Sign of promise: EPCC teaches sign language at early childhood center

Source Link – Sign of promise: EPCC teaches sign language at early childhood center

Ruby Ruiz was born deaf, but the condition wasn’t diagnosed until she was 5.

A lifelong El Pasoan who now works with the deaf and those with hearing impediments, she says El Pasoans aren’t very much aware of the deaf culture in the city.

Ruiz, 43, is a sign language instructor at El Paso Community College who is now working with a West Side early childhood learning center to teach its young students how to sign.

Many people with hearing problems are isolated and resistant to acknowledge their condition, Ruiz said. She wasn’t introduced to sign language until her diagnosis. After graduating from Austin High School and starting college, Ruiz decided she wanted to become a sign language instructor.

“I decided to learn about the deaf culture and work as an interpreter, help them give feedback,”she said.

It is thought that about 4,000 people in El Paso are deaf or have a hearing impediment, Ruiz said.

This fall, Flying Colors Learning Center is implementing sign language in its curriculum.

“As they grow older, children will develop sign language,” said Denise Leal, director of Flying Colors on the West Side.

The center takes care of about 200 children. At least two children are deaf or have a hearing impediment, Leal said.

She said implementing sign language instruction into the curriculum is a way to reach out to the deaf community.

Leal said Flying Colors decided to work with El Paso Community College to provide sign language training for the staff.
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Last week about 50 people attended a sign language workshop at Flying Colors, 600 E. Redd Road.

Sylvia Montelongo, a student at EPCC and vice president of its sign language club, said her club wants to partner with local agencies to promote sign language.

She said El Pasoans are not aware of the deaf community, while people with hearing problems tend to be isolated.

“They are in our community and they are productive citizens. I don’t think a lot of people know about them,” she said.

Montelongo said introducing children to sign language at an early age enables them to develop a broader vocabulary and helps them relate to people with a hearing problem.

“It’s amazing for children! Because before they can talk, they can move their hands. They’re able to get along with deaf children,” Montelongo said.

Jeanette Lawrence, 33, said her 3- year-old, Alexa, enjoys showing her the new signing words she learns at Flying Colors.

“Apples” and “mama” were among the first words her daughter learned in sign language, she said.

Lawrence said sign language helps children without a hearing impediment improve their communication skills at an early age.

Michael Hicks, owner of Flying Colors Learning Center, said he hopes other centers follow up and introduce sign language to more young children.

He said sign language lessons have also been introduced at the Flying Colors center on the East Side.

Aileen B. Flores may be reached at aflores@elpasotimes.com; 546-6362.

Mattanawcook Academy students learn sign language, promote awareness

Source Link – Mattanawcook Academy students learn sign language, promote awareness

If you happen to meet any of the 39 members of Carrie Pierce’s American Sign Language classes at Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln, you’d be wise to avoid using the term “hearing-impaired.”

They really don’t like it.

“They’re not impaired — they’re deaf,” said senior Candice Osborne, 17, of Lincoln during an interview last week. “They’re deaf, they know that they’re deaf, and they like to be treated equally. They don’t want you to baby them.”

Deaf people — or those who live in “the community,” as the students say — feel that being called “hearing-impaired” smacks of condescension and the unequal treatment given those who are disabled, when all they really do that’s different from anybody else is speak with their hands, the students said. They also like the “d” in deaf to be capitalized.

“Don’t stare at them [when they sign],” Osborne said. “They regard that as an intrusion, like people being nosy.”

“And don’t yell at them,” said sophomore Jenna Brown, 15, of Lincoln. “They won’t be able to hear you any better. If you meet someone who is deaf and don’t know how to do sign language, tell them you don’t understand and that you will try your hardest to understand.”

This awareness of the sensitivities of deaf people, and the fact that it was among the first things mentioned by a half-dozen of Pierce’s students at the Mattanawcook Academy football game last Friday night, shows that the students are learning more than just ASL in Pierce’s classes.

They’re learning awareness, the culture of American deaf people, how to be more inclusive with the deaf, and a healthy feel for the sensibilities of those for whom signing is not just a second language — and that’s precisely the point, Pierce said.

