Are you on the go, but really need to find an organization in your state
that has disability information or provides support for parents? Or do
you need the contact information for a national disability specific
organization? NICHCY has just the app for you! Find the contact
information for organizations providing information on disabilities,
special education, early intervention, support groups, and many more
while you are at a doctor’s appointment or even at a school meeting with
just a tap of your finger!
Link: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.amdee.disabilityconnect
Spike in hearing loss among adolescents
The problem of hearing loss is so common in kids, researchers are asking
parents to be more vigilant about volume; small modifications can make
all the difference. A new report in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds
listening to loud music may be responsible for a spike in hearing loss
among adolescents. Experts at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles say parents need to remind their teens that hearing loss is irreversible.
Link: http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/health/your_health&id=7824193
Q and A: Questions and Answers On Serving Children With Disabilities Placed by Their Parents at Private Schools
OSERS issues this Q&A document to provide State educational agencies
(SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), parents, advocacy
organizations, and other interested parties with information regarding
the requirements for serving children with disabilities placed by their
parents in private schools. This Q&A document represents the
Department’s current thinking on this topic. In addition there are new topics, such questions have been added to address
the consultation process, response to intervention (RTI), the process
for developing a services plan, the difference between a services plan
and an individualized education program (IEP), child find, and child
count.
Link: http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CQaCorner%2C1%2C
Providing Hearing Aids to People in Ghana
Dr. Layne M. Garrett, an audiologist at Timpanogos Hearing and
Balance, has given the gift of improved hearing to hundreds of
people in Ghana, from the capital city of Accra to tiny villages
across the country. Dr. Garrett remembers one small boy, about 3 years old, in Ghana in
2005. The boy’s family knew he couldn’t hear, so they brought him
to Garrett’s clinic, where the boy was fitted with a hearing
aid. He was then able to hear his mother’s voice for the first time.
Link: http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/article_07844ae9-3da3-5147-8435-1588be987c10.html
Deaf, blind school celebrates opening of brand new playground
Deaf and Blind students attending at Jean Massieu School of the Deaf and Blind recently had their first day of school, which was filled with a bit of extra excitement with the opening of a new playground built with their special needs in mind. A ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the new playground built for the deaf and blind students was recently held and brought anticipated cheers and applause, but the real excitement came with the chance to climb and twirl over the new playground.
Link: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705389571/Deaf-blind-school-celebrates-opening-of-brand-new-playground.html?s_cid=e_share
Book would help children facing cochlear implant surgery
Surgery patients at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital receive a kit from Josh and Friends. It’s a therapy tool that includes a stuffed dog and a book about Josh the dog going to the hospital. Now the Downtown Sertoma Club is teaming up with Josh and Friends. The Sertoma version of the Josh and Friends kit would include the plush
toy and an “I’ll be OK” book chronicling Josh the dog’s cochlear implant
surgery.
Link: http://www.wbir.com/news/article/180429/8/Book-would-help-children-facing-cochlear-implant-surgery
Northgate to provide newborn hearing screening service in Ireland
Northgate Public Services and NHSP announced that they have been awarded a contract by the Health Service Executive to provide a newborn hearing screening service in Ireland. The service which has initially been commissioned in Cork University
Maternity Hospital will be rolled out across the whole of HSE South by
early 2012. Once completed, Northgate will be screening over 17,000
babies per year at hospitals in Cork, Wexford, Waterford, Tiree,
Kilkenny and Tipperary.
Link: http://www.24dash.com/news/health/2011-08-17-Northgate-to-provide-newborn-hearing-screening-service-in-Ireland
NTID gets $4.5M to promote science, tech careers
A $4.5M Federal Grant will establish the Deaf TEC: Technological Education Center for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students at NTID. Deaf and hard-of-hearing students are underrepresented in the technological and scientific professions and this new technical institute will help such students advance in the growing field.
Link: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20110816/NEWS01/108160339/NTID-gets-4-5M-promote-science-tech-careers
Researchers find new role of protein that causes deaf blindness in humans
A new role for a protein that is mutated in Usher Syndrome (the most common form of deaf-blindness in humans) has been discovered by University of Iowa Scientists. The study indicated that the protein called harmonin, which is known to
be involved in sound sensing in the inner ear, may also play a role in
the transmission of sound information to the brain. The details in depth of the study can be found as published in Nature Neuroscience.
Link: http://news.bioscholar.com/2011/08/researchers-find-new-role-of-protein-that-causes-deaf-blindness-in-humans.html
USU students help hearing impaired kids in Vietnam
Four Utah State University graduate students and two professors recently spent a month in Vietnam, where they trained teachers to work with hearing-impaired children. They also took with them thousands of dollars worth of hearing aids and
other equipment to help treat Vietnamese children who have hearing loss. The USU group was invited on the trip by Seattle-based Global Foundation for Children With Hearing Loss.
Thirteen other audiology and deaf education professionals from around
the country joined them to share their knowledge and latest techniques.