LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to
proclaim May 29, 2016, as Hearing Aid Awareness Day in the State of New
York

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize official
days that are set aside to increase awareness of serious issues that
affect the lives of citizens of New York State; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to memorialize
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim May 29, 2016, as Hearing Aid Aware-
ness Day in the State of New York; and
WHEREAS, Hearing empowers us to live our lives more fully by enabling
us to participate more fully in our social, work, and family lives;
problems with hearing hinder this ability and can lead to feelings of
isolation and even depression; and
WHEREAS, May 29th, 1855, the first US patent for a hearing aid was
issued to Edward G. Hyde for his invention, the Acoustic Auricle; and
WHEREAS, Hearing aids are electrical devices designed to amplify
incoming sounds from the surrounding environment; hearing aids are
designed to assist hearing impaired individuals to process these incom-
ing sounds; there are over 38 million of these individuals in the United
States; and
WHEREAS, Hearing aids have been shown by studies to improve the user's
social, psychological, and physical sense of well-being; studies have
also shown that hearing aids improve individual's self-confidence,
concentration, independence, and job performance; and
WHEREAS, According to the recently released 37th Annual Report to
Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act, 2015, speech or language impairments was the second most
prevalent disability category in 2013 (at 17.9%) for students ages 6-21
served under IDEA, Part B, due to hearing loss; and
WHEREAS, According to the Hearing Health Foundation, from 2000 to
2015, the number of Americans with hearing loss has doubled; globally
the number is up by 44%; 50 million people in America and 360 million
worldwide suffer from hearing loss including 3 in 5 veterans returning
from war; and
WHEREAS, Hearing aid prices can range from several hundred to several
thousands of dollars each; a recent survey published by the HEARING
REVIEW found the purchase price of a single hearing aid is generally
anywhere from $800 to $4000 per ear; and
WHEREAS, It is imperative that there be greater awareness of this
serious health condition, and more must be done to increase activity at
the local, State and National levels; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim May 29, 2016, as Hear-
ing Aid Awareness Day in the State of New York; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New
York.