Pierce, who is deaf, said with aid from Osborne’s translation that one of the goals of the class is to have her students, all of whom can hear, become more “understanding and accommodating to deaf people.”

This year, Pierce is teaching three ASL classes at MA. Students take the class for foreign language credit. It is part of the curriculum and meets every other day. Pierce also teaches adult education in Ellsworth and teaches two ASL classes at the University of Maine. She also runs a summer camp for deaf children and has a nature photography business.

One of the principles taught in Pierce’s classes is that English and ASL are separate languages. For example, when a student asked how to sign the phrase “you’re welcome,” Pierce explained that the sign is a thumbs up, or the sign for “all right” or “fine.” This prevents confusion with the sign for “welcome” when admitting someone to your home.

Friday’s football game was something of a milestone for Pierce and the two years of classes in ASL that she has taught at the Lincoln high school: It marked the first time that her students signed the national anthem before an athletic event.

The 10 students arrayed themselves on the field before the crowd and, after an announcement explaining their presence, “sang” the anthem in sign.

“I thought it was great,” said Julia Delano of Lincoln, who attended the game with her husband, Byron. “We actually have a cousin who is deaf, and I was thinking it would be great for her to have seen them doing that.”

“It was really different,” said Mike Farrell, 20, of Lincoln, a business management major at Husson University in Bangor. “We never had that in class when I was here.”

Pierce said she was proud of her students for their performance on the field and in the classroom, though sophomore Harlee Whitney, 15, of Lincoln said they were “crazy nervous” learning the translation for the anthem before the game.

“This is the first time it’s ever been done at a game here,” she said.

“We crammed it all in,” said 15-year-old sophomore Alycia Botting of Lincoln.

The students hope to sign the anthem at an MA basketball game next, they said.

They also want to continue learning and teaching sign language and promoting awareness of the needs of deaf people until the goal Pierce announced to her students in the first days of class — to have sign language so commonly known in the Lincoln Lakes region that she can shop here without any discomfort — is finally realized.

Brown’s Medicare bill could add hearing aids

Source Link – Brown’s Medicare bill could add hearing aids

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown introduced a bill Thursday that would make Medicare cover hearing aids, a provision that he says he’ll try to incorporate into broader health-care reform legislation being crafted by Congress.

Hearing aids are excluded from Medicare’s basic coverage even though 30 percent of adults ages 65-74 have impaired hearing, as do nearly half of those older than 75.

“Too many seniors go without hearing aids because they cannot afford them,” the Democrat from Avon said in a news release. “Hearing impairment is a health and quality-of-life issue, and Medicare must be improved to cover hearing aids and other treatment options.”

The devices typically cost from $500 to $5,000, and Brown’s office estimated they would cost the government about $500 each if bought in bulk. Brown observed that the Department of Veterans Affairs covers hearing aids for its beneficiaries and that free or discounted hearing aids are available for public health-care patients in other industrialized countries including Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Past legislative efforts to provide hearing aids to Medicare beneficiaries have stalled. AARP supports the idea, but Director of Federal Government Relations Nora Super predicts Brown will face difficulty unless he can find a way to pay for such an expensive benefit. She said many seniors participate in Medicare Advantage plans that pay for hearing aids.

“Cost is a huge issue associated with health-care reform, and unless Sen. Brown has an uncontroversial pay-for [way to pay for it], there may not be a strong chance of this passing,” Super says.

Brown spokeswoman Meghan Dubyak says her boss is examining several ways the hearing aid purchases could be funded and is discussing them with Democratic leaders.

Earlier this year, Republican U.S. Rep. Steve LaTourette of Bainbridge Township co-sponsored similar legislation in the House.

LaTourette says that he backs having Medicare pay for hearing aids but that he isn’t sure whether the idea stands much chance of being included in upcoming health-care legislation because the bills under discussion call for $400 million to $500 billion in Medicare cuts.

Video link puts deaf on phone

Source Link – Video link puts deaf on phone

Deaf people living in Northland are testing a system that allows them to talk on the phone using sign language.

