Beyond funding groundbreaking hearing loss research, Hearing Health Foundation (HHF) also promotes hearing health through a variety of channels, including outreach to legislators. In June 2020, HHF and eight other member organizations of the Friends of the Congressional Hearing Health Caucus authored a letter to Congress to urge supplemental funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

This letter reads as follows:

Dear Chairwoman DeLauro, Ranking Member Cole, Chairman Blunt, and Ranking Member Murray:

We write to thank you for your continued commitment to our nation’s children and urge you to include supplemental funding of at least $12.8 billion for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), including at least $500 million for IDEA Part C (early intervention) and $400 million for IDEA Part B, section 619 (preschool) in the next COVID-19 stimulus bill.

Hearing loss is a serious health condition that impacts more than 38 million Americans, and two to three out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born with a detectable hearing loss in one or both ears. It is estimated that untreated hearing impairments cost the U.S. economy $56 billion in lost productivity, special education, and medical care. The occurrence of hearing loss in Americans spans a range of age and occupational groups – including infants, school-aged students and adults, war veterans, and seniors.

Hearing health is essential, and this global pandemic has highlighted the critical importance of the ability to effectively hear and communicate. We recognize these are unprecedented times and the pandemic has upended how education services are provided, leading to an increased reliance on technologies that reduce in-person interactions. As schools across the nation have moved to virtual education, provision of educational services for all children have become more challenging and especially so for those who require special education and related services.

Children who are transitioning from early intervention (Part C) to preschool (Part B) at age three are especially vulnerable, as this is a crucial time in the development of a child’s communication and language skills, social skills, learning skills, and more. Consequently, it is of critical importance that no child with disabilities experiences a delay or interruption of educational services as a result of the pandemic. Adequate funding, along with specific and clear guidance, must be provided to state and local education agencies so that they can ensure the smooth and timely continuation of services for children in need of special education during these extraordinary times.

Therefore, we urge Congress to act to ensure adequate funding is available so that children with disabilities receive an appropriate education as required by law under IDEA during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we request that Congress include supplemental funding of at least $12.8 billion for IDEA, including at least $500 million for Part C (early intervention) and $400 million for Part B, section 619 (preschool) in the next COVID-19 stimulus bill.

Thank you for your consideration of this request and for your continued commitment to the educational needs of our nation’s children with hearing loss.

Sincerely,
Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
American Cochlear Implant Alliance
American Speech-Language Hearing Association
American Tinnitus Association
Ear Community
Hearing Industries Association
Hearing Loss Association of America
Hearing Health Foundation
International Hearing Society