a.b.c. REPORTS
Spring/Summer 1999
Volume 8 Number 2
A publication of advocates for better communication
a
volunteer program allied with the League for the Hard of Hearing
NEWBORN HEARING SCREENING LAW NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT
Congress is currently considering a bill, H.R. 1193 - Newborn and Infant Hearing Screening and Intervention Act of 1999, that would ensure that every newborn is given an accurate hearing assessment to determine the presence of a permanent congenital hearing loss in excess of 35 decibels, before they are discharged from the hospital. The potential hearing losses discovered would range from mild to profound. If, for any reason, an infant cannot be tested at birth, then it is recommended that the testing take place before the infant reaches 6 to 7 months of age.
There are several different tests that can be performed to detect infant hearing loss. Regardless of which test is done, the time it takes to train personnel to perform the test, the actual time it takes to administer the test, the cost of supplies per test, the threshold detection level (how slight a hearing loss can be detected) and the referral rate for additional testing are all pretty much equal. According to the National Institutes of Health, the rate of infants found with a one-sided hearing loss in excess of 30 decibels is 2.5 infants per 1,000 tested. The rate of infants found with both ears having a hearing loss in excess of 30 decibels is 1.0 per 1000 tested. The overall rate for infants with a hearing loss of 30 decibels or greater is 3.5 per 1000 tested. This is substantially higher than the prevalence of PKU, hyperthyroidism, or sickle cell anemia - all three of which are required for screening in every state.
One of the reasons that hospitals give for not performing the test is the cost. Cost is passed on to the insurance companies, so the insurance companies usually ask, "Is this test worth it? Will it save money in the long run?" Society also has to look at the cost/benefits of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS.) If you multiply the average cost per test times the number of tests it takes to identify one child with a hearing loss, the average cost per child identified is approximately $8,000.00. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that in 1990 the annual cost of education in a regular mainstream classroom was $3,383. To educate a child in a self-contained classroom in 1990 costs $9,689 per year, and in a residential program $35,780 per year.
If the infants with a mild to moderate hearing loss are identified and given amplification prior to the onset of language acquisition (before 6 months of age), almost all would be able to remain in a regular classroom. That saves society approximately $6,000 a year. Multiply this by the 12 years that children are in public school and it is easy to see that the financial savings are far greater than the cost of identifying the child. The insurance company saves the cost of speech and language rehabilitation, including language development, speech production, etc.
Of those children who are born profoundly deaf where only a cochlear implant would be of benefit, Dr. John Niparko, of Johns Hopkins University Medical Center, found that 80% of these children were able to be placed in a normal classroom instead of a self-contained class or residential program after a period of intense aural rehabilitation. The savings per child exceeds $30,000 per year!
There is no dollar value that can be placed on the benefit the child derives. There is no financial measure as to what this saves the family in heartache, anxiety, and disruption of lifestyle.
Dr. Karl White, of the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management, in a paper presented to the Center for Disease Control in 1997, reported that as screening becomes more widespread, we are finding that "many of the children who were previously thought to have late onset [hearing] losses were really children with congenital mild or moderate progressive permanent hearing loss." As newborn and young infants, there was sufficient hearing to babble or respond to loud noise (startle response); therefore, no hearing loss was suspected. As they grew older and the hearing loss continued, their speech was significantly affected. These infants can be helped significantly by early screening, detection, and treatment. According to Dr. Annie Gordon-Langbein, a pediatrician, if a child's hearing loss is detected and treated early, then the child's speech and language skills develop equivalent to their peers.
You can make a difference by writing to your representatives in Congress and urging them to vote for H.R. 1193 - Newborn and Infant Hearing Screening and Intervention Act of 1999. You can also write to your insurance carrier and local hospitals asking for their voluntary participation in this program.
Dr. Orin Kaufman
Co-chair, a.b.c. Health Care Committee.
