Owner: I look so I can hear URL:http://funnyoldlife.wordpress.com Join Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 18:48:34 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Living with a hearing loss in London's rat race Site statistics:Click here
Campaign for more subtitles on ITV digital channels 2007-05-18 01:48:19 ITV digital channels
don’t provide much subtitling. ITV3 and ITV4 subtitled 13.8 % of their programmes last year. What’s worse, most of their programmes were subtitled when first shown, and these are repeats with the subtitles removed. Why is this happening?
If you think deaf and hard of hearing people should be able to enjoy repeats of programmes such as Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders, A Touch of Frost, Prime Suspect and Foyle’s War, show your support by clicking on this link from the RNID and sending an email to Michael Grade, Executive Chairman of ITV.
I won’t get carried away by discussing the different standards of subtitling, that’s a whole new post. Here’s an interesting link, showing a survey of different styles. Any comments?
Oh yes, I haven’t forgotten the obligatory laughs …… enjoy this!
Read more:Campaign
Mind the gap …. ouch! 2007-05-16 00:57:53
I got caught again today. Caught doing what? - no, no, no!
I was rushing to get onto a tube train on the London Underground, with my dog in tow. Luckily, I let Sir on first, and I followed. Unfortunately I wasn’t quick enough with the following part (need more practice?) and got caught between the tube doors as they shut. OOOWWW! I was grazed across my back and my backpack got stuck between the doors. Three men tried to open the doors until one fella grabbed my bag and pulled it in (as I tried not to laugh). Gawd, I felt so silly. And yes, I did thank them.
This isn’t the first time this has happened. I have been able to hear the beeping as the doors shut, but very rarely, and usually when I am on the inside of the train. To hear it, I have to be close to the doors (obviously) and my hearing aids have to be aimed in the right direction. It didn’t help that I had my iPod on at the time.
But at least I was quicker than I was on one occasion last year. Smudge got on t Read more:hellip
Are hearing aids about to be revolutionised? 2007-05-20 17:18:52
Oticon recently produced an aid designed to change the public perception of hearing aids. The Oticon Delta is a miniature hearing aid available in different colours, and is aimed at boosting speech understanding in difficult listening environments for people with all hearing loss levels up to 80 decibels.
3D systems Corp announced at the annual audiology show in Denver Colorado that it will work with Dreve Otoplastik (who sets standards for the fitting of hearing aids to the human ear) to produce a compact, fast, low-cost hearing aid manufacturing system this autumn.
Miracle-Ear have an open ear aid which reduces the feedback problem. However they are still pushing the boring assumption that most people don’t want others to see they have hearing aids.
A hearing aid called Wirear has been designed in Sydney for the Australian Design Awards.
Hearing aid companies such as Hear Pod are beginning to bring down the price of aids to make better quality aids more accessible to more pe
Deaf and self employed? Jane says - Think! about it 2007-05-20 14:07:36
A friend Jane is a fashion designer and is hearing impaired. She had a sample sale this weekend in Brick Lane, so when I was bribed with home made organic carrot cake - couldn’t resist this - I was persuaded to accompany her. I didn’t take much bribing did I, he he he.
Jane’s business, Think!, is based on fair trade, which means workers are paid a living wage rather than an unfair wage, and a portion of this is ploughed back into the local community. Traditional skills are retained and a contribution is made towards reducing global warming. Jane uses organic cotton, where the farmers don’t use pesticides - better for them and for the end-user. Pesticides kill and injure thousands of people every year. You can read more about fair trade and Jane’s ethical policies on her website. She has made many trips to India, sourcing all her textiles and labour from there.
I was on the way and Jane sent me a text with directions - ‘come out of Shoreditch and t
Boeing Boeing 2007-05-23 13:22:00
I went to see a play called Boeing
Boeing at the Comedy Theatre which is running until 20 October 2007.
This theatre used to be known as The Royal Comedy Theatre and it opened in London’s West End on October 15, 1881. This Victorian theatre was designed by Thomas Verity and built in just six months. By 1884 it was known as just the Comedy Theatre.
