School!?

[lovezebras]

Unfortunately they will only move around the placement of a classroom if your in a wheelchair..so the whole circle thing would be a no go..plus some of my classes range from 40+ students..so it would be a hassle i think...
The only way I use my fm is if im having trouble, if im ok with just my ha's than I can use just press one of my program buttons to just my ha mode...
The only way i would use my fm system out of class, is if im in the car since i have a smartlink sx and it has bluetooth that can answer my phone and i use my ha as headset..other than that..i wouldnt bring it to a restaurant and stick it in the middle of the table..jeese..

 

[deafdyke]

Really? That's dumb............Maybe they just haven't thought about that as an accomondation. Those are WICKED good for discussion based classes. Even for hearing kids.........I was one of only a handful of dhh kids at my college, but yet a lot of my classes were set up in a discussion circle. That's good that you're on more of a "just in case" mode with FM.
Shel and jillo, remmy those HUGE body worn FMs with the harnesses? UGH those were AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[R2D2]

Actually.....................you know what might be just as good as FM? Request a "circle" classroom set up, so that you can see what the other students are saying. That's so much better then the "teacher at front" and kids in rows set up that's more tradtional.
Jillo, I've noticed that most dhh kids don't really find FM to be all that helpful. However postlingal folks love them. Can you believe orgs like AG Bell are pushing out of school use of them? WTF?

I'm not a postie but I loved mine. I believe it made a huge difference to me in the classroom.

 

[jillio]

My school does that, actually, and I think it's not a bad idea. They used to have students deliver this packet of very boilerplate administrative-like stuff that wasn't all that helpful (I used to pitch it as a "keep this on file, but asking me is probably easier than reading it" document, and give my profs a brief explanation of what was going on). It was convenient to have it in hand to make things "officially sanctioned", though. They've kept that, but starting this semester, before the semester begins, they send off an email to the professors saying, "You have a student in your class who is deaf or hard of hearing. He will be using [brief description of FM, CART, etc]. Please contact us or ask him with any questions". So the professors have some heads up, and it's briefer and less threatening than the packet used to be.

That's the procedure I use, as well. The emails seem to be more efficient than giving the students letters to pass on. I also have a handbook for professors that details their obligations under ADA, and a handbook for students outlining what their obligations are (keeping me informed of problems, changing accommodations, problems with profs, etc.) But when I first started with disability services at this school, none of that was being done. And we had profs that were complaining about accommodations. Thats why I designed the handbooks. Its amazing how little information they are provided sometimes.

 

[lovezebras]

So my counselor finally got hold of my audi and they ordered my permanent fm system that i get to keep and my audi is going to bill the school for it (they pay thru a students with disability bursary!) So I should get that by friday or by monday next week
So my notetaker for my class i was having alot of trouble with is really good...she types SOOO fast..i was like woah!

OOO!!!! And im proud to say im like 99.9% sure that i got a 100% on my first accounting test (..i've never even taken the course..and ppl that have got stuff wrong!) so im feeling pretty happy about that..I also have economics, business law, marketing, and two english courses..

So im ina bit of a huff as well cuz my laptop is horrible for school when the guy was like the batt. life is great, its not too heavy..blah blah "great comp"...ya my behind!!
My mom called dell (i have the inspiron 1501 which = horrible since it only has a batt life of 1.5-2 hrs with the standard 6 cell batt. anddd it only has one processor not a dual core processor...)
So it sucks..cuz i cant upgrade my batt to anything above a 9 cell which will give me another 2 hours, the inspiron 1501 cant hold a 12 cell battery which is the best batt...And the laptop is like 7.5 pounds i think..so plus my books and binders and fm system all in my bag its soo heavy..and im only 5 ft 103 lbs. so its a lot to lug around a huge school...so ya..i dunno wat to do..does anyone here kno ALOT about computers? and can suggest a REALLY good quality laptop maybe??

Thats why I designed the handbooks. Its amazing how little information they are provided sometimes.

I wish we had something like that..We get an info sheet on the fm system and wat it is/does, and are iep to give to the teachers, thats all...I wish there was more about rights and stuff...but there isn't
thanks for all the great comments so far...does anyone kno a site for canadian laws? my search engine is slow

 

[R2D2]

Glad that you have a good notetaker and that the FM system has been ordered.

What about getting an airport bag on wheels to carry everything around? You know, the one with the pull out handle that is small enough to take as carry on luggage? Get a smart looking, black businesslike one to look the part I wouldn't be surprised if some of them had separate areas for laptops.

I notice some school students here in Australia use bags like that and I think it's way cool.

Congrats on getting the good results in accounting - a girl after my own heart!

