The Association of Late-Deafened Adults, Inc. (ALDA) supports the World Health Organization in their annual outreach of World Hearing Day to help empower those we serve: Late-Deaf, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing. ALDA does this by working to provide the right tools and support groups to not only survive, but to thrive with hearing loss and our hearing allies.
Finding you or someone you know who cannot understand what is being said and/or might be:
- Missing out during general discussions?
- Finding relationships strained with family or friends stressed due to difficulties to hear and understand what is being said?
- Struggling in the classroom, at work, or gatherings to communicate or understand?
- Having others say, “You don’t act or look hard of hearing or deaf!” or that “You should simply try harder.”, as if there is no underlying cause?
- Becoming more isolated?
ALDA is here to help! ALDA comes together as a family, the Late-Deafened, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing. A family comprised of individuals who respect identity without question and ensure everyone is included, always!
ALDA understands when one journeys away from a hearing world, or where they can no longer understand what is being said, they need support and guidance to know how to connect. Many may not know sign language, how to lip read, or know about various technological devices. The lack of the right tools can leave them feeling isolated and disconnected from family and friends. The emotional discord can be overwhelming. ALDA understands these concerns and provides the proper tools to replace the fear of the unknown and empower our members in a variety of ways such as:
- Help in finding new ways to remain connected and communicate with hearing family members and friends.
- Help with emotional support in the real struggles behind the shift from what was working and no longer does and the inability to understand what is being said.
- Help and advocacy for all those who are Late-Deafened, Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing through legislation to make our world more accessible.
- Help through educational material, newsletters and e-blasts to connect and educate our ALDA members and the general population about hearing loss.
- Help through the all-inclusive accessible Association of Late-Deafened Adults Annual Convention, ALDAcon, held in various parts of the United States each calendar year. #ALDAcon
- Help in the continued outreach and support through our outstanding volunteers required to sustain the ongoing outreach and support of ALDA.
- Help in reaching out to EVERYONE 18 and older.
Whether someone has had long-standing hearing loss or lost hearing quickly, we all have a common thread: Having hearing loss means we may not know what is being said, so we work together to identify ways to help us communicate and remain connected. This is the core to ALDA’s founding communication philosophy of Whatever Works to remain connected: lip-reading, speech-reading, ASL, voice to text apps, captioning or something as simple as pen and paper. Step away from the isolation and into the support and empowerment of the ALDA family. We welcome you because communication in any form is what truly matters.
Join ALDA in our continued effort provide support and learn effective communication strategies with friends and family. Communication with assistive listening devices, other technologies and apps, hearing aids, cochlear implants, bone anchored hearing systems, lip reading, sign language, legal advocacy, mental support, relationships, coping and more. Welcome home. One might lose their hearing, but they can find the support needed through their ALDA family!
Lost my hearing, found my family! Welcome to ALDA!
#ALDAROCKS!
