the stigma.
What can you do to help?
1. If you are a member of a local chapter or group, discuss this at
your next meeting and volunteer to contact an audiologist or hearing aid
dispenser to ask their cooperation. 2. Volunteer to help on May 6 with
the screenings. We will need SHHHers to be present as each screening site.
These are all showing at National Amusements theaters - check your local
newspaper showclock for times.
No showings in Lexington or Bowling Green or Hopkinsville? Nothing in
Owensboro? How terrible!!! And do you know WHY there are no showings in
these cities? BECAUSE YOU DID NOT ASK FOR THEM.
All you have to do is ask Tripod (818) 972-2080 or
The KAB is the Advisory Board for the KY Relay Service administered by the
Public Service Commission (PSC). It is comprised of various deaf, hard of
hearing, and severely hard of hearing consumers as well as a member of the
PSC and representatives from the relay provider.
New Gadget from the TTD Distribution Program!!
The TDD Distribution Program Advisory Board met on December 3, 1999 to
review and approve new equipment to be offered through the TDD Distribution
Program. Because so many new products have been introduced since the program
first began, Outreach Specialist Drew Weldon thought we should review the
equipment that is offered, delete any that is outdated, and add new equipment
that meets a wider range of needs. Fans of the Ultratec Uniphone need not
worry; that good, family-friendly combination of TDD, VCO phone, and amplified
telephone will still be offered. One of the new offerings will be the
Ultratec Superprint Pro 80 with a full-size computer keyboard, an 80-column
printer that uses standard-size paper, and built-in caller ID.
Several traditional TDDs and amplified telephones (including a cordless
amplified phone) will be offered, but they will have more features than
earlier models.
Members of Derbytown SHHH were very excited by the Krown Pocket Speak and
Read VCO that two members brought and demonstrated for us at our Christmas
party in December. This device, which can be carried in your pocket and
attached to any phone, will be offered through the TDD Distribution Program.
Please be aware, however, that you cannot choose this device AND a
traditional TDD, VCO phone, or amplified phone. You can choose only one.
However, if mobility is your prime consideration, you may want to choose
the Krown Pocket Speak and Read VCO.
The new offerings may be available as early as next month. If you
haven't already received equipment through the TDD Distribution Program
and you want to see the new offerings, contact Drew Weldon at the Kentucky
Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. His phone number is (502) 573-1400
or E-mail him at dweldon@mail.state.ky.us. If you prefer to write, the
address is 632 Versailles Rd., Frankfort KY 40601. He will send you a brochure
of the available equipment and an application form.
Note from Editor- The new Speak and Read VCO is a nice new toy! Judy Rogers and I each bought one in December I have used mine many times and found it to be the easiest, most comfortable way for a HOH person to use any phone, anywhere. All you need to know is the Relay number in the state.
It fits in your purse or pocket - about the size of a pack of cigarettes. Check out the Krown website for a picture and information
http://www.krowntty.com/index.html
Sometimes it is unavoidable, but one trick I have found that helps me is
insisting that the people on the speakerphone identify themselves when they
are taking a turn. It is not that difficult and it forces hearing people to
be more obvious taking turns. I have made this a condition for all
teleconferences and it only took one time for them to get used to "Phil
speaking, I think that is a great idea… Grant speaking, we might also have to
look at…"
In my current assignment I get many calls in the lab (read that "noisy
environment"). I found that things were much easier when I answered the
phone "this is Beth…" If there is a lot of noise in the background I take
the phone and say "This is Beth, who have I got?" Now they always stop to
say
who it is and I have a frame of reference for what they are trying to tell
me.
3. If there is no group or chapter near you, contact one of your
state CO-Coordinators for assistance and information. You can have a testing
site in your are also! In fact, you should. The result might be a new group
forming! of admitting a hearing problm.
-Melanie MagruderThe Dreaded Speakerphone
One sure way to add stress to a phone call is to have the other party pick up
on a speakerphone. Hands-free systems are a convenience that is sometimes
abused. Don`t be afraid to be aggressive in demanding that they pick up the
phone so that you can understand them. They were probably just sorting paper
clips anyway.
- Beth WilsonInstead of "hello" try "this is …"
How many of you have been someplace, perhaps at work, when the phone rang.
Someone else picks up the phone (I never volunteer to answer that thing!)
and hands it over saying that the call is for you. You pick up the phone
and say "hello" and the mystery person on the other end launches into their
tales of woe. You have no idea who it is or what they are talking about.
- Beth Wilson
[First appeared in RI Sargent Chapter SHHH newsletter February1999.]