Advocacy Help

Kentuckiana Chapter Kentucky Home Chapter Bowling Green Contacts KCDHH HLAA National Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Services Webinar Schedule And Recordings HLAA Nationwide Chapter Map Hear This! Site Index

Need some assistance? Call our HELPLINE now at (502)233-5774

For an individual with a hearing loss, equal access typically means effective communication. Effective communication usually requires some form of accommodation and due to the diverse needs of deaf and hard of hearing individuals, the specific accommodation will depend on the individual. Please CLICK on the following link: Your Rights And The Law

Every day KCDHH receives calls from deaf and hard of hearing individuals and their families who are struggling to overcome barriers they face as a result of hearing loss. For example, a family with a deaf child moves to Kentucky. He and his parents want him to be educated in his local school district, but he will need special accommodations. Another example is a deaf adult wants to attend a workshop or training offered to the public but he/she needs accommodations to participate. These are just a few of the examples of the advocacy requests received. Please CLICK on the following link: Advocacy And Legal Rights

Google Maps is now including hearing loops in the accessibility information on its website, which should prove useful for users of hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other listening devices that employ a telecoil. Although this has received little notice from the national media or hearing loss related entities, it represents good news for people who are hard of hearing and use hearing aids and other devices that employ a telecoil, according to the consumer advocacy group Loop New Mexico (LNM). Please CLICK on the following link: Google Maps Adds Hearing Loops

NEW Membership Benefit (U.S. memberships only)
hearOclub is a hearing aid and cochlear implant battery subscription service which delivers Rayovac Extra Advanced batteries on a set schedule (with free shipping!). New HLAA members sign up for hearOclub using a coupon code online at hearoclub.com or by calling 833.LISTEN-2 (833.547.8362). Look for the coupon code in the email confirmation when you join or renew, or in the HLAA New Member Packet which will arrive in your mailbox. Current members, sign up today using the coupon code HLAAmember at hearoclub.com. Sign up for a 1-year hearOclub subscription and receive $30 worth of free batteries plus a battery tester keychain – a total value of $40, exclusive to HLAA members. Attention cochlear implant users! hearOclub now offers a 675P battery. See more information at hearOclub.com/cochlear. HLAA does not endorse this product, but is pleased to make this offer available to HLAA members. 

Washington D.C., June 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, a group of leading consumer organizations, hearing health professional organizations, hearing aid manufacturers and retailers launched a new nationwide campaign, “Hear Well,” to educate the public on hearing loss and the critical role hearing professionals play in the identification and treatment of this common medical condition. Please CLICK on the following link: Launch Of National Campaign

The Industry-Consumer Alliance for Accessible Technology (ICAAT) is a collaboration between the Hearing Loss Association of America, Gallaudet University and the American Institutes for Research. Our goal is to bring together technology developers with consumers who have hearing loss to create and inspire more accessible, innovative and responsive technologies. Please CLICK on the following link: ICAAT

This January, HLAA was invited by the CTA Foundation to participate in the Accessibility Leaders Roundtable at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Barbara Kelley, Executive Director, Hearing Loss Association of America reports back on her amazing experience there. Please CLICK on the following link: Accessibility Leaders

Hearing loss is difficult to understand unless you have experienced it yourself. When you have hearing loss, friends and family often wonder why you can hear well in certain situations, but not in others. Or why you want to crank up the volume on the television but are bothered by other loud noises. Sometimes we don’t fully understand it ourselves. And unless they have hearing loss too, neither do our audiologists, which creates a barrier to person-centered care. Please CLICK on the following link:Can A Documentary Inspire Person-Centered Care?

