Peterborough's Jack Hunt Deaf Unit Features in Action on Hearing Loss Magazine

Student Ayesha

Staff and students from Peterborough's successful educational unit for deaf students at Jack Hunt School have been featured in the membership magazine for the charity Action on Hearing Loss.

The four page special feature tells the story of three students, Golofnira, Ayesha and Calum as well as few words from lead Teacher of the deaf Teresa Quail (TQ) and some great pictures.

Well done to all the team and students for the recognition and all their successes. We're proud of you. Have an exclusive read of the feature below.

Jack Hunt Education Feature from Action on Hearing Loss Magazine

Reminder: Technology workshop for parents

Reminder!!!

 Action on Hearing Loss will be hosting a Technology Workshop for parents of deaf children on Thursday 25th July from 10.30-11.30am. See further details below

The NDCS will also be present to explain how families can access their one month technology loan service.

Technology Workshop for Parents

Following the recent NDCS listening bus visit, students have expressed an interest in a range of equipment. To help inform parents of the equipment available, Action on Hearing Loss will be hosting a Technology Workshop for parents of deaf children on Thursday 25th July from 10.30-11.30am.

The NDCS will also be present to explain how families can access their one month technology loan service.

Take the Action on Hearing Loss lipreading challenge!

Can you work out what's being said here in these three videos? Leave your answers on the Action on Hearing Loss Facebook page. This is all part of Deaf Awareness Week. There will be more tomorrow..

The future of subtitles is in your hands

In 1926 John Logie Baird enabled the very wealthy to access television. Television was an amazing breakthrough in technology at that time. Over the decades the technology has advanced from colour sets to HD quality and more recently 3D viewing. All of which can be accessible from the comfort of most homes. However the subtitling quality has failed to develop to the same standards.

Action on Hearing Loss are still on the case. Last July AOHL carried out a subtitling survey.  Now they are asking for your assistance to Influence the Communications Bill .

How? ......write to your MP

Let your MP know how important subtitles are to people with hearing loss and encourage your MP to champion the needs of people with hearing loss as the Government’s communications review progresses into the next stage.

Do remember to continue to complain directly to the broadcaster every time a problem with subtitling or background noise is experienced.

Scientists in America make medical progress to restore hearing

Scientists this week have reported amazing recent discoveries made at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear infirmary and Harvard Medical School in the search for a cure for deafness.  The scientists have been testing a drug on mice to see if it would repair the damage to the ear which causes hearing loss.  The mice were completely deaf and had relatively few hairs in their cochlear, i.e. those which detect sound.

The test results suggest new hair cells can be induced. The drug apparently works by converting cells operating in one function into cells that detect sounds. Those tiny hairs in the inner ear then send a signal to the brain.  The findings indicate partial recovery of hearing in ears damaged by noise trauma can be achieved. However they are not near the stage of generating these hairs in humans.

The drug is currently named LY411575.   The research was was published in the journal Neuron,

The full story is here and Action on Hearing Loss have provided a transcript of the video on that page here.

Breaking: A new test to help identify more genetic causes of deafness

Charity Action on Hearing Loss has revealed tonight that researchers have been developing a new test which can identify up to 34 causes of genetic hearing loss in children and its ready to be used in a trial.

The research, which was conducted by Doctors at the University of Antwerp, has led to a test that may help families learn about how the deafness could develop or if it will stay the same. Until now, the NHS were able to only screen for only one or two causes of deafness because of the costs and time involved. The new test, being piloted by Great Ormond Street Hospital next year, can provide much more information in the same amount of time and  for the same cost.

The test can even be expanded in future to give families an early indication of syndromes, like Usher syndrome, which can cause deaf-blindness and normally is only detected in young adulthood. For the moment though, the test is restricted to the most common genetic causes of hearing loss.

The full story is here: 

The report from the American Journal of Medical Genetics is here:

Charity staff step up the laughter ladder with hilarious fundraising video!

Here is an 'urgent appeal' from some staff at Action on Hearing Loss who will be climbing the world famous BT Tower and are looking for more donations with this funny video.. Well worth a watch!

The BT tower climb is 842 steps up 34 floors. Imagine that ..

You can donate to them here on their Just Giving page. Share the video!

Subtitling survey - Action On Hearing Loss

Leading national deaf charity, Action on Hearing Loss, are inviting TV viewers to take part in a major survey which aims to identify problems within the television network that may affect the quality of subtitling.

Earlier this year PDDCS news posted a link to the article of  just one example of bad subtitling - the ITV show 'Dancing on Ice' which had left subtitle reading viewers completely baffled.

The results will be shared with TV regulator Ofcom. To acess the survey click here and use it every time you experience a problem.

Sign 2 Sign World Record Broken!

Well, you may remember that back in February, people across the land took part in an attempt to break the world record for the highest number of people across the UK signing to a song at the same time ..

Well good news. Although not yet confirmed by Guinness, the organisers are confident that the record has been broken with 114,227 participants. That's 19,788 more than the previous world record. 

Big thanks goes out in Peterborough to Teresa Quail, staff and pupils at Jack Hunt School, Action on Hearing Loss staff and folk from Peterborough Deaf Club who all got involved on the day. 

Check back PDDCS News for the official confirmation - but its a good as done now. 

Action On Hearing Loss Isolation TV advert

Check out the AOHL TV advert, braodcast in the Northern Irish region, to raise awareness of the isolation experienced by many older people with hearing loss. Short, simply, strong message.

