MARCH 2012 CHAPTER NEWSLETTER
President
: Patty Cortez, email:
phone: 610-446-7302
Vice-President:
Tom VanArman; email:
Treasurer
: Donna Penman Assistive Technology: Don Groff, email:
Newsletter committee
: Diana Bender, email:
, and Don Groff
Meeting Schedule: 1st Monday of each Month, except January, February, July and August: William Jeanes Library, 4051 Joshua Road, Lafayette Hill, PA 19444 Time: 6:00 – 7:45 p.m.
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Montco returns to the Jeanes Library!
Renovations on the Jeanes Library have now been completed and the library is welcoming our chapter back to their brand new meeting room. Our April meeting and future meetings will be at the William Jeanes Library, 4051 Joshua Road, Lafayette Hill, PA 19444 and our NEW meeting hours are 6 to 7:45 p.m. The library closes at 8 pm. We are very fortunate indeed!
Looped Performance of Richard Einhorn’s
Voices of Light
On March 2, 2012, your news editor was privileged to attend the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s performance of HLAA member Richard Einhorn’s Voices of Light/The Passion of Joan of Arc at Baltimore’s Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The hall was completely looped for the performance and I was able to use my t-coils in both CI processor and hearing aid to enjoy the music. After the performance, a wine and cheese reception was held in the theater and attendees had a chance to meet both the composer. HLAA’s executive director, Brenda Battat, and several HLAA staff members, as well as members of the HLAA Board of Trustees, were in the audience.
HLAA member and composer, Richard Einhorn, who experienced sudden hearing loss in 2010 said, “I am deeply honored that Marin Alsop and Baltimore Symphony are performing Voices of Light. I am thrilled that people with hearing loss living in the Baltimore area will have the opportunity to both hear my music and to experience the dignity and convenience of hearing loops at Meyerhoff.”
Paul Meecham, president and CEO of the BSO, stated, “It is the mission of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra to be accessible to all and we thank the HLAA for helping us work to achieve that goal. With the assistance of technology, people with hearing loss can continue to enjoy the beauty of music.”
TV Closed Captioning Waivers Reversed by FCC
On Oct. 2, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reversed a closed-captioning waiver for nearly 300 broadcasters, primarily religious and nonprofit organizations, saying it was wrong to extend the waiver.
In 2006, the FCC ruled that these entities were exempt from captioning regulations because it would cause undue burden to force compliance. Now, the commission ruled that for the majority of those broadcasters, the waiver was “not supported by the 1996 Telecommunications Act, its legislative history, or the commission’s implementing regulations and orders” and that the undue burden clause had been too liberally implemented. Those organizations may apply for individual waivers under the new standard
. To read the entire article, please go to
http://www.commlawcenter.com/2011/10/by-scott-r-flick-fcc.html
Don’t Forget These Important Dates!
April 29, 2012
: HLA-PA banquet at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in King of Prussia, see
June 21 – 24, 2012:
HLAA Convention, Providence, Rhode Island, see
Quote of the Month
“”We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”
Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
Direct-to-Consumer Hearing Aid Sales
There is a lot of controversy about the new direct-to-consumer hearing aid program which is being offered by United Healthcare (UHC) as part of its Medicare Advantage healthcare plan. UHC’s new program uses an online hearing test that studies have shown provides an excellent fit for people who have a mild to moderate hearing loss and can use open fit hearing aids. UHC also refers people to staff audiologists if they prefer or have a more severe hearing loss, or reimburses for traditional professionally administrated audiograms. The UHC program provides those it insures with hearing aids at no to very low cost.
Hearing aid providers including audiologists and dispensers, as well as hearing aid manufacturers have all come out saying they are opposed to hearing aids being obtained by consumers without the involvement of a qualified professional. HLAA is taking the position that we shouldn’t reject the program out of hand without giving it a chance to see how it works. HLAA’s reasoning is that the current system, which requires consumers to purchase hearing aids from an audiologist or hearing aid dispenser, is not working for 75% of the people who have a hearing loss and who could benefit from hearing aids. The high cost of hearing aids is the most common reason people cite for not obtaining hearing aids, while how to obtain financial help in purchasing hearing aids is the number one question that comes into the HLAA office in Bethesda.
Next Meeting: Captioning Comes to the Movies!
Alan Kutner, Chairperson of the HLA-PA Movie Captioning Committee, will be on hand to tell us about the progress his committee has made in bringing captioning to your local movie theater. Alan is a retired attorney who loves the movies. As his hearing loss became more severe, he found he was unable to understand the dialog in the theater. As many of our members know, rear window captioning has been available for the past few years at the Plymouth Meeting theater, but on only a single screen in the theater. As a result of recent court rulings all theaters must now provide captioning and we will soon have our choice of seeing captions on a screen or through hi-tech glasses. Alan will show you the different types of gadgets which show captions in major movie theaters.
Alan lives in Havertown and is a member of the Delaware County HLAA chapter. He is active on the HLA-PA advisory council and at the PA Walk4Hearing. He is an excellent table tennis player and, as a part-time actor, he is an excellent speaker.
Please join us for our next meeting which will be held on
MONDAY,
April 2, 2012
beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the newly renovated Jeanes Library.
HLAA - Montgomery County Chapter 