Disabling hearing loss affects 5% of the world’s population — 466 million people, more than the population of the U.S. — and the World Health Organization (WHO) expects that figure to nearly double by 2050. Hearing loss types differ according to their causes. The three hearing loss types are sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), conductive hearing loss, and mixed hearing loss. Please CLICK on the following link: 3 Hearing Loss Types

Please CLICK on the following link: Hearing Loss And Sense Of Direction

HLAA filed comments to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its proposed rule establishing Over-the-Counter (OTC) hearing aids.  Once finalized by the FDA, consumers 18 and older with mild to moderate hearing loss will be able to purchase hearing aids at retail and online outlets. Please CLICK on the following link: OTC Hearing Aids

By this Public Notice, the Federal Communications Commission announces a virtual event, the Video Programming Accessibility Forum – Online Closed Captioning on December 2, 2021, from 1:00 pm to 3:45 pm ET.  The FCC’s Media Bureau and Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau will co-host the Forum.  Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel will welcome Forum participants.  Senator Ed Markey will deliver keynote remarks. Please CLICK on the following link: Public Notice

Please CLICK on the following link: An Update on Hearing Loops

In the past year or so there's been an explosion of what could be industry-altering hearing loop news in the field of transportation, ready to go for us for when we’re all fully back on the road. Please CLICK on the following link: Easier Travel For Telecoil Users

At first glance, current congressional efforts to expand Medicare to include hearing care coverage are already laudable. More than half of Medicare beneficiaries have a significant hearing loss that can carry implications for communication and keeping socially engaged. Hearing aids also cost on average a prohibitive $4,700, making them out of reach for many seniors and potentially the third-largest material purchase in life after a house and car for many Americans. Please CLICK on the following link: Dementia Is A National Priority

For accessibility reasons alone, online classes and Zoom meetings should routinely offer a captioning option, but it has additional benefits. Please CLICK on the following link: Captioning For All

HLAA signed onto comments drafted in concert with TDI (Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) and other Accessibility Advocacy Organizations and Research Organizations that were filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) June 7, 2021. Those comments were drafted in response to the FCC’s Public Notice to update the 21st Century Video and Communications Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA) regulations. Please CLICK on the following link: HLAA Joins Consumers Commenting On FCC Rules

What is the future of hearing care? It is a challenging question, but also a timely one. As the world begins to emerge from its Covid-19 isolation, health — both physical and mental— will take on new importance. Hearing care must be included in the broader discussion, and the Ida Institute’s Future Hearing Journeys report provides the tools to do just that. Please CLICK on the following link: Change Is Coming

Thanks to a grant and generous sponsors, the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (KCDHH) has been able to partner with various agencies who work directly with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to provide the ClearMask for FREE.

Teachers, interpreters, employers, mental health counselors, hospitals, clinics, medical providers and nursing homes should visit the KCDHH website https://www.kcdhh.ky.gov/mask/clearmask.html for more information. KCDHH recommends deaf and hard of hearing individuals/parents of deaf and hard of hearing children request two ClearMasks so they may take them to appointments to ask doctors and others they meet with to wear them.

Are you looking for some support? Struggling with your child’s behaviors during the pandemic? Concerned about the emotional impact on your family? Little Ears Hearing Center, 1050 E Market Street, Louisville, is  offering FREE counseling and consulting sessions to parents of children with hearing loss, ages birth to 5 five years old. Meetings are held by phone or Zoom and last through March 31. Little Ears is part of Open Arms Children's Health, a Service of Home of the Innocents.

For more information, contact Dr. Shelley Moats at 502-596-1134 or smoats@homeoftheinnocents.org to get more information or visit  their website. https://www.openarmschildrenshealth.org/little-ears/

The Kentucky Court of Justice recently updated its website with a dedicated page for deaf and hard of hearing Kentuckians. Licensed interpreters will also be able to easily access information in regards to language access for court events.

•File a complaint for language access in court setting: File A Complaint

•Access interpreter directory for legal settings: Interpreter Directory

•How to become a Kentucky Court Interpreter: Kentucky Court Interpreter

To access the Deaf and Hard of Hearing webpage from Kentucky Court of Justice’s website, go to the upper right corner to “Contact.” Select “American Sign Language” in the drop down menu. Here is the link to the KCJ Website: KCJ

Adult Hearing is a professional education platform that aims to increase awareness via the latest clinical evidence to reach an agreed standard of care for adults with hearing loss. The site is formed in collaboration with members of the Delphi Consensus Group as well as the Consumer and Professional Advocacy Committee. Please CLICK on the following link: CAPAC

