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Hearing Care NewsBetter Hearing and Speech Month.
Better Hearing and Speech Month grew out of National Hearing Week that was initiated in 1927 by the American Federation of Organizations for the Hard of Hearing. This organization primarily promoted the advantages of lip-reading and hearing aids. Hearing Week grew to a national event in the 1930's with formal endorsement from the FDR White House (with the federation now called the American Society for the Hard of Hearing). Eleanor (who was HOH in one ear) worked for the cause and did a national broadcast in 1937 on CBS radio. The organization hired a publicity expert to develop local and national promotional campaigns, and the organization was subsequently re-titled the American Hearing Society.
In 1958, the annual promotional campaign was extended from one week to the full month of May. In 1962, the Society (having received a federal demonstration project grant to establish hearing and speech facilities in small communities) included speech problems, programs, and services into its by-laws. In 1965, the society took on a new orientation to establish, improve, and increase the availability of comprehensive care for hearing, speech, and language disabilities and changed its name once again to the National Association for Hearing and Speech Agencies (NAHSA). It is probably shortly after this time that speech was added to the focus of the month. In the 1970's, NAHSA ran into financial problems, and abandoned its May promotional activities. NAHSA approached several organizations to bail them out of debt. ASHA did so with NAHSA becoming ASHA's consumer affiliate in 1981. NAHSA's mission today to education of the public about speech, language, and hearing disabilities, primarily through production and dissemination of informational brochures. While NAHSA was pursuing financial solvency, Sertoma International, a national civic organization, hosted a meeting of hearing and speech organizations in 1978 from which emerged The Council for Better Hearing & Speech Month. The purpose of the Council was to develop an integrated approach to promotional activities during May. Each year, a different organization would take the lead in getting the organizations together and planning and executing specific activities for that year. ASHA took the lead several times during the Council's existence. The Council disbanded in 1995 when member organizations decided to go back to individual organizations doing their own independent promotions, which ASHA continues to do every year.
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