NEWS & VIEWS
March-April 2019

www.hearinglossnyc.org       212-769-HEAR       info@hearinglossnyc.org

President's Message
With this issue of News & Views, we introduce a new feature: a message from our chapter president, Katherine Bouton.

Dear Readers:

It’s an honor to be part of our chapter’s award-winning newsletter, News & Views. Editors Holly Cohen and Gail Weiss were honored at the 2017 Convention for the excellence of our newsletter, and it only continues to improve with each issue.

Many of you are members of HLAA. In New York City, membership in the national organization includes membership in the chapter, and vice versa. I’m proud that HLAA-NYC is part of what’s called the Unified Membership Program, because it means we are seamlessly connected to our parent organization in Bethesda. We are connected through me as well. I have served on the National Board of Trustees since 2013, and as your chapter president since June 2015, a dual role that puts me in the enviable position of being able to represent the chapter’s interests to national and at the same time to keep our chapter informed about the national office’s activities.

If you are not a member, you can still come to our meetings and will continue to receive our newsletter, but we would really like you to join. Your membership dues support the national office’s important programs and policy work, but they also support us. They help pay for our chapter meeting space, and the cost of CART captions, the hearing loop, and when requested an ASL interpreter. On occasion we bring in a speaker from another area, and we pay their expenses.

What we do not use your dues for is outreach, education and advocacy. Our chapter has very strong programs in all three of these areas, but the work is not funded by dues. We are volunteers. Another new feature in this issue of News & Views is a list of those activities and a short description of each.

Information, education, advocacy and support are our mission. Many of the activities mentioned were undertaken by board members, but we encourage chapter members to join us. It’s gratifying to hand out information at a health fair to people who had no idea that HLAA is there to serve them. It’s fun to test out an assistive-listening system in a courtroom. It’s eye-opening to attend conferences on access for people with disabilities, and to see where we fit into the whole. I encourage anyone who would like to join a board member in this kind of outreach to email me at info@hearinglossnyc.org .

Our chapter season ends with our May meeting but we are already planning our fall and spring programs, and welcome suggestions for topics. You can use the same email address to submit suggestions.

Don’t forget Convention, this year in Rochester, New York, as close as it will probably ever be. If you’ve never been to Convention, I urge you to go. You can get all the information at hearingloss.org/convention . And visit our website too: hearinglossnyc.org . Thanks for your interest and support.

Katherine Bouton, President, HLAA-NYC
Support HLAA - Become a Member
As the nation's leading organization for people with hearing loss, we provide information, education, support, and advocacy for the millions of Americans coping with hearing loss. Join online  or download a  membership form .
APRIL 16 CHAPTER MEETING
The Impact of Hearing Loss on Relationships


Joseph J. Montano, Professor of Audiology at Weill Cornell Medicine, will moderate a panel consisting of several pairs of relatives and friends - one with hearing loss, one with normal hearing.


Tuesday, April 16
Socializing and refreshments, 5:30-6 pm
Meeting, 6-8 pm
Community Church of New York Assembly Room
40 East 35th Street, between Madison and Park Avenues
one flight down (elevator available)

CART (real-time captioning) provided by Lauren Schechter of  TotalCaption .  In addition, the meeting room is equipped with an induction loop that transmits sound directly to hearing aids and cochlear implants equipped with telecoils. An ASL interpreter will be provided with five business days notice.
MARCH CHAPTER MEETING RECAP
How Hearing Loss Affects Cognitive Health
Mary Sano, Ph.D., director of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, talked about cognitive health in general and the possible correlation between hearing loss and cognitive decline. She began her talk by mentioning that individuals over the age of 65 are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, resulting in rising numbers of people with cognitive loss and dementia. "As cognitive function deteriorates," she noted, "it affects visual processing, the ability to multitask, and abstract reasoning."

Researchers have suggested — but studies have not proven — that dementia might be associated with a sedentary lifestyle, stress, head injuries, diabetes, hypertension, or depression. According to Dr. Sano, "Hearing is related to cognition. Hearing aids reduce social isolation and might reduce depression. At the same time, because hearing loss increases with aging — at a time when other cognitive functions are being challenged — it's important to address it as early and as quickly as possible."

In addition to treating hearing loss, Dr. Sano noted that cognitive improvement has been associated with aerobic activity and a Mediterranean diet, that is, a diet high in fruits and vegetables.

"The first question people always ask me," Dr. Sano continued, is 'When should I be worried about changes in myself or in someone else?' If you begin to get lost in familiar places and notice a dramatic difference in your thinking and behavior: personality changes, for example, increased apathy, irritability, and frustration, describe these developments to your medical provider, who might recommend cognitive testing."

