NEW MEETING LOCATION!
MUHLENBERG LIBRARY BRANCH
209 West 23rd St. Editor’s Corner – Elizabeth Stump
(between 7th and 8th Ave., closer to 7th),
3rd floor—elevator available Welcome to the January 2009 issue
of the HLAA‐Manhattan News & Views!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009 5:30 – 7:30 PM
Happy New Year! I hope you emerged from the
(Socializing at 5:30; program begins at 6:00.) holidays rested and invigorated, ready to tackle a
brand new year.
Recent Developments in Cochlear Implants
I counted down the seconds on New Year’s Eve and
SPEAKER: Dr. Anil Lalwani, Mendik spent New Year’s Day in Florida, and then returned
Foundation Professor of Otolaryngology and to New York the next day. To pass some time on the
Chairman of the Department of airplane flight I jotted down a few resolutions and
Otolaryngology; Professor of Physiology, goals for 2009. I’m sure many of you also at least
made a mental list of personal goals and changes
Neuroscience, and Pediatrics at NYU
you’d like to fulfill this year. But I have a question for
you: did any of those resolutions involve your
MEETING LEADER: Shera Katz hearing loss or our Manhattan Chapter?
*A group will be going out to eat after the meeting. Of course it’s not a crime if
Join us! See any Planning Committee member at your answer is ‘no.’ But now
the meeting’s end. if you stop and think about
it, as a Chapter member,
NOTE: Assistive listening help is provided at our chances are there is at least
meetings through live CART captioning and a room one aspect of the Chapter
loop for those whose hearing aids have a T‐coil. you’d like to see tweaked or
FM headsets are also available. improved. Perhaps you’re wondering how you can
get more involved so that you can get more out of the
Chapter. (See “We Want You” on page 7.) It is likely
there is something related to your hearing loss that
you would like to remedy—but maybe you don’t
know that the resources to help exist. All the more
reason to speak up and alert other members and the
Planning Committee — we either have the resources
already or will start working to get them!
Next Month’s Meeting: Tues., February 17, 5:30 PM After all, our 2009 mission is still to improve access to
Title: “Your Rights As a Person With a Disability” information and better communication for those with
Speaker: Dr. Joel Ziev, Director of Partners for hearing loss, through advocacy, education, and
Access, LLC
1
support. (Judging from its success, 2008 will be a CHAPTER PLANNING COMMITTEE
tough year to beat!) Despite daily challenges with Join us on the first Tuesday of each month to help plan
hearing loss, we have much to celebrate and much to programs & events.
advocate! Outreach efforts can be as simple as
inviting a hearing‐impaired friend to a chapter HLAA Manhattan Chapter Phone Number: (voice)
meeting or suggesting a topic or speaker you’d like to (212) 769‐HEAR (4327)
learn more about for a chapter meeting.
Ellen Semel, Planning Committee Chair
and NYC Walk4Hearing Coordinator
Our speaker at this month’s chapter meeting is Dr. (212) 989‐0624 ellen13@rcn.com
Anil Lalwani, the Mendik Foundation Professor of
Otolaryngology and Chairman of the Department of Barbara Bryan
Otolaryngology at New York University. He will be barbarabryan@usa.net
updating us on the myriad developments in cochlear
implants. Included in the N&V this month are several Barbara Dagen, Newsletter Committee
articles from amongst the burgeoning research on bdagen1@verizon.net
cochlear implants. Several chapter members (myself
Mary Fredericks, Secretary
included) and participants in the Walk4Hearing
(212) 674‐9128 maryfreder@aol.com
currently have cochlear implants, and some of them
have shared a little about their progress adapting to Joe Gordon, NYS Chapter Coordinator
the device in this issue. You can read more on pg. 5. NYJGordon@aol.com
The new U.S. President will be installed on the same Toni Iacolucci
day as our chapter meeting this month, but please giantoni@nyc.rr.com
make a special effort to attend the chapter meeting
Shera Katz, Web Site Coordinator
anyway because Dr. Lalwani’s presentation is not to
sherakatz@verizon.net
be missed— you can always TIVO an hour or two of
the Inauguration Day celebrations on TV to watch Anne Pope, Immediate Past President, HLAA Board
later, but you can’t record Dr. Lalwani’s program. of Trustees
atpop24@aol.com
As always, please feel free to e‐mail me
(ElizabethMStump@gmail.com) if you would like to Susan Shapiro, Treasurer
submit a story, joke or cartoon, or suggestions for sdshappy@aol.com
member spotlights for inclusion in N&V.
