Hearing Loss Association of America (Official Page)

05/14/2026

We can hardly contain our excitement! 🥳 The first two HLAA Walk4Hearing events of 2026 take place on May 16 and 17, in Twin Cities, MN and Westchester/Rockland, NY. This Sunday, as well as in Milford, MI on May 30, Hartford, CT on June 7, and Chicago, IL on Sept. 20, there will be a mobile clinic on-site conducting free hearing screenings for all.

Go the distance for hearing health with us! You can still sign up to participate, volunteer or donate to a Walk this spring. See our schedule on the second slide or visit: walk4hearing.org/find-a-walk

05/12/2026

Join us live this Thursday: How much do hearing loss, mental health and substance use intersect? Explore this sensitive topic with us at our next HLAA HearingU webinar on May 14—register: hearingloss.org/silence

Panelists Kristel Scoresby, Ph.D., and Michelle Niehaus will also be presenting educational workshops at the Convention in Louisville, June 10-12. Will you be there?

May is not only Better Hearing Month, but also Mental Health Awareness Month. In our next HearingU webinar, “Breaking the Silence,” two experienced therapists explore the intersection of hearing loss, mental health and substance use.

Join us on May 14, 2-3 p.m. ET. Save your spot: hearingloss.org/silence

You’ll learn how stigma may prevent people with hearing loss from addressing their mental health, which may increase the risk of substance misuse, and where help can be found. All HLAA webinars are complimentary, captioned and recorded.

05/11/2026

The Derby may be over, but the race to Louisville is on! Next month, HLAA will host hundreds of members, partners and friends from around the U.S. at our annual convention. Join us June 10-12 for three days packed with hearing health education, tech demos, community building and FUN. Grab your spot by May 18 to save on registration: cvent.me/NMoYMx

05/04/2026

One of HLAA's longtime members was honored by his city during National Volunteer Month in April. Ron Tallman, president of HLAA East Valley Chapter in Arizona, received the Chandler Volunteer Recognition Longevity Award. 🏆

The City of Chandler describes this award as "a tribute to the exceptional commitment and enduring passion demonstrated by those who have contributed their time and effort to one organization for an extended period. Their enduring commitment has not only left an indelible mark on the organization but has also served as an inspiration to fellow volunteers, encouraging a culture of sustained impact.”

The chapter's vice president, Roz Seibold, remarks, "Ron works tirelessly for our local HLAA chapter and is so deserving of this recognition. We are so grateful for his boundless dedication to supporting the hearing loss community in the Phoenix metro." We agree wholeheartedly and appreciate his long service. Congratulations, Ron! 🎉

Ron Tallman has spent over a decade supporting the hard-of-hearing community through leadership with the Hearing Loss Association of America. He creates accessible, welcoming programs and leads outreach efforts like the Walk for Hearing. His lived experience and dedication have made a lasting impact.

05/01/2026

May is not only Better Hearing Month, but also Mental Health Awareness Month. In our next HearingU webinar, “Breaking the Silence,” two experienced therapists explore the intersection of hearing loss, mental health and substance use.

Join us on May 14, 2-3 p.m. ET. Save your spot: hearingloss.org/silence

You’ll learn how stigma may prevent people with hearing loss from addressing their mental health, which may increase the risk of substance misuse, and where help can be found. All HLAA webinars are complimentary, captioned and recorded.

04/30/2026

Today we wrap up our National Volunteer Month celebration in April by appreciating ALL of the hard-working HLAA State Chapter Coordinators! These four started since we acknowledged this important group last year: Brenda Neubeck, Michigan; Ken Reichert, Virginia; Shelley Gladden, Oklahoma; and Tony Decha-Umphai, Tennessee. Thank you for enthusiastically supporting and guiding the HLAA Chapters in your states!

Many of our State and Chapter leaders will be attending the HLAA 2026 Convention in Louisville, June 10-12, including a daylong leadership training. It's not too late to join us! Learn more and register: hearingloss.org/convention

04/29/2026

Walk4Hearing is HLAA's nationwide community of support in action, bringing together thousands of people in cities each year across the U.S. to raise awareness and funds for a range of hearing loss programs. Our enthusiastic volunteers are essential to each event's success: organizing, recruiting local sponsors, generating excitement and making sure Walk Day goes smoothly from start to finish. Thanks for being our "boots on the ground," Walk volunteers!

2026 Walks start in May and there is still time to go the distance for hearing health with us. Join a team, donate or volunteer at walk4hearing.org/find-a-walk.

04/28/2026

Do you depend on assistive listening or captioning systems at the movies? How often has the equipment stopped working midway or never turned on at all? We provide a safe space to share your experiences with tech (both supportive and frustrating), and read those shared by others at AllianceForAccess.org/user-stories.

No account registration is required to participate and stories are published anonymously. The Industry-Consumer Alliance for Accessible Technology (ICAAT) Tech Forum is a program of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA).

04/27/2026

HLAA’s nationwide network includes more than 125 chapters, groups and state organizations coast to coast. For National Volunteer Month, we acknowledge the hundreds of HLAA Chapter volunteers dedicated to supporting people with hearing loss in their local communities! 🎉 And we honor these three particular chapters receiving HLAA 2026 Awards for their excellent work:

🏆HLAA Boston Chapter, MA - Chapter Excellence Award
🏆HLAA Los Angeles Chapter, CA - Chapter Excellence Award
🏆HLAA Charlotte Chapter - Chapter Communications Excellence Award

Learn more at hearingloss.org/award-recipients
You can celebrate all the honorees at our fully hearing-accessible HLAA 2026 Convention in Louisville, June 10-12.


Hearing Loss Association of America - Boston Chapter Hearing Loss Association of America - Los Angeles Chapter

04/24/2026

An important part of HLAA's mission is connecting hearing health care, industry, research, technology and the millions of Americans with hearing loss. This week, staffers Daniel Reiner and Robin Gardiner traveled to the American Academy of Audiology annual AAA Convention in San Antonio for that purpose.

They've been thrilled to chat with attendees about how HLAA can support their patients, studies and work. It was extra special to see the wonderful teams from our Hear for Life partners Cochlear Americas, MED-EL, Eli Lilly and Company, Starkey Hearing, Hamilton CapTel, ReSound and others.

04/23/2026

How are hearing aids utilizing the promise of artificial intelligence (AI)?
Can AI be leveraged to screen and diagnose common causes of hearing loss?
What are its future global possibilities, particularly in under-served settings?

With AI poised to transform nearly every aspect of hearing health care, these are some of the intriguing questions in the spotlight at this year's Research Symposium* on June 12, part of our HLAA 2026 Convention in Louisville.

Answering these questions will be a panel of experts:
Nicholas Lesica, Ph.D.
Cole Morris
Samantha K. Robler, Au.D., Ph.D.
Moderator: Jan Blustein, M.D., Ph.D.

Learn more & register at the link. We hope to see you there!

*HLAA’s Research Symposium is supported, in part, by a grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health (Award Number R13DC017913).

AI is rapidly reshaping hearing health, from smarter hearing aids that improve speech in noise to new possibilities for global screening and access to care.