Bill Schiffmiller

Every year, the World Health Organization (WHO) sponsors World Hearing Day (WHD), specifically on March 3. (Why March 3? Because 3.3 resembles the shape of the two ears, especially if you write the first one backwards: 3.3) The WHO predicts “the prevalence of hearing loss will rise considerably” in the coming years, and they know “many of the causes that lead to modafinil online hearing loss are preventable.”

I like clomid online that World Hearing Day is sponsored by the World Health Organization. It makes hearing health part of the overall discussion of health and wellness. It raises awareness and encourages behavioral change, whether you have hearing loss or whether you want to prevent hearing loss. More focus on preventive care will lead to better health and hearing wellness before it ever has a chance to become hearing loss. Increased awareness of treatment and assistive devices motivates more people to take action. That is important because most hearing situations can be improved with the right resources.

World Hearing Day 2020

The WHO encourages those with hearing loss to embrace technology and resources for better living. “Don’t let hearing loss limit you,” goes the 2020 theme. (Of course, I might have suggested “Conquer Life!”) Too many people fear hearing loss and avoid the audiologists and hearing aids that can significantly improve their health. The statistics are startling.

What is the state of “hearing health awareness” in the U.S.?

The World Hearing Day statistics where to buy clomid made me curious. So, I decided to conduct my investigation to measure interest in hearing health by using social media. Facebook, the world’s most popular social media platform now tops 220 million users in the U.S. According to the WHO, about 11 million of those users (5%) probably have some hearing loss, but I could only find 3.7 million (1.7%) who list “hearing” as an “interest” on their profile. Narrowing the field to “hearing loss” reveals less than 400,000 interested users—about two-tenths of one percent of the population.

But we should be much more interested in hearing loss and zithromax 1000 mg hearing wellness. The WHO reports hearing rehabilitation leads to significant societal and economic benefits, including:

• increased access to education
• greater employment
• reduced risk factors for depression and dementia

So, here’s what Akoio is doing to help.

Outreach for World Hearing Day and Beyond

We found nearly 200 groups on Facebook dedicated to raising awareness and providing support for anyone affected by hearing loss (including family members and caregivers). For example, the Hearing Loss Community (HLC) of nearly 11,000 members is “for people who are accepting of all hearing loss journeys.” Parents of Children with Hearing Aids, a place for parents to “discuss their stories … and find support,” boasts more than 6,000 members. I am encouraged to see both groups added hundreds of new members in the last 30 days.

In the coming weeks, we plan to connect with many of these groups to explore how we can work together to rally support for hearing health and wellness. I’ll report back regarding our progress and discoveries here on the blog. Who knows? By this time next year, maybe we’ll look at those Facebook figures and see many more people are interested in hearing and hearing loss topics. Thank you to the World Health Organization for placing hearing front and center in the total picture of health and wellness.

To help us in our quest, please consider joining our Facebook page at facebook.com/akoiocompany

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Earbuds are blossoming into a major market for “hearables.” New devices provide the best sounding music and audio with all the benefits of a smartwatch. But can better earbuds lead to a better life? You bet … if they help prevent hearing loss.

Earbuds and Hearing Health in the News

I’m thrilled by recent attention and media coverage around hearing health. A big shout out to CES (Consumer Electronics Show) for providing a platform and megaphone so more people hear about the latest technology.

Likewise, I thank the New York Times for Jane Brody’s recent excellent article, “For Better Brain Health, Preserve Your Hearing.” The more media attention, the more people who learn that better hearing contributes to brain health and therefore benefits overall health and wellness.

Hearing and Your Brain

When the brain works hard trying to help you hear, its capacity for other tasks is diminished. A recent study from the National Institutes of Health details the negative effect even a small hearing loss can have on cognition.

Noise exposure is like dust; it piles up over time. Ever been to a concert and then you have trouble hearing the next day? Your hearing returns, but the damage is irreversible. There is a cumulative effect over the years that can lead to hearing loss in your 40s, 50s, and on. Thus, the American Academy of Audiology says the best way to protect your hearing health is to reduce noise exposure—both in loudness and in duration.

Do you listen to movies on the airplane? Podcasts on the subway? Music on the treadmill? We commonly turn up the volume to block out the background noise. That’s a high decibel level plus long duration over years of workouts and commuting. But there is hope!

Noise-Canceling Earbuds to the Rescue

The latest crop of earbuds are stylish and sophisticated. Technologically-advanced earbuds use passive noise cancelling or active noise-canceling techniques to block out background noise. That means you can turn down the volume and still hear the programming. A reduction in volume means a reduction in noise exposure, which helps protect hearing and prevent hearing loss. We know better hearing means better brain function. (Read my article, “Want Better Brain Function? Get a Hearing Aid”) So, it’s a domino effect: better hearing … better brain health … better overall health and wellness …

So, yes, better earbuds for a better life. Power to the people.

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Hearables are all the rage. And I could not be more enthusiastic about the trend.

What Is a Hearable?