Dana Simon
dana2cat@gmail.com
See you at the chapter meeting on January 20th!
Elizabeth Stump, Newsletter Editor
ElizabethMStump@gmail.com
Diane Sussman
dlsuss@optonline.net
Advisory Members
Amy McCarthy
Lois O’Neill
Help the Chapter Go Green!
Robin Sacharoff
Would you like to receive N&V by e‐mail only
rather than receive a mailed version to help us cut Professional Advisors:
down on paper consumption and save money? It Laurie Hanin, PhD, CCC‐A Exec. Director, League for
costs about $8 a year to provide one member with the Hard of Hearing
10 issues — that’s more than half of one’s annual
dues. Please notify HLAANYC@aol.com if you’d Joseph Montano, Ed.D. Director, Hearing & Speech,
like to make this change. The Chapter thanks you! Weill Cornell Medical College
2
In lieu of our December
The study, conducted by Anke Hirschfelder, M.D.,
meeting, we had a cheerful
and colleagues in Berlin, examined the quality of life
holiday dinner at the Olive
of 56 cochlear implant recipients using a (self‐
Garden on Dec. 16th. Thank administered) questionnaire. The assessment covered
you to the party co‐chairs sound perception, speech, social interaction, and self‐
(Barbara Dagen and esteem. Significant improvements in all areas were
Elizabeth Stump) and the recorded, particularly in sound perception and social
Planning Committee for interaction.
organizing such an
excellent event! Bilateral Implantation
Cochlear implants in both ears significantly improves
the quality of life in patients with profound hearing
loss, and the benefits of the second implant outweigh
its costs, according to a study in the May issue of
What’s a Cochlear Implant?
Otolaryngology‐Head and Neck Surgery.
Here’s a primer before Dr. Lalwani’s
discussion at our January meeting. Conducted by Richard Miyamoto, M.D., and
colleagues at the Indiana University School of
A cochlear implant (CI) is an electronic device Medicine (where there is one of the largest CI
implanted surgically into the inner ear, for people programs in the country), this is the first study
who are profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing. demonstrating that bilateral implantation improves
A cochlear implant does not amplify sound like a factors contributing to quality of life. Such factors
hearing aid, but bypasses the damaged parts of the include hearing in noisy environments, focusing on
inner ear (specifically the damaged hair cells that line conversations, and speaking at a proper volume. The
the cochlea) by sending electrical impulses directly to second CI led to greater self‐esteem and emotional
the auditory nerve, which the brain then recognizes well‐being, as well.
as sound. The user wears an external microphone,
Since it was found that the benefits of the second
held in place by a magnet, which transmits the sound
implant offset its added cost, the results may
to a chip implanted under the scalp. These sound
persuade more health insurance companies to cover
signals are then sent to the nerve.
the cost of bilateral implants rather than just the
standard single implant, the study authors wrote.
The FDA first approved a CI for adults in 1985 and
for children in 1990; only people who were almost
completely deaf and who could only perceive MRI Scanners Cause Damage
vibrations with a hearing aid were eligible. However, A December 2008 study in
now adults with severe‐to‐profound hearing loss Otolaryngology – Head and Neck
(those who understand less than 50% of sentences Surgery found that certain
spoken to them) in at least one ear qualify as CI magnetic imaging devices such
candidates, thanks to the improvement in CI as 3T MRI machines can
technology. Once implanted, each person’s ability to demagnetize a patient’s cochlear
hear varies, but in general it is a very helpful device.
implant. (Magnets are in the implants to allow
connection through the skin to a processor.) 3T MRI
Recent and pivotal studies about cochlear
scanners are the latest version of MRI scanners, and
implants:
are much more powerful than 1.5T MRI scanners.
Better Quality of Life Omid Majdani, M.D., Ph.D., of Vanderbilt University,
Recipients of cochlear implants have major and his team of American and German researchers
improvements in their quality of life, including tested several cochlear device magnets on a 3T MRI
improved speech recognition, according to a recent scanner at different angles and for different lengths
study in the March 2008 issue of Otolaryngology — of time, and discovered that an unacceptable level of
Head and Neck Surgery.
