I Listen Newsletter - Bulletin J'écoute
Message from the
National Executive Director
Greetings!

Welcome to the February edition of iListen, your connection to some of the highlights of the work we are doing on your behalf at the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association.

We are very pleased to have announced the 2020 – 2023 Strategic Plan. This plan sets out the board strategic direction we will undertake as an organization as we advance issues that matter to our community. This plan is the product of all the input that you have provided the past few years. Thank you for your contributions.

World Hearing Day is on March 3, 2020. The theme for this year is; Don’t let hearing loss limit you. Hearing for life! Throughout this issue of iListen we will be sharing lots of valuable information about hearing and have kits available for you to use to promote this event to the media and others in your community. If you are celebrating World Hearing Day in your community, please let us know so that we can promote it for you and share some of the activities we are doing on social media throughout the day.

The Young Adult Network has been busy working toward their Summercamp 2020. The program is a week full of events that will leave participants inspired and with memories they will cherish for a lifetime. Registration is now open, and we look forward to hosting this event in August 2020 in Calgary, AB.
Enjoy this edition of iListen!
Sincerely,
‌
Christopher T. Sutton
National Executive Director
CHHA 2020 - 2023
Strategic Plan
The 2020 - 2023 Canadian Hard of Hearing Association Strategic Plan is now available for you to view. This plan sets out the direction the association will be focusing on in the next 3 years. Organizational Excellence, Increasing Organizational Sustainability and Expanding Our Reach and Impact are the three critical areas that will be the center of concentration for the national board of directors and senior management staff.  
Save the Date
CHHA Annual General Meeting
This year's Annual General Meeting will be held online on Wednesday May 27, 2020 at 7:00 pm EDT.
To participate in the Annual General Meeting you must be a member in good standing. Please be sure you have paid your membership fees if they are due.
Login to your membership profile to ensure you are a member in good standing for full participation at the meeting. Stay tuned for more details.
CHHA Scholarship Program
Deadline Approaching - April 3, 2020
The 2020 Scholarship Program is Open for Applications
This program was established by the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association in 2002 and to date over $50,000.00 has been awarded to help students with hearing loss with their post-secondary studies.
CHHA now has four scholarships within its program:
  1. Carrell Hearn Memorial Scholarship
  2. Dr. Charles A. Laszlo Scholarship
  3. Frank Algar Memorial Scholarship
  4. Susan Brown Memorial Scholarship
Online applications are now being accepted. The deadline for applications for the 2020 academic year is April 3, 2020. All applications must be submitted by 5:00 pm EST.
In The Loop
The strategic plan for 2020 - 2023 has been released. It was an honour to be included in the creation of this plan. The facilitator engaged for the working group was very knowledgeable and had a unique way of obtaining information from the participants. The new Vision, Mission and Value statements reflect a new outlook for CHHA moving forward. 
Summercamp 2020 has been launched and is actively filling registration spots. We have been working closely with the Young Adult Network Summercamp Planning Committee to ensure all the needs required for Summercamp 2020 will be met and this will be an experience of a lifetime for those participating. Remember there are limited spots available so if you are interested in registering you should register as soon as possible at www.chha.ca/summercamp2020.  
We have been actively seeking out speakers for webinars that might pique your interest. If you have anyone you know that might be a good speaker or if you would like to share any ideas on a webinar topic that you believe would engage the CHHA Membership, we would love to hear about them. Please send your ideas to communications@chha.ca.  
World Hearing Day - March 3, 2020
Don't let hearing loss limit you. Hearing for life!
World Hearing Day is held on March 3 each year to raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care across the world. It is important to realize how timely and effective interventions can ensure that people with hearing loss are able to achieve their full potential. It is expected that the prevalence of hearing loss will rise considerably in coming decades due to changing population demographics, increasing exposure to risk factors such as recreational noise, as well as the persistence of untreated ear conditions such as otitis media.  
THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT HEARING LOSS
  • At all life stages, communication and good hearing health connect us to each other, our communities, and the world
  • For those who have hearing loss, appropriate and timely interventions can facilitate access to education, employment and communication
  • Globally, there is lack of access to interventions to address hearing loss, such as hearing aids
  • Early intervention should be made available through the health systems
YOU CAN HELP OTHERS WITH HEARING LOSS
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT TO OTHERS BY:
  • Encouraging them to get their hearing checked
  • Speak clearly and slowly. Don't shout!
  • Stand in good lightening facing the person when you speak
  • Do not exaggerate or distort lip movements
  • Don't all talk at once. Encourage people to speak one at at time
  • Reduce background noise or move to a quieter setting
  • Include the person with hearing loss in all activities
  • Encourage the person to talk about his/her hearing loss with others
  • Advocate with local authorities to make sure that:
  • Hearing care services are available
  • Public places are made accessible
  • Caption of audio visual content is made mandatory
CHHA BC CELEBRATES
World Hearing Day - March 3, 2020
CHHA-BC looks forward to your participation at their celebration of World Hearing Day. It is the perfect opportunity for you to visit their new office on the 2nd floor in the Wavefront Center for Communication Accessibility.

