Convention 2017 in                    Salt Lake City, Utah!

               http://www.hearingloss.org/content/convention

Salt Palace Convention Center
100 South West Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
Location of Opening Session, Research Symposium, and all workshops

Little America Hotel
500 South Main Street
Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
Location of Friday evening HLAA Stars Come Out (Awards Ceremony & Talent Show) and evening Cranky Cochlea Dinner Theater
 

We are shaking the Convention up for 2017! What’s new and different?

• The name of the event – HLAA2017 Convention (old version would have been Convention 2017). Add a hashtag and you have the start of a tweet! #HLAA2017 is the official Convention hashtag on Twitter.
• The opening night Get Acquainted Party will take place at the CaptionCall headquarters in Salt Lake City and include dinner, entertainment, raffles and tours of the call center.   
• Instead of the Awards Breakfast and Ceremony on Sunday morning, we will be adding a Friday night Awards and Talent event, HLAA Stars Come Out. Stay tuned for more details; it’s not too early to start thinking about what song you will sing, what instrument you will play, or what magic trick you will perform! The winner of the talent show will be the opening act for Gael Hannan'sHuh? Life with a Cranky Cochlea on Saturday evening.
• Sunday will be available for optional tours – more information coming soon. You will want to take some time to see Salt Lake City and the surrounding area – breathtaking!
• Educational workshops will focus on: research on tinnitus and noise; advocacy; hearing assistive technology (HAT); and cochlear implants and hearing aids
• Early-bird registration will open November 1 and close March 31, 2017 (previously closed January 31)

Opening Session Keynote Speaker

It is with great honor that we announce Staff Sgt. (RET.) Shilo Harris as the keynote speaker for HLAA2017. Shilo served in Iraq in 2007 when the Humvee he and three fellow soldiers were in were hit by a roadside bomb. Shilo sustained devastating injuries and a long road to recovery. Today, he is an inspirational speaker and author of Steel Will: My Journey Through Hell to Become the Man I Was Meant to Be. A book signing will be scheduled at HLAA2017 as well.

       
Photographs by Tony Gatlin, fellow Veteran, 911 Pentagon Survivor and owner of Strictly Art Photography

Research Symposium

Hearing Aids and Cochlear Implants: Merging Technologies, Expanding Benefits
Friday, June 23, 9 a.m. – noon
Presenters:  bios and summary of presentation to be posted here soon
Sponsored by:  American Cochlear Implant Alliance

Hearing aids and cochlear implants are no longer separate, distinct and mutually exclusive technologies that serve disparate populations of people who are defined as either “hard of hearing” or “deaf.” Increasingly people are combining the benefits of both platforms to reach even higher levels of performance. Research suggests that combining hearing aids and cochlear implants can be synergistic, bringing people closer and closer to normal hearing. Technologies that combine these devices utilize improved sound processing strategies, new electrode configurations, sleek processor designs, Bluetooth, and telecoil to enhance usability and performance. These changes have expanded the candidate population and blurred the lines between hearing aids and cochlear implants.

Looking ahead, even greater numbers of people will wear devices that combine the two technologies. Among the greatest challenges will be improving awareness about the benefit derived from such technology mergers and ensuring that access to care is available for all who need it. Collaborations between consumers, hearing care professionals, researchers, insurers, manufacturers, and government can help bridge the enormous gap that currently exists between who can benefit and who has access to care.

Cranky Cochlea Dinner Theater
Saturday, June 24

Huh?  Life with a Cranky Cochlea
A hilarious and poignant performance about the hearing loss life performed by Gael Hannan, renowned hearing loss advocate. With musical guests – announced soon!