Share this:

Next Meeting:  September 17, 2016:  2:00 PM -4:00 PM
Where: Northborough Public Library, 34 Main Street, Northborough
Speaker: Beth Wilson
Topic:   “Highlights from the HLAA National Convention”

Public is invited – this is of special interest for all people and their loved ones who struggle with hearing loss.

Beth Wilson participated in the national convention June 23-26 in DC and will share highlights from the workshops, plenary sessions, research symposium, and technology demonstrations she attended.  She also spent some time in the exhibit hall, so will share information she gathered from the vendors.  The HLAA convention this year was a joint event with the International Federation of Hard of Hearing People resulting in a joint attendance of over 1,500 people from 22 countries!

Please email Margaret Myatt   info@hearinglosscentralma.org, for more information on HLAA Central Massachusetts and notification of future events.

CART (Communication Access Real Time Captioning) will be provided.

Light Refreshments will be provided.

The mission of HLA-Central Massachusetts is to educate its members, their families and friends about the causes, nature and complications of hearing loss and what can be done to better cope with that loss.

Please note, you must access the building from Patty Lane, which is off of Main Street.

Share this:

La petite danseuse de quatorze ans
French, original model 1878–81, cast after 1921
Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917)

Saturday, August 20 at 10:30am 

Registration begins July 25 and ends August 12.

We’ll focus on the MFA’s extensive collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. This display was recently expanded from one gallery to three galleries: Monet, Plein Air and Impressionism and Beyond: Urban Life and Escape.

Monet: The MFA boasts one of the largest Claude Monet collections outside France. One gallery is dedicated to Monet, providing an immersive experience of his work from the MFA’s permanent collection and select loans from private collections.

Plein Air: This corridor gallery celebrates painting in the out-of-doors, en plein air, a practice championed by the Impressionists in the late 19th century. It features paintings by Renoir, Sisley, Pissarro and Signac.

Impressionism and Beyond: Urban Life and Escape: The main gallery features a new installation exploring two major themes of late 19th-century French painting. In contrast to the luminous landscapes of Monet, Renoir, and Pissarro, the works of Degas and Caillebotte explored the realities of the modern urban experience in Paris while other artists sought an escape from the instability and expectations of urban life: Gauguin, Van Gogh and Cezanne.

We hope you’ll join us!!

****************************************************

How to Pre-Register for MFA Accessible Guided Tours

Attendance is limited and pre-registration is required by the dates listed for each program.  To pre-register or for more information, email  lwarren@mfa.org or  phone 617-369-3302.  

When you register, please indicate (in the subject line if you are emailing) the name of the tour and if you would like a neckloop or headset for the tour.

Registered participants will receive a confirmation prior to the date of the tour with entrance and cancellation information.  

Because the Gallery Tour Listening System equipment is reserved for hearing loss support group participants, the equipment is not available to other MFA Boston visitors for drop-in tours.  For that reason, guests of this program are requested to be aware of the the following policies:

Participants who register for accessible tours but cannot attend should note the cancellation policy on the confirmation to ensure that listening equipment is available to other visitors.  

• Late registrations  cannot be accepted.  
• Those who have not pre-registered may only join a tour on a standby basis and will be turned away if registration is full.  

Tours will begin promptly at start time.  Attendees should arrive 15 minutes prior to start time.  

Questions?  Contact the museum at  lwarren@mfa.org or  phone 617-369-3302.

Share this:

Aug 10 2016

On August 4, 2016, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted new rules to ensure people with hearing loss have full access to wireless devices. As the FCC noted, the action taken “will modernize existing hearing aid compatibility (HAC) rules while maintaining the balance between fostering accessibility and promoting innovation and investment.”

Upon the adoption of the rules, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said in his statement, “One area where the Commission has made significant progress in making sure accessibility is baked into new technology is hearing aid compatibility for new mobile devices. Today we take another step toward the day when Americans with hearing loss can access the same range of wireless handsets as anyone else.”

The new rules will require manufacturers and service providers to make more HAC phones available to consumers:

• 66 percent of offered handset models must be compliant within two years for manufacturers of handsets, with additional time for service providers.
• 85 percent of handsets must be compliant within five years for manufacturers, again with additional time for service providers.

The FCC reported that it “reconfirms its commitment to pursuing 100 percent compatibility within eight years.” Chairman Wheeler stated, “To be clear, we expect to require 100 percent compliance.”

FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn noted, “I know I am in good company in saying that I look forward to the day when all Americans who use hearing aids have the same options as everyone else when purchasing a mobile phone.”

