Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA)

#HLAA makes the news again, this time in an article by The Associated Press, “Apple AirPods Pro’s new hearing aid feature could help people face a problem they’d rather ignore.” Executive Director Barbara Kelley is quoted throughout, along with a link to our over-the-counter (OTC) #HearingAids resources page (hearingloss.org/OTC). Read the article: https://ow.ly/Oq8S50TVUiB Apple FDA National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders HearingTracker Soundly Inc. American Academy of Audiology

#TechTuesday – According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1 billion young people globally are at risk for permanent, noise-induced #HearingLoss due to unsafe listening practices. Can noise-canceling headphones really protect and save your ears? Vox dives into the research: https://ow.ly/wMtz50TVIAR Be sure to watch the embedded video, “Are headphones destroying our hearing?” for an in-depth explainer about how noise cancelation works. #NationalProtectYourHearingMonth #ProtectYourHearingMonth #ProtectYourEars #EarProtection #HearingHealth

#MondayMotivation: At yesterday’s Washington DC #Walk4Hearing were half the #HLAA national staff, including Executive Director Barbara Kelley, and two Board Members: Vice Chair Ira Rubenstein and Michael J. Frank. Since many of our staff and Board have #HearingLoss themselves, or family who does, they live the mission of HLAA every day…which means raising awareness of #HearingHealth is up close and personal. Join our important mission today with a gift of any amount: hearingloss.org/membership

#FurbabyFriday – When dogs are born #Deaf or experience #HearingLoss later in life, they typically compensate through other senses like vision and scent. However, a few pet parents are now choosing to get #HearingAids for their pups! Learn more from the American Kennel Club (AKC): https://ow.ly/LVKW50TTzpv In this 2022 podcast (transcript available), Starkey Hearing Chief Health Officer Dave Fabry, Ph.D., interviewed Peter Scheifele, Ph.D., of FetchLab USA, about bioacoustics research, canine #HearingAids, special #EarProtection developed for #MilitaryDogs and more: https://brnw.ch/21wNvqu #ProtectYourHearingMonth #ProtectYourDogsHearing #HearingAidsforDogs #PetHealth University of Cincinnati College of Allied Health Sciences US Army

The New York Times podcast NYT Wirecutter Show, Episode 11: Life is Too Loud on October 23, explores the growing danger of health issues linked to noise pollution, how to tell if you’re at risk and ways to reduce sounds and prevent #HearingLoss at home, while commuting and at concerts or parties. Listen with captions activated on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/g5qtJvxC #NationalProtectYourHearingMonth #NoiseInducedHearingLoss #ProtectYourEars #HearingProtection

October 20-26 is the 10th annual #InvisibleDisabilitiesWeek, which was founded by the Invisible Disabilities® Association (IDA) in 2014. This week honors the experiences and challenges of 61 million Americans who live with disabilities that are not visibly apparent to others, including people with #HearingLoss, who don’t “look” disabled. Learn more and participate: https://lnkd.in/g6fEhSHt #InvisibleNoMore #DisabilityAwareness #DisabilityInclusion

#TechTuesday – As Apple prepares to introduce the highly anticipated new #AirPods Pro 2 #HearingHealth features with its iOS 18.1 release next week, beta reviews are coming in. Read Chris Welch’s preview at The Verge: https://ow.ly/GHo050TQUCy And Edward Baig’s at AARP: https://ow.ly/VN6b50TQUCA Not only will this #iOS update include over-the-counter (#OTC) hearing aid functionality with adjustable amplification, tone and balance, but it also incorporates a digital hearing test with audiogram output and enhanced ear protection for concerts and other noisy environments. #HLAA’s Medical Adviser Frank Lin, M.D., Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, took a sabbatical from his clinical practice to consult with Apple on the development of these innovative #HearingTechnology features.

#MondayMotivation - Celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (#NDEAM) with #HLAA at our next free quarterly Hearing Loss at Work webinar on Monday, October 28 at 4 p.m. ET. At "Optimizing Virtual Meetings for People with Hearing Loss," you'll learn strategies to communicate in the digital workplace with confidence. Presenter Padraig Kitterick, head of audiological science, National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) in Sydney, Australia, will share findings from a recent study examining the impact of #HearingLoss while communicating via a video platform such as Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams. Learn more and register: hearingloss.org/work #NationalDisabilityEmploymentAwarenessMonth #NDEAM24

Our latest Hearing Life e-news edition leads with the historic new rule from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), requiring 100% hearing aid compatibility (HAC) for all cellphones sold in the U.S., long advocated by #HLAA to improve accessibility and inclusivity for millions of people with #HearingLoss. We also report on more accessible videoconferencing and telecommunications services, air travel safety and staff activities with U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and #mEnabling24 Summit for #DigitalAccessibility. Plus, learn about HLAA’s newly launched website, fall Walk4Hearing, 2025 Convention, upcoming webinars and both #NationalProtectYourHearingMonth and #NationalDisabilityEmploymentAwarenessMonth in October! Read this monthly publication for free and sign up to receive alerts in your inbox: https://ow.ly/9VeM50TOTRb

BREAKING NEWS: A milestone 50 years in the making concluded today, with a vote by the Federal Communications Commission (#FCC) that requires 100% of cellphones sold in the United States to be hearing aid compatible (HAC) over the next two to three-and-a-half years. #HLAA has advocated for decades in support of this much-needed rule that will expand options and make it easier for consumers with hearing loss to purchase phones that work with their #HearingAids or #CochlearImplants (CIs). Read our blog for more details and background: https://ow.ly/X2um50TNVPw HLAA Executive Director Barbara Kelley and Director of Public Policy Neil Snyder were present to witness this historic vote. Making statements before the Commission were retired HLAA Director of Public Policy Lise Hamlin and HLAA's technology adviser Linda Kozma-Spytek, who serves as consultant to the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Technology Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) at Gallaudet University. #Accessibility #CommunicationAccess TDIforAccess (TDI) Hearing Industries Association Apple Samsung Electronics America Google Starkey Hearing ReSound Cochlear MED-EL CTIA Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) Telecommunications Industry Association