A hearable is a smart device that fits comfortably in your ear and delivers audio sound. However, hearables can do more than deliver music. They can also enhance hearing in certain “noisy” situations, like restaurant dining or a gym workout. Some actually aid hearing for individuals with mild hearing loss. Though, it should be noted, the FDA does not yet classify any hearable as an actual hearing aid.

The genesis of the word “hearable” stems from other smart devices known as “wearables.” Good examples include Fit Bit and Apple Watches. These devices integrate with your smartphone to help you track health and wellness goals. Not to be outdone, some hearables also track fitness goals, too. They can monitor the heart, measure your steps, and provide other health statistics.

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held in Las Vegas every January, electronics manufacturers vie for media attention and accolades for their newest and coolest gadgets. This year, hearables arrived as one of the cool kids. They’re stylish, no doubt. But manufacturers build these devices slightly larger than typical earbuds to accommodate a bigger battery and more sophisticated features, like noise cancellation. Some models even feature adaptive listening, which means it senses your environment (ex: movie theatre or restaurant) and automatically adjusts the audio stream for the best clarity.

But hearables are more than reliable, advanced, and smart. They’re cool. And that is what makes them a game-changer for hearing health.

Hearables as Simplified Hearing Aids

Some hearables sense and adjust for sound direction. A few feature digital signal processing to analyze ambient noise and separate speech from background sounds. Users can choose standard settings for each environment, for example a “restaurant” setting. The user can also fine tune amplification and sound quality to suit their personal taste. A smartphone app usually handles all of the hearables’ settings. The many hearing-aid-like features anticipate the coming OTC hearing aid market, made possible by 2017 legislation taking effect in August 2020.

Now Hear This!

This confluence of technology, legislation, and wearable trends is good news for hearing well. When everyone is wearing a smart, in-ear device, it won’t matter so much whether they are listening to music or using it for hearing enhancement. So, hearables can play an important part in helping hearing aids becoming mainstream.

As I discussed in a previous article, hearing well is important not only for communication, but for overall health. If barriers to hearing aid use include social stigma or the fear of a difficult user experience, hearables should encourage wider and earlier adoption of hearing aids. And that means more people stay healthier longer, even happier.

If you know someone who is reluctant to address their hearing loss, please share this article with them and encourage them to check out hearable alternatives to hearing aids.

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With accessibility concerns regularly making headlines, businesses increasingly focus on making their products and stromectol get offerings more accessible. As I consult with them, I’m often asked, “Where do we start?” So, I tell them about the blind bakers.

The Blind Bakers

My colleague, Sarah Herrlinger, Director of Apple Accessibility, once told me about a small bakery famous for its fantastic bread. The smell, the crust, the texture brought long lines to the bakery every day. Everyone knew where to prednisone online go for consistently delicious loaves of freshly-baked bread. Though, few realized that the bread was crafted and baked by artisans who happened to be blind.

As the business grew, the bakery owner decided to replace the old wood-burning oven with a more fuel-efficient gas model. Of course, it made great financial sense. But a few weeks after the new oven installation, bread sales fell flat. The bread just didn’t taste the same. It wasn’t the gas fuel. The oven worked perfectly. Perplexed, the owner carefully watched the bakers at work and suddenly realized the xanax cheap problem. The new oven took away the bakers’ sense of touch, heat, and smell, senses they relied on for tasty, memorable bread. Those senses were the “secret ingredients” in the bake.

Sometimes, numbers do not tell the whole tale. The real magic of a business often lies beyond its financials or quarterly reports, and rests with teams of people “on the ground” who make decisions every day. Similarly, I find that businesses succeed with their accessibility efforts when they take a grassroots, bottom-up approach.

That is precisely how it worked for me at Apple.

Baking and Sharing the Bread of Accessibility

When I klonopin online no rx began preaching the values of accessibility in earnest, Apple Retail already stood on the frontlines of universal access technology. Touch technology, screen readers, and a host of other innovations made devices — and the world — more accessible for users. However, accessibility seemed to be missing from our everyday operations. I knew where we needed to go, but the framework was not yet in place.

So, I started by finding my blind bakers.

To assemble my very first accessibility team, I needed team members who passionately worked to “think different.” I looked for people with natural talent for amazing customer interaction, skills which stem from patience, active listening, and a heartfelt desire to help others. Such talents had already made each of my candidates exemplary Apple brand ambassadors — and now made them a perfect fit for the team.

The team was eager, but lacked direct experience in meeting accessibility needs. So, we researched and trained. We brainstormed a lot. We took a holistic approach towards making things more accessible by insisting that it must be available “right out of the box.” In time, the team transformed their passion for customer service into genuine accessibility expertise.

Together, we hosted the first-ever Apple Store public accessibility event. We devised employee training that took advantage of natural strengths. Each employee learned to specialize and focus on different types of customers. By sharing our “recipe” for better accessibility, we transformed our store. Soon, more than 30 team members provided accessibility service for our customers every day. In time, we became the accessibility training flagship for the tri-state market (NY, NJ, CT). Ultimately, national and foreign flagships sought us out and I routinely helped them replicate success by keeping those bakers in mind.

