Lines of Communication

By Ellen Lafargue, Director, CHC Audiology Services Over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, a new and still-emerging category of lower-cost, self-fit hearing aids, have the potential to impact hearing health care in a big way. The aids are expected to be available for purchase in 2022, so I thought now would be a good time to share what we know today about OTC aids. But first, here's a quick update on the Build Back Better Infrastructure Bill. The House of Representatives passed

Q&A with Vanessa Kelly of Goldman Sachs The Center for Hearing and Communication (CHC) recently participated in a hearing health educational event for Goldman Sachs employees presented by the Goldman Sachs Disability Network and the company's Wellness Group. We're proud of our long history of providing annual onsite hearing screenings for Goldman Sachs employees, and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to serve as a hearing health resource at the virtual event. Goldman S

Sound Advice By Ruth Bernstein I’m sure the title strikes my readers as an oxymoron. How could anyone be grateful for a year that has been so difficult? I agree. It would be much easier to say, "Forget 2021!" It was a lost year, as many people tell me. Although coping has been difficult, I have lots of things to be grateful for. The remarkably fast vaccine development and new assistive hearing technology have made it possible for me to stay healthy, connect with family and fr

Ensure Every Child Has the Opportunity to Benefit from CHC's Expert Care - DONATE TODAY! Dear CHC Friend, I cried when I found out my son, Emmett, failed his newborn hearing screening. It brought back memories of the stress and challenges I struggled with as a child with hearing loss. My own hearing issues were never properly addressed when I was young. I couldn’t hear well, so I learned to tune out and avoid certain social situations. At school I worked extra hard to compen

By Janick Hickman, Mental Health Counselor With the holiday season underway, now is the perfect time to consider the role of connection in our lives and ways we can make the most out of our time together with loved ones. Connecting with others provides a positive and invaluable boost to our emotional and mental health. Meaningful connection is not about the number of likes we receive from behind a computer screen, but rather the engagement with those that love us and support

Google continues to expand the functionality of their excellent accessibility apps for people with hearing loss. If you use a Pixel or Android device, we encourage you to read on and learn how you can access real-time captions and use your phone to enhance hearing and your connection to the world around you. Captioning Live Caption Live Caption automatically captions speech on your device. You can use it on media like videos, podcasts, phone calls, video calls, and audio mess

By Laurie Hanin, Executive Director Dear CHC Friends, For all of us at CHC—and for many of you, our friends and supporters—the fall is synonymous with the Feast, our annual fundraising event that brings the CHC community together for an unforgettable food and wine tasting. If you've attended the Feast in the past—as a sponsor, chef, volunteer or guest—you know there's really no other event quite like it! This year, for safety reasons, we aren't able to gather together to cele

Decorate a Jack-o'-Lantern, Celebrate Inclusion By Sivan Levy, M.A. Here's an idea for a fun Halloween activity you and your child with hearing loss can do at home. Decorate a paper jack-o'-lantern together and include hearing devices just like the ones your child uses. It's super easy. Just print out the pdf below. It's complete with jack-o'-lantern, spooky facial features and hearing devices. We encourage you to talk to your kids about their hearing technology as they decor

By Caroline Itzkoff, CHC Intern There’s nothing quite like live theater, especially shows on Broadway. But as a person with hearing loss, I find that live theater can sometimes be difficult. It’s not as relaxing as other forms of entertainment because you have to be 100% focused to understand what’s happening, you can’t rely on the usual context cues to make up for something you couldn’t hear, and you can’t easily rewind or rewatch the show to see what you’ve missed like you

Everything You Need for Broadway's Return! By Caroline Itzkoff, CHC Intern A little over 18 months ago, Covid-19 forced Broadway and the entire New York theater scene to shut the doors, empty the stages and turn off the lights, save for the traditional ghost light that keeps away mischievous spirits. Now as the city is coming back to life, Broadway is ready to shine again. As a student at Barnard College and a huge theater lover with some experience acting, writing, and direc