 

[ismi]

im only 5 ft 103 lbs. so its a lot to lug around a huge school...so ya..i dunno wat to do..does anyone here kno ALOT about computers? and can suggest a REALLY good quality laptop maybe??

If you're looking for a new (smaller) laptop, the Thinkpads are really nice, and I believe some of them are quite small. They're pretty solid-feeling machiness, too, they hold up well with use. They used to be made by IBM, but a company called Lenovo bought them.

Sony also makes a very thin, lightweight laptop called the Vaio. I don't know as much about it, but I think the modern ones are pretty good.

I use an Apple, since I like OS X and Linux, but if I was going to buy a machine to run Windows (which the newer Macs can do - but if I was going to buy a machine *just* for Windows), I'd probably go with the Thinkpad. Both the Thinkpad and the Vaio are a bit pricier than Dell and HP laptops, I think, but they also tend to last longer and need fewer repairs.

[End Geek Mode]

And I'm even smaller than you, by the way, so I feel your pain. I have a 15" Apple Powebook, which is thinner and lighter than 15" Dells and HPs, and I quite like it, but I'm thinking my next one will probably be 12 or 13 inches -- make it that much easier to carry.

 

[deafdyke]

R2D2, there are some prelingal folks who actively love FM, but overall it does seem that most prelings aren't huge fans of FM. At my college, when I asked about FM usage they said that it hadn't been used for a few years. I dunno.........I like being able to hear what the other students say.
I'm more of a soundfield fan. Especially since they have been shown to improve acheivement in hearing kids as well!

 

[LTHFAdvocate]

The stupidest thing any of my daughter's teachers ever said about her FM was one who refused to use it because she was pregnant and she was afraid it would cause birth defects. While I was in my rights to request the principal to force her to use it, I figured "do I really want my daughter being taught by someone this ignorant?" and just requested my daughter be put in a different class, with a "geek" teacher who loved electronics and technology. On the flip side, the funniest thing was when the geek teacher wore it into the bathroom and didn't turn in off -- Patty could hear the toilet flush and thought that was pretty darn funny (I think she was 8 at the time).

My daughter has had an FM System from 11 years. She's gone from thinking it is the greatest thing in the world and wanting to even sleep with it on, to being the more typical teenager with the attitude "this makes me stand out which is bad". We now have a deal that any class she has a B or better in she doesn't have to use it. We actually have that written into her IEP. I think she does better with it, especially in her Mandarin class, but I've learned to pick my battles and as long as she's doing well, if she wants to work harder without the FM system but still do well, I figure that's not a battle worth fighting.

Well that was a dumb thing for himto say. Wouldn't he be worried about the hearing students telling on him if he swore? Duh! Just cuz you have an FM system doesn't mean no one else could hear him! Good luck with your meeting with your counselor.

 

[R2D2]

The stupidest thing any of my daughter's teachers ever said about her FM was one who refused to use it because she was pregnant and she was afraid it would cause birth defects. While I was in my rights to request the principal to force her to use it, I figured "do I really want my daughter being taught by someone this ignorant?" and just requested my daughter be put in a different class, with a "geek" teacher who loved electronics and technology. On the flip side, the funniest thing was when the geek teacher wore it into the bathroom and didn't turn in off -- Patty could hear the toilet flush and thought that was pretty darn funny (I think she was 8 at the time).

My daughter has had an FM System from 11 years. She's gone from thinking it is the greatest thing in the world and wanting to even sleep with it on, to being the more typical teenager with the attitude "this makes me stand out which is bad". We now have a deal that any class she has a B or better in she doesn't have to use it. We actually have that written into her IEP. I think she does better with it, especially in her Mandarin class, but I've learned to pick my battles and as long as she's doing well, if she wants to work harder without the FM system but still do well, I figure that's not a battle worth fighting.

She's learning Mandarin? Wow, I'm impressed! That's a difficult language because it uses tones, which makes the same word mean something different depending on what tone is used.

That teacher who was worried about the birth defects sounds a basket case. I think you did the right thing by asking your daughter to be taught by someone else. I'm sure the teacher's body language every time she put it on would have put your daughter right off.

 

[shel90]

Really? That's dumb............Maybe they just haven't thought about that as an accomondation. Those are WICKED good for discussion based classes. Even for hearing kids.........I was one of only a handful of dhh kids at my college, but yet a lot of my classes were set up in a discussion circle. That's good that you're on more of a "just in case" mode with FM.
Shel and jillo, remmy those HUGE body worn FMs with the harnesses? UGH those were AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yea, I remember. I used to purposely not set them right on the battery charger so the battery can be dead the next day for school. I did anything to avoid wearing it but I was forced to since my mom was persauded that it would help me. It only just made whoever's voice speaking in it extremely loud and static-like instead of making it clear. My mom finally signed it off on my IEP when some bullies ripped it out of my pant clip and threw it over the school fence breaking it. So much for acceptance from peers, huh? What a waste of money..

