Oticon Awards Scholarship to Michael Ramos of Bridgeport, Connecticut

SOMERSET, NJ--Oticon, Inc., announced that Michael Ramos of Bridgeport, Connecticut is the recipient of an Otikids $1,000.00 Scholarship. Oticon recognized Michael for his ability to demonstrate that hearing loss does not limit a person's ability to lead a full, productive life.

Michael, 17, a freshman at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willamantic, Connecticut, plans to pursue a degree in Computer Science. He graduated with honors from Kolby Cathedral High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut in June 1999. In addition to his busy academic schedule, Michael holds a black belt in karate. When Michael was in high school, his extracurricular activities included the video club, the choir and the yearbook committee.

'Michael is very deserving of this award,' said Nancy Rose, an educational audiologist for Bridgeport school district. 'He has always displayed the motivation to succeed both academically and socially. I am thrilled that Oticon recognized Michael's outstanding potential.

Michael has been using Oticon's Personic Hearing Aid since he was diagnosed with hearing loss at age five. When Michael was 12, he served as a model for an Otikids Cooler Brochure.

'We are honored to assist Michael in his academic pursuits,' stated Peter Mark, Director of Marketing, Oticon, Inc. 'He exemplifies the goal of Otikids- which is to help young people with hearing loss get the best start in life, allowing them to reach their full potential despite having a hearing loss. Michael is showing the world that, with proper hearing amplification, children and teens with hearing loss can lead active, fulfilling personal and academic lives.'

The Otikids program was developed by Oticon to provide educational support for children with hearing loss as well as their parents. The program is dedicated to providing children and their parents with the most relevant and recent information on all aspects of living with hearing loss. As part of the Otikids program, Oticon provides educational tools for children, information booklets for parents, tools and accessories for audiologists, and display materials for clinics.

The Otikids web site, which is accessible at www.oticonus.com/Otikids, is designed to supply parents with knowledge to help them understand and accept their child's hearing loss as well as communication techniques.

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