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In 1984, President Ronald Regan designated the last week of June as Helen Keller Deaf-Blind Awareness Week in honor of Helen Keller’s birthday on June 27th.  In 2022, the week of June 26th through July 2nd marks the celebration of this unique community. According to the American Association of the Deaf-Blind, "Individuals who are deaf-blind make up a diverse group. The degrees and kinds of hearing and vision losses vary: hard of hearing and low vision, deaf and tunnel vision, hard of hearing and blind, in addition to totally deaf-blind. The age of onset also varies... Despite this diversity in the deaf-blind community, they all have the same needs: to lead productive and independent lives with equal access to the community where they live and work." Please CLICK on the following link to watch video: Deaf-Blindness Awareness Video

There's a belief in some circles that hearing loop/telecoil technology is simply an outdated form of assistive listening that, with the advent of Bluetooth®, is redundant.  Never mind that Bluetooth®, though a valuable technology, is not able to serve groups of people assembled in a venue nor provide some of the many other benefits offered by telecoils to users around the world daily. Please CLICK on the following link: The Facts

A group of New Yorkers have created a new emergency services app to help people with hearing loss or other communication challenges. This app is also helpful in an emergency where you might not be able to talk—e.g. an intruder in your home. Please CLICK on the following link: Accessing 911 In A Crisis

Ask yourself the following questions. If you answer “yes” to three or more of these questions, you could have a hearing loss and might need to have your hearing checked. Please CLICK on the following link: Questions

DHHSD has created a new tool as part of their Supporting Seniors with Vision and Hearing Loss training. The Vision and Hearing Loss Simulator allows you to select from various levels and types of vision and hearing loss, and experience for yourself what that is like in four different settings. Try the Vision and Hearing Loss Simulator for yourself. Please CLICK on the following link: Simulator

We dream of a world where people with hearing loss can thrive each day with communication access, full inclusion, and equal participation in all aspects of life, everywhere they go. Through education, advocacy, and consultation services, the Get in the Hearing Loop (GITHL) program has laid the groundwork for a national movement of loop enthusiasts who are promoting communication access and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), one hearing loop at a time.  Please CLICK on the following link: A Guide To Understanding Hearing loops

Hearing Assistive Technology and a Telecoil might be the key to better hearing.  Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT) can dramatically improve the lives of people with hearing loss. HAT, also referred to as an Assistive Listening System (ALS) or Assistive Listening Device  (ALD), bridges the gap between you and the sound source by eliminating the effects of distance, background noise, and reverberation.They can bypass challenging acoustics by sending sound directly to the person's ears. Please CLICK on the following link: Are You Hearing Everything You Could?

Hearing loops, or induction loops, are a type of Assistive Listening System (ALS) that transmit sound directly to a listener's telecoil-enabled hearing aids or cochlear implants for improved clarity and understanding.  There are 2 parts to this description.  One is detailed, the other is a one page summary. Please CLICK on the following links: Part 1  Part 2

All assistive listening systems are required to be accessible for people without hearing aids, hearing aids with a telecoil, or hearing aids with no telecoil.  This is a one page review of assistive listening systems. Please CLICK on the following link: ALS

Dr. Cliff Olson, Audiologist and founder of Applied Hearing Solutions in Anthem Arizona, discusses Telecoils and why they are so important for hearing better in a public venue. Please CLICK on the following link: The Benefits Of A Hearing Aid T-Coil

Hearing Loops are the preferred assistive listening technology for people with hearing loss. At the push of a button, most hearing aids can wirelessly receive the sound from a public venue that has a hearing loop installed via its internal t-coil or telecoil. Please CLICK on the following link: What Is A Hearing Loop?

Hearing screening is a test to tell if people might have hearing loss. Hearing screening is easy and not painful. In fact, babies are often asleep while being screened. It takes a very short time — usually only a few minutes. Please CLICK on the following link: Screening And Diagnosis Of Hearing Loss

This is a video on how hearing works. Please CLICK on the following link: Hearing And How It Works

Dr. Cliff walks us through the differences between basic and premium hearing aids,  which should we choose and why it becomes an important consumer task. Please CLICK on the following link: The 6 Main Differences Between Hearing Aid Technology Levels

Financing hearing aids is always difficult. However, there is some help via the IRS if you plan your purchase carefully. Deducting hearing aid costs, battery and repair costs are possible. There are catches that one needs to be aware. This article is a heads up for planning. Please CLICK on the following link: Paying For Hearing Aids

The telecoil is not exactly the most exciting topic in the world, to most people.  I thought that same thing two years ago as well.  However, sometimes things that you think are not very exciting turn out to be pretty important, and this is one of those times. Please CLICK on the following link: The Telecoil

When I visited Phonak HQ in 2018 to preview Marvel, I was expecting Phonak to launch yet another Made-For-iPhone (MFi) hearing aid. Instead, they surprised me by unveiling the world’s first true Bluetooth hearing aid—capable of streaming stereo audio directly to and from any Bluetooth-enabled audio device. This meant there was finally a universal wireless solution for hearing aid users that would work for both iPhone AND Android™. Please CLICK on the following link: True Bluetooth

Dr. Clifford Olson, founder of Applied Hearing Solutions in Anthem Arizona, discusses the 5 tests that an Audiologist will perform when giving you a Comprehensive Hearing Evaluation, and describes what a hearing test is. Please CLICK on the following link: What Is A Hearing Test?

