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In the heat of summer, one of my greatest pleasures is going to a movie theater and savoring several hours of fantasy in air conditioned comfort.  Movie going can be a challenge for me because, with my severe hearing loss, I have trouble understanding enough dialogue to enjoy the experience.  One solution is to find theaters showing open captions on the screen or rear window captions reflected from an LED panel at the rear of the theater onto a Lucite panel at my seat.

Receiving a summons for jury duty can present myriad accessibility challenges when you have a hearing loss. Here are some coping techniques I’ve learned through personal experience, workshops and advocating for courtroom access.  

On the heels of International Noise Awareness Day comes one more opportunity for New Yorkers to embrace healthy hearing: May is Better Hearing and Speech Month! Throughout May, the Center for Hearing and Communication is pleased to be partnering with the NY Public Library to bring you hearing healthcare and information. 

The 15th International Noise Awareness Day is April 28th, and it's once again attracting support from around the globe. Organizations diverse as the Arab Ship Building and Repair Company of Bahrain, the Israeli Ministry of Education, and the Brazilian Acoustical Society (SOBRAC) will be taking an active role in educating people about the dangers of noise and the importance of hearing protection. The Center for Hearing and Communication is where it all began 14 years ago, and we commend all of this year's participants and invite you to share your stories with us.

If spring is here, can bathing suit season be far behind?

As we look to get in shape, many of us up our visits to our local health club.  Remember, as you pump up those muscles, be sure not to pump up the volume on your mp3 player. And do be mindful of how loud your health club is playing the music that gets you grooving and moving.

On March 10, 1876 technology took a giant step forward with the first successful telephone transmission.  We can thank the genius of Alexander Graham Bell for revolutionizing communication. Phones have come a long way since then, and for people with hearing loss, there are more options than ever to stay connected to life! 

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.