Miss-Delectable
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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/features/story.jsp?story=662637
A few weeks ago Belfast City Airport announced that passengers with hearing impairment would be issued with clip-on pagers that would vibrate in line with verbal fire warnings and display instructions on the small screen. The service is free and you only need to tell reception you are deaf when checking in.
This is a big step forward; but it seems that attempts to include additional information about delayed or cancelled flights are proving difficult and it may be many months before relevant technology can be developed.
The TV monitors at most airports are a great help in assisting deaf folk keep up to date with developments but, when we take our seats in the departure lounge, it can become very stressful to see the take-off time come and go but with no sign of movement among our fellow travellers.
Counter staff vary in deaf awareness and, even when we make ourselves known, clear information is not always forthcoming.
My wife was caught in such a situation a few months ago when travelling to an important meeting in London and was fortunate in meeting a friend who told her she had heard over the public address system that engine trouble was causing the hold-up.
But the problem persisted and my wife eventually had to cancel the flight, as the meeting would have been half over by the time she arrived.
The pagers being issued have to be returned before boarding and it would save a lot of hassle if airlines could agree on a common system that would work in all airports in line with the PAS.
It would be better still if technology could be developed to feed loudspeaker announcements into a special number in our mobiles. They travel everywhere with us and while we know they need to be switched off while in air, waiting time would be a lot easier.
Tinnitus is the word for noises that some people hear in the ears or in the head - buzzing, ringing, whistling, hissing, and other sounds that do not come from an external source.
Tinnitus is not a disease or an illness but a symptom generated within a person's own auditory pathways. The experience is very common in all age groups, especially following exposure to loud noises, but it is unusual for it to be a major problem.
÷DOWN Lisburn Trust, in partnership with RNID, invites you to an information evening, Focus on Tinnitus, at which both professional and peer support will be available. There will be talks by experts, the chance to pick up the latest information and an opportunity to try out the latest equipment to help manage the condition.
The Down venue is St Patrick's Centre, Downpatrick, on Wednesday, September 28, 7-9pm. Contact social worker Francis Martin on tel: 4461 6915.
The Lisburn venue is the Island Arts Centre, Lisburn, next Tuesday, 7-9pm. Contact social worker Christine Houston on tel: 9260 7746.
Admission to both events is free and light refreshments are available. Communication support will include a loop system, electronic note taking and a sign language interpreter.
÷A WINE and cheese evening at which Sheila McCormick will give a presentation on her voluntary work with deaf children in Uganda, East Africa, will take place in Wilton House on Friday, October 7, from 7-9pm. The entrance fee of £5 is to help raise funds for a new school for deaf children in Africa. Email: sheilaschumacker@ yahoo.co.uk.
A few weeks ago Belfast City Airport announced that passengers with hearing impairment would be issued with clip-on pagers that would vibrate in line with verbal fire warnings and display instructions on the small screen. The service is free and you only need to tell reception you are deaf when checking in.
This is a big step forward; but it seems that attempts to include additional information about delayed or cancelled flights are proving difficult and it may be many months before relevant technology can be developed.
The TV monitors at most airports are a great help in assisting deaf folk keep up to date with developments but, when we take our seats in the departure lounge, it can become very stressful to see the take-off time come and go but with no sign of movement among our fellow travellers.
Counter staff vary in deaf awareness and, even when we make ourselves known, clear information is not always forthcoming.
My wife was caught in such a situation a few months ago when travelling to an important meeting in London and was fortunate in meeting a friend who told her she had heard over the public address system that engine trouble was causing the hold-up.
But the problem persisted and my wife eventually had to cancel the flight, as the meeting would have been half over by the time she arrived.
The pagers being issued have to be returned before boarding and it would save a lot of hassle if airlines could agree on a common system that would work in all airports in line with the PAS.
It would be better still if technology could be developed to feed loudspeaker announcements into a special number in our mobiles. They travel everywhere with us and while we know they need to be switched off while in air, waiting time would be a lot easier.
Tinnitus is the word for noises that some people hear in the ears or in the head - buzzing, ringing, whistling, hissing, and other sounds that do not come from an external source.
Tinnitus is not a disease or an illness but a symptom generated within a person's own auditory pathways. The experience is very common in all age groups, especially following exposure to loud noises, but it is unusual for it to be a major problem.
÷DOWN Lisburn Trust, in partnership with RNID, invites you to an information evening, Focus on Tinnitus, at which both professional and peer support will be available. There will be talks by experts, the chance to pick up the latest information and an opportunity to try out the latest equipment to help manage the condition.
The Down venue is St Patrick's Centre, Downpatrick, on Wednesday, September 28, 7-9pm. Contact social worker Francis Martin on tel: 4461 6915.
The Lisburn venue is the Island Arts Centre, Lisburn, next Tuesday, 7-9pm. Contact social worker Christine Houston on tel: 9260 7746.
Admission to both events is free and light refreshments are available. Communication support will include a loop system, electronic note taking and a sign language interpreter.
÷A WINE and cheese evening at which Sheila McCormick will give a presentation on her voluntary work with deaf children in Uganda, East Africa, will take place in Wilton House on Friday, October 7, from 7-9pm. The entrance fee of £5 is to help raise funds for a new school for deaf children in Africa. Email: sheilaschumacker@ yahoo.co.uk.