Recently, Redcliffe Healthcare launched a crowdfunding campaign promising the world’s first “FDA-registered, clear, UV-C sterilizing smart mask.” In just over two months, the campaign has raised over $3.8M USD from over 22,000 backers in 125 countries. This is a completely clear mask, nothing blocking the face. Please CLICK on the following link: Smart Mask

Thirty years ago, on July 26, 1990, the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law by President George H. W. Bush. This groundbreaking legislation prohibits discrimination based on disability. Please CLICK on the following link: ADA

How can audiologists show the hearing loss community that they are more than just providers of hearing aids — that they are genuinely here to help? Here are my ideas. Please CLICK on the following link: Ideas

HLAA, the U.S. leader in advocacy for people with hearing loss, calls for all online video call and conferencing platforms to offer free (no-cost) access to automatic captioning technology to people with hearing loss at the same level that platforms offer to their premium customers, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please CLICK on the following link: HLAA Position Statement

Government agencies are listening to and acting on the entreaties of hard-of-hearing citizens. Please CLICK on the following link: Advocacy

“Advacation” is where on vacation you find yourself advocating for accessibility or accommodation. An “Advacate” is a person who advocates while on vacation. Please CLICK on the following link: Advacation

Please CLICK on the following link to watch this video: Collin's Law

This section includes website addresses, contact information, and brief descriptions for organizations, agencies, and corporations that provide information related to children with hearing loss and their families. Please CLICK on the following link: Hearing Loss Resources

HLAA Kentucky Chapters Website now has an important new section added to it, called "Legislation Corner". Its purpose is to address an important need for us, as a network of HLAA chapters and Contacts in Kentucky, to create a greater awareness to the Kentucky public of important Bills relating to hearing loss and other disability groups, and to encourage people to become engaged in the process of contacting their representatives and senators in order to help see the Bills passed into law. Thanks go to Jeannie Taylor of Bowling Green, our KCDHH representative, who will be keeping this section updated as bills are proposed. Please CLICK on the following link: Legislation Corner

The Committee for Communication Access in New Mexico was able to get a local captioning ordinance passed requiring public TVs to be captioned.  The ADA says they need to be captioned by request.  In this community they are required to be captioned all of the time.  Thank you, New Mexico, for your leadership. Please CLICK on the following link: Captioning Bill

This Settlement includes requirements beyond Harvard’s new accessibility policies, including captions for live events, third-party platforms and department-sponsored student groups. Please CLICK on the following link: Settlement

Restaurants, unlike museums or theaters, are less controlled experiences, and the environment varies considerably at different times of the day. While restaurants will accommodate a patron’s request for a corner table or to turn down the music, “going to a restaurant is essentially the same experience for a deaf person in 2018 as it was in 1918 as far as public accommodation is concerned,” says John Stanton, an attorney and AG Bell board member.  Please CLICK on the following link: Sounding Out Public Places

This is an important topic for us all. All websites should be accessible to everyone, including those  of us who have disabilities. The Supreme Court denied a petition from pizza giant Domino’s recently to hear whether its website is required to be accessible to the disabled, leaving in place a lower court decision against the company. Please CLICK on the following link: Court Decision

The HLAA Guide for Effective Communication in Health Care was created for patients, families, caregivers, all members of the health care team, administrators, and support staff. It provides information, resources, and tools to help improve communication in medical settings. Please CLICK on the following link: Guide

At the moment, that’s a hypothetical question. A cure for hearing loss does not exist. But as Dr. Tom Friedman of the National Institutes of Health told an audience at the Hearing Loss Association of America’s annual convention in June, a cure for at least one type of hearing loss may be around the corner. Please CLICK on the following link: Would You Cure Your Hearing Loss?

