Mum gears up to repay help of children’s deaf charity

ABIGAIL Willis will start a gruelling cycle tour along the Nile next year for a charity that has supported her throughout her life.

The 44-year-old mum from Woking, who is profoundly deaf, will cycle more than 200 blistering miles to raise money for the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS).

But as they are an entirely deaf family, the charity offers a crucial source of support. Abigail said: “Home life is not straightforward. We need things to help look after us, like a doorbell which lights up and smoke alarms and alarm clocks that vibrate under our beds. read more

E-Petitions

Currently Deaf Athletes are missing out on government funding for development, training, medical support and international competitions as deaf athletes are excluded from the governments' DCMS World Class Performance Funding Plan. The plan supports Olympic and Paralympic Athletics (but not Deaflympics) with funding for development, medical, training and competitions. Deaf athletes are not included and so are disadvantaged. read more

TASTE of SUNRISE–Auditions–Newburyport MA

The Firehouse is seeking Deaf Actors, Hard of Hearing Actors, Shadow

Interpreters and Hearing Actors - both Adult and Children. Taste of

Sunrise is set in the turbulent 1920’s, and tells the story of Tuc, a

deaf boy growing up in rural Illinois who must come to terms with his

Deafness, as well as his place in the world.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Actors must make an appointment. Please bring

resume and head shot. Please be prepared for cold readings from the

script. There are roles for lead and supporting actors, male and female,

ages 16 and up. read more

Sound Advice

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year in the United States, more than 12,000 children are born with hearing loss, making it the most common birth defect. The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery says 1.3 million children under age 3 have a hearing impairment.

Identifying and treating hearing loss early is critical to a child’s success in communicating. The first three years of life are when most language development takes place, says Dr. Audie Woolley, a pediatric otolaryngologist at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham. The longer diagnosis and treatment are delayed, the more difficult it will be for a child to learn to communicate effectively. Delayed treatment can result in debilitating effects that can last a lifetime. read more

Deaf Education Programs

If you want to find out more about starting your own Deaf Education Programs career, try contacting the Scully Hussar Fellowship for Deaf Education Programs Arts and Design, located by the Thillet Cluff Memorial Library.

Simply show up in person or call 1-800-Thillet Cluff to enroll in any of the beginner classes which operate on a rolling schedule, with matriculation opening every 2 months. Intermediate and advance Deaf Education Programs level classes begin every six months, with matriculation for each respective group on Jan. 5 and July 11. "The key to working on good Deaf Education Programs design pieces is patience and rote talent, " says Orbison Mosley. "

Like many of our employees, I started with classical art training and drawing, and slowly moved into the post modern area. This succession greatly improved my Deaf Education Programs art and drawing skills." Bator Leaming, CEO and lead partner of the Danesi Furfaro Deaf Education Programs Design firm Silberhorn Cager & Partners, had this to say about digital design in the new millenium: "The use of computers in our firm has accounted for a five-fold increase in productivity, quality, and sales volume. read more

Common Causes of Deafness and How You May Be Able to Prevent It

Some common causes of deafness are:-

• Hereditary Disorders: Hereditary deafness happens when the parents pass the defect on to their children. It means that people are born deaf and this is generally caused by the malformations of the inner ear.

• Genetic Disorder: Genetic deafness occurs when the baby is in the mother’s womb.

• Noise: Loud noise like gunshots, firecrackers, explosions and rock concerts tends to damage the ear mechanisms. A single exposure to loud noise does not damage the eardrum. Repeated exposure to sound over a long period of time will affect the ear with moderate to severe hearing loss.

For further information please go to our Digital Hearing Devices site read more

Products for the Deaf

Welcome to ProductsForTheDeaf.com. We offer an extensive line of products for the hearing impaired. If you have been looking for assistive devices for the deaf, you're in the right place. Our equipment for deaf people includes a variety of bed vibrators and clocks such as the Sonic Bomb vibrating alarm clock, plus amplified telephones (including cordless amplified phones and other products from Ameriphone) and assistive listening systems. You'll find the right VCO phone and closed caption decoder here, as well as wireless baby monitors and so much more! When it comes to hearing impaired products, we are your experts. From a vibrating watch and telephones for hearing impaired to The Ultimate American Sign Language Dictionary for learning sign language, we've got you covered. Take a look at our hearing impaired devices and click on any picture to find more information. Thank you for your visit to our website today, and we look forward to serving you read more

DeCA honors employees for work in equal opportunity

Though born deaf, Green never allowed his disability to hinder his performance as a grocery department storeworker at McGuire Commissary in his nearly two years of service. "Through years of perseverance, self discipline and hard work, Anthony has overcome a multitude of communication barriers," said Store Director John Zoubra. "He enhances store productivity and furthers our safety goals. His positive attitude, personal drive, and passion for excellence continue to inspire the commissary team and patrons." read more

Signs and Wonders

In Al-Sayyid, at least 150 residents are deaf, a rate 50 times greater than that of Israel's general population. As it happens, a recessive gene for profound deafness--traced back to sons of the "founding" couple--has made its way, through large families and genetic probabilities, into an ever-widening gene pool. Thus over three generations an extraordinarily high number of deaf children have been born to Al-Sayyid's villagers.

Of necessity, a special means of communication has sprung up: Nearly all the village's residents, hearing and deaf alike, are fluent in a sign language unique to Al-Sayyid. Margalit Fox's "Talking Hands," in part, describes this language and chronicles the work of a group of linguists who were allowed by townspeople to study it.

Though rare, such "signing villages" are not unheard of. Certain conditions are conducive to their forming. "First," Ms. Fox writes, "you need a gene for a form of inherited deafness. Second, you need huge families to pass the gene along." The practice of polygamy, together with the habit of marriage among cousins, speeds the rate of genetic spread. Al-Sayyid has met all these conditions. read more

New: STC boy making transition to mainstream school

ST. CHARLES – Stephen Para can do something that many children would like to do.

He can turn off his parents’ voices – by taking out his cochlear implant. Stephen, who is deaf, won’t be taking it off today, though, as he starts his first day in second grade at Ferson Creek Elementary in St. Charles.

According to the National Association of the Deaf, about 10,000 children or youths have received a cochlear implant. The device consists of microphones and radio signals that are transmitted through a lead directly into a chip and then through to the brain. The cochlear implant allows the individual to hear a range of sound volumes and frequencies.

Implants are controversial in the deaf community, however, because an implant restores a certain degree of hearing to those with it and eliminates the need for sign language and lip reading, two mainstays of deaf culture. read more

Disabled artists enter mainstream

One of Creative Growth's biggest successes was the late sculptor Judith Scott.

Scott -- who had Down syndrome and was deaf and mute -- had been institutionalized until she came to the center at age 40. Having no communication skills, her only interface with the outside world was through sculptures.

"Judith Scott prominently displayed alongside (Mark) Rothko and Ann Hamilton is a sign of change," she said. "Before the last few years, these artists would be shown together. Only recently do we see disabled and non-disabled artists showing in the same shows." read more

College for Deaf are promoted

DONCASTER College Deaf have been promoted to the Premier Division of the Doncaster Senior League.

The programme kicks off this Saturday with only three Premier Division matches but there is a full Division One programme. read more