letsloopseattle

Last week, from 21st-24th, Let’s Loop Seattle had the pleasure of attending The Hearing Loss Association of America’s National Conference in Rhode Island. It was a fun and informative weekend for advocates, educators, and audiologists alike! With a schedule packed full of events, there was never a dull moment.

A temporary hearing loop, installed in the main auditorium, allowed all 1,150 of the attendees to clearly hear David Myers, Ph.D., give the keynote presentation. His fabulous speech about the rapidly expanding “Loop America” movement received a standing ovation.

The large auditorium was the perfect central location to show off the capabilities of an induction loop. During her presentation, Dr. Juliette Sterkens, audiologist and loop advocate, asked the conference attendees if they were currently using the loop. This was the amazing response:

The weekend was incredibly educational and successful. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet many driven, enthusiastic attendees. Let’s Loop Seattle is already looking forward to next summer’s conference. In 2013, the HLAA National Convention will be in a very convenient location for us Seattleites… Portland, Oregon! Save the date: June 27 – 30!

Two weekends ago, Let’s Loop Seattle had the pleasure of attending Accessibility Camp Seattle, an annual “unconference” that focuses on technological accessibility.  The two days were dedicated to brainstorming about and creating accessibility for those with a range of disabilities in Seattle.

ACS was unique because the attendees had the opportunity to choose what topics they wanted to discuss on the first day of the conference. Rather than having a scheduled list of speakers or topics beforehand, the schedule was created by the people at the event. Because there were multiple discussions occurring at once on a range of topics, each attendee had the choice to join the discussion that most related to her organization, or simply sounded the most interesting to her.

It was great to see such a diverse group of designers, coders, policy makers, entrepreneurs, advocates, educators, and more brought together for these two days. Through discussions, demonstrations, and networking, many new ideas were born. Someone even suggested to Let’s Loop Seattle that it might be possible to create a portable hearing loop in a cell phone! How convenient would that be?!

Although the next Accessibility Camp in Seattle isn’t for another year, there are many throughout the world and country in the next year. If you’re local, you can start brainstorming for next year now, and comment below if you have any great ideas about new hearing or induction loop technology!

On Saturday, June 9th from 10AM to 5PM, the Northgate Mall is hosting the What If? Expo, an event dedicated to teaching you how to create an effective emergency preparedness plan for you and your family.

The expo will have booths and presentations from many of the leading experts in emergency preparedness. The materials and speeches available will cover a variety of important tips and concepts, from earthquake safe spots to making diaster kits.

You can look forward to some great speakers throughout the day, ranging from The American Red Cross to the Seat­tle Office of Emer­gency Management. We’re most excited for the presentation from the Seat­tle Com­mis­sion for Peo­ple with Disabilities from 12:30-1:00pm.

Citizens with disabilities, including hearing loss, are at higher risk during emergencies. Hearing loss affects approximately 17% of American adults: we need to prepare even more extensively for emergencies, and ensure we have assistive listening devices in our own emergency kits. Portable loops and pocket talkers are just two examples of small, portable assistive listening devices that could make dealing with an emergency slightly easier.

Want to experience a portable loop? Come by the Seattle Commission for People with Disabilities booth at the Expo. There will be a Portable Info Loop available to test!

We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

Check out these great videos that are part of Sertoma’s “A Sound Investment” advocacy campaign: