Hearing Sparks

From NPR, "The Real Sounds of Hearing Loss"
Hearing Sparks One of the most difficult and sometimes aggravating parts of having a hearing loss is an inability to explain exactly what is wrong, why you can't hear certain things, and what certain sounds sound like to you. Through the Speak Up Librarian blog, I found this excellent article on NPR which breaks down three different types of hearing loss and provides examples of a p...
Fri, Apr 12 2013

Housekeeping (Guest Posts, and Spam)
Hearing Sparks Hello everyone, just some housekeeping for this post.First off, I've had to temporarily stop accepting guest posts. With work, school and my pregnancy I am finding it difficult to be able to respond to people quickly. Eventually I hope to be able to accept guest posts again because I do very much enjoy being able to host other people's thoughts on my blog.Secondly, li...
Thu, Mar 14 2013

Amara Announces Crowdsourced Subtitles for Your YouTube...
Hearing Sparks Amara, formerly Universal Subtitles, is one of the easiest and most useful tools for adding accessibility to your YouTube videos. Amara allows you to create a subtitle file, setting the wording and timing exactly as you want. The Amara logo. Now Amara has added a great new feature - crowdsourced subtitling. Any YouTube user can connect their account to Amara and r...
Wed, Feb 27 2013

3D Printing and Hearing Aids
Hearing Sparks My photo of a 3D printer at an open source conference in 2011 3D printing is one of those things that still sounds like science fiction. A device that can create a three-dimensional object simply from a digital model? It sounds like the replicators on Star Trek, but really I think 3D printers are one of the coolest technologies to emerge in recent years. I even have ...
Thu, Jan 24 2013

Some Exciting News
Hearing Sparks I have posted about this on my personal blog, but just today I realized I have never mentioned it here. So, here is my official announcement - I am expecting, and due in July (yep, right along with Kate Middleton. My baby will have a few less names than hers, though).Here's the latest picture of the kiddo at 12 weeks 3 days: And one from two weeks earlier (10 weeks 3...
Thu, Jan 17 2013

GN ReSound: The First Made for iPhone Accessory & App
Hearing Sparks Back in June I wrote about a tantalizing bit of information on Apple's website regarding "made for iPhone hearing aids." Now we are seeing the first results of this idea, in the form of GN ReSound's accessory, the Unite Phone Clip+, and a free app in the app store designed to allow users to adjust settings on their hearing aids through their iPhones.The GN ReSound Uni...
Wed, Jan 09 2013

Loud Commercials Are Now Banned
Hearing Sparks It's been a four-year effort, but this week, the FCC has barred broadcasters from showing overly loud commercials. Commercials must now be the same volume on average as the main show - putting an end to having to adjust the volume every few minutes or run for the mute button on your remote. Photo via Flickr user espensorvik Television companies have known this rul...
Sat, Dec 15 2012

23andMe Drops Genetic Testing Price to $99
Hearing Sparks Today the genetic testing company 23andMe announced in a press release that a $50 million investment as well as the dropping cost of genetic tests has allowed it to drop the cost of its genetic testing to $99. Previously, the company would occasionally have sales to drop the price of the testing, but its non-sale price was in the hundreds of dollars. My 2010 testin...
Tue, Dec 11 2012

My Heart Glow by Emily Arnold McCully
Hearing Sparks The cover of My Heart Glow by Emily Arnold McCully. My Heart Glow: Alice Cogswell, Thomas Gallaudet, and the Birth of American Sign Language was written by Emily Arnold McCully. I stumbled upon it at the library where I work, and I'm happy I did; it's a very interesting, concise retelling of the story of young Alice Cogswell, Thomas Gallaudet, and Laurent Clerc.Alice...
Fri, Nov 30 2012

Transitioning from Analog to Digital Hearing Aids
Hearing Sparks Around the time this photo was taken, I would be wearingmy analog hearing aids. When I was 12 years old, I had been wearing analog hearing aids for about six or seven years. I was used to the sound quality, having never experienced anything different. My audiologist suggested a switch to digital hearing aids. This would have been the late 90s, when digital innovation...
Sun, Nov 11 2012

