Friendships, education, technology, advocacy and information for hard of hearing people are most important for us. Ease of communication in all settings makes it enjoyable. We are all ages and walks of life, but we share a concern for communication in a hearing world and find that it is possible.

Contact President Bob Stuckey for questions and info.

June 2006

New Name!

In order to align our chapter name with the new guidelines of our national organization, the Derbytown board recently voted to change the name of our chapter from Derbytown to Kentuckiana. Our new name, Hearing Loss Association of Kentuckiana, has been approved and a new logo has been designed for us by the national office. The logo is currently being designed and will soon appear on this site.

--- Melanie McGruder

Speaker's Meeting

HLA-Kentuckiana will meet on Tuesday, June 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the library at St. Leonard Elementary, 440 Zorn Ave. Our speaker will be Shannon Grider, who is the coordinator of the American Sign Language (ASL) instructor/interpreter training program at the University of Louisville. Grider is also president of the Kentucky Registry of Interpreters of the Deaf. She will talk about the training program and how it benefits the hard of hearing as well as the deaf. Because of limited space visitors are asked to contact Paula Esterle at 502-339-8037 or Ed Schickel at 502-349-6792.

--- Bob Stuckey

From Our President

For the last few months, attendance at our regular speaker's meetings has been great! I hope to see many of you at the June 13 meeting featuring Shannon Grider, too. (See details above.) I'd like to thank Ed Schickel for his excellent work in publicizing our meetings, especially in the "Courier-Journal." Our sister organization, Louisville Cochlear Implant, also had a big turn-out when they took over our space last month for a special event featuring Dr. Mark Severtson and Cochlear Corp. representative Kathy Allen. Melanie Magruder was responsible for getting information about that event into the "Courier-Journal."

Our new name, Hearing Loss Association of Kentuckiana, has been approved and a new logo has been designed for us by the national office.

Representatives from HLA-Kentuckiana have been making plans with Heuser Hearing Institute, Hamilton Relay, and others for this year's state fair booth, which will educate people about hearing loss and increase our outreach activities across the state. We are in the process of getting a banner with our new logo to hang over the state fair booth; we can use it for regular meetings and other events, too. We will need a great many volunteers to staff the booth at the fair in August. Mary Lee Nelson is in charge of volunteers, so contact her by email (mary.nelson@insightbb.com) or phone {502-338-3920) for more information and/or to volunteer.

The Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (KCDHH) will present Deafestival 2006 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 1 at the Kentucky Center and the Belvedere. Art, theater, stories, and poetry by deaf artists will be presented. A children's program will be part of the festivities. Many volunteers are needed for this free event, and you do not have to know sign language to volunteer. Volunteers are scheduled in two-hour blocks; those who work four hours or more will get a free Deafestival T-shirt. Go to the KCDHH web site www.kcdhh.ky.gov to fill out a volunteer application.

We are working on additional activities for the coming months. I'd like to hear your thoughts on how this chapter can be more responsive to your needs and concerns.

--- Bob Stuckey

Thanks!

Many thanks to Hazel Tucker for her hard work planning our spring social last month at Ryan's. Good food and good conversation were enjoyed by all who attended.

--- Melanie Magruder

May Treasurer's Report

(submitted by Pat Flaherty)

Accessible Entertainment

Saturday, June 10 PNC Bank Broadway in Louisville will present a captioned performance of "Little Women" at 8 p.m. in Whitney Hall at the Kentucky Center. To purchase tickets, call the Kentucky Center's Access Hotline (502-562-0111 Voice or 502-562-0140 TTY) or the Kentucky Center Ticket Service (502-584-7777 Voice or 502-562-0730 TTY). Those who need a toll-free line may call 1-800-775-7777. For the best seat selection, be sure to specify that you will need captions. The Kentucky Center is located at 501 W. Main St.