As an ASL (American Sign Language) student, I’ve absolutely loved getting to know more about Deaf culture both in America and also around the world. And I want to encourage you that it is possible to travel regardless of being deaf! Please CLICK on the follwoing link: Traveling With A Hearing Disability

Technology takes care of so many things for us today, it’s often difficult to realize that it occasionally needs a little assistance from us to work effectively.  Smartphones are only intelligent when their battery is charged. Your car’s GPS gives you great directions, as long as you enter the destination information correctly. Hearing aids can amplify sound, but they can’t teach others how to effectively communicate with you.Telling others what you need to effectively communicate will improve relationships.Talking to others about your hearing loss isn’t always fun, but advocating for yourself is essential if you want to get the most out of interactions with your loved ones and colleagues. Please CLICK on the following link: How To Be Your Own Hearing Loss Advocate

There is a growing awareness, both in the UK and stateside, of the needs of air passengers with hearing loss. It has taken time for so-called ‘hidden disabilities’ to be included in accessibility strategies, which previously have focused heavily on those who have a physical disability or use a wheelchair. Please CLICK on the following link: The Wheelchair Ramp Of The Hard Of Hearing

Advocating to hear can put you in the spotlight, uncomfortably, especially in a group situation, but we should let our needs burst forth to help others who are no doubt in the same situation. Please CLICK on the following link: Making Friends And Influencing People

The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided that when it comes to loud headphones and hearing loss, enough is enough. Along with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), it has published recommended specifications for a new generation of hi-fi headsets that won't give you hearing loss. Please CLICK on the following link: Standard For A New Generation Of Hi-Fi Headsets

Some hearing care providers, conscientious otherwise, make the decision not to tell their clients about telecoils and hearing loops. Please CLICK on the following link to read this article: Article

Please CLICK on the following link: Accessibility  Also please search our website calendar to view Accessible Local Entertainment performances: Calendar

Please CLICK on the following link: Statistics About Hearing

As a New Year’s resolution, everyone with hearing loss should speak up and ask for hearing access whenever it is necessary. When providers hear from us regularly, we will become visible. They will then understand there are many people in the USA who want and need hearing access. Please CLICK on the following link: Everybody Is Somebody

It is important that we advocate for ourselves.  It is most important that we advocate with our hearing professional.  “Each person’s hearing loss journey is unique.”  It is our job to share our uniqueness with our hearing professional. Please CLICK on the following link: Partnering

We wanted to highlight some of the best captioning programs in local government to give readers an idea of how their county, city, town, or village should be complying with the ADA and communicating information over video in an accessible manner. Please CLICK on the following link for details: Doing Captioning Right

In this article Shari Eberts shares a school project written by her son. The assignment was to write about a cause that is important to you and then deliver a speech about it to the class. He is in 7th grade. While not every detail is perfect in his talk, his experience growing up with a mom who has hearing loss shines through in bright detail. Shari is so proud of his efforts to raise awareness about hearing loss and loves his suggestions for how his peers can help. Please CLICK on the following link: The Forgotten Problem

Please CLICK on the following link to view the video: Political Advocacy And Hearing Loss

Collaborative for Communication Access via Captioning (CCACaptioning) is an online advocacy group for "inclusion of real-time text and accurate captioning universally for communication access for all". Please CLICK on the following link: Captioning: Information And Advocacy

This is a very informative vlog and if you are within the window of needing Senior Care Facilities, you should be aware of this information. Please CLICK on the following link: Senior Care

Whether you are an incoming freshman or a seasoned upperclassman, it can sometimes be difficult to navigate college when you have a hearing loss. Here are some tips for starting the semester off strong as a deaf or hard of hearing student: College, Hearing And Self-Advocacy

The following document gives an overview of the obligations airports (public and private) have to provide communication accessibility to people who are deaf and hard of hearing. Please CLICK on the following link: Obligations Of Airports To Deaf And Hard Of Hearing People

Hearing gate changes and other important announcements in a busy airport can be problematic even for those with good hearing and, for those with a hearing loss, it often becomes mission impossible. Good audio communication is a basic requirement in the effective use of airport terminals by the traveling public and (particularly in the United States) that requirement is often overlooked by administrators and sound engineers who are not familiar with the limitations of hearing aids or the basics of hearing loss such as the speech to noise ratio, speech discrimination abilities and other factors peculiar to those with hearing loss. Please CLICK on the following link for more details: Airports And Hearing Loop Technology

