Note: This summer, we’ll be publishing once a month. Our next issue arrives September 12, 2023.
Washington State Hearing Loss News
Seattle Animal Shelter Gets in the Loop
When you get to play with shelter dogs, plus hear through a hearing loop, we think that’s a pretty good day.
Our president Cheri Perazzoli did both as part of an HLAA-WA project to help the City of Seattle become hearing-friendly. Cheri toured the Seattle Animal Shelter last month, and she couldn’t stop smiling.
Stay tuned for more details on how the City of Seattle, led by Holly Delcambre and Autumn Harris, is getting in the loop.
Call to Action: Make Sure New Tech Is Accessible to Everyone
New technology comes into our lives almost every day, but not all emerging tech is accessible to people with hearing loss and other disabilities.
The Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act will change that. We encourage you to write your U.S. Congress lawmakers and ask them to support the CVTA. Get more details on the bill, talking points, and even a sample letter on our blog.
Town Hall Seattle Announces 2023-24 Season
Town Hall Seattle has hearing loops in all three of its meeting spaces. In fact, Town Hall Seattle played a key role in the early days of the loop movement here in Washington State. Years ago, author and hearing loss advocate Katherine Bouton and our own Kimberly M. Parker both held looped events at Town Hall Seattle, drawing attention to the loops and to the need for hearing loss awareness.
Check out Town Hall Seattle’s 2023-24 season of author talks, concerts, presentations, forums, and community events, including Naomi Klein, Heather Cox Richardson, Ignite Seattle #44, Seattle Catrinas Festival, Global Rhythms, and Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Open-Captioned Shows on Tuesdays and Sundays at SIFF in Seattle
The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) shows movies year-round at its three locations: the Egyptian, Uptown, and Film Center. And they now show open-captioned screenings on Tuesdays and Sundays.
Check back with the SIFF website each week to see which films are captioned and where they’re playing.
Next HOPE Meeting: Wednesday, September 6, 2023
Where can I find open-captioned movies? How does a new CI pair with an existing hearing aid on the other side? These are a couple of the questions we discussed at our August HOPE virtual meeting.
Hearing Other People’s Experiences (HOPE) meetings are a safe, welcoming space where you can ask questions from your peers about anything and everything hearing loss and hearing tech.
Facilitated by a caring, compassionate HOPE Crew, these monthly virtual meetings are free, live-captioned, and open to everyone with hearing loss and to their friends and family. You’re welcome to relax, listen, and simply spend time with people who understand what it’s like to live with hearing loss.
Note: If you can’t attend a meeting, you can read a summary from past meetings on our blog.
National Hearing Loss News
Thanks to the ADA, What Can You Hear Now?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) celebrated its 33rd anniversary last month. The ADA changed the lives of millions of people with hearing loss and other disabilities, making accessibility not just a dream, but a reality.
Where can you hear today that you couldn’t hear before the ADA was passed? Tell us below in the comments.
Hearing Loss and Employment Discrimination
People with disabilities experience “significant employment barriers,” according to a new report from the CDC. The report calls for workplace programs to help workers gain employment and thrive in more types of jobs. The research also showed hearing loss disparities among the types of jobs, gender, education level, and race and ethnicity.
Read Hearing Tracker’s summary of the report, or read the report directly from the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Barbie and The Golden Bachelor: Hearing Aids in Popular Culture
The more hearing aids are seen as part of everyday life, the better. Perhaps we’re getting closer to that dream, as we’re seeing hearing aids more and more in popular culture.
For example, the Barbie movie is everywhere, and we mean EVERYWHERE. Meredith Resnick, HLAA Director of Strategic Communiations, reflects on Barbie and remembers Barbie’s new hearing aid, introduced in 2022. And on the upcoming TV program The Golden Bachelor, Gerry Turner happens to wear a hearing aid. Here’s hoping that this handsome 73-year-old reminds folks how terrific our 70s can be, and how hearing aids are not only fine, but just plain cool.
We’re Here for You
Thank you for your interest in HLAA-Washington State and in all things hearing health related. As always, let us know how we can help you: info@hearingloss-wa.org.
HLAA-WA does not endorse any technology, nor does exclusion suggest disapproval. We support the full spectrum of hearing technologies for everyone. As an all-volunteer run organization, 100% of every dollar donated is directed to our programs. HLAA-WA is an IRS non-profit 501(c)(3) organization; all donations are tax-deductible as allowed by relevant IRS code.