A few people were mightily disturbed by the funny video of Blendtec founder Tom Dickson grinding up a bunch of hearing aids in his company's high-tech blender. But at least one reader went beyond complaining and made the helpful suggestion to donate them to someone who needs them. The Lions Club will do it for you. I'm always up for a good laugh, and those "Will it Blend" videos are very well done. And compared to the tens of millions of dollars' worth of hearing aids sitting unsed in people's drawers, the waste of a few aids in Tom's blender seems like small change to me. If anything, I hope it's raised awareness of the problem of unused hearing aids and help encourage people to do two things: one, try new aids if the old ones didn't work the first time, because technology has gotten so much better; and two, do something useful with those unused aids--recycle them. The Lions Club International has been involved with hearing-loss issues since the days of Helen Keller and has a great recycling program. You can donate your aids at a number of the Lions Club centers around the country and rest assured they will be recyled for use by someone who otherwise couldn't afford them. It's a great program and worth your support. So, if you or a relative have some old hearing aids of your own sitting in the drawer, don't blend them, recycle them.
Posted by David on May 3, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)
Why Don't Hearing-Aid Companies Caption Their YouTube Videos?
My blogger friend Dr. Tom Goyne has several interesting posts with links to videos that Phonak, Widex, Oticon and other major hearing-aid companies are putting on the web. Great, but....Why aren't any of the hearing-aid manufacturers' videos captioned?!??! Some of the videos are really slick productions. Like Tom, I applaud their efforts to reach out directly to consumers to erase the old stigma of hearing aids and educate people about the new technologies that make hearing aids so much better than they used to be. (They are the next step in the consumer marketing trend kicked into high gear last year by Phonak, which blitzed the fashion world with its high-glam Audeo ads.) How ironic, and what a disappointment, then, to find that none of the videos are captioned. I really would love to see what that earnest Widex customer has to say in her testimonial.
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Posted by David on Apr 25, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)
FDA Warns Viagra, Cialis and Levitra May Cause Sudden Hearing Loss
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has ordered makers of the erectile dysfunction drugs Viagra, Cialis and Levitra to post prominent warnings on their labels of the possilbity they may cause sudden hearing loss. The FDA said it has received 29 reports of sudden hearing loss, both with and without accompanying ringing in the ears, vertigo, or dizziness following usage of the drugs. Most cases involved one ear, with either a partial or complete loss of usual hearing. In approximately one third of cases, the event was temporary. "Although no causal relationship has been demonstrated, the strong relationship between the use of these drugs and sudden hearing loss in these cases warrants revisions to the product labeling for this drug class," the FDA said in its release, which was accompanied by an excellent Q&A document. A surprisingly large number of drugs, including many chemotherapy drugs, are otoxic, meaning they can cause sudden hearing loss. The best overview of otoxic drugs I've seen is the book Otoxic Drugs Exposed by Neil Bauman, available on his web site.
Posted by David on Oct 24, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
AOL, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo! Collaborate On Web Video Captioning
There's some GREAT news in the captioning world this week from the National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) at WGBH, the public broadcasting station in Boston. AOL, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo have agreed to collaborate with NCAM to establish and manage a new International Captioning Forum to set standards for captioning on any kind of video presented on the Web. This critical mass of industry leaders provides real hope that captioning on the Web will one day be as common as closed-captioning on TV, which is now required in the U.S. by the Federal Communications Commission. It follows other recent positive developments, including Apple making its Quicktime video player caption-friendly, and NBC making a bold decision to invest in captioning for all its prime-time shows that are streamed over the web. It's yet another breakthrough move by NCAM and WGBH, which have led the way in not only advocating for accessible media in all forms -- whether it be captioning on TV or in the movies, or audio description technology for blind moviegoers, or the booming video-on-the Web medium -- but also in actually making it happen.
