Listen Up!

Director's Corner

Much of the space in this edition of Listen Up! will be used to personally thank all of the individuals, businesses and community organizations that collectively worked together to make the 16th Annual Be A Hear-O Dinner Dance a success. A few dollars are still coming in, but appears that we raised approximately $13,000 that will be used to support the AFTHI's programs and services and the individuals/families that access them.

Included are complimentary business card size advertisements for our Event Sponsors, a complete list of individuals/business/organizations that contributed items for the Silent & Chinese Auctions and the Raffle as well as the persons who contributed their time and talents to the planning of the event. We also do not want to overlook the nearly 100 persons who attended the BAHO and the staff and board of the Association for the Hearing Impaired, Inc. Thanks to them all.

April 29th will be Kate Doty's last day at the AFTHI. The good news is that she will be stopping by to volunteer in the office. In order to accommodate our agency's goals and objectives this year and beyond, it will be necessary to increase the number of individuals involved in daily, weekly and monthly operations. I am proud and pleased to announce that Kara Hendrick, a member of the AFTHI's Board of Directors, who wrote a moving story in the November, 2009 edition of Listen Up! about how her family met and continues to address the needs of a child born with multiple health issues, including being profoundly deaf will be joining us in the newly created volunteer position of Coordinator of Volunteer Services. Also, I have been meeting with the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program Director Jeff Stewart who has a good sense that the RSVP has members that would welcome the opportunity to regularly volunteer at the AFTHI. Last but not least, I am seeking to redefine the current Administrative Assistant position to focus more on managing programs and services and less on secretarial/administrative duties. I have in mind an individual who is familiar with the AFTHI, has a working knowledge of assistive devices in the loan-out program and is capable of teaching ASL and Lip Reading classes. That candidate is interested in a part-time employment opportunity at the AFTHI and could likely begin in the late spring or early summer.

The Home Schooled Sign Language students had their final class with Connie Wilder on 04/21. Marcie Johnson's ASL Level I and II classes end on 05/03 and 05/05, respectively. The Fabulous Friends with Flying Finger's final class, under the supervision of Connie Fuller and Sandie Clark, with the Assistance of Rose Stewart will be held on 05/11 (please see the AFTHI On-The-Go for a list of FFFF performance dates and locations). We ask YOU, the members and supporters of the AFTHI and readers of Listen Up! to let us know how we can best develop classes that meet your needs. That would include months, days of the week, hours in the morning/afternoon/evening and even locations in the Tri-County Region when and where you would be interested in participating in a class or workshop. It remains the mission of the AFTHI to serve the needs of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing of all ages in Warren, Washington and Saratoga Counties and beyond.

Sincerely,
Bennet F. Driscoll, Jr.

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Your Dollars Make a Difference

The Association for the Hearing Impaired, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation under the Internal Revenue Code. Your contributions are fully deductible and appreciated.

If you would like to make a gift “in memory of” or “in honor of” a friend or loved one, we will notify the appropriate person of your thoughtful gift. You can also remember the Association in your will or life insurance policy.

Your generosity will make an important difference in the lives of deaf and hard of hearing children and adults. For more information about leaving the Association in your will, contact the office at 761-0554.

Become a Member
(or Renew Your Membership)

Association for the Hearing Impaired Memberships are available at many levels:

• Individual, $15
• Family, $20
• Sponsor, $50
• Patron, $150

Of course, contributions in any amount are welcome! Make your check payable to "AHI" and mail to 71 Glenwood Ave., Queensbury, NY 12804. For more information on the benefits of membership, please contact us: (518) 761-0554.

We thank everyone who supports our work. Particularly the Tri-County United Way and Area Lions Clubs.

Cochlear Implants

The Association for the Hearing Impaired, Inc. is interested in hearing from individuals and families who have had a cochlear implant as well as persons interested in learning more about them. Is there interest in forming a group that could meet during the year?

What is a cochlear implant? A cochlear implant is a small, complex electronic device that can help to provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard-of-hearing. The implant consists of an external portion that sits behind the ear and a second portion that is surgically placed under the skin. An implant has the following parts: A microphone, which picks up sound from the environment, a speech processor, which selects and arranges sounds picked up by the microphone, a transmitter and receiver/stimulator, which receive signals from the speech processor and convert them into electronic impulses, and an electrode array, which is a group of electrodes that collects the impulses from the stimulator and sends them to different regions of the auditory nerve.

An implant does not restore normal hearing. Instead, it can give a deaf person a useful representation of sounds in the environment and help him/her to understand speech.

A cochlear implant is very different from a hearing aid. Hearing aids amplify sounds so damaged ears may detect them. Cochlear implants bypass damaged portions of the ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve. Signals generated by the implant are sent by way of the auditory nerve to the brain, which recognizes the signals as sound. Hearing through a cochlear implant is different from normal hearing and takes time to learn or relearn. However, it allows many people to recognize warning signs, understand other sounds in the environment, and enjoy a conversation in person or by telephone.

