Assembly Bill 598 Passes! Let Our Children Hear!

Our very own Katie Wright with her grandson Connor supporting this bill.

Our very own Katie Wright with her grandson Connor supporting this bill.

Our bill passed by unanimous consent out of Assembly Health! Thank you to everyone who made calls, wrote letters and traveled to Sacramento today to express their support for the bill. Please call and thank Assembly Members on the Health Committee. Next step Assembly Appropriations.

Assembly Bill 598  mandate that private health insurance companies cover the costs of hearing aids for children. Only 1 in 10 children are under health care that provides coverage for hearing aids. Learn more about the bill.

There is also a Facebook page devoted to this important initiative.

Here’s where to find the list of the next assembly members to target:

It’s also appropriate to contact your own assembly member even if s/he is not on the committee.  But definitely send postcards, letters, and make phone calls to the committee members
If you don’t know what to say when you call, there’s a script here:
Address to send all correspondence:  PO Box 942849   Sacramento, CA 94249

September 22 Meeting Wrap-Up

Toni starting her great presentation about “Ins and Outs” about buying hearing aids

Long-time HLAA member Toni Barrient led us through “The Consumer’s Guide to Purchasing Hearing Aids.” The items she covered can also be applied to finding the best cochlear implant provider. Her talk was based on HLAA’s Consumer Checklist, which can be downloaded from https://www.hearingloss.org/wp-content/uploads/HLAA_Purchasing_HearingAid_Checklist.pdf?pdf=Checklist

Chapter meeting transcript is here.

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A Visit With the HLAA Executive Director, Barbara Kelley!

Heather, Barbara, Florence and Tim.

Heather, Barbara, Florence and Tim.

Our very own Executive Director for HLAA, Barbara Kelley, took time while in Los Angeles to visit with Heather, Florence and Tim. Truly a pleasure to spend time with to collaborate on a variety of concerns and topics. It was also great to raise more awareness about our chapter and all that we do with Barbara. There’s an exciting and great future ahead for our hard of hearing community from all walks of life. Thank you Barbara!

August 25 Meeting Summary – Aural Rehabilitation

Liz discussing the Hearing Loss Californian special edition.

This is a summary of our August 25 chapter meeting, covering the guest presentation and chapter business. Click here to view meeting transcript..

Guest Presentation

Aural Rehabilitation was the topic of the day, presented by Helen Tinsman, a speech therapist who works for Advanced Bionics (AB). She can be reached by email at helen.tinsman@advancedbionics.com

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HLAA-LA Calendar

Everything you wanted to know about HLAA-LA events through the end of 2018.

  • Tues Sept 11 – HLAA Executive Director Barbara Kelly will meet with local members at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown L.A. for lunch. Heather, Tim, Diane, Florence and Joyce to attend.
  • Fri/Sat Sept 14-15 – CA Audiologist Association (CAA) conference; chapter members will be at the HLAA-CA booth in the afternoons.
  • Sat Sept 22 – “The In’s and Out’s of Buying Hearing Aids,” presented by Toni Barrient; steering committee elections
  • Sun Sept 23 – 3rd Annual HLAA-CA Tech Fair, 1-4pm, William E Walker Recreation Center, Lagoon Room, 650 Shell Blvd, Foster City
  • Sun Sept 23 @ 4pm, Sat Sept 29 @ 8pm – “Othello,” directed by chapter member Malik B. El-Amin; with captions, http://griottheatre.org
  • Thru Sun Sept 30 – “Arrival and Departure,” the story of a woman trying to fit between the hearing and deaf worlds, Fountain Theatre.
  • Sat Oct 13 – Rap Session at Georgia’s home in Hollywood; details to follow. This is in lieu of the Oct 27 regular meeting, as the library isn’t available.
  • Thur Oct 25 – HLAA-LA participates in Northrup-Grumann employee disAbility Awareness Fair; Diane and Shahrazd to represent.
  • Sat Nov 3 – our annual “Coping with the Holidays” chapter meeting (date change due to library schedule).
  • Sat Dec 8 – holiday party at Grace’s home in Pasadena; details coming.

A Party to Remember!

The HLAA-LA chapter’s Memorial Day weekend gathering on May 26th exceeded everyone’s expectations!

Nearly 30 members and their guests—including some we haven’t seen in quite a while—converged on president Heather Lehr’s beautiful home in San Marino to enjoy a lovely afternoon of food, fun and friendship. Seems like people enjoyed socializing so much, that all other planned activities and announcements went by the wayside, and three hours passed in the blink of an eye.

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HLAA Launches Brand New Website!

The new HLAA website

The New HLAA Website!

The Hearing Loss Association of America has just launched a brand new website. The site works on any device (mobile, tablet or PC) and has fresh and intuitive layout to help you find what you are looking for more easily and effectively. The site also serves those with low vision and the ability to translate text into more than 100 languages!

Please visit hearingloss.org to explore and see just how the improve design, layout and content will help you better meet your hearing needs!

 

Dear Abby Recommends HLAA

Dear Abby Recommends HLAAHearing loss is not an uncommon challenge many people face, but how they handle it is another challenge in itself. No one should ever face some of the consequences of losing one’s hearing. This includes depression, avoiding meaningful social connections and feelings of helplessness.

Dear Abby publicly noted in her column addressing an individual struggling with hearing loss how the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) and associated state chapters can provide immediate support and help. The HLAA Los Angeles Chapter has provided this source of support, education and information for over 14 years and we want to continue to expand our outreach to those in need. Learn more via the HLAA National website how HLAA and chapters can help. Abby recommends it!

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