Posted by David on Oct 5, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)
Buy Oticon Delta 'Think Pink' Hearing Aids And Fight Breast Cancer
Oticon is putting its money where its mouth is with donations to the American Cancer Society tied to purchases of its Delta hearing aids during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Oticon has introduced its "Think Pink" Delta Lifestyle Edition hearing aids to match the pink ribbons and other apparel people wear to create awareness and raise money for breast cancer research. Oticon points out that many cancer survivors wear hearing aids, because side effects from otoxic, platinum-based chemotherapy drugs can kill the inner ear's tiny hair cells, which convert sound vibrations to nerve impulses enabling hearing. Tying your corporate philanthropic donations to causes you are already involved with is a sensible approach and also has marketing benefits.
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Posted by David on Sep 28, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Tell Your Congressional Reps To Support Hearing-Aid Tax Credits
It's time to call your U.S. Senators and Representatives again to tell them to support the Hearing Aid Tax Credit - a $500 tax break for first-time buyers of hearing aids. This is the third year in a row bills have been introduced in both the Senate (S. 1410) and House (H.R. 2329). So far they have never gotten out of committee. As in years past, it is a bi-partisan effort. Sen. Norm Coleman, a Minnesota Republican, is principal sponsor of the Senate version of the bill, which makes sense because the world's biggest cluster of hearing-assistance companies is located in and around Minneapolis and Eden Prairie, Minnesota. But Democrat Hillary Clinton of New York is a co-sponsor. Interestingly enough, she is the only Democratic presidential candidate listed as co-sponsor. Hello Barack?
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Posted by David on Sep 10, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Untreated Hearing Loss Will Take A Huge Bite Out Of Your Income
Yesterday was Labor Day in the U.S., and that got me thinking about just how much harder it is to get through a working day now than before I lost much of my hearing. To quantify the problem, I went back to a study released earlier this year by the Better Hearing Institute, which found that Americans with untreated hearing loss earned less income than people with normal hearing to the tune of $23,000 a year, on average, or over $100 billion a year nationwide. "Even people with mild hearing loss, who may miss a consonant or a word here and there, will lose income if they can’t completely grasp the latest news at the water cooler or the subtle nuances in a phone message from the boss," said Dr. Sergei Kochkin, Executive Director of the Better Hearing Institute and author of the report. The good news is that people who get hearing aids can recover up to 50 percent of that lost income, according to the study.
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Posted by David on Sep 4, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Two Cheers For Oticon's 'Think Pink' Breast Cancer Awareness Hearing Aids
Oticon made a splash over a year ago with its colorful, trendy and easy-to-wear Delta receiver-in-the-ear hearing aids. Now it is using its consumer appeal to appeal to consumers to be socially aware with its "Think Pink" breast cancer awareness campaign. It is tying the launch of a series of Delta "lifestyle" models to a drive to help the American Cancer Society raise money for breast cancer research. Its first lifestyle model will be a pink Delta that matches the pink ribbons people wear to promote breast cancer research and prevention. My only beef with the campaign is to ask, "Where's the beef?" Aside from a news release reprinted in Audiology Online and several other hearing-loss websites, further information on the Think Pink campaign is nowhere to be found on the Oticon web sites or on the most popular news sites on the web. At least I couldn't find anything on it, and I spend a ton of time scouring the web for hearing-loss information. That's too bad, because it's a commendable effort worthy of much broader promotion.
Posted by David on Aug 23, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
American Medical Association Studies Apple iPod Ear-Bud Volume Warning
The American Medical Association (AMA) will consider recommendations to make to manufacturers, regulators and consumers on dealing with the threat of hearing loss from Apple iPods and other portable music players with in-the-ear headphones. The American Academy of Audiology (AAA) prompted the review following months of concern over the prospect of a generation of iPod users losing their hearing. Dr. Brent Edwards of the Starkey Hearing Research Center has published statistics indication that listening to an iPod with in-the-ear ear-buds with the volume turned up 90 percent of the way can harm your hearing within four minutes. The AMA will study recommendations on technical improvements that can warn users or automatically limit dangerous volume as well as expanded public health campaigns on the dangers of environmental noise and youth-education campaigns on safer use of ear buds.
