Education, Information, Advocacy and Support
Welcome to the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), the country’s leading membership organization for people with hearing loss. HLAA’s mission is to open the world of communication to people with hearing loss through providing information, education, advocacy and support. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, HLAA’s national network includes some 200 local chapters nationwide, and 14 state organizations.
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HLAA- Northwest Washington Chapter is a community of people residing in Northwest Washington counties as well as Canada. We provide information and education on a wide variety of topics of concern to people with mild to profound hearing loss, and their friends and family, who wish to function and thrive in the wider hearing world. We stress the use of hearing technologies, effective communication strategies, and self-advocacy. We work to disseminate information about legal and regulatory requirements that enable people with hearing loss to communicate in public places and in educational and employment settings.
We do these things by inviting knowledgeable speakers to address topics of concern, by reaching out to community groups and local government agencies that provide (or could provide) services to the hard of hearing community, and by acquainting the public about how best to accommodate the needs of the 15 to 20 percent of the U.S. population with some degree of hearing loss.
Meet our "EXECUTIVE Committee"
ABOUT US
Larry Wonnacott
President
Larry is a retired financial services executive. As a result of Meniere's Disease, Larry is a bi-lateral cochlear implant user after decades of hearing aid use.
Tim Mitchell Treasurer
Tim retired from Apple as a Site Reliability Engineer. His hearing loss started when he had a severe infection and the antibiotics he was given were outotoxic, damaging his hearing severely. His hearing aids serve him greatly.
Lou Touchette
At-large member
Lou retired from the military where he managed a jet fighter maintenance crew.
The close up work with horrific sound levels ruined his hearing. Lou now has cochlear implants for both ears.
Position Open
Vice President
Program Comittee Chair
Erlene VanDerMeer
Erlene began her hearing journey in her early 40's when she was working as a Clinical Audiologist. She now wears a hearing aid on one side and cochlear implant for other ear. Erlene has been very active with our "National HLAA organization"
Joyce Sweeny
Past President
Joyce is a retired teacher and hearing aids enabled her to continue teaching for many years "after her hearing began to fail". Now retired, she wears a hearing aid for her profound hearing loss. Her hearing service dog Emerald is her constant companion and helper.
Vicki Hammond
Secretary
Vicki is a retired educator who wears a cochlear implant and a hearing aid to accommodate single sided deafness (left) and severe loss (right).
Charlene MacKenzie
Co-Founder
In her youth, Doctors treated Charlene with a new "wonder drug" that severely damaged her hearing, and led to her deafness. Her career was serving as an ADA compliance officer, serving people with disabilities. Wearing a cochlear implant and a hearing aid, she remains
a tireless advocate for people with hearing loss.
Mike Sweeny
Past President
Mike is a retired sales rep, care taker and former Army Lieutenant. He uses hearing aids provided by the VA. Mike and Joyce have been married 23 years and both are Past Presidents of our group.
HLAA-NWWA
P.O. Box 252
Bellingham, WA 98227
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Chapter President - Larry Wonnacott
Phone: 360-656-6457
