State commission needed for deaf, deafblind and the hard of hearing

As May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, it was heartening to read in “Coverage for hearing aid sought,” May 3, about Let’s Amplify NYs advocacy for legislation for mandatory coverage of hearing aids by insurers, and also Andrew Duncan’s letter (“Fireworks displays are a poor way to celebrate,” May 3, concerning the dangers, which can produce a sound output from 150 to 175 decibels, well above levels that can result in hearing loss for adults and children.

There is another piece of legislation now making its way through our state Legislature that demands our support and attention. Bill A6710B/S1852 seeks to establish a State Commission for the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing. The Commission for the Blind was established in 1913, but New York is one of just 12 states lacking a body for the deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing communities.

Blindness and mobility disability innately tug at our heartstrings, but hearing loss is much more difficult to identify through observation alone. Howard “Rocky” Stone, founder of Hearing Loss Association of America, referred to hearing loss as “an invisible condition.” To Helen Keller, deafness meant “the loss of the most vital stimulus — the sound of the voice that brings language, sets thoughts astir and keeps us in the intellectual company of man.”

MaryKate Owen

Albany President, Hearing Loss Association of America, Albany

Chapter Secretary, New York State Association of the Hearing Loss

Association of America