Sound Advice By Ruth Bernstein Since the pandemic began, I have participated in many online events. I have asked for and been given captions, mostly as ASR—computer generated speech recognition. Sometimes I’m lucky and get CART—a live operator who uses Communication Access Real-Time Translation. I recently received a request to participate in a study about hearing access from an out-of-state audiologist. The announcement did not say captions would be available, so I asked if

Guidance from a CHC Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing By Sivan Levy, M.A. It’s that time of the year! As the hot days of summer come to a close, parents and teachers are preparing for the upcoming school year. This can be an uncertain time for parents sending their children to school for the first time, or for teachers having their first student with hearing loss. There are so many new steps to take. Where should they start? As a Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

CHC Experts Offer Back-to-School Advice for Parents of Children with Hearing Loss By Dana Selznick, M.A., M.Ed., and Team CHC In a year unlike any other, with so much to consider in setting young students up for a successful school year, it takes a village—more than ever!—to nurture and support the needs of children with hearing loss. As a Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at CHC, I'm one member of a multidisciplinary team that includes audiologists, speech-language pat

"Meta-What?" Putting Metacognitive Strategies to Work in the Classroom By Jane Auriemmo, AuD, CCC-A and Dana Selznick, M.A., Ed.M. At CHC, we not only specialize in helping children with hearing problems, but also in diagnosing and assisting children who have normal hearing but weaknesses in the auditory pathways that carry information from the ear to the brain, or central auditory processing disorders (CAPD). CAPD is also sometimes called "auditory processing disorder” or A

CHC's Top 4 Learning Tips for Parents of Students with Hearing Loss By Dana Selznick, M.A., M.Ed. Director of Education and Family Programming Watching your child grow as a student can be both exciting and challenging. As a parent, you want to do anything you can to support your child’s learning. But sometimes it's difficult to know how you can best play that role. When it comes to your child's educational development, keep in mind that you are your child’s #1 teacher. Learni

We’re delighted to shine a light on the issue of hearing health in honor of Better Hearing & Speech Month, an annual celebration founded by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. It’s estimated that 48 million Americans have a significant hearing loss, yet most fail to seek treatment. That should concern all of us because untreated hearing loss puts adults at greater risk of social isolation, depression, falls and cognitive issues. The good news is that when you ad

Hearing Aid Discount Offer of 20% (Up to $1,000) Special offer from CHC-NY in honor of Better Hearing and Speech Month. With New York City beginning to reopen, it’s exciting to look forward to all the experiences we’ll be rediscovering soon. Whether you enjoy in-person gatherings, dining out or seeing a show, expect the future to be full of new communication opportunities. At the same time, know that there will be communication challenges along the way, and CHC is here to hel

INAD is worldwide event raising awareness around the harmful effects of noise New York, NY – April 28, 2021 – The Center for Hearing and Communication (CHC), a leading nonprofit hearing health care center in New York that provides comprehensive services to people of all ages who are hard of hearing, deaf or deafblind, today celebrates the 26th Annual International Noise Awareness Day (INAD). Established by CHC in 1996, INAD aims to raise awareness around the harmful effects o

Tinnitus Retraining Therapy Provides Relief Susan Adams, MS, CCC-A, Tinnitus Specialist Recent headlines suggest that tinnitus (or ringing in the ear) could be a side effect of Covid-19. Last week’s “Some Covid-19 Patients Say They’re Left with Ringing Ears” in The New York Times was the latest story to generate buzz on this important topic. As Supervisor of CHC’s Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Center, I know that having problematic tinnitus can be one of life’s most distressing ex

Lend Your Support to CHC Dear CHC Clients, Laurie Hanin, Ph.D., CCC-A Executive Director For 35 years, CHC has been holding a fully accessible Comedy Night. It began when a small group of people who had hearing loss got together and decided they wanted to be able to enjoy a night of stand-up comedy, without missing one punchline. With that, Comedy Night was born! Every year since then, CHC offers a night of laughs that is interpreted and captioned, with assistive listening de