News
Dear members and friends of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association-BC Chapter (CHHA-BC),
On behalf of our board president, Ruth Warick, The Canadian Hard of Hearing Association-BC (CHHA-BC) Chapter is honoured to invite you to The Way We Hear It! A Community Engagement Exhibition, at the Albion Community Centre in Maple Ridge, on May 1 st , 2024, from 3-4:30pm for an opening launch gathering. This very special exhibit has been made possible by our sponsors and collaboration of community partners in hearing health. This exhibit will provide an interactive, hands-on experience that will educate the general public of all ages about our auditory system, hearing health, hearing loss, diverse treatments and solutions, as well as promote our community of people with hearing loss.
Given your commitment to the deaf and hard of hearing community, we believe this would be an excellent opportunity for you to join us in celebrating Better Hearing and Communication Month, in May. The Way We Hear It! will engage the public of all ages with the concept of hearing health, and they will learn first hand how CHHA-BC works to promote public awareness of hearing health and hearing loss for the province of British Columbia.
Now, more than ever, we are being called upon to spread awareness of hearing health and increase accessibility for all. With the pandemic creating pronounced communication challenges for those with even a mild degree of hearing loss, and the launch of BC’s own Accessibility Act, our hearing health is truly becoming everyone’s affair. We are delighted to answer this call for British Columbians via The Way We Hear It!
Please contact Henry Kutarna at info@chha-bc.org by responding to this email for more information and to discuss this invitation further. We look forward to your attendance at this very special exhibition and to your engagement in our exciting work on behalf of people living with hearing loss, their families, hearing health professionals, educators, and organizations in our community.
Sincerely,
Henry Kutarna
April 2023 Joint CHHA-BC/CHHA Vancouver Joint Webinar on Transportation Issues for those with Hearing Loss
ANTE Program
To learn more, visit the following website: https://www.chha.ca/
Download the Program Brochure here: https://chha-bc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ANTE-Program-Brochure-.pdf
CHHA-BC and CHHA Vancouver Joint Webinar Video
Coffee Date (25th March 2023)
Social Media Updates
I am pleased to announce that CHHA-BC has approved a social media strategy that we believe will improve our relationship with stakeholders and provide better information to everyone who cares about hearing loss.
Beginning on November 15th, every Friday, we will publish something of value on our social media network via Facebook, Instagram, and our website.
We cordially INVITE YOU to provide content. Your content should be short (no more than 200 words), personal about hearing loss, and can include photos and text. Examples could be your upcoming events, updates on past events, stories about hearing loss, stories about how people have coped with hearing loss, etc. Ian Yuen will be in charge of content, and you should send him your content directly (Ian Yuen,
CHHA-BC Social Media ianyuen98@gmail.com).
Ian will follow a calendar of themes, such as the AGM, Branch activities, Workshops, Youth Peer Support Events, etc., and he will always be ready to receive your input and content.
Please note that all contributions are subject to the review of our editorial committee, and submission of an item does not necessarily guarantee its publication on our social media channels. Please send materials directly to Ian. Please also note that Ian works closely with Karen Stierhoff, CHHA-BC Communications Coordinator. She is responsible for The Loop publication and will have access to
anything you send to Ian in case it should be published in The Loop (communications@chha-bc.org).
Participate in the “Find Your Quiet Place” challenge
When choosing a restaurant, coffee shop, or another venue, do you think about how loud it might be? Wouldn’t it be nice if there was some way to find out without having to go there?
The SoundPrint app provides exactly that kind of service. The noise ratings are contributed by users of the app. To expand the data collection, SoundPrint has organized the “Find Your Quiet Place” challenge for the month of October. There are 34 partner organizations participating.
We encourage CHHA-BC members and friends to take part. All you have to do is download the free app and submit sound levels wherever you go. There are even prizes for the most submissions. Details are here.
Welcome to New CHHA-BC Staff
Shehana Mirza as Project Coordinator beginning September 1st, 2022.
Her focus will be managing the Youth Peer Support Program and the Hearing Health Program, as well as coordinating the movement of the hearing exhibit around the province on a regular basis.
Karen Stierhoff started as Communications Officer also on September 1st, 2022.
Her responsibility will be the editing and production of our quarterly newsletter and occasionally drafting content on publications and correspondence on policy matters.
Share your thoughts on how ageism affects older Canadians
We are pleased to inform you that the Federal, Provincial, and Territorial (FPT) Ministers Responsible for Seniors Forum has launched a consultation on ageism. We are looking to understand better and address the negative impacts of ageism on older adults in Canada.
This public consultation focuses on how older adults experience ageism and potential solutions to address it.
How to participate:
We invite you to participate in this consultation by completing the questionnaire and sharing your story on the website
(https://esdc-consultations.canada.ca/ageism-consultation ) on September 30, 2022.
We are interested in your personal experiences, how you or someone you know has been affected by ageism if there were any supports or programs that helped in the situation and anything that could have been done to prevent it.
This consultation will be followed by community-led group discussions, roundtables (by invitation only), as well as engagement discussions with members of First Nations, Métis and Inuit groups in the fall of 2022.