3
demagnetization occurred often. Once the damage development is up to about 18 months, when neural
was done it was not possible to fully remagnetize the pathways in the brain are developing.
devices — the damage was permanent.
A 2007 study in the Journal of Speech, Language, and
The study authors recommend that 3T MRI scanners Hearing Research showed that children who received
should not be used on patients with cochlear an implant between 12 and 16 months — before an
implants; 3T scanners should only be used if a 1.5T extensive delay in spoken language developed —
machine is unavailable and if the benefits of the scan were more likely to achieve spoken language
significantly outweigh the risk of demagnetization. considered age‐appropriate. Yet children who
received the implants after age 2 never caught up
with their hearing peers in age‐appropriate language
skills, although they did continue to improve over
time. In other words, very young children with the
CI make greater gains than children implanted when
Metropolitan Calendar
they are older. Also, implanted children seem to
acquire listening skills with less effort than do
Tuesday, Jan. 20: HLAA Chapter Meeting children using hearing aids.
Thursday, Jan. 22: LHH Cochlear Implant Support
Group at the League for the Hard of Hearing Currently, experts recommend cochlear implants for
50 Broadway, 2nd Floor; 5:30pm to 7pm eligible children at age 12 months. However, children
*For more information, call (917) 305‐7751 who become deaf at age 3 or 4 can do well if they are
or e‐mail audiology@lhh.org. implanted within a year of onset. Neonatal screening
Saturday, Feb. 14: Happy Valentine’s Day! and early detection have been instrumental in
Tuesday, Feb. 17: HLAA Chapter Meeting ensuring that children who are candidates for CIs
receive the implants at an early age. Children with
*Register for the annual national convention — and two implants rather than one do better because their
HLAA’s 30th birthday — occurring June 18‐21, 2009, overall hearing is improved.
in Nashville, Tennessee. Go to
www.hearingloss.org. Other factors critical to language development,
besides age of implantation, include having the
intellectual skills and the parental and educational
Children’s Book Corner: support to develop normal speech and language.
Hearing Aids Plus CIs: Bimodal Devices
Abby Gets a Cochlear Implant, by Maureen
Studies have shown that people with a CI in one ear
Cassidy Riski; Cassidy Publishing (2008).
and a hearing aid in the other (bimodal listening)
have better speech‐recognition than people with
Order a copy at
bilateral hearing aids or people with only one
www.Abbygetsacochlearimplant.com.
hearing aid or one CI.
Recent and pivotal studies about cochlear There is still debate concerning the effectiveness of
implants, continued: bimodal devices versus bilateral CIs. However, the
use of bimodal devices is the recommended
Children With Cochlear Implants treatment for people who are CI candidates but who
Children who receive cochlear implants can acquire have some usable hearing in one ear — it’s the
language skills as good as hearing children, if the successful alternative to one CI alone or bilateral
implantation occurs before age two and it is followed hearing aids.
with auditory‐verbal therapy, experts say. There is a
gradual decline in developing language learning
skills as children age, although this varies from child
to child. The most critical stage for language
4
need different volume adjustments to work with the
Journey From Silence to Sound assistive listening device in the theater. Robin admits
she likes the quality of sound she gets with her
Four to six weeks after the surgery, the implant hearing aid more than the quality of sound from the
processor is activated. During the first few months, CI — it’s more natural. “The CI definitely adds a lot
hearing sound through a CI is often unstable and to my hearing but I donʹt like just wearing the CI
unpredictable as the quality of sounds change and alone, because it doesnʹt sound totally normal to me.
the brain adapts. Some people describe the first With both devices it is good.”
sounds they hear as being “like ducks quacking” or
Gayle Greenstein (Profiled in the November N&V):
“robotic.”
