PEGGY JOHNSTON, CO-DIRECTOR 
404 S. Oak Street
Durand, MI 48429
989-288-4546
517-​285-6532
jklbmc@yahoo.com

SHARON POPLER, CO-DIRECTOR
3640 E. Bath Road
Morrice, MI 48857
Tel: 989-634-5748
​gma4hugs@hotmail.com

DEAF AWARENESS
POSTERS ARE NOW AVAILABLE!

We now have reprints of four of the previous Deaf Awareness Posters. Contact me if you wish to have posters, etc.

American Manual Alphabet: This poster is one that we did not have to reprint. This poster could be used in schools, churches, libraries, Grange Halls or anywhere that people come in contact with deaf or hearing impaired people. For example, our Grange delivered Dictionaries to a third grade classroom, along with Deaf Awareness items (one being the Manual Alphabet poster) and in one of the thank you’s we received, one of the students had learned the alphabet. Another third grade teacher had her students do their spelling words in sign language. There are many possibilities with this.

Pledge of Allegiance: This poster could be placed in schools, Grange Halls, libraries, etc. An idea that can be used is to do parts of it at each of your Grange meetings until everyone can sign it.
Do You See the Signs: (of hearing loss) This poster could be placed in church nurseries, day care centers, pre-schools or wherever adults can view them. It is a poster to make parents aware of what an infant to 12 months should be able to do, from 12 months to 2 years, from 2 years to 4 years and 5 years old.

Grange Deaf Awareness: Awareness – communication is key to qualify of life – hearing loss is permanent- early detection and treatment is essential, etc. Education – educate the public with printed material, video programs, classroom instruction, special equipment, information, programs. Prevention- hearing protections used, hearing testing, newborn hearing screening, personal education.

MAY/JUNE 2025 GRANGE NEWS

Spring has Sprung!!
Did you know that the National Grange adopted Deafness as its health project in 1970!! Fifty five years ago. Wow! Don’t seem possible. (Although I graduated from high school in 1970 and am celebrating my 55th year this August at our reunion, Peggy. ) Gosh that’s a lot of years!!
Many states have supported the program over the years by educating themselves and others about hearing loss. Projects which benefit deaf and hard of hearing persons have been accomplished by National, State, county local and Junior Granges. Many, many educational materials have been made available to Granges, schools, libraries, churches, etc. Several states still have projects going regarding deafness.
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​CHILDREN’S HEARING LOSS
A child’s development is unique, but some traits of hearing and language do follow a fairly consistent pattern. If a child does not develop speech at what is considered to be a normal rate it would be wise to ask for a hearing test. Early detection of hearing loss allows parents to explore all the options of medical treatment and education choices; to begin learning about hearing loss themselves and to start learning and teaching alternate communication methods. 

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By the time a child enters school, more than 80% of the language the child will use in the next ten years has been learned. Vocabulary will expand, but never at the same rate it has in the first five years of life. An undetected hearing loss in these critical years will severely affect a child’s education and entire life.
Most children will:
By 3 months:
—respond to parent’s voice
—react to unexpected loud noise
By 6 months:
—respond to noises such as toys, telephones, etc.
—smile, squeal, laugh out loud
By 12 months:
—respond to own name
—say mamma, dada, & 1-2 other words
—shake head for yes and no.
By 15-18 months:
—start to answer questions and may use words and
gestures to support the answer
—like books, and may repeat lines of text for the
reader
By 2 years:
—understand one to two step commands
—vocabulary is expanding
By 3 years:
—experience rapid development of speech
By 4 years:
—express events according to a measure of time and
can tell about a series of events.
By 5 years:
—have well-developed speech patterns
Share this information with any new parents you
might know. It just might prove to be useful.
MARCH/APRIL 2025 GRANGE NEWS

With Spring and Summer just around the corner (I hope), comes working in the yard, gardens, 
and fields. Using lawnmowers, garden tractors, leaf blowers, weed trimmers to large tractors and other machinery.
Are you prepared to protect your hearing? Several years ago we had available brochures and posters called “Your Noisy World Could Get Silent.” We no longer have the posters available, however I do have a hand full of the brochures.
I thought this month I would go over some of the information regarding decibels and just how various items can hurt our hearing if not protected against it.

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The brochure starts out saying that Noise is more than a nuisance and I really do believe sometimes it truly is. Our ears are constantly being assaulted by the racket of the modern world. I live in town and I have to put up with the noise of the loud vehicles, motorcycles and in my neighborhood the trains are going by, especially during the summer when the windows are open. It’s not something that you know is going to happen so you could protect your hearing.
Normal everyday sounds are loud enough to damage your hearing if you hear it often enough.
Such as these items:
Washer 40 dB
P​ower tools 85 dB
Dryer 55 dB
​Vacuum 62-85 dB
Blow Dryer 59-80 dB
​Dishwasher 54-85 dB
Stereo, up to 120 dB
​Heavy traffic 80 dB
Radio, up to 120 dB
​Sewing machine 64-74 dB
TV, up to 120 dB
​Electric Shaver 75 dB
Lawn Mower 87-95 dB
​Food Disposal 67-94 dB
Chain saw 100 dB
​Refrigerator 40 dB
Passenger car 70 dB
​Circular Saw 103 dB
Window Air Conditioner 80 dB
The loudness of sound is measured in decibels (dB). The human ear can typically hear sounds between 0 dB and 120–140 dB.

​Examples of decibel levels:
  • 0 dB: The quietest sound a healthy human ear can hear
  • 20 dB: Whispering at 5 feet
  • 40 dB: A quiet library
  • 60 dB: Ordinary spoken conversation
  • 85 dB: A food blender
  • 110 dB: A live gig or concert
  • 120 dB: Thunder
  • 130 dB: An aeroplane taking off 100m away
  • 140 dB: Fireworks, gun shots, custom car stereos (at full volume)
Effects of loud noises:
  • Extended exposure to sounds above 85 dB can cause hearing damage.
  • Exposure to 70 decibels over a period of 24 hours is considered a level that can prevent measurable hearing loss over a lifetime.​​​
​​There are so many ways to protect your hearing from earplugs to earmuffs to just staying away from those loud noises that you can and how about turning the volume
down on the TV and radios. 

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Losing your hearing is no fun for anyone. I know a lot of people that struggle with hard of hearing, some with hearing aids some that don’t. Even those with hearing aids have problems at times if they are in a room that has a lot of noise or a lot of people talking at once.
The International symbol of Deafness






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Take caution: Protect your hearing!!
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