Hearing Loss Association of American has been advocating for people with hearing loss since 1979. Whether it was the Hearing Aid Compatibility Act of 1988, the Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 as well as the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, the 21st Century Video and Communications Act of 2010, or the Over the Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017, HLAA has been in the vanguard of advocacy for people with hearing loss.

Here’s a sample of the work we do every day to ensure that people with hearing loss are not left behind. It’s our mission, our passion and it’s what HLAA does for you.

  • Ensuring that captioned telephone service (IPCTS) is available to everyone who needs it and there are quality standards for captions.
  • Over the Counter Hearing Aid Legislation: Success! A new law, signed August 2017, will allow greater innovation and less expensive hearing devices with the creation of a new category of FDA-approved hearing devices sold over the counter to adults with mild to moderate hearing loss.
  • Hearing Aid Compatible Cell Phones: Working with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Industry to ensure there are more Hearing Aid Compatible cell phones available to consumers.
  • Telecommunications Relay: Providing input to the FCC and industry on the need for access to captioned telephones.
  • Captioning of Entertainment on Airlines: Participating in the ACCESS Committee supported by U.S. Department of Transportation, advocating for captioning of entertainment on airlines and cabin announcements.
  • Advising the Federal Communications Commission (FCC): HLAA serves as member of the FCC’s Disability Advisory Committee.
  • Medicare and hearing aids: Supporting federal legislation that would provide Medicare coverage of hearing aids.
  • Transportation: Participating in the Access Board’s work to make rail vehicles more accessible.
  • Employment: providing one-to-one guidance to employees experiencing discrimination in the workplace.
  • Emergencies: supporting Text to 9-1-1, Real Time Text, and participating in the 9-1-1 Location Accuracy Advisory Group.
  • Member of coaltions for people who are hard of hearing and deaf advocating for access and rights.
  • Global community: member of the WHO’s World Hearing Forum and the Cochlear Implant International Community of Action (CIICA)