Aborting a deaf baby......

The year is 2025.

The two young hearing couple, vibrant and excited with the news that the wife is along three weeks pregnant. Hopeful that their first child will turn out fine just like all soon-to-be Moms and Dads would hope for. A healthy baby. But they have a nagging concern about their baby. They are apprehensive about the prospect that their child may carry the deafness gene and be born with a hearing loss. Their concerns are rightly noted since both of their parents and grandparents have a history of genetic deafness with a nasty habit of skipping around within each new generation. What makes this even more troublesome for the parents is that both the wife and husband each carry the deafness gene. And they discovered recently that there is high probability that their child would be born profoundly deaf.

With help of biotechnology genetic deafness can easily and quickly be determined in an embryo and with that valuable information the couple can prepare themselves the decision on whether to keep the baby or abort it. Genetic results for embryos are de riguer. So is giving out abortion pills. Doled out like Halloween treats but the consequences of swallowing that pill comes with a terrible cost to the unborn.

The genetic results came in.

Not good.

Their doctor confirmed that their baby if carried to term will be born profoundly deaf in both ears.

The wife wept quietly with a soft sobbing sound at the prospect of giving birth to a completely deaf baby. Her husband wrapped his arms around her and hugs her softly in a shared solace.

The doctor continues with the news and gave them two choices. Keep the baby or the wife can take an abortion pill to help abort their three week old embryo. With the new law in place a final decision cannot be accepted until three days after being informed of the choices. The doctor also warns that because the husband and wife both carry the deafness gene they have a 10% chance of producing a child with full hearing the next time they try and conceive another child. That means after 10 conceptions 1 baby will be born with full hearing.

Three days later. The wife decides to take the abortion pill to abort the embryo diagnosed with the deafness gene. The doctor nods his head and gives her a single white pill, easy to swallow pill. Her hands trembles seeing the white dot of a pill sitting in the middle of her right palm knowing that the pill would end a precious life. She grabs a glass of water and quickly swallowed the abortion pill. She cries and sobs. She made the decision to end a life and, in her mind, to spare a child's lifelong dealing with deafness that she finds cruel, unnecessary and unwanted.

They will try again for another baby very soon. Even if it means doing it 10 times until they get what they want.


From the NIH see graph below (SOURCE):

Comfort Zone

I read for the first time a blog called "SayWhatClub" about a woman with a hearing loss describing her "inner struggle." A struggle about who she is. This is about a late deafened woman who lost her hearing at age 19 who is now a much older woman. She explained she could never feel at ease in trying to fit into with the Deaf community and has already found her comfort zone.

My problem was, I just did not fit in with the deaf/Deaf community.  I wasn’t comfortable.  It wasn’t my world.  I was trying hard to be a deaf person, not a hard of hearing woman when in truth, I was and am a woman with a hearing loss who lives in a hearing world.  I was very comfortable in the hearing world and I’m very proud of the fact that I became extremely skilled at reading people. ASL taught me to be very aware of body language, facial expressions, the movements of the mouth and of course, the eyes tell me a great deal about a person as well as what they are saying to me about the individual. 

It wasn’t until closed captioning and CART came along that I finally stopped to really think about who I am?  Most recently, CART and closed captioning has given me a great deal of hope and  brought me closer to accepting that I have truly found my comfort zone.  I became more involved with SWC (SayWhatClub) and met many people like myself over the years.  Then, I recently became involved with CCAC and realized that between these two major groups,  hearing impaired individuals really do have a culture of their own.

I really do believe that "hearing impaired individuals" do have a culture of their own just and how they interact with their kind. If you ever been to a HLAA meeting you'd know exactly what I'm talking about.  They are a different breed of people who sit between deaf and hearing worlds. A world of sound, sometimes clear, other times garbled. They have their own way of interacting and communicating with each other and other people. They share their own cultural understanding of each other. A diversity all of their own.

A deaf person's fear of hearing people

Phobia. That word comes from the Greek word "Phobos" which means irrational fear. Many People have them. You have this irrational fear and then have this healthy, normal fear that most people would identify easily with such as the healthy fear for height.

Check out the list of phobias.

I'm sure there are many more kinds of phobias out there that haven't been cataloged or documented. But one phobia I'm thinking among deaf people is the irrational fear of hearing people.

Does such a phobia exist?

What I've learned in life is that one cannot simply discount anything that may sound ridiculous out of hand and discard it as hogwash when it comes to the human mind. If you look at the list of phobias in link I provided you can see the many strange phobias enough to wonder whether those phobias actually exist. Well, the human brain is a strange place and when there's fear that strikes deep and hard into the brain it'll manifest itself as a phobia in whatever form for whatever reason.

Now, I am wondering.

Is there such a thing among the deaf population the fear of hearing people? Being around hearing people? Meeting them? Are there deaf people who take pains to avoid hearing people at all cost? Do they get panicky around hearing people? Do their palms get sweaty? Extreme nervousness or the feeling of extreme dread? The feeling of aversion? Do they panic at the mere thought of meeting a hearing person or group of hearing people? The reason for the irrational fear of hearing people could be many. Perhaps the underlying fear has to do with communication and language. There could be more to that as well.

I'm betting that there is such a thing where some deaf people have an irrational fear of hearing people since the human brain is a strange place where fear manifest itself over time. And so I decided to come up with a phobia name for deaf people's irrational fear of hearing people, should it even exist. The key is finding the right suffix word and then simply add the root word "phobia" to it.

Here it is.

Anthroacoutophobia - fear of hearing people.

In other words, a deaf person's fear of hearing people.

The word "anthro" is Greek for people or the human race itself while "acouto" is a Greek word for "hearing, listening, of or for hearing."

Here's my question. If you're deaf, do you have anthroacoutophobia? Fear of hearing people?

Most likely not.

But for what's worth I believe there is a phobia of a hearing person's fear of deaf people.

Could your nose help restore your hearing loss someday?

Don't pick your nose! You just might ruin your chance on the cure of your hearing loss someday!

Ok.

Seriously.

