/news-archive/tag/deaf-and-hard-of-hearing/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Thu, 27 Jun 2019 13:55:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /news-archive/2019/06/27/sam-atcherson-research/ Thu, 27 Jun 2019 13:55:43 +0000 /news/?p=74610 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock professor investigates transparent face mask to help deaf and hard of hearing patients better communicate with healthcare providers]]> A University of Arkansas at Little Rock faculty member is hoping to make visits to healthcare professionals easier for patients and other health workers who are deaf or hard of hearing.聽 Dr. Samuel Atcherson, a faculty member at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, is researching a prototype transparent surgical face mask that allows those who are deaf or hard of hearing and non-native English speakers to read lips. The face mask will make it easier for people who have trouble understanding orally, but Atcherson said the mask was originally designed with a completely different purpose in mind. 鈥淭hese transparent masks weren鈥檛 initially conceived to help deaf and hard of hearing people,鈥� Atcherson said. 鈥淲earing a mask can be intimidating to others. It was thought it would be easier for children if they could see more of the doctor鈥檚 face, but the transparent face masks allows people to read lips. This is especially important in noisy settings where people are having a hard time hearing. This could even improve communication access for a person with normal hearing who is in a noisy setting or who is speaking to a person with a foreign accent. We try to think about it universally rather than just for people with hearing loss.鈥� Atcherson is a co-investigator with the mask鈥檚 inventor, Jeanne Hahne, a nurse in San Francisco. They received a two-year $95,602 grant from the National Institutes of Health in July 2016 to develop and test the transparent mask. Atcherson is conducting two research studies to determine how well the mask works and how people feel about the use of the mask. 鈥淭he first study is a speech perception in noise study,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have three groups of participants: people with normal hearing, those with moderate hearing loss, and people who have severe to profound hearing loss. To prepare for this study, we obtained audiovisual recordings of a male and a female speaker wearing no mask, the traditional mask, and the transparent mask repeating sentences displayed on a screen. The participants in the study were recruited to listen to and watch the speakers and repeat the sentences presented. We are comparing how well people can understand what people are saying while wearing the traditional mask and the transparent mask or no mask at all.鈥� Typically, wearing the traditional mask versus the transparent mask makes no difference in how well people with normal hearing understand the speakers. 鈥淧eople with nominal hearing loss usually have a slight benefit with being able to see the lips of the speaker,鈥� Atcherson said. 鈥淔or the group of people with severe to profound hearing loss, that made the biggest difference. Being able to see someone鈥檚 lips move can provide greater access and understanding, even if you can鈥檛 read lips. For the two groups with hearing loss, being able to see lips moving reduces the fatigue factor. You use less energy trying to understand what someone is saying.鈥� Atcherson said much of his research has spanned from his involvement with the Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Loss. 鈥淚鈥檝e been involved with this group for 18 years. What I noticed very quickly is that there was a lot of misinformation about hearing aids and hearing implants,鈥� he said. 鈥淟ots of people had lots of questions on how to use a stethoscope with these devices. I imagine the general public isn鈥檛 aware there are amplified stethoscopes on the market. Your hearing aid and hearing implant is designed to provide access to speech frequencies, but heart sounds have energy 聽much lower in frequency. Sometimes, an implant or hearing aid can鈥檛 deliver the sounds, so we try to come up with alternative strategies to address these issues.鈥� In his spare time, he and other fellow researchers have been working to understand the benefits and limitations of various amplified stethoscopes to help healthcare professionals and students with hearing loss detect heartbeats and lung sounds. The goal of their research is to find a way to successfully integrate hearing implants, hearing aids, and amplified stethoscopes to help healthcare professionals and students who are deaf or hard of hearing practice medicine. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really a compatibility issue. You have these three devices, and everyone鈥檚 hearing loss is different. Everyone has different hearing aids and hearing implants,鈥� Atcherson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to integrate these three technologies so that healthcare professionals with hearing loss can continue to do their jobs, and so healthcare students can pass their technical standards. Eventually, I feel like there is enough shared knowledge in the association that we can figure out how to connect these devices.