Showing posts with label Media News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Media News. Show all posts

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Deaf Woman's Video At Starbucks Goes Viral

VIDEO: A video of a Deaf customer using sign language to order through a new video drive-thru panel at Starbucks goes viral on Facebook.



ST. AUGUSTINE, FL - A video of a new technology at one St Augustine, Florida Starbucks is going viral and it is awesome!



The video was posted on Facebook by Rebecca King, who uses sign language to place her order! And guess what, the barista, Katie Wyble, signs back through a two-way video screen!



Wyble told Fox 30 Action News Jax she's had a "passion for sign language since I first saw a teacher use it when I was in preschool."





King's video of the encounter went viral with million views and thousand shares.



"Starbucks! This is what I'm talking about! Share it away! We can change the world!" King wrote as the caption. “I think more people need to know about what we’re doing because it moves customer service to a whole new level,”





Wyble said. “I hope it helps make more people aware of what they can to do serve others in their communities.” Source



Related Post:

Deaf Customers Sue Starbucks Over Mocking

Deaf Korean Starbucks Barista The Signs

Starbucks Sued For Discrimination Deaf Employee



Related Drive-Thru:

Taco Bell Complains About Deaf Customers

Drive Thru Invisible Driver Prank Video

Drive Thru Headless Prank Video

Monday, August 17, 2015

Deaf Boy With A 'Bionic Ear'

VIDEO: 'Bionic ear' Deaf boy hear his family for the first time goes viral.



CNN - In many ways, Caiden Moran is an average five-year-old boy. Running around his front yard, climbing trees and playing with his brother, the only difference you might notice is the small device on the side of his head.





"Caiden was born, and before we left the hospital we did the newborn hearing screening. And he had failed, so we came back a week later, did the test again, failed again," said his mother Danielle Moran.



Caiden was born profoundly Deaf, with no cochleas an inner part of the ear that converts sound to nerve impulses and sends them to the brain. At the time doctors confirmed baby Caiden was deaf his father Tommy a member of the U.S. Navy had been deployed to Hawaii.



"I was sad," he said. "I didn't know anybody who was deaf, I didn't know sign language, I didn't know how to be a good dad and raise a Deaf child."



Because Caiden had no cochleas, a cochlear implant would be of no help. Instead, his parents learned sign language, assuming it would be the only way their son could ever communicate. Then, by chance, Danielle heard about a potential solution an auditory brainstem implant (ABI).



An ABI consists of a microphone and transmitter on the head, which convert sounds from the outside world into electrical signals. Those signals are transmitted to an internal receiver made up of electrodes, implanted on the brainstem. The auditory neurons are stimulated directly in the brain, bypassing the inner ear completely... Read more: http://cnn.com/2015/08/17/health/bionic-ear-auditory-brainstem-implant/index.html



Related Post:

Brainstem Implants Help Deaf Children Hear

Deaf Teenage Girl Now Hears With Her Brain

Deaf Boy With A 'Bionic Ear'

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Microsoft's Kinect Turns Sign Language Translator

VIDEO [CC] - Microsoft uses Kinect to interpret sign language. Should the team's efforts reach commercialization, it could have a big effect on the world's Deaf population.



PCWorld - Microsoft’s Kinect technology, already adept at reading hand and body movements, is incorporating sign language into its motion-sensing vocabulary as part of a new research project meant to help the Deaf.



Developers at Microsoft Research have been using the Xbox 360 gaming peripheral to read sign language from Deaf users, and translate it into spoken text. On Wednesday, they showed off some of the results. “Thanks Microsoft for turning my dream into a reality,” gestured Yin Dandan, a deaf student, who demonstrated the Kinect translator.



The technology can not only turn sign language into words spoken by a computer, but also do the reverse. A non-Deaf user can speak or type words into the Kinect translator. The system will then motion the words in sign language using a virtual avatar shown on a display.







Microsoft Research demonstrated the technology as it celebrated the 15th year of its Asia division. language translation has been among one of its focuses and already researchers there have developed software that can artificially replicate a person’s voice, and have it speak other languages, including Chinese.



At the same time, the company has been promoting the use of Kinect among software developers in China, said Wu Guobin, a Microsoft Research program manager. The gadget has proven to be an ideal motion-sensing device for the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which has long been researching sign language recognition technology. ... Read more: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2059880/microsoft-uses-kinect-to-interpret-sign-language-from-deaf-people.html

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Deaf Man Beaten To Death In His Home

Deaf man beaten to death in his home. His nose was broken, his larynx crushed and clumps of hair ripped from his head.



AURORA, Colorado. - Jonny Braning did a hilarious impression of Elvis. Though he was Deaf, the 48-year-old man had lived a full life.



The simple pleasures Jonny lived for seeing his granddaughter and making people smile were all taken from him between Feb. 26 and March 7, 2002, when someone bludgeoned him to death in his small Aurora apartment.



