Congenital Hearing Loss

Surfer Joss Kendrick, American Girl's 2020 Girl of the Year, riding the waves with her bulldog, Murph. (Photo: Business Wire) Surfer Joss Kendrick, American Girl's 2020 Girl of the Year, riding the waves with her bulldog, Murph. (Photo: Business Wire) Photo: Business Wire Photo: Business Wire Image 1 of / 13 Caption Close Image 1 of 13 Surfer Joss Kendrick, American Girl's 2020 Girl of the Year, riding the waves with her bulldog, Murph. (Photo: Business Wire) Surfer Joss Kendrick, American Girl's 2020 Girl of the Year, riding the waves with her bulldog, Murph. (Photo: Business Wire) Photo: Business Wire American Girl announces its 2020 'Girl of the Year' is their first doll with disability 1  /  13 Back to Gallery American Girl's newest doll will be all about inclusivity. The Mattel-owned company announced their 2020 "Girl of the Year" doll will be their first doll with

The latest American Girl doll is a surfer girl, and the first American Girl doll ever with a disability. Joss Kendrick is a 10-year-old surfer and competitive cheerleader from California. She is the 2020 American Girl doll of the year. The president of American Girl tells USA Today that Joss has congenital hearing loss. She was born deaf in her left ear and can hear a little from her right. The company has already offered dolls that can be fitted with wheelchairs and crutches, but this is the first to have a disability as part of her story.

American Girl has named a doll with a disability as its “Girl of the Year” for the first time ever, according to USA Today. Joss Kendrick, the company’s Girl of the Year for 2020, is depicted as a 10-year-old surfer from Huntington Beach, Calif., who wears a hearing aid. She's the first disabled doll produced by the company. "She has congenital hearing loss. She was born deaf in her left ear and can hear a little bit in her right ear," American Girl president Jamie Cygielman told the newspaper, adding that while the company has previously produced dolls that can be fitted with assistive technology such as hearing aids and wheelchairs, Joss is the first to be canonically disabled. The company partnered with the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), which advocates for the Deaf and hard of hearing, on creating the character, according to USA Today. "If you have a child with any type of disability or any type of difference or wearing a hearing aid, to have a

CLOSE American Girl's 2020 "Girl of the Year" is Joss, a surfer who rocks a hearing aid.   (Photo: American Girl) American Girl is starting off the new year with a message of ambition and inclusivity –and a nod to the upcoming summer Olympics.  The Mattel-owned company has announced its annual "Girl of the Year," and 2020's doll is Joss Kendrick, a 10-year-old surfer and competitive cheerleader from Huntington Beach, California. She has two older brothers and a pet bulldog. She has long brown hair and brown eyes and wears a swimsuit, hoodie and shorts. She also rocks a hearing aid. Joss is the American Girl's first-ever doll who has a disability. "She has congenital hearing loss. She was born deaf in her left ear and can hear a little bit in her right ear," American Girl president Jamie Cygielman told USA TODAY. American Girl has long offered dolls that can be fitted with hearing aids and dolls with crutches and wheelc

A Monday hearing that could lead to the removal of a mayor and council member in the city of South Fulton was often raucous and unwieldy, but it ended with the fate of the two elected officials still unclear. The hearing, to remove Mayor Bill Edwards and Councilwoman Helen Zenobia Willis, lasted more than nine hours as council members heard testimony from six people, including the city attorney, the city’s economic development director and a representative of Halperns’ Steak and Seafood Co. — the company at the heart of a development deal that led to the hearing. Willis and Edwards have been accused of directing Halperns to the Development Authority of Fulton County for a $27 million bond deal it received in October, after council members decided that the new South Fulton Development Authority should be the only agency offering incentives to companies within the city. Those council members claim the move cost the city millions of dollars in lost revenue. Halperns is already locat

Zielinski says any hearing instrument that goes into the ear canal is going to take in moisture from perspiration. Matt Hay, director of audiology sales for Redux, says the technology can dry a device in under 15 minutes. He says, in addition to hearing aids, the service can help other instruments meant for noise cancellation or noise amplification. 

