'Hear's' to the future... Wisconsin SHHH conference for hard-of-hearing honors Menomonie

From: Dunn County News, WI - Oct 4, 2004

"Hat's Off to Technology," a conference for people who use technology to live well with hearing loss, will be held Oct. 15-16, in Neenah and Appleton. The event is sponsored by Wisconsin-Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc. (WI-SHHH).

Full agenda

• A hands-on training on Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT) is the first event of the conference on Friday, Oct. 15, at 2 p.m.

The training is for anyone who wants to learn about assistive technology that extends the capabilities of hearing aids -- including devices that are used at performing arts centers, churches, hotels, etc. -- personal devices that one can use in any setting, and alerting devices. The training will address communication access as it is defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act. This event is for hard of hearing people and others who wish to learn how to assist them in large or small settings.

The training will be followed by a dinner and social evening where the film Sound & Fury will be shown and discussed. The story centers on a family coping with hereditary hearing loss that must address issues raised by technology and medical advancements when a family member chooses to have a cochlear implant.

Dinner is included in the registration fee.

• Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Hearing Loss, but Didn't Know Whom to Ask! will be one of three workshops featured on Saturday, Oct 16.

Nationally known author and facilitator, Marcia Dugan from Rochester, N.Y. will be the featured speaker. Dugan is the author of the book Living with Hearing Loss. She is a past president of the SHHH National Board of Trustees and the current president of the International Federation of Hard of Hearing People (IFHOH).

• Loop Your City! How you can bring "communication access" to your town, church, or other venue with technology. The story of Menomonie's success in getting HAT in its community will be shared.

• Cochlear Implants... the Wave of the Future... For Whom? Perhaps YOU! This segment features Kathy Allen, consumer advocate for Cochlear Americas Inc. Allen, born profoundly deaf, mainstreamed in school with a combination of sign language and oral education. As an adult, she received a cochlear implant.

Today, she hears well, uses a standard telephone, is able to converse in noisy situations, and is very grateful for the positive difference technology has made in her life.

She will share her personal story, along with information about implant technology.

The conference registration fee includes Friday supper, refreshments and coffee, and rolls, and lunch on Saturday. The fee is $15 for members of Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc., and $35 for non-members. The non-member fee includes a one-year membership in SHHH including a subscription to Hearing Loss Magazine. Family members attending with a paid registrant will pay $10 per person.

Reservations, due by Saturday, Oct. 9, are limited. Walk-ins are welcome, however lunch cannot be guaranteed.

The Friday event will be held in Neenah at 933 Manor Drive, starting at 2 p.m.

Saturday activities will be held at UUC Fellowship at 2600 Phillip St. in Appleton beginning at 8:15 a.m. and ending at 3:15 p.m.

Register at either site.

For registration forms and other information, visit www.wi-shhh.org, call 920-968-6364 for Julie, or e-mail jolson_cap@gwicc.org. For local or regional information, contact the regional Center for Independent Living, 2920 Schneider Ave. East, Menomonie. Call 233-1070 or 1-800-228-3287 for a local SHHH contact.

Technology will be used to provide communication access at all events.

This conference is made possible by a generous grant from Options for Independent Living, Inc., through the National Football League Player's Professional Athlete's Association, Cochlear Americas sponsorship of communication access, and donations to WI-SHHH from individual members and friends of Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc.

SHHH is the nation's largest consumer advocacy and education group for people with hearing loss. The SHHH mission is to open the doors to communication for people with hearing loss. WI-SHHH is the state association for Wisconsin.

SHHH and Cochlear Implant Club International have merged as of August 2004. Wisconsin Cochlear Implant Club Members are now SHHH members. www.hearingloss.com is the national Web site and link to states and chapters.

Copyright 2004, The Dunn County News; a division of Lee Enterprises.