Robbery may have been the intent, according to a story by former Rocky Mountain News reporter Sarah Huntley. But it was hard for investigators to understand why.



Jonny was living on disability and didn’t have much money, Huntley reported.



Over the years he had worked for King Soopers, Jolly Rancher and as a janitor for a telecommunications company. But he was unemployed and lived on his monthly disability check. He would go to a corner store and write a note for a clerk when he needed something.



He lived in a small apartment at 1097 S. Evanston Way.



It appeared that whoever killed Jonny first attacked him in his bedroom, possibly with some type of blunt weapon, which was never found. Apparently a battle continued into his living room.



His body was found lying on the floor in his living room by maintenance workers who became worried when they realized they hadn’t seen the man, who was a fixture of the complex, in days. The carpet was soaked with blood. Read more: http://blogs.denverpost.com/coldcases/2013/08/31/deaf-and-mute-aurora-man-beaten-to-death-in-his-home/7198/

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Sloan Churman Video Is A Hoax ?

VIDEO: Sarah Churman's "Hears" for the first time is a hoax ... Believe it or not.



If you have access to the Internet, or live within shouting distance of someone who does, then few past weeks you probably watched the wildly popular YouTube video of Sarah Churman, a 29-year-old deaf woman who, after receiving cochlear implants, was able to hear for the first time as seen: 29 Year Old Deaf Woman Hears Herself For The First Time.



There have been quite a few detractors on the internet stating that seems to indicate this video may be a fake/hoax..., because she is able to speak almost immediately after it is turned on. The video takes place in a doctor's office and shows Ms. Churman's reaction at the precise moment a lab technician turns on the implant device. (Implant device- Envoy Medical, the maker of the Esteem -pharmaceuticals.einnews.com)





What is Esteem Implants?



Made by Envoy Medical: www.EnvoyMedical.com similar as Cochlear implants, however, Envoy Medical is not the same as cochlear implants. Esteem Envoy Medical is visible and it is implemented behind the ear 100% invisible hearing technology is these are implantable devices for those who don't want to use hearing aids. The hearing implants kinda of new technology the surgery for Esteem implantation involves the usual techniques for mastoid surgery in addition to an extended facial recess surgical approach to access the ossicular chain. An incision is made behind the ear to allow access to the middle ear space. During the implant procedure, the ossicular chain is disarticulated (surgically separated). The tip of the Sensor and Driver extend into the middle ear. The surgeon connects the Sensor and Driver to your incus and stapes, respectively. The Sound Processor is implanted behind the ear, under the scalp. Insulated wires connect the Sound Processor to the Sensor and Driver as seen on YouTube: How the Esteem® Works (Animation)



Some people viewed this video at least a half-dozen times, and they can unequivocally state that it is the most inspiring 90-second video you will ever see that consists almost entirely of a woman crying (Presumably, she is crying because of the emotion of the moment, and not because the technician decided that Sarah's first audible sound should be a recording of, say, Fran Drescher's voice).



The story is grossly distorted or simply fake (to sell the product?). It is possbile to convince people to buy the product perhaps, which Sarah Churman got paid off the debt as Envoy Medical Corporation, the maker of the Esteem give her $30,000 to pay her back that Sarah's video fakery been successfully, as seen on YouTube with closed captioned as Sarah Churman first appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show: Here Is Video About Sarah Churman With A Device Called Esteem



Sloan Churman's video is only for the MONEY as the dirty business? as seen on Cochlear Business Is Dirty Business! with captioned. The Envoy Medical Corporation, the maker of the Esteem is dirty business to convinced people to buy the product?..is that right?..no?..you decide... because there is too many in the negative comments as seen on: Sloanchurman Video -All Comments mostly involve accusations that the scene was staged, that Churman is not really DEAF, that there is no such thing as "hearing," etc. Therefore, Sloan Churman's inspiring video where Sarah Churman hears her own voice for the first time after a lifetime of being Deaf.



The several people have a bunch of ignorant like naysayers, haters and extremist groups most assumed and accusations that hearing impaired that did the comments under Sloan Churman's inspiring video for instance, The Damage Has Been Done! which is absolutely no proof by hearing impaired people that did this. What. 50K comments, majority of hearing impaired people attacking?.. 50K? This is absolutely completely stupid jokes!



Anyway, one frequently cited piece of evidence supporting the hoax claim is that Sarah speaks pretty clearly which, according to many commenters, is impossible for someone who is actually Deaf. This evaluation is usually backed up with an explanation like, "My nephew went to summer camp with a guy who said his neighbor's aunt was completely Deaf, and she couldn't talk that well, so this must be a fake." It is possbile that Churman's video is a hoax, for instance: Yes, they "hear" now, but they're still not "Hearing"! with captions.