MET MUSEUM OF ART SCHEDULES
TWO OPEN CAPTIONED
LECTURES
The Metropolitan Museum of Art recently arranged to have realtime captioning at two of its regularly- scheduled lectures. Don DePew, a court reporter who does realtime captioning, provided the service for the museum. This is a first for the Met, and we hope they will continue to schedule captioned lectures. There are none planned yet for the coming months. Please take a moment now to jot off a letter to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, requesting that they continue captioning public lectures. Mary Fredericks, an officer of the Manhattan Chapter of SHHH, wrote an excellent letter, which appears in this article. You may use this as a model, or write your own thoughts. Captioning, along with the infrared system provided at the museum, ensures that people with all degrees of hearing loss can participate in the Museum's excellent lecture programs. Your letter can make a difference! Thank you for your help!
Mary Frederick's Letter to the Metropolitan Museum of Art:
SHHH - MANHATTAN CHAPTER
Mr. Philippe de Montebello, Director
Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10028-0198Dear Mr. De Montebello:
I am writing to express my appreciation for MMA's latest effort to provide accessibility for all of the Museum's visitors who have disabilities. I refer to the captioning of selected lectures in the Uris Center Auditorium. I had the pleasure of attending the first of these on March 26th on "The Treasury of Saint Francis of Assissi." It was, indeed, the first lecture I attended at MMA since I'm always concerned about missing too much because of my profound hearing loss. Ms. Tomlyn Barns was an excellent presenter, and Mr. Donald DePew an expert captioner, so I barely missed a word!
I plan to attend the next captioned event on April 23rd about 18th Century French Drawings; I do hope there will be more in the future. We will publicize these events through our organization whenever we are notified of them.
Thank you so very much for adding a new dimension to my Museum membership, and thanks to your staff for making the arrangements for these events.
Yours very truly,
Mary T. Fredericks
Corresponding SecretaryCC: Mr. Nicholas Ruocco, Education Department
Ms. Deborah Krohn, Public Lecture Program
Ms. Kathleen Arffmann, Visitor Services
Dr. Kent Lydecker, Education Department
EDITORIAL: Busy Busy!
As you browse through this issue, you will notice that a.b.c. is branching out. You'll learn about a.b.c.'s initiatives to get lectures captioned at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, legislation that will ensure mandatory hearing screening for newborns, cochlear implant conferences, health care tips, networking with our Israeli counterparts, expanding entertainment options, as well as personal stories and experiences. As editor of this newsletter, this is tremendously exciting news to report! Some of the information contained on these pages were mere dreams just a year or two ago.
Certainly, one of the reasons for this encouraging progress is the ease with which we can now communicate via email and the Internet. Information, and people, are now literally at our fingertips - and no hearing is required! Most of a.b.c.'s board members network frequently via email. We are also in touch with other organizations and individuals around the country - and, yes, the world!
As you read this issue, stop and think if there are opportunities - like going to a captioned movie or play - that you have been postponing, or thinking that is not necessary, or too much of a bother. We all tend to get set in our ways and resist change. There are some genuinely outstanding opportunities for people with hearing loss out there. We encourage you to try them! You're sure to enjoy. If you need more information, don't hesitate to contact us.
By the way, everyone reading this newsletter is an advocate, whether you know it or not. When you request services that you, friends or family members need, it helps us all. When you don't, then our needs continue to remain invisible. We have the numbers - the choice is up to each one of us to be either good advocates, or silent ones.
Legislation that requires Universal Newborn Hearing Screening is the latest initiative that deserves your support. What a difference we can make in the lives of children born with hearing loss! Isn't that worth sending off a letter of support to your Congressional representatives?
And, last of all, let's hear from you! We welcome your input - whether via email, or the good ol' U.S Mail!
Arlene Romoff, Editor
MEET CHARLOTTE ROTH - a.b.c.'s NEW CO-COORDINATOR
Charlotte Roth, a.b.c.'s new co-coordinator, has advocated for persons with disabilities both as a professional, a member of advocacy groups and as an individual for many years.
