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 >>

What can the Palm Beach County Office of Equal Opportunity do to Help You?

The October 2019 meeting of the HLAA Chapter for South Palm Beach County featured a speaker who did a wonderful job of explaining what her office does to protect people from discrimination in housing, employment and places of public accommodation.

Pam Guerrier, Director of the County’s Office of Equal Opportunity, made it very clear that the burden of an investigation falls on her staff – not the general public. Residents of the county merely have to bring information, including simple “hunches,” to her office and they will be fully investigated. The other important message for chapter members: “Your one and only job is to explain to the operator/manager of a public space what your disability is and how they need to accommodate you. There is no need to carry a doctor’s note or any evidence of what your disability is.” Her example: If you speak to a theater manager, explain that you are hearing impaired or deaf and describe the type(s) of assistance that will allow you to hear/understand/participate in that venue — from Captions to Loops to ASL — and how the assistance/technology will accommodate your specific needs.

For more information, or to file a complaint notice with Pam’s office, visit Palm Beach County’s website for the OEO. Click here for the complaint form related to spaces of public accommodation. Phone: 561-355-4884 or 561-355-1517 (TTY/TDD)

Office of Equal Opportunity’s Mission Statement

The Office of Equal Opportunity’s (OEO) mission is to promote a discrimination free quality of life for Palm Beach County residents through educating and advocating a policy of nondiscrimination and enforcing local, state and federal civil rights laws.

OEO is responsible for investigating and resolving complaints of discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, marital status or familial status and gender identity or expression. Additionally, OEO provides human relations training and referral services. OEO is a federally recognized equivalent agency under the federal civil rights laws – Title VII (employment discrimination cases) and Title VIII (fair housing cases). Through OEO, Palm Beach County residents have direct access to protection of civil rights laws.

OEO also is responsible for the County’s Disability Accessibility program. This program assures that County government and countywide organizations and public facilities maintain compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act by enforcing the County’s Handicapped Parking Program and helps to remedy discrimination against persons with disabilities in housing, access to facilities and services, employment and all other areas of equal access.