Gayle’s CI was activated on Nov. 24, and since then
The CI processor is programmed by an audiologist Gayle has been doing very well. In the few weeks
over a lengthy period of time. The programming since the activation, she says, itʹs been an absolutely
consists of establishing a balance of sounds — amazing experience and she’s hearing a great deal.
finding sounds just barely audible (to establish a
threshold) and finding sounds that are comfortably “I donʹt think I had a hard time adjusting at
loud. These levels are tweaked at each visit, although all! Everyone scared me into thinking it could be a
the rate of adjustment varies from person to person. while before I liked it and got used to it, but that was
not the case at all!” she says. “It was a tad weird the
Aural rehabilitation follows programming. It is
first few days but I got used to it fast and my brain
critical for helping the CI wearer interpret sound in
started making sense of everything really quickly.
his/her environment. For children and adults, aural
My audiologist and speech therapist really think Iʹm
rehabilitation aids in the development of speaking
doing so well for such a short period of time.
and listening skills, as well as assessing those abilities
in order to provide feedback to the audiologist about
“Iʹm already understanding almost all words and
the CI processor settings. CI wearers also need to
sentences they say to me with their mouth covered
practice listening without visual cues.
(so that I canʹt lip read). I have even talked on the
phone few times already and have done well. TV is
Cochlear Implant Wearer Profiles: still tough but Iʹm working at that! Listening at work
on speaker phone to conference calls is also still
Robin Sacharoff: tough. As they say, it will only get better in time and
Robin was implanted with a CI in her right ear on itʹs only been a few weeks. So, Iʹm patient!”
September 24, 2008. She wore two hearing aids prior
to the surgery, but her hearing was much worse in Ed McGibbon: Best wishes to Ed for a successful CI
her right ear. Now she still wears a hearing aid in her experience. Ed is a former president of our chapter
left ear, and since she has a lot of low‐frequency and still a member. He had the surgery in December
hearing in that ear, she is not planning on getting a and will be turned on Jan. 14.
CI for that side.
Robin works full‐time as an occupational therapist
with little kids and then goes home to her two Hearing Assistive Technology Training Program
The Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT) Training
children, so at both her workplace and her home,
is a two‐day workshop that will explain the use of
there has been a great deal to adjust to. “Iʹm doing assistive technology and how you can educate
alright with the cochlear implant, and I get much your local HLAA Chapter about assistive
more hearing with the CI than I did with the hearing technology. It will be occurring on February 6‐8,
aid,” she says. “I really canʹt take my hearing aid off 2009, at San Diego State University in California.
much so it might take a bit longer to totally adjust to For more information, contact Christopher T.
the CI.” Sutton at www.hearingloss.org/staffcontact6.asp/.
There are both ups and downs: It’s “nice to hear
things I didnʹt before,” but going to the movies is
more challenging because the hearing aid and the CI Wonder what speech and music would sound
like if you had a cochlear implant? Go to these
5
Web pages for acoustic simulations that greatly *For more information on CIs, visit HLAA at
resemble what a cochlear implant wearer http://www.hearingloss.org/learn/hat.asp.
hears: www.hei.org/research/aip/audiodemos.htm
www.ucihs.uci.edu/hesp/Simulations/simulationsm Participate in a Local Hearing Study at NYU
ain.htm
Assistant Professor Chin‐Tuan Tan, Ph.D., of NYU
Practice listening sites for people with cochlear School of Medicine is conducting a study on music
implants who want to work on their listening and speech in the hearing‐impaired. He is looking
skills. Check out these online sites with for hearing‐impaired subjects (preferably hearing aid
listening exercises (some are developed for users) to listen to speech and music that are distorted,
people learning English as a second language): and rate the quality of their perception. Subjects must
have hearing loss within 25 dBHL and 70 dBHL for
Auditory Verbal Training: all frequencies, and should have completed
www.auditoryverbaltraining.com/websites.htm audiograms. Each listening session will take 1 to 2
hours, and subjects will be paid $15 per hour. For
Aural Rehabilitation:
more information and if you would like to be
www.hearinglossweb.com/tech/ci/arhb/resb.htm
considered for the study, contact: Dr. Tan at Chin‐
Beginner Level Learning ‐ Listening Comprehension: Tuan.Tan@nyumc.org / 212‐263‐7785; or Meagan
http://esl.about.com/od/listening/Beginning_Level_ Robles at Meagan.Robles@nyumc.org / 212‐562‐2015.
