News & Views

June 2009 www.hearingloss-nyc.org E-mail: HLAANYC@aol.com

Hearing Loss Association of America exists to open the world of communication to people with hearing loss
through information, education, advocacy, and support.

Scholarship Awards Program and Reception

On Tuesday, June 2, 2009 Editor’s Corner – Elizabeth Stump

Welcome to the June 2009 issue of

the HLAA-Manhattan News & Views!

Are you ready for the digital TV transition?

Originally planned for February, the final deadline is
June 12. If you have any questions, contact the FCC at
fccinfo@fcc.gov; 888-225-5322 (voice); 888-835-5322
(TTY); or www.dtv.gov. For more on captioning and
the transition, visit http://dtv.c-s-d.org.

In lieu of this month’s Chapter meeting, on June 2nd

From left: Winners Aldo Almanzar, Navena Chaitoo,
and Jacqueline Drexler.
we had a special event: the Scholarship Awards
Program and Reception. $1,000 scholarships were
presented to three hard-of-hearing high school
seniors from NYC and eastern Long Island: Aldo
Almanzar, Navena Chaitoo, and Jacqueline Drexler.
These students also will be receiving one-year
memberships in HLAA.

Aldo Rufino Almanzar wears one aid for his

moderate to severe/profound hearing loss. He will be
attending Rochester Institute of Technology. Navena
wears two hearing aids for severe to profound loss.
She’ll be attending Fordham University. Jacqueline
wears two hearing aids for her severe to profound
hearing loss. She will be attending University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

We listened to the winners talk about their

backgrounds, hearing loss challenges, and college
plans. A reception in the students’ honor followed.

As you know by now, the HLAA annual national

There will be no more Chapter meetings until
convention is this month. Many members have
September 15.
registered and are looking forward to several days of
Enjoy your summer!
workshops, socializing, and fun events in Nashville.
 2

A reminder for those of you who are attending: we C H A P T E R P L A N N I N G C OM M I T T E E

should try to be seated together at the Birthday Party Join us on the first Tuesday of each month (except in
Banquet (6/19) and the Awards Breakfast on Sunday July & August) to help plan programs & events.
(6/21). Also, attendees should give their Birthday
Party Banquet vouchers to Joe Gordon or Mary HLAA Manhattan Chapter Phone Number: (voice)
Fredericks soon after receiving their convention (212) 769-HEAR (4327)
package upon checking in.
Barbara Bryan
barbarabryan@usa.net
Have a peaceful, enjoyable summer! See you at the
September 15th meeting! Barbara Dagen, Newsletter Committee
bdagen1@verizon.net

Mary Fredericks, Secretary

(212) 674-9128 maryfreder@aol.com

Joe Gordon
NYJGordon@aol.com

Toni Iacolucci, NYC Walk4Hearing Co-chair

giantoni@nyc.rr.com

Shera Katz, Web Site Coordinator

HLAA’s "Purchasing a Hearing Aid: Consumer
sherakatz@verizon.net
Check List," published in the May/June issue of
Hearing Loss Magazine, is now online here: Anne Pope, Immediate Past President, HLAA Board
www.hearingloss.org/learn/hearingaids.asp. of Trustees; NYC Walk4Hearing Co-chair
Consumers should use it to understand hearing atpop24@aol.com
health care best practices and what to expect when
getting fitted for a hearing aid. Download the list and Ellen Semel
take it with you when you purchase your hearing (212) 989-0624 ellen13@rcn.com
aid. Also available on the Web site are HLAA policies
Susan Shapiro, Treasurer
on hearing aids, FDA regulations on sales of hearing
sdshappy@aol.com
aids, and information on hearing assistive technology
and evaluating the performance of a hearing aid. Dana Simon
dana2cat@gmail.com

