August 7 Crazy for You Music Theatre Louisville will present Crazy for You. This production will be signed, captioned and have Audio description services. Group Rates are available. Contact: Music Theater Louisvilleor Ticketmaster at 502-361-3100. Does someone want to organize a Group outing? Be sure to mention that you need captioning when you order your tickets.

August 10 ADA Audio Conference (See information Below)

August 12 Summer Picnic Our summer picnic will be at 6:30 at Briar Hill Park off of Highway 22, near Pewee Valley. RSVP Hazel Tucker

Directions to Briar Hill Park The following directions to our August 12 picnic site are courtesy of Hazel Tucker. See map of Briar Hill
From downtown Louisville, take I-71 to Gene Snyder/841 South to the first exit, Hwy. 22, and turn left at the end of the ramp. Go 3.7 miles to Briar Hill Rd. on the left.

From I-65, take Gene Snyder/841 East to Hwy. 22. Go right on Hwy. 22 and go 3.7 miles to Briar Hill Rd. on the left.

From South End of Louisville, take the Watterson Expressway to I-71, then exit right to the first exit, Hwy. 22. Turn left at the bottom of the ramp. Go 3.7 miles to Briar Hill Rd. on the left.

August 19 to 29 Kentucky State Fair: Our Hearing Assistive Technology House will be on Main Street USA. We need volunteers to man the booth. Will you help? See Paula. We will be setting up for the Fair on August 18 at 5:00. Come see us at the fair.

August 28 Piccadilly Our fourth Saturday Luncheon will not be held this month. See us at the fair.

September 5, Deaf Festival KCDHH and KAD are sponsoring a Deaf Festival at the Ky. Center for the Arts. Although this is titled Deaf Festival, it will present programs of interest to HOH people as well as those interested in learning about the Deaf Culture. There will be a Hearing Assistive Technology House and a Panel on HOH issues. In addition, Louisville Metro will hold a cultural fair on the Belvedere this weekend.

Vote on By-laws The Board of Officers have voted to recommend the new By-laws to the Membership. The bylaws can be found on line at bylaws It is important that each person receiving this newsletter takes the time to carefully read our new By-Laws. I am asking that all members vote on this before August 10. You will receive an e-mail/U.S. Post Ballot before that date. Please watch for it. For this vote only, if you are listed on our membership list and have attended at least two (2) Speakers Meetings at any time, you are requested to vote on these By-laws.

Benefits of SHHH Membership

1. Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc. is THE voice for all people with hearing loss. (A large constituency gives them credibility and contacts.)


2. Information is brought to members through Hearing Loss: The Journal of Self Help for Hard of Hearing People.


3. The National Convention provides education and access to vendors and exhibitors.


4. Support through local chapters and online information.


5. Discounts on books, resource materials, convention fees and special promotions


6. Advocacy efforts


7. Surveys, courses and special events.


8. Fellowship and support.


9. Personal Networking. What SHHH is doing for you.


From the Desk of Brenda Battat, Director of Public Policy and States On July 14th, 2004 Brenda Battat and other consumer representatives met with Colleen Heitkamp, chief of the FCC Enforcement Bureau, members of her staff and staff of the Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau of the FCC, to discuss the very serious issue of cordless phones not being accessible to hearing aid telecoil users. At the meeting we asked the FCC take action with companies that are violating the Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) Act of 1989. Cordless phones are not wireless phones. They are landline phones and have been covered by the HAC Act since 1989. By law, every cordless phone should have the capability to couple with a telecoil-equipped hearing aid and should be labeled as such. Included here is a list of phones that we have received complaints about as not being hearing aid compatible: Panasonic KX-TC1713B KX-TG2237S KX-TG2235B KX-TCS970B KX-TC1871B KX-TG2730S KX-TG5100M 5.8 GHz expandable systems KX-TGA510M Uniden DCT5285-2 TRU8885-3HS DCT648-3HS 2.4 GHz expandable systems TRU8885-3HS 5.8 GHz expandable systems Vtech i5881 * Siemens 4010 2.4 GHz 4000 series AT&T 5.8 GHz series

Sign Language Group Do you want to learn sign language as a back-up to your hearing aids? Our Sign Language Practice Group meets the first, third and fourth Mondays of each month. (No meeting on the Monday before our Tuesday Speaker’s Meeting.) Please note: This is not an ASL class. This is members helping members to informally learn basic sign and to practice skills. There is no text. No formal instructor. We meet at Harvey Brown Presbyterian Church, 311 Browns Lane, near Shelbyville Rd. at 7:00, 2nd floor northeast Room 216. Because of the State Fair preparations we will not meet in August. We will resume again in September.

