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The City's Voice
for People with Hearing Loss |
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HLAA Colorado Springs Chapter (HLAA-CS) is the local chapter of the national non-profit Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA). We are a 501(c)(3) charitable organization registered in the State of Colorado.
Our mission is to open the world of communication for people with hearing loss through information, education, support, and advocacy, and to make hearing loss an issue of national concern. |
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Hearing Loss in the Healthcare Setting
Have you experienced problems communicating in the healthcare field due to your hearing loss and the lack of effective communication in person, over the phone, or patient portal?
Have you experienced problems communicating in the healthcare field due to your hearing loss and the lack of effective communication in person, over the phone, or patient portal?
Be part of the solution! For more details, click here, or simply begin by sending the outreach template letter to your hospitals and providers in Colorado. We specifically need patients of Kaiser, Bannerhealth and Centura advocators and ADA coordinators to reach out to the providers in those health groups. (UCHealth is already connected.) Click here for more information. Or, you can type the link into your browser to distribute https://tinyurl.com/HLAAHealthcareTaskForceInfo.
So, You and Your Hearing Loss are Going
to the Hospital -
Guide for Effective Communication
in Health Care Settings
For Everything You Need to Know click here
So, You and Your Hearing Loss are Going
to the Hospital -
Guide for Effective Communication
in Health Care Settings
For Everything You Need to Know click here
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Mission Statement
"To bring people together to promote, support, educate, and create consistent use of hearing loops in Colorado." Click here to find out more!
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Let’s Loop Colorado! is dedicated to increasing the hearing accessibility of Colorado residents and visitors alike to hear clearly by advocating for quality installation of hearing loops in a variety of public and private places across the state. Let’s Loop Colorado! is dedicated to increasing the hearing accessibility of Colorado residents and visitors alike to hear clearly by advocating for quality installation of hearing loops in a variety of public and private places across the state.
This grassroots, volunteer, collaborative initiative brings together the previous initiatives to promote, support, and educate individuals about existing and future hearing loops in Colorado. To learn more, click here.
This grassroots, volunteer, collaborative initiative brings together the previous initiatives to promote, support, and educate individuals about existing and future hearing loops in Colorado. To learn more, click here.
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HLAA Colorado Springs Chapter is a Proud Supporter of "Let's Loop Colorado!"
U.S. House of Representatives Expands Medicare
to Cover Hearing Aids and Services In the months leading up to passage of the bill, HLAA was there to provide the advocacy and education Congress needed to draft the bill.
Read what HLAA advocated for and what made it into the Final House Bill, and what is necessary to make it over the finish line.to become law. There is a long legislative process ahead and HLAA will keep pushing for this coverage. Click here. |
ADVOCACY WORKS!
Write to your U.S. Senators to urge them to include Medicare coverage of hearing aids and hearing health care services with a bill that mirrors the one passed by the House.
Find Your Senator |
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Open Captioned (OC)
Movie Bill - a Civil Rights Issue Colorado’s Senator Joann Ginal, District #14 and Senator Jessie Danielson, District #20 are working for us and they want to hear YOUR voices.
PLEASE SIGN and SHARE the Petition
"Movie Theaters - Open Captions (Subtitles) are Healthier for Everyone" We need both in-state and out-of-state signatures, but ALL Coloradoans need to speak up...if not for yourself, sign up for those who need open captions! 
Typical signage for Movies that are Open Captioned
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Colorado Movie Theaters Offer Open Caption Movies!
What are open captions? Open captions are the stationary on-screen captions of the spoken word in films Click here for theater schedules 
An Afternoon at an Open Captioned Movie by Pauline Weiss
Open captioning at the theater – wow - what a difference watching a movie that has open captions! I found it so enjoyable. Yes, I’ve been to quite a few movies at the theater where you had to pick up Access glasses or a Captiview device to have your own closed captioning in front of you. And without this, I couldn’t hear enough to attend so I was grateful. But, I honestly didn’t expect to be so pleased with the open captioning . First of all, it’s such excellent captioning. When I’m able to read accurate captions immediately as the person speaks, I swear I am hearing it all. But, if I close my eyes however, I realize I cannot understand many words without these captions. Also, with open captions, your eyes stay focused on the screen, enabling you to enjoy the movie scenes so much more. The ease of it is terrific, nothing to lug around or set up, the reliability of the captions was much appreciated and now I am hooked. I want open captioning movies to stay with us. Join HLAA-CS for an outing or go on your own – but I encourage you to try it out. |
Is Hearing Loss Accurately Represented in Mainstream Media?