鈥� In the upper right photo, Dr. Sam Atcherson wears medical equipment, a transparent face mask and amplified stethoscope, he is researching designed to help deaf and hard of hearing patients and doctors better communicate. Photo by Ben Krain.]]> /news-archive/2018/05/18/just-communities-arkansas-honors-anderson-humanitarian-award/ Fri, 18 May 2018 13:58:10 +0000 /news/?p=70606 ... Just Communities of Arkansas honors Anderson with Humanitarian Award]]> A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor and advocate for the deaf and hard of hearing has been recognized by Just Communities of Arkansas as a recipient of the 2018 Humanitarian Award.聽 Dr. Glenn Anderson, associate professor in the American Sign Language and English Interpreter Education program at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, received the award May 8 at the Jack Stephens Center. Since 1964, the has honored one or more individuals who have demonstrated a significant commitment to building inclusive communities. These honorees have had a meaningful impact in improving social justice and human rights efforts through their work and community service. Fellow honorees included Rhonda Aaron, founder and president of Sister Friends United, and Sherman Tate, community leader and mentor. Dr. Robert Johnston received the award posthumously in recognition of his lifetime of public service and commitment to social justice. Anderson was also the recipient of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 2018 Faculty Excellence Award for Public Service and a $5,000 prize. His significant contributions to the black deaf community are undeniable. Anderson often guest lectures, makes presentations, and writes journal articles on black deaf history and linguistic variations among black American Sign Language users. He was a keynote speaker during a at the Arkansas State Capitol building kicking off Deaf History Month. Anderson said the ceremony was an important way to remember the accomplishments of those who are deaf and hard of hearing in Arkansas. 鈥淢any deaf people have many accomplishments that the public might not be aware of,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is an opportunity for us to come together to celebrate, recognize, and honor deaf people for their achievements and accomplishments.鈥� In 2017, Gallaudet University, the world鈥檚 only university in which all programs and services are specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students, awarded Anderson the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree during Gallaudet鈥檚 147th commencement. Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, Anderson became deaf at the age of seven. Encountering barriers and obstacles during his childhood, his parents told him, 鈥淵ou have to be twice as good as anyone else to be successful.鈥� He received a Ph.D. in rehabilitation counseling from New York University, a master鈥檚 degree in rehabilitation counseling from the University of Arizona, and a bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology from Gallaudet College. Anderson also lays claim to several pioneering roles. He is the first deaf person hired by Michigan Rehabilitation Services to work as a vocational rehabilitation counselor (1970), the first African-American alumnus of Gallaudet to earn a doctoral degree (New York University, 1982), and the first African-American deaf person 聽to serve as chair of the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees (1994 to 2005). His career has included coordinating a referral and counseling center in New York City and helping to establish a continuing education program to benefit deaf adults interested in returning to school and completing their college degrees. In 2008, he joined the Interpreter Education faculty within the Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation and Adult Education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. From 1982 to 2008, he served as director of training at the University of Arkansas Rehabilitation Research and Training Center for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. He was also a professor in the University of Arkansas鈥檚 Department of Rehabilitation, Human Resources, and Communication Disorders and served as coordinator of the master鈥檚 degree program in rehabilitation counseling with persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. He published numerous articles in professional journals and books, including the 2006 book/DVD entitled, 鈥�Still I Rise! The Enduring Legacy of Black Deaf Arkansans Before & After Integration.鈥� Anderson was appointed by President George W. Bush as a member of the National Council on Disability from 2002 to 2005. Anderson served on the Board of Directors for the National Black Deaf Advocates from 2012 to 2015. During Gallaudet University鈥檚 150th anniversary celebration in 2014, Anderson was named one of the university鈥檚 15 visionary leaders. In 2016, he was appointed to the Commission on Collegiate Interpreter Education, the national accrediting board for interpreter education programs. ]]>