Posted by David on Jul 19, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
CapTel Captioned Telephone Service Finally Gets A Hearing In Massachusetts
Since I last wrote about CapTel captioned telephone service, a dozen additional states have started offering this vital lifeline for hard-of-hearing consumers. To my chagrin, my home state of Massachusetts now is one of only six states in the union that have not approved it. For a state that prides itself in being among the technology leaders in the U.S., this is a huge embarrassment. I learned last week that my state legislature is finally considering legislation that will enable CapTel service for residents through the public relay service. It turns out the state senator from my district, State Sen. Cynthia Creem, is on the joint committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy that is considering SB#1943, which will enable the service by allowing a relay center based outside the state to process CapTel calls. I emailed Sen. Creem's office to find out her position and lobby her to push it through to passage. I got an email back telling me that I won't get my questions answered until either she or a staff member responds to me via the U.S. mail at some point. It's not reassuring that my state senator prefers snail mail to email, as it makes me wonder how sensitive she will be to the need for a newfangled electronic solution for her hard-of-hearing constituents. Especially when the overall legislature - including the committe she is on - has moved at its own snail's pace over the past several years.
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Posted by David on May 17, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)
Let's Boycott Super Bowl Advertisers Who Don't Supply Captions
What do BlockBuster, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Expedia.com have in common? Their Super Bowl ads this year didn't have captions. They must not want our business. Captionless ads have been bothering me ever since I began noticing how many advertisers don't supply them, even after the first of the year when the FCC began requiring broadcasters to caption all their regular programming. The number of captionless ads on SuperBowl XL was especially disappointing. Now I've stumbled across some data to back up my gripe. It turns out that nearly 50 percent of this year's Super-Bowl XL advertisers didn't bother to provide captions with their ads, according to the accountability site Captions.Com, which notes: "A 30-second ad during the Super Bowl is 2.5 million dollars ($2,500,000.00). The cost to caption that ad is approximately $200." So I've got a modest proposal. Why don't we start a public hard-of-hearing-consumer boycott of the brands that don't bother to offer captions? And let's start favoring caption providers like Pepsi, FedEx, Sprint and VISA who apparently do want our business.
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Posted by David on Apr 27, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
Vortis Cell Phone Antenna Reduces Hearing-Aid Interference
A start-up company based in Glasgow, Scotland, has developed an innovative antenna technology eliminating the electrical interference that can make cell phones impossible to use with hearing aids. Dual-antenna array technology built into the Vortis Technologies Ltd. antenna radiates electrical signals in a figure-eight pattern out and away from the user's head and hearing aids. The result is not only buzz-free reception through the hearing aids but also lower power consumption and longer battery life, because the phone has to work less hard to deliver a clear signal. It has the added benefit of eliminating radiation directed at the head that some still fear may cause long-term health problems. A Silicon Valley telecommunications entrepreneur, James Johnson, began working on the innovative antenna technology in the '90s and located the company in Scotland to address the emerging European Union market for accessible solutions. With the U.S. Federal Communications Commission recently mandating cell phone compatibility with hearing aids, Vortis Technologies has its sights set on a major global market. The Vortis antenna is being sold direct to consumers as an attachment to existing handsets, and the company is talking with major manufacturers about the possibility of building the antenna into their phones.
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Posted by David on Apr 15, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
Apple Should Do More To Help Prevent Hearing Loss Among iPod Users
Ever since Apple was sued by a Louisiana man claiming his iPod caused irreparable hearing loss, I've been scratching my head about vendors' responsibility to prevent hearing loss versus individuals' responsibility to take care of their own health. After all, hadn't Apple already published a warning that playing your iPod too loud could be bad for your hearing? And how is an iPod worse than a typical city street, an airplane cabin, a car, a nightclub, and most work environments, elementary schools and hospitals -- all of which often expose you to more then enough noise to harm your hearing? Then, when Apple provided a volume limit setting for the iPod, it seemed like the company was going above and beyond its obligations to the public. But I finally heard from a knowledgeable source that I trust on the issue, and unfortunately the news isn't good. Dr. Brent Edwards, head of the Starkey Hearing Research Center, says in his Innovation Science blog that "Apple's response provides so little guidance on how to set the limit that it is near useless to concerned parents of children who use iPods or to concerned iPod listeners."
