Who Should Belong to HLAA? People with any level of hearing loss If you currently wear hearing aids, or use a cochlear implant, then you need to belong to HLAA. Hearing loss is not a "spectator sport". Making the most of your hearing and the technology and strategies that you use to enhance your hearing and communication is a continual learning process. Local chapters give you a chance to meet and share information with others who are successfully making the most of their hearing. There is much to learn and HLAA membership and participation in a local chapter is one of the absolute best ways to make the most of your hearing. People considering a hearing aid or a cochlear implant Buying hearing aids or deciding to have a cochlear implant is a MAJOR decision and a SIGNIFICANT financial commitment. It only makes sense to learn from others who've been through it (SUCCESSFULLY) about what to expect, what features work the best and how they might benefit you. There's no better place to find and meet successful people with hearing loss that at an HLAA local chapter meeting (or at the National HLAA convention). Joining HLAA and reading the unbiased articles in the wonderful magazine can give you the right perspective to prepare you to be a successful consumer when you finally do go shopping. Family and friends of people with hearing loss Hearing loss affects not only the person with the loss, but everyone around them. Parents of children, children of parents, spouses, siblings or even friends of people with hearing loss need to be aware of how to help or communicate best with someone they care about who has a hearing loss. HLAA provides help for everyone affected by hearing loss, whether it's their own hearing loss or someone they care for. Professionals involved with hearing loss There are many professionals who need to understand the consumer side of hearing loss: audiologist, hearing aid dealers, speech therapists, physicians (ENTs, Otolaryngologists, Otologists, Otorhynolaryngologists), counselors, vocational rehabilitation specialists, educators, legislators. HLAA provides a unique opportunity to view hearing loss from the inside out, to meet with and share ideas with people actually dealing successfully with hearing loss. Church and business leaders If your church or business isn't accessible to people with hearing loss, then you should be very interested. With so many of your customers or members having some degree of hearing loss, it makes good business sense to distinguish your church or business by making it more accessible. There are dramatic advances in hearing assistance technology that make it possible for your church or business to be accessible to people with hearing loss. It's estimated that one in ten people have some level of hearing loss, and many of them need better access if they are going to be members or customers of your church or business. HLAA offers access to unbiased information about how to make your church or business more accessible. People interested in advocating for hearing loss resources Technology and disability laws are finally actually making some real strides in making the world accessible to people with hearing loss. We need to advocate for better and more available hearing aid and cochlear implant insurance policies. We need to advocate for better aural rehabilitation opportunities. By pooling our advocacy resources under the credentials of HLAA, we can make a bigger difference when we educate the public, businesses, and legislators about what works.