These people clearly do not understand that proper speech requires hearing in order for the speaker to properly modulate their voice. For the same reason that people listening to loud music on headphones may either shout or speak too quietly, Deaf people typically have a difficult time vocalizing normally. One of the reasons that they are able to vocalize in the manner that they do is because their brain is using the vibration caused by their vocal chords to help modulate. Now that I’ve cleared that up let’s all get misty eyed for as we watch a truly transcendent moment of science and humanity.



However, the first sentence of that article proves the point. She was not Deaf. She had severe hearing loss. it is amazing what they did but it should not be title DEAF girl hearing herself for the First Time. She has heard herself before, just not clearly. maybe there's a line drawn between using the term 'Deaf', because there are 'legally blind' people that can still see. maybe there is 'legally Deaf'.



Some people have opinion of view about Sarah Churman's video.



The Sarah Churman Effect - First off, check out Sarah Churman's first blog soon after her Esteem was activated describing her awareness about the new sound around here.



1) It's fake. The whole thing was acted out in order to help promote the Esteem implantable hearing aid.

2) The title of the YouTube video was "misleading" and that she didn't really hear her voice for the first time.

3) Her voice sounded too "hearing-like" and could be heard clearly raising questions if her hearing loss is really severe.



You can check it out on Sarah's blog.

"Q and A..."-sarahchurman.blogspot.com

"In The Turning Of An Ear" -sarahchurman.blogspot.com



Media Reporter interview with Sarah Churman on the show "TODAY"

By Michael Inbar: TODAY.com contributor updated 10/3/2011 9:58:26 AM ET.



Severely hearing impaired since birth, Sarah Churman had long managed to cope in a world where sounds came as if they were under water. But now, a surgical implant lets her hear her own voice, the sounds of birds singing, her two daughters chattering and her husband snoring.



“Yeah, that I didn’t listen to very long!” Churman told Matt Lauer on TODAY Monday as she recounted her first full week in the world of the hearing.



The pretty, 29-year-old Texan has became an internet sensation, thanks to a video taken by her husband, Sloan, as she heard her voice for the very first time last week. In the video, Sarah becomes overwhelmed with emotion, covering her mouth and bursting into tears, as she first hears herself talking. “I don’t want to hear myself cry,” she says and then laughs as she turns to her husband.



Sloan Churman posted the video on YouTube so friends and family could also witness the medical miracle, but a whole lot of others also looked in 8 million at last count. Appearing with his wife, Sloan told Lauer he almost didn’t tape the groundbreaking family event at all.



“I nearly didn’t videotape it, if it wasn’t for my mother saying, ‘You’re going to video this, we need to see this,” he said. “I wouldn’t have done it, because this was intimate for us; this was like getting married or having a child. I mean, seriously.”



Sarah was born with a rare genetic deformity that means she's missing the hair in her inner ear that transmits sound to the brain. She was fitted with her first hearing aid at age 2, but even with that technology she could only hear some vibrations and loud noises. She compensated throughout her life by becoming adept at reading people’s lips.



But earlier this year, Sloan Churman heard a radio ad for the Esteem Inner Ear Stimulator, billed as the only full implantable hearing aid for what his wife suffered from sensorineural hearing loss.



The $30,000 implant was pricey for the working class family. But they saved and borrowed Sloan’s mother helped out greatly and in July, Sarah had the procedure.



She told Lauer “millions of things” went through her mind as she prepared to hear her own voice for the first time last week.



“Half of me was just scared to death, that it was going to come on and I wasn’t going to like it, just because…this is all I’ve ever known for 29 years,” she said. “So the fear of the unknown, not knowing what it was going to sound like can be overwhelming. And it was just nervousness, (but) then the other half of me, ‘Oh hurry up and turn it on!’"



Sarah learned despite not being able to hear, she has a distinct Texas accent. “The funny thing is…the first time we traveled outside the country, everyone kept talking about our accents, so I was kind of surprised I didn’t think I had an accent,” she told Lauer.



But perhaps the biggest blessing was being able to hear the voices of her daughters, ages 4 and 20 months.



“That was pretty amazing,” she said. “My oldest (is) quite the little talker; she sounds so grown up and very articulate. And my youngest, I can hear the Texas accent in her voice.”



According to TODAY medical correspondent Dr. Nancy Snyderman, the fact that Sarah has an accent and can enunciate words fairly clearly shows she has had some hearing ability, but the still-new procedure is a distinct improvement on what a regular hearing aid can do.



“The cool thing about this is it uses the normal anatomy of the ear, so it takes the little bones in the middle ear, sends them to a processor, then sends them to the nerve that goes into the brain, and all this garbled stuff is turned into sound, so she can really hear it,” Snyderman said.



“Hearing aids normally have a lot of background noise and distortion; this makes it much better. It’s a surgical implantation approved by the FDA, but only a couple of hundred people have them.”



Sarah Churman's "Hears" for the first time is a hoax? You decide...



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When Haters Gonna Still Hate, Stop The Deaf Bullies

HEARS For The First Time Video Is FAKE ?

Sloan Churman Video is a Hoax ?