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Listening @ ACI Alliance
Listening is a vehicle for us to share information on cochlear implants and hearing loss with hearing healthcare providers, adult CI recipients (and those exploring CI), parents and family members interested in CI, educators who work with deaf and hard of hearing children, and anyone wanting to learn more about cochlear implants.
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.
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CI2026 Chicago | Submit Your Abstracts Now!
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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 themes of CI2026 Chicago include:
- Optimizing clinic efficiency and program growth (telemedicine, patient navigators, others)
- Emerging technologies in cochlear implantation
- Unique challenges in SSD/AHL patients (pediatrics, tinnitus, Medicare)
- Management and rehabilitation of complex hearing loss etiologies
- Mental health comorbidities in CI care
- Speech perception testing for non-English speakers
- Cognition and CI in aging patients
- Socioeconomic factors and health disparities in CI care
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Webinar Resources on SpeechPathology.com
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ACI Alliance partnered with SpeechPathology.com for recent courses on EHDI. Check out their offerings and use the code 1FREECOURSE to watch one course for free.
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Back to School Webinar: Talking to Teachers About Hearing Loss
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Join us on Tuesday, August 12th, from 7–8 PM ET for a special “Back to School” webinar focused on how to talk to new teachers about hearing loss and classroom accommodations.
Featured Speaker: Lexi will share a presentation she created for her middle school teachers and talk about how she approached these conversations in high school.
This is a great opportunity to:
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Learn strategies for self-advocacy in school settings
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Hear real-life experiences from a student perspective
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Ask questions and share your own experiences
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As session materials become available, we will post links to our CI2025 Boston website.
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Veterans and Access to CIs
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We are grateful to the Veterans who generously shared their experiences with receiving a cochlear implant via the VA system. The Veterans we spoke with hope that their positive CI outcomes will encourage others to “go for it” and that their suggestions for improving the process will be considered.
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Listening | Language | Literacy
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The Listening è Language è Literacy initiative resulted in the development of an infographic designed to be widely used in supporting families of children who are deaf and hard of hearing and the professionals who serve them. It has now been translated into Spanish, Japanese, French, Korean, and Mandarin.
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TIP OF THE MONTH: Interested in ACI Alliance advocacy? We are pleased to launch an advocacy tip of the month! Action Alerts are the easiest way to reach out to Members of Congress on the issues that matter most to you. Our Take Action Page lists our current efforts on EHDI, Medicaid, and more. Take a few moments to send your thoughts to Congress.
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Supreme Court Ruling Allows Children with Disabilities To More Easily Enforce Rights to Education
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A recent Supreme Court decision (A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools) will make it easier for CI children to enforce their rights under The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 under the Rehabilitation Act and the American Disabilities Act (ADA). On June 12, a unanimous Court sided with the family of a child who was denied full access to her education. Law experts agree this will make it easier for families to seek damages and/or ensure full support under the law. This case also emphasizes the need for a federally enforced IDEA as the child in question did receive support in one state but was denied once the family relocated. ACI Alliance will continue to provide more details of the impact of the Court decision.
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New York Passes Bill Requiring Private Insurances to Cover CI Parts
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The New York Legislature recently passed a bill that would require private insurance to cover back up cochlear implant processers. The bill has been sent to the Governor and is expected to sign.
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NC Budget Keeps ELSSP in Place
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North Carolina Joint Budget Committee released its “mini” budget which removed earlier language moving Early Learning Sensory Support Program for Children Who Are Deaf/Hard of Hearing (ELSSP) from the Department of Public Instruction. ACI Alliance sent a letter to the Joint Committee expressing our concerns on the effort and we are pleased our voices were heard.
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Partnering with Coalitions on Congressional Letters Regarding Medicaid Cuts
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ACI Alliance joined multiple coalitions in sending letters to Congress opposing Medicaid Cuts. The Friends of the Congressional Hearing Health Caucus (FCHHC) sent a letter to Senate leadership opposing cuts or program changes that will limit eligibility or access to hearing health care devices and services. The Coalition to Preserve Rehabilitation (“CPR”) and Habilitation Benefits (“HAB”) Coalition letter to the Senate Finance Committee opposed cuts to rehabilitation services for all. ACI Alliance will continue to work with coalitions and on our own to engage with Congress on these issues. You can read the letters below.
