Canadian Parents Sue Government for Educational Support in Private Schools

A group of parents is planning to launch a lawsuit against the Ontario government, alleging it is discriminating against their children by not funding supports for students with certain disabilities who attend private religious schools.

New Zealand Taxes Cover Cradle to School Support

New Zealand's Labour party government is delivering a full program of support for children with hearing loss, including screening of newborns, providing cochlear implants, and extra support in school, says Education Minister Steve Maharey and Health Minister Pete Hodgson.

Royal National Institute for the Deaf Makes the Case for Affordable Cochlear Implants

The Royal National Institute for the Deaf says that the high cost of cochlear implants is a major limiting factor in the number of people who have received benefits from these medical devices.

New research by RNID, the national charity representing 9 million deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK, shows that millions of deaf people in Europe and the United States are unable to gain access to technology that could help them hear because it is too expensive.

Dr Ralph Holme, Head of Biomedical Research at RNID, says: "There is a gap in the market for a medical device company to produce a low-cost implant by using more cost-efficient manufacturing practices. Our market research shows that such a device would enjoy considerable commercial success whilst benefiting people who may not have had access to it previously."

Progress on Auditory Nerve Implants

A new study from the University of Michigan's Kresge Hearing Research Institute describes an ultra-thin electronic hearing device that can be attached directly to the auditory nerve and may offer a superior alternative to cochlear implants. Researchers have tested the new intraneural implant in cats showing that it is capable of transmitting a wide range of sounds to the brain.

"In nearly every measure, these work better than cochlear implants," said U-M researcher John C. Middlebrooks.

Studies of the electrodes in humans are about five to 10 years away, he said.

Cochlear Implant Restore Hearing for Patient with von Hippel - Landau Disease

Doctors at NIH and Georgetown University Medical Center used a cochlear implant for the first time to restore hearing in a patient with von-Hippel - Landau disease. A case report appears in a recent issue of Otology and Neurotology.

Advanced Bionics Forms Partnership in Southeast Asia

Advanced Bionics Corporation and The Hearing Solution Group, Southeast Asia's largest hearing health care provider, announce the formation of a partnership.

Through this mutual agreement, The Hearing Solution Group will advocate Advanced Bionics' cochlear implant devices, helping to further Advanced Bionics' commitment to providing superior service and support for its users throughout Southeast Asia.

The Hearing Solution Group is the largest hearing health care provider in Southeast Asia, serving Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. The organization is renowned for providing a spectrum of hearing health care - from counseling to basic and comprehensive audiological assessments to a full range of hearing devices, habilitation and rehabilitation, and service.

Louisiana Declares October Cochlear Implant Awareness Month

The Louisiana state senate proclaims October 2007 as Cochlear Implant Awareness Month. The press release claims that this is the first such official proclamation.