That won't happen.

I mean, the nose picking part. But news came out a few weeks ago on stem cells in the nose could provide a potential source of adult stem cells to harvest that can be used to help restore hearing loss in the cochlea from that same person's own nose.

The findings, published in the journal STEM CELLS, found that transplanting mucosa-derived stem cells, a form of rapidly renewing tissues in the nose, can help prevent sensorineural hearing loss during its early stages.

Scientists transplanted adult human nasal stem cells into the ears of mice that exhibited signs of hearing loss. The mice were 4 weeks old, the typical age when hearing loss in mice first becomes apparent. Dr. Sharon Oleskevich, lead study author from the Hearing Research Group at The University of New South Wales, said her research team found improvements in hearing function one month later when compared against age-matched mice that received placebo injections.

It has been demonstrated in a number of studies that stem cells, such as olfactory stem cells, dental pulp stem cells and hair follicle stem cells have the ability to transform into functional cells of the nervous system," Dr. Christian Drapeau, chief science officer of Stemtech International, told AOL Health. "For example, in animal studies, injection of hair follicle stem cells in the spinal cord was able to restore mobility."

He says the olfactory stem cells injected in the cochlear cavity could help reverse or protect sensorineural hearing loss in the same kind of way.

"Examination of hearing levels one month post-surgery demonstrated that hearing thresholds in stem cell-transplanted mice were significantly lower than those of mice that received a placebo injection, indicating that transplanted mice were better able to hear less-intense sounds," Oleskevich told AOL Health in an e-mail.

Doctors and researchers are optimistic their research could impact future treatments of hearing loss.

Who knows? Maybe they got something going there?

Need a hanky, anyone?

Obstacle Illusions: Transforming Adversity into Success

Neat title, huh? I've done my own version of adversity in a video blog I did a few years ago but as for the title, it's not mine. It belongs to Stephen Hopson, a deaf guy I came to know a few years back when I first did a blog piece on him, sort of.  A guy who has done many motivational and inspirational speeches by speaking with his voice and share stories of adversity to engage his audience.

Over the last few years I briefly had few short email exchanges but I always had him in the back of my head wondering exactly what the heck he's been doing. Obviously he has been doing something positive since the last time I took a peak at his blog because he just wrote a book about adversity. But as you can tell from the book title as seen in the picture, "Obstacle Illusions: Transforming Adversity into Success." His book is due out on March 17, 2011 on Amazon.

Why am I blogging about a guy who was born profoundly deaf who likes to do oral motivational and inspirational speeches?  Simple. It's about hard work. It's about not being afraid of challenges in life. It's about his ability to transform his audience on adversity. The trials and challenges in life. It's about seeing life as one big challenge instead of seeing himself constantly as a victim blaming everyone and everything. It's not about using excuses as your crutch in life to get what you want. You can only go so far in life by playing the ever so perennial victim but the sky's the limit when you see life as one big challenge instead. Stephen Hopson is a human being who is not afraid to step up to the plate.

And, yes, he knows sign language. He's simply a guy not afraid to use his voice and use it as a source of inspiration for thousands of people who have come across his inspirational speeches. I'm simply drawn to positive and successful people who are not afraid of their own shadows.

What makes this situation even more unique is that you have an oral deaf guy who is an inspirational speaker where he finally wrote a book. Not often do you get to see a book written by a deaf guy who is not afraid to use his voice but a guy who actually embraces his ability to speak by sharing it with everybody he comes across with. Because whenever he speaks, people do listen. And listen closely they do. 




I wrote a profound quote at the end of my adversity video blog that should ring true to anybody who reads it:

Adversity is not the same thing as overcoming oppression. 
It's about overcoming obstacles in life successfully.
Mocking those who face adversity in a different way lack imagination.

Josh Swiller - hate vs love

Josh Swiller. Who is that guy? Well, he's a hard of hearing person (deaf, too) who went to Africa to meet with Africans who are deaf and see how they live their lives in silence among the hearing population. But what was interesting was on the event that made him decide to go to Africa that changed everything, enough so for him to write a sobering book about his experience.

In one video below he explained how the people at Gallaudet University didn't accept him. Below are the video still shots with captions.

Imagine back then when he attended Gallaudet University he was actually discriminated against solely because of his speaking ability. And because of that he ultimately ended up going to Africa through the Peace Corps. What is amazing is that even today some Deaf people continue to target him. And for what reason? God only knows why. Envy? Jealousy? Don't like him because he can talk? Because he can hear? For his views? Opinions? Prefer to talk and not sign? Exactly what is it?

Josh has also done speeches before as well at a Toastmasters Club.

In the first video below  is Josh on the phone who gets a call from an old friend back in Africa. The second video below is Josh giving a speech about his book, his experience and how it all happened. Enjoy!





From his blogsite, he currently runs a non-profit dedicated to international advocacy for the deaf and disabled and oversees outreach projects at Gallaudet University where he is a visiting professor. Be sure to buy his book.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Toastmasters Club

What is a "toastmaster"?

A Toastmasters meeting is a learn-by-doing workshop in which participants hone their speaking and leadership skills in a friendly atmosphere. A typical group has 20 to 40 members who meet weekly, biweekly or monthly. The average meeting lasts 60 – 90 minutes.

It's also a place where you can go and practice delivering your speeches in front of an audience. The goal for toastmasters is to become confident in speaking in front of an audience and practice on delivering their content clearly and crisply so the audience can understand you. Really, the main goal is to learn how to speak in front of an audience with confidence. It's a confidence builder. I've done many speeches in front of a bunch of people but I was curious about doing this toastmaster thing a few years ago when I was living in New Mexico. And sure enough there was one in the town of Alamogordo where I lived. I met some new friends there and had the opportunity to pick a topic to deliver my speech. The first few was about educating the audience about hearing loss and communication issues. And later gravitated towards more general topics and themes not related to deafness. It was a neat thing to do that and the chance observe and listen to other toastmasters when they had their chance to speak. The cool thing is that after a speech we the opportunity to help the speaker by giving some constructive and positive criticisms on how to improve their speaking. I often gave advice on not about speaking loudly but rather learning how to project one's voice better. There is a difference between talking loudly versus projecting one's voice.

