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Helping to fight the
effects of being deaf
by Cheryl Wade, The Midland Daily News, 08/31/2002
For more articles on disabilities and special ed visit
www.bridges4kids.org.
In a sense, Brett E. Holt is one of the fortunate.
In 1995, Midlander Holt's hearing had deteriorated to the
point that he was profoundly deaf in both ears. He lost his
job with a pharmacy chain and, for awhile, he stayed at home,
afraid to meet the world without the use of a vital sense.
Brett Holt explains how his cochlear implant works while at
his job at the Midland Memorial Gardens on Friday. After
suffering profound deafness in both ears, the cochlear implant
and hearing aid has given him back his hearing.
In a sense, Brett E. Holt is one of the fortunate.
In 1995, Midlander Holt's hearing had deteriorated to the
point that he was profoundly deaf in both ears. He lost his
job with a pharmacy chain and, for awhile, he stayed at home,
afraid to meet the world without the use of a vital sense.
But Holt, now 39, has a cochlear implant in his right ear and
wears a digital hearing aid in his left. He's a family
counselor at Midland Memorial Gardens cemetery – a job that
requires him to speak with and listen to people. Now, he wants
to use his new appointment to help others who deal with the
same disability he has.
Holt has been appointed to the state Advisory Council on Deaf
and Hard of Hearing. The Council advises the state's Division
on Deafness in matters pertaining to people who are deaf or
hard of hearing. Holt will replace Jeanne Straub of Lowell,
whose term has expired. Holt's term extends until Jan. 18,
2005.
Holt believes his hearing loss is hereditary but, because he
was adopted, he doesn't know his medical background. His
ordeal started with loss of balance.
"One evening, I went to stand up and couldn't," he said. "Then
my hearing loss progressed after that."
His wife's insurance covered the costly process of receiving
an implant. But regaining his hearing took time. He had to
prove his hearing loss was significant enough to qualify him
for the procedure. That meant testing at the University of
Michigan.
The implant consists of wiring inside the workings of Holt's
ear, an external speech processor worn behind his ear and a
transmitter that attaches to the speech processor. The
transmitter sends a signal to the receiver, which converts the
signal to an electrical pulse. The signal then goes to
electrodes planted inside Holt's ear, where the "hearing
nerves" pick up those flashes and the brain interprets them as
sound.
In his last speech comprehension test, he had 95 percent
comprehension in his right ear. The hearing aid in his left
ear primarily gives him directional sound.
Holt, past president of the local chapter of Self Help for
Hard of Hearing, has worked to bring deafness issues to the
forefront locally. He helped bring open caption movies to
Valley Plaza Resort, a voice amplification system to the
Midland County Courthouse and a card system by which law
enforcement officers can communicate with people who are deaf
and hard of hearing. The amplification system attaches to a
courtroom's sound system, and the user wears a receiver with a
volume control.
To communicate with law enforcement officials, deaf and hard
of hearing people use a card attached to the vehicle's visor.
The card tells the officer to stand near the driver's-side
mirror so the driver can see to read the officer's lips. The
card advises that an officer may need to communicate on paper.
As a member of the state advisory council, Holt wants to help
others receive the kind of hearing help he has. He'd like to
see insurance carriers cover hearing services the way many
cover vision or dental help. Hearing aids have a dramatic
effect on students' grades and development of their social
skills, he said.
Medicare provides no coverage for hearing aids, which may cost
$2,000 to $4,000 apiece. Medicaid provides coverage, but it
limits the classification of audiologist who can prescribe a
hearing aid, he said.
People with hearing loss also need equipment, and SHHH has
trained Holt to be a hearing resources technology specialist.
He demonstrates assistive technology devices, such as door
knockers that flash and bed vibrators that are alarm clocks
with pads that go under mattresses.
"I use one of those personally," he said. That's because, when
he takes off his hearing aid and the outer parts of his
implant, "I don't hear anything."
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