IListen Newsletter - Bulletin J'écoute
Message from
CHHA National Executive Director
Greetings!

It's finally May. Let's hope that spring is here and we can enjoy the May flowers after all the April showers and April snow flurries. May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, and our association has many things planned to be a part of this important time. You will be hearing from us about some of our special projects and how your financial support makes everything we do possible. Some of those things include launching our hearing loops campaign and introducing a series of webinars with Cochlear Canada. Congratulations to Mr.Michael Gottheil, Canada's first Accessibility Commissioner 

I invite you to take some extra time this month to pay attention to some of the extraordinary events happening around our association. Our members will also be receiving an invitation to our Annual General Meeting, which will take place on the first Saturday in June. This meeting is for CHHA members in good standing. If you are unsure of your membership status, please contact the CHHA National Office.

In this edition, you will also read some excellent blogs as we continue our informational series on hearing health and stories from members just like you. And thinking of stories about hearing health and hearing life, CHHA congratulates Shari Eberts and Gael Hannan on launching their new book.

All the best to you.

Lee Pigeau
CHHA National Executive Director
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CHHA BLOG
Hearing Dogs Empower Canadians with Disabilities to Independence
By Sheila Serup, MBA

Nana, a hearing dog specially trained through the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides, provides Evan Hamilton with an extra set of ears and confidence and independence to navigate a hearing world.

Evan Hamilton, who has a moderate to severe hearing loss, applied to the Foundation’s Hearing Dog program and endured a two-year wait before being accepted. He lost his hearing more than 30 years ago and first became involved with the CHHA-North Vancouver Branch in the early 90s...
YAN Corner
Are you between 18 and 34 with hearing loss and looking for an exciting opportunity to gain leadership skills?

CHHA Young Adults Network is seeking committed and responsible individuals with hearing loss who wish to promote the aims of YAN in an active manner, have a willingness to serve in the position and participate in meetings, are thirty-four (34) years of age or younger at the time of nomination as well as be a positive role model.

You can apply for the nomination of the president position and one of the director positions.

The nomination period is open until May 4th at midnight in each time zone.

(Note: Must be a CHHA member to become a YAN Board Member)
More CHHA Blogs!
Yes - It's Another Hearing Loss Book!
By Gael Hannan

This is the ultimate hearing loss survival guide we wish we’d had early on our individual hearing loss journeys. The book paints the Big Picture of the hearing loss life – what to expect, what we have control over, and how we communicate better. Shari and I tell our stories from the hearing loss journey and how they shaped our personal philosophies. And most importantly, we offer a three-legged stool of strategies for skillful living. The three-legged stool is unique because it never wobbles, even on uneven ground. It supports us...
The Way We Hear It! A Community Engagement Exhibition
By Jessica Niemela- CHHA BC secretary

For this year’s May Speech and Hearing Month, we are setting the stage for increasing public awareness of hearing health and hearing loss. The Canadian Hard of Hearing Association-BC Chapter is proud to present, “The Way We Hear It! A Community Engagement Exhibition” at the Okanagan Science Centre in Vernon, BC. The exhibit will be on display from May 1st to 31st every day from 10-4 pm. Free hearing screening for the public will also be offered May 1st-7th 11-2 pm for anyone over the age of 5. This will be CHHA-BC’s very first special exhibit made possible by a collaboration of community partners in hearing health...
CHHA has News for Movie Lovers
Hot Docs Festival
Hot Docs Festival is in cinemas across Toronto and streaming nationwide from April 28 to May 8. 
Accessibility is being offered throughout the event. Check out the link below to access the venues page. 

Here you will find a section titled “Accessibility at Hot Docs Festival” that links to the films that provide either closed captions, open captions, or audio description.


For more information on the accessibility, please visit https://hotdocs.ca/about/accessibility

As a special incentive, the following code can be used to redeem complimentary tickets online:

CHHA22HD

A limited number of tickets are available with this promotion (first come first serve).
In The News...
Canada’s First Accessibility Commissioner
“Michael Gottheil’s vast experience in justice and human rights issues are a huge asset to Canada on our mission to become a more inclusive, barrier-free country. As Canada’s first Accessibility Commissioner, he will help the Government of Canada administer, implement and enforce the Accessible Canada Act. Mr. Gottheil’s leadership will ensure that the rights and measures outlined in the landmark Act are not just declarations, but that they become a lived reality for persons with disabilities in Canada.”

– Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough
I'm a radio journalist who is passionate about sound. Now I'm losing my hearing
It was a cool morning early last spring and I was interviewing a rancher about her concerns surrounding the upcoming wildfire season in the B.C. Interior. We walked through patches of snow and across a pasture of bunchgrass when we noticed a meadowlark sitting on a fence post. She commented on its beautiful song and we stood in silence as I held out my microphone to capture its voice. But as I turned up the volume on my recording device, I heard nothing...
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