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Posted by David on Apr 14, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)
Likable "Incredible Hulk" Lou Ferrigno Is A Real-Life Inspiration For Hard-Of-Hearing People
Healthy Hearing has just posted a good interview with hard-of-hearing actor and bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno. Ferrigno first came to fame in Pumping Iron, the 1970s-era documentary on professional bodybuilders, which today is remembered mainly as the vehicle that launched Arnold Schwarzenegger on his long march to Terminator-hood in Hollywood and then to the Governor's mansion in California. He is better remembered now for his role in The Incredible Hulk 1980s TV series. Less well known but perhaps more important in the long run is that Ferrigno has been hard of hearing since infections stole most of his hearing when he was a small child and is now using his celebrity as an inspiring example for people who have to overcome all kinds of challenges.
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Posted by David on Dec 9, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
I'm Still Waiting For CapTel Captioned Telephone Service In Massachusetts
Last night I finally got some answers to my questions about why CapTel service still isn't available in my home state of Massachusetts, even after 35 other states have gotten the captioned telephone service up and running. Those who have tried it say that CapTel is simply awesome. As easy to use as the closed captioning on your TV, it's a breakthrough in communication that truly has life-changing potential for thousands of deaf and hard-of-hearing people throughout the U.S. At the monthly meeting of the Greater Boston Chapter of Self Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH), Dennis A. Selznick of Sprint Relay Services gave an overview, and Greater Boston SHHH President Karen Rockow gave a clear update of the progress it is making toward approval in Massachusetts. CapTel is offered under the same state-run relay services that provide TTY and Voice-Carry-Over (VCO) for written translations of conversations and Video Relay for on-line sign-language interpreters. TTY and VCO services require the user to first engage an operator, who transcribes and transmits what the other party is saying and displays it over a TTY or computer terminal. The user can't hear what the other person is saying, and there are delays as the operator mediates the conversation. With CapTel, the operator is invisible, and the caller can use whatever hearing he or she has to listen to the other party, using the scrolling captions on the five-line LCD screen of a special CapTel telephone to fill in the gaps, just as they would when watching captioned television. The service is so easy to use that people who in the past would did not bother going through the steps required to learn and to use VCO or TTY services are gravitating to CapTel quickly and easily. But adoption of the service is a state-by-state proposition, and some states, including the one I live in, apparently have had a hard time getting out of their own way. Karen Rockow explained that an outdated Massachusetts state law that originally created the state relay service was written in such a way that it's technically illegal to offer the CapTel service as it's currently configured. It will require a change in the law by the state legislature to get CapTel on track. When that legislation will be voted on, and whether it will pass, still are open questions.
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Posted by David on Nov 15, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
CapTel Phone Captioning Now Available In 32 States (But Not In Massachusetts!)
I'm still a CapTel wannabee. With Sprint Nextel's recent announcement of the addition of CapTel Relay Service in New Hampshire, the real-time telephone captioning service is now available in 32 states. It's also available to current and retired federal employees including military veterans, as well as to U.S. tribal members. But it's not available in Massachusetts, where I live. I'm going to get after the state telecommunications regulators to see what's taking so long. The CapTel service is the next giant step beyond traditional voice carry-over (VCO) relay services. VCO service engages an operator who transcribes the conversation of the hearing person and transmits it to the hard-of-hearing person's computer or TTY terminal. With the CapTel service, the operator transmits real-time captions directly to a display on your CapTel-ready phone, so you don't need a second device to read the captions. Plus, when you make an outgoing call, the service is engaged immediately, versus VCO services where you have to place the call through the service provider. And the captioning is done in real-time, just like the captions on TV, by an operator who uses court-reporter transcription technology combined with some voice-recognition software.
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Posted by David on Sep 19, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
European Union To Employers: Quiet Down!!
