2025 HLAA-Washington Annual Community Meeting
A special kind of magic happens when people with similar experiences and challenges come together to share their stories. You can feel the connection, understanding, and support, and often learn a thing or two. This was certainly true when the hearing loss community gathered for the 2025 HLAA-Washington Annual Community Meeting, April 26 at Town Hall Seattle. There were also hugs, laughs, people on Zoom, and for those attending in person, lots of food!
“People from across the hearing loss community joined in, including, family and friends, partners and allies, lobbyists, audiologists, advocates, and members of the Deaf community,” said HLAA-WA president, Cheri Perazzoli. “It was wonderful because we all have so much in common, and yet can share different perspectives on the hearing loss experience.”
An Important Community Discussion
Inspired by our community’s input, the event featured an essential discussion highlighting the importance of acknowledging and managing the emotional impacts of hearing loss. “We all have feelings when communication breaks down,” said Jacqui Metzger, a retired mental health professional and licensed clinical social worker who facilitated the discussion. “But we don’t talk very much about this to anyone—or to even allow ourselves to think about these feelings or our reactions! Today is an opportunity to start this important conversation.”
Fellow panelists Kimberly Parker, Abha Sharma, Devin Myers, and Jayesh Unadkat shared stories from their childhoods and family, work, and social lives that triggered different emotional responses and how they managed those situations—the successes and the failures.
“It was clear this topic is of great interest to people and so very timely,” said HLAA-WA board member Erlene VanDerMeer. “The audience was engaged throughout and shared their own personal stories. I found it very compelling and heard many positive comments about this during lunch.”
Special thanks to Kimberly Parker for organizing the panel and discussion.
Awards and Recognitions
One of our favorite things to do is celebrate outstanding leadership and contributions to the hearing loss community. Several awards were presented to individuals whose enthusiasm and collaboration made significant impacts through legislative advocacy, governance, support, and communications. Cheri also thanked retiring HLAA-WA board members Rick Faunt and Becky Montgomery. Although Rick was unable to attend, Cheri presented a Certificate of Appreciation and detailed Rick’s remarkable set of accomplishments over the many years he served our community. Participants also got to meet our three new board members: Heidi Crabtree (Longview), Susan Hoxie (Seattle), and Erlene VanDerMeer (Whidbey Island).
Thank you again to our annual meeting sponsors, Dr. Chad Ruffin and the Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Bottom row, L to R: Duff Bryant, Carolyn Odio, Certificate of Appreciation for Rick Faunt, and JoAnne Dyer.
Additional Highlights
This year marks the 35th birthday of HLAA-WA. The program included an inspiring recap of many HLAA-WA accomplishments over the past three plus decades. We were also able to announce that the John Waldo Act, requiring increased open caption movie showings had passed the House and Senate earlier that week! The bill has since been signed by Governor Ferguson and will go into effect January 1, 2026.
Cheri also presented an update on the HLAA-WA three-year strategic planning process. “Our goal is to create a roadmap that will help HLAA-WA increase our reach and impact, and ensure the organization’s financial and organizational sustainability,” said Perazzoli.
Cheri also presented an update on the HLAA-WA three-year strategic planning process. “Our goal is to create a roadmap that will help HLAA-WA increase our reach and impact, and ensure the organization’s financial and organizational sustainability,” said Perazzoli.
A special thank you to Michael Fox, Morgan Jerico, Marlene Swarts for the representing the Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Micheal joined ODHH last year as the Program Manager for Hard of Hearing Consultation and Resources. Michael not only presented during our meeting, sharing programs and services specifically to support people with hearing loss, but he traveled from Spokane to join us in person and meet more of our community.
“Thank you so much for the invitation to the annual community meeting, everyone was extremely warm and it was exciting to discuss many new ideas with passionate people.”
Alexandra Alfieri, Au.D., CCC-A
Northwest Academy of Audiology
Our event was fully hearing accessible with live captions in the room and on Zoom, hearing loop assistive listening technology at Town Hall, and ASL interpretation.
One of our favorite parts of every annual meeting is having a chance to connect with our community, creating and strengthening partnerships and friendships. Thank you to all who stayed for lunch and the chance to socialize and share ideas.
Looking Ahead
As the meeting concluded, there was a palpable sense of optimism and determination to continue advancing the mission of HLAA-Washington. Plans were discussed for future initiatives, including continuing the discussion on hearing loss and mental health and better enabling HLAA-WA volunteers to support others with hearing loss.
The 2025 HLAA-Washington Annual Community Meeting was not just a meeting; it was a celebration of community, progress, and the shared commitment to improving the lives of those affected by hearing loss. Thank you to all who participated.
