On January 30th, 2023, the Ear Community Organization launched a new hearing health care program, called Pax’s Ear Fund, that is helping give the gift of hearing in many ways! Since the launch of the new hearing health program, three children in the microtia and aural atresia community have already benefited from this wonderful fund! Melissa Tumblin, Founder and Executive Director of the Ear Community stated, “When insurance companies deny coverage for the service fee that is required to fit and program hearing devices to a patient’s specific level of hearing loss, this takes away the opportunity for patients to hear. Children and adults end up having to do without.” While there are codes in place for fitting and programming traditional hearing aids and cochlear implants, there is not a code for programming Bone Anchored Hearing Systems.

The good that Pax’s Ear Fund provides to the microtia and atresia community is two-fold. This fund not only gives patients the opportunity to hear despite being denied coverage for this service by their insurers, but also gives audiologists the opportunity to still provide the gift of hearing to patients in need. The Ear Community is happy help three children so far this year! As a result, we hope these children will continue thriving in the school classroom and in their communities hearing their best! Pax’s Ear Fund also helps adults too!

It is Ear Community’s goal to help as many children and adults to hear their best as much as possible. Pax’s Ear Fund is made possible by a sweet little boy named Pax who was born with microtia and atresia. Pax and his family know how important it is to help provide the gift of hearing to those in need. Ear Community is grateful for Pax’s Ear Fund! Pax’s fund gives Ear Community the opportunity to help give back to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community when helping members of the microtia and atresia community thrive.

Below are our recipients who have benefited from Pax’s Ear Fund so far.  A special thank you to Dr. Rachel Goldsmith at The Listening Center at GA Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialists and to Dr. Kim Block at Lakeside Audiology in South Carolina for helping find one more way to help your patients in need!

Thank you,
Ear Community
EarCommunity.org

Meet Emma! Emma is a sweet little girl who was born with microtia and aural atresia of her left ear, with varying degrees of bilateral hearing loss. Did I mention that she is also an amazing competitive dancer, enjoys listening to music and carrying on with her friends?

Emma was in need of a hearing device to help her hear better when her family’s insurer denied the coverage for her hearing device. That’s when Emma’s mom, Kathy, reached out to Ear Community for help. Emma’s insurance provider denied coverage for the hearing device she needed, a bone anchored hearing aid, also known as a bone conduction hearing system. Ear Community was able to help Emma with the gift of hearing by donating a gently used Oticon Medical Ponto 3SP! When Emma’s family went to schedule her fitting to have her hearing device programmed, her insurer also denied the audiology programming claim that would program Emma’s hearing device to her hearing loss. Thankfully, Ear Community was able to help Emma again!

Recently, Ear Community launched a new hearing health care reimbursement program for audiologists called Pax’s Ear Fund. Pax’s Ear Fund reimburses audiologists for the fitting/programming fee when the service is denied under CPT code L9900, which is often denied by insurers. Pax’s Ear Fund helps audiologists give the gift of hearing when microtia and atresia patients are denied coverage by their insurers, allowing them to still give the gift of hearing. Most families cannot afford the fitting/programming fee out of pocket when this service is denied.

Today, on March 8th, 2023, Emma, was able to have her Ponto fitting thanks to Pax’s Ear Fund covering the programming fee for her audiologist. Emma is the first recipient to benefit from Pax’s Ear Fund! A special thanks to her audiologist, Dr. Kim Block of Lakeside Audiology in South Carolina, for programming Emma’s Ponto and for being able to help a patient benefit through Ear Community’s new hearing fund!

It is Ear Community’s goal to help as many children and adults to hear their best as much as possible. Pax’s Ear Fund is made possible by a sweet little boy named Pax who was born with microtia and atresia. Pax and his family know how important it is to help provide the gift of hearing to those in need. Ear Community is grateful for Pax’s Ear Fund! Pax’s fund gives Ear Community the opportunity to help give back to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community when helping members of the microtia and atresia community thrive. A special thank you to the William, Jeff and Jennifer Gross Family Foundation for their amazing support to our organization!

For more information on Pax’s Ear Fund, please click here.

All of us at the Ear Community Organization are so happy for Emma to be able to hear her best! We hope you keep dancing and smiling while you hear every sound, never missing a beat, Emma!
Thank you,
Melissa Tumblin
Founder – Executive Director
Ear Community
www.EarCommunity.org

LONE TREE, Colo., Feb. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Ahead of International Cochlear Implant Day (February 25, 2023), Cochlear is announcing that it will now offer Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA) support on compatible Fire TV devices for people living with hearing implant technology. The advancement represents the first time that a smart TV device will stream sound directly to a hearing implant sound processor.

