Our June meeting will look further into recent developments in hearing assistance technology, with more about Auracast. We’ll view several video presentations on the topic.
At the Jeanes Library on June 6, 2023 5:30 to 7:30. Please join us.
Save the Date: MontCo is again planning a picnic on July 30, 2023 for members and friends of HLAA in Southeast Pennsylvania. At Fort Washington State Park MH-3 pavilion. Watch for details here.
Our May 2 meeting will include a recap of the regional conference on April 20, which many of us attended. It featured humorist and author Gael Hannan and an overview of Bluetooth Auracast, the new generation of hearing assistance technology for streaming to hearing aids, presented by Linda Kozma-Spytek.
We’ll also talk about other topics of interest to the hearing loss community.
…..Meeting attendees.
In lieu of our regular first-Tuesday meeting, members are encouraged to attend the conference presented by HLAA-PA on Saturday April 29.
WHEN: Saturday, April 29, 2023, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: St. David’s Episcopal Church, 763 South Valley Forge Road Wayne, PA 19087
COST PER PERSON: $35 (includes continental breakfast and buffet lunch)
It will include:/
Becoming that Fabulous Person with Hearing Loss – presented by Gael Hannan
As a person with lifelong hearing loss, Gael Hannan has learned a few lessons along the
way. Come find out what we must add to our life when we can’t delete our hearing loss.
and
Bluetooth LE Audio: A look under the hood– presented by Linda Kozma-Spytek, M.A., CCC-A
Bluetooth LE Audio is what enables AuracastTM broadcast audio, which is
expected to become the next generation assistive listening technology. The talk will cover all the latest in Bluetooth technology and its capabilities.
Details and registration form available at:
https://hlaa-pa.org/docs/AprilConf3.pdf
Our next regular meeting will be on May 2.
There were 10 in attendance, including Dr. Jing Shen, Director, Speech Perception and Cognition Lab at Temple, who described her work there and elsewhere
The MontCo HLAA Chapter will meet on March 7 at 5:30 at the Jeanes Library. The topic will be Over the Counter Hearing Aids, and will feature a recent webinar from the national HLAA office. Dr. Thomas Power explained the current status of OTC HA’s in a November session. He is a professor and expert audiology industry consultant.
Over the Counter Hearing Aids are becoming a reality at last. This presentation will describe the current state of affairs. If you are not a candidate for OTC’s, you may find yourself being asked questions about them, questions that this presentation will answer.
At the Jeanes Library, 5:30 to 7:30 pm on March 7. The presentation will be captioned and the loop system will be in use.
Please join us. Visitors welcome.
About a dozen members and friends of HLAAMCC enjoyed holiday desserts and conversation, in spite of rain and fog.
/We will not meet in January and February, Please plan to join us on March 7, 2023, and watch this space for details.
Please plan to join us on Tuesday, October 4, at 5:30 pm We will meet in person at Jeanes Library.
There were twelve in attendance. Judy Shugarts of the Chester County chapter spoke about her experience with a variety of wireless microphone systems. They vary a good deal in functional details, cost, and overall performance.
Our November meeting will be an online event on the 16th, and will be a presentation about the Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation PATF. The website https://patf.us/ explains the organization in detail.
Our Holiday Party will be held on December 6. Details later..
In addition to continuing to re-connect after the disruption of COVID, we have two items on our agenda. They are:
1) Demonstration of the Onn omnidirectional microphone by Judy Shugarts.
2) Discussion of a question raised at a previous meeting: Do you feel isolated when, despite using all of the recommended strategies, you can’t hear family members – at meals, playing games, sharing stories., etc..?
Please plan to join us for what promises to be an informative and engaging meeting. Tuesday, October 4, at 5:30 pm.
Hoping to see you on October 4!
Visitors are welcome. Please join us.
Cathie Harvey and Andy Walker
/
Please join the Montgomery County Chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America for an in-person meeting at the Jeanes Library. This is our first in-person, indoor meeting since March 2020. It will be a perfect time for newcomers to learn about the HLAA and for current members to re-connect and tap into our community of support. We will bring our collective experience to bear on questions and concerns of living with the range of assistive devices that we so depend upon.
Please note: The room at Jeanes is looped and can be accessed by telecoil. The library requests that we observe basic COVID public safety guidelines. Masks are optional as of late August.
Jeanes Library is located at 4051 Joshua Road, Lafayette Hill, 19444. We will gather at 5:30 PM and will end by 7:30 PM.
We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, September 6 , at 5:30 PM.
Andy Walker, President
Cathie Harvey, Treasurer
The group met in person for the first time in over two years, in the shaded garden behind the Jeanes Library. We were nine, with Bucks, Delaware, and Chester Counties represented as well as Montgomery.
It was a social gathering and a discussion of how to proceed as we get past the pandemic. Cathie Harvey led a discussion of the future of individual chapters and the possibility of a more regional type of meeting. This might involve both physical and virtual gatherings.
The Jeanes Library is now on a mask-optional status, and MontCo expects to meet in September and October in the Community Room. Further details on this site, hlaamcc.org
DEG 20220725
After a break in January and February, our Mont Co HLAA will meet on March 1, from 6 to 7 pm on Zoom. We will have chapter updates and an opportunity to share and connect. Please note the date/time and plan to join us. A Zoom link will be provided to those on our list. If you are not sure if you are on that list, please contact us using the contact form below.
We do not plan to meet in April. If the pandemic subsides adequately, we might be able to meet in person in May.
The New York City HLAA chapter maintains a list of online events of interest to the hearing loss community. You can find it HERE
Our December meeting has always been our holiday party and this year we are continuing our tradition – on Zoom. We will gather on Zoom from 6 PM to 7 PM on December 7, 2021. In place of our pot luck dinner, we are suggesting that you have your favorite holiday beverage – eggnog, hot cocoa, wine, peppermint latte – on hand. We will share memories of a most appreciated gift – from childhood or another time in our lives.
Covid and the limitations it has on our in-person gatherings is challenging. We still need connections with each other as we navigate our lives with hearing loss. Please join us on December 7. It is one thing we can each do to keep our connections strong .
After December we will not meet again until March, 2022 when we will have an update about Jeanes Library and can think about the months ahead.
Join us on zoom with your favorite holiday drink on December 7 at 6 PM. A reminder and the zoom link will be sent out on December 6. We look forward to being with you and hearing about your most appreciated holiday gift!
HLAA - Montgomery County Chapter 