Elizabeth Stump, Newsletter Editor

Help the Chapter Go Green!
ElizabethMStump@gmail.com
Would you like to receive N&V by e-mail only
rather than receive a mailed version to help us cut Diane Sussman
down on paper consumption and save money? It dlsuss@optonline.net
costs about $8 a year to provide one member with
10 issues — that’s more than half of one’s annual Advisory Members
dues. Please notify HLAANYC@aol.com if you’d Amy McCarthy
like to make this change. The Chapter thanks you! Lois O’Neill
Robin Sacharoff
Reasons to Go Green:
Professional Advisors:
Receive the e-mailed N&V and…
Josh Gendel, Technical Director, Center for Hearing
*The links are clickable and take you to the Web
and Communication (CHC)
site immediately!
*Color is prettier! Laurie Hanin, PhD, CCC-A Exec. Director, CHC
*Font size is adjustable
*You’re saving trees, labor, printing expenses, Joseph Montano, Ed.D., Director, Hearing & Speech,
and postage! Weill Cornell Medical College

WHAT YOU MISSED IN MAY
Mary Fredericks
Josh Gendel is not only the Technology Director at
the Center for Hearing and Communication
(formerly the League for the Hard of Hearing); he is
also our chapter’s technical professional advisor.
Walk-in demos are available at CHC on Thursdays at
2 pm; they are of a general nature geared toward
professionals such as visiting nurses. It is
recommended that individual appointments be
scheduled for personal advice.
Josh gave us a good basic overview of the types of
ALDs; they are generally classified as: alerting
devices/alarms (tell you that something is happening,
like a door or phone ring) and communication
systems/devices (help you to hear speech, like audio
loops, infrared systems, amplified phones).
He demonstrated a remote doorbell ringer with a
strobe light; this can be installed in several locations
and is battery operated. The transmitter is wireless;
the receiver/flasher must be plugged in. Sonic Alert
systems can be set for doorbells, phone, baby cry,
smoke alarms. Alarm clocks can be loud ringers,
flashing lights and/or vibrating types. (Some people
sleep with their hearing aids on; this is not a good
idea — the ears need to be ‘aired’ at times to avoid
the possibility of infection.) Surveys have shown that
flashing light smoke alarms are not the best way to
wake someone. Try a system connecting with a bed
shaker.
An interesting Q&A session followed. Some
apartment dwellers have difficulty hearing visitors
on the intercom; try asking an expected visitor to call
your apartment from their cell phone to let you know
s/he has arrived. You can also have a customized
intercom installed.
Regarding phones, virtually all wired phones now
are hearing aid compatible — not so with cell phones.
Look for cell phones with M4/T4 ratings for the mic
and the T-coil. Try going to a phone store when it is
not busy; arrange in advance with a friend ready to
read to you from a newspaper when you try different
phones. To reduce interference, it sometimes helps to
hold the cell phone a little distance away from
hearing aids. There are no phones compatible with
zero or extremely poor speech discrimination;
CapTel phones are a very good substitute, even
3
though there is a slight time delay between the audio
and the visual display.
To contact the Center for Hearing and
Communication: 917-305-7700; info@chchearing.org
For Josh Gendel: JGendel@chchearing.org
ALD Suppliers:
Harris Communications: 1-800-825-6758 (Voice);
www.harriscomm.com/ or info@harriscomm.com
(Harris Communications gives HLAA members a
15% discount off selected items.)
Hearmore: 1-800-881-4327; www.hearmore.com/
Soundbytes: 1-888-816-8191; www.soundbytes.com/
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms:
Kidde: 1-800-880-6788; www.kidde.com/
Metropolitan Calendar
Tuesday, June 2: Scholarship Reception in lieu of
regular Chapter meeting
Tuesday, June 9: Center for Hearing and
Communication Golf Tournament; for more info. call
(917) 305-7804 or go here:
www.lhh.org/calendar/events/events_golf.html.
Thursday, June 18 – Sunday, June 21: HLAA
Annual Convention in Nashville, Tennessee
A Few Highlights:
Wed., June 17: Registration opens (Noon - 6:00 pm)
Thursday, June 18: Newcomers Orientation (11:00
am – Noon. If you have never been to an HLAA
Convention, you will want to attend!)
Friday, June 19: Birthday Party Banquet
Sunday, June 21: Awards Breakfast (8:30 - 10 am)
*Founder's Day Recognition at the Awards Breakfast.
Thursday, July 23: Center for Hearing and
Communication Cochlear Implant Support Group
50 Broadway, 2nd Floor; 5:30 pm to 7 pm
*For more information, call (917) 305-7751
or e-mail audiology@chchearing.org.