Minimizing cognitive impairment and maximizing cognitive health means taking care of your overall health, Dr. Sano stressed. If you are addressing treatable conditions, such as diabetes, depression, or sleep disturbance, you're bringing your cognitive health to its maximum level.
FEBRUARY CHAPTER MEETING RECAP
Our Rights Under the ADA
Lise Hamlin, HLAA National's Director of Public Policy, provided details about the Americans with Disabilities Act, which became law in 1990. She also outlined other disability laws. “We work hard to try to make sure that people with hearing loss are remembered in whatever law is passed,” she said, “and we stress that it's not just about interpreters. It's also about having a loop system or an assistive listening system."

According to Lise, a main purpose of the ADA was to level the playing field so that more people with disabilities could find and keep jobs. The ADA applies to all businesses that have 15 or more employees and prohibits discrimination during any part of the employment process, including hiring, training, promotions, and pay. The ADA also restricts the questions an employer can ask job applicants. “They cannot ask you if you have a disability,” Lise said, “but they can ask if you need an accommodation to do a job."

The ADA doesn't kick in unless somebody files a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or takes an employer to court. “That's why so many people get away with not providing accommodations," Lise noted. "There's no ADA police. Still, the ADA highlighted the fact that people with disabilities were not getting equal access. We're better off now than we were 30 years ago."

Title III of the ADA requires that people with hearing loss and other disabilities have reasonable access to businesses that are generally open to the public, including restaurants, schools, day care facilities, movie theaters, recreation facilities, and doctors' offices. Title II of the law applies to public transportation services. Much of the visual signage that is now available on buses, subways, and Amtrak is due to the ADA.

Regarding other disability laws, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires manufacturers and providers of telecommunications services to ensure that equipment and services are accessible and usable.

The Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), signed into law by Barack Obama in October 2010, stipulates that accessibility laws enacted in the 1980s and 1990s be brought up to date with 21st century technologies, including new digital, broadband, and mobile innovations.

The Air Carrier Access Act (1986), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in air travel, applies to all flights of U.S. airlines, and to flights to or from the United States by foreign airlines. Lise noted that when she flies “I say I have a hearing loss and will not hear announcements, and I’m always permitted to pre-board. Once I enter the plane, I tell the flight attendants that I have a hearing loss so they can alert me if there is an emergency."

"The ADA and other rules are not charities,” Lise stressed. “These are your rights."
HLAA-NYC ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES
The New York City chapter is dedicated to carrying out the Hearing Loss Association of America mission to open up the world of communication to people with hearing loss through information, education, support, and advocacy.

Below is a list — compiled by board members Toni Iacolucci and Carol Karasick — of how we have carried out this mission over the past several months. Future newsletters will keep you informed of our chapter’s activities.

EDUCATION
Presented “ Best Practices: Empowering Clients with Hearing Loss ” at Iona College.

Served as panelists at Weill Cornell Medical College to educate students about hearing loss.

Presented “Best Practices . . . Better Outcomes: Communicating Effectively with Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Patients” at Mount Sinai and Mount Sinai West Hospitals.

INFORMATION
Staffed a table at NY State Senator Liz Krueger’s Senior Health Fair. Upward of 100 attendees visited our table.

Staffed HLAA-NYC Information Table at Mount Sinai Hospital Health Fair.

Staffed table at NYS Assemblymember Dan Quart's Senior Health Fair.

Staffed a table at Stein Senior Center Health Fair.

ADVOCACY
At NYS Supreme Court, tested technology to make courtroom accessible to people with hearing loss.

Attended meeting at 1 Police Plaza to advise about making the Police Department accessible to people with hearing loss.

Served on Shubert Audience Services Committee to advise on closed captioning for theaters.

Attended meetings at JCC & Symphony Space to advise on accessibility.
In response to our advocacy, an audio loop was installed at the reception desk of the ColumbiaDoctor’s office of otolaryngologist Lawrence Lustig.

Successfully advocated for loop installation at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

ADVOCACY & EDUCATION
Member, Museum Access Consortium Steering Committee. Meets first Monday of each month.

Attended NY State Health Foundation Conference on Hospital Access.

Attended NY Public Library Disability Advisory Committee Meeting.

SUPPORT
Took a group to the Center for Hearing and Communication for hearing tests and education. Transportation financed by HLAA-NYC.
JOIN HEARING LOSS GROUP
on MAYO CONNECT
Connect is a joint venture between HLAA, the Ida Institute, and the Mayo Clinic. It is a welcoming online forum where you can seek support, ask questions, share experiences, and connect with others. It is continuously monitored by paid Mayo Clinic staff as well as volunteer mentors.
 
How to Join

  1. Go to https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/hearing-loss/
  2. Click on “Join” button at the top
  3. Create a username. You can use a nickname or your first name and initial (for example: @Tigress or @JaneT).
  4. Enter your email.
  5. Create a password.
  6. Click AGREE & CONTINUE to accept the Terms of Use
  7. Find a discussion group and connect with others.
  8. On the Groups page, scroll down and click on the box that says Hearing Loss.
  9. You will then see a list of discussions, or you can start one.

