Who We Are

HEAR! HERE! is your local chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America [HLAA] serving Woodland, Davis and Yolo County. We offer informational programs throughout the year that are open to all. See this blog for times and dates of upcoming events.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Our e-mail address is: hearherewoodland@gmail.com

Sunday, October 31, 2010

October Meeting discusses holiday time for the hearing impaired

Holidays are coming up. At our October meeting we had some great hints for surviving family gatherings without being left out. First to remember is: Plan Ahead. Realize that large social groups are one of the most difficult environments for a person with hearing loss. Be kind to yourself and focus on the positive things you can do.


It’s easier to talk with people one-on-one in a quiet area, so find a quieter corner. Bring something to share (photos?), sit in another (quiet) room and invite people one at a time to come look at your pictures (of a vacation trip? your garden? the big fish!).

When sitting down to dinner, choose a seat that is best for you. If you have a “better” side, position yourself to hear on that side. Avoid sitting next to one who does not speak distinctly. Ask your host to turn off background music (or the football game) during dinner – or have the TV on mute.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

HEAR HERE Part of ADA 20th Anniversary Celebration

July 31st:

The disability pride celebration marking the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act took place in Central Park, Davis this last Saturday. Hear Here! was one of the featured groups for the event along with other local entities.

There was a very good turn out and the parade around the park made for an impressive sight and sound, with Hear Here signs visible within the crowd and the chant "ADA, ADA Here to Stay" reverberating around the square.

The program that followed the parade featured representatives from all the political bodies, Federal, State, County to City, taking turns to acknowledge this major anniversary of "civil rights for everyone" as well as representatives from other support groups in the area. Laurie Loving from our board was one of the featured speakers along side Lucinda Talkington from Outa Sight. Numerous performers also donated their time helping to make the morning a true celebration.

Thanks to the Davis Senior Center Laurie was able to ensure that Listening Devices, connected to the sound system, were available to those who needed them. There was also two volunteer sign language interpreters available throughout the program. 20 years ago, these services would not have been available for a gathering of this kind; it is the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act that ensures we can all join in and enjoy these events. Hear Here! also hosted a table offering information about our group and the services currently available to the hard of hearing.

Organizers of the event said that they hoped to " strengthen the pride, power and unity of people with disabilities, our families and allies" and "challenge the way many people think about and define 'disability'" [Davis Enterprise].

Everyone present had a good time marking this most important Act of Legislation.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

2010 PRESCHOOL HEARING TESTS
 A "RESOUNDING" SUCCESS.

This year for the first time our preschool testing took place over four days and included Davis as well as Woodland. A total of 163 preschool aged children from eight preschools were screened for possible hearing loss. Fourteen children failed the test and were advised to have their hearing checked again by a doctor and an audiologist. Hearing is vital to success in school. Accomplishing first-grade reading skills relies on careful listening. These skills include knowing the difference between letters, words, and sentences, and figuring out what a word is by sounding out the letters. Local preschool hearing tests have been sponsored in Woodland and in Davis by Hear! Here!, local chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America [HLAA], with funding supplied by Woodland Reveille Lions Club, the Community Benefit Committee of Woodland Healthcare, and Soroptimists International of Davis.
The article below, which ran in the Daily Enterprise, discusses the Davis Testing. Kathy Glatter who's son is mentioned in the article is one of Hear! Here!'s Advisory Board Members.

