Hearing News Watch

NEW YORK—New York City has launched a number of initiatives in recent years to improve the health of those who live, work, or visit there. New York prohibited cigarette smoking in nearly all public spaces and it ordered restaurants to remove the transfats from all the food they served. Later, eateries were required to post the calorie count of the

WASHINGTON, DC–The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) charges that owners and management companies of major housing complexes in six states are discriminating against people who are deaf or hard of hearing. NFHA announced on January 9 that it had filed eight complaints with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) against companies in Arkansas, California, Georgia, Mississippi, South

Anyone who has used a hearing loop system with their hearing aid or cochlear implant is invited to click here to take part in a survey being conducted by the Hearing Loss Association of America to assess consumers’ experiences with loops.   By David H. Kirkwood Over the past decade, the Let’s Loop America movement has gone from a glint

OMAHA—A medical student’s long battle to receive the accommodations for his hearing loss that he says he needs to graduate from Creighton University Medical School is nearing a successful conclusion. As discussed in several posts at HearingHealthMatters.org since 2012, Michael Argenyi, who wears a cochlear implant, applied to Creighton University in 2008 as hearing impaired. While the Omaha university offered

By David H. Kirkwood RESTON, VA—As was reported here on January 1, the Association of VA Audiologists (AVAA) issued a statement on December 16, 2013, opposing proposed federal legislation that would allow the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make greater use of hearing aid specialists in serving the needs of veterans with hearing loss and related conditions. On January

By David H. Kirkwood WASHINGTON, DC—Citing “significant differences in the education and training of audiologists and hearing aid specialists,” the Association of VA Audiologists (AVAA) issued a statement on December 16 opposing proposed federal legislation that would allow the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to hire hearing aid specialists internally and to update its contracting policies to allow hearing aid specialists

By David H. Kirkwood SAN FRANCISCO/SAN LEANDRO—Hardly a week passes without at least one announcement of some new device being developed to help people with hearing loss. Whether these products are categorized as hearing aids, personal sound amplification products (PSAPs), or assistive hearing technology, they nearly all have a few things in common: (1) Although they are designed to serve

Dear Readers: During this holiday season, the editors at Hearing Health & Technology Matters (HHTM) are taking some time off. However, we are not leaving you without anything to read on our blog this week. Instead, we are publishing a special holiday edition filled with what we call our Readers’ Choices. The Readers’ Choices are the posts published on each

This post is a Reader’s Choice selection for 2013.   By David H. Kirkwood For the third time in the past 15 years, the American Academy of Audiology is looking for a new executive director, following the departure of Cheryl Kreider Carey after six years in the position and 14 years on the staff of the organization. A news item that

MINNEAPOLIS—Three scientists who are conducting research intended to improve the ability of people with hearing loss to understand speech were selected by the Hearing Industry Research Consortium (IRC) to receive the organization’s latest research grants. The consortium was established in 2012 for the purpose of advancing a mutually agreed upon research agenda that will benefit the hearing aid industry, its