Hear to Meet - Action On Hearing Loss

A few weeks ago Action on Hearing Loss launched a new pilot project in Peterborough - Hear to meet. Hear to Meet gives people with hearing loss in the Peterborough area the opportunity to meet up over a cup of tea or coffee and exchange experiences and information.

The Hear to Meet coffee clubs are run by a team of volunteers. The Hear to Meet coffee clubs are free to attend and it is sometimes possible to arrange transport for people who need it.

Action on Hearing Loss are currently looking for more volunteers to establish more Hear to Meet clubs. If you live in the Peterborough area and you are interested in volunteering with them, please get in touch with the Hear to Meet Project Coordinator, Sue Warner at:

Action on Hearing Loss, 1 Haddonbrook Business Centre, Orton Southgate, Peterborough PE2 6YX
Tel/ textphone: 01733 363903
Fax: 01733 232785
Email: regional.services@hearingloss.org.uk

Hear to Meet clubs are the following four locations:

• Senior Stop, WRVS, 2 Cattle Market, Peterborough, PE1 1TW - Every Monday (except Bank Holidays) from 11:30 to 12:30
• Ivy Leaf Club, 1 Gracious Street, Whittlesey, Peterborough, PE7 1AP - 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month, 10:00 to 11:30
• Sutton Court, Skaters Way, Werrington, PE4 6NB - 1st Friday of every month from 14:30 to 16:00
• Shakespeare Centre, Shakespeare Avenue, New England, Peterborough, PE1 3JX - 1st and 3rd Thursdays of every month, 11:00 to 12:30 (starting October 2011)

Poem: Thanks To the Webshop Taskforce!

Thanks to the Webshop Taskforce!

I went to Jack Hunt School Today

Because 'thank you' is what I wanted to say

For all your help with our internet shop

You kids from Jack Hunt are the cream of the crop

All sitting happy round the meeting room table

You bunch of kids are willing and able

to check out the stuff we have on our site

and put them in the places that you thought were right

So I popped along on Wednesday to see my new mates

and give you all some certificates

to say thanks for your help - you lot are the best

Action on hearing loss consider ourselves blessed

So here's to Ayesha, Javaria - thank you!

And Naila, Fatima and Marcela - you too!

Dont forget Nicoleta and Zaimah of course

You make a fantastic webshop taskforce!

From Andy!

Action on Hearing Loss Launch New Deaf Forum

 

Leading national deaf charity, Action on Hearing Loss, have launched a new forum this week for people who are deaf or have hearing loss. 

Action on Hearing Loss (formerly RNID) already have two forums where people discuss Tinnitus or products and equipment but this new forum has been set-up for general discussion topics relating to deafness or hearing loss. Sub-forum categories will be introduced in the coming weeks. 

The forum is moderated by the charity's Information Line who are there to help answer any questions relating to deafness, for example about rights, equipment or benefits, or take feedback from forum users. 

Have a look at the new forum here post a question of your own or join in the debate. 

Can you help Action on Hearing Loss' Web Shop?

Leading National Charity, Action on Hearing Loss are looking for help from people living in the Peterborough area to help improve the shop area of their website.

Here is a message from Action on Hearing Loss' Website Manager, Jo Kerr:

Can you help us and participate in some important website research. This research will ensure that our site is designed with real users in mind. Your input would be incredibly valuable.

In March we will hold research workshops across the UK. We would like you to take part in an interactive, but very basic group task. The process involves sorting a series of cards, each labelled with the name of a product, into groups. This will help us decide what categories we want to have in our shop.

These sessions will last two hours. Could you attend the workshop taking place at Action on Hearing Loss’ Peterborough office?

1 Haddonbrook Business Centre
Orton Southgate
Peterborough, PE2 6YX

The session will run on Friday 30th March 2012 between 11AM-1PM. Refreshments will be provided.
If you can make it please email me on jo.Kerr@hearingloss.org.uk , or call on 0207 296 8209.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I hope you will be able to participate. It would be great if you could confirm your attendance before Wednesday 21st March 2012.

William Palmer on the Cover of Action on Hearing Loss Magazine

Member William Palmer features on the cover of Action on Hearing Loss Magazine this month with a story on the inside written by his Dad, Andy.

See the article is below:

Andy and William New

Plusnet reverse the charges after textphone twitter tangle

BT-owned internet ISP and telephone service provider Plusnet got themselves tangled up in a twitter storm with the deaf community after charging text phone users up to £1 per minute for making calls this week.

Customers of Plusnet received huge bills recently and contacted the customer service team, only to be told to there was nothing wrong and to live with it. Plusnet blamed the charging on BT (who own the Plusnet brand) and their classification of the calls - meaning Plusnet charged the same rate for a textphone call as it costs to reverse the charges. No one was going to live with that...

The Deafcomm blog broke the story to the internet on Saturday and followers on Twitter, including Action on Hearing Loss and TAG, soon began putting the pressure on Plusnet. Coincidentally, Action on Hearing Loss and TAG were due to meet with Ofcom on Wenesday to discuss text relay services at a UK Council on Deafness meeting.

Plusnet eventually realised that they were so far wrong they were out of sight, caved in, and reversed all the extra charges, also pledging not to charge for any textphone calls until they sort out the underlying problems.

That's victory no.2 for the Deaf community on Twitter recently!