What HAL does for the hearing handicapped

[wizard-of-roz]

How interesting....not one of you has mentioned the "Hearing Service Dog".

The Hearing Dog can't tell you what people are saying but she/he can alert you to sounds in your environment such as; alarms, phone ringing, door knocking, someone walking behind you, someone trying to get your attention, someone calling your name and so on and so on.....

Canine Companions for Independence, based in Santa Rosa, CA and all across the United States has Hearing Dogs available, right now. 1-800-572-BARK (2275) - These amazing animals can make your life fuller and they are protected by all ADA laws. They can go on cruise ships, airlines, buses, trains, etc., etc. Where you can go, so can they. Right inside the plane with you! And, you are not charged for the seat they may take up or the potty box that the cruise ship must provide for you.

If you have other issues besides hearing and need help with mobility or picking things up off the floor or opening/closing doors your hearing dog can be trained to assist you with that, as well.

The beautiful serivce dog in my avatar, "Brenda", will be taking her 9th cruise aboard the Oosterdam, in April. Lisa was instrumental in helping me get all her needs met, last year, on the "O!"

Please don't be shy to ask questions about the "Hearing Dog" and all the freedom and fun that she/he will bring into your life!

[Planetsis]

Okay, all this discussion has encouraged me to speak up about my hearing impairment when I'm going on a cruise. It really never occurred to me to even ask. I know HAL and other cruise lines go out of their way to accommodate the mobility-impaired, but I never realized that they do have equipment on board for HOH.

 

Dave, it's funny what you said about not minding the isolation. I find that to be an advantage when I'm working and have a challenging deadline to meet. I unplug my HAs and my world is very silent, which makes it a better environment to get work done.

 

I did some research on CapTel for Massachusetts. Although not offered in this state, they do have something similar called "Relay". If anyone is interested, more info can be found at http://www.massrelay.com/interiorPage.php?pageID=1

[LetsDoACruise]

Thanks, etoile. i guess it's just what a lot of others have expressed; that you think you're all alone, you're the only one. guess it's time to do some research online.

 

whiterose - thanks. if i remember correctly i was told that the "hybrid" can use my existing HA's. research is advancing rather quickly now. i guess having so many baby boomers coming of age helps a lot.

 

Golfette - unsure about that one. i'll have to check and see. i'll let you know what i turn up.

 

Hey, Wizard-of-roz, out of curiosity, do you know how long those canines are in training for and what breeds are most of the HSD's? i will be truthful and admit that i have not heard (pardon the pun) of them.

 

Plantesis - as the song by Depeche Mode goes: "Enjoy the silence". :)

[wizard-of-roz]

CCI uses Labs and Lab/Retriever mixes. They used to use Corgy's for Hearing dogs and men didn't like them....they wanted a more "manly" dog!

Brenda is a purebred black Lab, with a pedigree no less!

CCI has their own breeding programs so they have breeders/puppy raisers and professionals who train the puppy's from 6 weeks of age. The puppy's live with the puppy raisers and go through a socialization program, where they are taken into every kind of public venue you can think of. Then, at about 12 months they are put into a more definitive and extensive program, depending on their personality/size and work ethic.

They will either become hearing dogs/service dogs/facility dogs or skilled companions. Some of them may not pass the final tests and will become "released" dogs and will be adopted by the public. The waiting list for these is years long!

They also have a program for dogs who are retiring from service work and can become a pet of the person they've worked for or go to a home where she/he can live out their lives with no more work, just love and rest! Retirement age depends on the dog!

Brenda is 8 years old and still meets me at the front door with her leash in her mouth....saying, "what's taking you so long, let's go!"

There's nothing more beautiful than watching a service dog doing their task at hand.......

[Sundagger]

I did some research on CapTel for Massachusetts. Although not offered in this state, they do have something similar called "Relay". If anyone is interested, more info can be found at http://www.massrelay.com/interiorPage.php?pageID=1

 

Yes, each state has a "Relay" system that began for TTY users. They are funded by one of those mystery charges on your phone bill. Take a look at the FCC site - it has a lot of good information about the Relay system and other services for the deaf/HOH. I'm surprised that Mass. isn't one of the leaders in Captel captioning - virtually every other state has a good program in existence.

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/trs.html

 

 

There is also SprintRelay that offers computer-based IP relay services along with Captel and some other services.

http://www.sprintrelay.com/

 

And there are competitors to Sprint such as Sorenson.

[Golfette]

Yes, indeed Roz, Hearing Dogs are a wonder. When we lived in L.A., about 8 of our HLAA chapter members had hearing dogs and we all grew to love them. They were wonderful and lovable too. Their owners had to continually remind us they were "working" dogs and not pets, although the owners couldn't help but treat them like pets sometimes.