Advocacy for People with Hearing Loss
The Manhattan Chapter Advocacy Committee has
been on a roll! We’ve already had several successes.
A favorite summer pastime is watching movies.
Thus, we became involved in advocating for
captioning the outdoor summer film festivals
occurring in NYC. Thanks to our efforts, Riverside
Park South agreed to show captioned films in their
free 'Movies Under the Stars' summer film series...for
the first time ever! The six films will be shown
Wednesday evenings from July 8th - August 12th at
dusk (8:30 pm), on Pier 1 at 70th Street & the Hudson
River (www.riversideparkfund.org/calendar). The
order of films: The Age of Innocence; Wall Street;
Dinner at Eight; The Out-of-Towners; Drums Along the
Mohawk; and Sweet Smell of Success.
Our second advocacy success
is that the Central Park
Conservancy will show
captioned films at their
festival, also for the first time!
It runs for five nights in a row,
from Aug. 18-22. The films are:
Shaft (1971), Ocean’s 11 (2001), Sex & The City (2008),
Twilight (2008), and Viewer’s Choice. Vote at
www.7online.com from July 21 to August 21 for one
of the following: Men in Black (1997); Goldfinger
(1965); or Desperately Seeking Susan (1985). The 7th
Annual Central Park Film Festival, sponsored by
Bloomberg L.P., is free and starts at 8 PM (gates open
at 6 PM). To find Rumsey Playfield, enter the Park at
5th Avenue and 69th Street. Rain or shine. (Go to
www.centralparknyc.org/site/Calendar?view=Detail
&id=106781.)
Many thanks to Toni Iacolucci, Elizabeth Stump,
Ruth Bernstein, and Joe Gordon for their help in
making this happen.
Note that there are two more film festivals showing
captioned films (for the first time!) this summer:
RiverFlicks for Grown-Ups (at Pier 54) and
RiverFlicks for Kids (at Pier 46). (For more info., go to
www.hudsonriverpark.org/events.asp.) While this
captioning is not a direct result of our Chapter’s
advocacy efforts like the two festivals mentioned
above, but rather of a person with hearing loss not
affiliated with our Chapter, the situation still
demonstrates that it takes outspoken people to raise
4
awareness and obtain accommodations for those
with hearing loss.
‚One of the best lessons I've learned in this process
has been the need to ask,‛ said Advocacy Committee
Chair Toni Iacolucci. ‚As people with hearing loss, I
think we're so used to being denied access, it doesn't
occur to us to request it. Also, we often assume
people are insensitive and don't care about the
difficulties we experience. With a positive attitude
and patience in educating people about our
experience, I think they will be more receptive than
we anticipate.‛
To join the Advocacy Committee or ask questions, e-
mail us at: advocacyfirst@gmail.com.
Sports and Hearing Loss
With summer here and greater opportunity for
children, teens, and adults to play sports outdoors,
it’s important to ensure that, despite sweating from
physical activity, one’s hearing aids or cochlear
implant (CI) stays safe and dry.
According to HLAA’s Hearing Loss Magazine
(Nov./Dec. 2008), hearing aids and CIs rely on ear-
level microphones that work only up to about six
feet. For greater distances, personal FM systems will
help, but are only appropriate for non-contact sports
(contact sports include football and soccer) and
sports that don’t require rapid movement and
projectiles (like tennis) — examples where FM
systems can be used are hiking/walking, golf,
bowling, and fishing.
Water-resistant and waterproof hearing aids and CIs
may be a good option if one is in the swimming pool.
For sweating in general, use an absorbent sweat
band, placed above the hearing device. Other
products include the Hearing Aid Sweat Band
(www.hearingaidsweatband.com) and latex covers
called Super Seals (www.justbekuz.com).
Post-activity, remove your device
and thoroughly dry it with an
absorbent cloth. Also place the
device in a dehumidification
system. Some use chemical
desiccants like silica gel, while
others create and circulate heat to
remove moisture. An example is
www.dryandstore.com.