The Notebook That Taught a Deaf Teenager to Communicate in...
Hearing Sparks A page from the notebook. Alexander Popham, born in the 17th century, is considered one of the earliest deaf people who learned to speak. At the time, men who could not speak could not inherit property or make wills, and Alexander, who was born deaf, was from a noble family, so it was important that he learn to communicate. His family turned to John Wallis and Willia...
Fri, Nov 09 2012

Mental Floss Explains Facial Expressions in American Sign...
Hearing Sparks Capital Pride Festival by vpickering on Flickr Back in high school, I took two years of American Sign Language to fulfill my foreign language requirement to graduate. (I had the hardest time with my other two options - Spanish or French. Although Spanish would be useful in my current job, most of the time I just couldn't understand the words.)One of the most difficul...
Sat, Nov 03 2012

The Supertooth Buddy and Motorola CLP1040 Radio
Hearing Sparks Back in August, I wrote about my experiences being able to communicate at work using a combination of my Oticon Streamer and the Motorola CLP1040 radio. At my workplace, we've started using these Bluetooth radios to be able to communicate with others in the building. As I wrote in my original post, it seemed that my Streamer was going to work fine with the Motorola ra...
Fri, Oct 12 2012

Netflix Will Caption All Of Its Video By 2014
Hearing Sparks By 2014, all of Netflix's streaming video will be captioned, according to Disability Scoop.Netflix has been in legal battles over captioning for years, since they were sued in 2010 over their captioned content (or lack thereof). Even as they fought various rulings, the number of captioned videos on Netflix rose, to the point that 90% of their videos are captioned toda...
Thu, Oct 11 2012

Amazon Has Begun Captioning its Instant Video Titles
Hearing Sparks The FCC has instituted a schedule that requires Internet video that meets certain requirements be closed captioned. As a response to the first deadline, which was September 30th, Amazon.com has begun captioning some of its Instant Video titles.TechCrunch reports that some Amazon users received an email explaining the new captions feature and how to search Amazon.com f...
Sat, Oct 06 2012

How To Easily Caption or Subtitle Your YouTube Videos
Hearing Sparks Over on my blog for my college class, Accessibility Basics, I've added a tutorial on how to use Amara to easily subtitle your YouTube videos. It was super simple for me to do and I plan to use it for all of my future videos. How To Easily Caption or Subtitle Your YouTube Videos Here's the video I used for the tutorial, if anyone is curious about what I sound like! ...
Mon, Oct 01 2012

Making Web Content Accessible for Everyone
Hearing Sparks I apologize for the lack of posts on my blog lately. As I expected, with going back to school my free time has been constricted a bit.I wanted to share with you my current project for school. I'm currently taking a Principles of Writing with Technology class towards my major in Technical Communication. Part of the class involves a project - could be anything from a re...
Wed, Sep 12 2012

Netflix and Amara - Crowdsourcing Subtitle Possibilities
Hearing Sparks Amara, formerly Universal Subtitles, and Netflix have teamed up to crowdsource subtitling some of Netflix's offerings, according to an email sent out by Amara. The concept is still in beta and it's not yet known if Amara subtitles will actually show up on Netflix-streamed shows and movies. Photo via Victor1558 on Flickr. They're also providing the ability for you ...
Fri, Aug 24 2012

LSTN Headphones Provides Hearing Aids for Children in Need
Hearing Sparks A pair of LSTN Headphones with cherry wood. Today I learned about LSTN Headphones, a company based in Los Angeles, CA which sells environmentally-friendly headphones made from exotic woods. A pair of LSTN Headphones costs between $57 and $95, and they claim the sound quality is excellent, but that's not why I'm particularly interested in them.You see, for every pair ...
Mon, Aug 20 2012

The Oticon Streamer and Motorola CLP1040 Radio
Hearing Sparks Communication at work has always been something important to me, whether it be being able to talk on the phone to call my coworkers or just being able to hear them in a crowded, noisy room. Today I want to talk about a new communication device we have at work and how I am able to use it. Hopefully my experience can assist other Bluetooth hearing aid wearers. Me wit...
Sat, Aug 18 2012