 

Re: The "hybrid cochlear implant":

 

I contacted a friend in L.A. who had a cochlear implant around a year ago. She told me that Cochlear Corporation has the new "Nucleus Hybrid Cochlear Implant" and is going to snail mail me the info on it. It is for those that have sensorineural loss with good low frequency hearing and severe to profound high frequency loss. I don't know how good my low frequency hearing is, but I know my high frequency loss is certainly severe to profound.

 

The good & most interesting part of this cochlear implant supposedly is that it does not destroy the residual hearing in the implanted ear. Since many people have some hearing in both ears, this removes a great obstacle to having an implant.

 

What do you'all think?

[LetsDoACruise]

The good & most interesting part of this cochlear implant supposedly is that it does not destroy the residual hearing in the implanted ear. Since many people have some hearing in both ears, this removes a great obstacle to having an implant.

What do you'all think?

Golfette - From what i've read thus far that is the best selling point for he hybrid. They only require inserting the diode part way into the inner ear cochlea which saves the nerves farther in which are used for lower frequency hearing. this allows for some "natural" hearing by the patien. the end result is supposedly better distinction between those words we all have problems with - you know - the ones that "ch" or "t" in them. :rolleyes:

On the down side, i've seen that some have lost that lower frequency range over time and had to re-do the implant with the traditional full CI.

 

Personally, i'm still waiting for them to iron out more of the kinks. It is frustrating at times hearing as i do now, but i'm still not quite ready to take the leap.

-dave.

[Golfette]

Dave, I'm not ready by any means to take the leap yet. I saw the incredible improvements in the basic cochlear implants over the years with my friends. The difference between the initial implants and the ones available today is incredible. That said, however, how long do we twiddle our thumbs ...?:(

[Sundagger]

I just received a Johns Hopkins Medicine newsletter. In it there is a correction to a previous story (which I haven't located yet). Dr. Charles Limb, Asst. Prof. of Medicine, Johns Hopkins dept. of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery had been misquoted. "Dr. Limb's statement should have read: "Recent data suggest that residual low-frequency hearing may diminish over time in some patients with hybrid implants, potentially rendering the hybrid less useful for these patients"."

 

All I could say is that a person really needs to hear the pros and cons of the hybrids. This statement may or may not apply to any specific individual. I just want to pass this info on - not to throw cold water on anyone's hopes.

[Golfette]

All I could say is that a person really needs to hear the pros and cons of the hybrids. This statement may or may not apply to any specific individual. I just want to pass this info on - not to throw cold water on anyone's hopes.

 

I completely agree with you. Just the fact that the hybrid is new is reason enough to wait. I have a feeling anyhow that by the time I'm ready to commit, there won't be enuf hearing left in either ear to matter:o .

[Planetsis]

Yes, each state has a "Relay" system that began for TTY users. They are funded by one of those mystery charges on your phone bill. Take a look at the FCC site - it has a lot of good information about the Relay system and other services for the deaf/HOH. I'm surprised that Mass. isn't one of the leaders in Captel captioning - virtually every other state has a good program in existence.

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/trs.html

 

 

There is also SprintRelay that offers computer-based IP relay services along with Captel and some other services.

http://www.sprintrelay.com/

 

And there are competitors to Sprint such as Sorenson.

 

I didn't know that! So that's what those charges on my phone bill are for. I don't mind paying for that at all.

[Planetsis]

dup post, sorry

[etoile]

I didn't know that! So that's what those charges on my phone bill are for. I don't mind paying for that at all.

Yep, I believe there is usually one called "TRS Fee" or something like that - it means Telecommunications Relay Service. :)

[OTRlady]

By the way, for those who are bothered by loud noise, do you have a squelch in your hearing aids that automatically damps loud noises? It sure helps with children's shrieks and loud horns. Unfortunately it also squelches some wonderful musical sounds sometimes but I can live with that.

 

This thread caught my eye because my DH is totally blind, and this is our first HAL cruise. TA told us that HAL had no way to request special accommodations, but now I am going to get the form.

 

Anyway, we totally agree with you about the damping. DH feels that ambient sounds everyone else considers to be normal, like children's shrieks, loud horns, and the sound systems in most of the entertainment venues are both distracting and dangerous to his hearing. He has taken to using a set of etymotic headphones in the show lounges so that he can damp the sound. We like to sit near the front, so we can hear the performers, not the people noises around us, but they often have the sound so loud that it actually distorts. When we have complained on past cruises, we have been told that they run it loud for two reasons:

 

1) they need to fill the farthest corners of the venue with sound at a certain decibel level

2) they need to make sure the hard-of-hearing can hear it

 

I've been very disappointed with the insensitivity of a remark like #2. Obviously, a number of hard-of-hearing persons find the loud sounds to be problematic as well, so it's not much of a solution. And, it makes it seem like they categorize one person's needs above another's. There have to be more universally acceptable approaches.

