The Master’s Lip Reading Academy for people with hearing loss, the first institution of its kind in the United States, will begin offering classes in Chattanooga on Jan. 8.
The need for such a school as the Master’s Lip Reading Academy is great, said David Harrison, director.
He said, "Nearly 32.5 million hard of hearing people in America struggle to listen to family, friends, preachers and speakers. Tennessee alone has 350,000 hearing impaired with about 35,000 living in Hamilton County.
“The Master’s Lip Reading Academy will become the springboard to help churches become hearing accessible to its members. Eighty percent of the hard of hearing population will never attend church because of their hearing difficulties. Some churches have purchased an FM listening system to be used only in the sanctuary. The greatest need is to teach the church people a simple way of communication, which includes visibility of the speaker’s face.”
Mr. Harrison was born hard of hearing and placed in special education classes in school, resulting in nine years of lip reading experience. In 2006, Mr. Harrison and his wife, Cathy, a retired nurse, completed academic studies and were certified by the American Academy for Hearing Loss Support Specialists. From these studies, he said he discovered that people who suffer hearing loss needed to learn lip reading in order to them better communicate with others. As a result, The Master’s Lip Reading Academy was born.
The number of people with hearing loss will double in the next 15 years because of noise pollution, damaging audio systems installed inside cars, rock concerts and the personal audio devices such as mp3 players, Mr. Harrison said. Prolonged exposure to any noise at or above 85 decibels, such as heavy machinery, can cause gradual hearing loss. Exposure for one minute to a noise level at 105 to 110 decibels (such as a chainsaw, a rock concert or a personal stereo system at maximum level) can cause permanent and irreparable damage to the ears, he said.
The academy classes will be equipped with FM assistive listening devices supplied by the Williams Sound System of Eden Prairie, Minn., and with the telecoil loop amplified system supplied by the Univox Company of Denmark — for those who wear hearing aids with “T” coil switches. Both these systems are designed to help hard of hearing people hear clearly in groups and meetings.
“Our goal is to help each person hear everything that goes on in the class,” Mr. Harrison said. “Visitors are invited to test out our hearing accessibility within the academy setting. The classes are open for anyone to visit for observation, though an appointment is required. The church can offer a great service by ministering to the hard of hearing."
Mr. Harrison said he is willing to donate his services "to any church that wants to reach this needy and neglected group of people."
He and his wife are missionaries serving under Silent Word Ministries, Inc. based in Trenton. This mission board ministers to the deaf and hard of hearing around the world. The Harrisons make their home in Chattanooga.
Mr. Harrison said lip-reading, also known as speech-reading, "is for anyone who suffers from hearing loss and has difficulty understanding what people say. People who wear hearing aids and their spouses will benefit greatly from the Master’s Lip Reading Academy classes, where other communication strategies will also be addressed."
Classes begin Jan. 8 with both morning (10 a.m. to noon) and evening
sessions (6 to 8 p.m.) on Tuesday and Thursdays. Each two-hour class
lasts for a single month. The series will be repeated monthly. Morning
classes are offered at Memorial Baptist Church at 4445 Hixson Pike and
evening sessions will be at the Chattanooga Christian School off South
Broad Street, 3354 Charger Dr.
For more information, call David M.
Harrison, director, at (423) 624-1669 or write to dmharrison1@juno.com.