Information, Education, Support and
Advocacy for People with Hearing Loss
2nd Saturday of the Month
(September - May)
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Community Room, Gold Hill Police Station
955 W. Moreno Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80905
|
|
Next Chapter Meeting
Saturday, September 9, 2017
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Community Room
Gold Hill Police Station
955 W. Moreno Avenue
Colorado Springs 80905
Chapter meetings are free, and all are welcome.
Membership is not required to attend.
Free parking, refreshments, professionally-installed hearing loop,
assistive listening devices (ALDs), and CART (live captioning) are provided.
The permanent loop was installed by
Erin,
Assist2Hear, and was funded by t
he City of Colorado Springs. Thank you!
COME CELEBRATE with Us
and HEAR the DIFFERENCE!!
|
Our Speaker this Month
Luke Adams
Outreach Consultant, Hard of Hearing Specialty, CCDHH
We will have an ASL Interpreter for this meeting
|
Welcome back to HLAA Colorado Springs! Trust you've had a great summer. We are looking forward to a great year. Vickie has been working to put together an interesting roster of speakers. And as always we look forward to sharing some social time with you.
I will be missing in action until about November. My husband had a biking accident and will be needing standby assistance until he can bear weight on his right leg. I no longer consider myself a retired nurse!
I will look forward to seeing you as soon as I can get back. Until then I am very grateful for our strong leadership team who have pulled together to keep our ship afloat! Hope your HLAA year gets off to a wonderful start!
-
Ann
|
|
Dixie, Rick, Stacy, Ann, Pauline, Dwight, Michelle (and husband), Vickie, Bev (Carol and Tom not pictured)
|
|
|
Colorado Raised over $26K.
Our "Springs Sweet Soles" was the top fundraising Team; Dixie was the top fundraiser
|
|
|
Stacy Signs the National Anthem as it is Sung - Beautiful!!
Click on pic for video; be sure volume is on!
|
|
|
|
Colorado HLAA Members - Stacy, Erin N, Debbie, Ann, Erin M, Vickie (and 2 from Grand Junction in back)
|
|
|
Can You Guess Who
We Are??
|
|
|
|
Notice the "Loop" Symbol on the Registration Desk
|
|
|
Banquet - Vickie,
Ann, Stacy
|
|
|
Ron, Daisy, Bev, Kay, Ann, Dixie, Rick, Pauline
|
|
Summer Socials
Hike and Lunch in Garden of the Gods Park (left)
|
|
Kay, Karen, Chris, Duane, Barbara, Trisha (Bev, Pauline, Stacy, Vickie not pictured) |
|
|
Stacy, Vickie, Pauline, Duane, Bev, Nichole
|
|
Need Help Paying for Hearing Aids?
|
|
|
For LOTS More Pictures
|
|
Visit Our
|
|
Visit Our
|
|
Advocacy in Action
|
|
Pauline using an ALD
throughout the drill
|
|
Public Health Emergency Dispensing Exercise (PhedEx)
El Paso County Department of Public Health conducted a
full-scale exercise to practice their response system and their procedures had there been a public health outbreak or emergency. Pauline, Kay and Vickie were participants
to share first-hand how people with hearing loss were being accommodated. The County had an assortment of ALDs. It was an opportunity to educate County staff and volunteers of our needs, and to explain the use of assistive devices. Sadie,
from The Independence Center
was interested in the outcome of our roles as advocates, and the County promises to incorporate these ALDs in future planning and training for community emergencies.
|
|
|
|
Award Recipient,
Ben Bills, PIO for El Paso/Teller 9-1-1 Authority for Implementing Text
to 9-1-1
|
ADA - Celebrating Progress
The Independence Center sponsored a luncheon at the DoubleTree on July 26th to recognize the 27th anniversary of the passage of ADA legislation. The theme this year was "Celebrating Progress in the Pikes Peak Region." Jon Karroll of KRDO was the MC, and Mayor John Suthers was a primary speaker.
For chapter members in attendance (
Pauline, Bette, Carol, and Vickie), it was very gratifying to hear people with disabilities talk of the progress they've made in becoming more independent and able to participate more in society. And we loved hearing Mayor Suthers mention that the
Gold Hill Police Station Community Room has a professionally installed hearing loop. This was a great reminder that
advocacy can change lives. Hard of hearing people are included in more public functions in this city with the help of looping and FM systems, and our chapter played a role in this.
Please make it a point to speak up about our needs - you really can make a difference!
