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Neil smiles as he listens to his mom talk and tell stories about how he started speech therapy as a 6-month-old and had his first implant at 11 months. His ability to speak clearly and hear as well as he does is not just a result of medical advances, but of the fierce determination he and his parents have shown to make the technology work for them.

Neil is on his first trip to Washington to participate in the National Spelling bee along with a bit of some sightseeing and ride on the Ferris wheel at National Harbor, near where the spelling competition is being held. In Neil’s spare time, he enjoys reading his favourite novels- the “Narnia” series and the “Warriors” cat stories or studying spelling words. Neil’s teacher at Belton Elementary, Kerry Anderson refers to him as a “dream student” with his nose always in a book. She commented on how he is friends with everyone and believes there is not anything that is impossible for Neil.

As a third-grader, Neil entered the school spelling bee on a bit of a lark. After winning his grade bee, he went on and won in the school-wide competition. At the regional’s that year he came in second place. His mother loves to tell the story that after losing that year, Neil said that one of his goals was to win the regional competition. But when he wrote that goal down, he misspelled “regional.” Neil won his school bee this year and then took the regional competition to make it to the national bee. The big-time bee is strenuous, and Neil admitted Tuesday that he was getting a little nervous. In that respect, he is no different from almost every other contestant in the competition, which has gained a national following and is broadcast on ESPN and streamed live on its website. The Bee has accommodated spellers with special needs and has had a number of students with hearing impairments during the past decade, said spokeswoman Valerie Miller.

In Neil’s case, the word reader at the spelling bee will use an FM system, which will transmit the word over a small radio frequency to a receiver behind Neil’s head. The word is then transmitted to another tiny receiver known as a cochlear implant, which stimulates the auditory nerve that enables hearing. Although the method is unique, the result is still the same. Neil will hear the word as others do and will then have to spell it correctly. Neil has been practicing with his mother over the last few months. She describes him as a perfectionist, when asked to spell a hundred words; he will only be pleased if he gets them all right.

On Wednesday morning, the practice will meet the test of live competition. Neil, who has two younger sisters rooting for him at home, will join the other 284 spellers duking it out to see who will reign as this year’s champ. And like the rest of them, when he is called to the stage for his turn to spell, he’ll be thrilled to hear his name.

Reference

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/born-without-hearing-an-11-year-old-takes-on-the-national-spelling-bee

The post Born without hearing, an 11-year-old takes on the National Spelling Bee appeared first on ENT Wellbeing Sydney.

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Adele has been forced to cancel her last two performances at Wembley, which would have completed her 123 world tour. The cancellation comes after pushing her voice to its limits across her entire tour, especially during her last few shows.

The concerts held at Wembley were the biggest in the stadium’s history with 98,000 fans attending each night. Adele said 150,000 fans will be refunded after she was forced to cancel world tour. The singer was forced to cancel her world tour on Friday after vocal issues.

In the lead up to these final shows, Adele suffered from bronchitis, which can have a significant impact on vocal capacity. In Adele’s case, it looked to have been so. If voice rest is not taken during this time, vocal strain and damage can happen much more easily. On Thursday night she told the Wembley crowd: “It feels like I’ve got a dead rat in my throat.”

However this is not the first time the singer has struggled with voice problems. “The Tottenham-born diva has previously battled to overcome vocal issues after she suffered a throat haemorrhage in 2011. The injury forced her to cancel a US tour to undergo surgery.”

In the aftermath of the operation, she had to teach herself how to sing again — and luckily for her millions of fans, she succeeded. This is quite common for many singers that push their voices beyond its limits and one of the key points advocated for in speech pathology practice. After the op, she was warned that more damage could be done if she placed her voice under a similar amount of stress again.

Speaking after her vocal op in 2012, Adele said: My voice has its limits. If I go on a 200-date world tour, it would happen again. I’ve struggled vocally both nights.

Adele broke the news about the cancellations in a heartfelt letter on twitter apologising to her fans which read “I’ve struggled vocally both nights.” “I went to see my throat doctor this evening because my voice didn’t open up at all today and it turns out I have damaged my vocal cords.” “And on medical advice I simply am unable to perform.”

The singer reported that she was “maxed out on steroids” for her voice and confessed that she even considered miming on stage to avoid cancelling her last shows , however she went on to say: “I have never done that, and I cannot in a million years do that to you. It would not be the real me. I’m sorry. Those who had purchased tickets have been promised a full reimbursement however, “last night, Adele’s team feared she may have paid a far more serious price for her epic world tour than she realised.” The star reportedly fears that she has suffered permanent damage to her vocal cords

Sources reported that “Adele was desperate to do the tour for her fans and her team did everything they could to protect her voice” with the dates for her concerts spaced out to allow Adele enough time to rest her voice and recover between performances. She has apparently followed this strict regime put forward by her vocal coaches precisely however it looks to have not been enough following her bout of poor health with bronchitis.

While fans are devastated, Adele has made the right choice to place her vocal health above her tour and hopefully with enough support from her Ear nose and throat specialists, speech pathologists and vocal coaches she will make a full and speedy recovery.

If you are a professional voice user or you would like more information about how to protect your voice, read our blog on everyday voice care strategies.

