Accessibility in the News — 3/6/2020.

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Feature Stories

Another ADA Lawsuit Alleges Website Not Accessible to the Blind: This time the Target is the Wine Enthusiast Catalog

February 27, 2020 | Source: Wine Business

A woman who was born blind has filed a federal lawsuit against Wine Enthusiast Inc., according to court records. Anne West, a business owner based in Hartford, Conn., alleges Wine Enthusiast’s catalog website is not accessible to individuals with visual disabilities and does not comply with the federal American with Disabilities Act, according to the complaint filed Tuesday in Connecticut. She seeks an order to have the New York –based magazine take necessary steps to become compliant with the federal law, according to the court filing…

Disabilities lawsuits hit another new high while plaintiffs’ attorneys find new strategies

February 27, 2020 | Source: Legal News Line

Certain lawsuits filed by disabled plaintiffs rose 8.8 percent in 2019 as plaintiffs’ attorneys continued to churn out novel discrimination complaints, according to the law firm Seyfarth Shaw LLP. The nearly 9 percent rise in these lawsuits reflected an increase of 890 filings nationwide from 2018 to 2019, said Minh Vu, who heads Seyfarth’s Americans with Disabilities Act Title III Speciality Team said. These lawsuits include complaints over the accessibility of physical facilities, websites and apps, among other things…

Accessibility Lawsuits in Texas on the Rise

February 28, 2020 | Source: Law.com

There has been a significant increase over the past few years in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility lawsuits, agency enforcement actions and demand letters targeting public accommodations in Texas. While California, New York and Florida have been the most popular states for claims alleging that individuals with disabilities encountered access barriers, these cases are becoming much more common against physical locations, websites and mobile apps of restaurants, retailers, hotels, health care providers, offices and other entities with a presence in Texas…

A Lawsuit Against Adult Entertainment Sites Might Clarify ADA

March 3, 2020 | Source: Bloomberg Law

Given the rapid expansion in the nature and extent of online business, website accessibility—i.e. designing and coding websites so that people with disabilities can use them—is an issue every business that stakes its claim to online real estate should be thinking about. The plaintiff’s bar has already demonstrated their understanding that this area is ripe for litigation, as we’ve seen the number of website accessibility lawsuits filed in federal courts triple from 2017 (approximately 800) to 2018 (approximately 2,250) and continue to grow in 2019 based on our calculations…

National News (U.S.)

The New Barbie Wheelchair Update Is A Huge, Inclusive Statement

February 24, 2020 | Source: Romper

Once labeled as “fashion dolls,” Barbies have become so much more than that for the children (and adults, hi there) who play with them. The most recent series of Barbies featuring vitiligo and prosthetic limbs joins the Barbies available in different sizes, hair styles, and skin tones so that kids are able to play with the iconic dolls while seeing themselves and others. And the latest change from Mattel to the Barbie line is sure to breed self-confidence and empathy in kids — all future campers, Dreamhouses, and other Barbie “estate items” will be wheelchair-accessible…

Blind man invents new rock climbing system

February 27, 2020 | Source: CBS News (Video)

A blind entrepreneur is setting out to make rock climbing accessible for the visually impaired. Dana Jacobson speaks with 22-year-old Matthew Shifrin about the simple system he invented to help climbers who can’t see for our series Pushing the Limits…

Why Your Law Firm Website Must Be ADA Compliant

February 27, 2020 | Source: Legal Reader

Web accessibility for people with disabilities or dysfunctions has become a chief concern for legal authorities and businesses, especially in this digital era. A lot of institutions, from disability advocacy groups to non-profit organizations, have been working hard to integrate the ADA, or Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, with websites to offer simple access to individuals with disabilities. However, when we are talking about ADA website compliance, the word disability has, for the most part, a very limited meaning…

Deaf And Hard Of Hearing People Are Helping To Fix The Podcast Accessibility Problem

February 27, 2020 | Source: Forbes

As we grow and mature as a society it’s important to remember that not everyone has the same level of health and ability in their bodies and if we are able to, we should make reasonable accommodations for anyone who requests them and for many of the more common differences. Wheelchair ramps are now required in America to accommodate people who need them, but that law has only been in place since 1990. In many other areas of American life we are sadly lagging far behind, and simple awareness of problems that affect millions is often the first step towards doing something about it…