[OTRlady]

From an ASL interpreter and HOH person perspective, I have often wondered about hearing loss on cruises.

 

I can't speak for any other line, but several years ago, DH and I encountered a good sized group of HOH guests on a Carnival cruise to Alaska. They brought their own sign language interpreters with them, but Carnival set up a special desk and coordinated much of the entertainment and special shore excursions so they could use their interpreters. I think there were 50-60 HOH in the group, and they had three interpreters. If you do get together as a group on a cruise, it would probably be worth talking to the cruise line to see if they could make any special arrangements for you, such as reserved seating together in the dining rooms and lounges.

 

My sense is they want to do right by you, but they're not sure what "right" is. Most information about the ADA that they would have access to tends to focus on those who use wheelchairs, and as we all know, accommodations are not necessarily universal. Keep telling them what you need. I'm so glad to see you all connecting on this thread.

[OTRlady]

I see it from both sides, and I'm probably still as mad as Lisa is that HA's aren't covered like glasses are. :mad:

-Dave.

 

Bad news, Dave. I have worn expensive glasses (though nothing like HAs, I admit) since I was 7 years old. No insurance we ever had covered the cost of the glasses. They cover only one basic refractive eye exam per year until you are an adult. After that, nothing. IF you buy special "vision care" insurance, they will still pay for the one refractive eye exam per year, and pay $50 toward the cost of your glasses, but you can only visit their optometrists, not an opthalmalogist, and your choices of frames are limited to the cheapest available. I did the math, and it is cheaper for me to pay the eye doctor out of pocket each year and buy new lenses every couple years, than to buy the insurance and then still have to pay most of the expenses out of pocket. If you have any kind of irregular vision issue (i.e. not normal near-sightedness or far-sightedness), insurance will not help you at all. I assume the HOH have the same issues, but in much larger dollar amounts.

[OTRlady]

My friend's husband is in a wheelchair and he has discussed this very issue with the hotel managers on several ships. They have assured him that the ships have passenger lists (and cabin numbers) of those with handicaps who would need assistance in an emergency. They have a team assigned to take care of these people. Now I don't know if it's just mobility-impaired people or if it includes other types of disabilities. But I think when you make arrangements on a cruise and you inform them of your special needs, your name must go on the list.

 

On our first cruise, I took DH, his mother, and her friend --all blind-- with me (I have poor vision, but so far it is mostly correctable.) Before our muster drill, someone came to our cabins to escort us to our muster stations, and back again. For a while after that, we didn't fill out the ADA forms, so no special attention. But for our last two Carnival cruises, we filled out the web site details including the fact that DH is totally blind, and were surprised when they told us there was a special muster area for the disabled. When we tried to muster with everyone else (after all, it's not like we can't walk), a crew member physically stopped us and made us go to the special muster area. We also got several letters about potential problems with our wheelchair. Maybe it's not perfect, but they do seem to have a list and to be taking it more seriously than in the past.

[OTRlady]

Because such a small percentage of people are hearing-impaired (apx. 10% of the population, with a small percentage of those being deaf), there is very little recognition by the hearing world of the problems of being hard of hearing. Deaf - they can understand. Hard of hearing, they don't have a clue.

 

Whenever I used to ask for ADA assistance, they would offer a sign language interpreter. I do not understand sign language. I am not deaf, I am severely hearing impaired, but I live in the hearing world. Even if I were to try to learn sign language (and it is not easy), no one in my world understands sign language.

 

It's a frustrating world to live in, but it helps knowing you are not alone.

 

It's not much comfort, I know, but I thought you would like to know that we see this in the visually impaired community as well. The vast majority of persons with vision problems are only partially blind. Many don't even look like they have a vision problem. As you said, the world doesn't have a clue.

 

Though DH is totally blind, other relatives (his issue is genetic) are not. When they ask for ADA assistance, the first thing that is offered is Braille copy. Today, even most totally blind people do not know Braille. As you said, the world we live in is hearing and sighted, and it can be frustrating.

 

I've been very interested to follow your discussion, as DH and I are actively involved in technology access in our state. While we find the ones who need the most help from technology are typically visually impaired, we have been frustrated ourselves at the lack of information and available technology for the HOH. Some of our major issues involve the use of voicemail and teleconferencing; would love to put together solutions that actually work!

[Golfette]

OTRlady, thank you for your comments. You make a lot of sense. It is true that those of us with non-mobility "invisible" disabilities pretty much fall through the cracks unless we make an issue of it and follow through. You have shown a lot of initiative in making your arrangements as well as a lovely sense of empathy with us HOH folks. I wish more people were like you. :o

[Juanita462]

I have been searching for relays in Canada and cannot find one. Imagine, you have one in every State in the US but there are none in Canada as yet. I understand that Sprint is supposed to provide this but has not

so far. Funding seems to be kthe problem. We pay for the 911 service so why not for a relay system.