Since my move away from New Mexico I am in the process of finding a nearby Toastermaster club and I expect it to be a bigger group of people. And perhaps a better chance on meeting people with hearing loss. The one back in New Mexico was a small group and all were hearing people. About 7 people.

But believe it or not there is a website for toastmasters with a hearing loss. In fact, it's common to see once in a while people who are deaf or hard of hearing use their speaking skill at Toastmaster clubs such as this group of deaf/hh teens.

When OSST members Rick Kominowski and Terry Bedard coordinated a Youth Leadership Program (YLP) for a group of deaf teens, they had no idea what an impact this Program would make! This YLP, generally developed by Toastmasters International and sponsored by OSST, was adapted for a group of orally-speaking deaf teens from a support organiza-tion called Hear Here Hart-ford, (www.hearherehartford.org). Who would have thought that 12 teens from all over Connecticut and Massachusetts would travel great distances to come to six weekly meetings on a Monday night—all to de-velop their communication and leadership skills! Each teen gave two different speeches; evaluated each others speeches; and participated in impromptu speaking contests judged by mentor volunteers from Hear Here Hartford. Many experienced Toastmasters volunteered as well by giving educational modules to teach various communications skills such as impromptu speaking, listening, organizing thoughts, and using positive body language. Leadership skills were also developed by allowing each teen to assume roles such as toastmaster, grammarian, and timer.


Does this sound like a typical Toastmaster meeting? In some ways, it was— but the teens definitely made it their own. They chose different themes for each meeting like a Hawaiian theme; costume dress up; 60’s; mismatch; and sports theme. At the last YLP meeting, each teen gave a speech in front of parents, as well as volunteers from Toast-masters and Hear Here Hartford (HHH). Each received a certificate from Toastmasters International evidencing the successful completion of the YLP. As the Pro-gram drew to a close, the teens commented on how they wished the meetings would have lasted longer because they were enjoying them so much. What the adults all noted was the dramatic progress each teen made over such a short time!

Also, an interesting history in what HHH did.

Several HHH teen members who participated in the 2008 HHH Youth Leadership Program spoke at the AG Bell National Convention in Orlando on June 26th along with HHH President, Terry Bedard.

Inspirational speakers at Hear Here Hartford include:

Kathy Buckley, comedienne and author, who entertained our audience while sharing her views on overcoming the challenges of hearing loss.

Patrick Holkins, a Harvard student, discussed his road to acceptance of his hearing loss and how he developed self-advocacy skills.

Miss International, Jayna Altman, inspired our teen members with her message of positive empowerment.

Josh Swiller, a Yale graduate who wrote the book, The Unheard: A Memoir of Deafness and Africa.

Angus McCusker inspired our Chapter members when he shared his life experiences as a cross country ski racer in the Deaflympics.

Speaking skills come in all kinds and levels of ability. Some strive to use their speaking skill by improving it. Some strive to make better use of their oratory skill by facing their fears in front of an audience. Or polish their leadship skill by speaking. And that's great.  It's a way to develop a skill in order to conquer keep their fear, embarrassment, lack of confidence, or simply the need to improve oneself. There is nothing wrong with using your oral and listening skills. There's nothing wrong if people with hearing loss choose to and prefer to speak. Toastmasters Club is an excellent place to go and practice speaking in front of an audience. It isn't as easy as it sounds. But give it a try. Share what skill you have and not be embarrassed!

The Great Northwest

My hike on Sierra Blanca in NM at 10500 ft (2008). Looking to the East.

Here's a captioned video (see bottom of page) from one of my several hikes I did last year. It's a video of me visiting High Rock lookout point in Washington near Packwood. It was my 2nd time visiting the place. The first time was when I was a young 7 year old deaf boy with my family on a hiking adventure. I specifically remembered this spot and it was like coming home to a spot that I found so fascinating as a deaf boy being at such a high altitude and seeing a majestic mountain in front of me. In fact, that day when I hiked up there as a boy it was that same warm, sunny day. Only this time I brought my camera, my joy and solitude of that place.  Much of my memories growing up as a deaf/hh boy was the numerous camping, hiking, and swimming adventures I had with my family out in the Northwest. The video below is one of the many series of videos I plan to capture the places I've been to in Washington and Oregon when I was a kid. I'll also video-tape many places that I've never been to as well.

In Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina (2001)

Just because you have a hearing loss doesn't mean you cannot enjoy the great outdoors. Yes, it's a cliche'. But it's good see blogs or vlogs with deaf and hard of hearing people detailing their outdoor adventures and visits. Frankly, there's not enough of them. Being outdoor allows you the opportunity to connect with nature and when we die, we return to the ground and become nature again.

I've done several years of hiking in the deserts and mountains of south-central New Mexico. Fascinating and beautiful place. Though it was my time to move again and that was to move back to my old stomping ground in the great Northwest. The only regret is that I didn't take enough pictures or videos back in New Mexico. Video cameras were a bit expensive back then. But today it's cheap and easy to use. It won't be just me having fun but my family will be a part of that adventure as well.

White River Falls swim hole near Tygh Valley, OR (2010

Other hikes I am fortunate in doing is related to my work where such as fire fighting in Washington and Idaho, partake with a fire crew on prescription burns in New Mexico or hike the burned forests and fields for my post-fire mitigation work while the area is still burning and smoldering with the smell of acrid smoke lingering heavily in the air. 

But mostly I do the hikes into the woods to access streams and lakes where I do my analysis inaccessible by vehicle. And frankly, I get to have my lunch breaks in some of the nicest areas deep in the woods, by a stream or sit on perch overlooking the forested valleys with a river or creek winding its way down below on a warm, sunny day. No wild cougars or bears to cross my path. Knock on wood. Of course, I have had my days when it was wet or snowy where I had my lunches there. Part of my job.

