Category: Advocacy

Bring Hearing Aid Insurance Coverage to California

Advocacy, Better Hearing

Act Now: California Bills AB 224 & SB 62

A man getting a hearing screening

California is considering AB 224 and SB 62 to modernize health insurance coverage for the 2027 plan year. These bills aim to expand essential health benefits, particularly for hearing exams and medical equipment like hearing aids, ensuring better accessibility for residents in need. By updating the state’s benchmark plan, lawmakers hope to remove financial barriers and support individuals with hearing-related challenges.

Act now by accessing an easy-to-fill-out action form on the HLAA site to send to your legislators!

Advocates and residents can voice support for these critical measures to ensure equitable healthcare access. Contact your representatives today to push for these essential updates and help improve health coverage for thousands of Californians.

A Wonderful April HOPE Gathering

Advocacy, Events, News, Social Event

Hearing Other People's Experiences logo

Group picture of our April 2025 HOPE gathering

HOPE Attendees

The chapter had an engaging and heartwarming HOPE gathering. These gatherings are more than just meetings—they are safe, empowering moments where we share our stories, questions, and victories in navigating a world that doesn’t always accommodate hearing loss. The sense of connection and understanding in the room reminded us just how powerful in-person support can be.

Room picture of the group listening to each story

Stories shared by all, felt by all

A heartfelt thank you to Tim Browning for setting up the loop and making sure everyone could fully participate—your efforts never go unnoticed. And Anna Rubinstein, your baklava was the icing on the cake (or shall we say, the sweet spot in our day)! And of course, a big thank you to Alicia and Mike for opening up their home for this important gathering.

With all the great food, diets were joyfully forgotten, and laughter filled the room. If you are interested in joining our next HOPE gathering, mark your calendar for Saturday, June 28.

Teri sharing her story of just activating her cochlear implants

Chapter member Teri Breier shares her cochlear implant story

Our trusty loop system

Our old but trusty loop system

U.S. Access Board to Hold Town Hall Meeting in Los Angeles

Advocacy, News

The U.S. Access Board will hold a public town hall meeting on Tuesday, April 16 from 1:30 – 4:00 p.m. (PT) at the California Endowment’s Center for Healthy Communities Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California. Presidentially appointed Access Board members and representatives from other federal member agencies will be present to hear from the local community about the state of accessibility in Los Angeles. Representatives from the City of Los Angeles Department on Disability will also be present.

Following the public comment period, members of the public will be able to meet and speak with Presidentially appointed Board members and representatives from other federal agencies.

The town hall meeting is open to all members of the public. Please register for in-person attendance by April 8, 2024. To register, send an email to events@access-board.gov with your name and organization (if applicable). The Access Board invites in-person comments on accessibility. Registrants who wish to make in-person comments must indicate their request to speak when emailing events@access-board.gov. Public commenters will be allotted two minutes to make their comments. Please note that this is an in-person only event.

Join HLAA Employment Webinar on Worksplace Success

Accessible Entertainment, Advocacy, Resources

Date:  Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Time:  6 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. CT, 4 p.m. MT, 3 p.m. PT

Duration: 60 minutes

Simply hearing the informational content of words is one thing, but understanding the impact of hearing loss on the brain and body is far wider than most people appreciate. In this webinar, Dr. Ruffin shares both science-based and personal recommendations working in a challenging, fast-paced work environment.

REGISTER TODAY!

A Cochlear Implant Success Story

Advocacy, Better Hearing, News

David MyersA story from MacMillan Learning, David Myers shares his cochlear implant success story journey and experiences with others. If you are thinking about a cochlear implant or are just curious, take a read about David’s personal experience. It’s not a simple activate the cochlear implant and away you go. It’s more about being mindful and realistic what to expect and giving your brain, and yourself, the patience and compassion to adapt to a new world of speech and sound comprehension.

 

Read Story

Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids are Here!

Advocacy, Better Hearing, News, Resources

On October 17, Over-the-Counter (OTC) hearing aids were finally approved for consumers to learn, explore and try. With countless millions of people suffering with hearing loss and high hearing aids costs, this may potentially be a real game changer.

Please see the HLAA resources below to learn more about OTC hearing aids, if you need one, and how to approach finding hearing aids that you can feel happy with.

Learn about OTC hearing aids

OTC Tip Sheet

Shopping Checklist

HLAA played a big role in not only providing guidance on OTC regulations and rules, but also getting the word out to the media and our consumers. It will take time to truly find what works for you, but your hearing wellness should be your top priority!

See what HLAA has been involved with in the OTC news!

U.S. Department of Labor Wants to Hear from You

Advocacy, Help Us, News, Resources

The U.S. Department of Labor wants feedback from persons who are deaf or with hearing loss and their experience accessing employment services through American Job Centers. They are looking for people who have recently used or interacted with American Job Centers who would be willing to share their input in an hour-long virtual listening session.

To participate in an hour-long listening session hosted by the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the Civil Rights Center (CRC), participants should have:

  • interacted with public or government-funded employment agencies, such as American Job Centers or One Stop,
  • had these interactions within the past five years,
  • used either a phone call, in-person meeting, or virtual meeting as part of this interaction.

Two meeting dates are set. Each meeting is 60 minutes long on Zoom platform and will include live/ASR captioning, CART captioning, and ASL.

Monday, September 12 at 3 p.m. ET
Wednesday, September 14 at Noon ET

To participate or to learn more, contact *Michael Petrick, Program Manager at Economic Systems at petrick@econsys.com.

Getting Back Together for Walk4Hearing 2022

Advocacy, Fundraising, Social Event, Walk4Hearing

Walk4hearing logoHearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) has an annual fundraiser and raising awareness for hearing loss event called Walk4Hearing. It had been three years since we all got together for this event so for many attending, it was highly anticipated.

The LA Chapter “LA Stars” was once again the top fundraising team. We raised over $7,000 with many of our chapter members participating to raise funds for this important event. The weather was beautiful and the location perfect to enjoy and spread the word. Many folks stayed afterward for a nice lunch and to catch up. We also had a good turnout but expect a bigger turnout next year as many folks didn’t attend this year out of precaution with Covid.

Wonderful memories and friends made with excitement already started for next year. See you then!

If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please contact us at info@hlaa-la.org.

The Family Dynamics with a Hearing Loss

Advocacy, Events, Meetings
Topic: Communicating successfully with family dynamics and hearing loss
Date: Saturday, June 25, 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!

REGISTER

Overview
Do you wish your family members better understood how to communicate with your hearing loss? Or if you care for a loved one with hearing loss, do you get frustrated or don’t know how to help? It’s a two-way street when finding that balance toward effective communication between hearing loss and hearing.

» Read more

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