Turn a Deaf Ear by Janet Horger (Giveaway!)
Hearing Sparks I just finished an interesting book called Turn a Deaf Ear, by Janet Horger, and wanted to share my thoughts on it. Be sure to check the end of this post for the opportunity to win a copy of this book courtesy of the author.Turn a Deaf Ear is the story of Linda and John, mostly focusing on Linda. The reader is taken through Linda's early life and experiences, complete...
Sun, Jul 29 2012

Deaf Participation in the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony
Hearing Sparks Photo via Flickr user clevercupcakes Like many others, I watched the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony last night. I love the Olympics and especially like the opening and closing ceremonies. One thing that caught my eye was the inclusion of the deaf in the opening ceremonies. I did a little bit of research into those participants and thought I would share.Evelyn Glennie...
Sat, Jul 28 2012

Apple Working on Patenting a Social Network for Hearing...
Hearing Sparks Photo via Flickr user katiedee47.It appears that Engadget has found an interesting concept from Apple in the United States Patent and Trademark Office database - a social network for hearing aid users.According to Engadget, the idea is that a person's hearing aid could store a profile, or list of audio settings, which could then be "shared" when the user meets someone...
Fri, Jul 20 2012

Silent Star: The Story of Deaf Major Leaguer William Hoy...
Hearing Sparks When I was a kid, I remember my dad telling me the story of the origin of the football huddle. The story goes that Gallaudet University quarterback Paul Hubbard invented the football huddle in the late 1800s, out of frustration that opposing teams could read sign language and gain knowledge of upcoming plays. I liked the story, both because it was interesting, and bec...
Mon, Jul 16 2012

Just Some Housekeeping
Hearing Sparks I have made a couple of changes to the blog in the last few days.First off, Hearing Sparks now has its own domain, meaning you can reach it at www.hearingsparks.com. The old blogspot URL still works just fine, but will redirect you to the domain. Now I want to make some business cards!Also, I updated my logo slightly. As in, I actually made a logo rather than plain te...
Fri, Jul 13 2012

Guest Post: Simple Lifestyle Steps to Follow to Maintain...
Hearing Sparks The post below is from John. Many thanks to John for sending me this post on how cleanliness can affect hearing health! For more information about guest posts on Hearing Sparks (I love them!), see here. -- Maintaining healthy hearing ability is something that is extremely important and can benefit an individual for a lifetime. Not everyone considers how to maint...
Fri, Jul 13 2012

8 Dolls, Stuffed Animals, and Toys with Hearing Aids
Hearing Sparks For kids with hearing aids, sometimes having a toy "just like them" can really help. Here are eight such toys, stuffed animals, and dolls I found for purchase online.1. Build-a-Bear Build-a-Bear offers a plush hearing aid for their stuffed animals to wear. It's $2, and is red and silver. Image of the Mr. BTE DollFrom Just Bekuz Products2. FlaghouseThe website Flaghous...
Sun, Jul 08 2012

Automatic Captions on YouTube are Now Available in Spanish
Hearing Sparks Spanish-speakers who find captions useful can now take advantage of YouTube's automatic captions service.Automatic captions use voice-recognition technology to transcribe captions without human input. Sometimes it works well, sometimes it doesn't. However, I think it is awesome that Google is making captions available in a wide variety of languages.If you need caption...
Sun, Jul 08 2012

Made for iPhone Hearing Aids: Intriguing News About iOS 6
Hearing Sparks A screenshot of Apple's information on accessibility.Click to enlarge.Yesterday, Apple announced new features coming to their newest version of their operating system, iOS 6. On their website they have a preview of the new operating system, which promises to bring a host of accessibility features to the system along with other features. One of the comments on the prev...
Sun, Jul 08 2012

Google+ Hangouts Now Have Captioning Options
Hearing Sparks Google announced an exciting new feature at the National Association of the Deaf Conference this year: Google+ Hangouts now support live captioning, either through a professional service (StreamText) or via a participant in the Hangout typing a transcript for the benefit of other users.An example of captions in Google+ Hangout, via Google. Hangouts are an importa...
Sun, Jul 08 2012

