Join us this year for the 2023 CHHA National Educational Conference June 1 and 2, from 12-5 PM (EST). This special event will host a variety of educational sessions and networking opportunities to help strengthen the connection within the hearing loss community from across Canada.
“This National Conference is vital for the Hard of Hearing community. Your presence is a plus for all of us. Your voice, comments and participation allows our community to define itself in a more collaborative approach. By participating at the conference, you are supporting us in guiding our advocacy to better improve our destiny. Enhancing our socio-economic situation as members of the hard of hearing community starts with new ideas and ways to change our environment. We hope you can bring along other members of the community.” – Gilles Levasseur, CHHA Board Chair.
Keynote Speaker: Lance Allred
Lance Allred is the first legally deaf player in NBA history and author of five books. Living with profound hearing loss since birth due to RH complications, Lance had no amenities to learn sign language in rural Montana in the 1980’s. With a strong family support and community around him, Lance was able to bridge himself between the speaking and signing worlds that allowed him to play professional basketball for 10 years around the world. Lance is now an inspirational speaker with clients all around the world from Colliers International, Costco, Coca Cola, and many others as well as being a leadership consultant for the FBI.
Speaker: Janna Cowper
Janna is originally from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She is moderate to profoundly deaf since birth and has utilized hearing aids since the age of 2. Janna has two daughters, ages 7 and 4, who are also hard of hearing. Janna is a business owner who at the start of the pandemic, put that business aside to focus on her kids who were 4 and 1 at the time. This started Hard of Hearing Mama in Instagram, where she wrote about growing up, navigating being deaf/hard of hearing, and the internal conversations that we have with ourselves. Her goal is to educate the public about various deaf and hard of hearing issues, promote self-advocacy and help challenge stigmas that exist around hearing loss for all age groups. Janna resides in Orange County, California
Speaker: Gael Hannan
Gael Hannan is a renowned humorist, author, and speaker on hearing loss issues. She is a leading international hearing health advocate whose work, which includes awareness programs, dramatic performances and writing, aims to help people better understand life with hearing loss. She regularly writes for hearing-related publications and her critically-acclaimed first book, The Way I Hear It: A Life with Hearing Loss, written as part memoir and part survival guide, has helped readers around the world to embrace their own hearing challenges. Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully With Hearing Loss. her second book, co-authored with Shari Eberts, was published in May 2022. Gael has profound hearing loss and is bimodal, using both a hearing aid and a cochlear implant. She lives with her husband, Doug, aka the Hearing Husband, on Vancouver Island, where they live in hope of visits from their children and grandchildren.
Moderator: Abby Stonehouse
Abby Stonehouse is a stand-up comedian, writer, producer. Her storytelling comedy style juxtaposes her hopeful and honest approach to life with the horrific nitty-gritty of reality. You may know Abby from her guest speaking appearance at the 2021 CHHA virtual conference and hosting the 2021 YAN virtual conference. Being an artist that lives with hearing loss, moderating this year’s conference is near and dear to her heart.
