Deaf not Stupid!

'Deaf' Arts has always been a conundrum to most with hearing loss, not really highlighting our issues at all, none too sure it covered the Deaf either, its an individual look at it promoting 'this is our experience, this is what we all do'.  The biggest mistakes deaf arts create is concentrating on own awareness and sign, this leaves a disconnect with a hearing audience still, they need to embrace wider issues, and be more topical, create things that hearing can equate with, you have to build that bridge and encourage others to cross it.

This can be done without ignoring the loss/comms point, just remember we are people who just 'happen' to have a hearing issue, but it doesn't define us as people, and should not, or you become one-trick ponies.  Deaf culture is primarily guilty of this approach.  I like artists who use humour to make a point, but not those who rely on awareness to make a living.  Life then can be one long lecture.   Basically, this artist would not encourage me to go and look at his act, because what he does has no link to how most with hearing loss live..

Success is on a hearing platform, not an 'in house' thing, we are still waiting for someone deaf to do that.  I suggest those who do not sign and have serious loss issues would have a totally different slant on it.  It's all rather sad Deaf Art is funded by disability arts funding too.

Raising a deaf child...

Hearing Aids protect against Dementia

ATR doesn't support this survey much, 4,000 out of 9 million is hardly conclusive and the fact it came from a commercial site selling hearing aids is suspect too.   We stand corrected, but if you are profound deaf then, you don't wear or can utilise an aid can you?  I blame the fact everyone is claiming to be deaf now, mostly to get help with hearing loss.  Personally, we deplore relentless assaults on our issue claiming utter negativity and potentially serious health issues as well, lighten up!  They use the same argument/research to undermine born deaf too and add poor mental health to the mix... 'We are all doomed' is hardly a help...

A study of more than 4,000 hearing-impaired people found those who wore the amplifiers performed better on memory and attention tests.

Hearing loss has previously been linked to a decline in ‘brain function, memory and an increased risk of dementia’, the UK researchers claim. Being deaf is ‘socially isolating’, however, hearing aids help sufferers ‘experience sensory interactions’, an expert said.

This may enable hearing-impaired people to stay ‘engaged’, which could keep their brains sharp.  The study was carried out by the University of Exeter and King’s College London. It was led by Dr Anne Corbett, senior lecturer in dementia research at the Exeter.  ‘Previous research has shown hearing loss is linked to a loss of brain function, memory and an increased risk of dementia,’ Dr Corbett said. 

‘Our work is one of the largest studies to look at the impact of wearing a hearing aid, and suggests that wearing a hearing aid could actually protect the brain.’ Dementia affects 850,000 people in the UK, Alzheimer’s Society statistics show.

And in the US, 5.7 million people live with the disease, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.   Mild hearing loss occurs naturally with age, however, it is also associated with cognitive decline, the researchers wrote.

SOURCE

The Scam goes on...

News from Scotland.. It's summer and they are doing the rounds again! (Most are identified as eastern Europeans), its amazing anyone would 'buy' from such people.  Targetting drunks is how they do it...  One such individual approached ATR in a restaurant but when signed at ran off... we got his ID circulated, he was Romanian, and later was charged for fraud.  He was selling 'deaf' key rings, at £3 a time.

A suspected fraudster was spotted last week at a pub in Culter, where he offered patrons a small sign card showing the sign language alphabet in exchange for cash. The card stated that the man has been “deaf since childhood” and that purchasing it would “help us with our goal to communicate”. 

A major hearing loss charity said any legitimate charity worker would be required to have a registered number on any fundraising material. However, the cards handed out in Culter had no such number, and are believed to be part of a hoax. She said: “We are concerned about reports of Aberdeen residents being encouraged to pay £2 for British Sign Language finger-spelling cards, which are free from AOHL and other charities supporting people who are deaf. 

“Charitable causes should have a charity number on their fundraising materials so that people can check with the named organisation or the Scottish Charity Regulator if there is cause to be suspicious about someone asking for money.  “It is unfortunate that donors need to be on their guard to avoid being scammers’ victims, but any individual raising money for a good cause should be open and transparent about who they are, and where any donations are going.” 

Glen Newlands, who bought one of the cards in the bar, believes he was duped. He said: “We were just sat talking when this guy came up to us, and just stood there quietly staring at us. “He gave us the cards and we all paid £2 each for them because we were feeling pretty merry, and I think just too polite to say anything. “He didn’t say a word, he just looked at us without speaking. “My daughter was quite cross, because she works with sign language and is involved with a lot of charities for deaf people and at the end of the day, these are potential donations for charity.”

SOURCE