Deaf Inc.'s Pink Wings of Hope

I dont know if any of you are aware about this organization but I saw this in the deaf newspaper tonight and I just wanted to post this here. Did you know that about 1 in 3 people know someone that has breast cancer? 1 in 8 woman in the US will develop breast cancer. SIGH. This website is called Pink Wings of Hope. They are deaf people that have breast cancer. They originally started this support group for all deaf/ hard of hearing breast cancer victims.

There is ALWAYS HOPE!

Deaf Wings of Hope The videos are in ASL but there is captioned.

Remember your not alone...

Smiles-Hugs!

Dear Aunt Pat...

Dear Aunt Pat, Today was my 25th Birthday and the most important thing I had to do was visit Uncle Jimmy. Its not the same without you. I still cant believe your gone. You know just a few weeks ago you were at your door and you were waving to me. Every-time I go to nannies I always see you at the door with your makeup on. I always thought you ready to leave to go out someplace. I still picture you there... I always will. I know that Uncle Jimmy will be okay with all of us surrounded by him. Today he was alone and I sat with him for a good half hour and the first thing that he did was smile and he gave me the biggest hug ever. Then he said to me " I am lost without her". It broke my heart. I FEEL like I never got to say thank you for always being there for me. It's not going to be the same christmas eve I truthfully dont want that day to come. You know I was thinking of last christmas eve last night..you were sitting on the couch and you and Uncle Jimmy gave me a christmas gift like you do every year and for some reason when you handed me the bag I was confused. I think I was so overwhelmed by the noise for the first time. I thought that christmas gift was for snuggles because It a dog on the bag lol. I remember all I saw you say was " dog cute". It was so loud because there so many people here and it was my first time with my hearing aids on for the holiday. I walked away and an hour later you ask me if I opened the gift and if I liked it and I said I THOUGHT IT WAS FOR SNUGGLES! You laughed lol. I was so embarrassed. For some reason I keep thinking of this day. You and Uncle Jimmy always donated for the past 3 years for the Walk4Hearing.I remember asking you and you said Of course I'll donate, its for a good cause" and I never got to thank you one more time... I know your okay because your with Great Grandma and Great Grandpa and the list goes on. I know great grandma's happy your with her.
I love you & Miss you... and I promise we will take good care of uncle jimmy.

Love Language Video Captioned

Hey Everyone, Im sure you all are getting ready for Thanksgiving. Time is flying like crazy. I saw this video on youtube

Check this out....

Love Language


Smile-Hugs,

Extreme Makeover Show & other things

Last night when I got home I just needed to relax after a long horrible day.. I still cannot believe my aunt is gone so suddenly and out of the blue. Seriously live each day like its your last because anything in seconds can happen and yes that is my biggest fear lately. Anyways I watched the Extreme Makeover show about the Oregon School for the Deaf. I really enjoyed watching this show and I was so happy they put something like this on TV. I was AMAZED when a few of the people got emotional on there about " hearing loss". I was so happy that Starkey gave all these children new hearing aids. It just made my night and put a big smile on my face and I even applaud LOL! I am also happy the people that are on the show learned a few signs before they went to OREGON's school. Things like this make my day and the awesome Strobe lights to let you know someone's coming in your dorm is awesome. So a big thanks to ABC for putting this on TV.

If I ever win the lottery my dream is to donate most of the money to Starkey Hearing Foundation. I struggled my entire life as many of you know and I dont want these amazing children regardless of whatever age to STRUGGLE. I want them to Succeed in life and be happy and proud of who they are! It took me a very long time for me to get there I finally go there though. Now I realize look at all that support and the deaf community and all the technology we have today its totally different. It just amazes me.


Anyways, Tomomrow is another big day yes at 3pm though haha lol so i get to sleep most of my day because I am just beet from this funeral. Tommorow I find out the results from my hospital stay NO it has NOTHING** to do with HEARING LOSS or Cochlear Implant. Its about my brain because I havent been well for 3 years now. So I am hoping they found something. Keep those fingers crossed.


2nd- I am excited and nervous on Nov 16 a few days before my 25th bday I am going into the city to have CI DEMO. Basically this is where I meet with the audiologist who tested my R ear out and the surgeon. So nervous! I have so many questions in the notebook. I feel weird asking all these questions and I know its common but I dont want to be annoying lol. I will let you know about this day....

Here is the direct link to the ABC show Extreme Makeover. Thanks Frieda! To put captions on all you have to do is click CC. Its such a great show please watch it for those that didnt.

Extreme Makeover Oregon School for the Deaf


Have a good night!!!

Smiles-Hugs

I am featured on another Blog

Thank you so much Joey for putting my article on your blog!

Check out Hearing Loss Profile on Joey's blog.


Happy Halloween!

What A Day...

I havent been around so much has been going on. Today I was woken up and heard some terrible news. My Aunt passed away this morning. Lately, between my health issues and now this I just dont get why life has to be so unfair you know. Its so scary because in seconds your life can change forever. Aunt Pat We Love You and miss you terribly.

Anyways- Recently, I was in the hospital for more testing for 4 days. It was very difficult to communicate with the nurses. I am sure the dr saw my frustration because I was on camera 24/7. I specifically told every nurse I AM DEAF. I cant hear even with my hearing aid. I put up a sign that saids I AM DEAF I lip read and sign etc. It was on the DOOR mom put it up for me so It was there and never taken off. Everytime someone came in there was a problem. I couldn't communicate at all. It was frustrating for me and it gets to the point were I get aggravated because its not the 1st time at this same hospital. Yes its a different department but still COMON! Get it right already. You know the dry erase board I even put another sign there. Still nothing. I seriouslly think they are in there own worlds... its sad. I dont know what else to do about it I spoke up I said I was deaf. They still talk to me through curtains. I even bought my own dry erase board with me which I didn't even use. The signs I printed out I got free from the computer did NOTHING for me ZERO. So now this time Im going to take the time to make my own its going to be on RED PAPER and big letters. First of all if you get admitted to hospital you get a book and " your rights" the very first page is states information if you are deaf or hard of hearing. For now on I am just going to request interpreters. What really pissed me off was the very last day it was during the day no one was with me yet and the nurse comes in and saids " YOUR DEAF?" I go yes I am " but you talk so well". I go I know I had alot of speech my entire life and I just recently lost all my hearing. I didn't know you were deaf how long ago did you put up this sign no one told me you were deaf? I said its been there since the moment I was admitted and its on the DOOR NEAR THE DOOR KNOB to walk in. " Oh I didn't see it". Seriously I been learning to be my own ADVOCATE and it still doesn't work. I also forgot that I was on the monitor so it was 24/7 video. Im sure my dr saw How frustrating it was for me. He knew I was deaf he communicated with me fine. So I moved on its over with hopefully I dont have to go back to the hospital for a very long time.


