This year was a great one for CHHA-NL. We had a hard time picking just 10 highlights. We broke new ground and have accomplished a lot. As we plan for continued growth in 2016 we thought we’d take a look back at the year that was!
1. We Launched An Innovative Custom-Made Earplug Vending Machine At Mile One Centre
We launched the vending machine to increase public awareness of noise-induced hearing loss, and to encourage individuals to protect their hearing in potentially noisy public environments such as stadiums and concert venues. The earplug vending machine is the same as units used at the Daytona InternationalSpeedway in Daytona, Florida.
2. We Stood Up For The Rights Of People With Hearing Loss
If we were to select one advocacy issue from the past year it would be advocating for hearing accomodations at MUN, including sending a formal letter of complaint to the university. You may remember that William Sears was forced to drop a class because his professor refused to wear an FM system to help him hear. This is just one of many hard of hearing advocacy issues that we’re focused on and we look forward to sharing a host of advocacy material with you in the coming months.
3. We Got Some Pretty Great Donations
We received some great donations, including this $3000 donation from the VOCM Cares Foundation to help with our weekend summer camp.
4. We Hosted Our First Soundings Youth Workshop
We began hosting Youth Vibrations, every two years, over a decade ago. This year we introuduced Soundings: a regional leadership workshop for hard of hearing youth.
5. We Presented Our Annual Community Recognition Awards To Four Very Deserving Individuals
St. John’s Sports and Entertainment Ltd. has shown significant support by allowing the installation of the association’s earplug vending machine pilot project at Mile One, which is a first for such a venue in the province. Tara Lynch of St. John’s Sports and Entertainment was instrumental in making this happen.
Mike Fleming has a passion for making public spaces hearing accessible. Through his efforts to date, he has helped to improve hearing accessibility at the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre and at St. John’s City Hall. He is continuing his efforts to improve hearing accessibility at other public venues.
Jennifer Brown has created significant awareness of what it means to live with a hearing loss. She has given presentations to teachers, parents, other students, and the general public. Through her participation in the Miss Achievement Scholarship Program and the subsequent media attention she has raised public awareness of hearing loss issues.
Noreen Brazil has done a great job in advocating for better access to cochlear implant technology and support services for repairs and replacement of parts. Noreen is also a vibrant member of the CHHA-NL Advocacy Working Group.
6. We Partnered With The Government Of Newfoundland and Labrador Department Of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development To Launch The Provincial Fire Alert Project
Many people who have hearing loss are not able to hear a conventional fire alarm because of the alarm’s pitch. Our partnership with the government has allowed us to provide fire alert systems to help protect hard of hearing individuals from fires.
For more information and to access an application, click here.
7. We Journeyed Across Our Beautiful Province Providing Hearing Loss Information During Our 2015 Hearing Matters Roadshow
We hope to be going on the road again this June.
8. We Had The Opportunity To Share The Stories Of Several Interesting And Inspiring Individuals Who Have Hearing Loss
Missed one of these inspiring stories? Follow the links below for a surge of inspiration!
Michelle Edwards
Jennifer Brown
William Sears
Dora Skinner
9. We Had a Blast at our Summer Camp
The theme for this year’s camp was “Let Your Dreams Set Sail”. We had nautically inspired activities, games and props. With our generous donation from the VOCM Cares Foundation we were able to make this year’s camp bigger and better than ever!
10. We Had Our Best May Month Yet; Inlcuding A Sold Out Crowd For Sue Thomas at Hearing Matters Day
From Hearing Matters Day to the Norah Browne Speak-Off we had a jam-packed May Month. Stay tuned for updates regarding this year’s May Month activities.