HEARING TEST RESOURCES
HEARING TESTING AVAILABLE FREE ON THE PHONE
Dial-A-Hearing Screening test allows area residents to check their hearing levels from home. Those interested
may call 800-222-EARS between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Participants should call from a corded phone and from a quiet room. Pencil and paper are needed. Those who don't hear all the tones will be
DONATE YOUR OLD HEARING AIDS!
Hearing Charities of America
1912 East Meyer Blvd.
Kansas City, MO 64132
Phone: 816-895-2410
The best way to donate your hearing aids, batteries, cleaning tools, or hearing aid accessories is to mail
them to our offices at the address above. We will process the donation and e-mail your itemized letter of acknowledgment as soon as we possibly can. Please be sure to either fill out the on-line donation form
e-mail address with your donation.
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Do you have Hearing Aids you no longer need?? The Hope for Hearing program accepts hearing aids of any
make or model, regardless of age. Behind-the-ear hearing aids in working condition are cleaned, refurbished
and refitted for Hope@UMHS(link sends e-mail) patients. Custom, in-the-ear hearing aids, as well as hearing
aids that are beyond repair, are donated to the Hear Now program at the Starkey Hearing Foundation.
Tax Benefits:
All hearing aid donations are tax deductible. Donors receive a letter of acknowledgement which can be used
for tax purposes.
Donate Hearing Aids:
To donate hearing aids to the Hope for Hearing program, please package and mail the aids to the address
below.
Hearing Aid Donations
U-M Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
1500 E. Medical Center Dr.
1904 Taubman Center, SPC 5312
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5312
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT & PRIVATE RESOURCES:
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
National Memorial and Headquarters
2750 N. Lakeview Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614-1889
Phone: 773-755-4700
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Michigan Elks Association
PO Box 141605
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Phone: 616-723-2763
Helping Michigan's Children:
The Michigan Elks will assist any special needs child in Michigan, regardless of race, creed or color, who
is unable to obtain assistance from other agencies or organizations; whose family’s income will not allow
them to give the child the needed treatment.
Special Needs are defined as any handicap in a child that restricts his or her ability to function in a normal
manner. We offer assistance from birth through the 17th year. The types of services we provide are through
awards made on behalf of the individual children as requested, paid directly to the approved vendor, camp,
doctor or therapist and include approved therapies, attendance at therapy camps located throughout the
State of Michigan, medical equipment, technology items such as iPads for assistance with communication
as well as therapeutic activities, hippotherapy and much more.
First Hand Foundation
2800 Rockcreek Parkway
Kansas City, MO 64117
Phone: 816-201-1569
First Hand provides funding for children whose families cannot afford medical care, equipment, vehicle
modifications, or displacement related to care. Review the assistance criteria and financial guidelines to
determine if your child qualifies for funding.
Friends of Man
P.O. Box 937
Littleton, CO 80160-0937
Phone: 303-798-2342
At Friends of Man we are a 501(c)(3), non-profit, tax-exempt charity using 100% of donations for charitable
assistance. We work through Referring Professionals (caseworkers, case managers, healthcare workers,
social workers, school counselors, teachers, clergy) who apply on behalf of their patients and clients needing
mobility equipment, prosthetics, glasses, dentures, hearing aids, and much more!
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General Assistance Program
Helps people of all ages in Colorado with a large variety of needs. Assists people who live outside of Colorado
with a limited range of needs.
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Transplant Medication Program
Assists people who can’t afford on-going post-transplant medication.
Hearing Loss of Association of America
6116 Executive Blvd. Suite 320
Rockville, MD 20852
Phone: 301-657-2248
The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) is the nation’s leading organization representing people
with hearing loss. HLAA provides assistance and resources for people with hearing loss and their families
to learn how to adjust to living with hearing loss. HLAA is working to eradicate the stigma associated with
hearing loss and raise public awareness about the need for prevention, treatment, and regular hearing
screenings throughout life.
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Michigan State Association:
Find local support group chapters at the second website above!
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Downriver Area Chapter
Meeting Location:
Southgate Veteran’s Memorial Library
14680 Dix Toledo
Southgate, MI 48195
Meets on the second Saturday of the month at noon, September through June
Hear Now (Starkey Hearing Foundation)
6700 Washington Ave.
South Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Phone: 866-354-3254
Future of the Hear Now Program:
The Starkey Hearing Foundation is reimagining the Hear Now program! The Hear Now program will fund
hearing health for deserving pediatric patients, especially teens, in the US. For more information about
the Hear Now program, providing charitable hearing health services for a US child-in-need, please contact
the Starkey Hearing Foundation.
Help America Hear
P.O. Box 1245
Smithtown, NY 11787
Phone: 888-580-8886i
Help America Hear provides hearing aids to those in need. We envision a world where individuals hear better
and actively participate in the world around them. Help America Hear supports individuals with hearing loss
through our focused volunteer and fundraising efforts. We are an organization dedicated to raising awareness
and accessibility to hearing aids for people who have experienced hearing loss and would otherwise not be
able to afford the fundamental joys of hearing.
