ALDA-MAINE for DEAFENED & HARD of HEARING PEOPLE with HEARING LOSS BLOG
Join us. Advocate, Educate, Get involved. Hearing loss concerns everyone. 
2008 GREAT NEWS: "THE HEARING LOSS HERALD" FROM ALDA-MAINE is published! The HLH is a newsletter with a lot of good information about life with hearing loss, and much more! iT'S THE ONLY PUBLICATION OF ITS KIND IN NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND TO HIGHLIGHT THE NEEDS AND CONCERNS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE HARD OF HEARING AND DEAFENED (most of whom do not use sign language and require other communication supports).
BECOME A MEMBER OF ALDA-MAINE TODAY AND BEGIN RECEIVING YOUR FREE COPIES OF THE HLH FOR ALL OF 2008. VOLUME ONE, ISSUE TWO TO BE MAILED OUT MAY 2008. EMAIL TO: ALDAMAINE@GMAIL.COM. ENJOY OTHER MEMBER BENEFITS ALSO, FOR ONLY TEN DOLLARS ANNUAL DUES.
APRIL 24 2008 ALDA-MAINE MEETING IN AUGUSTA. AT UMA CAMPUS, WAS TERRIFIC, THANKS ALL WHO PARTICIPATED. MEMBERS AND VISITORS, TELL US IF YOU WANT TO COME ALONG TO A NEXT MEETING SOON, IN PERSON OR VIA REMOTE CART (USING YOUR OWN COMPUTER).
EVERYONE READING THIS WEBPAGE - DO YOU KNOW WHAT CART IS? IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR COMMUNICATIONS AMONG PEOPLE, ALL OF US! ASK US MORE ANYTIME, AND SEE OTHER LINKS ABOVE TO LEARN MORE TOO.
ALDA-MAINE MEETS 24/7 ONLINE IN OUR MEMBERS ONLINE FORUM. JOIN US SOON. ANNUAL DUES ARE ONLY TEN DOLLARS. WE NEED YOU, WE WELCOME YOU, IF YOU CARE ABOUT HEARING CONCERNS. ONE IN FIVE TO TEN PEOPLE HAVE A HEARING LOSS, DEPENDING ON YOUR AGE GROUP - YOU WILL SURELY KNOW SOMEONE SOON, OR IT COULD BE YOU! THERE IS SO MUCH TO LEARN WITH ACQUIRED HEARING LOSS! ALDA-MAINE IS HERE FOR YOU, WITH YOU, FOR ALL OF US TOGETHER. EMAIL ALDAMAINE@GMAIL.COM NOW.
EMAIL TO ALDAMAINE@GMAIL.COM, WE LOOK FORWARD TO "HEARING" FROM YOU 
We EDUCATE our communities about hearing loss and new ways to communicate.
EQUAL ACCESS is our goal.
INFORMATION AND SUPPORT is found during online member discussions and at our meetings. IT IS SO NICE TO HANG OUT WITH OTHERS WHO UNDERSTAND OUR HEARING NEEDS! 
OVER 100,000 people in Maine have a hearing loss. All of Vermont, New Hampshire and the whole world invited to join us (we are the only group of this kind in all of northern New England and we have members in other locations also who enjoy our online discussions).
HEARING LOSS happens to one in five to ten people, depending on the age group.
HEARING LOSS does not need to isolate anyone.
WE are HARD OF HEARING AND DEAFENED (not Deaf Culture, and 95% of us do not use sign language).
Why join us? Who else is going to provide good information and offer 24/7 discussion online about acquired hearing loss? Who else publishes a newsletter for people who are hard of hearing and deafened? Who else really knows what deafened and hard of hearing is all about? Hearing people welcome! CLICK ON OUR NEW MEMBERSHIP AND DONOR INFORMATION LINK ABOVE. Would you like ALDA-MAINE to guide you in how to organize CART (communication access real time translation) for a favorite event or meeting in your own community? We would like to show all of Maine how CART/captioning works well for everyone. Email aldamaine@gmail.com now, to begin planning this together. Your support and our experience will make it happen!
WHAT does deafened and hard of hearing mean? It means that many of us no longer understand spoken conversations, though we can speak clearly. Deafened means that our relationships and communications are dramatically changed. Hearing sometimes declines suddenly, and sometimes slowly over many years.
We are not Deaf. Most of us do not grow up using sign language nor in the Deaf culture. We live in the hearing world, and we learn new ways to communicate with family, friends, co-workers, and our communities. It's not easy.
With hearing loss, we are not suddenly dumb, daft, nor dim. Hearing loss for many is a disability, and we also have many abilities. We gain new abilities as well.
JOIN US TO MEET OTHERS WHO UNDERSTAND, FIND INFORMATION, GET SUPPORT, ADVOCATE FOR RESOURCES, AND HAVE FUN. Email: aldamaine@gmail.com
ALDA-MAINE is a chapter of ALDA, a 20 year old national grass roots all volunteer self help association, www.alda.org. We are not an agency, nor a company. We are an official non profit all voluntary association.
ALDA-MAINE invites new members, all families, friends, co-workers, employers, people working in services of all kinds, and all interested in hearing concerns. We love to talk! Many ALDA members have been using captioning and lip reading since childhood, and many others, in different ages in life, are facing huge new challenges.
While captioning is the best way for us to communicate with all, we also use a variety of hearing aids, listening systems, and note taking. Some learn sign language. Our main advocacy efforts are for real time captioning and Internet captioning too, since so much news, communication (including telephoning) and entertainment is now on videos, and online. We need your interest to make good changes happen in Maine for all Maine citizens.
VISIT THIS SITE FREQUENTLY IN 2008. New events listed here as soon as members and others offer volunteer energies! Members also meet online 24/7. Join us soon!
NEW LEGISLATION PROJECT FOR NEEDED RESOURCES FOR HOH AND DEAFENEND MAINERS. INTERESTED IN MAKING A DIFFERENCE? GET INVOLVED SOON - UNITED WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR 100,000 MAINE CITIZENS WHO DO NOT USE SIGN LANGUAGE AND NEED MORE SERVICES AND RESOURCES TO STAY HEALTHY AND WISE :-)!
VOLUNTEERS, HEARING OR NOT, MEMBERS OF ALDA-MAINE OR NOT, ALWAYS INVITED!
One in five to ten people have a hearing need! Learn to face us, speak clearly, and enhance communications for all. Please don't shout or think we are 'dim' because we are deafened or hard of hearing :-).
Are you shopping online yet? Please consider this shopping mall online with over 600 stores, many familiar to you. A donation of your purchase goes to our ALDA-MAINE registered charity (non profit). Go to: www.iGive.com/aldamaine and register there (registration is free). We thank you in advance!