Peter Korn, Director of Accessibility for Devices at Amazon, said, “We’re delighted by our customers’ response to the innovations we’ve made in the entertainment space for people with hearing loss, even as we continue to build solutions that make entertainment more enjoyable for all customers. Now, by working with Cochlear, we’re thrilled that more people will have a simple way to enjoy their favorite TV shows, movies, and more. Entertainment should be accessible to everyone. This is one more way to help make that goal a reality.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1.5 billion people globally live with hearing loss.¹ By 2026, more than half (51%) of all households worldwide are predicted to own a smart TV.² International Cochlear Implant Day (CI Day) has taken place every year on February 25 since 2009, helping to raise awareness of hearing implants and to celebrate the achievements of people using the technology.

How it works

Cochlear has configured direct streaming from Fire TV to Cochlear Nucleus® 8, Nucleus 7, Nucleus Kanso® 2, and Baha® 6 Max Sound Processors. With ASHA, sound processors connect with the Fire TV device at the system level, so customers can enjoy audio from their favorite streaming apps, use Alexa, listen to music, navigational sounds, and more.

ASHA-enabled Fire TV devices include: Fire TV Omni QLED Series, Fire TV Omni Series, Fire TV 4-Series, Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen), and Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen).

To pair a hearing implant sound processor and Fire TV device, customers can visit Fire TV Settings, navigate to Accessibility, select Hearing Aids, and follow the on-screen instructions to connect them. For more information, go to the Accessibility Features for Fire TV page.

About Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH)

People have always been Cochlear’s inspiration, and since 1981, Cochlear has provided more than 700,000 devices in more than 180 countries, helping people of all ages around the world to hear.  As the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, Cochlear connects people with life’s opportunities.

Cochlear continually innovates to anticipate future needs, investing more than AUD$2 billion to date in research and development to push the boundaries of technology and help more people hear.

www.cochlear.com/us

References

1.  World report on hearing. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2021. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.S
2.  Strategy Analytics’ Connected Home Devices service, Global Smart TV Forecast for 88 Countries 2011-2026. Available at https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210720005976/en/Strategy-Analytics-Global-Smart-TV-Household-Ownership-to-Exceed-50-by-2026 [Last accessed November 15, 2022].

Please seek advice from your health professional about treatments for hearing loss. Outcomes may vary, and your health professional will advise you about the factors which could affect your outcome. Always follow the directions for use. Not all products are available in all countries. Please contact your local Cochlear representative for product information.

*For information regarding the compatibility of Cochlear’s Sound Processors with Amazon devices, visit www.cochlear.com/compatibility Cochlear, 科利耳, コクレア, 코클리어, Hear now. And always, Nucleus, Kanso, Baha, Osia, the elliptical logo, and marks bearing an ® or ™ symbol, are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Cochlear group of companies (unless otherwise noted).

The Osia system does not run the ASHA protocol. Osia is the only active implant on the market that allows for any kind of streaming from a Apple device without the use of an accessory/dongle (via MFi) and is compatible with the full range of Wireless Accessories. For the best television streaming experience with Osia, we recommend use of the TV Streamer.

©Cochlear Limited 2023. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Cochlear Limited

February 1st, 2023 — Pax’s Ear Fund is a hearing health reimbursement program offered through Ear Community that allows audiologists to be reimbursed for fitting/programming services when patients are denied coverage for this service by their insurance provider leaving them unable to pay the fee or high deductible at the time of the fitting/programming. This reimbursement program only covers patients born with microtia and/or aural atresia who wear Bone Anchored Hearing Devices/Bone Conduction Hearing Implant Systems. As a nonprofit organization that serves the microtia and aural atresia community, we ask that patients must have microtia and/or aural atresia to qualify as we have limited funds to work with for our community.

For Immediate Release:

EAR COMMUNITY NAMED “2022 TOP-RATED NONPROFIT” by GreatNonprofits

Award based on Community Recommendations

Broomfield, Colorado  December 20, 2022 –The Ear Community announced today it has been named a “2022 Top-Rated Nonprofit” by GreatNonprofits, the leading website for community recommendations of charities and nonprofits.

Since 2010, Ear Community has paved the way for children and adults who are born with Microtia and Aural Atresia all over the world. Ear Community has shined a light on this rare cause through advocacy efforts, raising awareness and promoting education, which has resulted in helping hundreds of thousands of caregivers, families and medical professionals better understand this congenital anomaly. Ear Community created a community that was much needed along with creating a sense of belongingness and acceptance. To date, the Ear Community has hosted over 100 FREE events bringing families together in the same situation, donated over 150 bone anchored hearing devices, awarded 20 college scholarships, championed genetics research, introduced Federal legislation for hearing device insurance coverage and established National Microtia and Atresia Awareness Day – honoring the Microtia and Atresia community every November 9^th.

“We are honored to be named a 2022 Top-Rated Nonprofit,” says, Melissa Tumblin, Founder and Executive Director, of Ear Community. We are proud of our accomplishments this year, including our collaborative work on genetics research that led to a breakthrough discovery in identifying a new genetic cause for Microtia and Atresia and Craniofacial Microsomia.”

The Top-Rated Nonprofit Award is based on the rating and number of reviews that Ear Community received from volunteers, donors and aid recipients. “When our daughter was born with microtia, we had never heard of the condition and were completely overwhelmed with how to navigate getting her the best care. Ear Community provides thorough, accurate information in a warm and supportive community and Melissa made herself available to provide personal support, recommendations and reassurance. Five months later, we feel confident in our ability to advocate for our daughter and her ability to thrive.” – community member/donor. To learn more about Ear Community, please visit:  https://earcommunity.org/

“The Ear Community is a great example of a nonprofit making a real difference in their community,” said Shari Tishman, Managing Director of GreatNonprofits, “Their award is well-deserved recognition not only of their work, but the tremendous support they receive, as shown by the many outstanding reviews they have received from people who have direct experience working with the Ear Community.”

GreatNonprofits is the largest donation website for nonprofits and where people share stories about their personal experiences on more than 1.8 million charities and nonprofits. The GreatNonprofits Top-Rated Awards are the only awards for nonprofits determined by those who have direct experience with the charities – as donors, volunteers and recipients of aid.

The complete list of 2022 Top Rated Nonprofits can be found at: https://greatnonprofits.org/awards/browse/Campaign:61/Issue:All

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About Ear Community, Inc.
Promote educational and public awareness about Microtia and Atresia and hearing loss, in an unbiased manner, while promoting advocacy and connecting individuals in the same situation.

About GreatNonprofits
GreatNonprofits is the leading platform for donors to find stories and ratings of nonprofits. By applying the power of crowdsourcing to the world of nonprofits provides over 500,000 stories and reviews for more than 1.8M nonprofits influencing 30 million donation decisions a year. GreatNonprofits has received coverage in the Economist, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times and Chronicle of Philanthropy, and has been personally endorsed by philanthropist Bill Gates. The organization is led by a team of nonprofit, business, product, and technology professionals. Visit https://greatnonprofits.org for more information.

Media Contacts
Melissa Tumblin
Executive Director, Ear Community
Melissa@EarCommunity.org

Karen Dayan
Chief Marketing Officer, Great Nonprofits
karen@greatnonprofits.org

On Wednesday, November 9^th, 2022, National Microtia and Atresia Awareness Day was embraced and celebrated throughout the world by promoting awareness and education about the rare congenital anomaly called Microtia and Aural Atresia. Microtia occurs when the outer ears do not fully develop during the first trimester of pregnancy. Aural Atresia occurs when the ear canals do not fully develop or are absent, causing hearing loss. Microtia occurs in 1 out of every 6,000 children born in the United States (approximately 660 babies born each year). This awareness day was established by the Ear Community Organization, taking place every November 9^th, honoring the beautiful children and adults in our community with this condition. Below is our story from this year’s National Microtia and Atresia Awareness Day spotlighting some of the many ways awareness and education was spread on November 9th:

National Microtia and Atresia Awareness Day gives our community the opportunity to shine a light on our rare cause. On this day, medical professionals specializing in Microtia and Aural Atresia repair host clinics educating families who have loved ones with Microtia and Atresia. Medical device companies educate on how individuals with Microtia and Atresia can benefit from specialized hearing devices they offer called Bone Anchored Hearing Devices or Bone Conduction Hearing Systems. Medical device companies offering surgical implants that can help create an outer ear or correct facial asymmetry during reconstruction also enjoy embracing our community on this day. Posts on social media channels include educating about all the options for Microtia and Atresia. This day also provides a platform for families and teachers to educate and promote awareness about Microtia and Atresia in schools. Advocates often wearing supportive t-shirts, awareness wristbands and often bringing in ear shaped cookies or cupcakes with our awareness ribbon on them talk about our cause. Parents, teachers of the Deaf and hard of hearing, speech therapists and early intervention providers speak with children about differences, being unique, acceptance, and being kind in the school classroom. Some children and parents give presentations on Microtia and the type of hearing device that can help someone hear when they are born with Aural Atresia. Some discuss how everyone is different in their own way such as wearing eyeglasses, they share about their

Educating in the school classroom.

journey and being a role model. Special events are often organized on this day by schools for the Deaf and Hard of hearing and by Teachers of the Deaf/HH as well throughout the states. Many of Ear Community’s Sponsors enjoy educating on hearing device technology and how children and adults with Microtia and Atresia can benefit from these specialized hearing devices. This year, Oticon Medical Sponsored t-shirts for children and staff at the Summit Speech School in New Jersey. These families enjoyed coming together on November 9^th with their beautiful children, making it an extra special day! Many community members find our day as a special day they look forward to celebrating each year, including some who’s birthdays fall on our awareness day!

