The Nation's Voice for People with Hearing Loss
Massachusetts advocates were thrilled to learn that Governor Deval signed HB 52 into law August 7, 2012.
House Bill 52, “An Act to Provide Access to Hearing Aids for Children” would mandate insurance coverage for hearing aids for children 21 years old and younger, up to $2,000 per hearing aid every 36 months. On August 2, 2012 the Massachusetts State Legislature passed HB 52, a moment eight long years in the making.
Call on Your Senator to Support the
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Last week, July 26, 2012, on the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, HLAA watched as the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations voted to send the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) to the Senate Floor for a vote. The room was packed with disability advocates who could barely restrain themselves from applause as the vote was taken.
But we are not done yet. To ratify a treaty, two-thirds of the Senate – a supermajority – must agree. We need see strong bi-partisan support to get approval of CRPD in the Senate. Every Senator needs to hear from the disability community.
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News from the White House
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On Thursday, July 26, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern, please tune in as the White House observes the 22nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and hosts a discussion on the state of disability policy. You can tune into the live stream which will have live captioning at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
Hearing Loss Association of America is thrilled to learn Cinemark in Arizona will provide neckloops and receivers to patrons. Resulting from a lawsuit brought by the Arizona Attorney General’s Civil Rights Division, this settlement agreement is, to the best of our knowledge, the first time neckloops are being provided in commercial movie theaters. However, with the 2010 ADA Standards now in place, we expect to see more theaters adopting neckoops and looping technology. We commend Cinemark for providing this access to patrons, for committing to maintaining the equipment in working order, training staff and making efforts to ensure the community knows about the availability of the neckloops in their theaters.
Urgent: Calls Needed NOW to Support the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Last week's warm reception in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was good for people with disabilities but it provoked a storm of calls from the opposition led by the Homeschool Legal Defense Association and Rick Santorum. We need to raise our voices in determined response!
HLAA supports ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Let your Senator know where you stand!
HLAA supports ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Part of Marcia Dugan’s legacy as past president of Hearing Loss Association of America (then SHHH) and the International Federation of Hard of Hearing People was her involvement in the ad hoc sessions of the CRPD. She worked with others to ensure that issues related to hearing loss were included in the Convention, particularly in the articles on access, access to communication, education, and health care.
June 18, 2012, Hearing Loss Association of America sent letters to the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator John Kerry, and the Ranking Member of that committee, Senator Richard Lugar, urging the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the entire U.S. Senate to act quickly to ratify the U. N. Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. HLAA was honored to be present at the ceremony when US at the UN in July, 2009 when the US signed onto CRPD. We were thrilled to learn of the submission of CRPD by the Obama Administration to the U.S. Senate for ratification. Moreover we applaud the unified statement of bipartisan support for United States ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that has been issued by seven senators. In their statement, Senators McCain (R-AZ), Durbin (D-IL), Moran (R-KS), Harkin (D-IA), Barrasso (R-WY), Coons (D-DE), and Udall (D-NM) affirm that the treaty upholds the American values of non-discrimination and equal access for persons with disabilities in all areas of life.
The Smithsonian Institution is committed to making the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival accessible and enjoyable for visitors with disabilities. The 2012 Festival features “Campus and Community: Public and Land-grant Universities and the USDA at 150,” “Citified: Arts and Creativity East of the Anacostia River” and “Creativity and Crisis: Unfolding The AIDS Memorial Quilt.”
The 10-day Festival, held outdoors on the National Mall between Seventh and 14th streets, will take place from Wednesday, June 27, through Sunday, July 1, and Wednesday, July 4, through Sunday, July 8. Admission is free. Festival hours are from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day, with concerts, special events and dance parties extending into most evenings.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tom Harkin (D-IA), John Barrasso (R-WY), Chris Coons (D-DE) and Tom Udall (D-NM) today announced their support for U.S. ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Senate consent to U.S. ratification of CRPD will recognize the fundamental values of non-discrimination and equal access for persons with disabilities in all areas of life and help protect Americans with disabilities who work and travel abroad from discrimination, including disabled veterans.
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