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Real-Time Instant Messaging
AOL announced a new feature for its instant messaging program—Real-Time IM. This feature allows AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) users to see each other's text, letter by letter, as it is typed, rather than waiting until the message is complete before it can be seen. The real-time text option, now being beta-tested as AIM 6.8, was developed in collaboration with Gallaudet's Technology Access Program and the Trace Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Real-Time IM adds a conversational flow to messaging that was not available previously. Users can react spontaneously to words, just as someone would respond to spoken words in conversation. This feature can make the conversational flow smoother and faster, with more natural ability to interrupt or ask questions in a logical order. The feature also will help users add emphasis and intonation to text conversations. All of the other AIM features remain the same and Real-Time IM is an option that can be turned off or on. To learn more or download AOL 6.8 beta, visit Gallaudet's Technology Access Program.
Alaska Mandates Newborn Hearing Screening
New regulations went into effect on Jan. 17 requiring that every birthing facility in Alaska provide newborn hearing screening within one month of birth. The goal is for any child who shows signs of hearing loss to be diagnosed within 3 months of age and begin receiving intervention services within six months. As many as 30 babies are born in Alaska every year with some level of hearing loss.
Newborn hearing screening has been the standard in Alaska for many years and the state screened 91.8% of all newborns in 2006, the last year for which data were available, according to data collected by the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management from state newborn hearing screening coordinators. Alaska is one of 42 states (plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) with statutes related to universal newborn hearing screening and one of 26 states that require screening of all babies. For more information, visit the Health and Social Services Press Release.
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