The Ukrainian Weekly 1993

Hearing-impaired 4-year-oldbenefits from treatment in /V.J.by Sharon GurHeldEDISON, N J. — For most 4-year-oldchildren, listening to Mother Goose nurseryrhymes or the songs of the "purpledinosaur" would be an ordinary occurrence.But for Ukrainian-born IrynaGritsei, music, nursery rhymes or anyother sounds are as foreign as the languageand surroundings of the nation shehas come to for help.Iryna arrived in the United States a littlemore than six months ago and is justone of the many hearing-impaired clientsbenefiting from the Department ofSpeech Pathology and Audiology at theJFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, anaffiliate of JFK Medical Center inEdison, N.J.When she was only a few months old,byna developed a fever that left her withprofound hearing loss. Her parents wereunable to find the appropriate medicaltreatment for their child in Ukraine andrelocated to Siberia, but even in Russiathe treatments and technology were primitiveand of little assistance.The Gritseis then heard of a experimentalsurgical technique that was beingdone in the United States, called acochlear implant. Leaving behind herhusband and their 7-year-old son, Mrs.Gritsei and her daughter made arrangementsto fly to the U.S. for treatment.Iryna was tested by audiologists inPhiladelphia and then at JFK. All of theexaminations revealed the same results:due to the type of hearing deficit she had,her age and the lack of an audiologist inUkraine who could provide the necessaryand extensive follow-up, Iryna is not acandidate for the implant at this tune.The audiologist at JFK, however, didrecommend that Iryna be fitted with ahearing aid in each ear. She would stillrequire substantial follow-up, but testingindicated that the devices would enableher to hear at some level. But the processwould not be simple.Iryna was frightened of the hearingaids, and the company nearest to Ukrainethat could provide follow-up service andbatteries for the device was in Moscow,half a continent away. Additionally, neitherIryna nor her mother speaks English.They are dependent on the skills ofRoman Wasiczko, a South Orange, N.J.,resident, who heard about their plightfrom a friend and generously offered hisskills as a translator.Despite these obstacles, Anne Eckert,JFK assistant director of audiology andspeech pathology, decided to take on thechallenge. By coincidence, Ms. Eckertunderstood and could speak enoughUkrainian to ease some of the tensions ofthe mother and her child. Between theskills of Ms. Eckert and Mr. Wasiczko,communication became less of a hindrance,but the experience was stillunsettling for the Gritseis."During Iryna's first visit to JFK, Ireally just wanted to spend time with her,getting to know her and her mother,establishing a relationship," said Ms.Eckert. "I felt that this little girl has cometo a foreign country and had been pokedand prodded by a lot of people. I wantedher to feel comfortable, not threatened orpushed into anything."Ms. Eckert said she also wanted tofind out Mrs. Gritsei's expectations andconcerns."We talked about her experiences inSiberia and the things that were done.Iryna was unsuccessful in adapting to ahearing aid there, and I needed somebackground to help me make sure wecould help her," Ms. Eckert explained.THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5,1993 No. 49After a relationship had been established,Ms. Eckert wanted to begin fittingIryna with the hearing aids. She fitted theearmolds and hearing aids and gave Irynaand her mother an orientation on howthey worked. When the devices arrivedthree weeks later, Ms. Eckert taught theGritseis how to manipulate them, replacethe batteries and fit the earmolds into theears."I also talked to Iryna's mother abouthow I wanted her daughter to begin usingthe hearing aids," Ms. Eckert said. "I wasconcerned because of her past experienceswith devices in Russia. It was veryimportant to phase her hearing in on agradual level — we didn't want to overwhelmher."Eventually, Iryna felt comfortableenough to try the device."It was very clear, by the look on herface, that she could hear things and thatshe liked to hear them," said Ms. Eckert."I remember when we put them on herand she heard the very first sound, shecame right over to me and gave me thisbig hug. It was amazing."Iryna's mother was also moved, but atthe same time she was very scared."It was almost bittersweet," Mrs.Gritsei said through her interpreter. "Ihave never let go of my hope that Irynawill be able to have her hearing restored,and I am worried about the future."Throughout the process, Ms. Eckertconcentrated not only on helping the littlegirl use the device, but also on helpingher mother understand what its limitationswere."I was very concerned about whatMrs. Gritsei expected, Ms. Eckertexplained. "She was very disappointedwhen she found out that Iryna couldn'thave the cochlear implant, and I wantedher to understand what the hearing aidscould and could not do."In addition to obtaining the hearingaids, Iryna would need extensive followupafter she became comfortable usingthem. She would also need to be enrolledin a school that would suit her specialneeds and teach her to speak, as well asto use sign language.But time constraints were making theprocess all the more difficult. TheGritseis were running out of money forfood and rent, and their visas were onlytemporary."Support services for hearingimpairedindividuals are virtually nonexistentin