I guess they are better now and not so bulky and awkward.

 

[LTHFAdvocate]

Yeah, I'm pretty proud of the Mandarin thing. She works very hard at it, much harder the other kids in her class, most of whom are native speakers or have at least one Chinese-speaking parent. I'm not Chinese, her father is, but he doesn't speak Chinese and lives about 1000 miles away at the moment. She's somewhat lucky in that her hearing loss was progressive, she actually spoke a lot of Mandarin from going to Chinese school and learning from her grandmother when she was younger and then when her hearing got worse, she lost the ability to understand Mandarin for about 9 years. Fast forward to the invention of the Oticon Syncro. We got some loaners to try from where I work, and she came back from a family event where she said she understood all the Mandarin being spoken for the first time in almost a decade. Her hearing with the Syncros is 0 to 15 dB (40-90 without), which is truly amazing.

She's learning Mandarin? Wow, I'm impressed! That's a difficult language because it uses tones, which makes the same word mean something different depending on what tone is used.

That teacher who was worried about the birth defects sounds a basket case. I think you did the right thing by asking your daughter to be taught by someone else. I'm sure the teacher's body language every time she put it on would have put your daughter right off.

 

[LTHFAdvocate]

They are so tiny today, as are many things electronic, that they are easy to lose ! The boot is less than 1/2 inch cube and they now generally tap into the HA batteries. The microphone pack is about the size of a business card. I think the digital processing on the HAs really helps with the amplification as it filters out some of the background noise and applies all those lovely speech processing algorithms which are pretty specific to ones audiogram to the voice being transmitted. The only thing that is problematic is if the teacher is standing next to an unshielded computer monitor that can really mess with the signal. Took us a while to figure that out in middle school

Yea, I remember. I used to purposely not set them right on the battery charger so the battery can be dead the next day for school. I did anything to avoid wearing it but I was forced to since my mom was persauded that it would help me. It only just made whoever's voice speaking in it extremely loud and static-like instead of making it clear. My mom finally signed it off on my IEP when some bullies ripped it out of my pant clip and threw it over the school fence breaking it. So much for acceptance from peers, huh? What a waste of money..

I guess they are better now and not so bulky and awkward.

 

[R2D2]

Yeah, I'm pretty proud of the Mandarin thing. She works very hard at it, much harder the other kids in her class, most of whom are native speakers or have at least one Chinese-speaking parent. I'm not Chinese, her father is, but he doesn't speak Chinese and lives about 1000 miles away at the moment. She's somewhat lucky in that her hearing loss was progressive, she actually spoke a lot of Mandarin from going to Chinese school and learning from her grandmother when she was younger and then when her hearing got worse, she lost the ability to understand Mandarin for about 9 years. Fast forward to the invention of the Oticon Syncro. We got some loaners to try from where I work, and she came back from a family event where she said she understood all the Mandarin being spoken for the first time in almost a decade. Her hearing with the Syncros is 0 to 15 dB (40-90 without), which is truly amazing.

It's great that as a deaf person, she is able to continue having access to her heritage in that regard It sounds like it's really important to her considering how hard she works at it all.

 

[jillio]

So my counselor finally got hold of my audi and they ordered my permanent fm system that i get to keep and my audi is going to bill the school for it (they pay thru a students with disability bursary!) So I should get that by friday or by monday next week
So my notetaker for my class i was having alot of trouble with is really good...she types SOOO fast..i was like woah!

OOO!!!! And im proud to say im like 99.9% sure that i got a 100% on my first accounting test (..i've never even taken the course..and ppl that have got stuff wrong!) so im feeling pretty happy about that..I also have economics, business law, marketing, and two english courses..

So im ina bit of a huff as well cuz my laptop is horrible for school when the guy was like the batt. life is great, its not too heavy..blah blah "great comp"...ya my behind!!
My mom called dell (i have the inspiron 1501 which = horrible since it only has a batt life of 1.5-2 hrs with the standard 6 cell batt. anddd it only has one processor not a dual core processor...)
So it sucks..cuz i cant upgrade my batt to anything above a 9 cell which will give me another 2 hours, the inspiron 1501 cant hold a 12 cell battery which is the best batt...And the laptop is like 7.5 pounds i think..so plus my books and binders and fm system all in my bag its soo heavy..and im only 5 ft 103 lbs. so its a lot to lug around a huge school...so ya..i dunno wat to do..does anyone here kno ALOT about computers? and can suggest a REALLY good quality laptop maybe??



