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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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Don’t Miss These Highlighted Sessions at the Upcoming CI2026 Conference in Chicago
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Featured Sessions
- John Niparko Memorial Lecture - Tonotopic Coding in Cochlear Implantation, presented by Craig Buchman, MD, FACS
- Keynote: Why Proven Technologies Fail to Spread: Institutions, Incentives, and the Case of Hearing Health, presented by Nobel Laureate James A. Robinson
- Masterclass: Foundational and Advanced CI Programming
- Featured Panels including:
- CI Assessment of Spanish-Speaking Adults in the U.S.
- Practice Building and Program Growth
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Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
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Read more details about each SIG and what they plan to discuss during CI2026.
Thursday, May 7 | Lunch
• Adult Aural Rehabilitation
• The Mentor–Mentee Relationship (Student and Early Career)
• Professionals Working with Spanish-Speaking Patients and Their Families
Friday, May 8 | Lunch
• Educators of Children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Members with Hearing Loss
• Cochlear Implant Care within Governmental Services
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Read the response from our audiologist addressing the question about gene therapy.
"I’ve heard that gene therapy has been successful in addressing hearing loss for some children. I am 40 years old, and I think I am a candidate for a cochlear implant. Should I not go forward with the CI evaluation and process, and wait for gene therapy to be more widely available?"
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Supporting Children Who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing to Maximize Language Learning with 21st Century
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📅 Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2026
🕣 Time: 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM
📍 Location: Hyatt Regency Chicago
151 E Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois
Join us for a full-day, in-depth workshop focused on helping children who are deaf and hard of hearing maximize language learning through the use of 21st century hearing technology.
This workshop is designed for early intervention providers, educational professionals, and parents, and will explore evidence-based strategies, practical tools, and collaborative approaches to support listening and spoken language development in young children.
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ASHA Cochlear Implant Webinar Series
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This recorded webinar is part of an ASHA-organized series on cochlear implantation. This first offering (which is given by ACI Alliance) provides research-based background and guidance for audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and others who serve adults and children who may be candidates for cochlear implantation. The presenters highlight candidacy criteria, key challenges and barriers, patient and provider perspectives, and specific strategies to improve awareness, access, and referrals.
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Innovation and Connection Conference - Supporting the Whole Child with Unilateral Hearing Loss
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Apr 1, 2026 08:45 AM | Virtual Attendance
This full-day workshop provides a comprehensive overview of unilateral hearing loss (UHL) in children, led by a multidisciplinary team of audiologists, psychologists, therapists, and educators.
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Oberkotter Foundation Showcase Webinar – Hearing Device Wear Time to Improve LSL Outcomes
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On March 10, the Oberkotter Foundation will host an online webinar, Hearing Device Wear Time to Improve LSL Outcomes, that explores the link between consistent device use and listening, talking, and literacy outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
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Aural Rehabilitation: How to Support Adults Pre- and Post- Cochlear Implantation
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Join us at CI2026 Chicago for a pre-conference workshop designed for professionals working in clinical settings who want to explore and discuss adult rehabilitation for adult cochlear implant (CI) recipients.
📅 Wednesday, May 6
⏰ 9:00 AM
💲 $50 registration fee
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Apply to Serve on the CI Conference Program Committee
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The Program Committee is selected through an application process to guide the development of the CI conference scientific program. Applications are due March 10.
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Advocacy Tip of the Month: Follow the policy that affects your child’s hearing care. Federal and state decisions shape everything from insurance coverage for cochlear implants to early intervention services. Take a few minutes this month to look up one bill, budget item, or policy that impacts hearing health—and learn where it stands.
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ACI Alliance Participates in World Hearing Day
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In recognition of World Hearing Day, ACI Alliance partnered with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to meet with Congressional offices to advance key federal hearing health priorities. Discussions focused on the bipartisan Stop CMV Act, Ally’s Act, and continued support for the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program. Together, these initiatives promote prevention, early identification, and access to life-changing hearing technology. ACI Alliance urged offices to support and co-sponsor current legislation to strengthen outcomes for children and adults with hearing loss.
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Executive Director of ACI Alliance, Donna Sorkin, presents the award to CI recipient and Veteran William Howard who accepted the award on the Congressman’s behalf.
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Congressmen Tom Barrett and Mike Thompson Receive Inaugural Champion for Hearing Health Award at World Hearing Day Reception on Capitol Hill
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In recognition of World Hearing Day, American Cochlear Implant (ACI Alliance) and Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) co-hosted a special Capitol Hill reception honoring bipartisan champions of hearing health. Representatives Tom Barrett (R-MI) and Mike Thompson (D-CA) received the inaugural Champion for Hearing Health Award for their leadership of the Congressional Hearing Health Caucus and their commitment to expanding access to hearing care.
The event highlighted the disproportionate impact of hearing loss among veterans, featured powerful remarks from U.S. Army Veteran William Howard, and underscored the life-changing potential of hearing technology. As we mark World Hearing Day, ACI Alliance remains committed to advancing policies that ensure equitable access to hearing healthcare nationwide.