 

So I guess I will struggle along with my amplified phone which I hardly ever use as I can't hear well enough. Nearly always have to get DH to take the phone and interpret.

 

I will certainly be asking for a TTY phone on the ship for the upcoming cruise. I did ask for it last time but it never appeared. Yes, the equipment I did get was not functioning property and the engineer had to tinker with it to even get the flashing light working for someone knocking on the door.

 

Have often thought that the HOH need some sort of symbol - like the white cane for the blind - to let people know we cannot hear. The little pin with the line through an ear is not well known and people often don't realize what it means. Any inventors out there who would like to design something that would give instant recognition for the HOH????

[etoile]

I have been searching for relays in Canada and cannot find one. Imagine, you have one in every State in the US but there are none in Canada as yet. I understand that Sprint is supposed to provide this but has not

so far. Funding seems to be kthe problem. We pay for the 911 service so why not for a relay system.

Bell Relay Service is active throughout Canada, you can dial 711 to access it same as here. :)

http://www.bell.ca/specialneeds/PrsSN_SvcRelay.page

[whiterose]

Response to Juanita 462

I used to have a button that said "Please face me, I lipread." It did seem to help a bit in stores but who wants to walk around with something like that on their chest!!! I've also worn the slashed ear pin and that did help when flying - got into some interesting conversations too.

 

I get upset when peole talk about providing sign language interpreters for hard of hearing people. It's Deaf people who use sign language. Very few hard of hearing sign well enough to benefit from an interpreter. We need assistive listening systems or better yet we need CART Computer Assisted Realtime Captioning. I work for a center for people who are deaf or hard of hearing and all our events have both interpreters and CART. CART helps everyone deaf or hard of hearing. A few theaters are providing the captions for plays.

 

The Purser on one HAL ship told me they estimate that about a third of their passengers have a hearing loss. The average age on HAL seems to run a bit older and by age 60 at least 30% have some hearing loss. So they can't seat us all in one area - and some people would really object to being segregated that way. Better noise control in the dining rooms would be wonderful too.

[Golfette]

I get upset when peole talk about providing sign language interpreters for hard of hearing people. It's Deaf people who use sign language. Very few hard of hearing sign well enough to benefit from an interpreter. We need assistive listening systems or better yet we need CART Computer Assisted Realtime Captioning. I work for a center for people who are deaf or hard of hearing and all our events have both interpreters and CART. CART helps everyone deaf or hard of hearing. A few theaters are providing the captions for plays.quote]

 

Whiterose, you said it all in one small paragraph. I, too, get upset over being continually offered sign language interpreters. I want to remain in the hearing world as long as I can. It's the only world I know. CART would help both segments of the HOH population, the deaf, as well as (finally) the Hard of Hearing. Somehow, though, I don't think it's gonna happen. The Hard of Hearing always seem to fall through the cracks.

[LetsDoACruise]

I like the idea of wearing a pin. If anyone knows where to get them please do chime in. The more advertising the better, IMO. I guess I show my own ignorance (or maybe expose the issue) by not being aware of the white cane for the blind. I know the motion of the stick, but was not aware of the color.

It's all about education - getting people to understand what our disabilities are.

 

As others have mentioned, we require making our needs known. Before this thread i would have just boarded my cruise and gone on about it. Now i will fill out the form and request every piece of equipment available. I would pray that i did not take it away from someone else who could use it more than me, but i want CCL to know that there are people who need/want it. If the equipment doesn't work then i'll make it a point to write a letter to someone so that they know about it and will get it fixed. If we all do that then they have to take notice OR we learn that they don't care about us and go to a cruise line that does. my .02.

 

OTRlady - Thanks for the insight. I've got a simple solution for having to reach the far corners of the room with the amplification - PUT MORE SPEAKERS IN - preferrably in that "dead" corner! :rolleyes: Really, it's simple and it doesn't cost much at all. It may even lower the overall volume in the show hall so that people in the stateroms above don't get all that much noise. I can surely understand your insensitivity to the increased volume, and i can also appreciate that getting me echo sound in the back of the room won't help my hearing either. Give me first-generation (no echo) sound and i may have a chance to understand it. For HOH people it's not always about volume, it's about the clarity as well.

-Dave.

[LetsDoACruise]

 

Whiterose, you said it all in one small paragraph. I, too, get upset over being continually offered sign language interpreters. I want to remain in the hearing world as long as I can. It's the only world I know. CART would help both segments of the HOH population, the deaf, as well as (finally) the Hard of Hearing. Somehow, though, I don't think it's gonna happen. The Hard of Hearing always seem to fall through the cracks.

 

That's because we don't do enough to advocate for ourselves. We don't fall through the cracks, we just don't speak up for ourselves so we're ignored.

Make your voice heard. ...peacefully, but let it be heard.

-Dave.