March Presentation Lip Reading Summary

Those who attended our March chapter meeting enjoyed a great presentation about what is lip reading, how it can help us in noisy situations and training opportunities. And a special thank you to Ed Auer, Ph. D. and Nicole Jordan, Au.D. to take time out of their Saturday morning to present to us.

Some meeting notes to share:

There is a wonderful opportunity to participate in the speech recognition study. To learn more go to https://seehear.us/study/.

You may also reach out Ed Auer, Ph.D., with any questions at eauer@gwu.edu.

Clear masks options to review and purchase:

Watch the presentation below.

Discover Your Voice with a Professional Vocal Artist!

USC Here, My Voice Woman singing

Here, My Voice 2: Supporting the Power of Voice of Hard of Hearing People

Are you a cochlear implant or hearing aid user and interested in receiving personalized voice lessons with a professional vocal artist?

USC’s “Here, My Voice” program is looking for adults with hearing loss for the study focusing on improving vocal confidence and joy of self-expression. Participants can choose to work on vocal expressions such as singing and spoken words. The lessons will be held over Zoom or in-person for one hour per week over a 12 week period. No prior music or singing experience is required. Individual voice lessons are provided to participants at no cost to them. If you agree to participate, you will be asked to fill out surveys and be part of individual interviews. Data will be anonymously collected. You will receive a $100 gift card as a token of gratitude for participating. Your participation is voluntary and you can withdraw from the study at any time.

Please contact Juri Hwang by clicking the Learn More! button below or email at jurihwan@usc.edu for more information.

Join our March Chapter Meeting!

The masks are coming off and we can read lips again!

Topic: Lip Reading Training in Noisy Environments
Date: Saturday, March 26, 2022
Where: Online Zoom Meeting
Time: 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. PT (may extend beyond 11 a.m.)
Audience: Open to all for this free event. Please pass along this invite to others!
Understanding speech in a noisy setting is a problem common to most, if not all, of us with hearing loss. The Communication Neuroscience Laboratory of George Washington University has undertaken a study to determine whether, and the extent to which, lip reading training can address this difficulty. The study is sponsored by the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (National Institutes of Health). Edward T. Auer, Ph.D., and Nicole Jordan, Au.D., will describe the training and its anticipated benefits and will respond to your questions.
Presenters:

Edward Auer

Ed Auer, Ph.D., is an Associate Research Professor in Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at The George Washington University. His research areas include multisensory speech perception and spoken word recognition with a specific focus on examining the perceptual, cognitive, and neural consequences of experience and training.

Nicole Jordan

Nicole Jordan, Ph.D., obtained her Doctorate of Audiology in 2016 from the University of Texas at Dallas. Prior to graduating, she completed several rotations in advanced diagnostic hospitals including Baylor Scott and White, Dallas Parkland Hospital, and the Central Texas VA. She was involved with several research projects during her time as a doctoral student and designed her own research on the effects of speech in noise processing on late auditory evoked potentials. She developed a passion for amplification fitting and programming, advanced diagnostics in hearing loss, (re)habilitation and counseling, and project management.

Join the Fascinating Open Mind Program “Of Sound Mind” Event!

Sound of Mind BannerMonday, February 7
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM PSTRegistration is required for this
free live private Zoom event.

Please join The Friends of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA and the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital Board of Advisors for a fascinating Open Mind program with Nina Kraus, PhD, author of the groundbreaking new book, OF SOUND MIND: How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World.

 

Dr. Nina Kraus, Northwestern University professor, neuroscientist, and director of the renowned Brainvolts Lab, uses her thirty years’ experience studying the interplay of the brain and sound to show for the first time that the processing of sound drives many of the brain’s core functions. She leads us through a fascinating exploration of sound’s surprisingly unrecognized role in both the healthy and hurting brain and brilliantly makes the case that the sounds of the world around us—and what sounds we’re exposed to throughout our lives—impact the development of our brains, the abilities and weaknesses we develop, and who we are as human beings.

Dr. Kraus is a scientist, inventor, and amateur musician who studies the biology of auditory learning and investigates the neural encoding of speech and music and its plasticity. She holds the Hugh S. Knowles Chair in Audiology at Northwestern University.