Lastly, the article warns against using both helmets
and your hearing device. One should certainly use a
helmet in certain sports like biking, football, or
skiing, but carving out spaces in the helmet’s
padding to accommodate hearing aids or CIs is not
wise — chances are you still won’t hear well and you
won’t be able to trust the safety of the helmet if
you’ve modified it. It’s smarter to instead take off
your devices and store them in a safe container while
playing.
Report from the Hearing Conservation Seminar
I attended the Hearing Conservation Seminar
sponsored by Aearo Technologies, a 3M Company.
The conference, free of charge, took place in the
Pfizer Building on E. 42nd St. on Thursday, April 16.
Free samples of a large array of earplugs were
provided and many types of earmuffs were on
display. It was a full-day session, but I only attended
the morning session, which was moderated by Dr.
Elliot H. Berger, M.S. He is Aearo’s Senior Scientist,
Auditory Research, and ‚is responsible for research
in hearing protection, hearing conservation, and the
effects of noise on hearing.‛ Dr. Berger gave a lively,
enjoyable, and informative presentation.
Most of the people in the audience were people
involved with occupational hearing conservation
who worked in companies where the employees
were required or encouraged to wear protection
because of harmful noise levels. Ways to encourage
the use of hearing protection were discussed.
Dr. Berger compared the relative simplicity of
wearing eyeglasses to the complexity and cost of
wearing hearing aids. Unlike hearing aids, eyeglasses
don’t need batteries. If you walk into a shower with
your eyeglasses, it doesn’t create a problem. But
doing the same with your hearing aids can spell
disaster. Eyeglasses may cost $300.00 while hearing
aids can cost $3,000. You have an occlusion effect
with a hearing aid and wax build-up which you
don’t with eyeglasses. Dr. Berger likened hearing loss
to macular degeneration.
Dr. Berger spoke about the proper use of earmuffs
and earplugs. Here are some tips that will ensure
good protection:
*The headband should be placed on the head from
front to back and hair has to be pushed away from
5
under the cushions. Adjust the headband so the
cushions exert even pressure around the ears.
*The whole ear has to be placed inside the hollow
space inside the earmuff. There should be no spaces
between the earmuff and the head.
*Earplugs should be placed in the ear canal after
pulling the ear outward and upward with the
opposite hand so that one has good access to the
canal. Earplugs should be placed to get a snug fit.
*For very loud noises, the best protection can be
achieved by using earplugs plus an ear muff.
When I asked Dr. Berger about hearing protection for
people who wear hearing aids, he said that if a
person had an in the canal hearing aid they could use
earmuffs. As to shutting off your hearing aids, he
didn’t think that was effective as there is a vent in the
hearing aid through which noise can pass. As to
users of hearing aid types other than those in the ear
canal, Dr. Berger said it would be best to consult with
one’s audiologist.
—Susan Immergut
*Visit www.turnittotheleft.com for the American
Academy of Audiology’s public awareness campaign
about the dangers of noise-induced hearing loss.
Kiddie Corner
Here are some hearing protection products made
especially for kids’ tiny ears.
For noisy surroundings:
*‚BabyBlues‛ ER-20 High Fidelity Earplugs preserve
sound quality but reduce output by 20 dB.
www.etymotic.com/ephp/er20.aspx
*Peltor Junior Earmuffs come in several different
colors; they fit on infants 3 months and older.
http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/ejuearmu.html
*Mack’s SafeSound Jr. soft foam earplugs, for kids
age 7 and older: www.macksearplugs.com.