This celebration will be featuring Isobel Mackenzie, Seniors Advocate for British Columbia. Isobel has over 20 years experience working with seniors in home care, licensed care, community services and volunteer services. Isobel led the pioneering of a new model of dementia care that has become a national best practice.

Please join us from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm on the second floor at 2005 Quebec Street Vancouver BC.
RSVP by Wednesday February 26, 2020
By email: i nfo@chha-bc.org
By phone: 604.423.3247
Check in starts at 4:30 pm; Program commences: 5:00 pm
Young Adults Network Corner
Travelling with Hearing Loss
By: Ashley Derrington
Travelling can be stressful. Travelling with hearing loss can be stressful on another level. Do I have enough hearing aid batteries? What if my hearing aid gets wet or worse, I lose one? Will I be able to hear what’s said during the announcements at the airport? Many of these thoughts often cycle through my head before embarking on a trip, but I’ve come to learn that the rewards of travelling are worth so much more than a couple of mild freak-outs. To combat the panic moments, I’ve learned to be better prepared for my adventures by following a few simple steps: 
Young Adult Summercamp 2020
August 9-15, 2020
Registration Is Now Open!
Are You a Hard of Hearing Young Adult Between 18-35?
THIS IS A ONE TIME EVENT YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS
Summercamp 2020 is a unique opportunity to attend a fully accessible six-day camp to be held at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. This event will bring together young adults with hearing loss from across Canada and Internationally. There will be many opportunities for networking and leadership building. 
Summercamp 2020 will be hosted by the CHHA - Young Adults Network (YAN), in partnership with the International Federation of Hard of Hearing Young People (IFHOHYP) and various collaborative partners. 

For registration go to Summercamp2020
CHHA Toronto Network
The Canadian Hard of Hearing Association is looking for members to revitalize our Toronto Area Network. If you are interested in being part of this exciting development, please contact CHHAToronto@chha.ca to express your interest. We will get back to you to tell you how you can be a part of our growing organization.
We look forward to hearing from you.
In The News...
Reprogramming inner ear to regrow hair cells promising target for hearing loss treatments
A new discovery from a team led by Massachusetts Eye and Ear researchers may bring scientists a step closer to developing treatments that regrow the missing cells that cause hearing loss.

In a new study, published online December 4, 2019, in Nature Communications, scientists report a new strategy to induce cell division in the mature inner ear.
It's surprisingly easy for your headphones to damage your hearing
When the rest of the world gets too distracting, it’s tempting to pop in your  earbuds , crank up some tunes, and close yourself off to focus better. But if you blast your music too loudly, you may permanently damage your hearing. Here’s how to keep your ears in good shape—so you aren’t kicking yourself 10 years down the road.

Why high volumes cause hearing loss
"Noise exposure is a common cause of hearing loss," says Tricia Ashby, Director of Audiology at the  American Speech-Language Hearing Association  (ASHA). When you subject your ears to loud input, the fluid in your inner ear moves more, which can damage the hair cells that send signals to the brain.
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