What a feel good story this is! A deaf man in Maine adopted a sheltered puppy who is also deaf and together they make a wonderful and touching story. And the dog also understands and is learning sign language! Interesting to think that hearing loss doesn’t just impact humans but also our canine and other furry friends!
For a good read – A deaf man and deaf puppy, a perfect pair!
For those familiar with accessibility options with our phones, iPhones naturally are always ahead of the game compared to their Androids users. Recently, great strides have been made with Google Live Transcribe for your Android phone that it might be worth your while, if you have an Android, to download and try the “Google Live Transcribe”.
Recent improvements have shown enhanced functionality to better understand speech, sounds from the TV, and even offers bilingual switching of languages during conversations.
You can learn more and download here – https://www.android.com/accessibility/live-transcribe/.
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:
Thank you Rick!
We had another packed house on Saturday at our March 23rd chapter meeting, with many known and new faces. Attendees were captivated by our topic—“Emergency Preparedness for the Hard of Hearing,” presented by Rick Pope, who serves as the ADA Coordinator/ASL Interpreter for the City of Los Angeles. And before the meeting ended, everyone got a chance to celebrate an amazing lady for a very special milestone.
Hyundai Motor Company is leading the effort to re-innovate how those hard of hearing or deaf can get all the important stimulus when driving compared to those with normal hearing. Thanks to Audio-Visual Conversion (AVC) and Audio-Tactile Conversion (ATC) assist driving systems, visual and touch clues can be provided to the driver to alert when situations occur that would normally be difficult for those with hearing challenges to immediately notice. Learn more about what is current being developed and is in store toward the future!
If you or your child has a permanent disability you may be entitled to a free, lifetime pass to visit the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands. Sensory impairments are includes so if you have some form of hearing loss, review this article to learn more what your options might be. Might just be time to take up more hiking!
It’s now more important than ever to unlock the potential of children by identifying and treating their hearing loss as soon as realized. Jane R. Madell, a pediatric audiology consultant and speech-language pathologist in Brooklyn, N.Y., shares eye-opening findings revolving around how beneficial it is to treat children with hearing loss, no matter how severe, as early as possible.
Check out this amazing and rewarding story here from the NY Times.
There’s no doubt someone hard of hearing or deaf faces numerous challenges finding a good job in the working world, but things are changing. More and more individuals hard of hearing or deaf are creating career opportunities by starting up their own businesses. Coupled with this is opportunities for those to work for these new and thriving businesses that ultimately show just how successful the sometimes considered separate worlds of the hearing or not can inspire and exist together in the working world.
Check out this inspiring article filled with hope and promise for those of us who struggle with the daily challenges of hearing loss. Enjoy!
2019 is underway, and so is HLAA-LA! We’ve planned a slate of informative meeting topics to help you navigate life as a person with hearing loss.
“Can’t hear your alarm in the morning? Worried about hearing your smoke alarm in the middle of the night? Want to know if your Amazon package is at the door? No worries! I’ll bring various alerting devices for you to explore – doorbells, alarm clocks, phone ring flashers, sound signalers, pagers – to name just a few. Come check them out!”
Many visitors to our site may be just starting to experience the realization of their hearing loss and just what that means. Hearing loss is a difficult subject to understand and embrace but it should never be ignored. And there are steps you can take to slow down your hearing loss.
If you think you are experiencing hearing loss or just want to understand misconceptions about hearing loss, check out this article for more information.
Happy Hearing!
