From: Felix.Game@f125.n163.z1.fidonet.org (Felix Game)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: PURPOSE OF THIS ECHO
Date: 2 Sep 92 16:29:47 GMT
Reply-To: Felix.Game@f125.n163.z1.fidonet.org
Organization: FidoNet node 1:163/125 - FedNet Public Acces, Ottawa ON
X-Fidonet: Silent Talk Conference

Index Number: 24292

[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

 On 08-25-92 JACK O'KEEFFE wrote...

 JO> Have you tried ALDs (Assistive Listening Devices)?  There are at
 JO> least four technologies available to get the sound-of-interest
 JO> from the source to your ear (or hearing aid) with relative
 JO> immunity from extraneous noise pollution.
        No, Jack, I have not tried ALS, and don't know much about
        them. Will have to educate myself, although my motivation is
        much diminished since I have taken early retirement (mostly to
        get away from the hearing-related stresses).

 JO> I certainly agree with you there.  The technology exists NOW.
 JO> Hearing aids are the only remaining fragment of the audio
 JO> amplification industry that stubbornly clings to obsolete
 JO> analog systems.  Everything else has long since gone DIGITAL.
 JO>
 JO> The one serious attempt to market a true DSP hearing aid
 JO> (Nicolet's "Phoenix") was defeated IMHO by the audiologists
 JO> and hearing aid dealers who were unwilling to invest a few
 JO> of THEIR $$ in the equipment necessary to fit it.

        You are getting close to why I asked the question in the first
        place (see reference line above). I believe that this area is
        neglected strictly for economic reasons (not a large enough
        chunk of their total revenue). And I had hoped that there may
        be some activists with political savvy on the echo who could
        steer the rest of us into becoming a cohesive lobby to be
        taken seriously. I do not have ANY political savvy, so don't
        even ask where to lobby for what. It just seems that if we
        can save the whale, and the seal pups, and manipulate everyone
        into wearing seatbelts and composting their own garbage, we should b
        way to make the hearing aid manufacturers look bad
        if they do not earmark a respectable percentage of their R&D
        budgets for the production of state-of-the-art hearing aids.
        Perhaps we should whisper into the ear of a Japanese
        industrialist?

 JO> They've got a good racket going.  Taking about $20 worth of
 JO> electronic components - packaging them compactly - and selling
 JO> them for more than the price of pure gold!  Quite a racket,
 JO> as long as us "suckers" don't wise up ;-)
        And I bet they have a good enough lobby that if our Japanese
        friend comes up with a terrific product, they can have a tariff
        imposed on its import "to protect the struggling domestic
        industry". And if your figures are anywhere close, there is a
        bigger mark-up on aids then there is on booze. The extra
        $400-500 is doled out amongst the Ear Nose and Throat guy, the
        audiologist, and the "authorized dispenser. I would like to
        see that food chain shortened a bit. If there has to be one
        (1) "professional" between me and the manufacturer to make
        sure I don't get careless and blow myself up with my
        incorrectly selected aid, then let it be ONE (1). I don't want
        three (3) mouths to feed.

        Was nice 'hearing' from you :)

... OFFLINE 1.32
 * SLQWiK 1.02.d #UNREGISTERED

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