Volume 11, Issue 2: Spring 2003 |
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What's Inside...the Spring 2003 issue
President Bush's FY04 Budget
Eliminates AT Act
To the shock of AT advocates nationwide,
the President’s FY04 budget, released last month, eliminates
all funding for state technology projects. This unexpected
move effectively shuts down the state programs a full year
before the legislative authorization for the program ends.
Classroom Acoustics Impact
Learners and Educators Alike
We
have known for many years that children with hearing impairments
often struggle in a
noisy classroom environment. Mounting evidence,
however, suggests that the acoustic environment in the classroom
can affect the well-being of all students—as well as that
of their teachers.
Frequently-Asked Questions
About Classroom Acoustics
1. What causes high noise levels
and other acoustical problems in classrooms? 2. Who is
at risk for learning problems due to poor classroom acoustics?
3. What are the effects of noise on hearing in the classroom?
4. What
are other effects of poor classroom acoustics? 5. What will
it cost to improve classroom acoustics? 6. What can be done
to increase
awareness about the problems associated with classroom acoustics?
7. What can teachers and schools do to improve acoustical conditions
in their classrooms?
Auditory
Access to the Curriculum: One Family’s Experience
Most
of us don’t give acoustics much thought in the course
of our daily lives. Sure, we appreciate the fine listening
qualities
of a first rate music hall or we cringe in the din of a noisy
gym, but generally we get by.
Colonial District Pioneers Widespread
Auditory Enhancments
Many Colonial School District teachers
no longer need to ask their students “Can you hear me now?” thanks
to an IDEA and Technology Grant through the Delaware Department
of Education. The grant made possible the purchase of $63,000
of sound field amplification equipment.
Resources on Classroom Acoustics
American
National Standard Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirements,
and Guidelines for Schools.
Library for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped
In 1931, Congress authorized the Library of Congress
to initiate the service that would become the National Library
Service for
the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS).
If
You Can’t Hear Me Now: Telephone Equipment and Services
for Those with Acquired
Hearing Loss
Imagine
that you are losing, or have lost, your hearing. Up to this
point, you were able to use a
telephone to communicate
without any special equipment. Now, however, you cannot hear
well enough to carry on a telephone conversation. If you want
to, or more importantly, if you need to use the phone, what
do you do? Read on and you will learn what tools
and services are available to help you communicate.
Funding for Hearing Aids
There
are approximately 28 million people in the United States who
have a hearing loss that results in communication problems. This
statistic represents approximately 10% of the population, which
in Delaware means more than 80,000 people.
Lions Clubs of Delaware Assist
in Funding AT
The Lions Club is a service club organization
recognized worldwide for their efforts to improve the quality
of life of individuals with visual and/or hearing impairments.
Lions Clubs participate in service projects that are conducted
on a local, statewide, nationwide and worldwide basis.
Self Help for Hard of Hearing People
Opens New Office
Self Help for Hard of Hearing People of
Delaware, Inc. (SHHH) is a non-profit organization, affiliated
with SHHH National
in Bethesda, Maryland and is the largest organization in the
United States for deaf, and hard of hearing children and adults.
New Product Info Victor Trekker & AudiSee
Equal Access to the World
Wide Web
The internet has
the potential to provide people with disabilities access to
an array of commercial activity that was virtually unfathomable
when the ADA was drafted. The internet offers people with mobility,
visual, or other impairments access to businesses, education,
and information from their own homes and offices.