This year I plan to visit more of Oregon, one of my favorite state to go and hike and have fun there. The landscape, especially east of the Cascades mountain range where it is drier, is just simply gorgeous. Basically anyplace immediately east of the Cascade mountain range is gorgeous anyway. Perhaps this year I'll chronicle my visit to my old super secret swimming hole located between Dufur

Dufur, Oregon. One of my favorite town to visit. Grew up here playing  there.

and Tygh Valley, Oregon that me and my family had a blast every summer swimming there while growing up. But I won't tell you the exact location cause it's a secret swimming hole! 

Dufur is a quaint, old friendly town in Oregon. It's a town where my mother and father grew up. It's a agriculture community that thrived on growing hay and wheat. I basically grew up there because my family visited Dufur so much during the summers while I was growing up in Tacoma, Washington.

Swimming with my daughter on White River Falls (summer 2010)

My hiking in North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, New Mexico, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon have taken me to some wonderful places of natural beauty from the deserts of New Mexico to the top of a 11,000 foot peak of Sierra Blanca to the jagged rocky peak of High Rock Lookout mountain to the cool river of White River Falls to beat the hot Oregon summer weather to hiking the changing landscape on Gotchen Creek trail. But not only did I witness the beauty of nature but the ugly side of nature when wildfire rears its ugly head temporarily destroying the forest. Only time will these forested ruins come back to life and stake its claim once again. Fire fighting for me as a
hard of hearing person was a tough job to do. Not only was the job tough and physically demanding it was

Myself on a prescription burn in the Guadalupe Mtns of New Mexico

dangerous whenever you are out there fighting fire, the loose rocks above you, the trees that could fall on you at any time (i.e. widow makers), and the ash covered hole that used to be a stump where you can fall in up to your leg and perhaps break it or get burns.

All in all I covered a lot grounds in both the good and bad part of nature. I don't plan to stop. I've just begun.

So, if you're a deaf or hard of hearing blogger or vlogger, please show us your pictures or videos of your outdoor adventures whether it's hiking, white water rafting, camping, mountain climbing, fishing, or swimming in one of your favorite places at a lake, river or creek. What makes you seek the great outdoors? It'd be great to see them. And if you're from the Northwest, then hurrah!

Mike near Conconully, Washington fighting the Tripod Complex fire near the Canadian border (2006)

A video on mainstreamed kids

The story of seven mainstreamed deaf/hh kids with their hearing aids and cochlear implants. Oral and aural education enables children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing to listen and talk with success and confidence. Technology plays a huge role while parents play an equally but perhaps larger role on helping ensure this success and confidence.

Dr. Gallaudet praised the oral and auditory teaching method.

Interesting stuff about Dr. Gallaudet.

Dr. Gallaudet acknowledged the power of hearing when it came to education and teaching people with hearing loss. He explained to the Royal Commission of the United Kingdom on the Condition of the Blind, the Deaf and Dumb (as reported in the 1892 Volta Bureau report) on commending the successful use of the aural and oral teaching method despite the availability of the manual method at the time.

Segment 13.147 - 13.152 from the Commission notes, Dr. Gallaudet detailed on how he exhibited a young boy the example of on the power of hearing to the National Academy of Sciences which gave him further insight and understanding on the power of using residual hearing for teaching and developing a language. Dr. Gallaudet acknowledged that success to the Royal Commission despite the crude"technological" approach that was available to them at the time. So successful was the use of this boy's residual hearing by using a particular method of teaching ensured his language success to carry on appropriate conversations with hearing people.

Dr. Gallaudet:
A third method which we are now practising in America with some exceedingly interesting results may be spoken of as the aural or auricular method. A very considerable percentage of those who are classed in the community as deaf-mutes have a degree of hearing which makes it entirely possible that they may be educated through the ear. The percentage is put variously at from 12 to 25 per cent., which even at the lowest figure is a large percentage of the whole number. The first movement in reference to the aural teaching of the deaf was made in Nebraska four years ago, and it was found in that institution that the percentage was quite large of those who were capable of being taught by the ear. I saw in that institution a little more than two years ago a class which was being taught entirely upon this method, and the process of teaching was an exceedingly interesting one. The class consisted, perhaps, of 11 or 12 pupils. There had been a careful examination of the amount of hearing possessed by each of these pupils, and that pupil who heard the least was placed at the teacher's right hand, the one who had a little more hearing was placed next, and the one who had a little more further on, while the one who had the greatest amount of hearing was furthest removed from the teacher. The teacher then in a voice elevated above the ordinary tone was able to dictate to those pupils, and they had all of them been actually taught to use that hearing which they possessed, which prior to the instruction was not supposed to have been sufficient to be made available at all as a means of instruction. In other words, those pupils were gradually ceasing to be deaf-mutes; they were speaking very well, and they were hearing as well as persons whom we call hard of-hearing persons. The result would be that, having come to the school under the legal appellation of "deaf-mutes," they would go out of the school not deaf-mutes at all.

The Commission (LORD EGERTON OF TATTON):
How is that result attained?

Dr. Gallaudet:
The process I can describe a little more fully by reference to the result of a very interesting experiment which we tried in the primary school connected with our college at Washington. In that primary school we try a good many experiments, and we do what we can to develop various methods. The children come in at the age of seven, and they continue in the school for eight or nine years. We had a boy who entered before we began to teach articulation. He was accredited to us as a deaf-mute from one year of age. He lost his hearing in infancy before he learnt to speak; he was absolutely dumb, and the degree of hearing that he possessed was not supposed to be of any account at all. He was registered as hearing slightly very loud noises. Not long after he entered we began teaching him speech, and he was taught to articulate. His progress was only moderate; his success was so imperfect that after a year's effort it was almost decided to give up attempting to teach him any further, but his teacher discovered, purely accidentally, that in uttering a word when the boy's face was turned away from him the boy reproduced the sound. With the use of the hearing tube it was presently discovered that the boy could repeat the vowel sounds and many of the consonant sounds without difficulty; he could repeat words the meaning of which he did not in the least degree understand. The teacher then at once began to educate his hearing. This degree of hearing which the boy possessed had never been enough for him to hold any conversation with members of his family or with any person at an ordinary distance from him.

