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Laurie Hanin, Executive DirectorIn December, 1910, Edward B. Nitchie, then a principal of a private school of lipreading, called two of his pupils in to a meeting. This began an organization know as the Nitchie Alumni Association whose primary purpose was to “aid and further in any and every way possible any helpful work among the hard of hearing.” In 1911, the agency was incorporated and the name changed to the Nitchie Service League, Inc.

Continued exposure to noise over 85 decibels (about the level of city traffic) will cause damage to hearing. In general, the louder the sound, the less time it will take for damage to occur. How do you know if a noise is loud enough to be harmful to your hearing? You could buy a sound level meter and measure the noise (Radio Shack has relatively inexpensive meters). However, a simple rule of thumb is that if you have to shout in order to be heard at just three feet away, the background noise is too loud and may be damaging your hearing.

Did you know that middle ear fluid can cause temporary hearing loss and that repeated and/or prolonged middle ear fluid in infants and young children can have an impact on speech and language development?  Even mild or fluctuating hearing loss caused by middle ear fluid can reduce the amount of speech sound information that a child receives.  This reduced or inconsistent auditory information often impedes a child’s ability to hear and to learn to produce a variety of speech sounds.  As a result, their speech can be unclear and their language development slower than that

Several dietary supplements have recently been touted as a good way to stop tinnitus (ringing in the ears). But in the January 2010 issue they warn that most of the scientific research that has been conducted shows inconsistent or no benefit from these supplements in reducing tinnitus. They note that there are many ways to address tinnitus that should be done first before even considering trying a supplement.

Did you know that the Theatre Development Fund has a special program for individuals with special needs? TAP (Theater Accessibility Program) offers discounted orchestra seats to people who are hard of hearing or deaf, partially sighted or blind, who require aisle seating for medical reasons, or who use wheelchairs or can’t climb stairs.

Dear Friend,

Did you know that NYC public schools no longer provide hearing screenings for their youngest children? The practice of screening children who enter kindergarten and first grade was discontinued in September.