Welcome!

Welcome to our web site!  The Manitoba Chapter of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association developed the site to help members of Manitoba’s hard of hearing community find information to help them live successfully with hearing loss.  We provide hints to help improve communication,  as well as information about Meniere’s Disease, personal stories about coping with hearing loss, and many other topics of interest to hard of hearing people, as well as their friends and families.   Our Access page includes a listing of Winnipeg venues with assistive listening technology, tips on dining out, and a partial listing of places of worship with assistive technology.  Our pages are easy to navigate through drop-down menus, and all of our news items are archived.  To your left you’ll see two short listings of links to other web sites – more links can be found by clicking on the Links button in the menu bar above.

If you encounter problems with the site, please send us a note by clicking the Contact button at the top of your screen.  Thanks, enjoy your visit, and drop by often!

Annual National Conference – 2013

When: May 23-25, 2013
Hosted: The Canadian Hard of Hearing Association in partnership with CHHA Edmonton Branch: workshops, Hearing and Health Expo, and fun activities
Where: At the Fantasyland Hotel located in the West Edmonton Mall
Address: 17700-87 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5T 4V4

For complete details visit the Canadian Hard of Hearing national web site by clicking this link: http://www.chha.ca/conference/

New implant is giving new hope to the hearing impaired.

The device, recently approved in Canada for clinical use, is designed for  people who have hearing loss in the middle and outer ear.

Doctors at a London, Ont., hospital have begun tests on the latest  generation of hearing implants called the Bonebridge, an implant surgically  embedded under the skin and into the temporal bone.

Older versions of the bone conduction device were considered too bulky, and  required a metal hook to anchor the external microphone to the scalp.

The updated device uses wireless technology and links the internal and  external components using magnets.

An external microphone worn under the hair captures sound and sends it to  the implant, which transforms the noise into vibrations. The vibrations are  transmitted to the inner ear, where they are processed into natural sound.

Bone implant gives new hope to hearing impaired

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/bone-implant-gives-new-hope-to-hearing-impaired-1.1277726#ixzz2THPp1HPK

The Next Generation of Cochlear Implants

AUSTRALIAN academic and commercial researchers have developed designs for higher-performance electrodes which could substantially improve sound perception in the next generation of cochlear implants.

To read more please click on the link below http://www.manmonthly.com.au/news/new-manufacturing-processes-improve-cochlear-impla

6 Early Warning Signs of Hearing Loss

The following link is to a U.S. website so the numbers in the statistics don’t apply to Canada but the percentages they represent will be pretty close and of course the signs are the same no matter where you live!

http://healthyliving.msn.com/diseases/caregiving/6-early-warning-signs-of-hearing-loss

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month

This would be the perfect time to have a checkup with an audiologist. If you’ve never had a hearing test it’s a good idea to have one to use as a baseline. The changes in our hearing very often happen slowly and we adjust not really realizing what we are missing. As with any health issue early diagnosis and attention are very important.

If you have a hearing loss now is a good time to talk to your family and friends and remind them about what they can do to help you communicate with them. If there are young people in your family remind them to be very careful about the volume when they use their ear buds for listening to music.

Happy Hearing!

Accessibility Rights Bill introduced in Manitoba

April 24, 2013 was an historic day in Manitoba as the  Minister of Family Services and Labour, the Honourable Jennifer Howard, tabled Bill 26, The Accessibilty for Manitobans Act. This is just the first step in a long journey that will see Manitoba become a more inclusive place for all people.

For more detail and a link to the bill go to http://barrierfreemb.com/

Manitoba Chapter Annual General Meeting April 25, 2013

This year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) features a presentation on the Hard of Hearing Hospital Kits – a special project developed and launched right here by CHHA Manitoba Chapter to ensure that the communication needs of hard-of-hearing hospital patients are met.  Everyone who attends the meeting will receive their very own kit – it’s a handy thing to have for more than just a visit to the hospital!  The presentation follows a brief business meeting.  The session takes place at the Deer Lodge Centre on Portage Avenue.

Possible New Name and Slogan for CHHA

CHHA National is conducting a brief survey to consider a new name for our organization, as well as a new slogan.  The deadline to complete the survey is March 10th, so you’ll need to hurry!  This is a very short questionnaire, and will only take a few minutes to complete.  Here’s the link:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Q7RBXNH

 

CRTC Mandates Text Messaging to 9-1-1 in 2014

The following email was distributed to members of the MTS Accessibility Forum today:  Good News! Today the CRTC issued a Telecom Decision directing telephone companies across Canada to implement Text Messaging with 9-1-1 in 2014. MTS is looking forward to implementing this solution, and will be coordinating activities with key stakeholders such as the various Accessibility groups. We will keep you informed later this year as we move forward with this initiative.

Telecom Decision 2013-22 can be accessed at the following link http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2013/2013-22.htm

Inquiries to MTS can be emailed to: accessibility@mtsallstream.com

Catherine Shearer – Obituary

Catherine Shearer, the woman who pioneered the Living With Hearing Loss Program in Manitoba, passed away on Friday January 4, 2013.   Ms. Shearer  served as a Board member of CHHA Manitoba Chapter several years ago, and in the 1980′s she was also a member of the National Board of Directors.   Click here to read the obituary notice published in the Winnipeg Free Press on January 9, 2013

 

Living With Hearing Loss Classes Start January 29th

A new session of the Living With Hearing Loss program begins on Tuesday January 29, 2013 at 1:30 p.m.  Classes are held once weekly for ten weeks.  For information on registration and program fees, contact the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities at 825 Sherbrook Street, Winnipeg, MB R3A 1M5, telephone 975-3107, or email sblake@smd.mb.ca.  View more information on SMD’s Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Adults.