The Ohio Academy of Audiology (OAA) is dedicated to advancing the profession of audiology, and supports audiologists in their mission to provide expert hearing and balance care in Ohio.
Please explore our website – take a look at our events and keep up-to-date with the Academy news; read about our Award winners in the honors and awards section. Learn more about our members in the member spotlight; and don’t forget to join the Academy! If you’d like to become involved in the Academy, please email us at [email protected]
OUR MISSION
The Ohio Academy of Audiology, as the leading authority, supports audiologists in their mission to provide expert hearing and balance care in Ohio.
OUR VISION
The Ohio Academy of Audiology is dedicated to advancing the profession of audiology
contact usPlease contact us anytime with questions or for more information on Events, Membership, News and more. Feel free to use the contact information or fill out the short form on the contact page and we’ll be back in touch as soon as possible. Thank you very much for your interestThe Ohio Academy of AudiologyP.O. Box 596
The Ohio academy of Audiology is now on instagram!
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You may be asking yourself why should I join the Ohio Academy of Audiology?
What are the benefits of being a member of OAA?
We understand that when you choose membership in any organization you expect value for your dollars. Being a member of OAA will provide you with:
- Opportunity to provide leadership to our profession: working with and networking with colleagues throughout the state of Ohio.
- Reduced registration fees at Continuing Education Events and the Biennial Ohio Audiology Conference (OAC). The OAC is an exceptional continuing education that brings in outstanding and well-respected speakers and researchers in our field.
- Access to the Member’s Only Area of the OAA Website
- Registration of your practice on the ‘Find an Audiologist’ search engine on the OAA website. We are actively advertising this feature to physicians, potential patients, and allied healthcare providers as part of our ongoing outreach networks. Don’t miss out on this opportunity for free advertisement of your practice!
- Access to the membership directory as well as networking opportunities with fellow audiologists throughout the state.
- Access to legislative updates for both state and national issues.
- Finally, the benefits of OAA membership go well beyond those tangibles listed. Membership contributes to your personal growth and professional membership allows you to be a part of the growing “Audiology Family” in Ohio
What does OAA due with my membership dues?
It is important for you to understand where membership dues are being spent. OAA dues are critical in the support of:
- Support for legislative representation in Columbus: Our lobbyist Governmental Policy Group. THIS SUPPORT IS CRITICAL to our professional future!
- Support for continuing education opportunities (Annual CE Events and Biennial Ohio Audiology Conference)
- Support for routine outreach efforts to the public, physicians, and allied health providers to educate about What Audiology Is, What Audiologists Do, When to Refer to an Audiologist, etc
- Support for maintenance and updating of the official website
If you are already a member of the Ohio Academy of Audiology and have renewed your membership, we thank you for your continued support! If you are a current member and have not renewed your membership, please take advantage of these savings for a 2 year membership! If you are not a member of the Ohio Academy of Audiology, we ask that you please join and help us help to continue to serve you and your patients!
Sincerely,
The Ohio Academy of Audiology
OAA Advocacy in 2020:
What your membership supports!
Things to know:
OSHGAC: Ohio Speech and Hearing Governmental Affairs Coalition
OSHGAC is a collation composed of representatives from Ohio
Speech-Language-Hearing Association (OSLHA), the Ohio Academy of
Audiology (OAA), the Ohio School Speech Pathology & Educational
Audiology Coalition (OSSPEAC) and the Ohio Council of Speech and
Hearing Administrators (OCSHA).
Why Partner?:
Each group contributes to the cost of a hired lobbying firm, and we work together on issues that impact all of us as united professionals. Each group pays for their own represented membership.
GPG: Governmental Policy Group
Hired lobbying firm that represents OSHGAC by monitoring applicable legislative and regulatory issues and advocating on behalf of the professions of speech pathology and audiology.
For more details:
www.ohioacademyofaudiology.com
Did you know?
