Dance mats with flashing lights were previously used to teach deaf and hard of hearing kids to dance, but sub-woofers, as used at Rochester School for Deaf Students in the US, are definitely a step into the future.

Sub-woofers are typically used to enhance music in a dancing environment, but in this case are placed face down on a floor that vibrates. This means the children feel the tempo of the music through their feet when dancing.

Auditory solutions provider, Oval Window Audio, developed its Multisensory Sound Laboratory as a way for deaf and hard of hearing children to learn to dance. The black carpet finish of the sub-woofers mean they easily fit into carpet and essentially convert a room into one big sub-woofer.

Computer Games

Subwoofer use is not limited to dance however. It may be surprising to learn that many computer games are not accessible to deaf players. Over the years the use of subtitles has also become the exception, not the rule.

Music can signal the approach of an enemy. What if this music isn’t heard?

The use of bass music, which would be felt through a subwoofer, might solve a lot of these issues. One deaf gamer recently tested out the theory.

In a review of the game “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”, she says, “I was able to swap the danger music with an MP3 of low rumbling that I can feel through a subwoofer in my feet”.

Another issue she found was that while the game had sub-titles, she found it hard to tell which character was speaking as they were all in the same colour. She suggests that game creators use different colour text for each character. She also says, “I particularly liked the way the symbols elevate from the potion book so you can see what actions need to be performed.”

The Arts

Soho artist Sim Sun Kim who has been deaf since infancy uses sub-woofers to create works of art. She says her approach to art to some extent reflects her relationship with sound. When creating art, she places paint or brushes on a piece of paper on top of a sub-woofer. As she turns on the sub-woofer the vibrations make the paint move and create a unique work of art.

Kim’s work has been exhibited worldwide, including New York and Germany.

Further Reading

Game reviews & advice on making games accessible to deaf players

Questions and Answers Interview With Sim Sun Kim

(compiled by Miriam Walsh)

A parent recently asked IDK about Auditory Neuropathy (AN), after searching online for details about the condition.

“Think about driving your car with the radio on, but you have a frayed wire somewhere between the radio and the speaker system. The sound is entering the perfectly operational radio but is not able to get through the wire and into the speaker in the correct way. Now replace the words radio, wire, and speaker in that sentence with the words cochlea, nerve and brain”

The above is a simple explanation from one mother of a child with Auditory Neuropathy (AN). AN is a less known form of deafness that affects a small percentage of people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Individuals experiencing AN may have perfect hearing, or a hearing loss ranging from mild to severe. However they always have poor speech perception abilities. They may have trouble recognizing certain words and other times full sentences may seem out of synchronisation.

AN is usually confirmed through a series of tests including an auditory brainstem response (ABR) and a otoacoustic emissions (OAE) test. In this case an atypical ABR reading is found with a normal OAE reading (this indicates the outer hair cells are working normally). These tests are painless and can performed on newborns and older children.

Research has shown that the perception of some newborns improves and they start to hear and speak within a year or two. Unfortunately there is no simple way of telling what their long-term prospects are.

Because the sound gets through a perfectly operating cochlea, hearing aids are often of little help. Due to what could be described as a bad connection between the nerve and the brain the individual experiences sounds, which fade in and out.  If the volume in hearing aids is turned up, static is heard, which just gets louder and louder.

Cochlear implants may help. However, as with hearing aids there is no definite research into their benefits to people experiencing AN.

When it comes to education, health professionals suggest that parents work closely with a team of professionals who can advise on educating the child. Parents are encouraged to do all they can to interact with their child by smiling, holding, facing the child and responding to communication.

One option is sign language while another is to use listening and spoken skills with hearing devices or implants. A combination of these approaches is also favoured. Older children and adults who have already been speaking and understanding speech are encouraged to learn how to lipread.

(compiled by Miriam Walsh)

Useful Links:

Website run by the parent of an AN child

Yahoo support group for AN parents

A pdf which explains AN

In Ireland, the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) free pre-school year is set to open up equal education opportunities to children nationwide.

The scheme, which is to be rolled out from January 2010, will be available to all pre-schoolers in Ireland, born between 2 February 2005 to 30 June 2006  (exemptions are made for children with special needs).

This is a positive step towards educating the leaders of tomorrow.

In the words of The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Barry Andrews,  ‘pre-primary education is a key determinant of student performance at all levels of education, as it leads to improvements in students’ skills levels, motivation and the propensity to learn, which raises the private and social returns from all future investments in their education’.

So far over 85% of preschools nationwide have applied for involvement in the scheme, which means over 90,000 preschoolers can participate.

Ann O’Donnell at the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs advises that all pre-schools are eligible to apply to the scheme. This includes both specialist and mainstream services. She was clear that “all services are subject to the equal status acts 2000 and 2004” which means that no child should be left out and places will be available for children with special needs.

Early education is a key step in early child development as it both helps with later education and encourages children to learn how to communicate with others and to make friends.

Loopholes however exist in the ECCE in that a parent may be charged extra if a child wishes to participate in additional services such as music or dance. If a parent decides they do not want to pay extra, the school is obliged to continue caring for the child and offer an alternative activity. Providers can however charge for additional hours not covered by the scheme, which entitles each child to 2 hours 15 minutes 5 days a week.

While this is a positive step, it may mean that if an individual’s preschool of choice does not qualify, they may have to go elsewhere. For a full list of participating preschools in your area, contact your local city council. Further information including a guide for parents can be found at theNCCA website.

Detailed information about the ECCE is on theOMC website.

(compiled by Miriam Walsh)