My "Head Shot"

This is just an example of what I do when bored, putzing around with my Photoshop CS2. ;)

I got the idea from the book cover in the previous post. My oldest son has the CII internal part, but my youngest son has the 90K. The 90K lays much flatter in his head. The surgery for this one took less time, only had a tiny bit of his hair removed, and left a much less visible scar than the procedure with the CII. Both boys are using Hi-Res programming with their processors.

This pic only took a few minutes, really. I haven't had much time to mess around on the computer lately, but wanted to get my idea down. I have a few more ideas, should probably sketch them out before I forget them.

Four Minute Video About Cochlear Implants

HOW COOL IS THIS?????

Michael Chorost wrote the book Rebuilt: How Becoming Part Computer Made Me More Human. BTW, VERY interesting book.

But NOW on his website, he has recently blogged about a video he's in:

Anyway, here’s a cool video the Exploratorium, a science museum in San Francisco, made about cochlear implants, starring yours truly. It went up a few weeks ago and I only had a chance to watch it just now.

Before you click "play" to watch the video, to the right you'll find links to other great videos and information. Once you DO choose to watch the video, there will be links on the right to watch it with subtitles, or to download the video and transcript.

Enjoy! ;)

Using the FM and Closed Captioning for Movies

This is the FM transmitter set up next to the TV's speakers.
Normally the teacher wears this part at school.

This is the tiny, wireless FM receiver hooked up to Matt's CI.
Very small and convenient.

We have two Phonak Microlink FM sets for the boys to use in conjunction with their cochlear implants. I'm a firm believer that this is one of the most significant reasons Matt is doing so well in mainstreamed education right now.

Right now Matt and Chris are watching X-Men 3: The Last Stand, and his FM is helping him with that, too. He's told me that he understands what is being said on TV, but when there is background noise (thanks to his wonderful brothers), I know he has more difficulties with hearing what is actually said. So tonight I've put the FM transmitter microphone next to the TV speakers AND set up subtitles for the movie as well. He LOVES this now and wants it for ALL movies! He's had his CI for over five years and his FM system for two years now. Why haven't I done this in the past?

FYI, the subtitles in this movie are more accurate than the closed captioning type. Don't ask me why, I don't understand. I played both at the same time and found out that the closed captioning type seemed to lag behind the subtitle print, leaving a gap between hearing the words and reading them. Matt didn't like this, he found it confusing to hear and read the text at different times (no duh, eh?).

I am love, love, LOVING the CI/FM combo. Now if only the good doc had implanted a LISTENING CHIP in to my son's head, then we'd truly be in bliss. Matt can hear well, but as most normal boys, he still doesn't "listen" to me. Especially when I ask him to walk the dog.

HA! I just had a sarcastically funny MOM thought. Maybe some nice engineer could program the processor to send a signal when I'm speaking to Matt and he's not responding, "Matt, your mother is talking to you. We KNOW you can hear her now. Please pay attention." ;)

200 Years of Deaf Life in America

PBS documentary explores 200 years of deaf life in America

“Through Deaf Eyes,” a two-hour PBS documentary exploring nearly 200 years of Deaf life in America, will air early next year. The film was inspired by the exhibition, “History Through Deaf Eyes,” curated by Jack R. Gannon of Gallaudet University.

The documentary will air nationally on PBS on Wednesday, March 21 at 9 p.m. ET (check local listings).

The film presents the shared experiences of American history – family life, education, work, and community connections – from the perspective of deaf citizens. Interviews include community leaders, historians, and deaf Americans with diverse views on language use, technology and identity.

Bringing a Deaf cinematic lens to the film are six artistic works by Deaf media artists and filmmakers: Wayne Betts, Renee Visco, Tracey Salaway, Kimby Caplan, Arthur Luhn, and Adrean Mangiardi.

Poignant, sometimes humorous, these films draw on the media artists’ own lives and are woven throughout the documentary. But the core of the film remains the larger story of Deaf life in America -- a story of conflicts, prejudice and affirmation that reaches the heart of what it means to be human.

Major funding for “Through Deaf Eyes” is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS, The Annenberg Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Private individuals have also contributed to the funding of this project. The extensive outreach campaign is funded in part by Sign Language Associates. Outreach partners are the National Association for the Deaf, Gallaudet University, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology, and California State University-Northridge. As part of the outreach campaign, numerous local organizations, some in association with their public television stations, will mount events and discussions exploring the issues raised in the film.

A comprehensive Web site, found at www.pbs.org, accompanies the film. The site includes interviews with the deaf filmmakers whose work is featured in the documentary, while also inviting viewers to submit their own stories, photographs, and films. These will become part of the archival collection of Gallaudet University. A companion book is being published by Gallaudet University Press.

Other links for info:

Gallaudet: History Through Deaf Eyes
PBS Deaf History and Timeline
Interface, American Library Association

More CI blogs to check out!