Charlotte, a native of New York City, attended Hunter College as a full-time student and Columbia University, City College, Adelphi University, and Hofstra University as a part-time student. She received postgraduate certificates or degrees in Social Work, Education and Special Education.
Charlotte was employed as a social worker, a teacher of regular elementary education, a teacher of special education, and a coordinator of special education classes in New York City. She worked as a Regional Associate for the New York State Education Department's Office of Special Education Services for 17 years.
Charlotte used all of her knowledge, skills and tenacity to maintain her employment when her hearing reached a level of profound deafness. She obtained assistive devices from the New York State Education Department and an assistant to help her with the telephone. She began losing her hearing in her 30's and suffered gradual declining hearing in both ears. She received a cochlear implant in 1990 and was recently reimplanted in February of this year. Following her retirement in 1995, Charlotte has traveled, taken courses, and become involved in advocacy for people with hearing loss.
Her vision for a.b.c. includes adding nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and senior residences to the scope of the facilities already being addressed, in the expectation of providing better access to captioning and assistive devices for the residents and training for the staff. A major objective is to try to break the stigma of hearing impairment among consumers and to try to provide them with the confidence to request and use assistive devices and accommodations in classrooms, theaters, movie houses and every area of mainstream life. She believes that advocacy will continue to work if the thousands of people for whom we are advocating will learn to step up and utilize the devices and accommodations that we already have obtained. Recognizing that every small step is a major victory, Charlotte will support a.b.c.'s ongoing links to other organizations to strengthen both our voice and theirs. She looks forward to this new challenge and to working with the special people at a.b.c.
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor:
In the Winter 1999 issue of a.b.c. Reports, Ruth Shapiro mentions the 1"x1" "slash thru ear" sticker that she affixes to her Medicare card. That's a great idea to use the stickers in this manner. You may want to mention in the next issue that the 1" x 1" stickers can be purchased from SHHH National Publications Department in a roll of 1,000 for $10, or 25 for $1. If one is to be a patient in the hospital, the stickers can be affixed to the many different medical file folders used when encountering staff for tests, treatments, etc. For a hospital stay, the stickers come in 3" x 4" and 5 1/2" x 7" to affix over the hospital bed, or to the door of the room to alert staff that the patient has a hearing loss. (I even used two stickers at the veterinarian's to alert the staff that our dog was deaf, and so was her owner!)
I use the stickers from my large roll by carrying a strip of them in my wallet. When I am a new patient, or in a professional office of some kind, I give them a few of the stickers, asking that one be affixed on my file to alert the staff that the client has a hearing loss. I've had some of the professionals ask me how to get a large roll for their office use.
One of our SHHHers in New Jersey uses them as a seal on the back of her envelope, just as many of us use decorative stickers for the closure. I think that's nice, too. To order a large roll, or the smaller quantity contact:
SHHH National Publications Department,
7910 Woodmont
Ave., Suite 1200
Bethesda, MD 20814
Voice phone: (301) 657-2248
TTY (301) 657-2249
Fax: (301)
913-9413
Email: national@shhh.org
Carol Granaldi, President, SHHH-NJ
Editor's Note: These stickers may also be obtained directly from the League for the Hard of Hearing.
COCHLEAR IMPLANT CORNER
CICI CONVENTION
INFORMATION
The Cochlear Implant Club International (CICI) 1999 Convention is being held at the Manhattan Beach Marriott Hotel, California, from July 23-26, 1999. Manhattan Beach is located 3 miles south of Los Angeles International Airport and 1.5 miles from the Pacific coastline. CICI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and supporting cochlear implant recipients and their families, as well as advocating and promoting cochlear implants. CICI conventions are held every other year.
