Your Voice Since 1979
For 45 years, the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) has been the nation’s leading, unconflicted consumer organization representing millions of people with, and at risk of, hearing loss across the U.S.
You don’t have to face hearing loss alone!
What we do
- HLAA offers programs, events and a nationwide community of support that give people the tools to thrive with hearing loss.
- We fight for greater access to communication and health care treatment at national and local levels.
- We meet people with hearing loss in their communities through more than 120 chapters and Walk4Hearing events in 21 cities.
- HLAA connects all sides of the complex issue of hearing loss, including industry, research, consumers and regulators.
Our founder and history
HLAA was founded in 1979 by Howard E. “Rocky” Stone (1925–2004), a retired CIA agent and U.S. veteran who lost his hearing at age 19 from an explosion in World War II. The nonprofit, originally called Self-Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH), was established as a membership organization run by people with hearing loss, and grew to 60 chapters within four years.
Rocky and early leaders were instrumental in developing the communication access rules of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)—considered the landmark civil rights legislation for people with disabilities. Since then, HLAA has advocated successfully for a range of key regulations involving travel, digital accessibility, health care access, hearing assistive technology and the availability of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids.