Monthly CommunicatorNJ Department of Human ServicesDivision of the Deaf and Hard of HearingNovember 2014 Vol. 35 No. 10

Chris Christie, Governor

Kim Guadagno, Lt. Governor

Jennifer Velez, Commissioner

David C. Alexander, Director

www.nj.gov/humanservices/ddhh/home/index.html

COVER:

DDHH Participates in Disability Pride Parade

Directors Corner

David C. Alexander, Ph.D., Director - NJ Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

The New Jersey Hearing Aid Project has successfully completed its first year.

This program collected slightly used hearing aids donated by the community and reconditioned the aids so they could be used by others. The reconditioned aids are provided at minimum cost to eligible individuals aged 65 and older. The program is made possible through a collaboration among DDHH, Center for Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, Montclair State University and Sertoma , Inc.

More than 100 applications for reconditioned were approved during the past year. Feedback from recipients of reconditioned hearing aids has been positive and individuals are appreciative of this new source of assistance for hearing aids. Due to the projects success, it is being extended a second year. DDHH and its partners are looking forward to working with seniors and assisting those who otherwise are not able to afford the cost of hearing aids.

Additional information about the New Jersey Hearing Aid Project is available at www.state.nj.us/humanservices/ddhh/home/hearingaidproject.html

Monthly Communicator

November 2014 Vol. 35 No. 10

State of New Jersey

Department of Human Services

Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Director: David C. Alexander

Editor: Ira Hock

PO Box 074

Trenton, NJ 08625-0074

Phone: (609) 588-2648 / (800) 792-8339

Fax: (609) 588-2528

http://www.state.nj.us/human services/ddhh/

The Monthly Communicator is published by the New Jersey Department of Human Services Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DDHH), a state agency. DDHH provides information, referral, and advocacy to service recipients. Information or articles provided by others does not imply endorsement by DDHH or the State of New Jersey.

We Welcome Your Articles and Ads

The Monthly Communicator is published 11 times per year. Deadline for submissions for the October issue is September 1 and should be e-mailed to: monthlycommunicator@dhs.state.nj.us .

The deadline for the Monthly Communicator is the first of the month for the next month.

Kindly follow these guidelines for submissions:

Should be less than two pages

Plain font, such as NY Times #11 or similar

Type flush left, no tabs

No art imbedded within

Send as Word attachment or an e-mail itself

Art, logos, photos may be sent as attached JPG

Submissions are not normally repeated

Content should be of interest to readers, events should be accessible to people with hearing loss, no direct selling products, but educational info about new technology is acceptable

Editor has discretion regarding editing, without final approval of submitter

Be Aware: How Diabetes Could Impact Your HearingBy Traci Burton, Field Representative

November is Diabetes Awareness Month and though hearing loss and diabetes are two separate concerns, there is a link between the two. Hearing loss and diabetes are two common health issues in the United States. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) approximately 34 million Americans have hearing loss, and approximately 30 million are diagnosed with diabetes. An additional 86 million adults and children have been deemed as having pre-diabetes and are at risk for Type 2 diabetes. (Pre-diabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but are not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes.) The ADA reports a recent study that found hearing loss is twice as common in people with diabetes as it is in those who dont have the disease.

More research is necessary, but in a 2008 National Institute of Health study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers analyzed data from hearing tests of adults between the ages of 20 and 69. They concluded that diabetes may contribute to hearing loss by damaging nerves and blood vessels. This damage was seen in autopsy studies and comparable studies have shown a possible link between hearing loss and nerve damage (neuropathy).

Hearing loss can happen slowly and should you experience any symptoms, see your primary care physician. If need be, a recommendation will be made to an audiologist for an extensive hearing test. Symptoms of hearing loss include, but certainly are not limited to:

frequently asking others to repeat themselves

trouble following conversations that involve more than two people

thinking that others are mumbling

problems hearing in noisy places such as busy restaurants

trouble hearing the voices of women and small children

turning up the TV or radio volume too loud for others in the room

The best way to avoid complications caused by diabetes is closely to monitor your blood glucose levels, reduce high blood pressure (hypertension), keep off excess weight, and exercise daily. All people with diabetes should have their hearing checked each year. Basic strategies to preventing hearing loss also apply, such as limiting time in a loud environment, wearing hearing protection, and turning down the volume when listening to portable music players.

Traci Burton, Field Representative can be reached at 609-588-2648 or traci.burton@dhs.state.nj.us .

HLAA Morris County Chapter Meeting

November 8 - 10:00 a.m. to noonMadison Community House, 25 Cook Avenue, Madison NJCART provided by DDHH and Hearing Loop will be at meeting

Guest Speaker:

Do you have a past time or an activity that you do naturally and with great interest - in other words, a passion which you have neglected in part due to your hearing loss? Once claimed, passions have a way of radiating outwards, creating effectiveness and most importantly happiness in a persons life.

This unique workshop, Claiming Your Passion Despite a Hearing Loss, uses powerful storytelling, classical piano music, and stimulating exercises to help you tap into or reclaim those activities that you love, despite your hearing loss.

Presenter Nancy M. Williams is an engaging motivational speaker, award-winning writer, pianist, and hearing health advocate. She has delivered her workshop at the 2014 National Convention and as a keynote speaker at the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association National Conference.

Annual meeting will follow presentation in NJ.

HLAA-NJ News and Views

by Joel Strasser, APR, Fellow PRSA, Trustee and Public information Officer, HLAA-NJ

HLAA-NJ Sets November 15 for Annual Meeting, Mini-Fair at East Brunswick Library; Public Invited to Attend

Journalist Richard DeSanta of the North Jersey Media Groups Glen Rock Gazette and Dr. David Alexander, director of New Jerseys Division for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing will headline HLAA-NJs Annual Meeting and Mini-Fair set for November 15 at the East Brunswick Public Library. The event, to run from 1 to 4 PM, is open to the general public and will feature a Mini-Fair of agencies and organizations that serve New Jerseys hearing loss population. The event also will feature CART Realtime Captioning and Sign Language interpreters to be provided by the NJ Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and Assistive Listening Devices will also be available. Refreshments will be served, there is no charge to attend.

Among participating organizations slated to exhibit with representatives available during the Mini-Fair will be NJ Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and the NJ Theatre Alliance. Also available during the fair will be Sprint Captel, Caption Call, EmCom Looping Systems and the Reelabilities Film Festival. As in past events, the fair also will feature an Ask the Audiologist booth as well as representatives from Cochlear Implant SupportGroup and the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA).

During the events business segment, elections will be held for open Trustee positions, and all HLAA members will have the right to vote in the annual election. The welcome address will be delivered by Dr. David Alexander, director of the NJs DDHH, and a recap of this past years events as well as present and future projects will be delivered by current HLAA-NJ president Linda Schaab.

Richard DeSanta, the Glen Rock Gazettes principal staff writer, and former communications director for the national A&P supermarket chain, is expected to focus on his newspapers coverage of HLAA-NJs recent scholarship program, and particularly about Paige Arbeiter who resides in his newspapers coverage market. He is also expected to share his thoughts, as a media insider, on what would help bring needed recognition and understanding of the issues surrounding hearing challenged people, whom to many suffer from a largely invisible disability, as well as to HLAAs activities and advocacy measures as an organization whose mission is to aid and support hearing challenged individuals. He could perhaps shed more light on why hearing loss rarely gets much attention from the mainstream news media, why editors (as well as people with hearing loss) dont take seriously its impact on quality of life, and how we can work to remedy this.

An estimated one-third of Americans have some form of hearing loss, the third most common public health is