HLAA Hearing Loss Magazine July/August 2010 - 26

Hearing Loss Association of America Chapters
Coming to a town near you!
OREGON goal is for New York to be the model for access for people with hearing loss.” Seven subway stations now have induction loops. Project managers expect to complete the majority of the work by December 31, 2011.

By Elizabeth LeBarron

Oregon Shakespeare Festival Captions 11 Plays
Howie Seago, an actor with a hearing loss, knows how hard it can be for audience members with hearing loss to experience plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF). “I’ve had to hassle with reading scripts with a small light to follow the plays,” Seago said in an e-mail sent in between performances of Hamlet, in which he plays the ghost of a murdered king. Seago said he is pleased by OSF’s growing efforts to offer captioned plays for the hearing loss community. During the 2010 season, OSF is offering an all-time high of 11 captioned performances for audiences who have hearing loss. The captions appear on a light emitting diode, or LED, board that is set up near the bottom of the stage to the audience’s left. “There are more and more deaf and hard of hearing people becoming interested in the OSF shows and it is great to offer them the flexibility of when to see them,” Seago said. “I will be now able to easily access the other shows I’m not in.” NEW YORK

ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist or order other exams or tests as these symptoms can indicate problems in the brain, the inner ear and vision and could be serious if not addressed quickly. CALIFORNIA

Middle School Students with Hearing Loss Headline Meeting
The Albany (NY) Chapter reports that two, eighth-graders opened the April 13 chapter meeting by sharing their personal experience with hearing loss. Life-long friends and fellow students Becca Dingman and Nicole Dergotis gave a very informative and engaging presentation including details of their participation in an oceanography camp this past February in Key West, Florida. The Albany Chapter sponsored part of their trip. Approximately 75 people attended the meeting. NEW MEXICO

Joining National HLAA
HLAA-Los Angeles had a National membership drive starting with a kickoff event at its March meeting. Steering Committee member Liz Pruyn gave a PowerPoint presentation on why it’s important to join National. Several folks who have already joined National gave testimonials on the value of it. Prizes were given to those who signed up that day. They were excited when 10 members joined on the spot! It wasn’t too difficult to convince them how $35 was a bargain for a year’s worth of membership benefits. The drive continues through September with prizes given to anyone who signs up at subsequent meetings. After everyone has signed up, they’ll draw one name out of a hat and reimburse the $35.

The Role of Physical Therapy in Hearing Loss
The Albuquerque (NM) Chapter reports that 43 people attended a meeting at which physical therapist John Guarino spoke about the use of physical therapy to help deal with balance or dizziness problems. Guarino has a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy and a master’s degree in orthopedic manual therapy. Guarino has worked with some chapter members dealing with balance problems and works at the Lovelace Women’s Hospital outpatient department. In a program filled with useful information the most important bit shared with the group was probably that if you are having balance or dizziness (and they are two, different things) problems, you should make an appointment to talk with your primary care physician to be checked. He or she may then refer you to an

New York City Transit Begins Installing Induction Loops
The North Shore Long Island (NY) Chapter reports from the Hearing Access Program that the New York City Transit system has begun installing induction loops at all subway information booths and call boxes. Funding for the work comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. “New York City is the first city in the United States to offer induction loops in their subway system,” said Janice Schacter, the founder and chair of the Hearing Access Program. “Our
26 Hearing Loss Magazine

Katherine Burns, president, holds the interactive tool that shows how many HLAA-Los Angeles members are also National members. She comments: That part is pretty low-tech!”

HLAA Hearing Loss Magazine July/August 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of HLAA Hearing Loss Magazine July/August 2010