How to Follow the Hearing Loss Group
 
  1. https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/hearing-loss/
  2. Click +FOLLOW
  3. Choose to receive an email every time a message is posted, or a summary only once a day in a Daily Digest
  4. Close the pop-up

How to Post a Message and Start Talking
 
  1. Introduce yourself here: Hearing Loss: Come introduce yourself and connect with others
  2. Once you have introduced yourself, you can reply to any existing discussions or start a new discussion on https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/hearing-loss/
  3. Visit Get Started on Connect for step-by-step instructions to help you get the most out of Connect.

Note that Connect is replacing the HLAA Forums. See more information about that at https://www.hearingloss.org/forums-mayo-clinic-connect/
Upcoming Chapter Meetings
Topics Subject to Change
Tuesday, April 16
The Impact of Hearing Loss on Relationships. Joseph J. Montano, Professor of Audiology at Weill Cornell Medicine, will moderate a panel consisting of several pairs of relatives and friends - one with hearing loss, one with normal hearing.

Tuesday, May 21
Understanding the Biology of Hearing Loss. Lawrence R. Lustig , Howard W. Smith Professor of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, will discuss a clinical trial being conducted at Columbia (with Johns Hopkins and the University of Kansas Medical Center) to regenerate hair cells through gene therapy. His colleague Justin Golub will discuss how hearing loss may be linked to other biological conditions, including cognitive decline.

Location : Community Church of New York Assembly Room, 40 E. 35th Street (between Madison and Park Avenues).
Want to Join a Writing Group?
Are you interested in joining a writing group that would meet in Manhattan on a regular basis to offer constructive advice and encouragement? I am not a writer or writing teacher, but over the years I have participated in several writing groups. Now that I have a hearing loss, it’s difficult for me to work in a large group so I’m looking to keep this group small. I favor memoir writing but am open to other types of writing.

If you would like to create a supportive writing group, please contact me, Susan Immergut, at suzylibrarian@yahoo.com .    
Having Trouble with Closed Captioning on TV?
Closed captioning (CC) gives people with hearing disabilities access to television programming — and provides a critical link to news, entertainment, and information — by displaying the audio portion of broadcasts as text on the television screen.

If you're unhappy with the quality of the closed captioning on a specific program, make your voice heard by filing a complaint with the FCC.
It only takes a few minutes. Click here .

After you file a complaint, please let us know at info@hearinglossnyc.org. We will compile responses and share in a future issue of News & Views.
Access to City Government
Do you know that every department of NYC government now has someone designated to facilitate assistance to people with hearing loss and other disabilities? HLAA-NYC helped get the Local Law 27 enacted to make direct access available to all branches of city government.

The facilitators can help you to obtain CART (real-time open captioning) or confirm the availability of an assistive listening system at a meeting or event. To find the name, telephone number, and email address of these Disability Service Facilitators:

• Go to hearinglossnyc.org, then c hoose Disability Service Facilitators from the “Resources” drop-down menu.

• Logon to the website of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD).

• Contact Eli Fresquez of MOPD at 212-788-2548, or click here.
Watch Movies with Captions at
AMC and Regal Theaters
Our Favorite Hearing Loss Blogs
Discount Prices for
Open-Captioned Theater Performances
through TDF
Website for Theatergoers with Disabilities
Those who are hard of hearing or deaf, have low vision or are blind, who cannot climb stairs, who require aisle seating or wheelchair locations, who are on the autism spectrum or have other developmental or cognitive disabilities, can find out everything they need to know to choose a show, buy tickets, and plan their trip to Broadway by visiting TheatreAccessNYC . I
Hear Better with Looping
DEFINITION OF LOOPING

A hearing loop is a wire that circles a room and is connected to a sound system. The loop transmits the sound electromagnetically to the telecoil (t-coil) in a hearing aid or cochlear implant. 

NYC LOOPED VENUES

Thanks to advocacy efforts by HLAA-NYC members, more and more venues in the metropolitan area are now looped. Click here to see the latest list of looped sites. The list was compiled by HLAA-NYC members Alexandra Lutz and Ellen Semel.
 
BROADWAY LOOPED THEATERS
 
From the Nederlander Organization
Gershwin: Wicked
Minskoff: The Lion King
Richard Rodgers: Hamilton
Lunt-Fontanne
 
From the Shubert Organization
Bernard B. Jacobs: The Ferryman
 
Lincoln Center
Vivian Beaumont: My Fair Lady

Second Stage
Helen Hayes Theater: What the Constitution Means to Me

Off-Broadway
Irish Repertory Theater: Juno and the Paycock, The Plough and the Stars
Westside Theatre (Upstairs Theatre)
Honor Someone with a Gift to HLAA-NYC  
Searching for the perfect way to observe a loved one's birthday, anniversary, or special occasion, OR to honor the memory of someone special? Please consider making a gift to HLAA-NYC Chapter to support our efforts.  

You can donate  online  or by mailing a check (payable to HLAA-NYC) to HLAA-NYC Chapter, P.O. Box 602, Radio City Station, New York, NY 10101. Include name and address. An acknowledgement will be mailed. Donations are tax deductible.