IFHOH NEWS BULLETIN
February 2021
Cochlear Implant Updates
The recording for IFHOH’s webinar on Cochlear Implant Experiences and Best Practise Tips held on the 2nd of February is available by going to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qurwU3rstZY. You will find presentations from five speakers: Dr. Naama Tsach, Darja Pajk, Lise Hamlin, Joanna Chio, and Ruth Warick with Avi Blau as the moderator.
The website of www.ciicanet.org for Cochlear Implant Community of Action (CIICA) will be launched on Feb. 25, 2021, International Cochlear Implant Day. CIICA is a network that aims to increase the number of children and adults globally who have access to cochlear implants and lifelong aftercare.
International Federation of Ageing Statement
IFHOH is a signatory to a statement issued by the International Federation on Ageing linking hearing and healthy aging together in a call for improved access to hearing care for older adults. The statement emphasizes five actions: 1. Increase awareness and tackle stigma 2. Synthesize and disseminate knowledge to change practice in the context of healthy aging 3. Articulate economic advantages of hearing care and elevate hearing loss as a public health concern 4. Promote equity and access to hearing care 5. Apply evidence to guide actions. The statement is pertinent given the forthcoming WHO World Report on Hearing and the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030). To read the statement go to IFHOH’s website, www.ifhoh.org, or Think-Tank-on-Hearing-in-Later-Life-Final-Statement-of-Intent-.pdf (ifa.ngo)
Study on Assistive Technology
James Rwampigi Aniyamuzaala, a hard of hearing PhD candidate at the University College Dublin, is carrying out a survey on Hearing and Ear Assistive Technology (HEAT) solutions across the world as part of his doctoral studies. The purpose of the survey is to develop an Open Hearing and Ear Assistive Technology product list that can be considered for funding and support in different contexts based on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and users’ choices. A policy brief on funding and support for Hearing and Ear AT solutions will be developed and shared with stakeholders. The information from the survey will help to inform the development of the WHO Global Report on Assistive Technology that will be coming out in 2022.
The deadline for participation in the survey is 23rd February 2021. The link to the survey is
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1VKJR6ukTef8n_Dsd7TVGIv7aQcANVxJxpIXi9DLtGdc/edit#responses
World Hearing Day 3 March 2021
This is a reminder for IFHOH members to host an event or contribute a social media message in recognition of World Hearing Day of 3 March 2021. This year’s theme is Hearing Care for ALL! Screen, Rehabilitate, Communicate. Be sure to register your event at Register your World Hearing Day / World Report on Hearing event
WHO will release its seminal World Report on Hearing on 3 March 2021. For more information go to Highlighting priorities for ear and hearing care – World Report on Hearing (who.int). For World Hearing Day materials go to World Hearing Day 2021 (who.int). An IFHOH webinar on the topic can be reviewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccNiZsHt1X4.
Be A Changemaker
The WHF Champions Working Group invite you and ‘Changemakers’ that you know to submit your stories and help build support for the World Hearing Report and its recommendations. More information is in the Call for stories and Story Telling Guidelines on the following site: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5t4j85p2tg5gish/AADX0fzqOky8YdqG3Bjy2FA5a?dl=0
International Disability Alliance
IFHOH is one of the founding members of IDA which consists of eight international organizations and five regional networks to advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities and sustainable development processes within the United Nations, upholding the highest standards of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The latest newsletter of IDA is available at https://www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/newsletter-IDA-february-2021
For more information, visit our partners @ www.ifhoh.org