On the other hand, I found out Marlee Matlin my Idol who happens to be a deaf actress is going to be on Extreme Makeover on Sunday tune in if you live in NY its on ABC. Check out the video here


Hope you all have a good night!

Visit to the Audiologist Office Take 5

I went to the Audiologist office because I was explaining to her I cannot use my IPOD with the wire. She said the wire is DEAD and that she has to send it back. She knew where the problem was. This is my 5th wire. I am just very frustrated. I just wanted to listen to music. She told me being that I wont be around next week to go to Radio Shack and see if they have a similar wire. It is going to take at least one week or two to get another wire.


Smile-Hugs!
Danielle

AI- LIVE: Classroom Captioning In Austraila

To the Parents and Students, I wanted to let you know there is LIVE CAPTIONING happening inside classrooms now in Australia. This really makes me happy to see that this is available for those that are deaf/ hard of hearing. Check out the video. It is captioned.

AI-LIVE


Also, I wanted to say Thank You all for the kind emails and amazing support about being a Candidate for a Cochlear Implant! I really appreciate each and every email. It means alot.On the other hand, A few of you asked what kind of hearing aid batteries do I use because the ones you are using aren't successful or don't last. Well to tell you the truth,I have tried over the years many different batteries and to be honest they all STINK* some wouldn't even last me a day. 8 months ago when I received my hearing aid I was told by my Audiologist to use ECO-GOLD. I never heard of the company. I thought I give it a try. They are such a great company. There are many reasons why I love ECO-GOLD heres why:
1- They ship fast plus FREE SHIPPING!
2- They are really inexpensive $24.00 tops for 42 batteries you cant beat that.
3-The best part is- If I put a brand new battery in this morning it will last me for about 3 weeks. Its amazing and I wear this hearing aid the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep. Its great battery life! I cant even tell you. You can order online here. I advise you to figure out what size battery you need. Also these batteries made my hearing more clearer as other batteries would make horrible sounds. Let me know how they work for you.


Have a good night!

Smiles-Hugs,
Danielle

Communication Strategies For A Person with a Hearing Loss

I want to share this handout I received years ago on Communication Strategies. Maybe this will help you.

Communication Strategies for a person with a hearing loss

- be sure your hearing aid is working properly ( and has a fresh batteries).

- TELL PEOPLE YOU HAVE A HEARING LOSS* this is one that I find with great difficulty to do still till this day. Its hard I don't know why I know I am not the only person that has this problem but I know there are plenty of us that cant just OPEN UP and tell people I HAVE A HEARING LOSS! I am beginning to realize we need to ADVOCATE FOR OURSELVES and its so IMPORTANT it really is because then the other person will never know and then we will be lost etc. So make sure you tell the person from now on that you have a hearing loss. Don't be ashamed and DONT SAY YOUR SORRY LIKE I USED TO DO! Its a very bad habit of mine.

- Sit or stand where you can easily see the faces of all the speakers. For example: When I go out to eat I make sure I sit at a ROUND TABLE so this way if four of us are out I can see ALL four of them. So I don't have to keep turning my head and miss something! IT WORKS GREAT.

- Request that one person speak at a time.

- In a group, sit or stand near the person with whom you most want to speak.

- Move away from noise, background music and other conversations.

-Ask people to FACE YOU when THEY SPEAK* to move their hands away from their mouths, NOT to exaggerate speech, NOT to speak while chewing, and to SLOW DOWN**. Of course ask people to REPEAT if necessary.

- try to be well rested.

- Be aware that how you are feeling ( fatigues, distracted, worried etc.) because this can interfere with your ability to UNDERSTAND the speaker.



Remember: " YOU MUST ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF" thanks to my last speaker from the HLAA meeting. That night I came home I said to myself " he's right" about what he said. It has helped me already. Today I was on the phone for a bill, I told the person " I am deaf can you please speak up" IT DID WORK!!! I have always always to be honest been afraid of this. Finally I am starting to "let go" of that FEAR.

Hope you find this helpful. Feel free to leave comments!!I would love to hear from you.

Have a goodnight I will return tomorrow.


Smile-Hugs,
Danielle

Im A Cochlear Implant Candidate!

I am a Candidate for a Cochlear Implant!! I am so excited. The next step is going back to see a demo of all the CI'S that are out there and talk to a surgeon. I already know which one I want but this is a standard process. I am so excited that I will be able to hear again.

My audiologist called me earlier in the week and told me that she had a brand new connect-line kit for me and that the old one was defective. When I set it up, All of a sudden I hear the same exact noise that was going on with the first connect-line device. Then I go to put the wire into my ipod and streamer and it was making an awful sound. Basically the same problem I had with the last 4 wires.

Hope you all have a wonderful day.


Smiles-Hugs
Danielle

Hearing loss hits 1 in 5 U.S. teens

Hope you all are enjoying your summer. I cant believe its the end of the summer already. Time flies. Here is a great article I wanted to share with you.


Hearing loss hits 1 in 5 U.S. teens




Smile-Hugs,

Danielle

BACK TO SCHOOL CHECK LIST

To all Parents who have Deaf/Hard of Hearing Kiddo's. All the Kids are going back to go school. I came across some great helpful documents that can be printed out. I hope you find this helpful.