Boston plans to renovate City Hall Plaza, increase accessibility

February 27, 2020 | Source: The Huntington News & Daily Free Press

The city of Boston plans to renovate City Hall Plaza in the Government Center area of the city. These renovations, announced in June, are the first phase of a larger, 30-year master plan, resulting from Rethink City Hall: Boston City Hall & Plaza Master Plan, a study by Boston-based design firm Utile and Reed Hilderbrand landscape architects. The renovations, led by the city’s Department of Public Facilities and local design firm Sasaki, focus on making the plaza a more welcoming space. The design primarily addresses three factors: accessibility, event accommodation and sustainability…

New program helps Tennesseans with intellectual disabilities navigate bus routes on their own

February 28, 2020 | Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press

Kenny Pittman is a model employee. His boss said his positive, can-do attitude is a major asset in the cafeteria at Barger Academy of Fine Arts where he works. Pittman has an intellectual disability that prevents him from driving and makes navigating on his own a challenge. For months, someone from Orange Grove Center — a Chattanooga-based nonprofit serving adults and children with intellectual disabilities — took him to work each day. But in January, Pittman started using the mobile application WayFinder and now rides the bus on his own…

Tufts Medical Center to become more accessible, in compliance with American with Disabilities Act

February 29, 2020 | Source: Boston Globe

“This case is a reminder that we still need the basic protections provided by the ADA,” U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew Lelling said in a statement. A Boston hospital has agreed to improve access to its facilities for people with disabilities as a result of a federal Americans with Disabilities Act compliance review, the U.S. Justice Department announced Friday. Among the changes, Tufts Medical Center has agreed to improve services for patients who are deaf or hard of hearing;…

Why Every Day Can Feel Like ‘Be Rude To People With Disabilities’ Day For Too Many Americans

February 29, 2020 | Source: Forbes- Denise Brodey

Most Americans think they know a lot about people with disabilities, even if they admit to knowing very few. The truth is, a familiarity with guide dogs and white canes is about .01% of what there is to understand. Every person with a disability is unique. And if you have read a dozen or two comments circulating in the disability Twitterverse, you know that moments of respect, dignity and understanding can feel as though they are few and far between. The 30th anniversary of the ADA this year is an opportunity to educate leaders, managers, coworkers, customers and clients about basic disability etiquette…

Inside the 1st high-tech smart home designed for people with ALS

March 1, 2020 | Source: Today

Steve Saling, a former landscape architect, was diagnosed with ALS in 2006. He now lives in the Leonard Florence Center for Living in Chelsea, Massachusetts — a facility that uses high-tech innovations to allow those living with the neurodegenerative disease to have greater independence. Saling isn’t just a resident; he also helped to design the home, which is now occupied by 30 people. “I was told my life expectancy was between three and five years,” he told NBC’s Jo Ling Kent…

GW continues to address website accessibility as ED deadline nears

March 2, 2020 | Source: GW Hatchet

GW has until April 1 to make its online content universally accessible following a disability discrimination complaint three years back. The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights launched an inquiry into the accessibility of GW’s websites in April 2017 and closed the investigation in June 2018 after officials resolved to update its websites with accessibility features by this April. University spokeswoman Crystal Nosal said the Office of Ethics, Compliance and Privacy, Disability Support Services and Information Technology have made “significant” progress in increasing web accessibility…

Assessing accessibility in the skies

March 2, 2020 | Source: KCTV (Video)

A Kansas City man is using the platform he was given to make Kansas City and the world more inclusive. Wesley Hamilton is a hero in the most recent season of Netflix’s Queer Eye. He now owns a gym and non-profit called “Disabled But Not Really,” and speaks across the country about issues related to people with disabilities. With all that traveling, he’s realized airports and airlines have a lot of work to do. “I believe it’s time to start speaking up because if I’m paying the same amount of money as everybody else, then I should be flying as convenient as most people,” Hamilton said…

