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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

Hearing Health Care Impacts from COVID

But like so many aspects of life, hearing health care was impacted by COVID, sometimes causing radical changes that could prove to be permanent. Four people deeply involved in the world of hearing health care—Sydlowski; Kate Carr, president of the Hearing Industries Association (HIA); Barbara Kelley, executive director of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA); and Donna Sorkin, executive director of the American Cochlear Implant (ACI) Alliance—provided personal insights into these changes, as well as initial expectations, surprises, hopes for the future, and silver linings.

Kelley also hopes the heightened awareness of hearing caused by facial coverings will lead to more patients getting the care they need.

“I want to drive more people to hearing health care. Hearing health is part of overall wellness.”

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