IEP CHECK LIST - We cannot remember everything. Here is a wonderful checklist from hands and voices. You can print this out and just take it with you to the IEP meeting. There are so many great accommodations on this sheet that I couldnt remember!


Communication Plan for child who is Deaf/Hard of Hearing

Preschool/Kindergarten Placement Checklist

Preschool Evaluation Chart for your children's Needs

Deaf Child Bill of Rights

All these documents are from Hands&Voices which is a non profit organization that supports children who have a hearing loss.


Smile-Hugs

Silence is Golden

Today I went to the Dr.'s and I explained to her I am deaf and wears a hearing aid but sometimes I don't catch everything you are saying. So she said "I love sign language" I took ASL up in high school years ago. I was signing as I was talking which is a bad habit of mine. I was thrilled she knew how to sign a little. At one point I took off my hearing aid so she can massage my neck so I said " I wont hear you at all because you will be behind me and I wont be able to lip read what your saying". After the massage was done I put my hearing aid back in and she goes " It must be nice to be in silence you can always turn off when you want to". The massage lady made me realize that is the reason why I like being deaf sometimes. This is just my opinion. I told her it is nice to just have quietness. The world out there is so NOISY and I never really realized that until a few months ago. For me sometimes when I need just to relax I have to take out my aid because I cant function with a lot of sounds its a lot for my ear( Recruitment. I like the fact that I can just switch off whenever I want to.

Do you find yourself just taking off your hearing aids for some quietness???



Smile-Hugs,

Danielle

Know your RIGHTS as a Deaf/ Hard of Hearing Person

I hope you all are enjoying your summer and staying cool! It is so hot here in NY. Time sure does fly by quickly I cannot believe summer is almost over. My best friend who is profoundly deaf ask me for help. She wants to volunteer somewhere and they wont provide an interpreter for her. I was furious when she told me this. I contacted the American's Disability Act to ask what OUR RIGHTS ARE.
Truthfully, I dont even know my rights as a deaf person. So in a way im glad that I called because I wouldn't of known all this information. I want you all to know that its very important to know your rights. You have a right to! For example: You need to know what your rights are when you go into a HOSPITAL, Looking for a Job etc. I was able to contact a few interpreters that I am friends with to try and get her a student volunteer interpreter so I am waiting to hear from that person. She needs an interpreter she does not wear aids or a CI because she cannot benefit from them. She relies on interpreter's and lip reading. She plans on going for this interview Sept 2nd. Im just shocked that they didnt want to provide an interpreter they told her in an email " call the state to see if they will provide one for you". I couldn't believe they would take the time to write something like that back to her!

I decided to write a blog about this because its important! Here a few great websites that can help you know what your rights are. Remember if you end up not getting hired because you are deaf/hard of hearing you can complain!!! I hope these websites help you and if you are still having trouble figuring what your rights are you can call ADA and they will be happy to send you information via mail.

EEOC WEBSITE Questions and Answers about Deaf/Hard of Hearing in the Workplace

JOB APPLICANTS

Manage Volunteers


Before I give you the link once you are on the website, scroll all the way down... Instead of having ADA send this via mail you can actually print the PDF format at home. Its very easy to do just click on the link you want and hit print! This is a very helpful website.

ADA Business Brief Documents




Smile-Hugs,
Danielle

Misunderstanding

Yesterday I went to the Dr's. Its a new Dr. This was only my 2nd week. So anyway he has an accent and is very hard to understand even with my one aid in. So as he was putting the needles in for the acupuncture, I thought he said " Do you want water?" turns out he saids " Do you want more." I become very frustrated lately when I misunderstand noone know this though. So then finally I asked my mom to get me water meanwhile I didnt want more needles in my leg because I was just trying it out. I ended up saying "yes". Then another new dr who happens to be spanish was there she was TALKING to me from behind me and I had no IDEA. That the chryopractor was like Danielle the dr is asking you questions and I said " WHAT DR." He was so nice enough to repeat what she was saying because I didnt even know she was talking or what she was saying. I had no idea. Finally the last question she comes to me and I explained I am deaf. She smiles walks away and still is talking to me the chyropractor finally explained that on the front PAGE it saids A sticker that I put on myself states: PATIENT IS DEAF and I explained that I read Lips! I wanted to share this with you because I know IM NOT THE ONLY PERSON that deals with this.


Smiles!

NO RESULTS YET FOR THE CI EVALUATION

July 7th I had to go back into the city for more testing to see if I qualify for a CI for my right ear. Everything went well. I am having alot of trouble with my left ear hearing words like ex: say the word BAT I said Cat It frustrates me but it has always been this way. The audiologist told me mostly I am a candidate but the surgeon and the audiologist have to meet up with a team to discuss if I am or not. They will get back to me in a week she saids via email.

The day before I went into the city a few of my family members are telling me " ONCE U GET IT ARENT YOU GOING TO TALK DIFFERENT LIKE YOUR FRIENDS". I explained to them NO.I WILL NOT. It DOES NOT CHANGE THE WAY YOU TALK**. I also explained that I have heard before. I explained that for people that have NEVER HEARD BEFORE are learning to HEAR AND SPEAK the correct words for the 1st time. In this case that is not me. However I explained I want to be able to hear just like everyone ELSE. I want to be included and this will take A HELL of alot of pressure off me if I dont have to LIP READ EVERY SECOND of my life. No one wants me to get it done bc of my health condition and I get it but I want to hear. So they have to accept it and move on. The best thing is just because I have a minor health condition doesnt mean anything the only time they dont do surgery is when you have a CARDIAC problem. Thankgoodness!

On July 17,2010, I recieved an email from the hospital stating that I have to go back and speak with a Social Worker and then speak with the Audiologist. I already explained to them that I have Menieres. I also explained to them that The Dr's are aware that I have the top of the line hearing aids I just recieved few months ago. The R aid doesnt benefit me that is why I was thinking about a CI in the first place. For those of you that dont know.

