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 >>

Google Maps Now Identifies Places with Assistive Hearing Loops!

Read the full article by Cheri Perazzoli (GITHL Program) about this terrific new tool that allows people with hearing loss to plan ahead and “know before you go” — whether or not you will be welcome and able to connect to a hearing loop system while in “spaces of public accommodation.” Not only will you find out where the loops are, you may provide feedback, comments and photos for Google Maps business listings.

Click here for article as PDF >>