By Rebecca Goodman
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Terrence S. Schneiderman gave the gift of hearing - to some who had lost it and some who had never known it.

A practitioner of otology and neuro-otology in Dayton, Ohio, he performed the first cochlear implants on children in the Miami Valley and the first multi-channel cochlear implants in the Dayton area.

"Dr. Schneiderman put a tremendous amount of time and effort in the cochlear implant program," said Linda McGinnis, clinical audiologist at Children's Medical Center in Dayton. "He wanted very much to enhance the quality of life for his hearing-impaired patients."

Dr. Schneiderman, 47, a native of Amberley Village, died Monday of a brain tumor at Hospice of Dayton.

A cochlear implant involves bypassing the route sounds take for hearing. A receiver is planted under the skin behind the ear and an electrode is placed in the cochlea of the inner ear. A microphone headpiece sends sounds to a processor worn on the belt, then feeds them back to the transmitter and on to the receiver.

Dr. Schneiderman spent many years studying his specialty, including a one-year fellowship with an otology specialist in Birmingham, Ala.

He grew up in Amberley Village, graduating from Walnut Hills High School in 1973, then graduated from Wright State Medical School after earning a bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati.

Dr. Schneiderman spent a one-year residency in otolaryngology at Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton, followed by residencies at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vt., and at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H.

He practiced in Dayton for more than 13 years.

Dr. Schneiderman was a member of Temple Israel in Dayton.

Survivors include: Kathy, his wife of 21 years; two daughters, Jenni and Allison of Dayton; a son, Stuart of Dayton; his parents Ann and Bill Schneiderman of Amberley Village; a brother, Mark Schneiderman, of Chicago; and a sister, Jody Zinder, also of Chicago.

The funeral is 11 a.m. today at Temple Israel, 130 Riverside Drive in Dayton.

Memorials: Temple Israel, 130 Riverside Drive, Dayton, Ohio 45405; Hospice of Dayton, 324 Wilmington Ave., Dayton, Ohio 45420; or a charity of the donor's choice.

E-mail rgoodman@enquirer.com