Robin.Salmansohn@f715.n273.z1.fidonet.org (Robin Salmansohn) (05/31/90)
Index Number: 8533
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
Thank you for the welcome, Ann. Let me first say that I am not hearing
impaired. But I am a volunteer for The United Way's P.A.I.R., and I
have been attemting to increase PAIR's Accessability. I have found some
people who are willing to donate modems to pair to allow their computers
(they don't have many, but they do have some, and most of them do not
have modems). PAIR has two genuine TDD/TTY devices. I thought that
perhaps the existing Fidonet system could be used to expand access.
I have an interest in an aspect of hearing impairment, however. My
father (deceased), working for the Navy as a Civilian Engineer, was
THE gov't expert on anything accoustical. He even workrd on the
President's AIRFORCE ONE when it had a problem. But he also was asked,
during the Vietnam War, to solve a problem that the military had in
noise in fighter craft that was too loud, and too damaging to the ear
to use, and to also solve a problem that the medics had at that time,
which was that when evac-ing a wounded G.I., the jet engine on the
planes, or choppers were too loud for a medic to hear the heartbeat
over that sound. He solved both problems, and in doing so invented
a device that was being tested on hearing impaired, or deaf persons.
This device - acronnym was NACCH - was a NON ACCOUSTIC device that
is it did not need air or sound waves, and it was not a 'bone-knocker'
It worked by direct contact to the skin (and did not require an
implant). I made a type that was NAACH (Non-Accoustic Audio Coupling
to the Head). I have heard the gizmo myself-anyone can, unless there
is a problem in the brain or a certain part of the nerve from the ear.
You can hear this even if you put it on your hand. I don't really know
what became of it after someone else (not my dad) formed a corporation
based on it. But I would love to know as it is all about my dad's
invention - and I am proud of what he did. I have followed some of his
work (using a different approach) as I am a researcher, but someone else
- a competitor who was working on a different approach than mine -
was sued out of business - as were many bio-engineered devices such as
the insulin pump - and you can not continue unless you enjoy being
sued - a tragic fact.
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Internet: Robin.Salmansohn@f715.n273.z1.fidonet.org