The play was captioned by Stagetext and it was captioned very well. This play originally opened in the 1960s and I thought it was going to be quite boring (I don’t like anything that’s before my time!), but I was pleasantly surprised. This is a new production by Matthew Warchus and it is very funny. The stage set is very simple, the play is set in one room throughout. Bernard has 3 fiancees who are all air hostesses, and he manages them according to a strict timetable and with the help of his stressed housekeeper. When a faster Boeing aircraft is introduced, messing up his timetable, and an old school friend turns up to s
Public speaking - me?! 2007-05-28 16:41:39 “According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.” (Jerry Seinfeld)
And what if you’re deaf and need to do public speaking? Isn’t it one of the most terrifying things to ask a deaf person to do? Hearing people are often too nervous to speak publicly, and avoid it where they can. But I usually enjoy it.
Why are people so scared of public speaking? A common reason is fear of looking foolish in front of an audience. But hey, when you talk to a friend, you are talking naturally and without nervousness. So why can this not be carried over to speaking to a group? A lot of people are scared of being judged by others. But give this some thought. Your friend is more likely to judge you than a stranger would, as he/she has a personal interest in you, whereas a Read more:Public
Want to get a NHS hearing aid in the UK? 2007-05-28 07:15:36
An 85 year old pensioner in Bromley, Kent has had to wait four years to get a digital hearing aid on the NHS. This is not uncommon. The average wait in Bromley is 114 weeks compared to the national average of 41 weeks. This situation is forcing many people, like Ian, to go private, with the lottery of aftercare this entails. I was told I had a two year wait to upgrade from one digital aid to another, they also told me I had to wait two years for my new earmoulds. Disgusted, I switched hospitals and got my new hearing and earmoulds within two months. Hey, I’m a working lass and need them to communicate! Not being able to communicate effectively is embarrassing and frustrating, says Jeff Rich, drummer with Status Quo. Plenty of other people are unhappy with the state of audiology in the UK.
MPs have expressed their disgust at the NHS hearing aid service. The House of Commons published a report this month on the situation within the NHS. On May 16, a parliamentary health committee
Life 2007-06-02 08:50:02
Life is having a cup of coffee,
you take a careless sip and find no sugar…
Too lazy to go for sugar,
you somehow manage with that sugarless cup….
On finishing,
you discover undissolved sugar at the bottom….
That’s how life is….
We do not make any effort to value what is around and within us…
So look around…
Maybe the sweetness you were looking for is closer than you think.
-Osho
Language difficulties 2007-06-04 07:41:17 I was very interested to read a debate on another blog, about how hearing people learn sign language and how they see sign language users as not having good English (and are then perceived as less intelligent), when they usually don’t have a good grasp of sign language themselves.
It reminded me of this video. It shows Japanese children telling us of their favourite things - the language aspect is fascinating, and they are very cute ….. to some extent (!)
Only the best will do! 2007-06-07 17:15:08
If you’re in London this month, don’t miss The Great Exhibition 2007 which runs 15 - 28 June.
The Great Exhibition of 1851 was held in Hyde Park, organised by, among others, the RCA - the Royal College of Art. This exhibition showcased the cream of Britain’s talent, and over six million people visited Crystal Palace, which was a third of Britain’s population.
150 years later, and it’s a very modern slice of the cake! This year’s exhibition celebrates the 150th anniversary of the first Great Exhibition, and showcases the work of graduating RCA students.
There are free guided tours at 1pm and 6pm on weekdays, at 12 noon on weekends, and it’s accessible to guide dogs / assistance dogs / trolls.
** Check out a great show reel taster from the extremely talented animator, Hei **
(You can play back MOV files with Quicktime Alternative or Media Player Classic)
First concert at Wembley 2007-06-11 17:26:56 Darren went to see George Michael play at the first concert in the new Wembley stadium. He’s been so excited all week. I’ve been to see U2 play in Dublin and couldn’t hear the music over the screams, or even see much (as I was too short!), so I turned down the chance to go. So, did Darren give this concert the thumbs up or down? I was interested to find out as we have a similar profound hearing loss and wear the same hearing aids (the spooky bit is we even have the same audiologist).
Darren and his friends went for a picnic in Regents Park first, so they didn’t have to eat the horrible food sold at the stadium. They arrived at Wembley at 4.30pm. If only he had known. Security didn’t bother to search bags (in a new stadium?! come again?) so he could have brought in his own booze. What alcohol you could purchase was expensive and hard to carry around as it was in plastic glasses.
