Marlee Matlin on Extreme Home Makeover

[Guest guest]

Has anyone see this episode? My mom saw an ad for it last week and she

thought it was going to air on Sunday evening, but I couldn't find it last

night. I was interested because I assumed that if she was a guest they might

be putting together a household for a deaf person or family. It would be

neat to see what type of technology they use, especially since they have a

large budget and usually go " all out " .

As an added non related note, my son Ethan is getting a cochlear implant

next week on the 19th. He'll be 13 months old the day of the surgery. We are

beside ourselves here with excitement!!

in Ohio

[Guest guest]

, she was on an episode last year with a family where the parents were

both Deaf, and one son was blind and autistic. The other son had no

disabilities. They were the Vardon family and you can find lots of info on the

home makeover website. Marlee Matlin was on this as well as the owner of

Starkey Hearing Aids. It showcased some wonderful technology! But I don't

know, maybe there will be another episode with a deaf family this year!

[Guest guest]

Similarly, here's a short article about an episode from Extreme

Makeover where they helped a woman with hearing loss:

April 03, 2004

High-tech hearing aids changed their lives, and users sound off with

praise

From: Salt Lake Tribune, UT - April 2, 2004

By Carey Hamilton

The Salt Lake Tribune

Some people might think the ABC show " Extreme Makeover " focuses on

the superficial, but for one woman, it gave her something much more

important than breast implants or a face lift.

When Lunceford applied for the show, she requested LASIK

surgery and a tummy tuck. But she also came out with digital hearing

aids that the staff surprised her with, and the devices have

transformed her life.

" I wanted the LASIK so I could read lips better, " said the Baton

Rouge, La., woman, who turns 50 today. " I used to have to work so

hard to lip read, I was exhausted by the end of the day. Now, my

whole life is much more relaxed, and I can enjoy talking to people

instead of having to try so hard to understand them. "

Lunceford was born with congenital nerve deafness, a condition that

forced her to live with severe hearing loss. She was in Salt Lake

City on Thursday at the American Academy of Audiology annual

convention to promote the hearing aid that opened up her world --

the Power Diva.

Made by Widex U.S.A. of New York City, the Diva " raise what it

thinks you want to hear and filters out background noise, " said

Cola, the company's director of marketing. The devices are a

little larger than a cashew and fit behind Lunceford's ears, hidden

by her hair. She can easily change the modes when she wants to

listen to music or talk on the telephone.

" There is a wonderful world of hearing out there, and if you have a

loss, you are missing out on so much of life, " Lunceford said.

Bruce Sharp, who sells the Divas at Sharp Hearing Systems in Salt

Lake City, said he has seen the difference the Divas make. His

mother and aunt suffered from hearing loss as they aged.

" Both women have worn hearing aids in the past, " Sharp said. " Since

I fitted them with the Divas, they are functioning much better. "

Hearing aids have improved tremendously in recent years as

researchers developed new technologies. Digital hearing aids take

the continuous sound wave and break it up into small bits of

information. The more sophisticated aids amplify speech while

blocking out unwanted noises, such as air conditioners.

Researchers at Brigham Young University created the technology that

helped launch Salt Lake Valley-based Sonic Innovations in the late

1990s. The company markets a device called the " Natura, " which a

hearing care professional can customize to compensate for a

customer's specific impairment.

ae Jebbia, Miss USA 1998, uses the Natura and is the company's

spokeswoman.

" She had worn a number of aids and said the Natura changed her

life, " said Raguskus, Sonic's president and chief

executive. " The most important thing is we have provided hearing

aids to 250,000 people around the world and helped improve their

lives. "

chamilton@...

© Copyright 2004, The Salt Lake Tribune.

>

> Has anyone see this episode? My mom saw an ad for it last week and

she

> thought it was going to air on Sunday evening, but I couldn't find

it last

> night. I was interested because I assumed that if she was a guest

they might

> be putting together a household for a deaf person or family. It

would be

> neat to see what type of technology they use, especially since

they have a

> large budget and usually go " all out " .

>

> As an added non related note, my son Ethan is getting a cochlear

implant

> next week on the 19th. He'll be 13 months old the day of the

surgery. We are

> beside ourselves here with excitement!!

>

> in Ohio

>

[Guest guest]

I belive its this sunday

This Sunday September 17, iCommunicator will be featured on two

back-to-back episodes of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition!

In order to better meet the Llanes family's unique needs, Academy

Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin will serve as Guest Host for these

special pre-season episodes of " Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, " airing

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 (8:00-9:00 and 9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on ABC.

[Guest guest]

I just checked out the abc primetime schedule online and found this blurb

Next Episode:

Sunday, September 17, 8/7c

" Llanes Family "

It's two back-to-back episodes of Home Edition! Marlee Matlin guest-hosts

and the design team helps a blind man and his family whose members are

either legally blind or deaf.