18-month-old Francesca Jones plays at home with her father Will and mother Julia Tirabasso in early December. Melissa Tait When the wail of a fire alarm broke the night-time quiet of the hospital and her new baby did not stir, Julia Tirabasso knew something was wrong. “I felt like it was the loudest sound I'd ever heard,” Ms. Tirabasso said, “And she slept through it.” If her daughter, Francesca, had been born at another time or in a province other than Ontario, Ms. Tirabasso and her husband, William Jones, might never have found out exactly why their daughter could not hear the piercing alarm. Story continues below advertisement Instead, within weeks of Francesca’s birth on May 25, 2018, Ms. Tirabasso and Mr. Jones learned that a common viral infection, passed from mother to baby in utero, had made their daughter deaf in both ears. Francesca’s case was the first to be caught by the pilot phase of a new screening program in Ontario that, as of last July, exp

Every now and then I write a column as much to push myself to act as to inform and motivate my readers. What follows is a prime example. Last year in a column entitled “Hearing Loss Threatens Mind, Life and Limb,” I summarized the current state of knowledge about the myriad health-damaging effects linked to untreated hearing loss, a problem that afflicts nearly 38 million Americans and, according to two huge recent studies, increases the risk of dementia, depression, falls and even cardiovascular diseases. Knowing that my own hearing leaves something to be desired, the research I did for that column motivated me to get a proper audiology exam. The results indicated that a well-fitted hearing aid could help me hear significantly better in the movies, theater, restaurants, social gatherings, lecture halls, even in the locker room where the noise of hair dryers, hand dryers and swimsuit wringers often challenges my ability to converse with my soft-spoken friends. That was six months

This article is reprinted by permission from NextAvenue.org. A few years ago, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine gave us yet another reason to worry about getting Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias: They demonstrated an association between hearing loss and cognitive decline. Specifically, people with moderate hearing loss were twice as likely to experience cognitive decline as their peers, while those with severe hearing loss faced five times the risk. See: 5 ways to reduce your risk of developing dementia, according to new research But that’s not the only problem people with hearing loss face. Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder have confirmed that the brain’s ability to process sound — that is, make sense of it — declines as a person’s ability to hear decreases. “What was surprising is that, while this has been shown in deafness, some of our recent work shows this in early-stage hearing loss,” says researcher Anu Sharma, a prof

An Israeli minister compared the country's judiciary to Iran's "Islamist fanatics" ahead of a court hearing slated for Tuesday on whether Benjamin Netanyahu can be tasked with forming a coalition despite being indicted in three corruption cases. The mere fact that the High Court of Justice will hold a hearing on the issue "a scandal like no other," Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, a Netanyahu loyalist, said in a Facebook post on Monday, adding that it's "frighteningly similar to procedures taking place in Iran." "Which country do you know of where a small group of people, appointed by a closed circle of friends, decide instead of the people who may run in elections?” Levin wrote. “I know a country like that – Iran. There, a council of Islamist fanatics meets, filters the candidates and decides which may run in ostensibly democratic elections.” Referring to the three justices expected to hear the petition, Levin said they "think they&

Pune: The city regional transport office (RTO) will take efforts to ensure that more people with partial hearing impairment apply for driving licences. “On an average, each month we receive two to three applications from those with partial hearing loss. Some months, we receive none. An exact break-up cannot be given because we don’t put them in a different category and they must go through the same process as anyone else. However, we feel that the numbers should go up. We are planning to undertake an awareness drive next year.” an official told TOI. Another official, on the condition of anonymity, said the RTO does receive enquires from people with partial hearing impairment for getting their driving licences made. “There is an awareness, however, due to some unknown reasons, many people don’t turn up again after making their enquiries. We are considering to take the help of the non-governmental organizations to connect with such people. The help of educational institutions would al

Each week, I receive tons of questions from my listeners about tech concerns, new products, and all things digital. Sometimes, choosing the most interesting questions to highlight is the best part of my job. This week, I received questions about smart TV hackers, video doorbell security, AirPods as hearing aids, PC bloatware, and more. Do you have a question you'd like to ask me? Tap or click here to email me directly. Smart TV hacker threat Q: I bought a smart TV at Costco. It was a great price, but I heard you say something about the FBI, hackers and TVs. Should I have not bought it? A: If you follow us at komando.com , you already know some of the dangers of having Internet of Things (IoT) appliances in your home. These are products that connect to the internet, like smart light bulbs, smart refrigerators, and smart doorbells. The FBI recently stated your smart TV could be a gateway for hackers to come into your home. They may not be able to access your locked-down co

The Johnston family poses with some of the children they worked with for 18 months at an orphanage in Thailand. Jeffrey and Cheryl Johnston pose in their business, Selective Hearing Centers, 6804 Green Bay Road. Jeffrey Johston points out the works of the inner ear at his business Selective Hearing Centers, 6804 Green Bay Road. Palm trees are silhouetted in this photo from Thailand. Jeffrey and Cheryl Johnston share a van ride with their daughter and children from an orphanage in Thailand. Jeffrey Johnston works with children at an orphanage in Thailand. Not too many successful business owners would one day decide to sell their business, uproot their family and travel thousands of miles to do volunteer work helping orphans in a foreign country. But for Jeffrey J. Johnston, owner of Selective Hearing Centers, hearing the call to take on a mission to help o