A few weeks ago on the weekend I went upstate to my brothers father's house. They put in a brand new built in pool for the 1st time. It was fun being upstate but when everyone was in the pool, I just couldnt hear a thing. Its not an easy thing to deal with & for some reason its getting harder and harder for me. Of course no one knows how frustrated I am because I just hide it even if I showed it they still wont understand.
It would be nice if I am a candidate so I can be able to hear in the pool just like everyone else if I get the Cochlear America- Nucleus 5.

On September 2nd I will be going back into the CITY for 2 appointments to speak with a social worker and then my audiologist. I was orginally suppose to go on
Sep 9th but they moved it up because the dr wont be around. Wohoo!

Keep those fingers Crossed please!!!

Now back to business- I am sorry I havent been around. I have been very involved with my local HLAA chapter. I am the newsletter editor and its not an easy task. However I dont mind volunteering my time and helping those who are new to hearing loss. I have been recieving a ton of emails from all of you readers. Thank you so much for the kind words and I AM very happy that my blog has helped you with your hearing loss. My beautiful niece is 9 months old already shes getting heavier and she is crawling like crazy. She also stands up by herself. She is simply precious. I enjoy hearing her babble but I cannot wait for the day she starts talking. I have taught her a few signs she has been signing " Daddy" for about 1 month now. It started when I fed her lunch all the sudden I saw her signing. Boy was I thrilled!!!!! I am now in the process of teaching her Mama ( still) altho she does scream her name, MILK, MORE, ALL DONE.

Hope you all are having a wonderful summer before you know it will be over! Time goes tooo fast.

I will be back Sept 2nd!!!

Smile-Hugs!
Danielle

How to Protect your hearing on 4th of July

I am not big about 4th of July and heres why. I may sound like an old person lol but the truth is you have no clue that IT DAMAGES YOUR EARS.... I am also afriad of them. This weekend there will be alot of fireworks so in order to prevent "TINNITUS" ( ringing in the ears) I will be using special headphones to protect my ears. Its very important to protect your ears in really noisy environments. Until then I know that my family wont listen to me until the end of the day when there ears are buzzing. Especially for those little ones! Here are a few resources that may help you in how to protect your ears as well as your childrens ears.
Here is an excerpt from this website to give you an idea:
Effect of loud noise on the inner ear
Immediately after long exposure to very loud noise, there are changes in various structures of the inner ear, including the outer hair cells, the bristles of the inner hair cells, and the connections between the nerves and the cells.
If the ear is rested for a few days, some of the damaged structures appear to recover, but changes to scattered outer hair cells persists.
There is gradual loss of outer hair cells and later, with increasing age, the inner hair cells.

Parenting: Noise & Hearing

Fireworks & Ear Safety

NIDCD

Here is the two things I use to protect my ears from Fireworks. It helps for any Loud Environments.

EarPlugs

Earmuffs are very expensive these days the ones I will eventually get cost around $200.00. Here are the Earmuffs I will be using that cost me $20.00 They do work great!!!!


Happy 4th of July!!!! Be Safe and protect those Ears!!!!

Smiles

Danielle

COCHLEAR IMPLANT EVALUATION

July 7th I will be going for my CI evaluation. I am very nervous and excited at the same time. Unfortunality my R hearing aid isnt helping me its has only been 6 months with these aids. That is why I didnt want the R aid in the first place. With the Meniere's disease really taken a toll on me its deafinitely affecting my hearing loss. I am still new to this meniere's stuff. I dont really know much about it. I know that my balance and the dizzyness comes along with it. NO FUN AT ALL. I told my mother that I am going into the CITY to get the hearing test done. I explained to her what the CI was etc. She told me that apparently " EVERYONE SAID I CAN SPEAK FINE". I explained to her that just because I CAN speak fine doesnt mean I can hear. Its true and I know that people with a hearing loss have no idea what its like. But for me I have to hear. I want to be able to hear things especially my niece. Right now I only have one ear to rely on and no one knows that I go through a struggle everyday. I dont show it because I've gotten used to it as my hearing loss progressed. I am hoping for success on July 7th! I will be back with more information soon.

Smiles!

Resources for Parents of Children with Hearing Loss

Parents: Here are Resources that will help you if you have a Child who has a hearing loss. All Resources are from Hearing Loss Association of America. I DO NOT OWN any of these Resources.I wanted to make sure all parents are aware that there are resources available to help you.Click on the Links below. Make sure to SAVE the HLAA wiki website to your desktop so you can always be up to date with new information. HLAA will be updating this website.

Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Later Onset Hearing Loss

IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

Preschool and Kindergarten

Transition to Elementary School and Beyond

Technology

Laws

Recommended Books to Read for both Parents and Children



Have a great day!
Smile-Hugs

Newborn Hearing Screening

What to do if your child does not pass the hearing screening a resource for parents!

Please watch this video




Smile-Hugs,
Danielle

Baby with Cochlear Implant hears mom for the first time

A girlfriend of mine sent me this video just a little while ago. The video is about Jonathan who hears his mother for the first time with his cochlear implant. Such a an amazing video.

Here is the video


Smiles-Hugs,
Danielle

Aiming to cure Deafness

I recieved this article about Scientist are Aiming to find a cure for deafness. I dont think there will ever be a cure for deafness... but check out what this article saids.

Aiming to Cure Deafness, Scientists First to Create Functional Inner-Ear Cells


Do you think there will be a cure for deafness sometime in the future???



Smile-Hugs,
Danielle

YOUTUBE CAPTIONING ISSUE

A few weeks ago I found out that most of the VIDEOS on YOUTUBE now have captioning. Sounded wonderful because I CANNOT live without captions. I gave it shot and most of the words were incorrect and jumbled just like the TV captioning. I was dissapointed. I tested out a music video that had the lyrics, either in the song or on the side of the page. It wasn't accurate at all. It was frustrating and confusing. I tried about 10 different type of videos. I hope they fix it. I heard many people arent happy with the captioning on youtube. I heard it's an Automatic Transcription.Another words whatever it hears it will type. Its been out I think for a few weeks.

Have you tried it yet? What do you think about the captioning?
Try it out if you havent done so. let me know what you think.

