Fresno State will address hearing loss and ways to communicate effectively at the third annual Lecture in the Silent Garden from 8-12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 25, in the North Gym (Room 118).
The free, public workshop, “You Never Listen To Me and Other Hearing-Loss Related stories: Real World Communication Solutions,” will address problems and concerns along with strategies in reducing communication hassles. The workshop, designed for individuals who have or suspect they have hearing loss and their communication partners, is also open to professionals who are interested on better developing their skills.
Leading the workshop will be Drs. Samuel and Janet Trychin, a married couple from Pennsylvania who will share their expertise and provide a first-hand account on dealing with hearing loss as a couple.
In the United States, about one in five people are affected by hearing loss. On average, it takes people seven years from the time they suspect hearing loss to the time they seek treatment.
The workshop is part of an endowment by the Silent Garden, a program within the Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Studies at Fresno State that fosters opportunity, understanding and awareness for the deaf and hard of hearing community.
Dr. Samuel Trychin, mental health adviser to the Hearing Loss Association of America, is a psychologist who specializes in developing programs and treatment for people who have hearing loss and their communication partners. He has been wearing hearing aids since 1953.
As an audiologist, Dr. Janet Trychin provides services to individuals of all ages with hearing loss. She has led “Living with Hearing Loss” workshops throughout the country with her husband.
“People who have hearing loss often experience challenges resulting from difficulty understanding what is being said and/or inability to hear important environmental signals,” Janet said. “Communication difficulties affect communication partners as well and can result in damaged relationships at home or at work. Personally, hearing loss can damage one’s sense of acceptability, self-confidence and control or influence over the environment. This workshop provides tactics and strategies found useful for preventing or reducing hearing loss-related communication breakdowns.”
The event will be equipped with a loop system, provided by Copper Loop Assistive Listening Devices, to accommodate individuals with hearing loss. This will allow the sound to be transmitted electromagnetically and be picked up by a telecoil in a hearing aid or cochlear implant.
“We are trying to make this workshop 100 percent accessible,” said Dr. Paul Ogden, deaf studies professor emeritus and founder of the Silent Garden. “In addition to the Copper Loop Device, we will have a real-time captioner on hand who will type everything onto two screens near the front of the auditorium, plus a team of oral interpreters for those who lip-read exclusively, as well as a team of sign language interpreters.”
The workshop is sponsored by the Silent Garden Education Fund, which provides continued support for workshops and other outreach opportunities for alumni, friends, practitioners, educators and family members.
For more information, contact Dana Zupanovich Lucka at 559.278.5590.
