This year’s Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) convention promises to be informative – with many speakers, researchers and workshops – but also incredibly fun. Where else can you speak candidly about your travel mix-up, the joy you felt using your captioned telephone for the first time to talk with your grandson or the laugh you had about what your spouse thought you said? You will find so many people who have similar funny, frustrating and uplifting stories at the HLAA Convention.
The workshops and panels throughout the week offer information and discussions on safety, new technologies, relationships, travel and other topics that are important to people living with hearing loss. CapTel Captioned Telephone is a platinum-level sponsor, making strides to highlight the best and latest in innovation to make the lives of anyone coping with hearing loss that much more enjoyable. Here are some highlights from the upcoming HLAA Convention:
Technology
Attend “Telecommunications and You,” hosted by director of public policy at HLAA and hearing loss advocate Lise Hamlin for the latest news on captioned technology, including voice recognition technology and voice to text phones.
Also, there will be panels and presentations from hearing aid manufacturers and other experts on new improvements in hearing aid technology and Sprint mobile phone technology. There will be plenty of practical advice about maximizing the hearing you do have through improved technologies.
Relationships
Explore how hearing loss affects relationships and what you can do to improve them through “Navigating a Successful Relationship: Survival Tips for Hard of Hearing and Hearing Couples” and “For Better or Worse: Overcoming Hearing Loss as a Couple,” which encourages audience participation and discussion.
Safety
Additionally, you’ll be able to learn how to be prepared in any emergency at the presentation led by Lise Hamlin of HLAA entitled “Are you Ready? Emergency Preparedness for People with Hearing Loss” There will also be a session on new 911 technology for staying safe in an emergency.
Advocacy
If you’ve wanted to be involved in advocacy for those with hearing loss but were unsure where to start, there will be some very informative sessions at the convention for you. If you think more places near your home should have hearing loops, you might like to attend “The How-to’s of Starting a Hearing Loop Initiative” to learn how to team up with others for this task. Other advocacy sessions promise to be instructional in how to navigate new legislation and how to advocate for yourself in the workplace.
Veteran’s seminar
Sunday, June 29 is dedicated to supporting veterans living with hearing loss. “A Holistic Approach to Hearing Healthcare for Veterans: The Difference Between Getting By and Living Well,” hosted by Hamilton CapTel, will be an engaging discussion with a large panel of hearing healthcare experts, audiologists and war veterans who are living with hearing loss from being in combat. The veterans will share how they cope and thrive with hearing loss.
Celebrations
Parties and meet-and-greets with cocktails and music will cap off each night to celebrate and and allow attendees to get acquainted with others. Don’t miss out on the culmination of the conference with a breakfast and awards ceremony hosted by CapTel on the morning of June 30. It will be a fitting, celebratory end to an awesome convention.
HLAA’s annual four-day convention this year is in Portland, Oregon from June 27 – 30. You can register online until May 31, or register on-site starting June 26.
