Category: Accessible Entertainment

How to Cope with Hearing Loss and Your Mental Health Meeting

Accessible Entertainment, Chapter, Meetings

Join Us!

Coping with Hearing Loss: Taking Care of our Mental Health
Date: Saturday, January 22, 2022
Where: Online Zoom Meeting
Time: 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. PT (may extend beyond 11 a.m.)
Audience: Open to all for this free event. Please pass along this invite to others!

Hearing loss is an invisible disability; its true disability is a communication disability. The primary disability of hearing loss is a communication disability rather than just not being able to hear. Struggling to understand conversations with lifelong friends and family, hearing music or professional meetings is a constant stress every day and can lead to depression and social withdrawal.

An essential part of dealing with hearing loss is recognizing that stress is inevitable so rather than avoiding it, learning more effective stress communication skills will be more productive and emotionally satisfying. Come learn new coping skills for keeping depression and anxiety at bay with Dr. Alison Freeman, who has a severe, bilateral sensorineural loss herself.

Presenter:

Alison Freeman

Alison Freeman, Ph.D. received her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and theater arts from the University of California and doctorate from International University. She works half-time at California State University at Northridge as a staff psychologist working with students with hearing loss, is an adjunct professor at Cal Lutheran and has a private practice.
Dr. Freeman was diagnosed with a moderate-severe hearing loss at age 3.

AMC to add Open Captions

Accessible Entertainment, News

AMC LogoBig news was announced by AMC that 240 of their locations will now offer open captions for their movies at selected times. Keep in mind this isn’t all their locations but it’s a step in the right direction.

Moviegoers at locations offering open captions will be able to search for showtimes via the AMC website or their mobile app. Interestingly, this announcement comes just before the release of Disney’s Eternals film set to debut on November 5. The movie features deaf actress Lauren Ridloff as the first Marvel deaf superhero.

The hope is as people experience and see more of these captioning options, it will gain momentum for more movies and theaters to offer captioning. Let’s see what happens.

Read the full article.

September Presentation Recap with Katherine Bouton

Accessible Entertainment, Meetings, Social Event

We had a wonderful presentation and discussion with Katherine Bouton during our September chapter meeting. Learning about Katherine’s personal hearing loss journey and relating that to our own hearing struggles or with family members was so appreciated.

Many of you noted you wanted to attend but couldn’t so our chapter meeting presentation recording with Katherine is available below or on our chapter Youtube channel.

Katherine is a former HLAA board member and an advocate and educator for the deaf and hard of hearing. She is the author of “Smart Hearing“, “Shouting Won’t Help“, and “Living Better with Hearing Loss“. We may explore having a book club discussion with Katherine and her books so if you are interested, just email us at info@hlaa-la.org.

 

Don’t Miss the “We Hear You” Documentary!

Accessible Entertainment, Better Hearing, Events, Social Event
HLAA is proud to host a Talkback with the filmmakers of the award-winning documentary, “We Hear You.” Executive produced by HLAA members Holly Cohen, Shari Eberts and Roxana Rotundo, and also featuring HLAA member Toni Iacolucci, “We Hear You” was named Best Film on Disability in the June 2021 awards of the Cannes World Film Festival.

Important Note: You must register for the event first and then you will receive a link two weeks prior to the talkback event to watch the documentary. The documentary will not be shown during the September 23 Zoom Event.

REGISTER

Panelists
Holly Cohen

Holly Cohen

Sheri Eberts

Sheri Eberts

Toni Iacolucci

Toni Iacolucci

Roxana Rotundo

Roxana Rotundo

Moderated By
Gael Hannan

Gael Hannan

The Talkback will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the documentary and give the filmmakers the opportunity to hear from you—the hearing loss community. You will receive a link to the Zoom Event when you register. We look forward to a fun and lively conversation about the film.

Learning About Wireless Audio Streaming for Modern Hearing Aids

Accessible Entertainment, Better Hearing, Hearing Loop, Resources

Hearing Tracker Logo

Hearing Loops and Bluetooth are hot topics of today for people with hearing aids that can support those technologies – which many do now. Do you know how they work and the latest developments with those technologies? Check out the insightful podcast from HearingTracker.com.

About the podcast:

In today’s episode, we speak with two hearing aid experts to learn about wireless audio streaming in modern hearing aids. Today’s hearing aids can stream multimedia and calls from your phone, but also have the ability to tap into shared audio streams through magnetic induction loops, or “hearing loops”, which are installed in public spaces like auditoriums and churches. While hearing loops are the current state of the art, we’ll also learn about the Bluetooth future of shared audio streams.

Speakers:

  • Andrew Bellavia – Director of Market Development at Knowles Electronics, a supplier of hearing aid hardware.
  • Dr. Juliëtte Sterkens – An audiologist and strong lifelong advocate for hearing loops and people with hearing loss.

Watch Podcast

What Losing My Hearing and Getting it Back Taught Me

Accessible Entertainment, Better Hearing

From a TEDx Talks presentation, Angela Irwin shares her journey from the hearing world to hard of hearing. Insightful thoughts and perspectives are shared by Angela as she dives into the challenges and transitions experienced between hearing and not. If you have a little time, have a view and see how these relate to your own personal hearing loss journey. Or perhaps someone you know with hearing loss.

July Meeting – Join us for Fun and Games!

Accessible Entertainment, Meetings, Social Event

We have not had a fun and games meeting, so this July meeting we will!
Let’s spark excitement, fun and laughter in our meeting.

Date: Saturday, July 24, 2021
Where: Online Zoom Meeting
Time: 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. PT (we may run over toward noon)

 

REGISTER

 

Let’s joke! Let’s play! Let’s laugh!

Bring your A-Game and the best joke you’ve ever heard! Make us roll on the Zoom floor!

PS: Did we say there are PRIZES to win?!!

Any questions? Just email us at info@hlaa-la.org.

Big Event for the Hearing Loss Community with HLAA!

Accessible Entertainment, Events, HLAA

HLAA has received permission from the FDA to hold an Externally-Led Patient-Focused Drug Development (PFDD) meeting focusing on the challenges and potential future opportunities with the hearing loss community. Stories and experiences by those with hearing loss will be shared and heard by many industry leaders.

The live interactive meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 25 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. ET. This is a unique and rare opportunity for you to learn and actually participate in the live meeting featuring game-changing industry and professional leaders in the hearing loss community. Learn more about this free meeting you may join throughout the day or register now below.

Register

This your chance to get your voice heard so please join us and spread the word about this exciting interactive live meeting!

Learn more below about what a PFDD meeting is all about!

Play webinar video recording

March 2021 Meeting Recap

Accessible Entertainment, Events, Resources

Doctor Nancy Tye-MurrayOn March 27th, the HLAA – Los Angeles Chapter hosted “New Developments in Treating Hearing Loss: Digital Therapeutics” on Zoom, for its monthly Chapter meeting.

This presentation was led by Dr. Nancy Tye-Murray, Ph.D., who is a professor of otolaryngology-head & neck surgery at Washington University School of Medicine and the CEO and Founder of clEAR and Amptify.

You may view the presentation here.

» Read more

HLAA Love Story Webinar – February 23

Accessible Entertainment, Events, HLAA, Social Event

Date: Tuesday, February 23
Time: 2 p.m. ET, 1 p.m. CT, Noon MT, 11 a.m. PT
Speakers: Stu Nunnery and Laurel Jonason
Duration: 60 minutes

Register

Each of us has a story—several really—that goes beyond our hearing loss, our hearing aids and the challenges we face living with them. What‘s your story? Have you used your talents—your writing, your art, your music, your voice—to share your story with others?

» Read more

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