This is a thread of discussion running through the Google Caption group. You must be a Google member and join the group for regular information. Note that the information is from members only opinion unless specifically noted from ADA or DOT regulations. Please CLICK on the following link: ADA Airport Accessibility

Here's everything you need to know about hearing aid battery sizes, lifespan, storage, brands and purchasing. Please CLICK on the following link: Hearing Aid Batteries

The EarLens Contact Hearing Device is a radically different type of hearing aid that uses light, and an eardrum vibration lens - rather than amplified sound - to move the eardrum. The following video describes how it works: Video

Learn about helpful technologies beyond hearing aids or cochlear implants by watching the following videos. Please CLICK on the following link: Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT)

This video is ASL interpreted and captioned. It provides step-by-step instructions on how to optimize the accessibility of Wireless Emergency Alerts on the latest version of Android. Please CLICK on the following link: Video

It’s probably safe to say that there is no greater and more effective professional advocate for the use of telecoils and loop systems than Juliëtte Sterkens, Au.D. Dr Sterkens, a native of the Netherlands, holds a degree in Speech Pathology from Revalidatie Academie in Heerlen and an AuD from the Arizona School of Health Sciences (ASHS) in Mesa, Ariz. Please CLICK on the following link: An Interview With Juliette Sterkens Au.D

Google's new Live Transcribe app may actually be the real-time speech-to-text transcription technology we've been waiting for. And if seeing is believing, Google's launch video may convince you that truly reliable real-time transcription for everyday use is finally here. Please CLICK on the following link for more details: Meet The Developer

Please CLICK on the following link to watch this video: Video

Sometimes we go into a Doctor’s or an Audiologist office and we feel immediately at home, welcomed and secure. WHY? Shari Ebert advises hearing professionals on how to make their office friendlier. Does your audiologist follow these recommendations? Tell your hearing professional what you need. Please CLICK on the following link: Make Your Audiologist Office Hearing Loss Friendly

Have you ever wondered how to read an Audiogram and how to understand your hearing test results? Just exactly what does it all mean? What is an Audiogram? An Audiogram is a graph that shows the person's hearing. It tells us the type and degree of hearing loss. The results of the hearing test are plotted on an Audiogram. This video explains it to you - please CLICK on the following link: How To Read An Audiogram

How do hearing aids work to treat hearing loss? Dr. Cliff Olson, Audiologist and founder of Applied Hearing Solutions, discusses what hearing aids actually do when treating hearing loss. Please CLICK on the following link: How Do Hearing Aids Work?

Jamie Berke describes how an FM Assistive Listening Device can enhance one’s hearing. Please CLICK on the following link: FM Listening Systems

This animated video from the NIDCD illustrates how sounds travel from the ear to the brain, where they are interpreted and understood. Please CLICK on the following link: Journey Of Sound To The Brain

A frequency-modulated (FM) system is an ALD that makes it easier for people with hearing loss to hear what others are saying in noisy environments, like a theater, school, church, museum or other public places. This wireless system, also called a personal FM system, uses radio waves to deliver speech signals directly from the speaker's mouth to the listener's ears. Please CLICK on the following link to learn more: FM Systems For People With Hearing Loss

An induction loop system transmits an audio signal directly into a hearing aid via a magnetic field, greatly reducing background noise, competing sounds, reverberation and other acoustic distortions that reduce clarity of sound. Please CLICK on the following link for more details: How Do Hearing Loops Work?

This video  provides a clear explanation of how a hearing loop system, installed in your home, would function to assist people with hearing loss to hear more clearly. Please CLICK on the following link: How a Hearing Loop System Works In Your Home

Hearing Dogs assist deaf and hard of hearing individuals by alerting them to a variety of household sounds such as a door knock or doorbell, alarm clock, oven buzzer, telephone, baby cry, name call or smoke alarm. Dogs are trained to make physical contact and lead their deaf partners to the source of the sound. The following are two video clips describing the usefulness of having a hearing dog when you have hearing loss ! Please CLICK on the following links: How A Hearing Dog Works  A Day Through A Deaf Person's Eyes

Cochlear implants bypass damaged portions of the ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve. Signals generated by the implant are sent by way of the auditory nerve to the brain, which recognizes the signals as sound. This video explains how it all works! Please CLICK on the following link: How A Cochlear Implant Works

This video shows the whole cochlear implantation procedure, from start to finish. Please CLICK on the following link: Procedure

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