An advocacy and education initiative based in the United States has a new advocate and they are a champion of assistive listening systems including Telecoils and Auracast.
Dr Juliëtte Sterkens, who has previously received the American Academy of Audiology Presidential Award, is joining The Center for Hearing Access, part of The John G. Shedd Institute in Eugene, Oregon.
She will be its Hearing Access Advocate.
It’s a perfect fit for Dr Sterkens. She has more than 45 years of experience in audiology and hearing rehabilitation and has been a passionate advocate for hearing access. She is an in-demand speaker and has written numerous articles for diverse audiences, including consumers, hearing care professionals, and device manufacturers.
This has included a TEDx talk on the importance of assistive listening devices, including Telecoils.
Her advocacy has led to the successful implementation of more than 1,000 hearing loops throughout Wisconsin.
Additionally, she serves on the boards of the HLAA Wisconsin State Association and HEAR-in-the-Fox Cities, a non-profit that helps pay for hearing aids for children in northeast Wisconsin.
Originally from the Netherlands, Dr Sterkens understands the limitations of hearing devices and the opportunities that assistive listening systems provide.
“The good news is that modern hearing aid technology continues to bring us new features that can help those with hearing loss to hear significantly better in more places across their daily lives,” she says.
Founded in 2024, the Center for Hearing Access is a non-profit advocacy initiative that works across the United States. It specialises in educating and supporting consumers, audiologists, hearing instrument specialists, and facility staff on ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), including compliant assistive listening systems. It also works on strategies to encourage continued community engagement and social and cultural experiences for people with hearing loss.
Dr Sterkens will be able to continue addressing the growing needs of the more than 70 million Americans with hearing loss, and says she is looking forward to using her skills and experience in her new role to help patients hear clearly in settings where hearing aids alone cannot deliver.
The Center’s Director, Ginevra Ralph, says: “We have been working collaboratively with Juliëtte for 10 years. Now, we are excited to engage her directly to make an even greater impact on promoting effective communication for those with hearing loss, as is their right under the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
For more on the Center, log on to: www.CenterForHearingAccess.org
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