How Guide Beauty is Reinventing Makeup to be More Accessible

March 1, 2020 | Source: Grit Daily

The cosmetics world has seen some of the largest growth of any industry over the last decade. Today, the market value sits at over $532 billion dollars. By 2023, it’s expected to hit $805 billion dollars. To put that in perspective, that’s more than the fitness, gaming, and movie industry combined. With more consumer interest than ever, the beauty community has grown to be more inclusive. Brands have begun offering larger shade ranges, formulations for every skin type, and marketing campaigns that include all genders and ages. But what’s lacking most is accessibility…

Wheel the World helps people with physical disabilities enjoy their vacations

March 2, 2020 | Source: Mashable

Going on vacation can pose a unique challenge for people with physical disabilities. Hotels and other accommodations aren’t always clear about how accessible they are and the adaptive equipment needed to participate in certain activities can be expensive or difficult to obtain. This is where the online travel marketplace Wheel the World comes in. The website connects people all over the world who have physical disabilities with customizable tour packages, depending on the person’s needs…

Modern senior-residential facilities are designed for varied activities, elegant accessibility and graceful aging — as well as care

March 2, 2020 | Source: The Washington Post

We have all seen the movies; perhaps even been marred by our own experiences. Many baby boomers, and the generations that precede them, have a nightmarish image of nursing homes. And understandably so. Nursing homes were poorly designed reactions (note: reactions, not solutions) that somehow became a paradigm across our society for those who were not trusted, or able, in one capacity or another, to be independent. Whether or not they were, for decades they have represented a place for the invalid and unwanted, not a place of care or comfort…

Flying while disabled: Air travelers must wait decades for handicap-accessible bathrooms

March 2, 2020 | Source: USA Today

Coronavirus and Accessibility Addressed by APEX/IFSA CEO During Congressional Hearing

March 4, 2020 | Source: Apex

Federal officials want to make airplane bathrooms easier to use for people with disabilities and aging travelers with reduced mobility. But it could be decades before planes with those features dominate the air. In January, the U.S. Department of Transportation proposed its first update to lavatory design rules since 1990, when the Air Carrier Access Act barred discriminating against passengers with disabilities. The airline industry is exempt from the Americans with Disabilities Act that sets accessibility standards for most businesses…

I’m deaf, and have found that transportation services have a long way to go to be more accessible. Here’s how I navigate traveling.

March 2, 2020 | Source: Business Insider

Two years ago, a high-speed train I was riding from Baltimore to my job in Virginia jolted to a stop. A voice announced the stop’s name over the intercom, but it was garbled to me, because I am deaf. (My hearing aids offer some, but incomplete, access to spoken language.) So, I glanced outside the window for clues: No readily visible signs. Suddenly, a white, gauzy veil of panic set in — I didn’t know where I was and didn’t want to end up in a different state entirely. I scanned the interior of the train but saw no signs there either…

USC settles with government over allegations of ADA violation

March 2, 2020 | Source: LA Daily News & Daily Trojan & Annenberg Media

USC has agreed to resolve allegations that it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act at its hotel adjacent to the campus by failing to provide a wheelchair-accessible room to a customer who needed one, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced on Monday, March 2. The federal complaint was filed three years ago in Los Angeles federal court by a man who uses a wheelchair because of his disability and required an accessible room with a roll-in shower when he booked a room at the hotel then known as the Radisson Hotel Los Angeles Midtown at USC or USC Radisson, according to the Feb. 21 settlement agreement…

MTA’s Long History Of Being Sued Over Subway Accessibility

March 3, 2020 | Source: Gothamist

In January 2019, a 22-year-old woman died after falling down the stairs of a midtown Manhattan subway station. Malaysia Goodson had been carrying a stroller and her 1-year-old daughter down to the platform of the 7th Avenue and 53rd Street station, which lacks an elevator. Her death dramatically highlighted the grim reality endured by parents, caregivers, elderly, and the disabled alike: The vast majority of the 472 subway stations in New York are inaccessible—and much of the MTA’s current accessibility policies have been crafted under duress as the agency has been sued time and time again…

Los Angeles County’s new voting machines hailed for accessibility, dogged by security concerns

March 3, 2020 | Source: The Washington Post

For the past decade, Los Angeles County has been promising to develop a new voting system that was to be a model for the nation, accessible to voters with disabilities and to a population that speaks more than a dozen languages. As the first publicly owned voting system in the United States, it would also ease the grip that a handful of private companies have long held on how Americans vote, supporters of the effort said. After the 2016 election, amid fears of foreign interference, the promise of Los Angeles’s grand experiment was even more enticing as states and counties scrambled to replace their aging election infrastructure with more secure options…