The Commission:
Was the speaking tube that was used an ordinary speaking tube?

Dr. Gallaudet:
Yes, a flexible speaking tube. Within two years after that time I exhibited this boy before the National Academy of Sciences at Washington, and talked with him through the tube without difficulty, and today he has advanced far enough to be a student in our college; he is a young man full of promise, and he hears well enough to be able to sit by the side of either of you gentlemen and carry on a conversation with you through the tube.

The Commission:
The fact is that his power of hearing had been overlooked?

Dr. Gallaudet:
Just so.

The Commission:
There was no extra mechanism in the tube?

Dr. Gallaudet:
No. The result in that case shows that a very small amount of hearing, untrained to be useful, has existed in hundreds of deaf persons who have gone on through life dumb and hard of hearing, and classed as deaf, whereas they might, under this aural or auricular method of instruction, have been taken entirely out of the category of deaf-mutes.

The Commission:
Is there any medical inspection of these children before they enter school, and is any attempt made by the doctors to improve the hearing if the passages have become clogged by cold or disease?

Dr. Gallaudet:
Yes, in all our better schools there is a careful medical inspection of the children as they enter; it is usually the case that all means have been exhausted to benefit the hearing by the parents and friends of the children before they are brought to the institution. An examination by the medical man exhibits that fact. There are a few instances where the hearing by medical treatment has been improved, but they are very few. I commend this auricular method to all who are interested in the education of the deaf as one deserving of very great attention, because, if we take the number of the deaf who are capable of being taught aurally as amounting to 10 per cent, only, it is conferring upon them a great boon to teach them aurally; it is a greater boon even than giving them the power of imperfect speech.

Now, imagine with today's technology on hearing aids and cochlear implants, and how much of  a boon they would bring. Of course, there are no one shoe size fits all here. Each to his or her own on how one is taught and raised, and, of course, an informed parents' own decision on how it would be done for their child with a hearing loss.

Who ever thought that Dr. Gallaudet would trot out a boy to the National Academy of Sciences (see bolded red color words above) and hold him up as an example of a successful product of an oral and auditory teaching approach to gain a language?

ADDENDUM: In 1886 according to the Royal Commission report (see excerpt above in red bold letters), Edward Miner Gallaudet acknowledged the importance of listening and speaking. This acknowledgment came six years after the famous Milan Conference in 1880.

In 1880, there was an international conference of deaf educators, the Second International Congress on Education of the Deaf. At this conference, held September 6-11, 1880, a declaration was made that oral education was better than manual (sign) education. A resolution was passed banning sign language. The only countries opposed to the ban were the United States (represented by Edward Miner Gallaudet, Rev. Thomas Gallaudet, Issac Peet, James Denison, and Charles Stoddard) and Britain. The sign supporters tried, but failed, to get their voices heard.

How come this was never brought up whenever people used the old Milan Conference argument? Did E.M. Gallaudet handed in his own head on a platter when he trotted that deaf boy out to the National Academy of Sciences about his remarkable speaking and listening ability via the "tubes"? Did the Deaf community ever find out about this or was this tidbit of information was purposely withheld and not discussed when E.M. Gallaudet practically fawned over the deaf boy as being able to speak quite well and hear some, and be able to carry a conversation with a hearing person by show casing him in front of the National Academy of Sciences?

Ah ha....I see. I see. Hmmm. Hmmm. *nods my head*

A Poll: Was Edward Miner Gallaudet an ASL-only extremist?

Lately the view has been that Alexander Graham Bell is an oral-only extremist, which is probably true, then it'd be fair to ask this question: Was Edward Miner Gallaudet an ASL/Sign-only extremist, too? What exactly is an "extremist"?

Cast your vote in a poll below. 

The Power of YouTube Downloader

Just because you get caught with your pants down in an embarrassing YouTube video whose link suddenly went private after people found out about the blatant hate speech against a deaf person by calling him a disabled person just because he recently got a cochlear implant, yanking it from public view doesn't guarantee much nowadays. Well, it's good to have a software handy called YouTube Downloader that anyone can use religiously before somebody gets wind of it and have second thoughts and get it yanked off. Check it out. The power of "privatization" just goes out the window. Nothing is ever "private" once it goes public first. Somebody out there is always copying embarrassing, questionable or unprofessional videos.

Funny Norwegian TV Commercial on Hearing Aids

A TV-commercial for The Norwegian Associaton For the Hard of Hearing titled, "What has happened behind your back today?" A commercial encouraging the use of hearing aids and the danger for not wearing one. Watch, it's not what you think.

No need for captions since none is needed except for the very end translating some Norwegian text into English. All funny stuff here. Enjoy!

Alexander Graham Bell and the Telephone Invention

First off, it is a fact that Alexander Graham Bell is the first to patent the invention of the telephone in the United States and the first to bring telephone services successfully to the marketplace. In fact, Mr. Bell beat out Mr. Gray by hours at the Patent Office on the same day submitting very similar telephone designs. Does that mean both stole Mr. Meucci's idea as well? Although Alexander Graham Bell drew upon his own idea about the telephone through his work on "harmonic telegraph" or "acoustic telegraph" in the effort to send multiple messages at once over a single wire as a way to help reduce the cost of telegraph service that use Morse Code. Inventors who worked on the acoustic telegraph included Charles Bourseul, Thomas Edison, Elisha Gray, and Alexander Graham Bell. Their efforts led to the invention of the telephone. Others have invented or claimed to have a telephone system such as Johann Philipp Reis, Innocenzo Manzetti, Charles Bourseul, Amos Dolbear, Sylvanus Cushman, Daniel Drawbaugh, Edward Farrar, and James McDonough.