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ACI Alliance supports the letter written to Secretary McMahon requesting the reinstatement of grants awarded to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program at Teachers College, Columbia University
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A collaboration of organizations request the reinstatement of the $250,000 per-year grant previously awarded through the Collaborating to Optimize Achievement for Children with Hearing Loss (COACH) program, which supported the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program at Teachers College, Columbia University.
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Twenty-Five Years of Change in Children’s Hearing Health: A Conversation with Dr. Karl White
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As a pioneer in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI), Karl White PhD has helped shape the systems that now support children with hearing loss and their families from the earliest days of life. In advance of the CI 2026 Conference, ACI Alliance had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. White as he reflects on his career, the history of EHDI, and his perspective on the road ahead.
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ACI Alliance continues to strengthen national partnerships through participation in the annual meetings of the Independence Through Enhancement of Medicare and Medicaid Coalition (ITEM Coalition) and the Habilitation Benefits Coalition (HAB Coalition). These engagements help keep us at the forefront of state and federal policy issues impacting individuals with disabilities, including those who are deaf and hard of hearing and cochlear implant users.
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Coalition Engagement Update
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Our long-standing relationship with ITEM has helped secure the Coalition’s commitment to support a National Coverage Determination (NCD) for cochlear implants for Medicare beneficiaries with single sided deafness (SSD) or asymmetric hearing loss when accepted by CMS, as well as continued support for lifelong Medicaid coverage of cochlear implant equipment. Similarly, our engagement with the HAB Coalition strengthens efforts to protect and advance coverage of habilitative services at both the state and federal levels.
Through these partnerships, ACI Alliance helps ensure that hearing health, cochlear implant access, and habilitative services remain visible and prioritized in broader healthcare policy discussions.
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Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Time:
9:00 - 10:00 PM E.T. (6:00 PM P.T.)
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AOS Webinar - "Music, Hearing Loss & The Brain"
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The American Otological Society is pleased to present a live webinar event on Wednesday evening, March 18th on Music, Hearing Loss and the Brain: A Conversation with Dr. Francis Collins (former Director, NIH), Huey Lewis (musician/songwriter), and neurotologist Dr. Charles Limb. This unique panel of participants will cover a range of topics centered around music, hearing loss and medicine.
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NIDCD Director’s Seminar Series May 13, 2026, 1:00-3:00 PM (ET)
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On Wednesday, May 13, in a hybrid lecture open to NIH staff, researchers, and the public, 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. The live videocast will be captioned and recorded for later viewing.
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Authored by: Hee Won Seo, Soorack Ryu, Sang-Yoon Han, Seung Hwan Lee & Jae Ho Chung
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Depression Risk After Cochlear Implantation Compared with Other Rehabilitation Strategies in Severe Hearing Loss
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Hearing loss is a growing public health concern with substantial psychosocial consequences. This study investigated whether auditory rehabilitation, particularly cochlear implantation, reduces the long-term risk of depression in individuals with severe hearing loss.
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Authored by: Eric K Kim, Kami Pullakhandam, Brooke Barry, Michelle H Zhang, Meaghan P Reed, Julie G Arenberg, Carie Pag, Rebecca M Lewis, Nicole T Jiam
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Optimizing Cochlear Implant Care: A Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing (TDABC) Analysis of Audiologist and Otolaryngologist Workflow
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Understanding time and cost requirements for CI care delivery is essential for improving access and supporting clinical teams. This study quantifies personnel time and costs for preoperative and postoperative CI care to identify opportunities for workflow optimization and enhanced audiologist support.
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Authored by: David R. Friedmann, Arianna Winchester, Olivia Bender, Julienne Ching, Andrew Nicholson, Frankie Hamilton, Joshua Chodosh, Victoria Vaughan Dickson
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Veteran and Provider Perspectives on Rehabilitation for Severe Hearing Loss
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Age-related hearing loss is common disability among Veterans. Comprehensive hearing services are available within the Veterans Affairs (VA) integrated healthcare system. Severe hearing loss may pose distinct communication challenges inadequately addressed by hearing aids, but data suggest severe hearing loss is often not treated differently. Although hearing care is available to Veterans, multi-level factors influence the delivery of hearing care and management for Veterans with severe hearing loss. Greater attention both in primary and specialty care is needed.
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Cochlear Implant Candidacy Support Tool Using Conjunctive Consolidation
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Authored by: Kevin Chen, William Bray, Dorina Kallogjeri, et al.
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Despite the proven benefits of a cochlear implant, utilization rates remain low. Current screening tools have improved awareness but rely on binary classification (candidate vs noncandidate), limiting individualized counseling and shared decision-making.
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Authored by: Javiera Herrada Andreoli, Paul H. Delano, Ana Maria Morris, Rocio Carvajal Diaz, Ana Claudia Martinho-Carvalho, Smita Agrawal
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Telehealth cochlear implant programming in Chile yields outcomes comparable to in-person clinical care
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Remote programming can improve access and help overcome barriers related to distance, cost, and travel in the follow-up care of cochlear implant users. This study evaluates the ease of use, effectiveness, and acceptability of the remote programming system for cochlear implant users.
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Support Colleagues’ Survey Research
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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 support your colleagues by participating in their surveys, as appropriate.
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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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