Mark Jude Tramo, MD, PhD, will join Dr. Kraus in discussion. Dr. Tramo is the Director of the Institute for Music & Brain Science, Co-Director of the University of California Multi-Campus Music Research Initiative, and both an Associate Clinical Professor of Neurology at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine and an Adjunct Professor in Ethnomusicology at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.

To watch videos of our past Open Mind programs, please visit www.friendsofnpi.org/open-mind-videos or our YouTube Channel.

» Read more

January Meeting Summary – Coping with Hearing Loss

Alison Freeman

Alison Freeman, Ph.D.

A big thank you to Alison Freeman, Ph. D., for a wonderful presentation and discussion about dealing with the challenges of hearing loss and your mental health. We had a great turnout and honest and thoughtful questions throughout the presentation which just shows how impactful hearing loss can be to our mental well-being and health.

Please enjoy the presentation below or go to our YouTube channel to enjoy this and other video presentations. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.


View Meeting Presentation

 

Hearing Health Care Impacts from COVID

But like so many aspects of life, hearing health care was impacted by COVID, sometimes causing radical changes that could prove to be permanent. Four people deeply involved in the world of hearing health care—Sydlowski; Kate Carr, president of the Hearing Industries Association (HIA); Barbara Kelley, executive director of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA); and Donna Sorkin, executive director of the American Cochlear Implant (ACI) Alliance—provided personal insights into these changes, as well as initial expectations, surprises, hopes for the future, and silver linings.

Kelley also hopes the heightened awareness of hearing caused by facial coverings will lead to more patients getting the care they need.

“I want to drive more people to hearing health care. Hearing health is part of overall wellness.”

Consumer Reports Articles to Figure Out Hearing Aids

Consumer ReportsSee the below articles from Consumer Reports outlining advice and tips for hearing aids, including shopping for them. Over-the-counter hearing aids are not far away so now is the time to get yourself informed!

It’s Confusing and Difficult to Shop for Hearing Aids. Here’s How to Figure It Out.

If you buy a direct-to-consumer (DTC) hearing aid and it doesn’t work for you, don’t give up, urges Barbara Kelley, executive director of the Hearing Loss Association of America. “It might just not be a good device,” she says. Return it and try again—or consider consulting an audiologist. There’s almost surely something out there that can help.

It’s likely that just as with DTC hearing aids, some makers of PSAPs will seek approval for their products as OTC hearing aids once the FDA finalizes the rules, says Kelley.

Your Guide to Hearing Helpers

Don’t Miss the “We Hear You” Documentary!

HLAA is proud to host a Talkback with the filmmakers of the award-winning documentary, “We Hear You.” Executive produced by HLAA members Holly Cohen, Shari Eberts and Roxana Rotundo, and also featuring HLAA member Toni Iacolucci, “We Hear You” was named Best Film on Disability in the June 2021 awards of the Cannes World Film Festival.

Important Note: You must register for the event first and then you will receive a link two weeks prior to the talkback event to watch the documentary. The documentary will not be shown during the September 23 Zoom Event.

REGISTER

Panelists
Holly Cohen

Holly Cohen

Sheri Eberts

Sheri Eberts

Toni Iacolucci

Toni Iacolucci

Roxana Rotundo

Roxana Rotundo

Moderated By
Gael Hannan

Gael Hannan

The Talkback will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the documentary and give the filmmakers the opportunity to hear from you—the hearing loss community. You will receive a link to the Zoom Event when you register. We look forward to a fun and lively conversation about the film.

Learning About Wireless Audio Streaming for Modern Hearing Aids

Hearing Tracker Logo

Hearing Loops and Bluetooth are hot topics of today for people with hearing aids that can support those technologies – which many do now. Do you know how they work and the latest developments with those technologies? Check out the insightful podcast from HearingTracker.com.

About the podcast:

In today’s episode, we speak with two hearing aid experts to learn about wireless audio streaming in modern hearing aids. Today’s hearing aids can stream multimedia and calls from your phone, but also have the ability to tap into shared audio streams through magnetic induction loops, or “hearing loops”, which are installed in public spaces like auditoriums and churches. While hearing loops are the current state of the art, we’ll also learn about the Bluetooth future of shared audio streams.

Speakers:

  • Andrew Bellavia – Director of Market Development at Knowles Electronics, a supplier of hearing aid hardware.
  • Dr. Juliëtte Sterkens – An audiologist and strong lifelong advocate for hearing loops and people with hearing loss.

Watch Podcast

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