What Does It Mean to Be a Service Dog?- Spring 2020

March 3, 2020 | Source: Pet Companion Magazine

According to Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), “A service animal is any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. Service animals can benefit individuals with a wide range of disabilities, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.” Under the law, service dogs may be home trained or trained by a professional. The law was written in this manner so there would be no undue expense to the individual…

“Secure the Vote” hosts workshop to ensure voter accessibility

March 4, 2020 | Source: WSAV-TV

People across the state have been casting their ballots early using Georgia’s new voting system. Wednesday, “Secure the Vote” hosts an event to make sure the new process is accessible for every voter. Voters with fine motor/gross motor disabilities or visual impairment can try the new secure paper ballot system at L.I.F.E. Inc. “Secure the Vote,” an education initiative by the Secretary of the State’s Office, is hosting the event. “Casting your vote is a time to have your voice heard,” said Barry Helmey who lives with Cerebral Palsy…

Brian Balcom Wants Accessible Theater Onstage and Off

March 4, 2020 | Source: Chicago

Paraplegic since a 1993 spinal cord injury, the 39-year-old theater director advocates for people with disabilities both onstage and, in his day job as coordinator of Victory Gardens’ accessibility initiatives (audio descriptions and sign language), in the audience. This month, he stages the dark comedy Teenage Dick, running March 6 to April 19 at Theater Wit, which recasts Shakespeare’s Richard III — a character famously hung up on his own disability, believed to be severe scoliosis — as an American high schooler…

Desoto Parish signs agreement with Feds to comply with ADA

March 4, 2020 | Source: KATC

DeSoto Parish has signed an agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, promising to comply with the American Disabilities Act. The Act was passed in 1990, and requires parishs/counties, cities, towns and villages to eliminate barriers that prevent people with disabilities from participating fully in community and civic life. DeSoto Parish has worked cooperatively with the Department of Justice and, in signing the settlement, has made significant progress in meeting ADA requirements…

ADA compliance comes with steep cost in Winchendon

March 4, 2020 | Source: The Gardner News

There was a painful reminder that state and federal regulations come with a price tag. The town has completed a self-evaluation to find there is a backlog of work to be done on sidewalks and other pedestrian walkways to bring them up to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. William Scarpati, assessment management specialist from Stantec Inc., was brought in by the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) to assess how Winchendon is in compliance with standards set by the state and federal government to assure that people with disabilities have equal access to schools, parks and other areas of interest and need…

Young At Art creative expo, coming to Penn State Lehigh Valley, seeks inclusion with deaf interpreters

March 4, 2020 | Source: Morning Call

When Maia Geiger started working with deaf and hard of hearing students through the Carbon-Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21 two decades ago, none of them were in school activities and very few expected to have jobs when they graduated. Today, the social worker says she has students who play sports, have jobs, attend camps and participate in a wide array of other activities. “I’ve seen a real revolution,” Geiger said. “Now, every single one of my students … is motivated to work, is getting a job,” she added…

Doctors try 1st CRISPR editing in the body for blindness

March 4, 2020 | Source: Associated Press & Futurism & West Hawaii Today & Science Alert

Scientists say they have used the gene editing tool CRISPR inside someone’s body for the first time, a new frontier for efforts to operate on DNA, the chemical code of life, to treat diseases. A patient recently had it done at the Casey Eye Institute at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland for an inherited form of blindness, the companies that make the treatment announced Wednesday. They would not give details on the patient or when the surgery occurred…

Remote translation services help deaf students in the classroom

March 5, 2020 | Source: The Hill

For students without hearing impairments, intently listening in class can enhance their learning experience or demonstrate respect. But for students with hearing impairments, intently listening in class can make or break their chances of academic success. “I had to pay attention,” said Nayeli Perez-Peralta, a freshman film major at Temple University who was born with Goldenhar Syndrome — a rare congenital condition that caused deafness in her right ear — of her experiences in elementary and middle schools in Philadelphia. “If I distracted myself, I would lose the lesson for the day.”…

Jack Fact — According to the CDC, nearly 40 million adults in the US have trouble hearing and WHO estimates that by 2050, nearly one billion people will have ‘disabling’ hearing loss.

Hit The Road Jack — Discovering the Galapagos in a Wheelchair

International News

Accessibility advocate and restauranteur join forces

February 26, 2020 | Source: CityNews- Canada (Video)

An accessibility advocate turned a negative experience with a Toronto restauranteur into an opportunity to help others with his assistance. Brandon Rowe with an unlikely friendship that became a partnership championing accessibility rights in the city…

Disabled access to be improved at Totton station as part of nationwide scheme

February 27, 2020 | Source: Daily Echo- UK

Totton is one of 124 railway stations across the country which will be made more accessible for disabled passengers. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced a £20m funding package which will finance a raft of improvements to Britain’s rail network, including new lifts, disabled access toilets and customer information screens. Disabled passengers at Totton will be provided with level access to Platform 2 in a scheme expected to cost £300,000…

Advancing Accessibility in Ontario: Government to lead by example

February 28, 2020 | Source: Government of Ontario News- Canada

Enhancing accessibility is a priority for the government. The province has elevated accessibility as a commitment by creating a dedicated Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility to work towards a more accessible and inclusive Ontario today and for future generations. Advancing Accessibility in Ontario is a cross-government framework that will help focus the government’s work in four key areas: breaking down barriers in the built environment, government leading by example in its role as a policy maker, service provider and employer…

Plight of Auckland man with cerebral palsy highlights crisis point for disabled community over access to housing

February 28, 2020 | Source: TVNZ- New Zealand

Hundreds gathered in South Auckland today to call on the Government to take action on the issue, with the group Disability Connect taking lead. Chairwoman Colleen Brown says they deal with families who “don’t understand how to go about finding information, there is no system there that families can access”. Chief Executive Mike Potter estimates there are 40,000 people in New Zealand who need accessible housing with many waiting for social housing through Kainga Ora, while others are living in private rentals…

There’s an app for that: the new ‘hearables’ changing the way we listen

March 1, 2020 | Source: Macquarie University- Australia

Disruptive technology and mobile phones mean people with hearing loss now have access to cheap tools that promise to enhance their lives. One in six Australians – or 14.5 per cent – has hearing loss, with the estimated affected proportion growing every year. But disruptive technology and mobile phones mean sufferers now have access to cheaper and more desirable tools that promise not so much to improve their hearing but to enhance their lives. Dr Nicole Matthews has been researching hearing-related digital tools and the people who use them for the last two years…

Bengaluru: Wheelchair users demand better accessibility, organise rally

March 1, 2020 | Source: Times of India

International Wheelchair Awareness Day celebrated at Cubbon Park in Bengaluru. The event was organised by the SERPA. The event was aimed at creating awareness, spreading and sharing knowledge in the field of special education. The event was flagged off by Malathi K Holla, an International para-athlete from the city. Access is still a significant issue for wheelchair users in different places. Organisers hope that awareness triggered by the event will nudge a more responsive approach from the government and authorities to improve access for wheelchair users…

Unite as a Dementia Friend

March 1, 2020 | Source: Bucks Free Press- UK

Across Buckinghamshire more than 10,300 people are living with dementia and 850,000 are affected UK-wide. Dementia is now the UK’s biggest killer, with someone developing it every three minutes and too many face the condition alone. Alzheimer’s Society has joined up with Department for Transport on their ‘it’s everyone’s journey’ campaign, to address the fact that too many disabled people, including people with dementia don’t feel confident using public transport…

British Airways claims US first with autonomous wheelchairs

March 2, 2020 | Source: Airline Ratings- UK

British Airways says it has become the first airline in North America to trial fully autonomous wheelchairs aimed at helping disabled customers navigate an airport terminal. The UK carrier has introduced the “electric mobility devices” at New York’s JFK airport and says the trial is aimed at helping customers navigate the terminal freely and independently. It is part of a push by BA to make itself the airline of choice for customers requiring additional assistance. The airline estimates 500,000 customers in this category fly with it each year and that this figure will rise by 10 percent by 2021…