Now, according to Tom Farley about the so called stealing of Mr. Meucci's telephone invention by Mr. Bell:

"...Like Gray, Meucci claims Bell stole his ideas. To be true Bell must have falsified every notebook and letter he wrote about coming to his conclusions. That is, it is not enough to steal, you must provide a false story about how you came along on the path to discovery. You must falsify each step toward invention. Nothing in Bell's writing, character, or his life after 1876 suggest he did so, indeed, in the more than 600 lawsuits which involved him, no one else was credited for inventing the telephone." Farley also writes that, "Nearly every scholar agrees that Bell and Watson were the first to transmit intelligible speech by electrical means. Others transmitted a sound or a click or a buzz but our boys [Bell and Watson] were the first to transmit speech one could understand."

And that's true. Alexander Graham Bell had a working prototype as a proof of concept.

Out of Alexander Graham Bell's patented invention of the telephone came the famous Bell Telephone Company a few years later it became AT&T. And the rest is history.

Now, just because the U.S. House of Representative passed a bill in 2002 on recognizing that Meucci was the person who invented the telephone does not mean much since the Senate didn't the pass that bill. What's more, the whole Meucci bill was suspect from the very beginning. 

Edwin Grosvenor found 10 errors in the 2002 congressional Meucci resolution. He was quite critical on the intent of the U.S. House of Representative and its historical accuracy regarding Meucci and the invention of the telephone.

Mr. Grosvenor also asked two very important questions in Section "C":

1) "Should Congress overrule the US courts and its own committee, which looked at evidence extensively, and without reviewing any evidence in the matter?"


2) "Should Congress pass resolutions on historical facts without checking with legitimate historians or their own library?"

So true.

Grosvenor concluded that: "The historical “facts” stated in HR 269 were obtained from highly biased sources, and based on shoddy, cursory research."  And people continue to ignore the fact that "Bell’s telephone patent was litigated in 600 court cases, with many different judges in different jurisdictions. Bell never lost a case, including the one involving Meucci."

That's 600 court cases successfully defended in Bell's telephone patent. It was literally litigated to death knowing just how valuable Bell's telephone patent was.

Out of Alexander Graham Bell's patented invention of the telephone came the famous Bell Telephone Company where years later it became AT&T telephone company. And ironically in 1964 AT&T produced its first videophone prototype at the 1964 New York World's Fair where two deaf users were able to freely communicate with each other between the fair and another city as a test market although in 1956 the Bell System (Western Electric/AT&T) produced a very crude picturephone but never test marketed.

So, each time you make a video phone relay call you are essentially paying homage to the inventor of the telephone Alexander Graham Bell.  So, it'd be essentially impossible to "hang up" on Alexander Graham Bell simply because Alexander Graham Bell and many others after him made possible the existence of the video phone today. There's also a good chance that you use AT&T, too.  And remember all of the great excitement about the new video relay service app for iPhone 4 that would allow deaf and hard of hearing customers to make VRS calls? A true video phone for deaf signers when AT&T introduced it last year in December 2010?
And if you're thinking internet, well, Comcast is the largest cable operator and home internet service provider but in 2001, Comcast acquired the assets of the then largest cable television operator at the time, AT&T Broadband.

Savor the irony folks.

No matter what folks do, pretty much anything they touch using the telephone or laptop computer, much of the thanks still go back to Alexander Graham Bell and his first patented telephone invention.

*rubs hands* Mwahhahahaha! My plan is working flawlessly!

Calm down, folks.


And, yes, I'm content that Alexander Graham Bell is the father of the telephone.  I'm not going to lose any sleep over that. Time to put my hearing aid for the night and hit the sack. Oh, wait, did AGBell also help contribute/inspire on the invention of a hearing aid?

Alexander Bell’s Contributions to the Hearing Aid
When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, he was actually working on ways to amplify sound of the hearing impaired. His use of a receiver and phone was translated in the early 1900’s into a form of carbon microphone. This hearing aid included a receiver in or over the ear that had multiple wires running to the amplifier, which was worn around the neck.

Mon Dieu! Alexander Graham Bell's touch is everywhere!!

Sleep tight.

*rubs hands*

Alexander Graham Bell Phone Invention Inspired Video Phone Idea.

The latest (seemingly) inside gag (for the Deaf community that is) by ConvoRelay's latest advertisement that caters mostly to Deaf people was brought to attention by Tayler in his vlog saying it was the "best ad" he'd ever seen.  However, this ad could also be seen as an inside joke familiar mostly by those in the Deaf community and not in the hearing community. The ad is placed on the walk way at a relatively new subway stop location (New York Ave / Florida Ave/ Gallaudet University) that is close to Gallaudet University about 3 to 4 blocks away.

The ad, as a unintended consequence, possibly, could be seen as a double-entredre ad by those familiar with the name and its relationship with the culturally deaf community.

The first message could be seen as a poke at the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing organization by those who designed the ad. Maybe not.  But if it is then it's a poke that reveals a long standing temper tantrum from some people in the culturally deaf community who are against the AGBell hearing loss organization. The ad, ironically so, is placed on the floor where the name "Alexander Graham Bell"  can be walked all over by dirty shoes at a subway station near Gallaudet University, a hotbed of students who are against AGBell in more ways than one. Maybe that wasn't the intention of the ad designer (who designed it, btw?) but the ad is indeed on that floor and the name "Alexander Graham Bell" is on it saying, "You can hang up on Alexander Graham Bell" and it is located at a subway stop next (near) to Gallaudet University.

Makes ya wonder.

Just food for thoughts here.

The second message in that ad is the acknowledgment of the telephone technology which was a communication barrier for many deaf people. Although we need to remember the TTY technology of the 1980s and onward on how it has helped people with hearing loss to scale that communication barrier..... somewhat.

But here's the thing.

What Alexander Graham Bell invented was a blessing for us all, deaf, hard of hearing or hearing. His phone invention has inspired thousands of would be inventers to invent new and wonderful communication technology for us down the road. In fact, the telephone technology has inspired inventers of what a video phone would look like back even in 1910 as seen in a drawing below.