I have some great blogs linked above, but here are some that are even new to me. Thought I'd pass them along:

Michael Chorost, author of Rebuilt, his BLOG. Cool.
the DeafBlog, an awesome collection of material.
My Son Tom, this bilateral CI boy is so CUTE!
Hook Me Up, a music lover's cochlear implant journey.
Hear Again, an adult CI user journaling new experiences.
Happy Family at Home, a CI Mom's story. (SHE has the CI, and is a really cool Mommy Blogger, too!)

I have more, but hear a screaming son in the background. Will continue the list later...

Rush Limbaugh comments on his deafness and implant.

I originally found this at Kokonut Pundits, am copying from there to share here. ;)

"Today from the Rush Limbaugh radio show a partial transcript can be seen here with him talking about his cochlear implant experience. The transcript below is him responding to a blind caller on his radio show.

Well, you've gotta great attitude about it, and I'm glad you called. I want to say one thing. You talked about the advantages that you have in being blind, and people think that's kind of odd. I can tell you some advantages being deaf. Now, these advantages are predicated on the fact that I lost my hearing -- you want to know why I believe in God? There are countless reasons, ladies and gentlemen, countless reasons and I've mentioned many of them during the course of discussions of the environment and so forth, but you look at the timeline of humanity on this planet, whatever it is. I don't know, 10,000 years, a hundred million years.

Whatever it is, my little speck on that timeline happens to coincide -- and look at my career now, what I do for a living. My little speck of that timeline coincides with when science has invented the cochlear implant which allows 100% deaf people to hear, and particularly in speech. You get in loud, noisy areas, restaurants, and it becomes very, very difficult because the thing just amplifies all the noise it hears, and if you're in a restaurant with a couple other people, the other people's voices are much louder than the two you're trying to hear, so it really becomes a challenge. But in a situation like this, one-on-one speech, it's not normal as it was, but it's miraculous.

But there are times at restaurants I just lose my mind. So can I turn the volume down, or I can take it off -- and there is blessed silence. How many of you people can't sleep through the night because some noise wakes you up? I never hear the noise. You who can hear do not know what pure silence is, because you can never. You can plug your ears up. You can put muffs and headphones on but you're always getting the white noise of a room, but when you're totally deaf? I can tune anything out. I can. If I'm talking to somebody and I'm tired, I just take it off. It sends the message I'm through. I don't have to listen to the racket on the TV. I can read closed-captioning.

You can do that too by hitting the mute button, but the ability to just totally turn off noise and to not have the normal distractions, when you're trying to sleep or when you're really trying to concentrate and noise distracts you. I can turn all that off. (interruption) I can feel my heartbeat. Of course I can. Snerdley is asking me, "You can't hear the heartbeat but can you feel it?" If I slam a door without touching the door, I feel the door slam. I don't hear it.

I mean, I don't slam it. I'm just giving you an example, but there are a number of things like if I slam the car door. I don't hear it, but when I see it happening, I feel it. There's a particular sensation, those kinds of sensations. Toilet flushing? I don't hear it, but there's an awareness of it, and I think that's the brain, because I used to be able to hear it. It's like the way I hear music. I can't hear... Well, I can hear it. I can't listen to music and understand it unless I've heard it before. I've got eight electrodes in my brain covering for what used to be 40,000 active hair cells so there's not much frequency response for me.

Every note of every new piece of music that I've never heard before sounds the same note. Movie sound tracks or what have you. But I listen to music that I knew before and my memory is what supplies the melody so I know that there's sounds taking place. I'm still very much concerned if the noise in a room is too loud so I'm constantly keeping it lower, even I can't hear it. But just out of habit. The brain is a powerful thing, and the amount of control we think we have over our brain; it would be surprising to you when you realize you don't. At any rate, I gotta take a break here. Charlie, thanks for the call."

CIs on The Young and the Restless?????

From the Y&R website:

Dru and Neil risk arrest as their alibis begin to unravel, but they are soon faced with even bigger concerns when suspicion falls on Devon. Meanwhile, Devon faces a crisis when his attempts to have cochlear implant surgery are postponed by Carmen's murder investigation.

From SoapZone.com:

Dr. Campbell says these pamphlets should answer some of the answers some of her questions about sensorineural deafness. There's some good treatment options in there. Dru thanks the doctor as she passes one to Devon. The woman asks if has and as many questions as she needs to? Dru asks what about a implant? She has read alot of advancements have been made with that kind of technology. The Doc says when the time is right, she should definitely consider cochlear implant. There's been lot of progress. People have experience great success with them. Dru says that "hear that baby" But she foolishly realizes that he doesn't. The woman tells her not to be hard on herself. It's going to take all her time to just to Devon's. But all Devon sees her lips moving. The woman adds learn anything he can. He has one of the best specialist in the country here.

From the CBS website:

Hearing Impaired (October 2006)
It has never been an easy life for Devon Hamilton, and it just got a little harder. After contracting Meningitis Devon suffered a huge loss -- his hearing. CBS.com gave his portrayer Bryton a call to chat all about this new challenge for him and for Devon.

WOW! What do you think about this? Cochlear implants in day-time storylines? VERY interesting!