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October 20, 2018 Meeting Update

We have Susan from Access Simplified’s Medical Access App coming to our meeting to talk for about 30 minutes. She’s looking for feedback on the app they are creating which enables people with various forms of hearing loss to immediately communicate with medical staff at hospitals. The app uses pre-recorded videos with choice of text or ASL and captions along with audio to convey standard phrases and questions you would encounter in a medical setting. The app is interactive which allows the patient, visitor or staff to respond by pressing buttons. Check it out and your feedback is greatly appreciated.

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When Susan is done, the games will begin, join us!

 

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August 18, 2018 Meeting

Our next meeting is officially announced! Please join us for us August meeting in a social setting. Follow the RSVP directions below to meet up with us.

There were several workshops offered, so many to chose from which is probably why it was a good thing 4 of us from Utah attended. There were workshops on social stigma of hearing loss, making the most of smartphone apps for hearing loss and attending workshops of looping venues.

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Summer Social June 16th at Red Robin

June is our annual social and we chose the Red Robin restaurant at the Valley Fair Mall. Oh no, a restaurant? That’s the plan. Watch and learn from the more experienced members with hearing loss how to handle restaurant situations to reduce the typical anxiety that comes with experience. Please let us know you will be joining us, RSVP with hearinglossutah@gmail.com. We will be meeting at noon on June 16th and we plan to be together for about an hour and a half. The address is listed below.

red robin

Also, bring your smartphone and have the AVA app ready to go. If you missed our AVA meeting, here’s your chance to learn more about it. We will be running our phones with AVA throughout the meeting giving everyone a chance to gain experience with the app so it can be used in other areas of life; doctor appointments, large family gatherings and meetings.

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Our leadership changes in June; Bill Ordonez will be our president replacing Kathy Evans and Karen Faddis will be the treasurer replacing Chelle Wyatt.  There will be no meeting in July so make sure you don’t miss this one. Come hang out with us and soak up some tribe time.

Red Robin at the Valley Fair Mall

3601 South 2700 West #B152

West Valley City, UT 84119

Let them know you want the Vault, we reserved a private room for our meeting.

Here’s some pictures of socials past….

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Bring Back Music into Your Life

May is Better Hearing and Speech month and HLAA-SLC is celebrating with an event called Bring Music Back into Your Life on Saturday May 19th from 4-8 PM. This event is made possible with a combined effort from HLAA-SLC, Loop Utah and the Division of Services to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

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In addition to the groups listed above we couldn’t do it without participation from some of our favorite local companies who support hearing loss: CaptionCall, Vibe Music Events, Listen Tech, CapTel, Cochlear America, CostCo Hearing Aids of Sandy UT, Hale Centre Theatre, Relay Utah and the U of U Student Academy of Audiology.

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We have a lot of activities planned and much of it in the Loop! Our presentations will be in the hearing loop, we will be playing movies in the hearing loop and there’s the accessible dance floor by Vibe Music Events which is itself looped. To experience great sound, make sure your hearing aid and cochlear implants have the telecoil program turned on. What’s a telecoil? (Sometimes called t-coil.) Visit this website,then make an appointment with your audiologist to ask him/her if your hearing aids (cochlear implants have them) have a t-coil because you want to experience hearing loops. Other accommodations include CART (real time captioning) and ASL interpreters so everyone can enjoy the event.

And there’s a lot to enjoy. Make sure you try the accessible dance platform by Vibe in the gym with various genres of music. Finger foods will be available along with devices that have a t-coil so hearing people can see the difference a hearing loops makes too.

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We will also have a living room loop set up in the lounge playing Gael Hannan’s Unheard Voices and there will be musical movies playing theater style in the lecture hall which has a hearing loop. Loop products and information will be set up in the conference room along with information, find out how easy it is to install a living room loop or have on installed. Bluetooth information will be available here too because we love both technologies.

Peter McDonald, hearing instrument specialist will be giving a presentation at 5:00 on the hearing aid music program, streaming and apps that can help.  Have you heard of the speech banana? “The “Speech Banana” is a useful visual tool for describing where the sounds used in everyday human speech occur on an audiogram.” Hearing aids are programmed with the sounds of speech in mind but that doesn’t work for music. Learn how another program on your hearing devices can increase your enjoyment of music with Peter.

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At 6:00 experience Maclain Drake’s energy and enthusiasm for music and how he didn’t let hearing loss keep him from it. He takes on acting too. He will talk about the challenges with music and how he works through it all. His passion for making music accessible to all runs deep.  Maclain has had a hearing loss all his life and wears two hearing aids.

 

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Maclain as a young Han Solo.

The best part of this is getting to hang out with your hearing loss tribe. Nothing beats being with others who know what you are going through and how best to to talk to you. Meet others in the community with hearing loss and make new friends, find mentors and learn how it’s possible to live better with hearing loss. Register now here: https://jobs.utah.gov/usor/dhh/events/northern.html

 

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The Music Man April 21st at the Hale Centre Theatre

HLAA-SLC and Loop Utah are joining together for a special event in April. Instead of HLAA-SLC’s regular meeting on April 21st, we will meet at the new Hale Centre Theatre (HCT) in Sandy at 11 AM in the Hospitality room for a pre-show reception. The show starts at 12:30 PM.

Loop Utah Music Man

HCT has looped both of their theatres entirely which is a real treat for those who wear cochlear implants or hearing aids. If you wear either one, make sure your telecoil program is turned on before going to the event. Hearing loops send up a magnet signal to the telecoil (also called a t-coil) which is in 80% of hearing aids and all cochlear implants. That means there’s no devices to pick up and return, it’s as easy as pushing a button on the hearing aid for fantastic sound quality. Listening through the t-coil is like having personalized speakers because each device is programmed specifically to the individual’s hearing loss. It takes away the distance gap hearing aids alone cannot deal with (hearing aids are only good in a 4-6 foot range when used alone). Many users say they hear better through a hearing loop than any other assistive listening system.

Tickets are $30 each, please RSVP by March 17th to hearinglossutah@gmail.com.  Tickets must be paid in advance to HLAA-SLC, also by March 17th.  You can stop by the Sanderson Center and drop off cash or checks to Chelle, the HLAA-SLC treasurer.  Please make checks payable to HLAA-SLC.

*Season tickets holders may book/exchange tickets for this performance bu contacting the HCT box office at 801-984-9000. 

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March 17, 2018 Meeting

Hi all, we have a meeting coming up March 17th on technology.

First we’ll talk about the AVA app.  What is AVA? It’s a live captioning app on your phone. It says, “Communicate more effectively with your coworkers, in meetings, or when grabbing coffee together. Live-caption lectures, workshops, group projects and every bit of your student life.”

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I’ve used AVA a couple of times and have been impressed with it (Chelle).  Come to the meeting with AVA already on your phone, it’s free to download and 5 hours a month is free too.

We will also have a short presentation on InnoCaption.  “InnoCaption is revolutionizing how those with hearing loss communicate by making it possible to use the smartphone (Android & iPhone) as it was intended – accessible, convenient, and mobile. Through the use of our patented technology in conjunction with live stenographers, we provide the fastest, easiest, and most accurate captioning for those who may need assistance hearing the other party.”

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Put it on your calendar and join us, we’d love to see you all there!