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You are here: usher stories > usher life > operation raleigh |
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The TISS Invention Russ Palmer, London & Finland I am 43 Usher type 3, I use hearing aids and do some mixed signing (English, Finnish & Norwegian!!). The reason for this is that I have spent the last 6 years living in Norway and Finland since my other half Riitta Lahtine is Finnish. I originally trained as a Computer Analyst/Programmer but had to take early retirement in 1989 from a Local Government. Since then I did a retraining rehabilitation programme to change careers and become trained as an International Music Therapist which I did in Finland, since music has always been my hobby. During this time I was involved in the design of a portable music floor with Sheffield University and this became known as the "Tac-tile Sounds System" or TTSS for short. This has been specifically designed for people with a hearing impairment who wish to experience rhythms and vibrations from different styles of music. Basically the idea came from my trip to Norway back in 1992/93 when I was doing a music research project over there where I was using a "Music Floor" with the students who were hearing impaired with complex disabilities. When I returned to the UK I was asked to do a project with Whittington Hall Hospital and Sheffield University to develop a cheaper portable music floor which can be moved around and stored easily with the aim of allowing people who have a hearing impairment, making music more accessible and to experience the rhythms and vibrations from different music styles into the home. I worked with a guy called Paul Chamberlain and told him what I wanted to do along with some other academics from Physics and Electrical Engineering and came up with the "tac-tile Sounds System" or "TTSS" for short. Basically this device is a portable music floor which can be attached to a music hifi centre. More importantly it had to meet the needs of deaf people who wanted to feel, touch and experience music. The design and development process took 4 years of intensive research like vibration testing, stress testing etc... there were many modifications along the way and money ran out quickly. At one point we almost gave up the idea and then a local company in Sheffield agreed to assist us and the balls were rolling again. Finally, ROMPA came in on the scene and took the whole thing over and are now the main distributors for the "Tac-tile Sounds System" (TTSS). The product won an award for the "Most Innovative Design" and was featured at the Millennium Dome in 1999/2000. If anyone would like to read more about the TTSS you may wish to click on our website or ROMPA website listed below: |
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