House Ear Institute Expands Its Free Hearing Screening Services In Celebration Of 10-Years Of Service At AES Convention

LOS ANGELES and SAN FRANCISCO – August 28, 2006 – At the 121stAES Convention, House Ear Institute will celebrate 10 years of providing hearing conservation education and health services to thousands of Audio Engineering Society (AES) members at the AES Convention through its Sound Partners™ hearing conservation education program. This year, with the support of Shure Incorporated, the Institute is doubling its hearing screening capacity to help accommodate the increased demand for its services, as well as offering attendees and exhibitors, free of charge, its Hearing In Noise Test (HINT), a comprehensive test of functional hearing ability. These services and other hearing health information and resources will be available during show hours in Booth 1709 at the AES Convention, from October 5 through 8 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, CA.

 

Licensed audiologists from the House Ear Institute and House Clinic will be available to counsel participants on their hearing screening results and the Institute’s outreach staff will offer additional hearing health education, literature and free hearing protection. Shure Incorporated is generously serving as the exclusive sponsor of the House Ear Institute’s hearing screenings as part of its Listen Safe program, which is dedicated to educating musicians, audio professionals and consumers about how to enjoy sound responsibly. The AES is a longstanding industry partner of House Ear Institute, providing the facilities and space at its convention each year since 1997. 

 

The screenings and hearing health information offered at AES and other pro audio and entertainment industry events are a traditional part of the Institute’s Sound PartnersÔ program, an outreach initiative to raise awareness among audio and music professionals and the listening public about the importance of safe listening practices for the prevention of permanent hearing loss. The complimentary materials provide information on noise-induced hearing loss, hearing protection devices, conservation practices, as well as general hearing health education, including other forms of hearing loss, tinnitus, ear diseases and related disorders.

 

“We are proud to mark the 10th Anniversary of House Ear Institute’s hearing conservation education and outreach to our members,” said AES Executive Director Roger Furness. “Over the years our organization has been able to help


House Ear Institute make a difference in the hearing health of audio engineers through their Sound Partners hearing conservation outreach program.” 

 

“Thanks to AES’s commitment to the hearing health of its members, House Ear Institute introduced the concept of hearing conservation to the association’s audio engineering community in 1997,” says Marilee Potthoff, marketing director, House Ear Institute.  “Since then, we have observed a profound increase in awareness among audio engineers about the importance of safeguarding their hearing health.”

 

Applying its world-renowned expertise as a non-profit hearing science research and educational institution, House Ear Institute not only has offered AES members high quality workshop presentations about hearing conservation, it has conducted scientific research in part through its confidential hearing screening data collected from industry professionals over the years. The studies offer new insights and documentation on significant trends for noise-induced hearing loss within the audio professions compared with other sectors of the general population, reinforcing the importance of hearing conservation education for people working in the audio industry.

 

About the House Ear Institute

The House Ear Institute (HEI) is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advancing hearing science through research and education to improve quality of life.  Its accomplishments include conducting the basic research used to set the OSHA standards for noise-exposure.  HEI scientists are exploring the causes of hearing loss and related disorders on the cellular and molecular level as well as improving diagnostics, auditory implants and hearing aids.  For more information please call (213) 483-4431 or visit the Web site at www.hei.org.

 


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