A wide range of workshops are planned that address the needs of potential and current implant users - from infants to senior citizens, parents, spouses and family members. Captioning will be provided at all sessions specifically geared to people with hearing loss. More than 60 workshops and presentations will be given by highly respected professionals and by individuals recognized for their expertise in subjects related to implants - including representatives from the League for the Hard of Hearing. Cochlear implant manufacturers will be presenting information on their respective devices, with updates on their latest developments.
In addition to educational, self-help, motivational and "just plain fun" sessions, tours of Advanced Bionics Corporation (manufacturer of the Clarion cochlear implant), the House Ear Institute, and the John Tracy Clinic have been arranged. Additionally, trips to Long Beach Aquarium and the Getty Museum have also been planned, as well as a Barbecue Beach Party. An Exhibit Hall will be open for the duration of the convention.
The Convention Keynote Speaker will be Robert V. Shannon, Ph.D., who is the Head of the Department of Auditory Implants and Perception at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles, California, and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California.
For registration materials, contact:
'99 CICI Convention
Camille Jones, Chair
PO Box
307
Culver City, CA 90232-0307
Email contact: Nancy Gray at Ngray23398@aol.com
If you are planning to attend this convention, please register immediately upon receiving your materials since some trips and special activities may fill up fast.
NORTHEAST REGIONAL COCHLEAR
IMPLANT FAMILY
RETREAT PLANNED
The registration brochures are ready for the Northeast Regional CI Family Retreat at the Sturbridge Host Hotel in Sturbridge, MA, July 16-18, hosted by the "valiant" Minuteman Implant Club chapter of CICI. The Retreat is geared to families of children who use CI's and families who are learning about CI's as an option for their child. The program is a wonderful option for families living in the northeastern US to attend, especially if the expense of traveling with small children to Los Angeles for the CICI convention later in July simply would not have been a possibility for them.
To register, it is necessary to mail in the registration form from the brochure. However, if you are planning on attending, it is advisable to reserve your hotel room right away, specifying the "cochlear implant meeting" when reserving your room.
A wonderful Children's Program has been planned so that parents may attend sessions. In addition to a full schedule of informative presentations, including those by League for the Hard of Hearing representatives, a Saturday night banquet, Saturday evening dinner, and Sunday barbecue are planned.
The keynote speaker at the General Session, on Saturday morning, will be Beverly Biderman, author of the book, Wired for Sound: A Journey into Hearing. Ms. Biderman's book, published by Trifolium Books, Inc., is an excellent resource for information on cochlear implants.
Brochures for the Retreat can be obtained from :
Larry Orloff
14 County Street
Foxboro, MA 02035(508) 543-9886 (Voice) ORLOFF@ICI.NET
or
Marilyn Neault at HELIX300@AOL.COM
Travelin' Ears: THE LAND OF THE TIGER
by Joan Lynton
I still can't believe it. I spent three weeks traveling through the northern part of India and Nepal. "The Land of the Tiger" was a fantastic, exciting, adventurous trip.
It has been a long time since my husband and I traveled with a group. These nine people were special: all well-traveled professionals or retirees. Within a short time we made a comfortable adjustment to one another's quirks and temperaments.
I was the only hard of hearing person on the trip. Every day I had to choose between two worlds: the hearing and the silent. I had to choose to participate or not to participate. The first day or two I had a rough time coping because of the long hours, being with people all day and all night, clamorous restaurants and the diverse noisy transportation. I paid a high price in fatigue until I learned to evaluate my situation and recognize my limitations. I realized that what was required was double amounts of physical energy, triple powers of concentration during guided excursions and quadruple amounts of energy for eye contact so I could lipread.
I took three extra sets of hearing aids and lots of batteries. Every day I carried one set of aids and batteries in my money belt. In my wallet, there is an identification card that states that I'm hearing impaired. On my right wrist I wear a Medic Alert bracelet, which I never take off, that states I am hard of hearing. Although I took my personal FM system, I found I did not need it. The tour leader was well informed of my special needs and requirements. He informed local guides to speak up and, whenever possible, which was most of the time, face me and stand near me while speaking.
