The 2023 Hearing Loss Association of America “Community Access Award” was presented to Peggy Bell (Palm Beach County, FL Chapter) and Wynne Whyman (Boulder, CO Chapter) on June 30 during the HLAA Annual Convention held in New Orleans.
Bell and Whyman are members of the national “Get in the Hearing Loop” Committee at HLAA. They advocated for and were able to get “Assistive Hearing Loops” identified as an accessibility attribute on Google Maps just last year. Since then they have updated Google Maps with current data on thousands of locations (businesses, schools, hospitals, houses of worship, etc.) that currently provide the consumer-preferred type of assistive technology for hearing access in public spaces.
For those who may not know, hearing loop systems broadcast filtered sound, wirelessly, to the T-Coil (telecoil) built into hearing aids, cochlear implants and loop receivers.
The other five accessibility attributes published by Google Maps include mobility-related accommodations mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For more information on the Annual Convention Awards Ceremony and other 2023 Award recipients, click here >>
hearingloss-palmbeachcounty.org 