A Recipe for Your (Accessibility) Success

Every journey begins with a single step. As with all positive change, the most important step is simply committing to action.

• Start with the people on your team that really care
• Get them thinking and talking about making things more accessible
• Empower your team to take action
• Encourage the organization to follow their lead

In a way, you just put all the ingredients together and then … let it rise.

Of course, a little yeast helps.

When I consult with businesses and organizations about accessibility, I challenge assumptions, create new paradigms, and generally mix things up. I want everyone involved to really understand how making things more accessible benefits customers, employees, the community, and the bottom line. In fact, you can get a jump start by answering 7 questions to help your business become more accessible. Or, get in touch and let’s talk about how we can help your organization take next steps.

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Providing greater accessibility in business should be a top priority for leaders — and not just to avoid fines and lawsuits. Done right, accessibility is as good for business as it is for society at large. As I meet and consult with business and organization leaders, I find that many of them genuinely want to incorporate accessibility into their teams and workspaces. However, many of them seem hesitant to get started.

How will they gain corporate support? How will they measure success? Will it be worth it? Will it be just a big distraction? These are essential questions with significant answers. I applaud those leaders willing to wrestle with them. Too many take an agnostic approach to accessibility. They don’t oppose it, but they don’t go out of their way to address it, either. They just don’t think about it.

“Well, why not?” I ask.

At least, that’s usually where I start. And then we dive in.

7 Questions for Greater Accessibility in Business

I developed a concise list of 7 questions that help leaders think differently about building a more accessible business. Carefully considering and answering these questions helps dispel myths and bring insight. Answering these questions generates enthusiasm for making products, offerings, and work environments more accessible. After consideration, leaders quickly come to see that providing for greater accessibility in business environments is not only the right thing to do, it also makes good business sense.

So, let’s break it down.

1. What is accessibility?

Wikipedia defines accessibility as “the design of products, devices, services, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities.” However, at Akoio we know we can do better than that.

At its heart, accessibility is about providing the best possible customer (or consumer) experience. Every day, we make changes to our products, packaging, websites, and services. We seek to improve conversion, engagement, and satisfaction. We hope to get a great review. Accessibility involves the same skillset.

How would someone with hearing loss, low vision, or poor dexterity experience your product? What can you do to make it better? Very often, making things more accessible makes the experience better for all customers, not just those with “special” needs.

2. What do you do every day to make things more accessible?

Your core job description likely includes making things easier or more efficient for others in some way. Products for consumers. Content for your audience. Reports for managers. Training for employees and clients. To do these jobs, we often think about accessibility, only we don’t call it that. We use other words like communications, messaging, user experience, and continuous improvement. So, every time we shorten our sentences, update our presentation graphics, or refresh our websites, we’re making things more accessible. Creating more accessibility in business is an extension of this idea.

3. Who are your customers, and what are their needs?

Lean/Six Sigma professionals encourage us to think about our customers, internal and external. So, think about how customers interact with you and the deliverables you produce. What can you do to make the process more productive and streamlined? From illegible sticky notes to outdated information systems to the number of steps it takes to get from the copier to the filing cabinet, you’ll find opportunities for improvement. Often, those opportunities will include making things more accessible.

4. What work makes you proud? Why?

I love this question because it helps us see the big picture. Our best moments usually include helping someone else. Making customers happier. Helping a team member reach their potential. Partly, it will be about serving someone — and not just for profitability’s sake (but see question #7).

5. Is that relatable and useful to those with different needs?

Think about your proudest moments, your best contributions. Can you apply those concepts for someone with low vision, hearing loss, or decreased mobility? Thinking about this question for a few minutes brings immediate possibilities. Low hanging fruit, ripe and ready for picking.

6. How can you and your team contribute to and benefit from accessibility?

With just a little more effort, you will start to see even bigger initiatives with greater impact. Perhaps you have someone on your team who could use better workspace flow, a better screen reader, or some other technology to assist with their day-to-day. If implemented, imagine how they might experience of greater freedom. How much more productive could you be — how much more productive would you want to be — if you felt more freedom to do your job?

Now think about your whole organization. Can your team or department improve the whole operation with your contribution? What do others do for you to make your day to day more accessible? What about external customers? Could any of your ideas be applied to the products you make or the services you offer?

7. How does greater accessibility in business make a positive impact to the bottom line?

It is true that we may face consumer complaints or lawsuits if we fail to properly address accessibility. However, that is a decidedly negative outlook.

Accessibility impacts our profitability in genuinely positive ways, too. It broadens our candidate pool for great employees, whose brilliant contributions might otherwise be excluded. It boosts morale and productivity in the workplace. And not just for those whose needs are addressed, but for anyone (and everyone) who craves an environment where employees truly matter.

Creating more accessibility in business increases revenue. Making products and services more accessible extends the market to more customers. More customers mean more purchases (and more repeat purchases). More positive user experiences generate more positive reviews, which in turn generate even more loyal customers. So, if you’re looking for a way to make a positive impact to the bottom line, I suggest making accessibility part of your growth strategy. If you want a little creative inspiration on how to accomplish that, you might start with the story of the blind bakers. 

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