I purchased 1,000 reprint copies of a Readers Digest article "How Noise Can Hurt You" for distribution based on some rather startling statements and research conducted by David Lipscomb Ph.D., the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Campus. Study revealed 60% of Freshmen students had hearing loss.

My Letter to the Editor published in Interior Construction trade publication questioned the impact of the acoustical environment in educational facilities on student communications, concentration, comprehension and retention. It further suggested that information on this matter appeared not to be readily available through conventional architectural acoustical sources.

Started to search data banks and a wide variety of other sources for information on the impact of acoustics on communications. Audiological and Speech Language descriptors turned tip a great deal of research that provided significant volumes of rationale but little in architectural solutions. Amplification seemed to be the most prevalent solution to noise and high reverberation.

Secured the ADA legislation and reviewed the entire legislative language thereby making the link between acoustics and the clauses on:

Determined that poor acoustics have an adverse impact on hearing and learning and furthermore poor architectural acoustics is a communications barrier to hearing impaired and other people as much as stairs are to people in wheelchairs.

Networked with Council for Correctional Acoustics and secured copy of informational manual.

Undertook investigative research to assemble relevant papers and articles on Acoustics/Noise and its impact on hearing, speech intelligibility and learning. Networked with people from ASHA, National Center for Law and Deafness, the Minnesota Foundation for Better Speech and Hearing and a number of acoustical engineers.

Secured Legal Rights, a Guide for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. This publication gave insight into the impact of legislative Acts associated with the ADA - The Architectural Barriers Act (ABA), the Rehab Act of 1973, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).

Researched and secured relevant papers through NERAC and NRC databases. Also researched library archive at University of Minnesota for additional research data.

In 1992 watched the controversy surrounding the claims of hearing aid manufacturers to be able to tune out background noise with their devices. The FCC and FDA were involved. Minneapolis is a center for hearing aid devices and so the topic was frequently in the news.

Secured copies of the MARS program on Sound Field Amplification that contained a great deal of useful information.

Joined SHHH Inc. (Self Help for Hard of Hearing).

Presented a seminar at the CISCA Convention in Chicago on Architectural Acoustics and the ADA.

Appointed to the Advisory Panel on Creating Quiet Areas in Restaurants and Cafeterias, commissioned by the Access Board with Battelle under the direction of Ron Moulder. This appointment came about as a result of investigative research and discussion with the Department of Justice who referred me to Ron Moulder who subsequently asked me to sit on the Panel.

Draft Report was issued August 1993 and the Final Report in December 1993.

Traveled to Washington DC at personal expense to participate in Access Board Hearing on "Communication Accessibility in the 'As Built' Environment". Since comment time for participants was very limited, requested that a 3" loose leaf binder containing relevant data and research papers be accepted by the Access Board as a resource and part of my comment presentation on Architectural Acoustics.

Attended the weekend Workshop in Orlando, Florida sponsored by the Florida Department of Education in conjunction with the Educational Audiology Association. Moderators, Carl Crandell, Ph.D. and Carol Flcxcr Ph.D. Subject, Classroom Acoustics and Soundfield Amplification and its impact on student achievement. No other Acoustical/Noise people in attendance.

Concluded that there was a distinct need for interdisciplinary communications.

As result of contact made with Carl Crandell I was able to secure a draft copy of ASHA's Position Paper, Guidelines for Acoustics in Educational Settings

Authored an article, published in Walls and Ceilings Trade publication on "Architectural Acoustics: The Impact On Communications Accessibility"

Met with Buzz Towne of' Towne Richards and Chaudiere ('I'RC), a prominent acoustical consulting firm in Seattle, Washington. I had been networking with Herb Chaudiere and had shared the Restaurant Guide information with him. He had passed it on to Buzz Towne. Following our initial meeting Buzz and I continued to correspond on topics relative to the Classroom Acoustics agenda.

Much of my early research data was turned over to Buzz who was surprised as I had been at the audiological data and the nature and extent of the problem. Although our introduction was the result of the Restaurant Guidelines we soon found we shared a common interest in the acoustics impact on schools, teaching and students.

For over 2 years Buzz and I collaborated on a wide range of subject matter and at the same time broadened the list of others with similar interests and with whom we networked over the years until Buzz Towne passed away.

Through my contacts within EAA, I was able to introduce Karen Anderson to Buzz and they collaborated in an outstanding article "The Changing Sound Of Education" published in Sound and Vibration. Subsequent versions were published in other education and audiology publications.

Asked by SHHH to review comments being submitted by SHHH Inc. in conjunction with Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf, American Speech-Language Hearing Association, Auditory-Verbal International Inc., National Center for Law and Deafness and the National Cued Speech Association. Comments were submitted to the Access Board in response to Interim Final Rules, 36 CFR, Part 1191, Docket No 92-2 regarding Accessibility Guidelines on Acoustics. Almost all of my recommended comments were included in the final comments making it a stronger and more forceful comment submission.

Attended the Wallace Clement Sabine Centennial meeting of the Acoustical Society of America at MIT in Cambridge, Mass. at the urging of Buzz Towne and David Egan with whom I had been networking. At the TCAA committee meeting I commented on what was happening in the field of Audiology with respect to Acoustics and indicated that this was a matter of interest to the Access Board and suggested that ASA should show greater interest and assume a position of leadership in this area.