Sonomax Hearing Healthcare is one of my favorite companies because it's so good at marketing. Not only has it turned the lowest of low-tech products, the common earplug, into a high-tech wonder, but it also has a real knack for hitching its story to legitimate news events. I especially like the Canadian company's latest announcement of a deal with Audi-Lab Ear Protection of Dublin this week for distribution of its Sonomax Solution electronic earplug system throughout The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. By tying its announcement to the European Union's Stop That Noise! campaign, which will be the centerpiece of the EU's annual European Week for Health and Safety at Work in October, it has prodded every other country in Europe to get on the earplug bandwagon or face the wrath of EU regulators. With the World Health Organization declaring noise-induced hearing loss as one of the world's most prevalent, irreversible industrial diseases, the EU has passed strict new regulations requiring employers to quiet down their workplaces or face stiff penalties. The EU notes that noise pollution is endemic at work, "from factories to farms, call centres to concert halls," and that fully one third of employees in Europe currently are exposed to potentially dangerous levels of noise for at least a quarter of their time at work.
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Posted by David on Jul 20, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Only 12.9% Of U.S. Doctors Screen For Patient Hearing Loss At Annual Checkups
One of the things I like best about my family doctor is the way she interviews me during my annual physical about everything going on in my life. In her view, early identification of the causes of potential disease, ranging from big issues like job stress and emotional or marital problems to relatively minor issues such as too much caffeine, are just part of the preventive maintenance a healthcare provider is supposed to perform during the annual checkup. A simple question such as "are your eyes giving you any trouble?" or "how's your hearing?" quickly turns into an in-depth interview and diagnostic tests if I give any hint of a problem. But if you think that level of care should be standard, you will be as stunned and disappointed as I was when I learned that only 12.9 percent of physicians in the U.S. routinely screen patients for hearing loss during annual physicals. Even worse, that number -- from the 2004 Better Hearing Institute MarketTrak survey of the U.S. hard-of-hearing population -- is down from a high of 20.2 percent of doctors who screened patients for hearing loss in 1990. That's 50 percent more than is done today, 15 years later, even with the rapidly growing wave of baby boomers losing their hearing as they age. But perhaps it should be no surprise.
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Posted by David on Jul 15, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Visor Card Can Eliminate Confusion With Police
I recently went white-water rafting with my family on the Kennebek river in Maine following the heaviest winter snows and spring rains in recent memory. On the bus to the drop-off point upriver, the guide explained emergency procedures in the event anyone fell out of the raft. I couldn't hear the directions, but my wife filled me in. That was fortunate, because on the second set of rapids our raft went vertical and four of our paddlers ended up in the river. All were rescued safely, thanks in part to the briefing we'd just been given. But what happens when there's no time to get things clear in advance? What happens when you're in an emergency situation and need to hear directions, such as where the fire exits are? Worse, what happens in a potential conflict with an authority figure -- an uptight airport security screener, for instance -- who is giving you orders you can't hear? And worst of all, what happens on a dark night when you get pulled over by state troopers, and you don't know why, and they approach your car giving orders that you can't hear? Say the wrong thing or make a wrong move they aren't expecting -- such as hopping out of your car to try to see their faces to lipread better -- and you can end up on the ground in handcuffs in a flash. Now there's a fast, easy and free solution to communicating with the police -- a visor card for your car that can clear up the confusion fast when an officer thinks you're ignoring orders. It's available as a public service from the HearingLossHelp web site operated by Dr. Neil Bauman, the author of a number of books on coping with hearing loss. You can download the visor for free. Check it out.
Posted by David on Jul 14, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Newsweek Hearing-Loss Cover Story: I Guess Half A Loaf Is Better Than None At All
While the Newsweek cover story this week is notable for the attention it gives to hearing loss as a major societal issue, it's also notable for what it doesn't cover. But at least the cover picture is worth a million words. When Bill Clinton announced he was buying a set of hearing aids a decade ago, people in the industry jumped for joy. They were certain the endorsement by the youthful President would jump-start demand from millions of other baby boomers who needed hearing aids but weren't yet buying them. But then, nothing much happened. In fact, hearing-aid sales were close to stagnant for several years. Will we see a "Newsweek effect" that jump-starts sales of hearing aids and other assistive technologies, or will it prove to be the same lead balloon as the Clinton announcement?
