Happy Holidays from HLAA!



On behalf of all of us here at HLAA, we wish you a happy and peaceful holiday season.

The Future is Now: A New Year and
a New Look for HLAA

We don’t make changes cavalierly here at HLAA, so when we do, it’s with the vision of looking forward, keeping up with the times, and bringing you the most reliable and timely information. It is in that spirit that we are excited to announce some major branding initiatives that will better represent HLAA as we look to the future. The hearing health care industry is in the midst of unprecedented change, and we don’t want to follow those changes, we want to lead them. In order to do that—as well as to better position ourselves for growth— our brand needed to be strengthened.

See our new branding!

HLAA2018 Convention Updates

Drum Roll Please…

With the new HLAA logo comes a new Convention logo to go along with it. We hope you like it as much as we do!

‘Tis the Season to Register!
Haven’t registered for the HLAA2018 Convention in Minneapolis yet? Check this off of your holiday to-do list and register today!

Minneapolis Tours
It’s never too early to start planning! Once you have registered for the convention, the next thing you’ll want to check off your to-do list is making time to see the beautiful city of Minneapolis. How, you ask? All you have to do is book a reservation for the Twin Cities Highlights Tour and you will be able to explore the charming city and the surrounding area.

HLAA Opposes Wireless Industry’s Proposal to Eliminate Annual Reports to the FCC

HLAA, along with several other consumer groups, have banded together in opposition of the proposed elimination of the requirement that wireless carriers file annual reports on hearing aid compatible handsets. [Read more]

HLAA Webinars Are Back!

The first HLAA webinar of 2018 is right around the corner. We will be using a new webinar platform called Zoom, which you will find very easy to use! All webinars will be captioned and recorded. And, the live webinars are now accessible on mobile devices so you can tune in from just about anywhere! We will post on the website and send out an email with instructions and links in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

January 17, 2018, 8 p.m. – 9 p.m. EST
Topic: A Glimpse at 2018
Presenters: Barbara Kelley, Lise Hamlin, Nancy Macklin, Erin Mirante, Ronnie Adler, and Niaz Siasi.

Join HLAA staff as we discuss the year ahead. The HLAA brand refresh, launch of our new website, HLAA2018 Convention, Walk4Hearing, advocacy initiatives, and special projects will be the focus to this webinar. It’s going to be an exciting year ahead!

February 21, 2018, 8 p.m. – 9 p.m. EST
Topic: Beyond the Audiogram: Diagnostic and Verification Tools to Improve Hearing Aid and Cochlear Implant Fittings
Presenter: Brad Ingrao, Au.D.

When we have a hearing problem, we begin with a hearing test, often called an audiogram. While this basic set of data gives us a starting point for setting how much sound the hearing device should produce, it falls short of the complete picture of needs most people have. This webinar will review some other tools and techniques available to most hearing care professionals to better define needs and measure the outcomes if hearing aid and cochlear implant settings and features.

Text to 9-1-1 Reaches Los Angeles County

Richard L Ray, ADA Technology Access Coordinator for the City of Los Angeles, announced the arrival of Text to 9-1-1 to Los Angeles County – Call if you Can, Text if you Can’t. [Read more]

Hearing Health Foundation Launches Faces of Hearing Loss Campaign

The Hearing Health Foundation recently launched Faces of Hearing Loss, an awareness campaign that utilizes photos individuals in the U.S. living with various hearing conditions to demonstrate that no one is immune from developing a hearing and balance disorder. [Read more]

MED-EL USA Announces Winners of Global Ideas4Ears Competition

MED-EL USA announced today the United States winners of the global Ideas4Ears children’s invention contest. Parker Welsh of Ozawkie, KS, was awarded the grand prize of $1,000 college scholarship and a trip for two to MED-EL’s international headquarters in Innsbruck, Austria. Avery Bennett of Chicago, IL, was awarded a finalist prize of a trip for two to MED-EL’s international headquarters. [Read more]

New Study Aims to Improve Early Detection of Hearing Loss

Drs. Philip Zazove and Michael McKee of the University of Michigan’s Department of Family Medicine have new study out that developed an intuitive alert system in the electronic health record system to improve early detection of hearing loss and coordination between primary care and auditory specialists. [Read more]