About Us
Hearing Matters Australia (HMA) is dedicated to helping Australians with hearing loss. We provide information and support to people with hearing loss and their families, and we advocate on their behalf to all levels of government and the corporate sector. We are a voluntary, self-funded, not-for-profit organisation incorporated in New South Wales.
Our organisation was founded by Mary Sparke, a passionate advocate with hearing loss. She believed that people living with hearing loss needed more support beyond lip reading and hearing aids. On Tuesday, 10th March 1981, Mary delivered a speech titled "New Horizons" at a public meeting in Hornsby Shire Council Chambers, marking the launch of a self-help group for people with hearing loss. In 1983, this group formally became known as Self Help for Hard of Hearing (SHHH). In 2018, the organisation was renamed Hearing Matters Australia to better reflect its mission and broaden its scope.
In the years since, we have provided support based on lived experience to consumers who contact us about hearing loss and its management. Unbiased advice, education and information, and help with communication strategies are provided regularly. We advocate for greater public awareness and improved services for people living with hearing loss. Hearing Matters Australia is part of a world-wide initiative to promote person-centred care in hearing loss management.
Our Mission
To provide support based on lived experience to help people living with hearing loss.
Our Objectives
Hearing Matters Australia, as a self-help organisation seeks:
1. To inform people with hearing loss, their families, friends and the community at large, on the nature and impacts of hearing loss and ways of coping with it.
2. To provide assistance and guidance for people living with hearing difficulties.
3. To encourage and support groups of people with hearing loss, their relatives and friends to come together in fellowship, empathy, and concern based on common experience.
4. To represent the interests of members on matters pertaining to hearing loss and hearing healthcare.