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Posted by David on May 30, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Hearing Aids And Cellphones: One Step Forward, Half A Step Back
Making a cellphone easy to use with a hearing aid is devilishly hard. Both devices are packed with so many chips and other digital electronics that electromagnetic interference causing feedback, static and distortion is bound to occur in one or both devices. Last week, the cellphone/hearing-aid industry coalition that is racing to meet Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requirements for hearing-aid compatibility issued a good-news, bad-news update. According to a news release from the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions, its Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) group "has performed extensive work and believes that wireless manufacturers generally will meet the regulatory requirements defined by the FCC...." (Good news). "However, the wireless industry has recently documented several challenges to achieving FCC-required HAC compatibility measurements for GSM handset devices operating in the 850 MHz frequency band. This reported challenge appears to be industry-wide." (Bad news). The upshot is that while most new cellphones will work with hearing aids, as mandated by the U.S. government, some apparently will not. Like reputable hearing-aid vendors, many cellphone manufacturers offer 30-day "try-before-you-buy" trials of their products. If you're buying a cellphone, taking advantage of this trial period, even if it's a hassle, is a must. Because for the time being, the watchword for hearing-impaired cellphone consumers must remain "buyer beware."
Posted by David on May 22, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
Carbon Monoxide Speeds Up Hearing Loss
I knew carbon monoxide was bad for your health and in large quantities can kill you. But I never knew it was bad for your hearing too. Two researchers from the University of Montreal have conducted a long-term study of workers in industries where high noise levels and high levels of carbon monoxide are common. The findings, presented this week at the annual conference of the Acoustical Society of America, indicate that high exposure to carbon monoxide can accelerate the onset of age-related and noise-related hearing loss. Researchers surveyed workers including firefighters, miners, foundry workers, welders, garage mechanics, industrial mechanics, truckers, diesel engine operators, and forklift operators and found that prolonged exposure dramatically increases the instances of noise-related hearing loss, especially among those with 20-29 years on the job, compared to those in similar noisy environments with lower levels of carbon monoxide. It makes me wonder what other environmental toxins may have had something to do with my auto-immune related hearing loss.
Posted by David on May 19, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Turn Down The Volume On Your IPOD
So now it's Apple Computer's IPOD. The London Evening Standard this week published a warning issued by the Royal National Institute of the Deaf in the U.K. that London commuters are permanently deafening themselves by turning up the volumes on their IPODs to drown out the noise in the city's underground subway system. The report says that with 39 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds listening to personal stereo headphones or earpods, an entire generation is at risk of developing early hearing loss. The institute has started a website, www.dontlosethemusic.com, to give consumers information and tips on how to prevent early hearing loss: First, turn down the volume. And if there's too much noise in the tube, wear earplugs. Seems like pretty simple advice. But survey after survey shows consumers, especially young people, routinely ignore or simply don't hear it. A recent study of MTV viewers by Harvard Medical School found that only eight percent regarded potential hearing loss as a significant long-term health problem, while more than twice that number put acne at the top of their list. More troubling, fully 61 percent reported having experienced tinnitus, or ringing in their ears, after attending concerts -- a common symptom from prolonged exposure to noise levels high enough to permanently damage hearing. However there is good news: 66 percent said they would use earplugs if they were aware of the potential for hearing loss in certain situations. So, spread the word.
Posted by David on May 13, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
If You Ever Wondered Whether Early Screening Works....
