Oticon Focus on People Awards Honor Four Exceptional PeopleWho Defy the Stigma Of Hearing Loss

Pictured in the photo left to right are:
Peter Mark, MD, Vice President ot Communications and Marketing, Oticon, Inc.; Mark Ross, Ph.D., recipient of the 2000 Oticon Focus on People Lifetime Achievement Award; Niels Jacobsen, President & CEO of Oticon Worldwide; Peer Lauritsen, Executive Vice President, Oticon, Inc.
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CHICAGO, March 16 - The 2000 Oticon Focus on People Awards today honored four outstanding hard-of-hearing people who prove that hearing loss does not limit a person's ability to live a full, productive and even, inspiring life. The national awards competition, sponsored by Oticon, Inc., the world's oldest hearing instrument manufacturer, celebrated the accomplishments of Anne G. Kramer of Virginia Beach, VA; Eric Lindheimer of Troy, NY; Kathy Peck of San Francisco, CA; and Michael Tecklenburg, Esq., of Washington, DC. A special award recognizing the critical role of hearing care professionals in improving the world of hearing impaired people was presented to Gloria Jackel Wong, M.A., CCC-A of Chicago, IL.

Now in its third year, the Oticon Focus on People Awards program is designed to focus attention on common misconceptions about hearing loss, correct negative stereotypes and motivate people with hearing loss to take advantage of the help that is available to them.

Selected from over 150 nominees, this year's winners each earned top honors in one of the program's five categories: Senior (over 65 years of age); Adult (18 to 65 years); Student (full-time students, age 25 or under); Advocacy (for people of all ages involved in efforts on behalf of the hearing impaired community) and Practitioner (for hearing care professionals currently in practice). Each received a $2,000 award and $1,000 donation to the not-for-profit cause of their choice.

'Oticon created the Focus on People Awards to show the world that hearing loss does not diminish a person's ability to live life to its fullest and most productive,' explained Oticon Worldwide President & CEO Niels Jacobsen. 'Most importantly, we want to encourage those with hearing loss to seek professional guidance and take advantage of the new technologies and procedures that enable them to live the life they want with the hearing they have.'

Lifetime Achievement Award:

This year, Oticon presented Mark Ross, Ph.D., professor emeritus at the University of Connecticut and co-principal investigator for the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center at the Lexington Center in Jackson Heights, NY, with a Lifetime Achievement Award. This award, which was created at the request of the awards program's distinguished panel of judges, honors a hearing care professional whose contribution to promoting better understanding of hearing loss is truly exemplary. In addition to the award, Dr. Ross received a $5,000 grant from Oticon, Inc.

During his 40 years in the field of audiology, Dr. Ross, of Storrs, Connecticut, has been a teacher, a researcher, a clinician and a role model to his students, colleagues and patients. A noted researcher, scholar, and lecturer, he has written numerous books and articles on hearing loss and its impact. Dr. Ross, who is hearing impaired, has also served on the Board of Trustees for SHHH.

Category Winners
Senior Category Winner: Anne G. Kramer, Virginia Beach, VA - - As a volunteer with OUTREACH for the Hard of Hearing, Anne G. Kramer is devoted to promoting a positive understanding of hearing loss and the people it effects. Self-taught in computer technology, she counsels and instructs at-risk high school students in her community. A charter member of the Virginia Beach chapter of Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc., she has spoken on hearing loss and its impact before the Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities and works with local legislators.

Student Category Winner:
Eric Lindheimer, Troy, NY - - Eric Lindheimer, an outstanding high school senior, combines excellence in the classroom and on the playing field. In the top 10 percent of his class, Eric is a member of the National Honor Society and a recipient of numerous academic achievement awards. His talents as captain of the Guilderland High School football team have been documented in the National Football League's video production, 'Under the Helmet.' Eric also volunteers as a counselor to deaf and heard of hearing children in elementary schools.

Advocacy Category Winner:
Kathy Peck, San Francisco, CA - - Kathy Peck is co-founder of Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers (H.E.A.R.), a non-profit organization that encourages people to listen to and love music safely. She began her crusade against hearing loss when she lost her hearing in 1988 as a result of exposure to loud music. In her role as H.E.A.R.'s executive director, she oversees outreach programs, national publicity campaigns and an award-winning website, www.hearnet.com, that receives more than 8,000 visitors per day.

Adult Category Winner:
Michael Tecklenburg, Esq., Washington, DC - - Michael Tecklenburg, the first deaf lawyer to graduate from Columbia University law School, is one of approximately 75 deaf lawyers in the United States. He devotes countless hours encouraging and counseling young people with hearing loss to pursue their goals and dreams. As president-elect of Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Michael, age 36, will be the youngest person ever to hold this post.

Practitioner Category Winner:
Gloria Jackel Wong, Chicago, IL - - As director of the Chicago Hearing Society's Audiology Clinic since 1987, Gloria Jackel Wong provides vital services to over 1,000 individuals each year. She has been a driving force behind the growth of the clinic's Hearing Aid Bank, a unique program that assists low income patients who could not otherwise afford quality hearing care and conducts educational outreach to senior citizens in the community.

Founded in 1904, Oticon has been a pioneer in hearing care for nearly a century. It was the first company to develop fully automatic, non-linear hearing instruments that adjust amplification to changing environments and the first to introduce fully digital hearing instruments for widespread use in 1996. The company believes that, to guarantee optimal results, advanced technology must be combined with a greater understanding of the relevant human factors. Oticon calls the approach the Human Link.

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