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As part of Better Speech and Hearing Month, ASHA participated in a two-day event in Washington, DC, aimed at increasing public awareness of hearing disorders and hearing health. The main focus this year was to outreach to members of the press. On May 15, ASHA audiologists, Karen Beverly-Ducker, M.A., CCC-A, and Lauren Ero, M.S., CCC-A, volunteered to provide hearing screenings at the National Press Club. Public awareness of hearing disorders is intimately tied to articles in newspapers, on radio, and on television. Educating journalists is an important step in ensuring those articles are written. During the course of the day, over 75 journalists and other members of the press corp were screened for hearing loss.
The following day focused on educating Members of Congress and their staff by providing hearing screenings at the Library of Congress on Capitol Hill. ASHA distributed educational materials and brochures for participants at the "Hearing on the Hill," a luncheon that was hosted by the Hearing Industries Association (HIA).
The luncheon also served as a meeting of the Congressional Hearing Health Caucus (CHHC) which was attended by Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN). He spoke candidly about this father's hearing loss and discussed the importance of helping those with hearing losses to afford hearing aids. He also announced his introduction of S. 1410, the Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act. This important legislation would provide a tax credit up to $500 towards the purchase of hearing aids every five years for seniors 55 and over and dependents of taxpayers. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) sponsored the companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives, H.R. 2329.
ASHA teamed with consumer groups and service providers to ensure that Members of Congress knew that there was widespread support for the hearing aid tax credit legislation. Other organizations participating in the event were: Hearing Industries Association, the Hearing Loss Association of America, the American Academy of Audiology, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), and the Better Hearing Institute. For more information, please contact Deborah Darcy, ASHA's Director of Grassroots, by phone at 800-498-2071, ext. 4427, or via e-mail at ddarcy@asha.org.
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