And even earlier, a few years after Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone in 1876, drew inspiration from Thomas Edison in a conceptual drawing that was done in 1878 describing Edison's Telephonoscope and how it could "transmits light as well as sound." He was smart and savvy enough to see the potential of Alexander Graham Bell's own telephone technology and the possibilities it could hold well into the future. He had the right idea in mind of what we now know as the video phone or "VP" for short as we know it today.  Alexander predicted that "the day would come when the man at the telephone would be able to see the distant person to whom he was speaking." (see here and here).  That day has already arrived....some 120 years later. Who knew it would take that long for it to be commercially viable and used by millions of people? 

As for the ConvoRelay ad and the inside joke? Was there any double entredre intended? I wonder. If so, then it'd be getting kinda thin by now, dotcha think? It may be clever, maybe unintentional (who knows?), but only to those who are intimately familiar with AGBell Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing organization and the tiff that the Deaf community have against them. Even though the organization supports and recognizes the various uses of communication technology of every kind that can help deaf and hard of hearing people have communication access.

Like it or not, every time you use your cell phone or video phone you have Alexander Graham Bell to thank every time you answer that relay call or use your video phone. Where would communication technology be today if it had not been for AGBell? Maybe that's irony in of itself, wouldn't ya say?

Deaf Echo Chamber

Yells: "Hello!"

Echos - "hello...hello.......hello.............hello...........................hello."

In Deaf Echo there is an obvious pro-union article called "Madison, Wisconsin - So This is Democracy: An Attack on Education" which soon gotten my attention and decided to contribute to the discussion offering my viewpoints and opinions. But somehow, somewhere down the line, a moderator decided that I was making "abusive comments" in my responses and comments.

*scratches my head*

Hmmm.

Really?

The funny thing is that no where did I make any "abusive comments." I stated my opinions and concerns. In my own blog I hereby challenge the moderator to back up what he's claiming and point out exactly what and where my so called "abusive comments" are. As for me, I see none because I created none.

Now. I know that sometimes for other people to read what I write it may get their ire or misconstrue on exactly what I'm writing thinking it's one thing when it's not. Hence, the reason why I attempted to explain in Deaf Echo which, obviously, didn't go anywhere. 

What I think the problem is that some people are upset because I dared to have a difference of opinion or that I provided links to facts. At least it seems to be that. Bottom line, I see things differently. I attacked no one personally. I made no snarky remarks. I made no emotional, blind rage at any one. Ironically though, some veiled personal attacks against me were allowed. Double standards? You make the call. But all this had me wondering on exactly what bias is being permitted over there. Now remember folks, Moderators have every right to see fit on how to run their own website or blog. That's not the issue here. The issue is the lack of honesty.

Somebody is not being honest on wanting to have a "good discussion." Is it a one-sided discussion the goal or allow discussion from both sides of the fence? Which is it? Will it be driving forward or backward?

This is what one moderator (Bobby) said:

Mike McConnell has been blocked from further commenting on Deaf Echo for repeat violations of our policies. Specifically, writing abusive comments. We do not tolerate this on Deaf Echo. We love a good discussion that drives things forward, and we act aggressively to maintain a good environment for our readers and writers.

Until the moderator can actually point out exactly which comment I wrote that was "abusive" then that's the challenge for him to answer my call. Otherwise, I think this is a matter of protecting somebody or at least assert some kind of control on what's being allowed to discussed, perhaps keeping it pro-union as possible?? Maybe I'm wrong though the response and action made by the moderator was rather curious. Although I'm not alone in seeing the problem of this so called "abusive comments." Candy agreed that she also saw no abusive comments were being made from me.

I don't see any abusive comments by Mike. Gotta have two polarizing sides to have a good discussions and sometimes some things just don't "drive things forward." I don't see his comments creating a bad environment. Just sayin' Then again, it is your blog.

Yes, it is his blog. No doubt. And he has every right to maintain control as he sees fit. Curiously though, no one responded to what Candy said. BTW, thank you, Candy. We can always agree to disagree. 

But I think the ban had to do more with the link I provided in reponse to a moderator's "Greedy" picture cartoon he left. And so in response to that I left a link as an attempt to put into perspective the teacher's average compensation package (salary + benefits). The "Greedy Teachers" picture in the link that came with it was not the intention but the figures I wanted to present so readers can be well informed. That is certainly not considered as an "abusive comment."  In all honesty, I'm guessing exactly which comments the moderator found "so abusive" to warrant a ban. Curiously enough the moderator is also pro-union as well which could put into question the whole neutrality of that moderator.

No snide comments were made from me.

No snarks.

No abusive comments.

Just my opinions, perspective, understanding, knowledge and facts of the matter at hand. No one wants to see jobs lost. I'm not making fun or light of that, obviously.  I don't think people want to see deaf education or any education suffer, I've not hinted at nor made fun of that.

Deaf Echo, let's have the cojones to be honest and forthright than to hide behind some so-called policies and claim that I was making "abusive comments." There is no evidence of that at all. If Deaf Echo doesn't want to hear the other side, then just say so rather than hide behind an excuse!

As for those who attempted at making these veiled potshots at me, let me say this.

What the author wrote in Deaf Echo isn't lost on me on his care for Deaf Ed and his job. No one is saying what he says is unwarranted or to be easily dismissed. I have not made any emotional or personal pot shots at the author nor anyone in that forum. What I provided are some facts to add to my discussion. And, certainly, I am leery of unions as well since we already have laws that protect us and our rights. This isn't 1959 any more. 

Next, what I've stated in Deaf Echo is that if the spending problem isn't corrected or resolved somehow at the state level (even at the Federal level!!!) it will soon hurt a lot more of us than we would ever dreamed of.  And if Wisconsin or any other states see a 30-fold increase in their deficit increase in two years time then no amount screaming will help to save all of deaf education. We all can see that coming from miles away. ALL OF US. At least that's what I'm seeing now.

I asked in my earlier comments on how can one reconcile that problem and still help deaf education? How can one reconcile with that and compete against others who want to see education remain intact in public schools? And so on? I'd like to see it reconciled but then again reality is starting to bite hard and that has become scary. Just like suddenly seeing your years of abusing your credit cards to such extreme debts do you find yourself in a pickle of a situation that will change your life forever.