Smile-Hugs,
Danielle

Learn About Hearing Loss

Do you have a hearing loss? If so, There is one thing I have to say to you " YOU ARE NOT ALONE". Please check out these wonderful videos about how to deal with your hearing loss. Its from the Hearing Loss Association of America organization that I am part of. All videos are captioned! There fantastic video's thats why I wanted to make sure I past it along to you.

Click the link below and it will direct you to the page.

Learn About Hearing Loss: New Video Series


Smile-Hugs,

Danielle

Vowels Results from lesson

Here are my results from the Vowels Lesson that I did with the CD-ROM that I meantioned earlier.

Rounded Lip Vowels: Words are- BOOT, BOUGHT, BERT, BOYS,BOOK, BOAT, BOUT
I got a score of 77% out of 100%
Rounded Lip Vowels 1- 80%
Vowels 2- 92%
Vowels 3- 71%
Vowels 4- 80%
Vowels 5-83%

Vowels with Spread-Lip: Words are- SUIT, SAWED, SOOT, SHIRT, SHOWED, SHOUT
Vowels 1- 90%
Vowels 2- 89%
Vowels 3- 82%
Vowels 4- 100%
Vowels 5- 90%
Vowels 6- 100%

I LOVE LOVE THIS PROGRAM!!! Each LESSON has a different person for example: White, Asian, Spanish, Indian etc. I love the REPEAT button because I can repeat it as many times as I want. I love the results page where you can print out your scores. It gets harder as you go.


REMEMBER--- THIS IS WITH JUST MY LEFT* AID ON. I Think I did good.

Smile-Hugs,
Danielle

Audiologist Visit

Yesterday Friday May 7th, I went to my audiologist office because for the past 2 months I cant hear out of my R ear with my hearing aid on. Its basically because of everything that im going through with my health as well as the severe vertigo. I just have to wait it out.... sigh. My R ear was always the worst ear I realized this a few weeks ago after glancing through all of my records since I was a baby. Its been a long rough 3 years for me. Im trying to get better. On the other hand my Left ear is eh okay. Im hearing many new sounds. Many times Im still having trouble with one-one conversations. It wont ever be 100% and I totally understand that but If I CAN master the lip reading skills and speech skills again I think would help. My audiologist tuned up my Left aid. I explained to her that sometimes when I lower it just once Its a strain for me to hear what someone is saying. So she reset the aid and now I can put the aid higher if I need to. She also reset the VOWELS on my hearing aids because I was having trouble with hearing vowel sounds. My audiologist is amazing she is so very helpful and what I love most about her is she takes the time with me. All questions I have are always answered. Its great to have this support. It took 6 Audiologist though but in the end its " BETTER LATE THAN NEVER" right?
I explained my situation about the hearing and speech center not calling me back after the 4th time and its frustrating because I had a perscription stating I needed speech therapy 2 x a week! Nothing happens. I gave up. My Audiologist gave me a wonderful*** CD ROM she has never used before... its for lessons for lipreading and listening. ITS AMAZING. I just got it yesterday I practice today. It started off easy with VOWELS. This is what you do:
1: YOU install the program onto computer with the cd rom
2: then you go to the program and type your name in
3: It will give you a list of all the LESSONS on this CD
4: The 1st lesson was VOWELS.
5:I clicked on VOWELS VOL 1.
A person on the ride hand side comes on NOT LIVE its a video basically.
Then on the left side you have 6 words for ex: CAT MAT BAT RAT PAT AND you read the person lips and watch as she moves her mouth to guess the words...

ITS AMAZING** Its the greatest thing ever! What I love most about this program is that I can repeat as many times as I WANT. I love it gives you a score sheet of everything you completed what you got wrong and correct. Also if you get something wrong it will repeat that same word until you get it right.

I am printing out my daily progress and later on today I will let you all know my score.

Practice Practice Practice!!! I havent had speech/hearing therapy since 8 years. Its been quite awhile but this program works and its worth $80.00. Unforuntality its $80.00 Thankfully my Audiologist let me borrow this!!!

Have a wonderful day and I will be later with details.

Enjoy the beautiful weather.

Smile-Hugs,
Danielle

Joey McIntyre Opens Up About Son’s Hearing Loss

Hey Everyone!!! Hope all is well. Things are very hectic over here that is why I havent wrote in awhile. I should be back hopefully tommorow with an update. Until then I found out POP STAR Singer Joey Mcintyre son has a hearing loss.

When Dad’s a pop star, every minute of the day comes with a soundtrack.
“There’s always music in the house,” says New Kids on the Block’s Joey McIntyre, who lives in L.A. with his wife, Barrett, and their sons Griffin Thomas, 2, and Rhys Edward, 3 months. But from the day he came home, the youngest McIntyre has heard little of it. Rhys failed a routine hearing test at the hospital after he was born Dec. 13th, the couple tell PEOPLE, and extensive follow-up tests at UCLA showed that he had severe hearing loss. To read more CLICK HERE


Smile-Hugs
Danielle

MY DEAF FAMILY ON YOUTUBE

Today I recieved an email about Marlee Matlin's New tv show called " My Deaf Family". Marlee Matlin is the Producer of this tv show. The show is only on YOUTUBE as of right now. I am hoping that it gets aired on tv. It is amazing. please watch it. My Deaf Family is about the story of Jared, 15 and his family, The Firls, who live and love like any family except that Jared is hearing and communicates using sign language with his deaf family.The Show is Captioned.

I thought this was a perfect start!!! Its a beautiful story. I'm looking forward for more episodes. I hope that at some point it gets aired on TV only so everyone can watch what its like to have a "Deaf Family". If you have a YOUTUBE account you can simply Subscribe to this show!! You can either go to youtube or watch it on my blog.

YouTube




What do you think about this show???


Smile-Hugs,
Danielle

Silence the Ringing in your Ears

Check out this article I found! I wish I could afford this.

Tinnitus- Silence the Ringing in Your Ears This video IS NOT captioned below the video is the transcript.

