Accessibility for People with Hearing Loss
The Center for Hearing and Communication offers indirect and direct support for people who are hard of hearing, deaf, and deaf-blind in their struggles to gain communication and other access in places of public accommodation, the workplace, and government facilities. We offer programs designed to educate both consumers and the general public, providing information needed to make access a reality.
Working with coalitions of organizations representing people who are deaf and hard of hearing on the local, state, and national level, as well as working independently, the Center provides vital input on issues related to people with hearing loss to Federal, State and Local government offices, by responding to requests for written comments, by providing public testimony, conducting workshops and initiating as well as supporting proposed legislation.
Consumers, organizations and businesses are encouraged to contact us for information, referral, training, and for direct assistance at (917) 305-7810 or nnadler@CHChearing.org.
Mobile Hearing Test Unit
The Center operates a Mobile Hearing Test Unit that takes to the streets of NYC to promote hearing health through hearing loss detection, prevention, conservation, and education. To date, over 250,000 infants, children and adults have had a hearing screening on board our Mobile Hearing Test Unit.
We invite individuals, foundations, and other organizations to become a sponsor of the Mobile Unit and bring hearing healthcare to your employees or local community.
- Employee Benefit: Offer hearing screenings as a valuable hearing health benefit to your employees or members of your organization. Detecting hearing loss will benefit employee communication and productivity.
- Community Outreach: Sponsor the Mobile Unit to visit schools, health fairs, community events, city parks and any other citywide destinations. Disseminate information on company products while offering a community service, display corporate signage, and take advantage of this press worthy story – pitch media surrounding the sponsorship.
- Project PATH (Preschool Access to Hearing): Through generous foundation and private support, the Center launched a program in 2005 to screen preschoolers for hearing loss. To date, more than 13,000 preschoolers have been screened throughout underserved New York City neighborhoods. Early diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss is critical to successful development of a child's linguistic, cognitive, social, and emotional skills. With timely intervention and timely treatment, every New York City child can have the opportunity to realize his or her full potential.
Learn more about the Mobile Hearing Test Unit.
Family Resource Center
Welcome to the Family Resource Center - an interactive educational tool for families seeking information and services about hearing loss. We invite you to learn from our panel of hearing health experts, read the indispensable "A Parent's Guide to Hearing Loss: One Step at a Time (An Auditory/Oral Approach)," find out about educational workshops for all ages, and discover resources to help you advocate for yourself or child.
The Family Resource Center's programs and services are made possible by the generous support of The Bodman Foundation, the J. C. Kellogg Foundation, the Milbank Foundation for Rehabilitation, the Morgan Stanley Foundation/VIP Program, and The Thomas and Agnes Carvel Foundation.
Ask the Experts
Take advantage of our online Q&A forum called "Ask the Experts." It gives you direct access to CHC hearing healthcare professionals. Tap into the expertise and insight of our audiologists, speech-language pathologists, psychologists and social workers to get guidance on the issues that matter most to you. There are three ways you can contact the Family Resource Center:
- Click here to email your question about hearing loss directly to our panel of experts;
- Phone the Family Resource Center at our toll free number, (877) 544-4327;
- Visit us at 50 Broadway, 6th Floor in New York City, Monday-Friday between 9:00am and 4:00pm (walk-ins are welcome).
All questions and inquiries submitted via email and by phone will automatically be directed to the appropriate CHC professional.
A Parent's Guide to Hearing Loss
Every parent who has a child with hearing loss will find information and take comfort in the online educational kit, A Parent's Guide to Hearing Loss: One Step at a Time (An Audiotory/Oral Approach). This invaluable resource about issues related to childhood hearing loss is for parents, grandparents and providers. We thank the J.C. Kellogg foundation for providing funding.
Educational Videos
CHC offers a series of educational videos featuring our clinicians with expertise in the diverse topics below. Originally developed as live webinars with funding from The Achelis Foundation, the videos are a great source of information for consumers and professionals. Captions are provided. Click below to learn more and view the videos.- Path to Better Listening
- Wireless Connectivity for Better Hearing
- Getting your Child Ready for Summer
- An Introduction to Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
Therapeutic Support Groups
Are you feeling overwhelmed and in need of support and guidance? We offer therapeutic support groups to help guide your journey as you emotionally adapt and improve your life. Click below to learn more about support groups that could help you address your individual emotional challenges. The groups, which meet weekly in an environment equipped with assistive listening devices, are made possible through the generous support of The Achelis Foundation and The Durst Family Foundation.