Your OAA representatives participate in AAA’s state leader network
quarterly meetings? This allows OAA to share ideas and knowledge on
advocacy and leadership efforts with surrounding state academies.
important audiology legislation
* From the American Academy of Audiology website
Express Your Concerns About Legislation Requiring Technical Qualifications and Mandated Hiring of Hearing Instruments Specialists in the VA
Visit the Academy Legislative Action Center to Contact Your Elected Representatives About H.R. 6612/S.785.
H.R. 6612 and one section of S.785 would require the VA Secretary to prescribe technical qualifications to be appointed as a “licensed hearing aid specialist” within the VA by a date certain and the appointment of at least one such individual at each VA Medical Center within two years.
The legislation would require that the technical qualifications for a “licensed hearing aid specialist” be consistent with the Department of Labor (DOL) hearing instrument apprenticeship program and the core task competencies for hearing instrument specialists as determined by the Occupational Information Network Database (ONET).
The DOL apprenticeship program has no has no minimum number of training hours required for completion and the ONET database is not designed to appropriate to determine the specific skills and competencies needed for a specific job within a specific organization—like the VA.
The VA currently has the authority to hire hearing instrument specialists as needed. The mandates outlined in this legislation could impede the VA’s ability to evaluate and deploy scarce resources as needed.
Important Message Regarding the Ohio Audiology Conference 2020:
The Ohio Audiology Conference that was scheduled to occur in October 2020 has been postponed to 2021 out of an abundance of caution. Many factors were taken into consideration for this decision, but ultimately the safety of our attendees, speakers, and sponsors drove the final decision. We look forward to planning the 2021 conference and hope to have more details to share soon!
Statement from the Ohio Academy of Audiology
Dear Fellow Audiologists:
There is no doubt that 2020 has turned out to be one of the most challenging years in recent history for a number of reasons. But with challenges comes opportunity for true change. The Code of Ethics we follow as Ohio audiologists demands we engage in the provision of hearing and balance healthcare without discrimination. As such, The Ohio Academy of Audiology Board of Directors denounces systematic racism and the violence incited in its name. In multiple localities across Ohio, local and state representatives have come together to denounce violence and declare racism a public health crisis. We, as healthcare providers, must play a role in the solution to this crisis, and we, as communication experts, can do just that with what we know best- LISTEN AND SPEAK.
Listen…
- To your friends, family, colleagues, patients/clients of color speak their truth about how these acts have impacted them on a personal and professional level.
- To stories written on hardships past and present.
- To history and know that if we acknowledge it, we can play a part in not repeating it.
Speak…
- Address the Inequities you witness or experience yourself...Do Not be a Bystander.
- Be an Ally by Advocating for Change. Advocacy occurs on local, state, and national levels- get involved to address inequities in Ohio with viable solutions. Contact your national governing body of choice to get involved on the national level.
- Vote. Educate yourself on your representation and where they stand on these issues and issues that mean the most to you, both professionally and personally. Then exercise your right to vote for those who speak your voice and how you want change to materialize.
We stand with our colleagues, friends, families, patients/clients, and communities when we state #RacismIsAPublicHealthCrisis. We appreciate our members and their continued commitment to providing exceptional services to all patients/clients and their families equally during these tumultuous times. #hEARohio.
Best Regards,
The OAA Board of Directors
The Ohio academy of audiology celebrates better hearing and speech month
Check out our wonderful video on youtube featuring several members of your ohio academy of audiology board!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF_akKwgbQs
stay safe and healthy everyone!
Ohio academy of audiology covid-19 response
Dear Fellow Ohio Audiologists,
It has certainly been an interesting time to be a healthcare provider, and as things continue to evolve we will all have to be creative and innovative with how we address the needs of our patients balanced with our own needs and that of our families. As healthcare providers, we are essential to the fight against COVID-19 and we can contribute meaningfully by both providing essential needed patient care services and by exercising social/physical distancing for non-essential patient needs. Several resources are available as guidance for clinical practice during this time, including Dr. Amy Acton’s recent Stay-at-Home order which defines healthcare providers as essential and able to perform needed services for patients. Additionally, the American Academy of Audiology has provided COVID-19 Clinical Practice Recommendations and a recorded video address from current president, Dr. Catherine Palmer, to provide clarity during these uncertain times.
