|
| Photo courtesy of www.hollyalonzo.com |
Sign Language Goes High-Tech
Learning American Sign Language (ASL) could become easier for both kids and adults, thanks to research developed at Southeastern Louisiana University, funded by a $390,000 Steppingstones of Technology grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Researchers Robert Hancock, Ph.D., and Becky Sue Parton, Ph.D., attached radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to an initial set of 500 common objects. When the object is waved in front of an RFID reader, it signals a computer to display a brief video of an interpreter signing the word for the object, along with several photos or clipart pictures of the object. Other enhancements can be displayed as well, like variations of the object both red and green apples, for instance along with the written English word apple for print recognition and an audio pronunciation for hard of hearing children. Since many parents of deaf children don't know sign language and struggle to learn it, their children can fall several years behind in language acquisition. Hancock and Parton's system enables children to pick up ASL vocabulary directly, as a supplement to peer and teacher interactions. It can be used with children both in a classroom setting and at home.
Will Healthcare Reform Fix This?
Now both blind and deaf, Holly Alonzo of Piggot, Ark., has written a book called Never Giving Up Hope, an inspiring story of perseverance amidst daunting health problems. The 22-year-old mother suffers from neurofibromatosis, a chromosomal defect that causes noncancerous tumors to grow, impeding the proper functioning of the nervous system. Tumors that grew in her brain during childhood compressed the brainstem, and at age five, her right leg was weaker than her left and she suffered from poor vision, her thick glasses inviting mockery from other kids. Surgery at age 13 saved her life but left her irreversibly blind. A new brain tumor has now rendered her deaf but an auditory brainstem implant would partially restore hearing. Sadly, Medicaid refused to pay because they consider Alonzo too old; however, surgeons have offered to work probono, and Alonzo has raised one-third of the $30,000 needed for the actual implant on her own by selling raffle tickets, among other things. Her book conveys measures a person will, and apparently, must take in the nation's current state, to restore this vital sense. Proceeds from the book will be used for purchasing the ABI. Learn more at www.hollyalonzo.com or call 870.324.1454.
Limbaugh Puts Money Where His Mouth Is
Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh gave $500,000 to the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles, in memory of Antonio De la Cruz, M.D., who died on July 31, 2009, at age 65. After experiencing sudden hearing loss in 2001, Limbaugh received diagnosis and treatment for autoimmune inner ear disease, including a cochlear implant that restored most of his hearing. Dr. De la Cruz literally saved my career and got me my life back with that surgery, Limbaugh recently told the Los Angeles Times.