Sundance Channel's "Push Girls" - $2.99 if You Want...
Hearing Sparks Push Girls is a new show which premiered this month on the Sundance Channel. The show "trac[es] the lives of four dynamic, outspoken and beautiful women who, by accident or illness, have been paralyzed from the neck or the waist down" (from the site, here). It sounds like an interesting show, which would educate and advocate about disabilities.An image from the Push...
Tue, Jun 26 2012

Automatic Captions on YouTube are Now Available in Spanish
Hearing Sparks Spanish-speakers who find captions useful can now take advantage of YouTube's automatic captions service.Automatic captions use voice-recognition technology to transcribe captions without human input. Sometimes it works well, sometimes it doesn't. However, I think it is awesome that Google is making captions available in a wide variety of languages.If you need caption...
Tue, Jun 19 2012

Made for iPhone Hearing Aids: Intriguing News About iOS 6
Hearing Sparks A screenshot of Apple's information on accessibility.Click to enlarge.Yesterday, Apple announced new features coming to their newest version of their operating system, iOS 6. On their website they have a preview of the new operating system, which promises to bring a host of accessibility features to the system along with other features. One of the comments on the prev...
Tue, Jun 12 2012

Lou Ferrigno Receives Esteem Hearing Implant
Hearing Sparks Photo via Flickr user Nikita Kashner.The Esteem is a fully implantable hearing aid device which gained FDA approval back in March of 2010. (I blogged about it here.) The device has been steadily gaining interest since its FDA approval. It is not for everyone - only for adults 18 and over and for people with a stable sensorineural hearing loss and normal ear anatomy.In...
Wed, Jun 06 2012

Helen Keller in Love: Definitely a Book to Look Forward To
Hearing Sparks Cover of Helen Keller in Love.Helen Keller in Love: A Novel* is a novel by Rosie Sultan, which came out April 26 of this year.The book explores a romance between Helen Keller and her secretary Peter Fagan. Although this is a fictional piece of work, the author has researched Helen Keller's life and it has a basis in fact.I find Helen Keller an absolutely fascinating h...
Mon, Jun 04 2012

Some Tips for Convention-Going as a Deaf Person
Hearing Sparks This past month I was finally able to attend Phoenix Comicon after wanting to for several years. It was a brand new experience for me and although it was a little overwhelming at times, I really enjoyed it! I saw a lot of awesome people, bought some cool art, and overall had a very geeky time.If you are not familiar with "comicons" (comic conventions), or similar conv...
Fri, Jun 01 2012

Someday, An Awesome Heads-Up Display With Captions and...
Hearing Sparks A few days ago I visited my audiologist to get some more hearing aid batteries and have the aids cleaned in preparation for summer (hotter days equal more sweat, which can damage the aid). I saw my audiologist as he was leaving and we had a brief conversation about this blog. The key part of the conversation, though, was that I didn't have my hearing aids in; I couldn...
Sat, May 26 2012

Marvel's New Deaf Superhero Created for a 4-Year-Old Boy
Hearing Sparks Image via Marvel from the CBR websiteI can't even tell you how big of a smile I had on my face when I read this story about four-year-old Anthony Smith. Anthony has only partial hearing in his left ear and was born without a right ear at all. Some time ago he told his mother he didn't want to wear hearing aids because superheroes don't need hearing aids.His mom got in...
Fri, May 25 2012

My Experience - What to Expect From a Rear Window...
Hearing Sparks On Thursday evening my husband and I decided to go see a movie. It was our wedding anniversary, so we went out for a nice dinner and then decided to go see Avengers at our local AMC theater. The trip to the movies gave me my first experience using a Rear Window Captioning System so I thought I would give an overview of how the process worked and how well I think it wi...
Fri, May 18 2012

Around the Web Wednesday
Hearing Sparks I know, I know. "Around the Web Wednesday?" you say. "You haven't posted one of those since October 12, 2011." I know. And I'm flattered you remember. Ha. :)Speak Up Librarian shares a way to make YouTube videos turn captions on automatically when you embed them on a website. Very handy! Some deaf children in Riverside, California were given an awesome gift of dolls w...
Wed, May 16 2012