My tinnitus is so severe. It has gotten worst this past year once I lost all of my hearing. There is nothing I can do about it. I noticed at night when I take off my hearing aids the Tinnitus is AWFUL! I end up putting my aids back in because it lessens the Tinnitus and the pain. To bad Insurance companys dont cover the cost of this device! My tinnitus occurs 24/7.

Do you experience Tinnitus? If so how often??


Smile-
Danielle

LIFEHOUSE CONCERT

Friday night thanks to my Dad got me 2 tickets to see my favorite band. We arrived early and we ended up being really closed. I couldnt get the floor because it was standing room only and I cant stand because of my legs. So believe it or not my ears were fine for the entire night. For some reason though I was having trouble with the words.. I felt the beat of course but I was catching all the words. So I started panicing. I think it was the way the colliseum was setup. It was setup differently this time. Jason the lead singer decided to go into the audience for the 1st time.. I almost died, So I ran down like a lunatic to where the stage was because he has to come back that way in order to get back on stage and I put my hand out and he shook it. I WAS SO HAPPY I almost cried!! I was shaking for about an hour thinking how I would never wash my Right hand again haha! That just made my night! Then he sang my favorite song and apparently Im the only one that knew the new song. I screamed and you heard I EVEN HEARD MY OWN SCREAM* it echoed through the entire colliseum! So funny haha! When my sister and I decided to leave I had a weird feeling all the sudden my sisters talking to me on the way to the car. I saw BRYCE he had his hoodie on because he didnt want to be noticed and he was on the phone so I completely left my sister booked it to the left because we were on the Right side leaving and I was behind bryce. He was on the phone he held the door for me and I go BRYCE? and I wave! I wanted to go up to the guy but I didnt wanna make a big scence because all this 12 year olds would of probably had a heart attack! So I waved to him instead. That also made my night. Believe it or not I got home and my battery was still fine. I was surprised! This is the first time my battery didnt die on me wohoo! Speaking about the batteries... I guess it normal for batteries to last maybe 4 days I mean I wear my aids the MOMENT I WAKE UP and till the moment i go to sleep at night. I never really wore aids this often in my lifetime but now that I RELY on them and I cant LIVE WITHOUT THEM I have no choice. The batteries last me a good 4 days. It gets to be annoying though changing them! Like for instance, I went out with my girlfriend the other day for lunch the battery died. I thought I was going to die and I didnt have any batteries on me that day. I was in silence and I felt weird and nervous for the first time. It was a very awkward moment for me! So now I got batteries attached to my HIP!

Goodnight All Have A Great Week!
Smile
Danielle

SOUNDS & TALKING TO LOUD

I havent been blogging much because I have been so busy being the new newsletter editor for my HLAA chapter. Its sure is hard work but I enjoy every minute of it and I am glad I have the opportunity to do something like this. Another reason is beautiful I spend each day with my precious niece. She is getting so big!!! Time sure does fly. I have been teaching her to sign MILK for a few weeks now and I love when she watches me while Im doing it. I also sign & sing TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR and she just giggles!

Lately- the sounds are starting to get to much for my ears. I get alot of headaches. I know Im not used to all this noise, but at times I really cant wear my aids. The sound gets to be too much that I rather be signing and NOT TALKING. This past week as well I havent been talking much because the sounds the banging or pans or someone talking and I just I dont know why I cannot handle the noise. I am waiting for my insurance to pick up again because they messed up on something once that is taken care of I am going for speech therapy 2x a week my audiologist recommended because I am having a problem of " TALKING TOO LOUD". Even a very good friend of mine who is deaf ( wears bilateral Cochlear Implants) say can you talk a little quieter. She deafinitely understands I CANNOT HEAR MY OWN VOICE*. ALOT of people dont understand ( especially hearing people) that I CANNOT HEAR MY OWN VOICE & to sit and explain why I cannot hear my own voice (which i have no idea why i cant w/ the aids on) its just pointless because they always say " SHHH YOUR TALKING TO LOUD". So I will be learning how to monitor my voice. I havent been in speech therapy since I graduated High School that was 6 years ago. It's time to start again I think I lost most of my skills. Its hard not being able to communicate. I'm also having trouble on the cell phone as well and conversations. Gotta figure out whats going on.

I went for my new AVG test last month and I DONT have MENIERE'S but I have really bad recrutment and vertigo! So thats another thing I have to get going on.

Do you talk LOUD?? If so what do you do to help monitor it? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


Smile-Hugs,
Have a great day!
Danielle

Captions or Subtitles for Entertainment on Your Flight?

Begin forwarded message:
Captions or Subtitles for Entertainment on Your Flight?
Join Passenger Rights Association Effort and Sign a Petition.


Association for Airline Passenger Rights Calls on DOT to Improve Accessibility for In-Flight Entertainment; Requirement would Uphold Spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Air Carrier Access Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 24, 2010) - The Association for Airline Passenger Rights (AAPR) today called on the U.S. Department of Transportation to require commercial air carriers to provide closed-caption or subtitles on all in-flight entertainment for the deaf and hard-of-hearing passengers. While DOT requires that captioning be available on all safety and information related videos, it does not enforce the same accessibility standard for in-flight entertainment, such as movies and television shows.

"In 2010, nearly twenty years after the signing of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act you would think that all airlines would make a good-faith effort to make accommodations to their paying customers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, so that all aspects of flying are accessible to them," said Brandon M. Macsata, Executive Director of the Association for Airline Passenger Rights referring to in-flight entertainment being inaccessible. "This requirement would not only uphold the spirit of the law, it would also demonstrate a commitment by the airlines to improve customer service for all passengers."

Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) covers public accommodations, including businesses that are public accommodations, privately operated transportation, and commercial facilities. The ADA mandates public accommodations must comply with basic nondiscrimination requirements that prohibit exclusion, segregation, and unequal treatment. They also must comply with specific requirements related to, among other things, reasonable modifications to policies, practices, and procedures; effective communication with people with hearing, vision, or speech disabilities; and other access requirements.