To my surprise, most of the hotel telephones were hearing aid compatible. Better still, living in tents for six days with no telephones, TVs, computers, word processors, doorbells and no electricity was a peaceful haven for me and my hearing aids.
We flew a lot. Some of the airplanes accommodated three hundred people. Most of the time, we were in small planes that accommodated just twenty passengers. In both situations I turned my hearing aids off and
used them as ear plugs. We traveled in jeeps with no windows for many hours. The flying dust penetrated my body from head to toe. I wore a scarf to cover my head and protect my hearing aids from being damaged by dirt and flying objects. Buses were another problem for me. Sometimes the air conditioning worked. When it did not function, we had to open the windows. The road noise was truly horrible. India's truck drivers love to use their horns. Whether in the city or the country, the minute they see a tourist bus, the drivers persistently honk their horns, welcoming us to their territory, and then move over, hoping that we end up in a ditch with muddy pigs and angry cows. We had a few close calls!
Locating the right bus seat to comfortably hear the guide on the speaker system was important. Though the best view was up front, I discovered that sitting under the speaker system away from the driver was good for me because it avoided the overpowering sound from the motor.
Our six days on elephant back through the quiet dense jungle, listening to the birds singing or warning their comrades that strangers were approaching, or listening to the one-horned rhinoceros bark at her babies to get under cover was a wonderful respite for me and my hearing aids. The quietness of the jungle and the majestic surroundings of nature calmed my nerves and revived my energy to be alert to any danger approaching us. It also permitted my receptive listening skills to rest in the tranquil atmosphere.
Our elephant guide rode just behind the elephant's head, instructing the elephant to move forward, backward, remove a tree that blocked our path, or hiss to his master that a tiger was within our reach. Yes, we saw three magnificent tigers up close.
I heard and felt the nasty sting of the elephant grass mercilessly snap against my thick blue jeans. Without my hearing aids' amplification, I would have missed all the majestic sounds nature offers when intruding on their property. One had to be constantly on the alert for tree branches, which easily could throw you to the ground, and possibly hiding nearby was a wild boar waiting to devour you!
Our search was successful. We spotted wild boars, sambars, langur monkeys, and more deer than we could count. I enjoyed the symphony of the jungle, the rippling sounds from the rivers, the elephants' thumping walks through the high and low muddy rivers, the birds singing to one another, the cracking of tree branches, the monkeys squealing to their siblings - all devoid of human voices. The challenge for me to decipher new, distant animal sounds and the dense whispering foliage brushing against me, were all new and exciting. Had I not worn my hearing aids, I would have missed "The Land of the Tiger's" world of auditory stimulation.
This trip certainly kept me and my hearing aids running overtime. I didn't miss much. I know that hard of hearing people understand my challenges of coping in the world of hearing and sounds. Am I ready for another trip? You bet I am!
Editor's Note: Aside from being a world traveler, Joan Lynton is a member of a.b.c.'s Health Care Committee.
GOING TO COURT?
If you need some special aids or services when appearing in court as a litigant, witness, or called to jury duty, you should inform the court officer about your needs. You can ask for an assistive listening system, sign-language interpreter, or CART captioning to be available on the day, time and place that you need these services. When you appear, be sure that the devices or services you requested are there for your use, and inform the court officials if they are, or are not, acceptable and useable. Please tell us at a.b.c. about your experiences, so we will pass your comments on to the appropriate court officers. Letters or e-mails to the attention of a.b.c.'s Legal Affairs committee would be appreciated. We'd like to share your experience - good or bad - with our readers.
WILL YOU CALL YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER TO . . .
request that they list open captioned movies along with their regular movie listings? Many movie theaters now show open captioned movies, but these showings are not usually listed in the regular movie sections of the newspapers. Newspapers in some other regions do show this information, complete with a CAPTIONED logo. Please call your local newspaper and request that this information be listed. You can make a difference!
