National Press Club Event
Press Conference Photo Gallery
"America: Tuned in Today…But Tuned Out Tomorrow?" an
ASHA-sponsored National Press Club event that featured audiology
experts and national legislators, was held March 14, 2006 to
discuss the implications of an ASHA-commissioned poll of usage
habits of popular technology and the potential risk of hearing
loss.
ASHA was praised for its leadership in bringing together a
distinguished panel of speakers, for increasing understanding of
the issues involved through its polling, and for its extensive
public education efforts. Print and broadcast media worldwide
covered the event and poll results, reaching tens of millions of
viewers, listeners, and readers.
Panelists included Brenda Lonsbury-Martin, ASHA Chief Staff
Officer for Science and Research; ASHA President Alex Johnson;
Brian Fligor, Director of Diagnostic Audiology, Children's
Hospital Boston; Anne Marie Tharpe, Associate Professor, Department
of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University; and Dean
Garstecki, Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders,
Northwestern University.
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ASHA President Alex Johnson
welcomes reporters and expert panelists.
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Congressman Mike Ferguson
(R-NJ), Vice Chair, House Health Subcommittee, shares his
concerns about the impact of personal stereo systems on
the nation's hearing health.
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Congressman Edward J. Markey
(D-MA), Ranking Member, House Subcommittee on
Telecommunications and the Internet, pledged a bipartisan
effort to protect the hearing of users of portable
music players.
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Getting the word out on hearing
loss prevention through media coverage in action.
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"Consumers need to be
educated about the dangers of loud sounds because
noise-induced hearing loss is preventable," advised
auditory neuroscientist Brenda Lonsbury-Martin.
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"If only 5% of the people
who use an MP3 player listen to loud music regularly, and
only a tenth of those do this for years, still as many as
200,000 people could have a hearing loss
from listening too loud for too long," warned
Boston audiologist Brian J. Fligor.
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"Consumers...may soon
demand that manufacturers make modifications to better
ensure safety for their hearing," ASHA certified
audiologist Dean Garstecki told the
media.
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"Studies that we have
conducted over the past 20 years remind us that
children with even a minimal hearing loss are ten times
more likely to suffer academic difficulties than their
normal hearing peers," advised Anne Marie Tharpe, an
ASHA certified audiologist.
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Media interest in the ASHA poll
results and the ASHA-sponsored National Press Club event
have been very strong.
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