Many countries embrace National Microtia and Atresia Awareness Day as this was not only a much-needed day to raise awareness, but individuals born with Microtia and Atresia are often an under-served community. Awareness and advocacy were needed for this cause. It is amazing to see the world embrace our special day, every year, promoting education and awareness. Some of the many countries embracing National Microtia and Atresia Awareness Day include the United States, Canada, Mexico, Columbia, India, Russia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Poland, Russia, Japan, China, Mongolia, the UK, Malaysia, Australia, Denmark, Brazil, France, and South Africa just to name a few.

Harvard researchers with Seidman Labs (Barbara McDonough and Angela Tai)

One of Ear Community’s goals as a nonprofit was to work on research, with the hope of finding the answers to the questions surrounding why Microtia and Atresia happen. Most families have often never heard of Microtia or Atresia when a child is born into their family with this rare congenital anomaly. However, other families have multiple family members affected with Microtia and Atresia throughout generations. While there is little understanding of what causes Microtia and Atresia, there are new genetic findings that show damaging genetic variants cause Microtia and Atresia and Craniofacial Microsomia. Ear Community’s founder, Melissa Tumblin, didn’t want another mother to ever blame herself thinking she must have done something during her pregnancy to cause her child’s ears to be missing or underdeveloped. After a five-year grant research project collaborating with Harvard Medical School (Seidman Labs), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, MIT – the Broad Institute, the NIH, the Gabriella Miller Kids First Foundation, Seattle Children’s Hospital and many contributing organizations, our community now has new information that can help us understand why Microtia and Atresia may happen. This year alone, our primary investigator, Dr. Dan Quiat of Harvard Medical School, published two papers on these new findings helping us understand what damaging mutations cause Microtia and Atresia and Craniofacial Microsomia. We are grateful to the researchers who have worked incredibly hard to help our community find the answers we are looking for! This genetics information can be found on Ear Community’s website here.

Dr. Ashesh Bhumkar in India of Bhumkar ENT & Microtia-Atresia Hospital .

Many medical professionals embrace November 9^th by educating online about the options for Microtia and Atresia. Some wear t-shirts and wristbands while hosting clinics to help support and educate these families. Some like Dr. Ashesh Bhumkar of India (Bhumkar ENT & Microtia-Atresia Hospital), donate their time and service to reconstruct an ear for one lucky child on November 9^th! Some medical facilities that embrace National Microtia and Atresia Awareness Day include Stanford Children’s Hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital Colorado, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Monroe Carell Children’s Hospital, Harvard Mass Eye and

Dr. Angelo Leto-Barone with Nemours Children’s Health.

Ear, NY Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mt. Sinai, Nemours Children’s Health, Children’s Minnesota, University Hospitals, Johns Hopkins, including many audiology and ENT academies and organizations as well as many hearing loss organizations just to name a few. This year, Ear Community hosted a global presentation on “Let’s Talk About Microtia and Atresia” educating on the options for our rare cause as well as why the Ear Community Organization was founded. Families and health care professionals including social workers, teachers of the D/HH, and therapists joined this presentation from all over the world from Ghana, Ethiopia, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Japan, Argentina, Ecuador, and many from the United States. Moments like this are what Ear Community was founded on, helping bring Microtia and Atresia families together from all over the world. This presentation can be viewed here.

Many news articles were published on National Microtia and Atresia Awareness Day sharing about our community and organization’s story. This year, Ear Community made International Business Times as well as being nominated and recognized as “Nonprofit of the Day” by Philanthropi! We would like to thank

International Business Times on National Microtia and Atresia Awareness Day.

everyone who has supported the Ear Community Organization and our mission since 2010! It is the intention of Microtia and Atresia Awareness Day to help promote public awareness & the hope that future generations of families will leave the hospital equipped with more answers than questions & their dreams for the child intact. It is also the hope that if more people learn about Microtia & Atresia, that they will be kinder & more accepting. Through this National Day of Awareness, individuals with Microtia & Atresia & their families can find out about organizations & resources for information & support. We are grateful for the beautiful community we have created and brought together. Every child and adult who has Microtia and Atresia is truly unique and amazing. We hope that you never let your sweet little ears or hearing loss ever define you because you can be something truly amazing! We also hope no one with Microtia and Atresia ever feels alone because you have all of us!
Thank you,
Ear Community
www.EarCommunity.org

We hope you enjoy some of the amazing memories from our community on National Microtia and Atresia Awareness Day!