Ukraine," said Ms. Eckert."Right now, it's a country struggling tofeed its citizens and provide them withthe most basic of health care. We neededto do as much as we could here beforethe visas ran out."However, it was feared that if shereturned to Ukraine at this point in theadjustment, all of her progress might belost. Mrs. Gritsei consulted an attorneyand has applied for an extension on hervisa. Additionally, she is seeking permissionfrom the U.S. government to obtaina work permit, enabling her to supportherself and her daughter while they are inthis country."The follow-up is so important," saidMs. Eckert. "You can't just give someonea hearing aid and send them on theirway."An audiologist will need to play alarge role in Iryna's future. The earmoldsneed to be changed every three monthssince Iryna's ear is growing, and she willneed to have the device tested to makesure she's using it properly and gettingthe most benefit from it. Ongoing counselingand hearing testing are also essen-(Continued on page 19)Woronowycz assigned to KyyivRoman WoronowyczJERSEY CITY, N.J. — RomanWoronowycz, a staff writer and editorof The Ukrainian Weekly, arrivedin Ukraine on December 1 to take upthe post of Kyyiv correspondent atthe Ukrainian National Association'sPress Bureau. He is assigned to theUkrainian capital for six months.Mr. Woronowycz will replaceMarta Kolomayets, The Weekly'sassociate editor, who has been servingher third tour of duty in Ukrainesince February of this year. Ms.Kolomayets is due to return to theU.S. on December 26.Mr. Woronowycz has been on theeditorial staff of The UkrainianWeekly since June 30, 1992. He wasnamed a staff writer/editor onOctober 1, 1992. Originally from theDetroit area, he holds a B.A. in publicadministration from Wayne StateUniversity and has completed mostgraduate work toward a master'sdegree in journalism at the Universityof Michigan at Ann Arbor.While at U. of M., he was a reporterfor The Michigan Journalist and TheAnn Arbor News, He has newspaperproduction experience as well, havingbeen employed as production managerat The Ukrainian News of Detroit.Perhaps it is fitting that Mr.Woronowycz arrived in Kyyiv onDecember 1 as that is the Feast Dayof St. Roman, his name day.Canadiari'Sponsored institutetrains Ukraine's public servantsby Christopher GulyOTTAWA - In one year, more than2,500 Ukrainian students have attendedseminars at the Canadian-sponsoredInstitute of Public Administration andLocal Government (IPALG) in Kyyiv.The institute, the first of its Idnd in aformer Soviet republic, is designed totrain senior public servants for theUkrainian government.Students will receive training inWestern economics, human resourcesand administration. The IPALG also runsa Public Policy Research Center and aManagement Studies Center, wherefuture public servants will be tutored inprivatization, investment and banking.Each year, 100 students will also beadmitted to the institute's one-yearMasters in Public Administration certificateprogram.The IPALG was established by presidentialdecree last March and is fundedby Canada's External Affairs Task Forceon Central and Eastern Europe. EmilBaran, vice-president of the Center forCentral and Eastern Europe, CanadianBureau for International Education(CBIE), which manages the project, saidthe program will cost the Canadian government$4.7 million. It will run until1996.The IPALG is part of Canada's technicaland humanitarian assistance packageto former Soviet states and Central andEast European countries that began in1989. So far, more than 500 projects valuedat $150 million have been earmarkedfor 14 countries.A Canadian, Dr. Bohdan Krawchenko,formerly of Edmonton, serves as directorgeneral of the project.Mary Biggs, director of the IPALGproject in Canada, said the institute hasgenerated a lot of interest. In the pastyear alone, close to 900 people appliedfor the 100 positions in the master's program.Students required a bachelor'sdegree before applying, and close to 75percent were already civil servants.Of those who were accepted, 25 percentwere women and 40 percent camefrom rural communities, part of theIPALG's broader representationalrequirements.Ms. Biggs added that the institute isthe first in Ukraine to promote affirmativeaction and policies against sexualharassment.The MPA program, which runs fromSeptember 1 to August 30, includes aone-month internship outside Ukraine.So far, Canada, France, Germany and theUnited Kingdom have been the preferredlocations for second-language training.Various work-experience fellowshipswill also be offered to MPA students.The MPA program will also offer studentsspecialization in one of three areas>economics and finance, law and politicSvor social and humanitarian policy.The institute plans to send Canadianpublic administration specialists andMPA graduates to Ukraine to lecture andhelp students develop their English- andFrench-language vocabulary.The IPALG will also send trainingstaff from Canada's Ministry of Financeto Kyyiv in January and will host 80Ukrainian deputy ministers at an"Executive Development Program" inCanada this December.Ms. Biggs noted that the instituteneeds to build a resource library. "Whenwe arrived last year, there were onlybooks in Ukrainian and Russian available,"she explains. "And they were basicallymaterials on the Soviet system ofgovernment."Therefore, a lexicon of 1,700 relevantterms is being developed by theUniversity of Manitoba and 300 case(Continued on page 22)