Maybe it’s birdsong around your porch, the excited screams of people on a carnival ride, the hum of a busy city street, or the voices of family gathered for a backyard barbecue. The sounds we know and love can bring us back “home” in an instant.
That idea was especially meaningful to me last weekend at Walk4Hearing NYC in Riverside Park. Hosted by the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) in various cities across the country, Walk4Hearing brings together vendors from hearing health organizations, members of the hearing loss community, and hearing health allies for a walk focused on connection, empowerment, and support. Through HLAA’s partnership with Hasbro, George Pig - Peppa Pig’s younger brother who wears a hearing aid - also attended!
Find a Walk4Hearing Near You
The Hearing Industries Association (HIA) was pleased to join the walk and engage with attendees and other hearing health partners. It was a great opportunity to share our mission to expand education and awareness about hearing health and hearing aid innovation to the public and to hear from others about what hearing health means to them through the Sounds of America campaign.
Sounds of America is an eight-week campaign sponsored by HIA, in collaboration with HLAA, celebrating the sounds that make our lives and communities special.
The campaign is built around a simple idea: The sounds we love are a part of our story and are worth protecting.
Our favorite sounds can connect us to where we live, where we come from, and the people we share those places with. By sharing those sounds and the stories behind them, we hope to make conversations about hearing health more personal, relatable, and meaningful.
At Walk4Hearing, the responses were as unique as the people I met. Some sounds brought up memories of family and friends during summertime activities. Others captured the character and events of a favorite place. And many people were immediately excited to share a sound that was meaningful to them.
We want to hear from you. What sounds bring you back to the happiest moments from home?
You can participate by:
Your hometown sound could be anything: a local tradition, the sounds of nature, an enjoyable hobby, or something only people from your community would recognize. We simply want to hear what sounds are meaningful to you.
The conversations I had at Walk4Hearing reminded me that hearing is about much more than simply detecting sound. It can help us stay connected to the people, places, and memories that make life meaningful.
So, what’s the sound of your hometown?
The Hearing Industries Association is the trusted voice on hearing health care for product innovation, public policy, patient safety and education.