- Submitted by Pauline
Possible Effects of Hearing Loss on the Patient-Provider
Relationship in the Medical Setting
Rick and Vickie
attended a Denver Chapter Meeting to hear
Melinda C. Anderson, PhD, CCC-A, Assistant Professor at the
University of Colorado School of Medicine. "A significant number of individuals seen in our clinical spaces experience reduced abilities to hear and communicate with their care providers." Dr. Anderson presented current approaches underway at UCHealth to improve access to medical care for those who have hearing loss. We all provided feedback and recommendations on alternative approaches to improve patient access.
Springs In the Loop
-
Ann, Pauline, Bev,
and
Vickie
provided accessible hearing for the PPLD History Symposium in June for the third straight year, laying the portable loop in the East Library Community Room.
|
|
|
Assistive Technology Partners
collaborating with
El Paso County Emergency Management
presents:
Free Emergency Preparedness Training
Specifically for Persons
with Disabilities
Saturday, September 16, 2017
8:00am - 5pm
El Paso County Office of Emergency Management Training Room
3755 Mark Dabling Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO 80907
Lunch is provided
(NOTE: The Training is Open to Anyone Who Wants to Attend!)
|
ADVOCACY WORKSHOP
Learn how to advocate for change for People with Hearing Loss at The Independence Center, 729 S. Tejon St., Colorado Springs 80903. RSVP jmuth@the-ic.org
|
Men's Health, and the Hidden Impact of Noise Pollution,
by Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen, MDs
(
article submitted by
Pat Going)
In New York, a man's average
hearing age
is more than 12 years older than his actual age; in Houston it's almost 13 years older; and in Los Angeles it's over 14 years.
That shows the measurable impact of noise pollution on hearing.
But noise damages more than men's hearing!....read more
|
Hearing Loss Magazine
September/October
Issue Coming Soon!
In Case You Missed It...Below Are the Articles In the July/August 2017
Issue . . .
|
|
|
|
|
|
President Trump Signs Legislation into Law
|
HLAA Supports the Over-the-Counter (OTC) Hearing Aids Act, and, as
Barbara Kelley, Executive Director of
Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), states,
"People need an easy and affordable
entry point
to get hearing help."
The Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017 makes certain types of hearing aids available over the counter to adults with mild to moderate hearing loss. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is required to regulate this new category of OTC hearing aids to ensure safety, efficacy and consumer protection. This will give consumers the option to purchase a safe, high-quality FDA-regulated device at lower cost, and will eliminate the medical clearance requirement for adult consumers.
Since this new category has not yet been created, it is unclear how the devices will be defined. However, OTCs should
not be confused with products already on the market called
PSAPs (Personal Sound Amplification Products), which cannot legally be marketed to people with hearing loss as a
"hearing aid," but only to people with
normal hearing as an
amplification device.
The Act has sparked a great deal of debate and controversy.
If you missed the HLAA May Webinar, "Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids: Rationale for Support", click
here
for the captioned replay.
Audiologist and HLAA-CS Member,
Dr. Nichole Kovel
,
Elite Hearing of Colorado Springs
, shares, "I thin
k it's important for all parties involved to have some understanding of both sides of the issue." Click below to see one of the many articles she sees from audiology sources.
|
|
HLAA 2017 Convention Highlights
|
Ann, making her workshop presentation, "Confessions of
a Reluctant Leader"
|
Amy, HLAA Western Colorado Leader, with that familiar expression when the sound system is not working!!
|
Once fixed, she Rocks! with an instrumental on her electric ukelele (think, Carlos Santana!), winning first place in the Talent Contest!
|
The "Cranky Cochlea" Dinner Theater with
Gael Hannan
|
CART technology -Captions display at top portion (in yellow) of the speaker's presentation slides. No more head turning as if you are at a tennis match! This technology is called 1Fuzion,
developed by 1CapApp.
|
To see more Convention Photos of the workshops, the FUN,
the
FOOD
, and the
PARTIES
, click
here
.
Be sure to click on the "View Photos" to see the full album in each section of photos!
|
Mandy Harvey will Perform at the HLAA 2018 Convention
in Minneapolis!
|
|
The City's Voice for People With Hearing Loss |
|
Chapter Leadership Team
(2016 - 2018 Term)
WELCOME,
Stacy Gibson
, our new Social Committee Chairperson! Glad to have you
on
the Team!
