• Attend workshops and panels featuring hearing loss experts—plus movers and shakers from the world capital of entertainment—all captioned and interpreted so you won’t miss a word;
• Visit twin exhibit halls where you can try the latest and greatest technologies to make your life easier and more productive and meet some of the industry's most innovative firms;
• Witness the first annual Rocky Stone Media Awards (“The Rockys”), honoring positive portrayals of hearing loss in film and television, as well as individuals and companies who champion accessibility;
• See the HEARFest Film Festival, featuring open-captioned big-screen movies, plus independent and student films that explore the world of hearing loss;

It's all coming at HEAR2009, a new conference about, by and for all those affected by hearing loss, from Friday, Feb. 13th to Sunday, Feb. 15th, 2009.

Location: The Doubletree Hotel, Anaheim/Orange County, just minutes away from Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm and the Crystal Cathedral — the perfect place to bring the entire family on vacation!

The organizers of HEAR2009 are looking for a few good men. And women. Not to mention powerful, informative, entertaining and eye-opening ideas for workshops and sessions.

A full application is available by clicking on the link below or on the tab at the top of this page. But generally, we're looking for individuals and topics that fit into the four themes of our Conference: Hearing, Entertainment, Advocacy and Research.

Presenters need to be available to deliver their workshops on either Saturday or Sunday, February 14-15, 2009 (President’s Day weekend) at the Doubletree Hotel Anaheim/Orange County. Applications are due October 3, 2008, and a final decision will be made by November 6, 2008.

If you have any questions, or suggestions for a topic you want someone else to deliver, let us know by e-mailing papers@hear2009.com.

HEAR2009 is proud to present the legendary motivational speaker and disability champion Richard Pimentel as our official keynote speaker.

Pimentel’s expertise includes disability management, job recruitment & retention, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which he helped shepherd through Congress in the 1980s.

He’s also a hearing-impaired Vietnam Vet whose incredible life story was made into the 2007 movie “Music Within,” starring Ron Livingston and Melissa George.

Not coincidentally, “Music Within” is among the films scheduled to be screened at the HEARFest Film Festival, just part of the excitement at HEAR2009.

Among his career highlights, Pimentel was the primary author of “Tilting at Windmills” — the breakthrough disability attitude training program. Using “Windmills” and other materials, Pimentel has designed and implemented return-to-work systems for the private sector and government employers throughout the country.

Richard is currently a senior partner in the firm of Milt Wright & Associates, Inc. for which he conducts training and consultation nationwide.

Hearing loss is the nation's most common disability — more than 31 million Americans, about one in 10, have a substantial hearing loss. But hearing loss is also one of the least visible conditions.

The goal of the Conference is to bring people with various degrees of hearing loss together with professionals from the hearing loss and entertainment industries. It's also designed for all those with normal hearing who want to take charge of their hearing health and learn how to support those in their lives with hearing challenges.

HEAR2009 is for individuals, employers, family members, filmmakers, researchers, audiologists, disability experts, entertainment executives and all those who interact with those with hearing loss. We want to bring these diverse groups together to discover what we and they can learn from (and about) each other.

HEAR2009 is presented by the non-profit Hearing Loss Association of California, an affiliate of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.