Jack.O'keeffe@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Jack O'keeffe) (09/05/90)
Index Number: 10078
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
Friends of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication
Disorders (NIDCD) promotes public awareness about disorders of hearing,
balance, speech, language, voice, taste, smell, and touch. The quality
of life for 33 million Americans is significantly lowered because
socialization and interaction with family, friends, and the entire
community can be profoundly limited. Additionally, job opportunities
are severely restricted.
Friends of NIDCD supports expanded development of research and training
for the NIDCD, provides public education about issues before Congress,
and promotes exchange of information among members. Contact groups
include: physicians, parents, the elderly, schools for the hearing
impaired, educators, communication disorder professionals, organizations,
volunteers, and communicatively impaired individuals. (Mission Statement)
Several exciting advances have taken place during the past few months at
the NIDCD, and they are making great strides in:
1. Discovering how hair cells and neural structures in the inner ear
are regenerated;
2. "Conditioning" ears to be less susceptible to noise-induced hearing
loss;
3. Localizing genes that cause deafness;
4. Identifying age-related decreases in central auditory nervous
system neurotransmitters, ultimately hoping to correct chemical
imbalances;
5. Improving cochlear implants for adults and children;
6. Further studies of the role of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in diverse
auditory functions;
7. Preventing central auditory changes following damage to the
peripheral auditory system so that certain brainstem nuclei which
convey auditory information not be inhibited.
Address: Friends of NIDCD
Geraldine Dietz Fox, Exec. Director
225 Haverford Avenue - #1
Narbeth, PA 19072
(215)664-3135 V\TDD
Comment by Jack O'Keeffe follows:
The overwhelming majority of the millions of Americans afflicted with
hearing disorders cannot be helped by medical or surgical means. Why
then does NIDCD focus its attention almost exclusively on medical and
surgical processes, and apparently neglect prosthetic research which
is the last best hope for most hearing impaired people? Could it be
that NIDCD as well as NIH is dominated by physicials and surgeons who
want to keep the action (and all the grant money) "in the family"?
... Caveat Emptor!
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