Hearing Aids

I have finally convinced my husband to get hearing aids.

He had surgery a couple of years ago and the anesthesiologist told me that hearing loss contributes to dementia because the person is not getting enough input into the brain. When I told my husband that he agreed that he would look into it but never did.

This year he kept putting it off because he needed surgery on one of his eyes.

I have been nagging him about it because I want him to have a better quality of life.

After agreeing to get his hearing checked, I made an appointment with an ENT doctor. First, he had to have a hearing test by an audiologist and then the doctor would meet with him to discuss the results. We found out that he has severe loss in one ear and moderate loss in the other. But they said it would cost $100 to have another appointment with the audiologist to discuss hearing aid options.

We decided to wait and see about going through the VA for hearing aids. Consumer reports said that the VA was the best place to get hearing aids. It took several attempts to finally get someone from the VA to tell us that he has to file a claim for hearing loss and that we need to submit evidence. Of course, this could take months (or years?) to get approved.

So, I suggested that he get his first pair of hearing aids from Costco because quality of life is so important. He could get them sooner and start getting used to them. Meanwhile, we will continue to pursue the VA claim and if it ever gets approved, he could get his next hearing aids through them.

The Costco appointment was made quickly and when he arrived for the appointment, he was given his hearing test. Then the audiologist gave him a pair of hearing aids to “test drive” around the store. It was amazing to see my husband’s face light up as he heard sounds that he hadn’t been able to hear before. It didn’t bother his ear and it didn’t weigh as much as he thought it would. So, he agreed to get a pair. They were $1600 which included 3 years of insuranHearingring aids are not taxed either. They ordered him a pair and he will pick them up next week.

It was interesting to know that it would take 3 days for his brain to get over the strange sound in his ear and that it would take up to 3 months to feel comfortable with them. My husband also needs to read aloud to himself at least 10 minutes each day for his brain to relearn how to hear letter sounds. His hearing loss has caused him to have some speech-reception problems that he has to overcome.

I’m so excited for him!

Providing Auditory Access to Textual Materials

Another session at the SCCEC conference was “Providing Auditory Access to Textual Materials Through State-of­-the-Art Digital Recordings by Mike Skinner and Beth Thornburg. They share their website: The RFB&D® Learning Through Listening® Support Center (“Supported by a private grant, the RFB&D® Learning Through Listening® Support Center at the College of Charleston provides information and training to local schools and agencies that help individuals with visual, learning or physical disabilities.”) Applications and Links to needed sites are all located in this one place.

I remember years ago getting this for my student with a learning disability. There was a big green machine and the tapes were big and green. Was I surprised to see how portable and normal these materials have become. It is possible for the students to look like they are carrying a CD player now, depending on which tool they get. Please consider getting this for your students who qualify for this.

From the Presentation:

Disability categories that qualify for RFB&D (Recordings for the Blind & Dyslexic) – blindness, visual impairment, physical impairment which affect the ability to manipulate a book. Learning Disability that impairs reading, traumatic brain injury.

RFB&D has over 61,000 recorded titles. It is easy to search for a book by title, author or both.

Hardware and Software info:

DAISY formatting (Daisy Accessible Information System Y (to make it a word)

Assistive Technology Tools: Cross Media Players, software, portable player, desktop player.

For Teacher Support: Learning Through Listening – gives lesson plans, graphic organizers and tips for managing RFB&D in your classroom

Supporting Research (from John Hopkins University, Rutgers University, Tufts University, and Baltimore City Public Schools System):

When students with print and learning disabilities use audio textbooks, they

· Improve reading comprehension (76%)

· Improve reading accuracy (52%)

· Increase reading rate (41%)

· Increase self confidence (61%)

Steps to Take to Utilize RFB&D:

1. Register your school

2. Encourage parents to sign up their qualified students with free, at home RFB&D memberships.

3. Identify students eligible to receive audio or electronic text accessible content.

4. Identify AIM titles and format required by your students

5. Search RFB&D’s online library of accessible content.

6. Order books

Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic

Contact Member service for membership info and general customer service questions:

800-221-4792

custserv@rfbd.org

Do you use these materials in your classroom? If so, please share your stories.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: '10 June'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8365241@N02/2569205162 by: Carolyn Williams

I Can’t Hear You!

In Pump up the Volume from Learn Me Good by Mister Teacher, he states,

“I have a strict rule in my class that when someone works a problem in front of the class, they are not allowed to just write and DO the problem. They have to explain the steps verbally as they go. In some cases, I have to stop a kid midway through their first step and say, "We can't hear you." Usually, they pause for a heartbeat, then start over AT EXACTLY THE SAME VOLUME LEVEL. So I repeat, "We can't hear you. Please speak louder."”

When I was in school, I was very shy and unsure of myself. Classes where a teacher insisted that I speak in front of the class would make me break out in hives. In fact, it was probably the class that I hated the most. My fear of talking in class actually made focusing on the content almost impossible. I was probably the least popular student in the whole class and even experienced some bullying (because they usually attack the weakest student). I still can feel that same feelings just thinking about those situations. I knew that when I became a teacher, this was one of the things that I would not inflict on my students.

Maybe the student doesn’t talk loudly because of fear. They are afraid they might have the answer wrong and previously, they were ridiculed by the teacher for doing it wrong. Maybe they have been laughed at by classmates when they have gotten the wrong answer. Maybe they really don’t understand this concept and by making them talk about it in front of everyone just makes them feel bad. Sometimes this fear is so real and so big, that they would rather fail then to get up in class to do this. Unless a student trusts the teacher and the classroom, this fear is really hard to overcome.

I would allow students who want to work out a problem in front of the class to come up and do this. There are always some students who really like the attention and don’t mind doing this. This helps the others see a peer working out the problem and going through the thought processes out loud. I could still correct any mistakes as they happen and those students who make the same mistakes can see it from their seats.

If I call on students who don’t feel comfortable working it out in front of the class, I would give them the option of explaining to me at their seats how they worked it out. This could be done at a later time or I could ask the students to watch and help the student at the front of the class while I go around and ask individuals to tell me their process. Having a choice really alleviates their fear and lets them concentrate on the concepts.

My main reason for wanting them to explain the steps would be to check for understanding. Maybe if I was teaching a speech or drama class, talking in front of the group would be important but I need to look at the reasoning behind my activities. I’m afraid that by insisting a student speak louder only makes their brains shut down rather than encouraging them to try harder. Eventually by encouraging the students and building trust, they may eventually volunteer to work out a problem in front of the class. I would continue to ask them to come to the front of the class but if they turn me down, I would offer them other options to let them show me they understand. Maybe one day they will surprise me and say yes the next time I ask them.

I think eventually these students will feel successful when they can solve a problem on their own. Whether they show this by explaining it to the whole class or just to me, doesn’t really matter. Their success is what is important to me.

Original image: 'What did you say???' http://www.flickr.com/photos/66164549@N00/1905410893 by: Keven Law