Saturday, June 24 Music Theatre of Louisville will present a captioned performance of "West Side Story" at 8 p.m. at Iroquois Amphitheater. Tickets can be obtained at the amphitheater box office, by calling 368-5063, or online at www.musictheatrelouisville.com (click on Ticketmaster). Directions: The amphitheater is located in Iroquois Park. From the Watterson Expressway (I-264), take Southern Parkway South to Newcut Road. Turn left on Newcut (East). Take the first right at the traffic light (corner of Newcut and Kenwood). The amphitheater is on the right with free parking in front.

Saturday, July 1 The Kentucky Shakespeare Festival will present a captioned performance of "As You Like It" at 8 p.m. in Central Park. The performance is free, but you should get there early so you can get a seat where you can see the captions. Directions: From I-65, take the St. Catherine St. exit. Follow St. Catherine west to Fourth St. Turn left onto Fourth. Proceed three blocks. Central Park will be on your right between Park and Magnolia Streets.

Remember that infrared hearing devices are available to provide hearing amplification for ANY performance at the Kentucky Center and the Brown Theatre. You can reserve one of these devices when you purchase your tickets or by calling Accessibility Services in advance at 502-562-0111 (V) or 502-562-0140 (TTY).

New Benefits for HLAA Members(The following information was taken from the HLAA web site www.hearingloss.org)

In the last year, we have added monetary value to HLAA membership as well. Here are the membership rewards now available to HLAA Members:

• Harris Communications-- 15% off
• Best Western-- 20% off regular rates
• Costco-- $10 gift card for SHHH Members who become members of Costco
• Avis-- up to 15% off regular rates, 5% off promotional rates
• Alamo-- up to 15% off regular rates
• National Car Rental-- up to 20% off regular rates
• Shop HLAA-- 10% discount on online purchases

You can see how a $25 annual fee could be quickly recouped with even one of these discounts. All of this in addition to our magazine, "Hearing Loss," which is published every two months. Thanks for standing with us as we open the world of communication to people with hearing loss.

Member IDs

Several new people have joined HLAA recently. When you receive your membership ID number, you need to give the number to Melanie Magruder. Only national members are allowed to vote on local chapter issues and elections of officers; we need your ID number to know who can vote. Your ID number will be on the membership card you receive in the mail. It is also in the upper left-hand corner of the mailing label on "Hearing Loss" magazine, which you will receive bi-monthly when you join HLAA. You can give your membership number to Melanie when you see her at an HLAA meeting or email her at magruder8012@msn.com. If you have already given her your ID number, you need not do it again. If you can't remember whether you have given your number to her, just ask!

Someone wrote me an email recently and said they did not belong to SHHH for "personal reasons." I agree that people join SHHH (or don't) for personal reasons. Hearing loss has had an impact on the lives of my wife and my Dad. I want more people in this country to know about hearing loss, I want people with hearing loss to get the information and support we have available, and I want better accessibility for people who do not hear well. I do not want life-changing technology to be available for only a few who are fortunate enough to have the resources to pay for it. It is personal.

Reading This Newsletter for the First Time?

You can join Hearing Loss Association of America), the national organization, online at hearingloss.org (click on Membership at the top of the home page). If you prefer, you can print out a form and mail it in. Membership is $25 (individual/couple/family), $20 (students), or $50 (professional). All local chapter meetings and activities are free and open to the public, whether or not you are a member of the national organization. If you would like to join the local Kentuckiana HLAA chapter list serve to receive periodic email about HOH issues, contact Bob Stuckey or 502-899-3218 TDD. If you would like to join the Kentucky HLAA list serve, contact Paula Esterle or 502-339-8037.

Kentuckiana HLAA is affiliated with HLAA National, which is headquartered in Bethesda MD. It is a volunteer international organization of hard of hearing people, their family and friends, and professionals who want to develop an acceptance of the needs of hard of hearing people. HLAA is a non-profit, non-sectarian, educational group devoted to the welfare and interests of those who cannot hear well but are committed to participating in a hearing world. Meetings are free and open to the public and take place at 6:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the St. Leonards School library on Zorn Ave., Louisville KY. Occasionally we meet at other places or at other times for different activities. On those occasions, you will be notified of the change through this newsletter. Real time captioning is used at the meetings.