Lions Club International / Lions Affordable Hearing Aid Project (Lions AHAP)
300 W. 22nd
Oak Brook, IL 60523-8842
Phone: 630-203-3837
Thank you for your interest in the Lions Affordable Hearing Aid Project (Lions AHAP), a program of Lions
Clubs International Foundation (LCIF). Through Lions AHAP, Lions work with partner hearing care profess-
ionals to serve individuals in the United States with hearing impairment who cannot afford hearing aids.
Hearing provider Rexton, Inc. is workin g with LCIF to provide high-quality, low-cost hearing aids to those
who need them through Lions clubs and Lions' hearing programs
National Association of the Deaf
8630 Fenton Suite 820
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Phone: TTY: 301-587-1789
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Michigan Deaf Association (MDA)
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is the nation’s premier civil rights organization of, by and for deaf
and hard-of-hearing individuals in the United States of America. Established in 1880, the NAD was shaped by
deaf leaders who believed in the right of the American deaf community to use sign language, to congregate
on issues important to them, and to have remain true to this day, with American Sign Language as a core value.
The advocacy scope of the NAD is broad, covering a lifetime and impacting future generations in the areas of
early intervention, education, employment, health care, technology, telecommunications, youth leadership, &
more – improving the lives of millions of deaf and hard of hearing Americans.
National Black Deaf Advocates Inc.
1500 Chestnut #2224
Philadelphia, PA 19102
&
Detroit Black Deaf Advocates
P.O. Box 32348
Detroit, MI 48233
What Is Advocacy?
Advocacy is a problem-solving procedure to protect personal and legal rights.
There are four different types of advocacy:
- Self-advocacy (to advocate for oneself)
- Individual advocacy (to advocate for another)
- System advocacy (to change the system)
- Legal advocacy (to change the law)
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The Black Deaf Senior Citizen Program aims to develop and strengthen a support network for Black Deaf
seniors, assist NBDA in becoming better informed about the unique needs, concerns and challenges faced
by members of this particular segment of the Black Deaf community, and design and implement outreach
programs and activities tailored to respond to their unique needs.
Miracle-Ear Foundation / The Gift of Sound
Miracle-Ear Headquarters
150 S. 5th Street Suite 2300
Minneapolis, MN, 55402
Phone: 844-244-7148
Mission Statement:
The Gift of Sound is more than just a pair of free hearing aids—it's an opportunity to reconnect with the
world. Working with a Hearing Care Professional at their nearest Miracle-Ear location, recipients of the
Gift of Sound are fitted with hearing devices that meet their specific needs. The relationship doesn't end
there—Gift of Sound recipients get the same 3-year warranty as traditional customers, as well as the free
aftercare and check-ins that are part of the Miracle-Ear Advantage.
The Hike Fund, Inc.
530 Elliott
Council Bluffs, IA 51503
Phone: 712-325-0812
Every child deserves the chance to hear and we are here to help! It is our joy to provide hearing devices for
children with hearing losses between the ages of newborn and twenty years whose parents are unable to
meet this special need financially. Our application provides additional information and details. We look for-
ward to serving you.
Travelers Protective Association of America
2041 Exchange Dr.
St. Louis, MO 63303
Phone: 636-724-2227 877-872-2638
To date, we’ve helped thousands of people with hearing deficiencies get the help and resources they need,
including hearing devices, specialized treatments, speech classes, note-takers, interpreters, and more.
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Persons who experience deafness or a hearing deficiency may receive an application for aid here. Completed applications must be submitted to the Trust by the end of each quarter: March 31st, June 30th, September 30th,
and December 31st. Selection of recipients and amount of aid awarded is decided upon by the majority of the
Trustees, and special consideration is given to individuals with the greatest need.
TRICARE (U.S. Departmlvd.ent of Defense Military Health System)
7700 Arlington Blvd. Suite 5101
Falls Church, VA 22042-5101
Phone: 877-874-2273
Active Duty Service Members and Family:
TRICARE only covers hearing aids and hearing aid services if you have hearing loss that meets specific
hearing criteria.
Retired Service Members and Family:
TRICARE doesn’t cover hearing aids and hearing aid services. However, you may be able to obtain hearing
aids through other government programs.
This includes:
- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
- The Retiree-At-Cost Hearing Aid Program (RACHAP)
You may be able to buy hearing aids for a reduced cost at certain military hospitals and clinics. To qualify,
you must be eligible for care at a military hospital or clinic.
STATE & COUNTY GOVERNMENT & PRIVATE RESOURCES
Hope @ UMHS Clinic
1500 E. Medical Center Dr.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Phone: 734-936-8051
For decades, U-M faculty, staff and trainees have volunteered at Hope Medical Clinic, Inc.’s (link is external)
location in Ypsilanti to help serve thousands of people who lack health insurance. This effort, called Hope@
UMHS (link sends e-mail), hosts clinics staffed by resident and staff volunteers, and helps thousands of
patients get free access to advanced care that they could not otherwise receive at Hope's core locations.
