ACI Alliance is a not-for-profit organization created with the purpose of eliminating barriers to cochlear implantation by sponsoring research, driving heightened awareness and advocating for improved access to cochlear implants for people of all ages. There is a wealth of information on our website. 

Our work at ACI Alliance follows our mission encompassing research, advocacy, and awareness. Accordingly, Listening covers all three.

We encourage you to share sign-up details for this free e-newsletter with patients, family members, colleagues or anyone who may be interested.

Mark your calendars now. CI2026 Chicago: Conference on Cochlear Implants will be held May 6-9, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago Hotel in Chicago, IL.
Abstract Submissions: July 1 - August 26, 2025

Student Scholarship Applications Opening: October 1, 2025
Abstract Selection for Presentation Notification: November 2025
Registration Opening: December 3, 2025

The July/August 2025 issue of the ASHA Leader published a review of two new important studies. Ivette Cejas and Donna Sorkin summarized recently published papers on research encouraged by ACI Alliance to extend and update work led by Dr. John Niparko as part of Childhood Development after Cochlear Implantation supported by NIDCD. The ASHA Leader reaches over 230,000 print readers and many more via electronic means.

CMV Public Health & Policy Meeting will meet this September. As part of the program, they will be presenting a short video montage featuring CMV children and young adults—thanking the doctors, researchers, and public health leaders who have dedicated their careers to this cause. 

You can record a brief video (ideally 20-40 seconds, max 1 minute) of your child sharing a simple message such as:
• “Thank you for helping kids like me!”
• “Because of your work, I’m doing great!”
• Or just their name, age, and a smile or wave—anything that feels right to your family.

Record the video with your phone held in landscape mode (horizontally) for the best quality. Send the video file to rtetrault@cmvcanada.com

On Tuesday, November 18, in a hybrid lecture, Guillermo Sapiro, Ph.D, Augustine Family Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Princeton University, will deliver a talk titled “Wearables and Machine Learning Changing Health Access and Science.” The presentation is part of the NIDCD Director’s Seminar Series: Advancing the Science of Communication to Improve Lives.

First LSL Lessons – a brand-new learning platform created by certified Listening and Spoken Language specialists, designed to provide families with the confidence and competence they need to raise their child with hearing loss to listen and talk. The 12 step-by-step lessons meet families where they are so that they can learn in the way that works best for them and take them anytime, anywhere. Professionals can also use these curated lessons in their practice as building blocks to give families a solid foundation of knowledge in a format they can take at their own pace.

As someone with hearing loss, I am grateful for what the law has meant for me and for millions of others. I am also cognizant of the opportunities that I have had that were not available to my father, who was deaf.

Read her full story below. 

Back to School means updating your child's IEP. Talk with your clinicians and others about goals for your child and prepare a list of questions or thoughts before the meeting. Engage with fellow families about their IEPs and most important – know your rights!

Thanks to the efforts of State Champion Kate Sinks AuD, Govenor Kehoe of Missouri signed SB79 into law. Missouri joins the vast majority of states that provide CI coverage for adult Medicaid beneficiaries.