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ADVOCACY
HLAA Supports 100% Hearing Aid Compatibility of Cell Phones in Comments to the Federal Communications Commission
HLAA filed comments in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Hearing Aid Compatible (HAC) Wireless Phones. We were joined by the Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI), and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) (the “consumer groups”) and the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Technology Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (DHH Tech RERC).
In the comments, we urged the Commission to adopt the consensus agreement that HLAA, TDI, and NAD collaborated with members of the wireless industry. In particular, we urged the Commission to maintain the timelines that industry and the consumer groups agreed on during the negotiation process. Preserving that agreement would mean the Commission will set new benchmarks that would result in 66% of all wireless phones becoming HAC in two years, 85% in five years and that the Commission will consider 100% HAC achievability in eight years. Adopting the Proposal will increase the number and percentage of HAC phones available to people with hearing loss, and may ensure that all devices are HAC in the future. Such a result is clearly in the public interest.
Read more about these changes here.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Workshop to be Streamed with Captions; Communication Access Realtime Translation On-Site
A public workshop being convened by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April 2016 will be streamed with captions, and Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) will be provided on-site.
The workshop is in response to a report by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), whose recommendations included that the FDA exempt hearing aids from the Quality System Regulations (QSRs). The workshop is to discuss the current QSRs and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for hearing aids and to consider an alternative model for quality verification.
The workshop is open to the public, but requires registration by April 13, 2016. Written comments can be submitted until May 19, 2016.
Read more here.
CONVENTION 2016/IFHOH CONGRESS
Last Weekend to Register as an Early-Bird
Take advantage of lower rates and register by midnight on January 31!
Schedules Posted
Take a look at the Schedule-at-a-Glance and the Educational Workshop schedules before making travel and hotel reservations. A more detailed schedule of workshops coming soon!
HLAA Convention 2016 is being held at
Washington Hilton
1919 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009
CHAPTERS
Attention all HLAA Chapter Leaders! It is not too late to be a State/Chapter Workshop presenter at Convention 2016.
The State/Chapter Workshop track needs your expertise. If you wish to present, you need to submit a presentation proposal as soon as possible on any of the following topics:
- Chapter Programs and Social Ideas That Work
- Chapter Website Design 101 – talk about your Chapter’s website and how you make it work
- Chapter Newsletter 101 – talk about your newsletter and how it all comes together
- Chapter Administration 101 – how you manage deadlines, forms, files, records and rosters for your Chapter or State Association, or
- Anything else that might be of interest and fits your area of expertise!
If you are interested in presenting
- Go to the Call for Papers section of the website
- Scroll down to the “State/Chapter Workshops” section
- Download the Call for Papers form
- Complete the Word document
- Email it to Nancy Macklin
PUBLIC AWARENESS
Did you know you can support HLAA just by shopping? That’s right! HLAA benefits when you shop online at iGive.com!
You can shop online at more than 900 great stores. It’s free and simple.
Here’s how it works:
- Go to iGive.com
- Fill out the registration form
- Find and select “Hearing Loss Association of America” as your charity
- Shop and Search
It’s that easy! HLAA receives a donation from iGive.com for searches and every purchase.
Here is one opportunity that ends soon!
Villeroy & Boch: 4.8% Donation
White Sale - 50% Off Cellini, Cooking Elements (white), Pasta Passion, Flow, New Wave, NWC and Urban Nature! Special 4.8% donations end March 31, 2016 (normally 4.0%).
Go to villeroy-boch.com.