House Ear Institute Offers Free Hearing Screenings at AES Convention

At the 125th AES Convention, House Ear Institute is returning for its' 12th year to provide hearing conservation education and screenings to thousands of Audio Engineering Society (AES) members. The screenings are part of the institute's Sound Partners® hearing conservation education program.

The AES, a longstanding industry partner of the institute's Sound Partners program, has provided facilities and space at its convention since 1997. The screenings and other hearing health information will be available during show hours in Booth 222 at the AES Convention, from October 2 through 5 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, CA.

Shure Incorporated is the exclusive sponsor of the House Ear Institute's hearing screenings at AES, and are a part of Shure's Listen Safe program. The Listen Safe program is dedicated to educating musicians, audio professionals and consumers about how to enjoy sound responsibly.

Last year, almost 700 people took advantage of the free screenings, an increase of more than 200 people over 2006. In addition, over 7,000 pairs of ear plugs along with hearing health materials were distributed to convention attendees.

"Every year we see bigger crowds taking advantage of our free screenings and hearing health educational services," said Marilee Potthoff, House Ear Institute marketing director. "The level of appreciation for good hearing health that we see among audio engineers today is certainly testimony to the success of our educational outreach endeavors over the years."

Licensed audiologists, from the House Ear Institute and Clinic will be available to counsel participants on their hearing screening results, which are kept confidential. The institute's outreach staff will offer additional hearing health education, literature and free hearing protection.

For additional information, visit House Ear Institute's Sound Partners® program at http://www.hei.org/ or the site for teens and young adults at http://www.earbud.org/, where visitors can even request a free pair of earplugs.