For most of us who developed hearing loss later in life, our preference is to live in the hearing world.
Of the 48 million Americans who have trouble hearing, only 2 million identify as Deaf and use sign language (ASL). So, why is it that ASL is most often portrayed on the large and small screen?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see our experience — the living with hearing loss experience --
displayed and explained to the world?
Of the 48 million Americans who have trouble hearing, only 2 million identify as Deaf and use sign language (ASL). So, why is it that ASL is most often portrayed on the large and small screen?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see our experience — the living with hearing loss experience --
displayed and explained to the world?
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DID YOU KNOW???
HLAA chapters across the U.S. post their FREE Webinars and Virtual Meetings that are open to anyone to attend. Click here
And, HLAA national office offers FREE Educational and Product/Service Webinars. Click here |
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The HLAA Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter is sponsored by Starkey Hearing
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Veterans Across America
Virtual Chapter Meetings every 3rd Tuesday of the Month 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. MDT Meetings are captioned Register here |
About Our Chapter Meetings and Socials
CART Captioning
Chapter Meetings Offer Free parking, Refreshments, Hearing Loop, Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs), and CART (live captioning) 
This is where
it is OK to not hear well... HLAA Membership is not required to attend HLAA-CS meetings or social activities
However, HLAA membership includes the Hearing Life Magazine (HLM). Each issue of this quarterly publication offers:
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HLAA-CS has gone Virtual!! Due to COVID-19, in-person Chapter meetings and Socials are on hold. But, be sure to join us for our periodic virtual on-line meetings and social hour!
Meetings are free and open to the public. Membership is not required to attend. Regardless of the degree of your hearing loss - or even if you have no hearing loss at all - you, family, friends, co-workers, and professionals are all welcome. Watch for announcements of meetings and socials.
WHAT??
You're not on our newsletter list??? Quick! email us at HLAAColoradoSprings@outlook.com Also, Join Us for
Hearing Friendly Social Activities Held Throughout the Year 
Coffee and Donuts
Hikes
The Best Option is an Open Caption Movie where dialog is imprinted on the bottom of the movie screen - Read, What are open captions?, above, as well as Pauline's article, An Afternoon at an Open Captioned Movie, about her experience. To view an actual clip of an open caption movie, click here
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The HLAA Colorado Springs Chapter Team
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Are you interested in being involved with the Chapter?
Email HLAAColoradoSprings@outlook.com for more information
Email HLAAColoradoSprings@outlook.com for more information
Need Help Paying for Hearing Aids?
If you live in El Paso County, click here for information about
H.E.A.R.S of El Paso County
Need Help Paying for Hearing Aids?
If you live in El Paso County, click here for information about
H.E.A.R.S of El Paso County
About the HLAA Mission Statement
Information
Education
Support
Advocacy
- We provide information on hearing loss, from technological and medical advances, to coping strategies
- We help you become an informed consumer to help you make the best decision on how to deal with hearing loss
- We provide you the tools for self help
- We have speakers who bring you the latest advances in hearing health
Education
- Our primary purpose is to educate ourselves, hearing health care providers, industry, government and others about hearing loss
- We sensitize the general population about the special needs of people who have hearing loss
- We promote understanding of the nature, causes, complications, and remedies for hearing loss.
- We demonstrate many assistive-listening devices (ALDs) that enable you to hear better in challenging listening environments
Support
- We promote self-confidence and empower individuals with skills to improve their lives and to participate fully and successfully in society
- We provide an opportunity for affiliation among people who share the common challenges of living with hearing loss in order to decrease the risk for isolation and depression
- We provide an opportunity for social fellowship and activities in hearing-friendly locations
Advocacy
- We advocate for communication accessibility in the community and at the government level for people with hearing loss
News From National
Download and/or Order HLAA Materials
and Promotional Items!! Click here
and Promotional Items!! Click here
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Sign Up for HLAA's FREE e-News Delivered Straight to Your Inbox
Hearing Life e-News is delivered to 24,000 subscribers, twice per month. Hearing Life e-News keeps readers up to date on the latest news and information on hearing loss. Each issue features high-interest content such as recent legislation and advocacy efforts, technology, new products for hearing loss, human interest stories, webinars, updates on the Walk4Hearing, Convention and information on HLAA Chapter happenings. Click here. HLAA reports on what's happening nationwide to improve accessible communication for people with hearing loss and HLAA's involvement with legislative issues. Read more in HLAA's Newsroom
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