- Working Professionals who are Hard of Hearing
- Parents of a Child with Hearing Loss
- College Students with Hearing Loss
- Hard of Hearing LGBT People
- Stress Reduction Program for People with Hearing Loss
Referrals, Advocacy and Other Resources
Please contact the Family Resource Center by email or phone at (877) 544-4327 regarding other needs you may have such as:
- "Best practice" books, videos, pamphlets, bibliographies, and reference materials for parent use and information;
- Information about and reference to relevant workshops, seminars, events, and programs;
- Assistance to parents and families in advocating on behalf of the needs of their child (Early Intervention, in and out-of-school supportive services and technology, etc.).
Advocacy
We'd like to acknowledge the significant contribution made by a.b.c./advocates for better communication in the area of advocacy for the communication needs of the 38 million Americans who have a hearing loss. This volunteer group, allied with CHC, has advocated for people with hearing loss since 1991. Members work for hearing access in many areas including phones, TV, theaters, movies, restaurants, hospitals, museums and travel locally, throughout the US and overseas. "For Consumers with Hearing Loss: A Kit for Better Healthcare Access" can be downloaded using the link at the bottom of this page. For more information about a.b.c.'s activities go to a.b.c. Reports. Please address your consumer advocacy questions to nnadler@CHChearing.org.
There has been a lot of interest recently in a.b.c.'s Accessibility Checklist for Museums and Historic Sites. Please click here to download the recently revised checklist which can help museums better understand and accommodate the needs of people with hearing loss as well as help those with hearing loss advocate for technology that can make their museum visits more fulfilling.
Hear Again by Arlene Romoff
Hear Again: Back to Life with a Cochlear Implant is must reading for hearing healthcare professionals, students and consumers interested in learning about hearing loss and cochlear implants.
Arlene Romoff's remarkable story begins with the onset of hearing loss at the age of twenty with no known cause or cure at that time. A gradual descent into deafness follows until hope emerges in the form of a new, cutting-edge technology: the cochlear implant. In Hear Again, Arlene shares her extraordinary story with exceptional insight, candor and humor.
Hear Again is available for purchase at the Center for Hearing and Communication with all proceeds going to CHC.
Click here to read reviews and purchase this book.
The Marjorie Carr Adams Center
for Public Information on Hearing and Deafness
The Marjorie Carr Adams Center for Public Information on Hearing and Deafness, integral to CHC’s Public Education Department, helps people connect to vital information around issues of hearing health, and the programs and services of the Center for Hearing and Communication. Tens of thousands of inquiries from professionals, families, and individuals seeking information and guidance about hearing loss and hearing health come from across the country and around the world, and every single query receives a response. Whether it is communication accessibility, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) entitlements, education advocacy, or healthcare access and emergency planning, thousands of people annually gain help and hope through the Center’s public education workshops, seminars, hearing health fairs, inservice presentations, and community outreach efforts.
We respond to inquiries about hearing loss, including media requests, by phone, mail and email daily. A public education helpline - (877) 544-4327 - makes it easy to access information, support, and education. You'll find our website is a rich educational resource for information on hearing health and hearing conservation.
Center for Healthcare Access
The purpose of the Center for Health Care Access (CHCA) is to ensure that health and mental health care facilities and services are accessible to people who are hard of hearing, deaf or deaf-blind. CHCA is a service of the Center for Hearing and Communication and was established in 1995 under a grant from the New York State Department of Health.
Is your health care facility accessible to people who are hard of hearing, deaf or deaf/blind? Accessibility is a basic need and right, not a privilege!
Is Your Healthcare Facility Accessible?
Healthcare Provider Multimedia Training Program
For Consumers with Hearing Loss: A Kit for Better Healthcare Access - This kit includes information about consumer's hearing accessibility rights, the equipment and services you are entitled to receive, and how to access them. Includes communication tips sheet, over-the-bed placard, instructions sheets and more. Click below to download this valuable resource tool.
Hearing Healthcare Program for Medical Facilities - This kit is designed for use by healthcare facilities to make their premises accessible to persons with hearing loss. Click below to download.
