About Us


We are under the umbrella of the national organization of Hearing Loss Association of America which is located in Bethesda. Maryland. http://www.hearingloss.org



HLA-RI’s primary function is to educate it members, their families and friends about the causes, nature and complications of hearing loss and what can be done to better cope with that loss. We hold monthly meetings between September and June at which we may have guest speakers on a variety of topics relating to hearing loss. We may also have informal meetings where the members share their experiences and knowledge relating to hearing loss. We also have two socials a year as well.


We are able to provide CART –Computer Aided Real Time Captioning which is projected on to a large screen so that the participants can “hear what is being said in the meetings”

Some meeting topics include Accessibility, hearing aids, legislation, cochlear implants, tinnitus, captioning, relay system, assistive devices, state services, coping tips many more topics! We also have social events.


Before HLA-RI, many of the members felt isolated, found communication a struggle, were confused about technology, didn’t know their rights and hid their hearing loss


And now HLA-RI is a place to find answers, ask new questions, and meet people who understand. HLA-RI is a resource for information and friendship.

The monthly meetings are held at different locations within Rhode Island. To be placed on the email distribution list for notices and other important announcements, send an email to hearinglossri@gmail.com This email list is not shared with any organizations or individuals and each HLA-RI ‘s member is blind copied on each email.


Monday, December 10, 2012

911 - Text


The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced that the nation’s four largest wireless carriers have committed to speeding up the availability of text-to-911 services. Major deployments of the services are expected to occur in 2013, and the carriers have committed to nation-wide availability by May 15, 2014.
The ability to text 911 will benefit people with disabilities such as hearing loss or speech impairments, or people who are in danger and unable to speak. The FCC says the Text-to-911 will complement rather than replace voice technology, and recommends that consumers use the voice system when possible.
Sprint Wireless recently announced that it has started a four-week trial of the new 911 texting technology in Vermont, saysUrgent Communications.
The carriers have committed to providing customers with “bounce back” text messages in areas where the service will not be available during the phase-in stage. The text tells customers that their text message was unsuccessful and advises them to make a voice call to a 911 center The “bounce back” capability will be fully implemented across the four networks by June 30, 2013.
“This is good progress, but our work is not done," said FCC Chairman Genachowski. “The FCC will consider further actions to advance text-to-911 for all consumers. We will also take additional steps in this area next year, including closely monitoring carriers’ compliance with the commitments they have made ... and addressing other aspects of Next Generation 911 such as enabling transmission of photos and videos to 9-1-1 centers. We are also working to strengthen the resiliency and reliability of the existing 911 system, where significant deficiencies were revealed by this summer’s Derecho.”
The Commission will work with 911 authorities, PSAPs, the Emergency Access Advisory Committee, public safety organizations, disability organizations, consumer groups and industry on the implementation of these services.

New FCC Complaint Form: Internet Captioning of TV Programs


New FCC Complaint Form: Internet Captioning of TV Programs

Wed, 12/05/2012
On January 12, 2012, the FCC adopted rules requiring captioned programs shown on TV to be captioned when re-shown on the Internet.
These rules implement provisions of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA).
The FCC recently modified its complaint form 2000C.  You can now use this form to file complaints about closed captioning of TV programs re-shown on the Internet.   If you wish to file a complaint on this issue,please complete form 2000C online.
Before filing your complaint, please check the following schedule to determine whether the TV program you viewed on the Internet must be captioned:
The following deadlines apply to video programming that a distributor shows for the first time on the Internet (newly added to the distributor's inventory of Internet video programming):
  • September 30, 2012:  Pre-recorded video programming that is not “edited for the Internet” must be captioned on the Internet if it has been shown on TV with captions since September 30, 2012.  “Edited for the Internet” means the TV version has been substantially edited.  Examples of such editing are:  deleting scenes or altering musical scores.  (Changing the number or duration of commercials is not considered “editing” for this purpose.)
  • March 30, 2013:  Live and near-live video programming must be captioned on the Internet if it is shown on TV with captions on or after March 30, 2013.  Near-live video programming is programming that is performed and recorded less than 24 hours before being shown on TV for the first time.
  • September 30, 2013:  Pre-recorded video programming that is substantially edited for the Internet must be captioned if it is shown on TV with captions on or after September 30, 2013.
This schedule and more information about the FCC’s rules on video programming delivered over the Internet are summarized in the FCC Consumer Guide:
Captioning of Internet Video Programming  -   (HTML Version)     (PDF Version)

Wednesday, December 5, 2012


December Meeting: December 8, 2012 
                                   1:00PM-3:00PM

Where: Gregg’s Restaurant
              4120 Quaker Lane, (Route 2), North Kingstown, RI

Topic: Holiday Party and Yankee Swap
We are bringing back the tradition of our Annual Holiday event after a two year hiatus!  After a very brief business meeting, we will dine, and then begin our annual Yankee Swap.  Bring a gift that costs no more than $5 for the swap. Gregg’s will seat us in a private room and let us order with separate checks.
We will have real-time captioning to make sure that everyone can participate. Please join us!

Directions: Exit 5 off Route 4 towards Wickford: Use link below for mapquest: