Author: HLAA Palm Beach County Chapter

The HLAA Palm Beach County Chapter is a non-profit, non-sectarian educational organization devoted to the welfare and interests of those who are hearing impaired and committed to participating fully in the hearing world. Our Mission: To support and empower people with all degrees of hearing loss — to help them develop strategies to be safe and to thrive, and to advocate for themselves wherever good hearing and communication is necessary -- work, play, life!

Emotional Challenges of Hearing Loss: 02/01/25 Mtg

“Exploring the Emotional Challenges of Hearing Loss”
Join us for a conversation about the emotional impact of hearing loss and the value of family + community during any hearing loss journey.

Presenter: Ivette Cejas, Ph.D.
Director, Family Support Services & Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine

Dr. Cejas is a licensed psychologist in the state of Florida and a well-known, published researcher in the area of pediatric cochlear implantation. As part of the UM Children’s Hearing program she provides therapeutic services to children and families. She is an advocate for all children with hearing loss, serves on the Board of Directors at AG Bell and is a member of the American Cochlear Implant Alliance.

This talk will cover research related to the social and emotional functioning in the deaf and hard of hearing population, as well as tools that you may use to screen for social and emotional concerns.  Brief interventions to promote positive mental health will be discussed, as well as the importance and value of seeking a mental health evaluation and connecting with community partners.

Meeting Location:     
Boynton Beach City Hall   |  100 E. Ocean Avenue, Boynton Beach
Use outside entrance (glass doors) facing Seacrest Blvd. to enter J

Barbara Kelley Named to NIH Council of Councils

The National Institutes of Health announced the appointment of seven individuals to the NIH Council of Councils on August 28, 2023, including Barbara Kelley, Executive Director of HLAA. The council was established to advise the NIH Director on policies and activities of the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI), including making recommendations on research that represents important areas of emerging scientific opportunities, rising public health challenges, or knowledge gaps that deserve special emphasis or would otherwise benefit from strategic planning and coordination.

The council is composed of 27 members nominated by the NIH Institutes and Centers (IC) and offices within the Office of the Director (OD). Council members bring knowledge of their individual IC and OD offices’ missions and operations, not as official representatives, but to provide advice beyond the research agenda of any individual IC. “I welcome these distinguished individuals to the Council of Councils,” said Acting DPCPSI Director, and Council of Councils Chair, Robert W. Eisinger, Ph.D., “We look forward to gaining from their scientific knowledge and expertise in planning and conducting the diverse activities of the division.”

The following new members will serve on the council through Oct. 31, 2028: • Monica Gandhi, M.D., M.P.H., University of California, San Francisco • Rafael A. Irizarry, Ph.D., Harvard Univ., Boston, MA • Barbara Kelley, Hearing Loss Association of America, Bethesda, MD • Jean A. King, Ph.D., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, MA • Michael I. Kotlikoff, V.M.D., Ph.D., Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY • Jennifer J. Manly, Ph.D., Columbia Univ., NYC, NY • Lauren Silvis, J.D., Tempus, Inc., Washington, DC.

For more news from the Hearing Loss Association of America, visit the news page at hearingloss.org.

National Award for Local Advocate

The Hearing Loss Association of America “2023 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 HLAA national “Get in the Hearing Loop” Committee. They successfully advocated for the addition of “Assistive Hearing Loop” as an accessibility attribute on Google Maps just last year. Since then, they have updated Google Maps with verified data on thousands of locations that provide a hearing loop system, the consumer-preferred technology for hearing access/clarity in all types of public spaces.

For those who may not know, hearing loop systems broadcast filtered sound, wirelessly, to the T-Coil (telecoil) built into virtually all brands of hearing aids, cochlear implants and loop receivers. For those who do know of a looped location that is not currently identified on Google Maps, please use this form to add the location!

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 >>