For iPods/MP3s/gaming devices:
*LoudEnough are volume-limiting earbuds for kids
ages 6 and older. They come in several colors and
limit sound output by 20 dB: www.loudenough.com.
*EarSaver Volume Limiter is plugged between the
music and your earphones:
http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/earsavolifor.html
*Custom Earmolds are another option you can get
from most earmold companies. While more pricey,
they provide the best seal possible for tiny ears.
For more information on protecting your child’s
hearing, go to www.noisyplanet.nidcd.nih.gov.
National HLAA News
*HLAA will adopt hearing loss statistics from the
National Center for Health Statistics, which is 36
million. The number previously used was 31 million.
Of the 5 objectives for hearing created by the
Department of Health and Human Services for the
year 2010 — decreased number of office visits for
otitis media in kids and teens; increased newborn
screening; increased use of hearing aids by adults;
increased adult hearing examinations; increased use
of ear protection and decreased noise-induced
hearing loss — the objectives met are decreased visits
for otitis media and increased hearing screenings.
The 2020 objectives being written now will include
many of these current objectives not yet met.
*The HLAA membership brochure is being revised
to further highlight chapters, and the Q&A brochure
that many chapters use for health fairs is being
divided into two Q&A brochures: one on the
emotional aspects of hearing loss for people who are
new to it, and a second one on forms of hearing
assistive technology.
Correction:
There was a small error in May’s ‚Ask the Expert!‛
response from Dr. Paul E. Hammerschlag. The
6
second paragraph on page 4 should have begun: ‚If
the auditory nerve is anatomically intact after
acoustic neuroma surgery, sometimes a cochlear
implant can be used. If the auditory nerve is not
intact, then a brainstem implant might be used in
exceptional circumstances (i.e., if the patient is
bilaterally deaf). …‛
WALK4HEARING: Save the Date!
Our second annual NYC Walk4Hearing will take
place on Sunday, October 18, in Riverside Park.
Last year we had a great beginning. Five hundred
people walked. We were toddlers and seniors and
every age in between. We were people with hearing
loss and people without. We were consumers,
educators, ENTs, and audiologists. We were families,
friends, and colleagues. We worked together to say
loud and clear that hearing loss is an important
health issue with serious challenges, not a minor (and
laughable) inconvenience. We walked together to say
this is what hearing loss looks like. It was a
wonderful day, and we had a wonderful time. Watch
the video on www.hearingloss.org to see us in action.
But our walk is more than fun. It is the most
important thing each of us can do to eliminate the
stigma of hearing loss. If youngsters with hearing
loss are able to fulfill their potential, if people in the
workforce are to be considered for their talent and
not dismissed for their disability, if older people are
ever to live free of demeaning jokes, we need to
change the way people think about hearing loss. To
make that happen, we must keep working together to
tell the public our story. This year we want to double
the number of walkers and double our impact.
What can you do to help? Become a sponsor or help
us find a sponsor. Just send us a note at
nycwalk4hearing@aol.com and we will see that you
get the forms. You can also organize your own team
by going to www.walk4hearing.org, clicking on the
NYC walk, and following the prompts. Or you can
join an existing team. Or you can be a volunteer on
Walk day. Anyone on the Planning Committee will
be glad to talk with you about being part of the Walk.
We want to grow every year until there is a great
river of people flowing farther than the eye can see.
Come join us. All of us who were there last year can
tell you that there is nothing like being part of the
Walk4Hearing.
 7

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: [Must register/order with TAP for tickets]
Desire Under the Elms (6/7, 3 PM); Twelfth Night (7/6, 8 PM); The Bacchae (8/30, 8 PM)

OPEN-CAPTIONED MOVIES –
For updated listings, go to www.insightcinema.org/links.html 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 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.

Housing Info. Videos New CapTel Phone Find Support Online!

The U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban
Development has produced
videos for YouTube and
Facebook designed to
educate deaf and hard-of-
hearing consumers about
their fair housing rights,
housing counseling services,
and loan programs. For
more information, go to
www.hud.gov/news/index.
Coming soon: the new CapTel 800i
Phone! It will work with high-
speed Internet and a telephone
line. The phone can be used with a
headset or a neckloop.
Go here for more information:
www.sprintrelay.com/doc/Sprint_
CapTel800i_flyer_04_03_09.pdf
For Sprint CapTel customer
service: 888-269-7477 (voice) or
800-482-2424 (TTY)
We’re on Facebook! Receive alerts
and connect with other members
(www.facebook.com).
Here's the link to our message board
on Meetup.com:
www.meetup.com/Hearing-Loss-
Association-of-America-Manhattan-
Chapter/messages/boards/.

Mention of suppliers or devices in this newsletter does not mean HLAA-Manhattan endorsement,
nor does exclusion suggest disapproval.
 8

c/o Barbara Dagen,

141 E. 33rd St. (3B)
New York, NY 10016

FIRST CLASS MAIL

(DATED MATERIAL)

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!

Manhattan Chapter Annual Membership Application HLAA Membership Application

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chapter dues of $15 (payable to HLAA-Manhattan)
for the period September 1, 2008, to August 31, 2009
Send to: Mary Fredericks
520 East 20th St. (8E)
New York, NY 10009
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________________________
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payment of $35 for a one-year membership
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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.