What about California?

Their budget deficit is much worse than Wisconsin's. How are they going to eventually face that and even try and reconcile with their deeply red deficit problem and attempt to keep the education system afloat, especially schools for the deaf? And at the same time compete against everything else on what money's is left on the table? Is it a spending problem? Lack of control? Too much control of union bosses or reps? Not enough taxes? Too much taxes? Not business friendly enough? And so on. There are many questions here.

And finally, most people seems to be saying in Deaf Echo that money or job isn't the issue but it's about the retention on their collective bargaining status. But why do some of them keep reverting back to saying, yes, it's about keeping jobs when facing the "chopping block."

Which one is it?

I'd rather have a job even if it means not having health care and other benefits than no job at all that will help keep the money flowing. When it really comes down to it, that would be it. It's about money and control for all of us. It's certainly about the battle for survival and it just so happens that the state holds the purse string and if there isn't enough money to go around, so what are we to do?

And lastly folks, learn to leave the veiled emotional pot shots out the next time. I'm not interested in infantilism. But when it comes to interesting discussion, I'm for that whether you agree or disagree. At least have the temerity to agree to disagree.

Why the Snarkyism Carl?

First order, congrats to Russell on his successful surgery for his new cochlear implant. He took the time to chronicle his pre-surgery and post-surgery videos (See Pre-surgery, Post surgery,  Post surgery Day #2....more?).  His activation will begin this Friday and I'm sure many will be anxious to see how it goes and join in with his wife and son who both wear cochlear implant. A first and second generation family of cochlear implant users! It's like Sound and Fury all over again with another first and second generation family of cochlear implant users. 

They will still be deaf but will certainly have much greater access to sound than ever before. This is not about being "disabled" but about what you can do and not about on what you cannot do.  But for one deaf person to go online and do a snarky video about Russell's post-implantation results and congratulate him by calling him "disabled" raises the question on his maturity or the lack of maturity for that matter.

Scholarship opportunity for deaf and hard of hearing seeking undergrad or grad degree

For those seeking scholarship grants who are deaf or hard of hearing who are pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree at an accredited mainstream college or university, here's your chance to apply before the March 15, 2011 deadline!

Eligibility:

- Spoken communication must be the applicant's primary mode of communication.
- Hearing loss must have been diagnosed before the applicant’s fourth birthday.
- Hearing loss must be bilateral and in the moderate to profound range.

Applicants must have an unaided Pure-Tone Average (PTA) of 60dB or greater in the better-hearing ear in the speech frequencies of 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz. Applicants with cochlear implants meet this eligibility requirement. Unilateral (one-sided) hearing loss does not qualify.

The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) offers several scholarships for full-time students who are deaf and hard of hearing and who are pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree at an accredited mainstream college or university.

This is a merit-based scholarship program with award selection being extremely competitive. While the number and value of awards varies from year to year. In 2010, 144 eligible applications were received and 18 awards were granted, which ranged from $1,000 to $10,000.

Don't miss out this opportunity and perhaps help cut the cost of college! This scholarship isn't just for those in the United States but those who are seeking degrees in other countries.

Fear of communicating??

Who is really afraid of communicating to who? Is it a deaf person who fear communicating to a hearing person? Hard of hearing person who fear communicating to a deaf person? Or a hearing person who has a fear of communicating to a deaf person? Where does this fear lie? Why does this happen? Who exhibits this terrifying fear of communicating? Scared to strike up some real conversations when there is no real communication access? Why wait for an interpreter if there's an alternative way to communicate? Is it a fear of communication or a lack of understanding? How do you categorize yourself as? Are you an extrovert? Introvert? Shy? Weak?  Is it "communiphobia" (fear of communicating) you have? Is this something you notice in other people? Tell me your thoughts!

Justin Osmond speaks at his university graduation

Justin Osmond, the 2nd son of Merril and Mary Osmond.

(He) was born with a severe/profound sensorial-neural hearing loss. Diagnosed at the age of 2, he finally got to hear life’s precious sounds for his very first time. Considering the fact that he was a couple years behind his peers, he has shown through a series of intense dedication and mental/physical exertion, that nothing can stop him from going after his dreams and aspirations.

After 12 years of intense speech/listening therapy, he can speak with passion and hear with conviction. There were many obstacles and challenges that represented stumbling blocks, despair and lack of hope. But his will-power, determination, desire, and hope surpassed all hurdles that stood in his way.

Despite the inevitable, and with a 90% hearing loss, Justin pressed forward with a perfect brightness of hope and a love for all humanity. He went on to play the violin, viola, piano, and drums. He has received numerous awards such as the prestigious sterling scholarship in music, academic scholarships, honorary achievements, and many athletic titles in soccer, football, basketball, and track. He is also proud to represent the Boy Scouts of America as an Eagle Scout and he currently has his Masters in Business Administration (MBA).

Justin currently serves as public relations, board member, and a spokesperson for the Starkey Hearing Foundation, the largest outreach program in providing hearing help to children worldwide. He continues to travel the world with one object in mind: To leave Better Hearing Smiles behind.

On February 12, 2011, Justin spoke at his graduation ceremony at Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, Utah.

He continues to give back to others who are hearing-impaired with the Olive Osmond Perpetual Hearing Fund, which he founded in honor of his grandmother.

To continue his non-profit work, Justin decided to go back to school for his MBA at Western Governors University, headquartered here in Salt Lake City.

On Feb. 12 Justin will graduate and has been selected as one of the student speakers at WGU’s winter commencement ceremony. For someone who struggled to speak, Justin is now making a graduation speech in front of thousands of people.

Justin will serve as a model and inspiration to those with hearing loss by helping others with hearing loss.

Merril Osmond who is Justin's father is one of the famously known Osmond Brothers band during the 1970s, and even to today 50 years later. The other two oldest Osmond brothers, George Virl Osmond, Jr. and Tom Osmond, who did not sing were born with a hearing loss.