The new video relay service (VRS) involves a sign-language interpreter acting as a link between the deaf or hearing impaired person using a video screen and the person on the other end of the phone line.

The system can be used through the internet or a videophone.

Earlier this month it was demonstrated at the Deaf Aotearoa office in Deveron St, Whangarei, as part of the nationwide, government-funded trial to gauge the likely uptake of the system.

Local co-ordinator Glenys Walkinshaw said many of the service’s 200 Northland clients were keen to see the system operating as soon as possible.

The system has been available in some Western countries for many years.

“Anyone who doesn’t have the right equipment at home can come and use ours,” Ms Walkinshaw said.

Sign language is one of the three official languages of New Zealand and is used partially or fully by more than 29,000 people every day.

Advocacy group Deaf Aotearoa said the system would allow sign language users to fully communicate in their natural language.

Using full-motion video meant their facial expression and cues would be also be picked up by the interpreter to ensure nothing was lost in translation.
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Deaf Aotearoa chief executive Rachel Noble said that, as well as making life easier in general, the service would open work opportunities for deaf people. Often the inability to use the telephone was a barrier to finding work.

“It is really about equality and ensuring that deaf people have access to the same services as hearing people. It is amazing that technology has advanced to this stage and we are very grateful to the Government for making this possible,” Ms Noble said.

The five-month trial, which operates for four hours each weekday, will run until early November.

Help develop team to serve deaf people

Source Link – Help develop team to serve deaf people

Hearing-impaired residents will get the chance to express their views on West Berkshire Council’s support and services at three events in December.

The feedback will contribute to a review of the council’s facilities and help create a new, dedicated team in the area.

A qualified interpreter will attend the events and a range of equipment provided by the Royal National Institute for Deaf people will be on show.

Joe Mooney, West Berkshire executive councillor for community services, said: “The best way to ensure that our services are meeting local needs is by asking those who would benefit from them.

“I would urge anyone who has a hearing impairment to attend an event and give their views.”

The sessions will be held from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at Reading Deaf Centre, Cardiff Road, Central Reading, on Tuesday, December 1, Hungerford Day Centre on Thursday, December 3, and at the United Reformed Church Hall, West Street, Newbury, on Monday, December 7.

Charity offers new boost for deaf people

Source Link – Charity offers new boost for deaf people

A national charity aimed at improving the livelihoods of deaf people is to open a second branch in Suffolk, it emerged today.

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People trains pooches to respond to specific sounds, enabling them to alert their deaf owners of danger or other noises.

The charity, which relies on donations, is launching its Ipswich branch with an open evening on November 3.

In the UK, nearly nine million people experience some degree of hearing loss – many of whom could benefit from a hearing dog.

A deaf owner is informed of noises by touch, with the dog using a paw to gain attention and then leading them back to the source of the sound.

If a fire alarm or smoke detector sounds, a hearing dog will lay down as an indication of danger.

Lara Mayhew, of Ipswich, was given a hearing dog in 2006 and believes that cross-terrier Jack’s arrival, her confidence grew drastically.

She said: “My partner works shifts and Jack gives me the confidence to be in the house on my own because if there was a fire he would let me know, or if the doorbell rings Jack will tell me.

“Jack is my ears now and I wouldn’t go anywhere without him. He’s even been to weddings and worn a dickie bow!”

The open evening will give those seeking a hearing dog the chance to apply and find out more about the process – Lara and Jack will also be there giving visitors the opportunity to meet a trained hearing dog.

Currently the waiting period is at least two years – there are 11 people in Ipswich currently on the list.

Gill Yeates, regional fundraiser for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, said: “The charity can help to change so many people’s lives.

“The dogs are trained from when they are puppies and live with volunteer families for up to six months.

“We train up to 150 dogs per year and all are trained to meet the needs of each recipient.”

The open evening for the Ipswich Branch of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is set to take place at Ipswich Library from 7pm.

For more information on hearing dogs or to donate, visit www.hearingdogs.org.uk or contact Gill Yeates on 01353 665396.

Are you a deaf person who benefits from the help of a hearing dog? Tell us your story – write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk

Case Study:

Lara Mayhew, who suffers from profound deafness, was first drawn to the idea of a hearing dog when she was left alone in the changing room of a clothing shop, unaware that the fire alarm had gone off.