A WORD ON HEARING LOSS - WHAT'S IN A LABEL?
We are all aware that there are differing degrees of hearing loss; hence, the terms deaf, hard of hearing and late-deafened.
All too often, people are inclined to think of the term "deaf" as encompassing all degrees of hearing loss and they believe sign language interpreting is "the" communication modality for those who are deaf, hard of hearing or late-deafened. One should not be predisposed to believe that there is only one form of communication access, that sign language interpreting is effective for all people with hearing loss.
We need to be a little more sensitive to people who have differing degrees of hearing loss and thus require different communication modalities. Typically, we see people who are deaf requesting sign language interpreters, people who are hard of hearing requesting assistive listening devices (ALDs), and people who are late-deafened requesting captioning. There are instances when requests for these communication modalities overlap; however, the main message here is that just because a person cannot hear well, one should not automatically assume that the only communication modality is sign language interpreting!
In proposing and requesting communication access services, the public should never think that all bases are covered by providing only sign language interpreters. The words deaf, hard of hearing, and late-deafened should be used whenever appropriate and an awareness of the varying needs of people with hearing loss should be recognized and respected. More advocacy among our constituencies is needed to educate the public about differing communication needs, both personally and under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
We all reside in a world of diverse communities and culture. Through strategies that foster unity, only then can we effectively make hearing loss better understood.
Richard Herring
Director, New Jersey Division of the Deaf and Hard of HearingThis article appeared in the January, 1999 issue of the Monthly Communicator, the newsletter of the NJ Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
HaOzen HaShishit -
A Self-Help Group for Adults
in Jerusalem
by Gali Beiner
HaOzen HaShishit, meaning "the sixth ear," was the name chosen for the self-help group of hard of hearing people presently operating in Jerusalem. The name stands for the sixth sense, the hidden sense that one has to teach oneself to use. In a way, we, the people of HaOzen HaShishit, have had to teach ourselves something - that we could make a difference.
We hadn't believed in our ability to make a difference at first. Just two years ago, there was no Israeli organization for hard of hearing people over the age of 18. Adult hard of hearing people who did not feel committed to using sign language as a way of life received no assistance and had to cope with all their difficulties on their own. The Israeli government lent little or no assistance - with several wars during its short history, and the need to cope with large waves of immigrants, there was little time or funds to devote to the needs of hard of hearing adults. "There are so many things that should be done," we said, "but who would listen to us if we'd say anything about it?"
This attitude started to change when it was rumored that the municipality of Jerusalem was going to cut the only position that existed for a social worker for the deaf and hard of hearing people in the city. Letting go of this one position meant letting go of any chance of helping the entire population of deaf and hard of hearing people that lived in Jerusalem. So we, the members of HaOzen HasShishit, decided to act.
It was Haozen HaShishit that led the outcry against the propose personnel cuts, and brought together all organizations serving deaf and hard of hearing people in protest. The protest succeeded, but more important, we succeeded. We made a difference!
Encouraged by this success and other successes, HaOzen HaShishit went on to organize a conference for hard of hearing adults in Jerusalem whose goal was to learn from the people what improvements could and should be made in their lives. Some projects, such as putting Hebrew subtitles onto Hebrew-speaking television broadcasts, required nationwide effort. From this, people from other cities in Israel decided to form self-help groups, modeled after HaOzen HaShishit, and worked both locally and nationally to achieve their goals. These groups were brought together, and, headed by Prof. Jerry Reichstein, formed a national organization for hard of hearing adults called BeKol.
On the municipal level, HaOzen HaShishit also organized a meeting of representatives from all organizations serving deaf and hard of hearing people in Jerusalem. The outcome was a cooperation between the different organizations, creating a working forum. This forum is now working on several issues such as a multi-service center for deaf and hard of hearing adults that would offer translation and subtitling services, job counseling and accommodations required in the workplace, social help and cultural activities.
