The Hearing Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc

10/02/2026

Now open! Presentation submissions for the 13th International Adult AR Conference: “Bridge to the Future: Transforming Hearing Healthcare by Connecting Science, Technology, Clinical Practice, and the Lived Experience”
June 7-8, 2027, in Boston, MA

If you’re a researcher, adult with hearing loss, clinician, educator, or student working on a project to improve the quality of life for adults with hearing loss- Please join us!

If interested in learning more, visit the conference website https://www.bu.edu/hrc/iaarc/

Or submit your proposal at https://www.bu.edu/hrc/iaarc/abstract-submission/

Abstract Submission We are calling for papers that embrace this theme of transforming the adult aural rehabilitation experience. We welcome papers from representatives of laboratories, clinics, and educational facilities. The conference organizers also strongly support submissions from members of th...

07/06/2026

We hope everyone is having a wonderful summer.
Here is another board member spotlight. Thaddeus (Tad) Zelski!

During my 45 years in the hearing aid industry, I owned and managed SEHAS, Inc. /Atlanta Hearing Aid Service from 1975 to 1988. I was instrumental in the commercial introduction of a range of audiology instrumentation such as tympanometry, electro-acoustic impedance, OEA, BSER, FM auditory training systems, vibro-tactile training systems, frequency lower amplification and marketing the first digital hearing aids in the 1980’s and 1990’s. In 1990, I was selected as an advisor and trainer to the Chinese Disabled Person Federation for the selection of FM training instrumentation for use in deaf education in the Peoples Republic of China. As a sales representative for Widex hearing aids in New York City, I was responsible for sales in 5 Mid-Atlantic states.

Adult aural rehabilitation is important to me as I felt that hearing aids were only a partial strategy in improved communication for adult hearing loss. Supporting the work of the Hearing Rehabilitation Foundation is a way for me to contribute.

05/13/2026

Faces on the Wall #3
Raymond Antrobus is a recent addition to the display on the wall of the training room at the HRF. He is a British poet and author who writes beautifully about being hard-of-hearing In a hearing world. He has written about his early experiences with hearing aids in the children’s book, ”Can Bears Ski?” His poem “The First Time I Wore Hearing Aids” is available on YouTube and is a humorous account of his early listening experiences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G9dy8nCbuE
I would also highly recommend his memoir, “The Quiet Ear.” Google his name to find out more about this very talented writer.

05/07/2026

The next conference in this series will be in June, 2026. Please join us!

04/29/2026

We wanted to highlight another one of our board members, Kathy Cienkowski!

Kathy Cienkowski, PhD, is a tenured Professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Connecticut, where she currently serves as Interim Department Head. Her work focuses on the management of hearing loss across the lifespan, grounded in a patient- and family-centered care model and informed by a strong commitment to community-engaged scholarship. She serves as the Audiology Discipline Coordinator for the Connecticut Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (CT LEND) program and is co-investigator on the pediatric LEND supplement grant. Her research and training initiatives have been supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIDCD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. She is also a past president of the Academy of Rehabilitative Audiology and a former Coordinator of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Special Interest Group 7. She also served as a co-author of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Aural Rehabilitation Practice Guidelines, contributing to national standards that guide evidence-based clinical care.

04/13/2026

The Hearing Rehabilitation Foundation, based in Woburn, MA, is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving communication for individuals with hearing loss, cochlear implants, and hearing aids through specialized training, testing, and music therapy. Training sessions provide a "hearing workout" to increase listening skills, stamina, confidence and listening enjoyment. On site and virtual training options available. We operate on a pay-what-you-can model. A $50 contribution helps sustain our work; we gladly adjust for financial need."

We are now enrolling for Music Training (Fridays only) with our Music Therapist, to improve music listening, enjoyment and engagement.

DM us or email [email protected] to talk more!

04/01/2026

Here is another one of our amazing board members, Carol Menton!

Carol Menton (seen here with the amazing Kerryn Plant at the recent HRF Open House) holds a BS in Government from Suffolk University and an MSW from Salem State University. She has over 20 years of professional experience in community based supports, consultation and systems change initiatives for Deaf, hard of hearing and disabled individuals and families. She currently works in the Community Services Division at the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. She is also teaching classes in social policy and community practice as a visiting instructor in the MSW program at the Salem State University School of Social Work.

With bilateral cochlear implants Carol knows first-hand the critical importance of aural rehabilitation and is grateful to the HRF for their support in this journey! While not a musician, she loves music, especially concerts (most recently the amazing Brandi Carlile at TD Garden), musical theater (on tap next week, Suffs at the Colonial in Boston), and live outdoor performances everywhere in the spring, summer and fall!

She is a long-time member of the Association of Late-Deafened Adults (ALDA), Inc., and currently serves on the ALDAcon 2026 Program Committee; she reminds everyone that workshop proposals (https://alda.org/about-aldacon/) are being accepted until Thursday, May 14.

03/11/2026

Here is another one of our amazing board members, Peggy Ellertsen!

Peggy Ellertsen is an advocate for persons with hearing loss, with particular interest in improved systems for safe and accurate communication access in healthcare. Her advocacy also concentrates on stakeholder education for assistive listening solutions in public places and awareness about the importance of hearing protection in noisy environments.
A certified speech/language pathologist, now retired, Peggy is a Life Member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and a past affiliate of ASHA’s Special Interest Groups for Public Health Audiology and Auditory Rehabilitation. She is is co-creator of Healthcare with Hearing Loss, a blog series designed to inform stakeholders about strategic planning to improve access to accommodations in healthcare encounters. A long-time member of Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), Peggy is a past member of the HLAA Board of Directors and works with HLAA’s strategic team for Communication Access in Health Care. In June, 2025, Peggy received the HLAA Rocky Stone Humanitarian Award.
As a person with severe sensorineural hearing loss and an HRF client, Peggy has gleaned significant benefit from intensive aural rehabilitation at the highest level of quality. Her time spent in training has helped her to develop insights about her personal listening habits and has built her resilience for listening in challenging environments. With great gratitude, she serves on the Board of the Hearing Rehabilitation Foundation.
Peggy lives with her husband in Newton, MA and spends much of her time in New York City and New Orleans with her daughters, son-in-law, and grandchild. She uses a cochlear implant and hearing aid.

03/03/2026

One of our clients owns a nightclub and was looking for things to put up on the walls. I volunteered to paint an old guitar and she was able to provide me with a beat up, unplayable instrument. It took a lot of cleaning before I started to paint it and l’m happy with the final result. I’ll miss it when it goes to its new home.

02/23/2026

In case you’re new here (or just need a refresher!) The Hearing Rehabilitation Foundation provides services and supports for people with hearing loss — because everyone deserves the opportunity to connect and communicate fully. Email [email protected] if you would like to receive listening training.