The stadium was packed and the atmosphere was electric. The crowd around Darr Read more:First
All aboard the Orient Express! 2007-06-13 17:47:21 Jeanette took a trip on the OrientExpress
from London to the elegant Edwardian seaside resort of Folkestone. A champagne dinner, a leisurely walk along the beach, then back to London with a genteel champagne afternoon tea. Ooohhh. Jeanette was born hearing and became deaf as an adult. She is a fluent signer (and gobby with it). I asked her how accessible the trip was for her, and would she recommend it to deaf people.
Accompanied by some good friends, Jeanette was carefully chauffeured to Victoria by her husband. They had been sent confirmation of the departure time with their tickets, so arrived in good time. At the platform stood the beautiful old train.
The party boarded and proceeded to have a rollicking good lunch hic! hic! For almost six hours! They started off with chilled champagne. That was followed by smoked salmon with tiny pancakes, then chicken in a superb sauce with vegetables and asparagus. For pudding they had fruit with clear jelly on top, and more fruit on the top.
Tinnitus User Needs Research 2007-06-19 04:54:35 The RNID is collecting information from people for a research project into tinnitus.
Please complete the questionnaire and return to libbiesheppardrnid@yahoo.co.uk
TINNITUS QUESTIONNAIRE
Would you kindly forward the attached questionnaire to people you know who have tinnitus and might be willing to spare a few minutes of their time to help the RNID by answering a few questions about their tinnitus.
All answers will remain anonymous, and personal details will be not be passed on.
If possible, they would like to receive completed questionnaires by 22 June 2007. If anyone would prefer to fill out questionnaires by hand, they can post their completed questionnaires back to:
Katie Maras
Research
and Technology
FREEPOST LON21146
LONDON
EC1B 1JA
Read more:Needs
Balinese Gamelan Gong Kebyar 2007-07-01 11:48:21 The London Symphony Orchestra hold music workshops for deaf and hard of hearing people, to give them the opportunity to try out instruments and play music with tutors, with appropriate communication support.
The LSO hold gamelan concerts at St Lukes in north London. Gamelan are Bali instruments, first heard in 1915, and used to accompany many kinds of dance. Gamelan uses a five-note scale derived from Javanese pelog. Metallophones are played in pairs with one tuned slightly higher than the other. When both play the same note, the pronounced vibrato gives a shimmering sonority characteristic of Balinese
gamelan music.
Their most recent music workshop allowed a group of deaf people to play the gamelan and experiment with the sounds they make….a fantastic experience. We had two signers who communicated what the tutor was saying. The tutor explained all the instruments, how and why they were different, demonstrated the sounds they made and how they were of different pitches, and
Anemone clock 2007-07-02 17:27:34 Do you have trouble waking up in the mornings? I do. My dog pestered me this morning at 7am and I kept waving him away. Half an hour later I realised that my alarm HAD gone off, it was Monday, and I was late for work.
Bugga.
Check THIS clock out. It rumbles, it bounces, and it’s hard to turn off. It might just do the trick - if it’s sellotaped inside the pillowcase.
Deaf travels - Egypt 2007-07-20 12:33:20 I went to Egypt
last week and it was the best holiday ever. When I booked the trip, I told the travel agency I’m deaf. They were great, and said they would inform the Kuoni tour rep personally. I didn’t really know what to do about flight restrictions, what items could be carried on board or not, as I couldn’t find the information online before I left home. Walking through security check in, I realised lots of people were carrying clear plastic bags with liquid items in them. Ooerrr. In my bag I had insect repellent, sunblock, contact lens solution, and water. I walked straight through, no questions asked. Hmmmmm.
When I arrived in Luxor, the tour rep told me to go to coach number 5 for the hotel transfer. Unfortunately there were two coaches with number 5 on the front. Of course, I got on the wrong one. Fortunately, the rep came looking for me and off we went to the hotel. During the transfer, she explained to the group that she needs to look at me when speaking so
Get a free laptop 2007-07-21 18:03:17 Get a FREE laptop!
I have subscribed to this and now rent DVDs for £1.99 each, received in the post and returned by post. It’s cheaper and less hassle than renting a DVD from a shop.