English_Listening_Comprehension_Exercises.htm
English Pronunciation:
http://international.ouc.bc.ca/pronunciation/
ESL Independent Study Lab:
www.lclark.edu/%7Ekrauss/toppicks/toppicks.html
News From National HLAA:
HLAA Social Network and Web Chats:
Make new friends without leaving the house! HLAA convened with other organizations
Check out the online community from HLAA at representing the hard‐of‐hearing and members of the
http://myhearingloss.org. Find hearing loss Obama‐Biden Transition Team on December 11,
resources, post messages for other members, and and presented a consensus document on the issues
join in the chat room as guest speakers share their impacting the hearing‐impaired and deaf. The
story and answer your questions. Transition Team said the new administration wants
people with disabilities to have a seat at the table
Upcoming Expert Chat: January 13, 7 PM, with when decisions affecting their lives are being made.
Deanna P. Baker on captioning. Their Web site, at
Go here to submit questions: http://change.gov/open_government/yourseatattheta
www.hearingloss.org/Community/askExpert.asp ble, features HLAA’s consensus document, as well as
information on the Team’s other meetings with
Cochlear Implant Chat: Every Monday night, 8 PM various organizations on different aspects of public
Regular Chat: Every Wednesday night, 9 PM
policy. Visit the site to learn more and leave
comments.
Special thanks to
Randi Friedman,
Keith Muller, &
Isabelle Mugavero
for their kind
donations to the
chapter.
6
Access to the Arts in New York City
OPEN‐CAPTIONED THEATER ‐ Find captioned theater listings nationwide on www.c2net.org
Theater Access Project (TAP) captions Broadway and Off‐Broadway productions each month. Tickets are
discounted. For listings & application www.tdf.org/tap or 212‐221‐1103, 212‐719‐45377 (TTY)
*Upcoming OPEN‐CAPTIONED Shows: [See TAP for tickets]
Speed‐The‐Plow (1/7, 8 PM); South Pacific (1/21, 2 PM); August: Osage County (1/31, 2 PM);
Shrek (2/24, 7 PM); The American Plan (3/7, 2 PM)
OPEN‐CAPTIONED MOVIES –
For updated listings, go to www.insightcinema.org or www.regalcinemas.com/movies/open_cap.html
REGAL BATTERY PARK STADIUM 11,102 N. End Avenue–Vesey & West Streets (212) 945‐4370.
REGAL–UA KAUFMAN STUDIOS CINEMA 14, 35th Ave. & 38th St., Long Island City (718) 786‐1722
REGAL–UA SHEEPSHEAD BAY‐BROOKLYN, Knapp St & Harkness Ave (718) 615‐1053.
REAR‐WINDOW CAPTIONED MOVIES ‐ For listings go to www.FOMDI.com. Ask for a special window
when buying your ticket. The window reflects the text that’s shown on the rear of the theater
AMC Empire on 42nd Street. (212) 398‐2597, call Tues afternoon for next week’s schedule
Clearview Chelsea Cinemas, 260 W. 23rd St., Auditorium 4, 212‐691‐5519. www.clearviewcinemas.com/tripod.shtml
The Bronx: AMC Cinema Bay Plaza, 718‐320‐1659.
MUSEUMS WITH CAPTIONED EVENTS & ASSISTIVE DEVICES ‐
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave. 212‐879‐5500 Ext. 3561 (V), 212‐570‐3828 (TTY)
Real‐Time Captioning of lectures upon request – This new service requires at least three weeks notice.
Gallery Talk with ALDs (meet at gallery talk station, Great Hall)
The Museum of Modern Art, 1 East 53rd St., Access Programs 212‐708‐9864, 212‐247‐1230 (TTY)
ALDs are available for lectures, gallery talks, & Family Programs. Infrared is available in Titus Theaters.
Mention of suppliers or devices in this newsletter does not mean HLAA‐Manhattan endorsement,
nor does exclusion suggest disapproval. 7
c/o Barbara Dagen,
141 E. 33rd St. (3B)
New York, NY 10016
Please check your address label for the date of your last dues payment and, if you are a National member, there will be
an “NM” after the date. Report any discrepancies to Mary Fredericks. Thanks!
HLAA is a volunteer association of hard of hearing people, their relatives and friends. It is a nonprofit, non-sectarian educational organization devoted
to the welfare and interests of those who cannot hear well.
Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. We are a 501(c)(3) organization.