Volume 38, Issue 1 Winter 2022
Advocacy Corner – Winter 2022
Three cases that have occurred since the last newsletter are worth mentioning. Two of them involve deaf or hard of hearing people, and the one that does not still has the potential to significantly affect us. The first case (Cummings v. Premier Rehab Keller) involves a deaf woman who was referred to a rehabilitation office for physical therapy. The office refused to provide interpreters and said the woman must bring her own interpreter at her expense, a blatantly illegal claim. She sued, asking for damages to compensate her for the injury of being excluded…
President’s Column – Winter 2021-2022
Hello ALDAns and Happy New Year! I want to welcome our two new ALDA Board Members. They are Region I Director Debra Bare-Rogers as well as our new Treasurer Joe Linden. Welcome aboard! I also want to thank Laura Sinclair for her past service to the board as Region I Director and Matt Ferrara for his many years of service as our Treasurer. Matt will be sticking around to help Joe with the transition. The board has hit the ground running and because there were no volunteers to be ALDAcon Planning Chair or Program Chair for 2022, it was decided…
Are you ready for ALDAcon 2022?
ALDAcon registration has officially opened with the lowest rate of the year, the St. Patrick’s Day Special. That rate is $50 less than the Early Bird Special and a full $80 less than the full rate! Sign up now for some great savings to reserve your space. Remember you must be a member to take advantage of the lower rates and our EZ Pay Plan. Sign up or renew now to take advantage of this amazing discount! Do you know someone who would enjoy ALDAcon? You can gift them a membership! Where in the world is ALDAcon 2022? SAN DIEGO!…
Meandering Through the Hearing World: Hearing Hope in the New Year
by Linda Bilodeau During the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, I spent time looking at my life by reviewing the present, the past year, and what I’d like to accomplish in the coming year. As a writer, I produce lists, which helps in my assessment. Additionally, and as someone who has hearing loss, I take a good look at how well I’m hearing, my hearing equipment, my audiological visits, and what I feel I need in the future to help me hear better. Like most people with hearing loss, I find it difficult to hear in a noisy…
Communications Committee Report – Q4 2022
WOW! That was a fun and busy quarter here at the Communications Committee. So much going on with ALDAcon and everything else that happened. If you have comments, please get in touch. The website continues to grow and be a living document with information about: Election results Hints and tips for traveling with hearing loss from the Board. Gift suggestions for the people in your life with hearing loss Chapter/Group updates In addition, ALDA had it’s best holiday season fundraising quarter ever. Giving Tuesday, Amazon Smile and various Facebook fundraising events all helped make this the most successful fundraising campaign…
Treasurer’s Report – Q4 2021
Where has the summer gone? It seems like it just started, but now it is almost Labor Day! By now, ALDAcon planning is completed and the schedule is available on the website. We are looking forward to the Niagara Falls Con this October. Hopefully, we can still have our usual fantastic event and many of you will be vaccinated and able to attend. This report reflects the second quarter end (July 31, 2021). Our total funds in the bank accounts increased by $22,810 during this past quarter. This was due to ALDAcon registrations as well…
One of Us: Debra “Dee” Bare Rogers
This issue’s interview is with Debra “Dee” Bare Rogers, Region 1 Director. As a newcomer, Dee attended 2021 ALDAcon in Niagara Falls. She fit in so well with the community that she decided to run for Regional Director 1! Elected to represent her area, Dee will be taking over from Laura Sinclair. Dee grew up on the West Coast, but now resides in Maine. Her hearing loss was sudden and happened about 8 years ago. Debra works for the State Relay Services offering hearing loss support. Continue reading to find out why Dee is one of us. KK: What…
Regional Director 4: Winter 2022 Report
by David Baldridge, Regional Director 4, with ALDA San Jose lead Celeste Cademartori Region 4 continues to grow in terms of membership with roughly 75 ALDA national members calling Region 4 their home. This region includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon Territories, Pacific Islands, Asia, Australia, New Zealand. We currently have roughly 25 ALDA national members in California, 15 in Washington, 10 in Arizona, 5 members each in the states of Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Utah/Idaho. Similar to other regions, Region…