Reference

www.thesun.co.uk/devastated-adele-fears-vocal-cord-damage-wembley-stadium-tour

The post Devastated Adele fears vocal cord damage may be permanent after she was forced to cancel Wembley Stadium dates appeared first on ENT Wellbeing Sydney.

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A dozen lawyers stood together to be sworn into the Supreme Court bar Tuesday morning and mark a momentous occasion. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. made a sweeping motion with his hands, which translated in Sign Language to “Your motion is granted.” The Chief Justice learned to sign that particular phrase just for that occasion. The gesture marked a historical moment where 12 deaf and hard of hearing lawyers were admitted into the Supreme Court Bar. All 12 lawyers are members of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Bar Association from different states in America. They hope they’ll inspire other deaf students to pursue a legal career. They were not the first deaf lawyers to be admitted. In 1982, Michael Chatoff was the first deaf person to argue before the Supreme Court using technology that transcribed the justices’ questions for him.

Among them was New York-based Teresa Curtin. For her first 20 years practicing law, Curtin said she would often have to explain to judges that she was not the defendant. She’d explain time and again that she was the lawyer and that the interpreter she brought was there to sign for her, not her client. “It hasn’t been easy,” Curtin said. I think the biggest challenge has been to get people to give me the opportunity.

When Curtin was studying at Princeton University during her undergraduate degree, she learnt by copying the notes from her peers. Then by the time she started at New York University Law School, she had a sign language interpreter in class allowing her to fully engage in the classroom. There were only a handful of deaf lawyers at the time she graduated in 1988. Today there are roughly 250 deaf or hard-of-hearing people practicing law in the United States. The 12 lawyers admitted on this occasion

We’re very proud to be here today because its about diversity,” Curtin said, who now works at Weitz & Luxenberg, a large firm in New York. We don’t think it’s so much inspirational as it should be normal. While two interpreters were there Tuesday to sign the entire morning’s opinions and arguments for the group — including an arcane and complicated opinion on energy regulations read by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — most were able to follow along without them. Many sat with their heads down, reading along on their mobile devices that were providing them real-time transcripts of the proceedings. Though technology remains forbidden inside the courtroom, they were granted the rare exception.

Advancements in technology along with the American Disabilities Act in 1990, which states that “reasonable accommodations” be made for people with disabilities, has allowed lawyers that are deaf or hard of hearing to practice with greater ease. However, there are still barriers with one fear being that having an interpreter present may mean their message may not be presented accurately.

Some deaf or hard-of-hearing lawyers doubt that they can actually practice law, said Howard Rosenblum, who also was sworn in to the bar. But the real practice is based on intellect and deaf people have that in spades.

Reference

www.washingtonpost.com/supreme-court-chief-justice-learned-sign-language-to-swear-in-deaf-attorneys

The post Supreme Court Chief Justice learned sign language to swear in deaf lawyers appeared first on ENT Wellbeing Sydney.

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Verbal communication for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other communication challenges can be difficult or even impossible. Traditionally for those that have such severe communication difficulties, AAC apps often using visual systems, are used to facilitate communication. These systems however can take a long time to learn and master, especially those with intellectual impairments.

There are hundreds of millions of people in the world affected by various communication challenges including Autism, ALS, Cerebral Palsy, Strokes, brain and spinal cord injuries and deafness – many looking for greater independence, social inclusiveness, self expression and to be understood, said Smartstones Founder and CEO, Andreas Forsland. Communication is the most important part of the human experience and we want to ensure every person has the ability to express their most basic needs. With 2.3 million nonverbal children in the USA with Autism alone, and over 70 million on the autism spectrum worldwide, everyone has a unique need when it comes to a communication interface.

A revolutionary new system called :prose works by translating sensor data such as touch, motion and now thought gestures into spoken words. The phrases that are produced can be customised to select gestures that are easy to action or phrases that are most frequently used. The integration of EEG technology means that :prose is accessible to a larger population of people with a range of impairments, including those with ALS, Parkinsons, Cerebral Palsy and other conditions that inhibit motor-skills conditions. Many of these individuals find touch gestures difficult and therefore :prose would be of great benefit to these populations.

People have been trying to get neural devices to speak for decades, and :prose’s cutting edge assistive technology is allowing communication for a nonverbal individual. said Gil Trevino, Lead Direct Support Professional at PathPoint. One of our participants now can communicate by using mental commands. Within minutes she was speaking several phrases aloud, compared to years of training with other technologies. This advancement has allowed someone who once was non-verbal communicator, the ability to communicate thoughts, feelings and answers in a way she never has before.

Smartstones is now worked alongside PathPoint, a nonprofit organization that provides services to over 2,000 individuals with developmental, psychiatric, and physical disabilities. These organisations are working to test the “think to speak” technology. PathPoint participants with severe developmental disabilities have been able to use brainwave commands to communicate, while connected to EEG headset. Smartstones :prose is available to download on iPhone or iPad and can be used with a variety of Bluetooth connected sensory devices, including Smartstones Touch™, Apple Watch and now an Emotiv Insight or Emotiv Epoc wireless EEG headset.

Reference

http://www.prweb.com

The post “Think to Speak” Technology Finally Becomes a Reality for Millions of People Worldwide Unable to Verbally Communicate appeared first on ENT Wellbeing Sydney.

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