She applied for a dog after attending a fundraising event in Aldeburgh.

In 2006, Lara received a letter informing her that her hearing dog was now fully trained and ready to meet her.

Jack had been trained to meet all of Lara’s needs so that he could work within her work environment as well as at home.

She said: “It has given me so much confidence since getting Jack three years ago, especially to be alone in the house.

“I tend not to burn the cooking now as all I have to do is put the cooker alarm on and Jack is there to tell me it’s ready.

“Now, all my partner has to do is call Jack to get me instead of chasing around the house or garden to find me.”

Emoti-Chair brings music to the deaf

Source Link – Emoti-Chair brings music to the deaf

Listening to music is something that most of us take for granted.

I for one, consume music like it is going out of style. Whether it’s listening to countless albums a day, hearing background music in halls or restaurants or attending concerts on a regular basis; listening to music is something that has become natural to my everyday experience, and I’m sure that many others can say the same.
The deaf and hard of hearing unfortunately aren’t afforded that same luxury – but that has been something that Dr. Frank Russo, professor of psychology at Ryerson, has been researching and developing the latest technology that will allow the deaf and hard of hearing to feel the same emotions from musical performances through vibrations in his groundbreaking Emoti-Chair.

Russo, who is the director of the Science of Music, Auditory Research and Technology (SMART) laboratory, has been working on the Emoti-Chair for the last three years. The Emoti-Chair’s first prototype surfaced about two years ago, and on March 5, 2009, the chairs were used to host the First Concert for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at Clinton’s Tavern in Toronto.

Russo explained that the Emoti-Chairs allow the signals from the microphones on stage to come through the sound board. The signals are then filtered and separated into eight different bands ranging from high to low frequencies, which are sent to channels of vibrations embedded within the chair.

While the sound signal drives the vibration coils, there is very little processing of the sound, and that the real technological advancement lies in the filtering of the sound into the chair.

“The reason that the filtering is an innovation is that it allows you to feel the highs apart from the lows. If I was deaf and put my hand on an instrument or speaker and felt all the vibrations, all the vibration is all together in my hand, it’s not separated out,” said Russo.

“The low frequency vibration would mask the high frequency vibrations and I’m not going to get the full spectrum the way I would if I was hearing the signal. But by separating it out for them on their back, we can give the deaf and hard of hearing the full spectrum.”

While their biggest event that the SMART lab put together was more of a rock concert, with Ontario alternative band Fox Jaws headlining the event – the event on Saturday Oct. 24 at The Music Gallery in Toronto was more of an intuitive experience with collaborators Array Music.

Array Music, who are considered to be Canada’s leading contemporary music ensemble, took a special interest in the Emoti-Chair. They were invited to Ryerson’s SMART lab to try out the chair and map out different ideas while trying to think of different ways they could lay focus on the chair’s vibration rather than the sounds they were making.
“The dominant modality in pulling the program together was vibration. There are a few new pieces that have been composed and the rest of the program is existing pieces that seem to work well with vibration. The arrangement that has been used in the selection of instruments and their roles has been optimized for vibration,” said Russo.
The Music Gallery opened an hour prior to the event to allow spectators to try out the Emoti-chairs and speak with the different people involved with the event. The chairs were very interesting and provided a sensory experience that was different from that of listening to music – but was still very rewarding. The familiarity of how I experience music was challenged, and it was strange to feel the different high and low tonalities coming through the chairs into my body, as opposed to the more direct route through my ears.

The performance’s first set featured three songs chosen to highlight the vibrations that the chair gave off, and the second set consisted of four pieces distinctly constructed for the event.

As the performance went on, patrons who didn’t have the opportunity to try out the chairs before-hand were invited to go and test out the chairs during the concert, and were also offered balloons as a low-tech substitution to the chairs.
Recently halls and theatres have included different assistive technology for the hearing impaired, but nothing quite at this scale. Russo stated that he would love to see the Emoti-Chair as the standard for this medium, but quickly added that “primarily we are researchers and that is a bit beyond us, but we are pursuing things like that. It’s still pretty far off though”.

“The technology is a simple variation of the old theme of speaker listening, which has been practiced by the members of the deaf community,” explained Russo during his introduction to the performance. “What this ultimately means for the deaf community is an opening up of an ancient and universal, cultural, emotional expression.”

Theft At Frederick School For The Deaf

Source Link – Theft At Frederick School For The Deaf

Police in Frederick are investigating the theft of a pickup truck, tools and cash from the Maryland School for the Deaf.

The break-in at the school’s Career and Technology Building was reported Sunday morning.

Police say classrooms were ransacked and some property was destroyed.

They say a 1995 GMC truck belonging to a staff member was stolen from a garage in the building.

Hard-of-hearing student makes transition to Erie school

Source Link – Hard-of-hearing student makes transition to Erie school

Ayesha Austin wasn’t sure she would like Grover Cleveland School when she started kindergarten there this fall.

The problem wasn’t that she might not like school generally, but that she already liked another school very much.

Ayesha, 6, is profoundly hard of hearing and already was a veteran of four years of preschool at the Dr. Gertrude A. Barber National Institute in Erie. The institute runs northwestern Pennsylvania’s only preschool for deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

Ayesha loved the school and teacher Cherie Rouse, but was ready to move on to elementary school.

On the first day of school at Grover Cleveland, Ayesha was teary-eyed. Not only was she in a new school, but in a school where almost all of the students can hear.

Now, two months later, Ayesha is happy and enjoying school again.

Grover Cleveland School houses the Erie School District’s hearing support classes for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The children have their own teachers for lessons specific to them, such as learning the American Sign Language signs for “unit” and other mathematical terms. Then they spend most of the school day with hearing students in grade-level classes.

Ayesha, so far, is a star in both worlds.

“She’s our smartest kindergartner, I think. I go into Mrs. Cleaver’s (kindergarten) class and see Ayesha’s hand up to answer all of the questions. I’m so proud of her,” hearing support teacher Barb Duchini said.

Grover Cleveland’s hearing students learn sign language so they can communicate with deaf and hard-of-hearing classmates.

All of the students benefit from the interaction, Duchini said.

“They learn to talk to each other as kids and friends,” she said.

Hearing students also benefit from special speakers used in classrooms with deaf or hearing-impaired students. Research has shown that the compact speaker systems can help all students hear better and master language skills in noisy classrooms, Duchini said.

Aides and interpreters sometimes assigned to classes with students also benefit the class as a whole.

“They focus, of course, on the deaf or hard-of-hearing child, but they’re also an additional help in the classroom,” Duchini said.

Ayesha no longer worries that she won’t fit in at Grover Cleveland, although she can hear only very strong sounds, even with her hearing aids.

“I like it here,” she said.

But she still misses the Barber National Institute and Rouse.

“People don’t understand that we really develop a deeper bond with these kids,” Rouse said. “It’s not like they can communicate with everyone in the world so easily. They develop a stronger, deeper bond with people who can communicate with them. And Ayesha and I just clicked.”

Ayesha is forming bonds with her new teachers and with new friends at Grover Cleveland.

But on Friday, she hopped up and down with excitement before going bowling with deaf and hard-of-hearing students from across Erie County. Once a month, the Erie County Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing sponsors special activities for children.

Ayesha hoped to see Rouse and some of her preschool friends at the bowling alley.

On other days, Ayesha said she enjoys being in her new school.

Duchini interpreted Ayesha’s verdict — that she especially likes her two teachers, but that there is one thing that she doesn’t like at Grover Cleveland School.

“Lunch,” Ayesha said.

Help for deaf schoolchildren

Source Link – Help for deaf schoolchildren

SCHOOLS will now be forced to take action to improve acoustics for deaf children after a campaign by Mid-Dorset MP Annette Brooke.

The new measures mean local authorities will not get funding for new schools unless the ones they already own pass acoustic testing.

The Sounds Good campaign was started by the National Deaf Children’s Society. Figures suggest that deaf children are 42 per cent less likely than their hearing peers to achieve five GCSEs at grades A* to C.