Children and adults who are deaf or severely hard-of-hearing can be fitted for cochlear implants. According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, as of April 2009, approximately 188,000 worldwide have received implants. In the United States, roughly 41,500 adults and 25,500 children have received them. Adults who have lost all or most of their hearing in life often can benefit from cochlear implants. They learn to associate the signal provided by an implant with sounds that they remember. This often provides recipients with the ability to understand speech solely by listening through the implant, without requiring any visual cues as those provided by lip-reading or sign language. Cochlear implants, coupled with intensive post-implantation therapy, can help young children to acquire speech, language and social skills. Most children who receive implants are between two and six years old. Early implantation provides exposure to sounds that can be helpful during the critical period when children learn speech and language skills.

Use of cochlear implant requires both a surgical procedure and significant therapy to learn or relearn the sense of hearing. Not everyone performs at the same level with this device. The decision to receive an implant should involve discussions with medical specialist, including an experienced cochlear implant surgeon. The process can be expensive. Surgical implants are almost always safe, although complications are a risk factor, just as with any kind of surgery. An additional consideration is learning to interpret the sounds created by an implant. This process takes time and practice. Speechlanguage pathologists and audiologists are frequently involved in this learning process. Prior to implantation, all of these factors need to be considered.

Please Join Us for a Free Educational Event

Joe Marchese and Parri Tantillo, M.A. from Cochlear Americas will host a free educational event for Cochlear implant recipients and people interested in learning more about Cochlear implants. Please join us to learn about the NEW Cochlear™ Nucleus® 5 System, the newest, most advanced cochlear implant technology. Discover tips and resources to maximize your listening and music appreciation experiences with your current Nucleus Cochlear Implant System. Connect with others in your community who have experienced hearing loss and now use cochlear implant(s) to access a world of sound.

Share your questions and get answers from our Cochlear team and other Cochlear implant recipients.

Date: Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Time: 3:00 pm
Location: Association for the Hearing Impaired
71 Glenwood Avenue, Queensbury

Refreshments will be served. RSVP by calling the Association at 761-0554 or email director@afthi.org

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Join AFTHI at Uno's

We will be having Uno's Days on the 2nd Thursday of each month. This month, AFTHI day at Uno's is May 12.

Just print out a coupon from our web site and take it with you. Uno's will do the rest. When you present the coupon to your server, Unos will give up to 20% of your check to the Association for the Hearing Impaired.

See you at Uno's!

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The Association for the Hearing Impaired, Inc. wishes to acknowledge the Glenn & Carol Pearsall Adirondack Foundation for their generous grant award to our agency. Monies will be used to produce and disseminate the Listen Up! newsletter, for the ongoing upgrading of our website and increased awareness of and participation in AFTHI programs and services by residents of Warren, Washington and Saratoga Counties and beyond.

AFTHI Attends LARAC Funding Panel Event

The Association for the Hearing Impaired, Inc. would like to thank our friends at the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Center for recently hosting a Not-for-Profit Arts and Cultural Meeting with Funding Panel that the AFTHI attended. Present were representatives from the Charles R. Wood Foundation, The Glens Falls Foundation, the Glenn & Carol Pearsall Adirondack Foundation and Stewart's Shops, all of whom have or currently fund AFTHI programs/services. Also, present were personnel from the Walmart Queensbury store and Jeff Yule from the Ronald McDonald House Charities. The RMHC recently did a site visit at the AFTHI as part of the process that take in evaluating grant applicants. These Community and Corporate Foundations are included in the ever growing list of funders from the Greater Capital Region that the AFTHI is renewing or will be establishing relationships with throughout this year.

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Memberships, Contributions & Grant Funds

The Association for the Hearing Impaired truly appreciates the financial support of all of its members as well as from those who provide private contributions, grant monies or wish to honor the life of a loved one with a Memorial contribution.

The AFTHI wishes to thank those individuals by recognizing you in the monthly edition of Listen Up! The following list includes those that have either paid dues or sent a contribution since April 1, 2010. To those of you that have supported our agency in the past, the AFHTI thanks you too!

• Alan & Doris Redeker
• Edward Sheridan
• Northville-Sacandaga Lions
• Karl & Anne Smoczynski
• Stephen Minnich
• David Harris
• David & Gertrude Lambert
• Ronald & Rosemary Montesi
• Zonta Club
• Fort Edward Lions Club
• Lois Askew

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Community Wide Volunteer Fair

The Association for the Hearing Impaired, Inc. and Sprint Relay joined forces on Saturday, April 14th to recruit volunteers, to share information and display assistive equipment at the Mission Outreach Committee of the Queensbury United Methodist Church's Community-Wide Volunteer Fair.

Ben Driscoll and Sandie Clark shared a booth from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Visitors were entertained by two separate performances by the Fabulous Friends with Flying Fingers. Also during the past month, the AFTHI provided Outreach Services in Ballston Spa, Whitehall, Granville and Glens Falls.

The spring and summer months are a wonderful time for the AFTHI to visit your congregation, school, senior center or meal site, Civic and Veteran's organization or community agency.

We also thank the Tri-County United Way for inviting us to visit a number of area businesses including CR Bard, Irving Tissue, Covidien, SCA Tissue, and most recently Navilyst and Tribune Media Services. Drop us a line - if you've got the place, we'll make the time!

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