Attended the ASA meeting in Indianapolis with Buzz Towne who presented the case to the TCAA committee suggesting that ASA should be more involved in looking at Classroom Acoustics in particular. He was successful in this endeavor and following the presentation we received many positive comments and expressions of support. Many members indicated that addressing the problem or developing some guidelines was long overdue. This was indeed the turning point in getting so many prominent acousticians and engineers involved in the Classroom Acoustics issue. It was at this meeting that Buzz Towne got Lou Sutherland interested in the Classroom Acoustics agenda. Lou has not slowed down since and has been an inspiration to all who have worked with him.

Appointed by Technical Committee, Architectural Acoustics to chair the sub committee for Classroom Acoustics. Many members of TCAA volunteered to serve as members of the subcommittee. Established an e-mail link with committee members. The Committee, while not accomplishing anything of formal nature, became a catalyst that inspired many groups and organizations to pursue an active agenda with regard to the problem. It gave the appearance legitimizing the problem and concerns by many other people and organizations and started the process of interdisciplinary networking.

Developed an e-mail listing to communicate news and activities with respect to Classroom Acoustics. Correspondents now include persons from several countries and many disciplines.

Announcement in Hearing Review about the formation of the Classroom Acoustics subcommittee.

Article published in suburban Minneapolis newspaper on problem of Classroom Acoustics and its impact on students. Announcement of Classroom Acoustics subcommittee.

Coordinated a response to the Access Board's Notice of Proposed Rule Making, NRPM, 36 CFR, part 1191, Docket No 94-2 regarding Children's Facilities. The comments submitted were orchestrated with the invaluable assistance of David Lubman, Buzz Towne, SHHH Inc. and others. Additionally other organizations and individuals were enticed to also submit comments. With the short time frame available to submit comments from the time the NRPM was discovered, many other organizations were unable to secure their respective associations approval to participate.

Widget Richards the mother of a hearing impaired child in Georgia, with whom we had been networking for some time, also decided to submit her own comments and did so in the form of a "Petition". As it turned out, a petition to the government may not easily be disregarded. Although timing and the subject matter of the comments submitted were not appropriate to the NRPM, the comments and petition were duly noted.

Additional pressure and a letter writing campaign to the Access Board and other congressional leaders brought about an assurance of action, spearheaded by SHHH Executive Director and board member Donna Sorkin.

The TCAA ASA approved seed money for the production of a Workshop on Classroom Acoustics to be held in Los Angeles. This coincided with the work being undertaken with the Los Angeles Unified School District on noise and acoustics by Lou Sutherland, David Lubman, Jim DuBois and Mark Schaffer.

Chaired meeting at the ASA conference at Penn State on Classroom Acoustics with an update from an Access Board representative.

Article published in SHHU Journal, "Architectural Acoustics and the ADA"

Published article in the IFHOH Journal titled "Quiet Please ... The link between architectural acoustics and hearing accessibility".

Participated as a member of the ASA interdisciplinary Task Force in planning for the Los Angeles Workshop on Classroom Acoustics, removing barriers to learning. A consensus at the workshop recommended that there should be a continued interdisciplinary dialog on the issue of classroom acoustics and it was therefore suggested that a Coalition of individuals and organizations should be formed to accomplish this. Members of the Workshop committee and the Task force prepared a draft Mission Statement for the proposed Coalition.

Networking with Swedish colleagues we secured copies of the Swedish Acoustical Guidelines and distributed them widely for review.

Speaker, panel presentation at NEOCON in Chicago on Acoustics and the ADA.

Speaker, panel presentation at SHHH Convention in Boston Massachusetts on Acoustics in Classrooms and the ADA.

The Access Board published their Request For Information (RFI), in the Federal Register, regarding Classroom Acoustics. The ASA Task Force comprising committees for Architectural Acoustics, Noise, Speech and Communications and Physiological and Psychological Acoustics, collaborated to prepare a comprehensive response on behalf of ASA to the RFI.

Another response was prepared in the name of the Coalition of organizations as discussed at the previous December's Workshop in Los Angeles.

At this time the Department of Education was also requesting information that appeared to contain some of the elements contained in the response being prepared for the Access Board. I petitioned the Department of Education to request the Access Board to share their information with the Department so as not to have to duplicate the response data. The Dept. of Ed has a Board seat on the Access Board in addition to ASA and other Coalition members

Letter to Editor published in Hearing Review, "Time to focus an Noise and Acoustics".

Article published in Educational Audiology Review titled "Reverberation in Educational Settings".

The TCAA awarded The University of Kansas a contract to develop an Acoustical Presentation for the purpose of educating the public on acoustics and the benefits of good acoustics in Classroom settings. This is being accomplished under the direction of ASA and U. Kansas faculty member, Bob Coffeen.

Attended and participated in the New York Work shop on Classroom Acoustics.

The Access Board reviewed the responses received as a result of the Request For Information (RFI) in 1998.

The Access Board announced a proposed course of action to develop Acoustical Guidelines for classrooms. They will look to the ANSI S12 Working Group W/G-42 under the Co-Chairs Lou Sutherland and David Lubman to spearhead the guideline development with the assistance of an active working group and interdisciplinary advisory panel. The process is expected to be completed and presented to the Access Board in less than two years.

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