Washington State Hearing Loss News
Meet Our Volunteers in Your Community This Fall
Our HLAA-WA outreach crew is coming to a neighborhood near you. Stop by, grab some information, ask a question, and get to know our incredible volunteers.
- Auburn: Auburn Senior Center
September 28, 2023, 9:30 am
808 9th St SE, Auburn - Renton: Age-Friendly Senior 50+ Expo
September 29, 2023, 9:00 am – 1 pm
Renton Senior Activity Center, 211 Burnett Ave N, Renton
Happy 19th Birthday, HLAA-Whatcom County
The award-winning, friendly, and astonishingly productive crew in Whatcom County have been doing their thing for almost twenty years.
Read their story and get inspired to take action in your neighborhood.
Introducing a New Play Featuring Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Talent in Seattle
Theater lovers in the Puget Sound area, take note: Autocorrect Thinks I’m Dead features a majority-Deaf and Hard of Hearing cast and creative team. It was written by Aimee Chou, who is Deaf.
You don’t need to know ASL to enjoy this show, which is told primarily in ASL and spoken English. “English captioning is incorporated in the entire piece, so both hearing and Deaf audiences will be able to understand and enjoy the play,” according to the theater’s website.
The play runs until September 30, 2023, at 12th Avenue Arts on Capitol Hill in Seattle.
New to Medicare? Get the Scoop at These ODHH Webinars
Who’s eligible for Medicare? How do you enroll? What are my costs and coverage options?
Find out by catching one of two upcoming Medicare Basics webinars from the Washington State Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH). Free and captioned. Pre-registration is required; click on one of the bit.ly links after you click below.
Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023
6:00 – 7:30 pm
Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023
10:00 – 11:30 am
Next HOPE Meeting: Wednesday, October 4, 2023
Did you know you can make your hearing loss more visible by wearing pins and t-shirts with messages like, “Please Face Me, I’m Hard of Hearing?” And that these items are available on Etsy? This is just one topic that our attendees discussed at a recent HOPE meeting.
Our 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
Call to Action: Let the DOJ Know We Need Caption Rules and Requirements
Web and mobile videos don’t always have captions — but they certainly should. Here’s your chance to let the U.S. DOJ know that we need their proposed rule to require captions on web and mobile content.
How to help: Go to the DOJ’s proposed rule itself to read further and leave a public comment. Click on the blue box that says “comment.” You can mention any specific apps or web programs that you use regularly that don’t always have captions, how this impacts you, and how the rules will help you and others with hearing loss.
A Year of Promise: HLAA Shares Accomplishments and Roadmap for the Future
In this beautiful annual report, read about HLAA’s national accomplishments in 2022, including 1500 media mentions, over $2 million in donations, national policy leadership, and other key accomplishments.
A Simple App Can Optimize and Customize Your Hearing: SonicCloud
The SonicCloud app (not to be confused with Sonicloud) promises to help you hear better by adjusting speech tone and pitch, music, and other sounds. The software works with laptops, mobile phones, and tablets.
SonicCloud was co-founded by HLAA board member Larry Guterman, who has lived with worsening hearing loss since his twenties.
Have you tried SonicCloud to hear better? Let us know how it works for you: webmaster@hearingloss-wa.org.
Research: Hearing Loss Reversed in Mice in King’s College of London Study
Hearing in low and middle frequencies was restored in mice by using a “genetic approach” in this King’s College of London Study. Mice were given an enzyme to activate a specific gene in this “proof-of-concept” study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Rhode Island Airport Will Be Looped in Early 2024
Rhode Island’s T.F. Green International Airport will soon become our nation’s 22nd looped airport. Hearing loops will make this space safer and more comfortable for travelers with hearing loss.
Read more in this article by hearing loop hero Stephen O. Frazier.
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.