Hearing Loss Association Of America Inc

HLAA SEEKS TO ENABLE PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS TO LIVE LIFE FULLY AND WITHOUT COMPROMISE THROUGH ITS MISSION OF OPENING THE WORLD OF COMMUNICATION TO PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS BY PROVIDING INFORMATION, EDUCATION, SUPPORT AND ADVOCACY.

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH: HLAA PROVIDES INFORMATION, EDUCATION AND SUPPORT TO PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS, HEARING HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC THROUGH A VARIETY OF MEDIA OUTLETS, INCLUDING ITS AWARD-WINNING WEBSITE, HEARINGLOSS.ORG, OUR MAGAZINE, HEARING LIFE, HEARING LIFE E-NEWS, A PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS. HLAA BOARD AND STAFF FREQUENTLY SPEAK AT LEADING CORPORATIONS AND AT AUDIOLOGY, TELECOMMUNICATION, AND DISABILITY CONFERENCES TO PROMOTE HEARING ACCESS FOR PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS IN THE WORKPLACE AND OTHER VENUES, AND TO ENCOURAGE A MORE PERSON-CENTERED APPROACH TO HEARING HEALTH CARE. HLAA IS INVOLVED IN MEDIA CAMPAIGNS TO PROMOTE HEARING HEALTH.

WALK4HEARING/HLAA CHAPTERS: HLAA'S LOCAL CHAPTER NETWORK PROVIDES ADVOCACY AND PEER SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE U.S. THROUGH HLAA'S 17TH ANNUAL WALK4HEARING HELD IN 20 CITIES, LOCAL CHAPTER PARTICIPATE IN THE WALK4HEARING TO HELP RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT HEARING LOSS AND HEARING LOSS PREVENTION, PROMOTE HEARING SCREENINGS AT THE WALK, AND HELP PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY FAMILIES WHICH INCLUDE CHILDREN WITH HEARING LOSS, MEET OTHERS LIKE THEM. RECENT LOCAL MARKET ADVOCACY SUCCESSES INCLUDE INSTALLING HEARING LOOPS IN PUBLIC PLACES AND PROMOTING HEARING ACCESS SUCH AS CAPTIONED MOVIES AND LIVE THEATER.

CONVENTION AND PEER SUPPORT: HLAA HOSTS AN ANNUAL CONVENTION AND TRADESHOW WHERE PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS, THEIR FAMILIES, AND HEARING HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS SHARE BEST PRACTICES AND LEARN ABOUT THE LATEST TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES FOR PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS. THROUGH EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS, AN NIH-GRANT FUNDED RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM AND TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATIONS, THE HLAA CONVENTION PROVIDES INFORMATION, CAMARADERIE, AND HIGH-TOUCH PEER SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS. HLAA CONVENTIONS ARE A PLACE WHERE HLAA'S ADVOCACY AND PUBLIC POLICY WORK IS SHOWCASED. MEMBERS GET A RECAP OF THE YEAR'S EVENTS ON POLICY AND LEGISLATION THAT IMPACTS THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS AND HOW HLAA REPRESENTS THE INTERESTS OF PEOPLE AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. THERE ARE WORKSHOPS ON NATIONAL, STATE AND LOCAL ADVOCACY AND TRAINING FOR ADVOCATES.

ADVOCACY: HLAA IS THE NATION'S LEADING ORGANIZATION ADVOCATING FOR PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS AT BOTH THE NATIONAL AND LOCAL LEVEL. RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDE THE SUCCESSFUL PASSAGE OF THE BIPARTISAN OVER-THE-COUNTER HEARING AID ACT AND NOW REVIEWING AND COMMENTING ON THE PROPOSED RULES FROM THE FDA WITH CONSUMERS IN MIND. ADVOCATED FOR EXPANSION OF MEDICARE TO COVER HEARING AIDS AND SERVICES; RESPONDED TO THE U.S. PREVENTATIVE TASK FORCE URGING SCREENING FOR OLDER ADULTS; AND SERVES ON THE HEARING AID COMPATIBLE TASK FORCE TO ENSURE CELL PHONES WORK WITH HEARING AIDS AND COCHLEAR IMPLANTS. HLAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND STAFF REPRESENT THE HEARING LOSS CONSUMER'S PERSPECTIVE ON A VARIETY OF GLOBAL AND NATIONAL COMMITTEES INCLUDING THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION'S WORLD HEARING FORUM, THE FCC'S DISABILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE, THE FRIENDS OF THE HEARING HEALTH CAUCUS, HEARING-AID-COMPATIBLE CELLPHONE TASK FORCE, THE FDA CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD, THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS (NIH), THE HEARING HEALTH CARE COLLABORATIVE, AND MORE.