When the Governor of Minnesota signed the Capital Improvement Appropriations Bill last May he was not just approving appropriations, he was approving a requirement that all future construction of (or improvements to) state funded “gathering places” that are equipped with a public address system must also be equipped with an inductive loop assistive listening system commonly called a hearing loop. Please CLICK on the following link for more details: Hearing Loops Going Mainstream

Hard of Hearing (HOH) people often experience great difficulties when making use of airports as part of their routine travel arrangements, because of the difficulty of hearing announcements associated with gate changes and connecting flights. In this article, Ed Schickel (our Editor) highlights the importance for the HOH person to be alert, to ask and to assertively seek information from multiple sources and also to self-advocate by contacting airport officials and filing complaints. Expressing our needs and advocating in this way not only helps ourselves but helps others too! Please CLICK on the following link to read his article: The Importance Of Self-Advocacy

Self-Advocacy starts with you and this video series compiled by the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (KCDHH) will discuss topics relating to Protection and Advocacy, Education , Human Rights Commission and many more. Please CLICK on the following link and learn how to become a good self-advocate: KCDHH's Self-Advocacy Video Series

HLAA is a self-help organization and empowers people to self-advocate. The following FCC document provides a list of information relating to closed captioning needs that you may have and may want to contact the FCC about. Please CLICK on the following link: Closed-Captioning Needs

Chaplain Joel Nightingale Berning had long observed doctors and nurses using communication boards so patients could clearly express their physical needs. He remembers thinking: Why hasn't anyone developed a board to help patients express their spiritual desires? Please CLICK on the following link to read more: A Chaplain's Idea To Help ICU Patients

Barbara Kelley from the Hearing Loss Association of America told NBC News that it is vital for Congress to act to provide millions of hearing-impaired Americans with less expensive, quality hearing aids. Please CLICK on the following link: Interview 

The following links provide information explaining the role of ombudsman and how help is available to you when a need arises relating to long-term care such as that found in nursing homes:

The National Consumer Voice For Quality Long-Term Care: Consumer Voice

The State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program: State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

Twenty Common Nursing Home Problems And How To Resolve Them: Nursing Home Problems And How To Resolve Them 

The Mission of The Nursing Home Ombudsman Agency: Mission Of The Nursing Home Ombudsman Agency 

Why The Recently Revised Nursing Home Regulations Are Vital For Nursing Home Residents: Revised Nursing Home Regulations 

The Obligations Of Nursing Homes To Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Patients: Obligations  

Residents' Rights Guarantee Quality Of Life: Residents' Rights Guarantee Quality Of Life

The following is an article from the newspaper in Lawrence, Kansas that demonstrates what can be accomplished if there's a local advocate who believes in hearing loops.  It has not been reported in the media but a professor on the staff at the University of Nebraska at Kearney has played a similar role in getting her community in the hearing loop...Please CLICK on the following link: Keeping The Hearing Impaired In The Loop!

Nearly 1 in 10 Americans know their hearing isn't as good as it used to be, but more than half of them have never gotten their hearing checked. The most obvious reason to get help early is that hearing problems can get worse if you ignore them. Sometimes damage can be permanent. Please CLICK on the following link to learn more: The Importance Of Having Hearing Loss Treated

Learning you have significant hearing loss can be overwhelming. The first step is to visit an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist to rule out any medical conditions that could be affecting your hearing. Next, you’ll want to work with an audiologist to learn about things that can help you manage your hearing loss. You can help your team by asking questions. This article provides ideas on what to ask. Please CLICK on the following link: Questions To Ask Your Doctor

Please CLICK on the following link for more details: Self-Advocacy For Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Students

The Obama administration is implementing a new regulation that will require the nation’s movie theaters to do more to accommodate people with disabilities.

Under a final rule published in the Federal Register this month, theaters will be required to provide closed captioning and audio description for any digital movie that is distributed with such accessibility features.Though the Americans with Disabilities Act has long mandated auxiliary aids and similar accommodations at public facilities, the U.S. Department of Justice said it moved to clarify the obligations of movie theaters in response to widespread complaints from the disability community about the lack of captioning and audio description at cinemas across the country.The new regulation is more than six years in the making and since the Justice Department first signaled in 2010 that a rule would be forthcoming, the agency said it has received more than 1,500 comments on the issue.“The disability community and movie theater industry provided comprehensive insight on this important regulation,” said Vanita Gupta, head of the agency’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department’s regulation establishes a nationally consistent standard and ensures that, in theaters across the country, people with hearing and vision disabilities can fully enjoy watching movies with their families and friends.”

To comply, theaters must make equipment available at a person’s seat so that captioning or audio description is only available to the individual who requests it. In addition, movie theaters are required to notify the public of the availability of such technology and have staff on hand to assist with the equipment.Theaters that show only analog movies are exempt from the new mandate. There are also exceptions for circumstances in which complying with the regulation “would result in an undue burden or a fundamental alteration.”

The new rule will take effect Jan. 17, 2017 and movie theaters must be in compliance by June 2, 2018.
Courtesy of Disability Scoop https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2016/12/05/movie-theaters-target-ada-mandate/

The holidays can be the most wonderful time of the year - or the most stressful! For people with hearing loss, the season's gatherings often mean struggling to connect with friends and family through tables of competing conversations and clattering dishes. Please CLICK on the following link: Holidays With Hearing Loss: 12 Tips For Families

The holidays can be a rewarding time for everyone, the family bonding, the cool weather and who could forget all the amazing food! But it can also be a time of stress amidst all of those social gatherings, especially for those with hearing loss. Please CLICK on the following link: Hearing Loss And The Holidays

Waking up to find that he was suddenly and entirely deaf in his right ear, composer Richard Einhorn’s biggest worry wasn’t that he’d never work again. Nor was his greatest concern the spinning room and nausea, the way human voices sounded like screeching devils riding on crazed, squealing robots, or the piercing tinnitus, buzzing like a high-pitched, enraged refrigerator in his ear. Einhorn knew that he had only 30 percent hearing in his left ear, but didn’t know enough to worry about permanent damage to his other, “good ear.”Please CLICK on the following link to learn more: Every Musician's Nightmare

The older you get, the more likely you are to lose hearing. Most hearing aids and cochlear implants now come with telecoils. Your church can install hearing loop systems that deliver customized sound directly from microphones into T-coil hearing aids. Please CLICK on the following link for details: Hearing Loss In Worship 

This article provides a list of useful resource material to assist students who have hearing loss to develop self-advocacy skills. Please CLICK on the following link to learn more: Self-Advocacy Skills

This article covers self-advocacy development in children, along with the progression and challenges presented due to the complex parameters of hearing loss. It introduces you to the instructional concepts of coaching and gradual release of responsibility in the student, the family, and school personnel when working with elementary-aged students. Please CLICK on the following link to continue: Fostering Self-Advocacy

When you have a disability you are likely to find yourself in situations where you have to serve as your own advocate. This is especially true if you have hearing disability and are still an active member of the workforce.  While many federal and state laws have been established to protect individuals with disabilities from discrimination and harassment in the workplace, ultimately it’s up to you to make sure you have access to all the resources, opportunities, and accommodations to which you’re entitled. Please CLICK on the following link for more details: Know Your Rights

As Chapter members of the Hearing Loss Association of America, it is our responsibility—and our moral imperative—to reach out to others who are beginning their journey into hearing loss, and to educate the hearing public about our condition and our needs. It is time to make hearing loss invisible no more! Please CLICK on the following link to learn how: Invisible No More!

The Hearing Loss Association of America advocates for equal access for approximately 48 million Americans with hearing loss. Please CLICK on the following link to keep up to date with advocacy/ news alerts: Advocacy/News Alerts

The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) is a tax-exempt, charitable organization and is eligible to receive tax deductible contributions under the IRS Code 501(c)(3).
The Kentucky HLAA Chapters are tax-exempt under the umbrella of HLAA.
Mention of products or services on this website does not imply HLAA or HLAA Chapters endorsement, nor does exclusion suggest disapproval.