Preschoolers' screening catches hearing loss early

By Laurie Loving
Special to The Enterprise
May 27, 2010 09:17

Thanks to the efforts of a local physician, dozens of Davis preschoolers have been screened for hearing loss. Early detection is key, she says.
'We were devastated to learn that our beautiful little boy was hearing-impaired, especially late in the game, at age 6,' said Kathy Glatter, M.D., a Woodland Healthcare cardiologist and mother of Jack Maurantonio, now 7. 'Because his hearing loss developed after he had acquired language, Jack is very verbal and you would never dream he had a hearing loss.'
Glatter was frustrated with the teacher's frequent reports that Jack was 'not listening and not following directions.' Last year, after ruling out ADHD, she took him to an audiologist, who diagnosed a moderate to severe conductive hearing loss in the right ear.
'Jack tested normal at birth. They think it developed during repeated ear infections, although I obviously took him to the pediatrician and Jack took the antibiotics, got ear tubes and had his tonsils and adenoids removed.'
Glatter was most disturbed by the fact that Jack had passed the routine hearing screening at the pediatrician's office at ages 5 and 6.
'Actually, their screening totally missed that he had become pretty much deaf in his right ear,' she said. 'I thought this would only happen to kids that don't get to a doctor.'
If Jack had been in public kindergarten, the state-mandated screening would have picked it up, but he was in private school, which does not test. Preschools do not routinely provide hearing screenings either.
'What if I had not requested a specialist? We would still think Jack had normal hearing! It bothered me that other children may be in school with an undiagnosed hearing loss,' Glatter said.
Seeking a solution, she contacted the Hear! Here! support group for hard-of-hearing people in Woodland and was soon asked to join its advisory board. The group coordinates with the Agency for Hearing in Sacramento to provide hearing screenings at Woodland preschools for a reasonable fee. A nonprofit, the agency sends mobile hearing screening vans to schools all over Northern California to provide the state-mandated tests to more than 100,000 children in kindergarten through high school.
Impassioned, Glatter got busy finding funding for the Davis preschools. She sent out four proposals and got positive responses from two sources.
'My practice is with Woodland Healthcare and they donated $1,000. Soroptimist International of Davis contributed $500,' she said. 'I am so grateful that both groups understood the importance of identifying children with hearing loss as early as possible.'
Earlier this month, a total of 58 children at Davis Parent Nursery School and University Covenant Nursery School were tested for hearing loss. Two days later, 44 children were screened at LaRue Park and Russell Park Child Development Centers.
'Out of 102 preschoolers, ages 4 and 5, 12 failed the test,' Glatter said. 'One child's hearing loss was in both ears, at ... over 50 percent in laymen's terms. I gave all the parents the screening results, and we recommended they go to an audiologist for follow-up and more in-depth testing. They were surprised, but grateful for the screening.'
Glatter is still learning to cope with her son's hearing loss.
'This is not what parents plan for, but Jack loves his hearing aid and wears it all the time. He is doing much better at school now, and next fall the teacher will wear a microphone that transmits wirelessly to the hearing aid (an FM system). I'm happy that our preschool hearing tests can find other kids like Jack and help them!'
For information on preschool testing, contact Glatter at k_ glatter@yahoo.com. For information on hearing loss for all ages, contact Claire Childers, Hear! Here! chapter leader, at hearherewoodland@gmail.com

Sunday, April 25, 2010

BILL FAIRFIELD OF MUMBO GUMBO AT MONDAY'S MEETING in DAVIS

Noise-induced hearing loss is something that can happen for many reasons; being around construction machinery; near loud amplified music for long periods of time; being too close to gun fire; working in industrial settings with heavy equipment; and using large agricultural machinery are prime examples.
Come learn from Betty McNamara, a Woodland Healthcare audiologist, how extended periods of exposure to loud noise levels can cause permanent hearing loss; from Billy Wagster, Yolo County's Veterans Service Officer, how help is being offered to our veterans with hearing loss resulting from military service; and listen to Bill Fairfield's personal story of his hearing loss which happened while he was playing in the rock band Mumbo Gumbo.

REMINDER: this meeting is being held this Monday the 26th, at 10.00am in the DAVIS SENIOR CENTER at 646 A Street, Davis

Saturday, April 24, 2010

HEAR HERE! THANKS LOCAL GROUPS FOR THEIR SUPPORT
Board member Dr. Glatter applied for, and received, $1,000.00 from the Community Benefit Committee of the Woodland Healthcare and $500.00 from Soroptimist International of Davis. With the $500.00 already received from the Woodland Reveille Lions Club, we were able to contract for testing on May 4th and 5th at 4 preschools in Woodland and Davis.
It is not too late for individuals to donate to the program. One donation of $7.50 may save a child with an unrecognized hearing loss from a life of struggling to catch up to others in school.

Please make your check payable to:
 HLAA Woodland Chapter
and mail to:
HLAA Woodland Chapter
Atten: Preschool Hearing Test Program
2513 Madrid Court
Davis CA 95616
Thank you

Friday, April 2, 2010

THANKS

WOODLAND HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION has donated $1,000.00 to the Hear! Here! Preschool Hearing Test Program. Thanks to this generous donation along with the continueing support of the WOODLAND REVEILLE LIONS CLUB the program this year has expanded to two days, May 4th and 5th, and also has been expanded to include schools in Davis as well as Woodland.
The program provides for pre-school children to be tested for hearing loss with the goal of identifying children that need help before they start school and fall behind. The cost of testing is $450.00 per school.
An individual may also donate to the project, just $7.50 pays for a test for one student. You can help prevent a child with an unrecongnized hearing loss from a life of struggling to catch to others in school. Make checks payable to : HLAA Woodland Chapter 2513 Madrid Court, Davis, CA 95616

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

NEXT MEETING: Monday, March 22, 2 p.m.at the Woodland Community and Senior Center, 2001 East Street, Woodland
TOPIC:
Summer Camp for children with hearing loss. Leading the presentation about the Lions Wilderness Camp for Deaf Children will be Franklin Anderson, Lions board vice president of Camp Ross Relles near Nevada City.
The Lions Service for Children Projects addresses needs for children in disadvantaged circumstances. Deaf and hard-of hearing kids often lack social opportunities that other children enjoy because of communication difficulties. At Camp Ross Relles, the deaf and hard-of-hearing child may enjoy camping with their peers in a setting especailly designed for children with hearing loss.
Join us there!