HLAA was intimately involved in the collaborative effort that led to the groundbreaking consensus lettersigned by industry representatives: CTIA, the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA), the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), and consumer organizations: HLAA, Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI), and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD).

HLAA would like to thank all the parties to the consensus proposal for their willingness to compromise and their commitment to finding a way to reach the goal of 100 percent HAC phones. We are thrilled to see our hard work codified into rules.

HLAA is also grateful for the efforts of FCC Commission staff, Chairman Wheeler and all the Commissioners in taking the consensus proposal from an idea to reality by drafting and adopting these updated HAC rules.

FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said in her remarks supporting the new rules, “Hearing loss is a big deal.” All of us at HLAA – members, staff and board alike, know only too well how true those words are. These new rules will give those of us with hearing loss greater access to mainstream products and services, thus giving us more tools to live well with hearing loss.

HLAA, along with the other organizations involved in the initiative, issued a joint statement regarding the agreement.

Read the FCC press release.

Read the FCC report.

 

Please Note: The Open Captioning event is Friday, July 29

Shakespeare on the Common: Love’s Labour’s Lost

Presented by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, at Boston Common July 20 – August 7, 2016.

In Love’s Labour’s Lost, friendship and loyalty amongst four young men and four young women are put to the test when romantic youthful notions of love encounter the challenges of adulthood. A high-spirited romantic comedy filled with dazzling wordplay, strong comic characters and a few unexpected twists, Love’s Labour’s Lost both charms and touches the heartstrings of young and old alike.

ADMISSION INFO

Contact: 617 426 0863    Email: info@commshakes.org

Website: www.commshakes.org

LOCATION     Boston Common

Tremont and Park Street, Boston, MA

ACCESSIBILITY

ASL Interpreted Performances:
Saturday, July 30th @ 8pm
Friday, August 5th @ 8pm
Raindate: Sunday, August 7th @ 7pm

Audio-Described Performances:
Sunday, July 31 @ 7pm
Thursday, August 4th @ 8pm
Raindate: Sunday, August 7th

Open Captioning:
Friday, July 29

Share this:

Interested in Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT)? Have you heard about N-CHATT?

What is N-CHATT? The Network of Consumer Hearing Assistive Technology Trainers (N-CHATT) is a volunteerconsumer train-the-trainer program. The program’s goal is to build a network of consumer trainers with the knowledge and skills necessary to train others impacted by hearing loss. Trainers will assist others in the successful integration of hearing assistive technology to support individual hearing and communication needs at home, work, school, and the community. What comprises the N-CHATT program? N-CHATT training includes webinars and online modules, which are completed over a period of six months, followed by an in-person two-day training session in the Washington DC metropolitan area with presentations on training activities and hearing assistive technology topics, hands-on technology exploration, and opportunities for training practice and interactive learning. Upon successful completion of the training, individuals attend the HLAA Convention and commit to conducting at least three community-training events within one year of the start of the program. Who are the consumer trainers? Consumer trainers are adults with hearing loss and parents of children with hearing loss who use hearing assistive technology. They are passionate individuals comfortable using technology and experienced making presentations.

Will I be paid for this opportunity? No, trainers are not paid. Participation in the training and your provision of community training is completely VOLUNTARY. What costs can I expect to incur if I am interested in participating in this program? There is no cost for the online training portion of the program except the participant’s time. For the 2-day, in-person training, all materials, breakfast, lunch and lodging will be provided at no cost to participants. However, participants are responsible for their own dinner and their transportation to the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Participants are responsible for registration and expenses related to travel and attendance at the HLAA annual convention in June. How do I apply? Visit the HLAA website N-CHATT-Training page for more information. Questions about the N-CHATT program should be directed to N-CHATT@hearingloss.org. Online applications will be accepted through July 18, 2016. If you submitted an application last year but were not selected as a trainer, please consider applying again. We had a very large pool of qualified applicants, but were only able to accept eight individuals. We will be increasing the number of training spots this year. This program is a partnership with Gallaudet University, the American Institutes for Research, and Hands & Voices and is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), through Gallaudet University’s Deaf/Hard of Hearing Technology Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) (Grant # 90RE5020).

Share this:

Hearing Tracker recently surveyed over 500 hearing aid users to help get a better idea of how long hearing aid batteries really last. We asked participants about their battery size, their hearing aid style, what brand of hearing aids they use, and whether they use streaming technologies, etc.

Please follow the link below:

Source: Hearing Aid Batteries – How Long Do They Really Last?