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Insurers Vow to Make Prior Authorization for Treatment Easier
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The Washington Post | June 2025
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Major health insurers are promising to ease up on a cost-controlling practice long hated by doctors and patients for making it harder to get quick and efficient care.
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Arizona Expands Adult Access to CIs Under Medicaid
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Thanks to the efforts of State Champion Shawn Stevens, MD and others, adult Medicaid beneficiaries will be able to receive cochlear implants. The bill also provides Medicaid coverage for speech therapy in a clinical setting for adults 21 years of age or older.
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Submit Your Survey Now for Member Distribution in August
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In an effort to support and advance research activities by our members, ACI Alliance provides a service to assist our members to collect information from other CI clinicians and investigators on the CI process, outcomes, access barriers and research needs.
Please send your survey to Donna Sorkin; dsorkin@acialliance.org by July 31st to be included in the August survey distribution, using the following format:
Title:
Brief Summary:
Audience:
Survey Link:
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Authored by: Lauren H. Tucker, Maeher R. Grewal, Alexander Chern, Michael W. Denham, Rachel E. Weitzman, Mark A. Eckert, Samuel H. Selesnick, James M. Noble, Justin S. Golub
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Associations Between Hearing Loss and Dementia in a Large Electronic Health Record System
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This was a cross-sectional, multicentered retrospective study using the electronic health records at the academic medical centers of Columbia University and Cornell University. Using a large electronic health record system, audiometric hearing loss defined in three separate ways was associated with increased odds of dementia. Electronic health records can corroborate and expand previously studied relationships between hearing loss and its comorbidities, including dementia. All univariable regressions showed increased odds of dementia with worsening hearing, regardless of how hearing or dementia was defined.
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Impact of Budget Cuts on Genetic Deafness Research
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A federal judge's ruling this week that funding should be restored for about 800 terminated NIH grants does not include the widespread cancellation of grants at Harvard University. This means that more than a billion dollars from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation that were awarded to Harvard but have not yet been spent are now unavailable.
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Authored by: Robert H. Eikelboom, Catherine M. Sucher, Sandra R. Bellekom, Marcus D. Atlas
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Cochlear Implantation in Australia: A Retrospective Analysis of 23 Years of Activity
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Despite the known economic and social benefits of cochlear implants, and the rising number of people with hearing loss, the initial increase in rates of implantation appeared to have slowed, and the uptake rate remains low. Public health and hospital policy should be directed to improving public education, awareness, and referral and assessment pathways, especially for males.
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Authored by: Jonathan D. Neukam, AuD, Ansley J. Kunnath, BA, Ankita Patro, MD, René H. Gifford, PhD, David S. Haynes, MD, Janice J. Chung, MD, Aaron C. Moberly, MD, and Terrin N. Tamati, PhD, on behalf of the Implantable Hearing Devices Committee
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Update on Barriers to CI Uptake in Adults
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Untreated hearing loss is associated with numerous adverse outcomes, including increased social isolation, loneliness, depression, risks to personal safety, and cognitive decline. Ultimately, the goal of hearing healthcare initiatives aimed at increasing CI access and uptake is to improve the quality of life for all individuals who could benefit from this technology. By identifying barriers and organizing them into an ecological framework, targeted interventions can be developed and implemented to overcome these challenges, ultimately optimizing communication outcomes for all who could benefit from this life-changing intervention.
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Authored by: Katelyn A. Berg, AuD, PhD; Jack H. Noble, PhD; Benoit M. Dawant, PhD
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Cochlear Implant Electrode Placement and Music Perception
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In this cross-sectional study of 50 adults with cochlear implants, electrode placement was associated with music perception outcomes. Participants also experienced improvements in music perception with the image-guided cochlear implant programming strategy. The study results suggest that image-guided cochlear implant programming can help improve music perception with cochlear implants.
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Like what you’ve seen? There is no obligation to join to continue receiving Listening but if you wish to be more involved in ACI Alliance, explore the opportunities for membership.
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P.O. Box 103 | McLean, VA 22101-0103 | Phone: 703.534.6146
Website: https://www.acialliance.org
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