Your feedback will be summarized in a What We Heard Report. This will help to inform the development of a Policy Options Report, which will propose approaches, initiatives, and strategies to address ageism in Canada.
For more information, visit our website (https://esdc-consultations.canada.ca/ageism-consultation) and share this email within your network. Please like and share on social media to help spread the word about this important consultation.
We are also pleased to let you know that the Forum has recently released two reports on Ageism, which you are invited to read at your convenience:
- An Examination of the Social and Economic Impacts of Ageism
- A Case Study on Ageism During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Thank you in advance for your support.
CHHA-BC – August 2022
The Way We Hear It! A Community Engagement Exhibition.
The exhibit has completed its showcase for the entire month of May at the Okanagan Science Centre which engaged a total of 2252 members of the general public and our community of people with hearing loss. It was an incredible journey to make this dream a reality for CHHA-BC. Our goal is to make this a modular exhibit that will travel to different regions of the province each year in order to fulfill our mission of increasing awareness of hearing health.
Here are the highlights of The Way We Hear It! 2022:
May 1st: Opening day! Hearing screening was offered for the first week of May by Interior Health audiologists for those who wanted to learn more about their own hearing levels and where to receive audiology services.
May 2nd: Bowen Tang, Engagement Manager of Cochlear Americas hosted two talks at the science centre about “What to do when hearing aids are not enough,” which explored the use and candidacy criteria for cochlear implants.
May 12th: CHHA-BC and the Okanagan Science Centre celebrated the success of The Way We Hear It! in Vernon, BC, with dedicated volunteers and a community of people with hearing loss, community partners and organizations, professionals in the fields of audiology and speech pathology, ASL educators, and members of Vernon’s city council. We had an attendance of over 60 people. This special event
acknowledged the hard work of this innovative project and to come together to celebrate better language and communication month (also known as speech and hearing month). We heard from an exceptional group of guest speakers which include: Jessica Niemela, CHHA-BC-secretary, Victor Cumming-Vernon Mayor, Dione Chambers- Okanagan Science Centre executive director, and Dr. Ruth Warick CHHA-BC president. We also received an inspirational pre-recorded video message from The Honourable Carla Qualtrough-Minister of Employment, Workforce Development, and Disability Inclusion, which commended us on the importance of an exhibition of this caliber for the cause of hearing health awareness.
May 26th: The Honourable Harwinder Sandhu M.L.A., joined us for a private tour of The Way We Hear It! where we discussed issues related to hearing health, accessibility and our community of people with hearing loss.
May 28th: Deaf educators and community members Delallee Piper and Tara Dyck put on an incredible ASL games/storytime for a group of 14 children at the exhibit. Some children had hearing loss, while others had deaf/hard of hearing family members, or were simply eager to learn more about ASL.
MLA DAN COULTER TO SPEAK AT CHHA-BC AGM
Members and friends of CHHA-BC are cordially invited to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Wednesday, May 18th, 2022 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the zoom platform. Participants are reminded that only members will be allowed to vote on resolutions.
The keynote speaker will be Mr. Dan Coulter, MLA for Chilliwack and the Parliamentary Secretary for Accessibility. Mr. Coulter’s bio is included below. His remarks on accessibility will be of interest to all participants.
BIOGRAPHY OF MLA DAN COULTER:
Dan Coulter was elected as the MLA for Chilliwack in 2020. He serves as the Parliamentary Secretary for Accessibility. While a trustee on the Chilliwack Board of Education from 2013-2020 (and acting as Chair from 2018 2020), Dan was a strong advocate for improvements to the public education system. As former president of CUPE 3787 and a millwright who was severely injured in a workplace accident in 1999, he believes people have the right to safe working conditions. Dan served on the Mayor’s Task Force on Inclusion, Diversity and Accessibility. He is passionate about the rehabilitation of youth in the Criminal Justice System and was a Director for the Chilliwack Restorative Justice Society. Dan lives in Chilliwack with his partner, Rebecca, and their dogs Spencer and Anna-Bella.
Gael Hannan, CHHA-BC Board Member and Co-author of Hear & Beyond, Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss, will conclude the program with a talk of interest to all members and friends.
The registration link is: REGISTRATION
Thank you. We look forward to seeing you on the 18th.
Sincerely,
CHHA-BC
AGM 2022 – Hold the Date
To all members and friends of CHHA-BC. Please hold the date for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of CHHA-BC which will be held on Wednesday, May 18th from 6:00 p.m. PDT to 8:00 p.m. PDT on the zoom platform. Further details of the AGM and guest speakers will be provided to you by email shortly. Thank you. Please note that members and friends are cordially invited but only members will have voting privileges.
AGM 2022 – Nomination Form
To all CHHA-BC members and friends. Please use the attached nomination form if you would like to nominate anyone for a CHHA-BC board position. The AGM will be held on Wednesday, May 18th, 2022. Nominations are due on May 2nd, and you will find information in the form about the process and where to direct your nomination. Thank you.