Captioned Movies

Thanks: We owe a special thanks to: Pat Flaherty, Connie Ambrose, Hazel Tucker, Toni Sabatelli, Carlene Ballard, Carol Holm, Karen Lichtefeld, Mary Mahorney, Judy & Tommy Thomas, Stacy Ridgeway, and Melanie Magruder, Kat McGee, Judy Vinegar, Merle Williams, Judy Rogers and Paula Esterle. Judy Rogers et al presented Derbytown with a check for $74 from the yard sale. Thanks Judy. Our participation in the Ky. State Fair booth was made possible by their kind, generous donations. Their donations said Hearing Assistive Technology outreach is important to them and to Derbytown SHHH Thank you! Thank You! Thank You!!!!

Treasurer’s Report $555 has been donated for our Fair booth Project. $ 74.44 has been deposited from the Yard Sale. Since May 11, we have had disbursements for Postage ($19.45), Social Committee Petty Cash ($35.00). In addition, we have had a Living Trust Donation of $10.

KCDHH Board Meeting See the KCDHH web site for the minutes of the board meeting on July 23rd. Ed attended on behalf of Derbytown.

Newcomers We would like to stay in touch with all of our newcomers. If you have internet access and you are not receiving the newsletter and periodic e-mails, please consider contacting Melanie Magruder at melbob67@msn.com and Mary Lee Nelson at marylee@stickyfeather.com to be placed on our e-mail list. Volunteers are needed to greet newcomers as they arrive, introduce them to the group and connect them to a member who could act as a resource/mentor for them. Dale has agreed to head a committee. Are you willing to assist others? Please consider volunteering. Please contact him to talk about ways to greet and assist our new members. We have had a number of newcomers who have attended one or two meetings. We do not have their names or a way to contact them. We don’t even know why they have not returned. We need to do a better job of greeting and welcoming people. We need a way to mentor them. Remember your first meeting? What was good and not so good? How can you share the positive with a newcomer? Will you welcome a newcomer?

KCDHH Education Outreach and Inclusion for the Hard of Hearing Paula, Mary Lee, and Ed met with this committee to finalize the plans for our Fair Booth.

#1. Outreach (public relations): Identifies ways the Commission can provide information regarding services to the Hard of Hearing community.


#2: Identify marketing strategies for Hard of Hearing with audiologists.


#3: Inclusion of Hard of Hearing in projects that are sponsored by the Commission.


#4: How to improve communication with Hard of Hearing individuals at the Commission Office.


#5: Change the name of the TTY Distribution Program to the Telecommunication Access Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.


#6: Web-site changes to continue to ensure information for the hard of hearing is included and updated.

Indiana Captioned Telephones are available. Reva or Bob Stuckey can give you the address. Hamilton Relay is still negotiating about KY Cap-Tels. KCDHH is not yet accepting applications.

The University of Louisville Program in Audiology is conducting research on audiologic rehabilitation in adults with hearing loss who wear hearing aids. Audiologic rehabilitation involves training in speechreading (lipreading, auditory listening,and communication strategies. Most people with hearing loss do not use all of the strategies available to them to improve their listening. As part of a research program, we will be offering FREE group audiologic rehabilitation classes. We are looking for participants with the following characteristics:
Ø1 Participants must be between the ages of 55 and 75
Ø2 All participants must wear two hearing aids with at least six months experience.
Ø3 Participants must have normal or corrected vision of at least 20/40.
Ø4 Participants must not currently have active ear disease (i.e. ear infection).
Ø5 A few other screenings will be performed at the first visit to determine if the prospective participant will qualify for the study.

If you have any questions, or if you are interested in participating, please contact Jen Leddy at 502-852-3990. or Jill Preminger, Ph.D. University of Louisville, School of Medicine Myers Hall Louisville, KY 40292 (502) 852-7691.

Tinnitus From Advance for Audiologists, July 22, 2004 ATA Proud Of Its "Perfectly Awful" CD Nevertheless, the American Tinnitus Association (ATA) feels it has a hit on its hands. The organization’s new “Sounds of Tinnitus” CD, will make it easier for family and friends to understand what life is like with constant, intrusive noise, according to Sidney C. Kleinman, ATA board chair. “Tinnitus is an individual experience,” said Kleinman, a Chicago attorney who realized last year that a CD would let more people understand the condition. “My tinnitus won’t sound exactly like yours, but the CD gives everyone a glimpse into the stress and distraction this condition can impose for a lifetime.”

Kleinman expects the CD to open more conversations among family members. He noted that it is likely to result in greater empathy among those who have never had to live with tinnitus toward those who do. “For some, just sharing the experience will bring some relief,” he said.

Many people will use the CD to inform their health care providers of their “tinnitus reality,” predicted Kleinman. “It’s surprising how many health care professionals think that tinnitus is just something you can ignore and live with. That works for some people, but many find their tinnitus debilitating and aggravating,” said Kleinman. “They can’t ignore it, even when they try. They need a different level of care and the means to communicate what they are experiencing.”

With its piercing noise and chirping sounds, “Sounds of Tinnitus” will make very clear how maddening this condition can be. In addition to the sounds, the CD includes an informative 24-minute conversation that answers many questions about tinnitus.

Nearly a year in the making, “Sounds of Tinnitus” was a collaborative effort that spanned the country. ATA’s Kleinman conceived the project at his home in the Midwest. Actor and ATA Honorary Director Peter Graves recorded one part of a two-way conversation at a studio in Los Angeles. Donna Wayner, AuD, recorded the second track in Albany, NY.

Professor Thomas Miller, DePaul University School of Music (Chicago), got together with Kleinman to synthesize noises that mimic a variety of tinnitus sounds. Miller then married the conversation tracks, added tinnitus sounds to the background, and produced a separate tinnitus track. Finally, the master was reproduced in Los Angeles.

“Sounds of Tinnitus” is available only from the ATA. Place an order online at http:www.ata.org or by calling 800-634-8978. Cost: $12, plus shipping.

< ADA President Bush and US Access Board are scheduled to announce the publication of the final revised AADAG/ABA Guidelines on or around July 26, 2004 as part of the 14th anniversary of the ADA Join us for this special session which will provide an overview of the revisions put forth by the US Access Board. The DBTAC collaborative audioconference announces this special audioconference program to be held in August 2004.

This special session is offered as part of the regular program conducted as a collaborative effort of the 10 Regional Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers. August 10, 2004 1:00pm-3:00pm* Central Time 2:00 PM - 4:00 pm* Eastern Time (Note: 120 minute session due to technical nature of the program) "Introduction to the Revised ADAAG/ABA Guidelines" featuring: Dave Yanchulis and Jim Pecht of the US Access Board.

Participants will have an opportunity to dialogue with Access Board staff regarding the technical provisions. This session is scheduled to be 120 minutes in length (note extended time period).

To Participate: Local Network Affiliates need to contact their State Network Administrator to reserve a line by close of business on Thursday, August 5, 2004. This allows for NetAdmins to send line requests to me NLT August 9, 2004. If you need an update on your State Network Affiliate please go to: Nerwork or call Cheri Hofmann, 800-949-4232. Remember: This is FREE to you as a State or Local Affiliate.

Site Coordinator Instructions: The materials and instructions (which include the call in information) for the July 20th session should be posted for downloading no later than Tuesday, August 3, 2004.

Cheri Hofmann Training Manager Southeast DBTAC--A project of Georgia Tech's Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access Your Regional Resource Center on the ADA and Accessible IT

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