Taken together, the messages received suggest that essential patient care during these times can still occur, but with proper precautions and discretion. If there are patient care needs that are essential (ie: facilitating communication for medical treatment and/or communicating needs in an emergency) providers can still engage in those services but should make every attempt to provide them within the context of social/physical distancing. In accordance with our state’s emergency declarations, tele-health can and should be used whenever possible. Telehealth resources are available through AAA, including Telehealth Resource Centers, Telehealth Articles, and a Telehealth Tool-kit.
For more information specific to Ohio, please visit the Ohio Department of Health dedicated COVID-19 website and specific resources available therein for healthcare providers.
Be well,
Ursula Findlen, OAA President
#hEARohio #audiology #coronavirus
The Governmental Affairs Coalition continues to be the leading voice for audiology in Ohio. Our lobbyist and GAC affect change at the state level all the time. Recently, OAA’s representatives provided critical input into the development of recently introduced HB 243, requiring insurance coverage for children’s hearing aids, without which audiologists may not have been included as providers! This bill has bipartisan support and OAA and parents support the passage. Our voice is important because if we don’t speak up, someone else will, and we need to speak into the microphone. Almost 50% of your dues for the Ohio Academy of Audiology go directly to the critical effort of funding our voice at the legislative level.
We would like to highlight some of the important work in 2019 that GAC has performed to support you as audiologists in the state of Ohio and the patients you serve:
- Met with representatives of the newly elected DeWine administration to discuss GAC and our priorities;
- Met with advocates of the LEAD-K movement to explain our concerns with possible legislation;
- Participated in a conference call with Susan Adams of ASHA regarding LEAD-K;
- Organized and led a coalition of 35 organizations to explore recommendations for Medicaid procurement of managed care contracts;
- Successfully advocated for renewal of OHAAP, protection of special education weighted funding formula and continuation of Medicaid expansion in biennial budget bill;
- Met with representatives to discuss the possibility of a hearing aid insurance mandate bill, which led to the introduction of HB 243;
- Met with the occupational therapy association to discuss a memorandum of understanding related to the Medicaid Schools Program;
- Participated in a call with ASHA and the Council of State Governments on state compact legislation, and followed up with names of Ohio legislators who may be interested in participating in a summit on the issue;
- Met with the sponsor of HB 129 to suggest revisions to his legislation which would allow motorcyclists to wear hearing protection in both ears while riding;
- Presented testimony to Ohio Medicaid on its telemedicine rule, 5160-1-18, requesting that the rule’s scope be broadened to include SLP and audiology services;
- Participated in press conference on hearing aid insurance mandate bill, HB 243;
- Participated in a conference call with OSHPB regarding audiology assistants;
- Met with a legislator to discuss outreach to ODE for release of the final report from the School Workforce Shortage Taskforce;
- Reviewed revisions to the Medicaid provider eligibility rule and the ODH Universal Newborn Hearing Screening rules; and
- Agreed to participate in a January 2020 ASHA webinar segment regarding the importance of advocacy.
As you can see the GAC is YOUR voice when it comes to issues directly impacting you and your patients in the state of Ohio. We urge you to continue to pledge your financial and professional support for the GAC by continuing your membership with the Ohio Academy of Audiology and through your continued donations to the GAC. Together as a team we can protect the scope of practice in audiology in the state of Ohio and continue to fight for what our patients need in terms of hearing and balance healthcare!
Click here to donate to the OSHPAC to continue to support GAC and their important mission!
Have questions about the GAC? Your GAC representatives for OAA are:
Gina Hounam
Nationwide Children's Hospital
700 Children's Drive
Columbus, OH
43205
Christina Roup
110 Pressey Hall, 1070 Carmack Road
Columbus, OH
43210
