Announcements

The Federal Aviation Administration has launched a survey to gather experiences and perspectives from passengers with disabilities regarding aircraft evacuations. The survey is part of a broader FAA research effort required under the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which directs the agency to study real-world evacuation conditions and to address gaps in current safety standards. For passengers…

A research team at UMass Amherst is recruiting adults to share their opinions on over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids. Participants will receive $100 for one 1-hour session over Zoom. Who can participate: Adults ages 40 and older who fall into any of these categories: Currently use hearing aids (prescription or OTC) or other assistive listening devices Are interested in trying hearing aids for the…

Researchers at Wroclaw Medical University in Poland published findings from the PICTURE cohort study, a longitudinal population study of school-age children and their caregivers that ran from 2019 to 2023. The study examined the prevalence of hearing loss and tinnitus in children and assessed how well parental reports aligned with clinical screening results from otoacoustic emission (OAE) testing.…

The European Federation of Hard of Hearing People published a collection of first-person accounts from hard of hearing advocates and member organizations as part of Hearing Access Week 2026. The week's theme is "Right to Connect," which the organization describes as covering the full range of conditions needed for people with hearing loss to participate in society: access to hearing devices,…

ORKA introduced the O1 Pro at the Appliance and Electronics World Expo (AWE) in Shanghai, promoting it as the first receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aid to incorporate active noise cancellation (ANC). The company says the device was co-developed with Bose and uses Bose QuietControl ANC technology, the same approach used in Bose consumer headphones. ANC works by capturing ambient noise through…

Phonak announced that two of its hearing aid models, the Virto R Infinio and Infinio Ultra Sphere, received recognition in the 2026 Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards from the Business Intelligence Group. Both products were recognized in the health category. According to the company, the Virto R Infinio uses AI in two distinct ways: one layer identifies listening environments and adjusts…

A U.S. Department of Justice deadline under Title II of the ADA takes effect April 24, 2026. State and local government entities serving populations of 50,000 or more must bring websites, mobile applications, and online portals into compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Smaller entities and special purpose districts have until April 2027. In February 2026, the Trump administration's DOJ submitted a…

The W3C Accessibility Guidelines Working Group published an updated Working Draft of WCAG 3.0. The release includes a terminology shift from "outcomes" to "requirements," a proposed conformance model, and the advancement of most normative sections to "Developing" status. WCAG 3.0 will expand the scope of the current standards to cover native applications, authoring tools, user agents, and emerging…

Envoy Medical finished enrollment for its clinical trial of the Acclaim cochlear implant, a fully implanted device with no externally worn components. The 56th and final participant was implanted on March 11, 2026. The Acclaim captures sound through a piezoelectric sensor implanted in the middle ear. Envoy holds FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for the device. The company expects to submit a…

The British Irish Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association published a feature on early Auracast deployments in UK live theatre venues. It focuses on the AURI system, currently the only Bluetooth Auracast-based assistive listening solution available in the UK, being adopted by a small number of theatres including the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham. With Auracast, attendees can receive audio…