At the HLAA Washington State Association, we help people with hearing loss live their best lives.

Hearing aids for children aren't covered by most Washington State private insurance policies, but hearing loss advocates aim to make coverage required under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). 

While kids' hearing aids are covered under Washington State Medicaid, other families often can't afford hearing aids--and when children can't hear clearly, their abilities to develop language and succeed in school can suffer.

HLAA-Washington has endorsed this 2021 bill, "Requiring Coverage For Hearing Instruments for Children and Adolescents," which is sponsored by Reps. Emily Wicks and Tina Orwall. 

Let Washington Kids Hear is a grass-roots group leading the charge to ensure kids have the simple hearing technology they need to thrive. Follow Let Washington Kids Hear on Facebook, and read more about their initial work from Dr. Chad Ruffin.

Be prepared to ask your legislators to pass the bill when it's reintroduced in the 2021 Legislative session. Watch this e-news and our social media for a call to action soon. 

 

If a venue doesn't offer the communication access you need, did you know you can file a complaint with the U.S. Access Board to help yourself and others hear?

The Access Board's work isn't well known, but it should be. They set standards for disability access, offer technical assistance and guidance, and respond to citizen complaints. We urge you not to be intimidated by the word "complaint"--these folks are truly here to assist you and to help the venues comply with the ADA.

Remember, when you file a complaint, you're advocating not only for yourself but for others, too. You're changing the world, one venue at a time. 
 

---

Zoom Captions Are NOW Available
 
If you have a paid Zoom account (not the standard free account), you now have captions!

Check "Enable live transcription service," and the live transcript will show on the side panel. If you've been using Otter.ai, you'll need to disconnect the Otter livestream. Thanks to HLAA Board Member Shari Eberts for leading the way, and thank you to everyone who signed the petition. Note: you can still sign the petition to request captioning for other platforms, too. 

---

Holiday Open House 

Speech Transfer Systems Break Glass Barriers
Does Your Business Have One?
 

 

Well, no glass is actually broken, but barriers are--and venues and people with hearing loss alike can benefit.

Speech Transfer Systems break the communications barrier that happens when a glass shield protects us from COVID-19, but muffles and even blocks sound. Add face masks that block speech reading, and people with hearing loss are left out--and a venue may be out of compliance with the ADA.
 

With microphones and a hearing loop to send sound to a hearing aid, these simple, affordable systems (also called window intercoms) are providing mandated communication access, boosting employee confidence, speeding up and improving customer service, and bringing joy to people with hearing loss.

Thank you to Brown Audio Services for the helpful video below.

 

Lots of people need a little help ensuring they can see the captions they need. It seems like each system--almost each video--does captions differently, and it's easy to forget how to turn them on.

Theater Development Fund offers an excellent guide to turning on captions on YouTube, Facebook, Web Captioner, Otter.ai, and more.