Announcements

Deaf Awareness Week 2026 is running May 4–10 in the United Kingdom under the theme "Right to Understand: Together, We Break Barriers." The week is organized by the UK Council on Deafness and involves advocacy organizations, arts venues, educational institutions, and disability groups. This year's activities include captioning access events at theatres and museums, sign language workshops, and…

Listen Technologies and Ampetronic have entered a partnership with AuraFuturity, a hearing technology consultancy led by industry analyst Andrew Bellavia, to promote awareness and adoption of Auracast broadcast audio and assistive listening systems. The initiative is described as focused on educating venues, hearing care professionals, and end users about how Auracast can improve audio…

Advanced Bionics announced an equity investment and early-stage research collaboration with Spiral Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company developing therapies for inner ear disorders. The collaboration will aim to understand whether Spiral's drug-delivery platform, which is designed for minimally invasive and targeted delivery of therapeutics to the cochlea, can be integrated into cochlear implant…

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Public Notice on April 28, 2026 announcing fund allocations for the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP), also known as iCanConnect, for the 2026-2027 fund year running July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. The NDBEDP provides up to $10 million annually from the Interstate Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund to…

A bipartisan, bicameral bill to update and expand federal accessibility requirements for communication and video technologies was reintroduced in Congress on April 16, 2026. The Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act (CVTA) was introduced by Senators Edward Markey (D-MA) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) alongside Representatives Debbie Dingell (MI-06) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01). The…

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is accepting applications from scientists, patients, and other stakeholders to serve as Merit Reviewers for its research funding process. Reviewers evaluate grant applications submitted in response to PCORI funding announcements. There are two reviewer tracks. The Patient and Stakeholder track is open to people with firsthand experience in…

The FDA approved Otarmeni (lunsotogene parvec-cwha) on April 23, 2026, the first gene therapy indicated for hearing loss caused by variants in the OTOF gene. The therapy is made by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. Otarmeni is approved for pediatric and adult patients with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss associated with confirmed biallelic variants in the OTOF gene. Patients must have…

Amazon is expected to add a new accessibility feature called Adaptive Display to Fire TV devices in the coming months, according to reporting by AFTVnews, an independent site that covers Amazon streaming hardware. The feature is designed to increase the size of text, menus, and interface elements for users with visual accessibility needs. Rather than enlarging all text uniformly, the feature is…

Disney+ will release Disney Animation's Songs in Sign Language on April 27, timed to National Deaf History Month. The collection will include three animated musical sequences from recent Walt Disney Animation Studios films, newly reimagined in American Sign Language (ASL): "The Next Right Thing" from Frozen 2, "We Don't Talk About Bruno" from Encanto, and "Beyond" from Moana 2. The sequences were…

A feature in The Hearing Review looks at how hearing care professionals introduce captioning tools to patients whose hearing aids do not fully meet their communication needs. The article reflects on interviews with a sensory disability consultant and an audiologist in clinical practice. Both describe captioning as a supplement to hearing aids rather than a replacement, pointing to situations where…