Has madness finally come to my house? 2007-07-26 17:50:22 One of the referrers to my blog today (several hits) is THIS WEBSITE …..
Weird. Or what.
????!!!
Dear World. Do I want a cochlear implant? NO! 2007-07-26 16:57:24
People constantly pester me to get a CI (cochlear implant
). I’m getting pretty annoyed about it now. Friends, acquaintances, work colleagues, speech therapists, hearing therapists, all ask me why don’t I get a CI.
I’ve spoken to audiologists in different hospitals and CI technicians at the South of England CI Centre, rather than rely on user feedback.
Why fix something that’s not broken? I’m happy the way I am, I’ve got a Hearing Dog who does so much more for me than a hearing aid ever could, I can speak clearly and understand most people under my own steam. Why risk changing all that?
Why is it risky? Let’s say I went ahead and got a CI. Let’s say it works. Great. What’s the likelihood of that happening? Almost zero. This is because CIs are much less likely to be successful in adults who have been deaf all their lives, like me. I *shouldn’t* be able to speak clearly as I can’t hear you speak - WITH my hearing aids in Read more:World
Free GPS navigation for your mobile phone 2007-07-29 06:19:18
I’ve come across amAze, a new free GPS
mapping service for your mobile. I’m gadget mad and this looks interesting. amAze offers coverage in many countries and you get
* Visual and voice guidance to any destination
* Search or define any location by its address
* Search and navigate to businesses listed in yellow pages directories (where available)
* Present any required location on the map
* View and use dynamic high quality maps at various scales
* View and navigate over high resolution satellite images
* Calculate the fastest way between two locations
* Save and manage personal favorites list
Here you can see a demo.
Read more:phone
Cochlear implants in children 2007-07-29 05:49:00 On BBC Radio 4, Paula Garfield of Deafinitely Theatre argued that deafness does not require “fixing” with cochlear implants but Dr Kaukab Rajput of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children said it’s wrong to claim they are dangerous.
I agree that we should be focusing on the social model of disability rather than the medical model. We should be ‘fixing’ people’s attitudes and the environment to assist the deaf person, rather than partially ‘fixing’ the deaf person to try to ‘fit’ them into a hearing world. Having said that, I believe there is a place for cochlear implants, where people have contracted meningitis resulting in total deafness, and have been hearing all their lives. Also, where hearing aids don’t help, a cochlear implant might be helpful - IF the patient has already acquired spoken language (he/she was previously hearing) or is young enough to benefit from a CI implantation. Some deaf people will prefer t Read more:Cochlear
Deafinitely Theatre’s “Playing God” 2007-08-05 10:49:24 Has this play been over exposed? I don’t think so. Whatever the reviews say, I think it’s been a useful vehicle in bringing the issue to the attention of the hearing world of the social versus the medical model - should cochlear implants be given to children? Does this mean they become hearing? Does this mean they lose their deaf identity? Is there something wrong with being deaf? How does this impact on deaf families and deaf culture? Who should have the choice here? Why is this an option, and should it be an option or mandatory? Bottom line - what’s the benefit, and what’s the cost?
I went to a subtitled screening (thank you again, Stagetext!) and it was very enjoyable. The play used both spoken language and signing with voice overs provided by the actors. I thought some of the signing wasn’t adequately transcribed into text, as I got more meaning from watching the signing than from reading the text. This is the first time I have seen signing used within Read more:ldquo
, rdquo
Social networking 2007-08-09 13:05:52 Social networking
has become very popular. I’ve been trying to persuade my friends to join up as I think it’s brilliant for deaf people and fills a common gap in social communication.
Why is this explosion of social networking happening?
Watch this video and find out for yourself!
Read more:Social
, Social networking
Tick tock. Take a minute to change a life 2007-08-08 18:09:02 Do you have a few minutes to spare?
TICK TOCK
Just think. What if you woke up tomorrow and had suddenly become deaf? Wouldn’t your life be turned upside down?
You would face daily discrimination and prejudice in your educational life.
Co-students who don’t talk to you, tutors who can’t be bothered to make sure you are coping, a lack of communication support.
Let’s have equal access to education.
TICK
You would face daily discrimination and prejudice in your working life.
You’re bullied, passed over for promotion, colleagues won’t take the time to get to know you, you’re not given training or communication support, new employers don’t want to know.
Let’s have equal access to employment.
TICK
As a result, you would probably face living on a low income.
No money, no funny.
Let’s have rights to social protection, long-term care, and independently living in the community.
TICK
You would face daily discrimination and prejudice i
A deaf wiki 2007-08-20 18:42:43 I’m going to try experimenting with a wiki, to collect useful information for the UK based deaf group, as there is so much information online for deaf Americans but not much for the UK, and what there is available in the UK, most of this seems to be geared towards BSL provision and sign language users. Enough already! I’d like to redress the balance a little.
Please do add useful information and links. I couldn’t call it Deaf Wiki as that name has been taken.
Hearing wiki
Go easy on me…. I haven’t done this before!
FOL
What is a ‘reasonable’ adjustment? 2007-08-19 10:04:47 I followed my own advice and got a new job two weeks ago. I’m now a careers adviser - it’s very different from being a finance manager but my communication support needs are the same as my disability hasn’t changed and neither has my preferred method of communication.
To date, making reasonable adjustment
s has become a major feature of my new role. I have been arguing with my case worker (I shall call him &lsquo
;Clueless’) at ATW (Access to Work) for four weeks for communication support, to which I am entitled by law. A request turned into an argument, which is typical of my experience.
To give you an idea of the kind of rubbish I have to deal with….. When I initially asked for a captioned telephone for my previous job, I was asked ‘why don’t you get an ordinary phone with a flashing light’? And this was after I had requested support and specified in great detail exactly what I needed, why I needed this particular kind of support, and
The screaming in my ears won’t stop 2007-08-28 17:58:00 I can’t shut down the noises inside my ears. I have been listening to non-stop roaring for the last 5 hours. But hey, it hasn’t bothered me too much. I know it will be gone by the morning.
What causes tinnitus? How can you stop it? Does it ever go away permanently?
Tinnitus is still not fully understood. There is no cure. Tinnitus is perception of sound when there is no apparent source of sound. It can be humming, whistling, ringing, buzzing, even music. It can come and go or be persistent. It can be high pitched, medium pitched, or low pitched, or a mixture of all three, or of more than one sound.
Over 5 million people in the UK suffer from tinnitus. It is thought to be caused by defective hearing - it’s not an illness or disease. Anyone can get tinnitus, not just old people, and it’s common after excessive exposure to loud noise. I was exposed to constant loud noise for the first few months of my life and as a result I lost most of my hearing. I have suffere Read more:screaming
Liberty : London’s Disability Rights Festival 2007-09-01 10:58:56
The Liberty festival celebrates its fifth year in London’s Trafalgar Square today, celebrating deaf and disabled artists and performers.
There is a review on Ouch!. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to attend it myself as I have only just found out about it. I’m fairly well informed on disability issues and am surprised to have missed this. Organised by the Mayor of London and GLAD (Greater London Action on Disability
), and sponsored by Lloyds TSB, I’m disappointed not to have seen any advertising for this event. I am wondering did they even bother to advertise outside government-run media?
Having a quick look at their websites -
Mayor of London - there’s nothing on the front page and you have to use the search box to find the Liberty festival. Tut tut, not good enough.
Greater London Action on Disability - the website isn’t even working - says it all, doesn’t it! Shame.
Lloyds TSB - there’s nothing on their website about Liberty, but they d Read more:Rights
, Festival
Pack it in! 2007-08-31 16:31:53
With the smoking ban in public places now being law, are you having problems giving up smoking? There is a new initiative called Packitin which is a SMS text based service aimed at helping smokers to give up. It makes a nice change to see an inclusive service which deaf people can access.
Packitin is a 24-hour, online community website that designs a custom-made programme for giving up at the individual’s own pace, incorporating texting, video hosts, chat rooms and interactive features.
As part of the Packitin initiative, SMS reminders and tips will be sent directly to the mobile phones of smokers who have signed up to the scheme to help keep them on the straight and narrow. These will include encouraging words and tips for those who want to quit outright, cigarette allocation reminders for smokers who have chose to cut down, and direct orders at tricky points.
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