Aside from the ADA, the 1986 Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) also covers certain aspects of accommodations for the deaf and hard-of-hearing; it states that where safety briefings are presented to passengers on video screens in the aircraft, the carrier shall ensure that the video presentation is accessible to persons with hearing impairments by using open captioning or an inset for a sign language interpreter as part of the video presentation, or by closed captioning.

Macsata noted that AAPR has initiated an online petition in support of the requirement at www.flyfriendlyskies.com

(NVRC Note: The petition “Require Subtitles On All Airline Carriers” is at http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/subtitles/. The goal is to get 10,000 signatures and 40 have signed on so far)

Said Kenneth DeHaan, Founder of the Facebook Cause Require Subtitles On All Airline Carriers about the proposed requirement: "We lose value on our tickets when we cannot enjoy the entertainment on board because
there are no subtitles. It is not right that we have to pay a full fare and not receive the same service as hearing passengers."

DeHaan contends that passengers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing travel a lot so they should be given the same consideration by the airlines as hearing customers. He questions whether it is fair, ethical that they have to sit through long flights, unable to understand whatever is being displayed on the in-flight entertainment while hearing customers are able to enjoy the services to the fullest.

The Association for Airline Passenger Rights is a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt, nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote fairer customer service and accessibility standards in the airline industry and to improve passenger satisfaction. For more information about the Association for Airline Passenger Rights or the need for DOT to require closed-caption on all in-flight entertainment, please visit www.flyfriendlyskies.com or contact AAPR directly at info@flyfriendlyskies.com

Distributed 2010 by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons (NVRC), 3951 Pender Drive, Suite 130, Fairfax, VA 22030


EVERYONE PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION!!!!!!!!!!!


THANKS SO MUCH

SMILE-HUGS
Danielle

YOUMAIL.COM

ARE YOU HAVING TROUBLE HEARING YOUR VOICEMAILS ON YOUR CELLPHONE???

WELL GREAT NEWS IS THERE'S NO MORE TROUBLE NOW YOU CAN SEE VISUAL VOICEMAIL CALLS ON YOUR CELLPHONE ITS THAT SIMPLE!!!!! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS GO TO WWW.YOUMAIL.COM AND REGISTER YOUR CELL PHONE NUMBER. YOU GET A 7 DAY FREE TRIAL. ITS DEAFINITELY WORTH IT TRY IT OUT!!!

I GOT AN EMAIL ABOUT YOUMAIL.COM LAST WEEK AND I TRIED IT OUT FOR 1 WEEK. I HAVE BEEN HAVING ALOT OF TROUBLE HEARING MY VOICEMAILS ON MY PHONE. SO WHAT THE HECK I GAVE IT TRY AND IT IS AWESOME. IT ALSO SAVED ME TIME AND I WAS LESS FRUSTRATED AFTER THE 7 DAY FREE TRIAL IT WILL ALERT YOU ON YOUR CELLPHONE THAT IT EXPIRES AND IF YOU WANT TO PURCHASE IT FOR $3.99 A MONTH!!! ITS DEAFINITELY WORTH IT AND I AM GOING TO KEEP IT. YOU CAN ALSO LOGIN ANYTIME ONTO YOUMAIL.COM AND CHECK ALL YOUR RECENT CALLS AND VOICEMAILS THEY ARE KEPT THERE UNTIL YOU DELETE THEM.

I WANTED TO SHARE THIS GOOD NEWS WITH YOU. FINALLY THE FRUSTRATION AND THE WAITING GAME IS OVER!!!

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS. WHOEVER STARTED THIS HAD A GREAT IDEA THANKS YOUMAIL!!!


SMILE-HUGS,
DANIELLE

Hearing Review Article By David G. Myers, PhD.

Progress Toward the Looping of America— and Doubled Hearing Aid Functionality by David G. Myers, PhD.

A Must Read Article!


I will be back soon..

Smile-Hugs,
Danielle

Pass the Salt ... and a Megaphone From Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal Feb 3,2010

Pass the Salt ... and a Megaphone
New Design Styles, High Ceilings and Hardwood Floors Are Making Restaurants Noisier; How to Find a Quiet Table

CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE



Have A Great Day!

Smile-Danielle

Hearing Aid Tax Credit - progress report

WASHINGTON, DC, January 26, 2010 Hearing Aid Tax Credit legislation
in the House of Representatives (H.R. 1646) shattered previous
co-sponsorship records when Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA) became the 113th
Rep. to co-sponsor the bill on January 21. Less than a year after
introduction, the legislation surpassed co-sponsorship totals achieved
in the Republican-majority 109th Congress (ending in 2006) and the
Democratic-majority 110th Congress (ending in 2008) – both of which
peaked at 112 co-sponsors at the conclusion of each full two-year
session. With the remainder of 2010 left for the 111th Congress, tax
credit supporters are hopeful that the bill will be considered as part
of any health reform proposals that emerge in the coming months or
major tax legislation that must be considered in either 2010 or 2011 to
address numerous expiring tax provisions.

The bi-partisan Hearing Aid Tax Credit was introduced by Reps. Carolyn
McCarthy (D-NY) and Vern Ehlers (R-MI) to provide assistance to some of
the 32 million people who need a hearing aid to treat their hearing
loss. Medicare expressly excludes coverage of hearing aids as do most
private insurance policies, and as a result, cost is cited as a
prohibitive factor by two thirds of the people who do not treat their
hearing loss. If enacted, H.R. 1646 would provide a $500 tax credit per
hearing aid for children and people age 55 and older. While hearing
aids can treat 95% of all hearing losses, only 22% of those who could
benefit from them actually use them. Rep. McCarthy notes that “this
bill would provide some assistance to people who need hearing aids to
reach their full potential, and it would do so in a fiscally
responsible way.”

HIA’s Chairman, Jerry Ruzicka, points out that “affordability of
hearing healthcare – not just the hearing aids themselves but
importantly the professional testing, fitting and training that makes
them perform at peak – is a concern. HIA brought together
manufacturers, professionals, and the consumers who depend on our
technology, and we all agreed that a tax credit for hearing aid
purchases is the best way to improve access. The unity behind our
legislation is one of its key strengths.”