I wish we had something like that..We get an info sheet on the fm system and wat it is/does, and are iep to give to the teachers, thats all...I wish there was more about rights and stuff...but there isn't
thanks for all the great comments so far...does anyone kno a site for canadian laws? my search engine is slow

If you want to pm me with your email address, I will send you a copy of the handbook I designed. I will have to take out names of our counselors, etc, but all of the information will still be there. Of course, the ADA won't apply in Canada, buthere is a lot of other useful info in there.

 

[jillio]

The stupidest thing any of my daughter's teachers ever said about her FM was one who refused to use it because she was pregnant and she was afraid it would cause birth defects. While I was in my rights to request the principal to force her to use it, I figured "do I really want my daughter being taught by someone this ignorant?" and just requested my daughter be put in a different class, with a "geek" teacher who loved electronics and technology. On the flip side, the funniest thing was when the geek teacher wore it into the bathroom and didn't turn in off -- Patty could hear the toilet flush and thought that was pretty darn funny (I think she was 8 at the time).

My daughter has had an FM System from 11 years. She's gone from thinking it is the greatest thing in the world and wanting to even sleep with it on, to being the more typical teenager with the attitude "this makes me stand out which is bad". We now have a deal that any class she has a B or better in she doesn't have to use it. We actually have that written into her IEP. I think she does better with it, especially in her Mandarin class, but I've learned to pick my battles and as long as she's doing well, if she wants to work harder without the FM system but still do well, I figure that's not a battle worth fighting.

Isn't it scary sometimes the attitudes that educators have regarding accommodations? I know what you mean about picking your battles with teachers. You have to decide which is more important...your child's education or educating the educator!

LOL with the bathroom thing! I'm impressed with her learning of Mandarin....what a difficult dialect for anyone to master! You have a right to be very proud of her!

 

[lovezebras]

I think it's great that the technology is so great and small now..but when i take off the attachment for my fm that goes on my ha it pops off really fast..i almost lost it in the car:s ... my mom was like AHHH...but i found it lol.
I get static sometimes from my fm..can it really be the computer in the class?...i never thought of that..
Mandarin! wow i heard that's a hard language to learn..i speak italian but next year im taking it again since i dont know it fluent and I cant write it yet! So hopefully that goes really well!

 

[deafdyke]

My daughter has had an FM System from 11 years. She's gone from thinking it is the greatest thing in the world and wanting to even sleep with it on, to being the more typical teenager with the attitude "this makes me stand out which is bad". We now have a deal that any class she has a B or better in she doesn't have to use it.

Sheri, lol..........yes most dhh kids go through the "Oh I don't mind this accomondation" to the "I'm not going to use this!!!!" phrase. Oh lord you should have heard some of the fights my parents and I had in high school about using FM. I never really liked FM....I hated it as early as fourth grade.
Also I gotta say that while FM can be a good accomondation, it can be rather overrated as an accomondation. Like the pro-FM folks make a typical classroom sound like a construction site. It really isn't THAT vital of an accomondation. Just make sure that the instructor has a good speaking voice (loud and enunicates well) and either preferential seating or "circle/square" seating, and that should be just as good as FM. (just to note I haven't used an FM since I was in fourth grade and that was back in '89)

 

[cdmeggers]

I've worn FMs since I was oh... 5. Oh god I remember this one FM system my family rented for a while... I hated it. It was body worn and I sure hated the straps. But once I got to the deaf school, by first grade we switched over to the Comtek FM systems and fanny packs to carry the FM in, which was much better than the body strap ones. And the Comtek's were much better than the older ones we wore.

Used Comtek all the way up to high school for the most part, I even have my own personal set (which I never use). But it was tricky to use the FM in high school, since I went to a different school for half the day and they had a very different program (and I never felt the need to wear the FM at the other NORMAL high school for gym or elective classes). Lots of group discussions, so we used a conference mic in the middle of the table. But it was still difficult to follow what was being said because there were a lot of other noise going on (computers, cars going by, crinkles/crunches/whatever from snacks, voices from outside the room, etc.). I even tried using my Phonak system for a few days with no success, so I gave up either junior or senior year in high school and just relied on the interpreter, and tried to listen as much as I could with the hearing aid.

As for college... well... psh I had a lot of anxiety issues and I was too much of a wuss to even give the transmitter to the instructor.... I definitely should check into internet classes, as I just cannot handle being in a classroom anymore.

 

[deafdyke]

Yeah, I'm not totally bashing FM. Just trying to make the point that its not absolutly vital. I really think that people need to experiment and see if its helpful or not.
CD Meggers, you said you have one for personal use. What situtions do you use it for?