ALDAcon 2005
The 2005 ALDA convention was held from September 7 - 11 in Salt Lake
City. It was another wonderful experience for anyone interested in
people with hearing loss. Here's our coverage:
Interested in some great ideas for starting or
maintaining a hearing loss group? Then you'll want to read our report on
that workshop!
Gabriela Frank is a renowned pianist and composer who has had hearing
loss her entire life. Here's our report on her
inspiring keynote presentation!
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Here's our first article covering this year's ALDA Convention, held
in Salt Lake City in September. This article covers Kathy Schleuter's
workshop on how to start an ALDA group; of course it's really applicable
to starting and maintaining any hearing loss group. I know that many
local chapters of hearing loss organizations are struggling to retain
and recruit members. If you have additional ideas about how to do this,
please do let me know, and I'll share them with our readers.
One issue is a meeting place. Suggestions included local hearing loss
agencies, libraries, service organizations, churches, senior centers,
colleges, and businesses. Almost any building that contains a meeting
room is a candidate. It can take a bit of legwork to find an appropriate
venue, but almost any community has a variety of suitable places.
Another topic of discussion was outreach. Many people with hearing
loss seem to be uninterested in becoming involved with a hearing loss
group. Some are just too busy, some are in denial, some just want to get
on with their lives. But there are also a lot of folks who would join
your organization if they knew about it. It's important to get your
information out to the public at every opportunity.
Encourage the local media to do a story about your group. But note
that "People with hearing loss need more services" won't cut
it. Your story has to have a hook to make it newsworthy; perhaps you're
bringing in a special speaker, or establishing a new activity, or
sponsoring an event. Be sure you have a newsworthy story before you
contact the media.
We might think of local newspapers and television stations as natural
channels, but don't forget radio. The person you're trying to reach may
not listen to the radio, but her husband or neighbor or kids probably
do, and they can encourage the folks with hearing loss to get involved
with your group.
Also don't forget the Internet. Building and hosting a website is
becoming increasingly easy and inexpensive (even free). If no one in
your group has the skills to do this, stop by your local high school and
see if you can find a student who's willing to help you.
The group also discussed the types of meetings to have. That depends
mostly on the interests of your members. Some prefer informational
meetings and presentations; others prefer social activities or
entertainment; still others like a mix of activities. It's important to
know what YOUR group wants and provide those types of activities.
A related issue is that of attracting people of different ages. Many
of the ALDA groups are composed primarily of older folks, and they have
a difficult time attracting young people. One way to do this, of course,
is to offer activities that younger folks like to do - perhaps camping
or rafting, or even just going to a movie.
One of the problems with building a core of people in a new age group
is finding that core. Too often a younger person comes to one meeting
and doesn't come back, because she's the only young person there. One
idea to overcome this is to collect the names of young people when they
contact your group or attend a meeting. When you have a good number
(perhaps six or so), schedule a meeting with just them to discuss what
kind of group they would like to have. Perhaps a "subgroup"
might work.