HaOzen HaShishit wishes to increase the awareness of the needs of deaf and hard of hearing people and continues to contact the various authorities, both local and national, to achieve this goal. Our group is also involved in the process of forming a new law, recently accepted by the Israeli Parliament, which would entitle any disabled person to receive the same opportunities as any non-disabled person. For hard of hearing people, this means accessibility to information, to Hebrew-speaking broadcasts or shows, and to places of study and employment. There is still much work to be done, however, we can say that we have set our feet along the right path. An ancient Hebrew prayer says, "Next year in Jerusalem" - we, too, join this prayer and hope that next year will be a better year for all hard of hearing people in our city.
Editor's note: Gali Beiner welcomes communication with other organizations and individuals who are interested in networking on our common advocacy goals. She can be contacted at:
Gali Beiner
POB 39137
Givat Ram
Jerusalem,
ISRAEL
FAX 972=2=5700513
email: galinka@pob.huji.ac.il
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART ADDS
MORE CAPTIONED
VIDEOS
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has reported to us that over the past three months, nine videos from their vast collection of Videos on View have been open-captioned, with funding provided by the New York State Council on the Arts. The titles available are described below. At least two open-captioned videos will be shown each day. A list of Videos on View, posted in front of the Edward John Noble Education Center every morning, will note which videos being shown that day are open-captioned.
Open captioning is the process of converting the dialogue, narration, music and sound effects of a video-recorded program into words that appear on the screen - similar to subtitles. This permanently affixed on-screen text appears at the bottom center of the
television screen. The captioning is intended to assist people who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as anyone who benefits from the written word.
These videos will be shown in the Edward John Noble Education Center on a rotating basis and include:
Art City: Making it in Manhattan
Artist's Choice
Elizabeth
Catlett: Sculpting the Truth
In Brilliant Light: Van Gogh in Arles
Jacob
Lawrence: The Glory of Expression
Portrait of an Artist: Marc
Chagall
Portrait of an Artist: Frida Kahlo
Portrait of an Artist: Henri
Matisse
Women in Art: Georgia O'Keeffe
Look for the captioned videos on your next trip to MoMA!
Other Accessible Exhibits to Look For:
There are great interactive captioned videos in the Hall of Biodiversity at the American Museum of Natural History. Wonderful captioned videos are also at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute and also at the Museum of the American Indian.
CAPTION CORNER
For those with Internet access, the following websites have a wealth of information about captioned movies and theater:
www.handson.org (The calendar is great!)
The Theatre Development Fund's Theatre Access Project, 1501 Broadway, NY, NY 10036, offers open captioned performances of Broadway shows. Call 212-221-1103 or tap@tdf.org and ask to be put on their mailing list for captioned performances. Their website is: http://www.tdf.org/
The Paper Mill Playhouse, Brookside Drive, Millburn, New Jersey 07041, also runs one or two open captioned performances for each of its productions. The theater has an infrared listening system. Call 973-379-3636 or email Michael Mooney at Mmooney@PaperMill.org and request to be put on their mailing list for captioned shows. Their website is: http://www.papermill.org/ .
The George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, open captions one performance of each of its productions of the season. The theater has an infrared listening system. Contact the theater at 732-246-7717(V) or 732-846-0825(TTY). Request to be put on their mailing list for future captioned performances. Their website is: http://www.georgestplayhouse.org/
The new New Jersey Performing Arts Center, One Center Street, Newark, NJ 07102 is open captioning the national touring company's production of the Broadway show, SMOKEY JOE'S CAFÉ, on June 2nd. This is the first time they are captioning a performance. Call Schary Cole at 973-642-8989 ext. 3873 or fax 973-648-6724 to be put on their mailing list for future captioned performances.
