Whitestone, former Miss America on Oprah Monday

[Guest guest]

DEAF MISS AMERICA DISCUSSES WHAT IT IS LIKE GROWING UP DEAF

WHERE: The Oprah Winfrey Show

WHEN: Monday, May 31, 2004

WHAT: Whitestone touched our hearts when she was crowned

Miss America in

1995 and became the first disabled woman to receive this honor.

lost her hearing when she was 18 months old. Last year, she

made one of the most important decisions of her life - to undergo

cochlear implantation and receive a Cochlear Nucleus® 24 ContourT.

Over the past year, she has shared her emotional experience with us

on national television and we continue to marvel at her courage.

's decision to get a cochlear implant has allowed her to hear

her family's voices, make further strides in achieving her goals and

experience the hearing world. With the new implant, she plans to

help raise awareness among the hearing-impaired community about the

opportunities available for improving speech and language.

On Monday, May 31st, will appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show,

where she will talk with Oprah Winfrey and actress, Marlee Matlin,

about a new book by a deaf author and discuss how new technologies,

like cochlear implants, have improved the lives of those with a

profound hearing loss.