The program offers everything from audiograms, endoscopies, ear procedures, biopsies and excisions of
cancerous lesions, as well as examinations for serious eye conditions. Hope@UMHS (link sends e-mail) also
acts as a gateway for patients who need further care to receive it through UMHS programs for the uninsured.
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Hope for Hearing Hearing Aid Recycling Program
Since 2010, the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery has provided sub-specialty services
for the underprivileged of Washtenaw County in partnership with the Hope Clinic through the Hope at UMHS
Clinic. A significant number of these patients suffer with hearing loss and could benefit from a hearing aid. Unfortunately, the high cost of hearing aids makes them an unreachable luxury for Hope at UMHS clinic
patients. In an effort to meet the needs of these patients, we established the Hope for Hearing hearing aid
recycling program. This program allows us to collect gently used hearing aids and refurbish them for distri-
bution to our Hope at UMHS patients.
How it Works:
The Hope for Hearing program accepts hearing aids of any make or model, regardless of age. Behind-the-ear
hearing aids in working condition are cleaned, refurbished and refitted for Hope@UMHS (link sends e-mail)
patients. Custom, in-the-ear hearing aids, as well as hearing aids that are beyond repair, are donated to the
Hear Now program at the Starkey Hearing Foundation.
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The Pediatric Audiology Hearing Aid and Assistive Devices Loaner Program
Website:
The Pediatric Audiology Hearing Aid and Assistive Devices Loaner Program provides children with long-
term loaners devices when insurance companies do not cover the appropriate technology. The devices
are also used as short-term replacements when a device is damaged or new technology is needed, and
insurance negotiation Is required, so a child's ability to hear doesn't lapse. Finally, the devices are used
to demonstrate the difference that appropriate hearing aids can make in a child's life when parents, or in
some cases schools, are reluctant to set aside significant resources for this equipment. Donations for this
program are used to purchase and repair devices.
Michigan Coalition for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People
PO BOX 980553
Ypsilanti, MI 48198-0553
Phone: 586-932-6090
To put it simply, we are a dedicated group of people who are Deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing, working
together to improve life in Michigan for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
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MICHIGAN MIDWIFE PROJECT
The Coalition was awarded funding from the Carl's Foundation for the Michigan Midwife Project. This project purchases Newborn Hearing Screening equipment that assists midwives throughout Michigan in providing
optimal hearing screening equal to what newborns would receive in the hospital.
St. John Hospital & Medical Center Holley Ear Institute
Professional Building 1, Suite 223
22151 Moross
Detroit, MI 48236-2172
Phone: 313-343-3165
Who We Are:
Located on 214-acres of quiet lakefront woodland Carls Family Village (affiliated with The Holley Institute),
is a non-profit established to serve those with hearing loss, vision loss or deafness. For over 27-years we’ve
been providing programs to assist families with their DDBHH children as well as programs for teens to enhance
and encourage self-esteem and self-confidence. We also offer programs for DeafBlind and American Sign Lan-
guage classes.
Our Mission:
The mission of The Holley Institute is to provide life-enhancing programs for those experiencing hearing loss,
vision loss or deafness. We also provide programs for parents with children with hearing loss, vision loss or
deafness. We screen all infants for hearing off and provide outreach programs and services and education
relating to hearing loss for the community at large. Affiliated with The Holley Institute, we have been providing programs for parents with a child/children who are Hard of Hearing or Deaf for more than twenty-five years.
We offer programs for Deaf-Blind, American Sign Language and Teen programs.
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Holley Family Village, Inc.
aka The Carls Family Village
1142 DeSales Dr.
Brooklyn, MI 49230 -2103
Phone: 517-592-6283 (Voice)
Wayne County Dept. of Health, Human and Veterans Services
33030 Van Born
Wayne, MI 48184
Phone: 734-727-7100 Service / Intake 734-727-7088
Part of your child's success in school depends on good hearing and vision. Periodic hearing and vision
screenings during the pre-school and school age years are important in identifying a hearing or eye prob-
lem early. Hearing & Vision Screenings for children ages 3-18 years are offered in schools, preschools,
nurseries, day care centers and Head Start. If a child is suspected of having a hearing or vision problem,
the parent or guardian will be notified and recommended to see a physician of their choosing.
Free hearing and vision screenings are available by appointment the 3rd Friday of each month.
To schedule an appointment call 734-727-7136.
Wayne State University Audiology Clinic
Prentis Building
5201 Cass Ave Suite 024
Detroit, MI 48202
Phone: 313-577-0631
Provides free audiologic testing. They also dispense hearing aids, with financial assistance from the Lions
Club, for those who qualify. The clinic is operated by doctoral students supervised by licensed Henry Ford Health audiologists. To make an appointment, call the number above.