To get a monthly listing by email of captioned movies shown at Clearview Cinema theaters, send your request to: wsalisch@clearcin.com
For listings of captioned and foreign subtitled movies shown at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center, email to M2NYC@aol.com or write to the Film Society of Lincoln Center, 70 Lincoln Center Plaza, NY, NY 10023-6595
LOST HEARING AIDS
It is not unusual for a person who is hospitalized to have his or her hearing aids misplaced or lost. To protect against loss it is helpful to bring a plastic container with your name affixed, for storage of your hearing aids. It is wise to alert hospital staff members if an elderly parent needs assistance inserting, removing and storing his or her hearing aids.
Most people prefer to have their hearing aids until the last possible moment before surgery - and then returned to them in the recovery room. You are entitled to have your hearing aids on while you are conscious so that you can understand instructions. Make your needs known to the hospital staff. It's important for you to take charge. If you need more information, contact the Health Care Committee of a.b.c. or the Center for Health Care Access at the League for the Hard of Hearing.
Ruth R. Green
Co-chair, a.b.c. Health Care CommitteeHave you had any interesting experiences (good or bad) that you think would be helpful to others? Write to us so we can share your story with our readers. We'd love to feature YOUR story in our next issue.
A Reflection: QUIET DAYS
I have a severe/profound hearing loss in both ears. At the end of a day or week when I have had to listen all the time, my brain shouts, "Enough!" The brain expends so much extra physical energy deciphering what comes through my hearing aids into my marginally functional ears, that it demands lots of quiet time to recoup. The first thing I do when I come home every day is take off my shoes and take out my hearing aids. If I have had a hectic week, out all day and almost every evening, I declare a "quiet" day over the weekend. I retreat into a world of silence: reading, writing, catching up with people by e-mail, watching captioned TV or the birds and clouds go by as I relax and gaze at the sky from the 22nd floor. I live alone. "Tuning out" is not a problem.
My friends and family have learned to expect this kind of behavior from me. I have a flasher for my phone and door bell so I do not feel isolated or frightened. I am temporarily out of touch with the world of sound and noise. The problem is that the silence can become addictive. I was reminded of this when I read "Weather Report," by Francine du Plessix Gray, in "The Talk of the Town" column of the February 1, 1999 issue of New Yorker magazine. Ms. Grey describes the snow storms when she was growing up. I remember those storms, too. We were often snowed in for several days at a time.
"... The stillness, the quietude of such times soon become a drug-exhilarating addictive, leading you to dread the return of the outside world, making you want to continue living 'in peace in the inmost chamber' of your house, as Kafka's creature puts it, until the end of your days."
It is hard to give up the silence and peace of "quiet days" and come back into the world of sound, struggling to hear and understand what is going on around me - talking, laughing, singing, communicating with the world. Then I realize that if I don't tune in, put on my hearing aids and go out the door, I will soon become a recluse, an idea that really doesn't appeal to me.
Life is full of pleasures. I'm not prepared to give them up just because it is so difficult for me to hear.
Ruth D. Shapiro, M.A.,
a.b.c. Co-Coordinator
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a.b.c. Executive Board:
Co -Coordinators
Ruth
D. Shapiro, M.A.
Charlotte N.
Roth
Cultural Affairs Committee
Arlene Romoff & Paula Brown Glick, Ph.D., Co-Chairs
Health Care Committee
Ruth R. Green & Dr. Orin Kaufman, Co-Chairs
Restaurant Committee
Ruth D. Shapiro, Chair
Senior Centers
Ruth C. Green, Chair
Telecommunications Committee
Joseph Gordon, Chair
Travel Committee
Ruth
D. Shapiro, Chair
League Representatives
Keith Muller, Executive Director
Lise Hamlin, Access & Advocacy
Coordinator
Josh Gendel, Technical
Services Director
Amy Hohn, Director of
Volunteers
Justin R. Cristaldi, Web Designer
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