Ann Belfiglio - President
Rick Rivers - Vice President
Duane Gritzmaker - Secretary
Bev Limbaugh - Treasurer
Patrick Going - Technical Assistant
Stacy Gibson - Social Committee Chair
Kay Chartier
- Welcome Committee Chair
Pauline Weiss
- Loop Colorado Springs Committee Chair
Vickie Pacheco
- Website and Newsletter Editor
"Volunteerism is the Heart of HLAA." Chapters are staffed and run by volunteers - we don't do this because it's our "job" - we do this because we care about people with hearing loss!
If you would like to
get more involved on a committee, a short-term project, or in HLAA-CS' work in the community, please let one of the Leaders know. We can always use help!
|
Chapter Outreach and
Advocacy Opportunities
|
Colorado Springs Homeless Veterans Stand Down
T
he Chapter will host a table Tuesday, October 17, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at this event, held
at City Auditorium (corner of Kiowa and Weber). The Stand Down will provide
winter clothing, haircuts, dental work, vision assistance, etc. We will recommend vet's stop at the
Sertoma HEARS van for
hearing screenings,
then refer them to appropriate agencies (VA, Independence Center, etc.). S
ee
Rick
to find out how you can help.
It is a well organized event.
Limited parking, but the church parking lot across the street is OK.
HLAA will be table #28.
|
Advocacy Group for Emergency Preparedness for
People with Disabilities
Emergency managers at all levels increasingly understand that they cannot fully plan for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards on their own. Whole community engagement is needed to ensure that the knowledge, resources and experiences of the whole community can be leveraged to meet community needs in any emergency. Meeting the needs of people with disabilities is no exception. People with disabilities must be involved in the process at every level to ensure that programs and policies will effectively benefit themselves and their communities.
The
Emergency Preparedness Program at The Independence Center hopes to create a model to develop
a consistent approach which will benefit local and state and, and also benefit FEMA disaster responders to specifically target whole community inclusion.
Sadie Martinez,
Emergency Program Coordinator at The Independence Center i
s seeking community members
with disabilities, and others with access and functional needs,
to
join the Core Advisory Group (CAG)
to address
the three major components of the ADA;
- physical access,
- program access, and
- accessible effective communication
CAG members work to create awareness and to identify resources f
or accommodations for people with disabilities. CAG engages with City and County ADA Coordinators, Red Cross, Office of Emergency Management (OEM), and other government and community -based organizations.
As a CAG member, we ask for the following commitment:
- Attend Monthly CAG meetings
- Increase your knowledge within Emergency Preparedness to include people with disabilities, and others with access and functional needs
- Attend Access and Functional Needs Meetings in February, May, August, and November
If interested, contact:
Sadie Martinez
729 South Tejon Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
719-471-8181 x 146 (w)
719-325-9426 (c)
PS: This is the committee Vickie has been involved with for several years, advocating for the needs of people with hearing loss.
|
|
|
Keeping Up with News From National
|
Have HLAA National News
Delivered Directly
Into Your Inbox!
R
eceive
important news and happenings
from the HLAA National Office.
Patient Content Review Panel
HLAA members can review video content that is streamed into hearing health-care waiting rooms across the country. For more information or to sign up for the Patient Content Review Panel, click
here.
|
An all-new series of Webinars
begin in January
In the meantime, catch up on past Product/Service and Showcase webinars. All are recorded and captioned.
To browse the topics and to replay, click
here
|
|
|
|
Click on her Business Card |
WITH THANKS TO:
Dr Koval at
for sponsoring our
e-Newsletter!
Mention this sponsorship to receive a
discount on
a pair of hearing aids!
|
|
|
Excellent Posts on Hearing Loss News, Solutions, and Advocacy
|
Help Support HLAA-CS when you shop on Amazon! Select "Hearing Loss Association of America Colorado Springs Chapter" as your charity of choice and Amazon will donate a portion of your total purchase price to the chapter. Click on the icon at right.
|
|
The Mission of HLAA is
to open the world of communication to people with hearing loss by providing information, education, support and advocacy.
As a member, you share in this mission. Through our advocacy work at the federal level, we represent 48 million people with hearing loss in the United States.
Make Hearing Loss an Issue of National Concern!
Please consider becoming a national member of HLAA. We
offer complimentary memberships to our United States Veterans. F
or all member benefits, click here.
|
Disclaimer: Mention of goods or services in advertisements in this e-newsletter does not imply Hearing Loss Association of America endorsement,
nor should exclusion suggest disapproval
|
|
|
|
|