Speedy Delivery of Justice
Shipping giant Federal Express Corporation (FedEx) was found liable for damages in the amount of $108,000 in a lawsuit brought against them by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, FedEx failed to accommodate a profoundly deaf employee who had repeatedly requested American Sign Language interpreters to assist him while on the job. The Act prohibits employment discrimination against individuals with disabilities in the public and private sectors. Find out more at www.eeoc.gov/press/3-2-06.html.
Higher Education for Professors with D/HH Students
A new publication from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf/Rochester Institute of Technology has some practical advice to help make university instructors more effective teachers of Deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) students. The Project Access Workshop Planner’s Guide and a multi-media, interactive Web site were produced by a team of service providers, faculty members, researchers and Deaf students and provide easily adaptable suggestions. The Guide with two CDs is available for $35 through BookSurge at www.booksurge.com. For more information about Project Access, contact Dr. Susan Foster at susan.foster@rit.edu.
Hot Job Market
Ever wonder who provides the closed-captioning for your favorite TV shows and news reports? In reality, only about 400 people currently work as broadcast captioners. On January 1 of this year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) required closed-captioning for almost all new TV programs, generating a high demand for several thousand more captioners over the next three years. Captioners use a stenotype machine which looks like a small typewriter but has only 25 keys. After two years of training, captioners can earn an average annual salary of $65,000, according to Vitac, a Pittsburgh, Pa.-based company that provides captioning services. To learn more about closed-captioning in general, go to www.robson.org/capfaq, and to read the new FCC rules, visit www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/ closedcaption.html.
MP3 Generation Gets Smart
The American Academy of Audiology is applauding a software update offered by Apple which allows iPod® users the ability to limit the volume levels on their devices. Apple launched the software in response to complaints and lawsuits claiming that use of the popular MP3 players at high volume levels can damage hearing. The free software update allows iPod users – and parents – to set volume caps on the iPod by way of a combination code. The update works with the iPod Nano and fifth-generation iPods. Download it for free at www.apple.com/ipod/download.
Stereotypes Predict Hearing Loss
If you think you’re going to lose your hearing as you get older, you’re probably right. Audiology Online reports that researchers at Yale School of Medicine have learned that older individuals’ age stereotypes can predict their sensory perception, particularly in regard to hearing. A study of 546 people aged 70 and older, conducted in Connecticut, measured participants’ age stereotypes and tested their hearing when they entered the study and again, three years later. The study demonstrated that older people with more negative and external-age stereotypes did not perform as well in hearing tests at the end of the study. Read the full report at www.audiologyonline.com, search “Yale School of Medicine.”
A Bad Mix
Excessive noise may cause permanent hearing loss, but even more dangerous to your hearing is a mixture of loud noise and carbon monoxide – the gas emitted from smokestacks and car exhaust. University of Montreal researchers reviewed data collected by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and concluded that welders, firefighters, truckers, auto mechanics, forklift operators and miners are often exposed to the toxic combination and more likely to suffer hearing loss over time. The study noted that it took some 15 years for the increased hearing loss due to carbon monoxide to manifest. Read the press release at www.umontreal.ca/english/presentation/press_releases/press_20050516.html. n