Read "In This Silent World," today's entry in the personal weblog of British journalist Charles Arthur. It's a beautiful, moving account of the agonizing process of discovery he and his wife went through with their newborn son. The comprehensive early screening program available in the U.K. diagnosed their son's lack of hearing, and the family is moving quickly to provide him with all the support he needs. A similar program in the U.S., the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention program (EHDI) has resulted in a dramatic increase in early diagnosis of newborns' hearing loss. But funding for it is at risk. Early intervention, especially providing early education in sign language and other supplemental assistance, has been shown to put hearing-impaired children on the same developmental track as children with normal hearing. Early detection may be THE most important factor contributing to a deaf child's future success and happiness. And by Washington, D.C. standards, the cost is miniscule. Yet EHDI funding is at risk in the current administration's budget. If you're a U.S. citizen it's worth getting in touch with your federal representatives on this issue. For more information, go to the Self Help for Hard of Hearing advocacy website. Then check out Charles Arthur's weblog. That guy can write.
Posted by David on May 9, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
It's Better Hearing and Speech Month
Better Hearing and Speech Month is a 75-year-old tradition celebrated every May. The American Speach Language Hearing Association website has some nice ideas on how you can promote it, along with materials you can download and/or buy. Enjoy.
Posted by David on May 5, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
William Austin is at it Again
The only thing William Austin seems to work at harder than promoting himself is promoting the benefits of hearing aids. But in fact, the two go hand in hand. Over the past 40 years, the founder of Starkey Laboratories, one of the world's seven dominant hearing aid manufacturers, has waged what at times has seemed a one-man war against the stigma of wearing hearing aids. From fitting U.S. presidents with aids (Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton) to starting a foundation that raises more than $1 million a year and has donated more than 120,000 hearing aids to people in need around the world, the name William Austin has become synonymous with hearing health. This month Vanity Fair magazine put him in its Hall of Fame. And today the Starkey Hearing Foundation issued a news release entitled "Legendary Audiologist William Austin Restores Hearing to 113-Year-Old Woman."
A publicity stunt from the P.T. Barnum of the hearing aid industry? Perhaps. But it couldn't be for a better cause. For more information on the Starkey Hearing Foundation, including information on how to contribute, go to http://www.sotheworldmayhear.org.
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Posted by David on Apr 25, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Will Mick Fleetwood Replace the Energizer Bunny?
You know a manufacturer is smelling a market opportunity when it hires an aging rock star to promote its products at a staged event at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Go to the Energizer web site for hearing aid batteries and you will be treated to news of Mick Fleetwood "teaming up with Energizer® to drum out an important message for his fans' hearing health -- how to keep rockin' responsibly." Did I say Energizer, the battery maker, is spending this kind of money? That's right. When I did marketing work for Hewlett-Packard's printer business, the excitement was always in the latest new ink jet printer, but the profits would come later from years of sales of disposable ink cartridges totaling hundreds or thousands of dollars per printer. Same thing when another client, Gillette, would announce a new razor and sell only one or two razors per consumer but look forward to selling hundreds of blades. Now we've got hearing aids and batteries. The hearing aid manufacturers are always complaining about slow growth in demand for their products, but makers of the disposable hearing aid batteries that you must replace on a weekly basis are seeing a big opportunity and spending major marketing dollars to get their share of the business.
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Posted by David on Apr 18, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
It's April 15. Do You Know Where Your Hearing Aids Are?
Tax Day presents an excellent opportunity to lobby your federal congressional representatives for passage of the Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act. The bill (H.R. 414) was filed in the House of Representatives by Congressman Jim Ryun (R-KS). It will allow Americans 55 and over and dependents 18 and younger to receive a $500 tax credit per qualified hearing aid once every five years. A companion bill will be filed in the Senate this spring. Congressman Ryun is the legendary runner, a former world-record holder who was the first high schooler in the world to run the mile in under four minutes. He also was afflicted with hearing loss following a bout of measles as a child. He is a passionate advocate for post-natal screening for hearing loss in infants and other measures to support people with disabilities. But he is the furthest thing from a tax-and-spend liberal proposing handouts to special interests. In fact he is a tax-cut warrior and a right-wing, family-values Christian legislator. He would never support a tax increase or a tax credit unless he could make an air-tight argument that the economic benefit would more than offset the cost to taxpayers.
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Posted by David on Apr 15, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