Working to equip rail passengers with independence

March 2, 2020 | Source: Infrastructure Magazine- Australia

Barriers for people with a disability can also mean the end of a journey; to quote the late Stella Young, “No amount of smiling at a flight of stairs has ever made it turn into a ramp”. This is obviously an issue for rail operators. It does, however, also present an opportunity to look widely and beyond the sector for innovations that would enhance the rail passenger experience for people with a disability. The Australasian Centre for Rail Innovation (ACRI) is a collaboration of private and government sector bodies who pool their resources to cooperatively investigate issues and opportunities of mutual interest…

Trek of no limits up Mt Kilimanjaro

March 2, 2020 | Source: The East African- Tanzania & Jewish News Syndicate

A group of 27 climbers with varying disabilities recently conquered Mount Kilimanjaro and could be the largest single such group to trek to the summit. The trekkers, drawn from Tanzania, Peru, Aruba, Israel as well as Texas, Montana, New York, and New Jersey in the United States, used the Marangu route — preferred by many non-professional climbers and also known as the Coca Cola trail — to reach the peak. Among the climbers was a woman who was initially paralysed in 2009 and while regaining her ability to walk, got involved in a car accident and suffered a higher vertebra injury paralysing her even further…

Promises of Accessibility for the Tokyo 2020 Games

March 1, 2020 | Source: Japan Focus (PDF)

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games are promising comprehensive changes to accessibility for all who will be attending, including athletes, coaches, spectators, volunteers and organizers. The promises of accessibility will have impact on disability sport, society and culture, and the economy. This article examines accessible design features for promotional materials, training venues, hotel accommodations and local transportation, followed by a report on the progress made towards the accessibility goals for the Tokyo 2020 Games…

RNIB Makes Accessible Books Free For Children On World Book Day

March 4, 2020 | Source: Island Echo- UK

To celebrate World Book Day on Thursday (5th March), the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is giving away thousands of books in braille and audio formats for children with vision impairment across the South East. The selection of 13 titles aims to support World Book Day’s mission to give every child and young person a book of their own. Organised by UNESCO, World Book Day is marked in more than 100 countries around the world, with 2020 being the 23rd year of celebrations…

These High-Tech Contact Lenses Correct Color Blindness

March 5, 2020 | Source: Geek.com- Israel

High-tech contact lenses could help counteract color blindness, according to new research from Tel Aviv University. A pair of scientists in Israel have incorporated ultra-thin optical devices known as metasurfaces into off-the-shelf contacts to correct deuteranomaly—a sub-type of red-green color blindness. “Problems with distinguishing red from green interrupt simple daily routines such as deciding whether a banana is ripe,” researcher Sharon Karepov said in a statement. “Our contact lenses … create a customized, compact, and durable way to address these deficiencies.”…

Blind lawyer with 25 years’ experience at the bar has never lost a single case in the court

March 5, 2020 | Source: Pulse- Ghana

Physically-challenged Geoffrey Asadu went through all the difficult circumstances to become who he is now. He aspired to become a lawyer with a clean record of not losing any case, and that’s what he has been doing for over two decades. The 58-year-old lawyer is reported to have told The Sun, said he was six when he suddenly went blind. He had a headache that lasted for about three days before he was rushed to the hospital, and that was the beginning of his blindness…

‘Early detection, intervention to prevent hearing loss’

March 5, 2020 | Source: The International News- Pakistan

The World Hearing Day was observed at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences here on Tuesday with experts calling for the early detection and intervention to prevent hearing loss. They said the timely and effective care could enable people with hearing loss to achieve their full potential. The theme for the day was ‘Hearing for life, don’t let hearing loss limit you’. The PIMS holds the event every year to raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care…

Here’s why you should Start listening to your ears

March 6, 2020 | Source: The New Indian Express- India

Industrial noise exposure and ‘gadget-abuse’ induced hearing loss are significantly increasing the incidence and hence prevalence of deafness in the past few decades. Lately, we see a number of young adults with significant high frequency hearing loss from constant exposure to loud music (personal stereos, party music), use of head/ear phones for several hours (call-centres, software engineers) and perhaps even abuse of cellphones. Big-city dwelling also by default increases the exposure to its noise pollution in the form of blaring traffic noise, loudspeaker menace, and construction work and so on…

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