Announcements

A team of international hearing-science experts has published the first set of detailed guidelines to help speed up and standardize gene therapy research for hereditary hearing loss. These recommendations cover every major step of a future treatment: confirming whether a child or adult’s hearing loss is directly caused by a specific gene mutation, making sure patients are healthy enough for…

The Twenty-First Century Caption Metrics and Usability Project studies the quality of TV captioning for news, sports, and other shows to improve accessibility. The project is seeking participants who will spend about 30 minutes watching short, captioned video clips, answering questions about caption accuracy, and rating the video clips. Communication access and compensation for your time are…

The Twenty-First Century Caption Metrics and Usability Project studies the quality of TV captioning for news, sports, and other shows to improve accessibility. The project is seeking participants who will spend about 30 minutes watching short, captioned video clips, answering questions about caption accuracy, and rating the video clips. Communication access and compensation for your time are…

Two sisters from Wake County, North Carolina, are among the first children in the United States to receive an innovative hearing implant known as the Bonebridge system. Kenzie and Lily Ferguson were born with narrow or closed ear canals, which made traditional hearing aids ineffective. The new implant, developed for individuals with similar conditions, works by transmitting sound vibrations…

Starkey Hearing Technologies recently announced its latest hearing aid platform, Omega AI , which integrates deep-learning and generative-AI systems into personal hearing devices. The company alleges this product as its most advanced to date, designed to enhance how users experience sound in complicated environments. A central feature of the device is its DNN 360 system , which uses…

The Kennedy Center’s Access/VSA Emerging Young Artists Program is now accepting applications from U.S.-based visual artists between the ages of 16 and 25 who identify as disabled. This national program celebrates the creativity and perspective of young artists and provides opportunities for recognition and professional growth. Fifteen selected artists will each receive a $3,000 stipend, have one…

The 2025 Hearing Technology Innovator Awards recognized a wide range of advancements across hearing aids, implants, diagnostics, therapeutics, and assistive technology. Hosted by Hearing Health and Technology Matters (HHTM), the annual award celebrates innovation, effectiveness, and accessibility in hearing care. According to HHTM's criteria, this year’s winners reflected the growing diversity of…

Amazon’s new Fire TV models introduce a built-in feature called " Dialogue Boost" , which is designed to make spoken dialogue easier to hear over background music and sound effects. The feature uses artificial intelligence to identify when speech is difficult to separate and automatically increases voice clarity relative to other audio elements. This feature could benefit users regardless of their…

The Kennedy Center’s Access/VSA Creative Careers Programs support young writers and musicians with disabilities by offering professional development, mentorship, and national recognition. Both programs provide financial stipends, exclusive workshops, and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. High school students (ages 14–19) can apply to the Access/VSA Playwright Discovery Program by…

A Cleveland Clinic study presented at the 2025 ACIA meeting evaluated 113 adults who received cochlear implants outside of the FDA’s current candidacy criteria. The patients, treated between 2021 and 2024, often had better contralateral ear performance or higher speech perception scores than the FDA indications allow. Results showed consistent and significant improvements in speech recognition in…