In fact, the Hearing Aid Tax Credit is actively supported by most
hearing health organizations including the Alexander Graham Bell Assn
for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell), Academy of Doctors of
Audiology (ADA), American Academy of Audiology (AAA), American Speech
Language Hearing Assn (ASHA), Hearing Industries Association (HIA),
Hearing Loss Assn of America (HLAA) and International Hearing Society
(IHS).

Working as a coalition and in partnership with Congressional champions,
the hearing health community has worked to focus attention on the
importance of hearing health and the burdens associated with the lack
of financial assistance for treatment. “Access to hearing technology,
coupled with early identification of hearing loss, is absolutely
essential for children to learn to listen and talk," said Catherine
Murphy, Director of Communications & Public Affairs for AG
Bell. "Parents of children with hearing loss shouldn't have to
sacrifice other essentials in order to give their children access to
hearing devices they desperately need. We thank those members of
Congress who have supported this important issue."

In addition to coalition efforts on Capitol Hill, local AG Bell and
HLAA chapters have hosted events for Representatives in their districts
to demonstrate the importance of this legislation to voters. In
addition, more than 30,000 letters have been sent to Congress since
2008 by people visiting http://www.hearingaidtaxcredit.org/. Brenda Battat, executive director of HLAA, notes that she is “delighted that
HLAA members have played a key role in reaching this new milestone.
They have hosted joint events in California, Maryland, Michigan,
Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin for Representatives who are
supportive of financial assistance for people who need hearing aids.
Many other HLAA members have written letters and paid visits to their
representatives which have paid off in gaining such strong
Congressional support.”

Chris Gustafson, BC-HIS, ACA, President of the International Hearing
Society, saluted the achievement of this milestone. "Reaching this new
threshold for the Hearing Aid Tax Credit is tangible evidence that
lawmakers are increasingly recognizing the importance of improving
access to the benefits of amplification for their hearing-impaired
constituents. IHS is pleased to be working jointly with providers,
patients, and manufacturers in support of this legislation." The
participation of IHS member hearing health professionals has been
instrumental to the success of the Congressional events in various
states.
-Lise Hamlin, HLAA Public Policy and Advocacy



Smile-Hugs,
Danielle

To all the people that wear Hearing Aids...

I was thinking I wish HEARING AIDS where like Cochlear Implants in a way because wit a CI you dont have earmolds you just put it behind your ear and "YOU CAN HEAR". Thats one of the reasons why I like them. My earmolds were expensive when I purchased my aids 4 months ago.I had to switch them a few times. They are constantly itchy im assuming its because of the ear molds. I dont have itchy ears when the aids are out. Its only when earmolds are in. I have no choice but to wear the aids because I have to hear whats going on. I tried different sets of earmolds but its getting costly. Ear molds arent covered and they are $200.00 NONREFUNDABLE!!! So how many pairs am I going to go through....

What do you think?? Dont you wish that hearing aids where like CI'S. I deafinitely do... but its too late to go that route maybe oneday something like that will be available for us.

If not then I'll consider the CI later on at this time I cant get it if I wanted to because of my illness. Thats why I ended up aids to avoid surgery. Luckily I can hear well with the aids.Its not 100%, but its something. I cant live without them at this point.

For the constant itchy ears I used DERM OTIC which must be perscribed by an ENT. I use it helps somewhat but not 50%.

Whats your opinion about this???


Smile-Hugs,
Danielle

HOW TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR HEARING...

Two people emailed me today asking me HOW TO PROTECT THEIR HEARING so with all the information from past HLAA meetings, from my knowledge and from my audiologist. I decided to come up with a few facts that I have learned which was very helpful to me.

- Sounds is LOUD* enough to DAMAGE* hearing if it causes rining in the ears or your ears feel " STUFFY or MUFFLED" after the sound is turned off. Avoid these sounds beacuse they can PERMANENTLY DAMAGE YOUR HEARING FOR GOOD!!!! Many of you dont think it true but it is.

- keep hearing protection/earplugs handy to place in the ears in noisy environments to protect your hearing.

- You should have your hearing tested every year if you work in LOUD ENVIRONMENTS ( for those without hearing loss) to assure that they are not developing a hearing loss.

I was told by my Audiologist... NO MATTER how old or young you are, too much exposure to loud noise can permanently damage your hearing. whether its a screech of a chain saw, the sudden blast of a hunting RIFLE** or the roar of a lawn mower, exposure to loud sounds can cause PERMANENT HEARING LOSS!!! By avoiding these situations GO BUY YOURSELF A PAIR OF EARPHONES OR EARPLUGS. IT HELPS!!!

Hearing protection is very important and many of you dont think it is that is why I wanted to take the time to explain how dangerous LOUD NOISES can be.

SO PLEASE PROTECT YOUR HEARING!!!!!!!

Thanks for Reading, I hope this helps.

Smile-Danielle

Movie Theatre Captioning

Have you been to the movies lately?

AMC, Loew's, Clearview Cinemas offers Open Caption movies for us!!!!

CaptionFish is a new website that shows all the available Rear Window Captioning and Open Captioned in your area. Its been out quite sometime for those of you that didn't know.

Here are some websites you can checkout:

www.captionfish.com

www.fomdi.com

www.movietickets.com ( this place only shows Rear Window Captioning)

www.fandango.com ( only shows Open Captioned)


For each website all you have to do is click on the links above and type in the search box ( once your on the website) what zip code you live in and movies will appear.

What is the Difference between OPEN CAPTION AND REAR WINDOW CAPTIONING???

OC- ( OPEN CAPTION) is Captions that are visible without using a set-top decoder or a TV with a built-in decoder chip. When a video is open captioned, the captions are permanently part of the picture. Its on the big screen in the movies.

Rear Window Captioning- ( RWC) You are given a translucent plastic reflector that fits in the cup holder of your seat and you can adjust it so that it reflects the reverse captions from the back wall so you can see them.


Hope this Helps!!!

Smile- Danielle