Another Advantage of Captioning: Find Old Clips Quickly
Hearing Sparks Image of a magnifying glassVia Flickr user Auntie PWe all know how useful captions can be for the deaf and hard of hearing. And I've covered how captions can help you market your videos, too (the text file of captioned videos can be scanned by search engines which can help them come up in results for people searching for what you're selling).There is also another adva...
Mon, May 14 2012

Text-to-911 Could be Nationwide by 2013
Hearing Sparks The Federal Communications Commission is currently working on the Next Generation 911 Initiative, a program that will update the 9-1-1 system to reflect advances in communication, such as data, images, VoIP services, and others.Image of a woman textingVia Flickr user JhaymesisviphotographyPart of the initiative involves Verizon and their chosen vendor, TeleCommunicati...
Sat, May 12 2012

Theaters Slowly Becoming More Accessible
Hearing Sparks I have been happy to see that recently movie theaters have been stepping up the game when it comes to accessibility in my area. I have a feeling this has to do with some recent lawsuits - and with companies realizing they need to make accommodations. I wanted to take a moment to talk about Captionfish as a great resource when it comes to finding accessible, captioned ...
Sat, May 05 2012

A New, Invisible Implant
Hearing Sparks Hearing devices have consistently been getting smaller and smaller as scientists find ways to move away from clunky, large devices to nearly invisible aids. And it seems like the smaller they are, the more interest people have. My blog post on the Esteem implantable hearing aid has received dozens of comments over the course of two years since I published it and I've ...
Mon, Apr 30 2012

On Communicating That You're Deaf at Work
Hearing Sparks This post on Consumerist.com got me thinking and I'd be interested to hear your opinion.In the post, a man reported about his visit to Target. In the checkout line, his cashier had a sign which read "Cashier is Hearing Impaired." He was worried it was embarassing for the cashier and calling attention to something that might not be a big deal.In my line of work, I work...
Sat, Apr 07 2012

Two Great Webcomics Touching on Deafness & Hearing Loss
Hearing Sparks In the past week I've discovered two webcomics which touch on deafness and hearing loss, and wanted to share them with you.The first one is That Deaf Guy by Matt and Kay Daigle. That Deaf Guy follows the lives of a Deaf man, his interpreter wife, and their son. I like That Deaf Guy for its gentle humor. There is not a lot of negativity here, just funny moments from ev...
Mon, Apr 02 2012

A Dog's Contribution
Hearing Sparks Last November, our household "zoo" added a new member, a puppy. Raiden joined the finches, tortoise, bearded dragon, and two cats (I don't think the cats were too happy about the newcomer). Until getting him, I had forgotten how much I tend to rely on dogs when they are present for certain sounds. When there is a dog in the vicinity and I hear a strange sound, I look ...
Sat, Mar 31 2012

Going Back to School
Hearing Sparks Last week I made the decision to go back to college for the 2012-2013 school year and complete my degree in Technical Communication.I am really excited about it, although I know there will be some challenges. I need to take two science courses and then all I have left are core classes directly related to the degree. I'll be going part-time, though, because I work full...
Tue, Mar 20 2012

Article on Hearing Aids in the Arizona Republic
Hearing Sparks This morning, as usual, I put out the newspapers for our library patrons to peruse over the course of the day. This morning when I opened up the Arizona Republic, I saw a huge front page article about the digital revolution in hearing aids. Of course, I was interested. The article discusses the advances in hearing aids from the 19th century until today. It emphasizes ...
Fri, Mar 16 2012

Disney Event: SIGNin' in the Street
Hearing Sparks I just read about this great event on Speak Up Librarian's blog and wanted to share it with you.At Downtown Disney District in Orlando, Florida, on March 17 and 18th, Disney will be hosting "SIGNin' in the Street." According to Disney's page on the event, it will "embrace the social, technological and artistic accomplishments of world-renowned Deaf talent and local co...
Wed, Mar 07 2012