Hearing Awareness Week – Mar. 1, 2027

Expected Hearing Awareness Week Deals

During Hearing Awareness Week, expect a focus on educational initiatives and fundraising efforts rather than commercial deals. Organizations like Hearing Australia and the Deafness Forum of Australia often partner with corporate sponsors to host donation drives, awareness campaigns, and free hearing screenings. Many audiology clinics, such as Specsavers and Amplifon, may offer discounted hearing tests or special packages on hearing aids. Look for donation match programs from companies like Cochlear, which supports research and access to hearing technology. We will update this page with confirmed live events and support opportunities as March 1 approaches.

History of Hearing Awareness Week

In the “Ebers Papyrus,” an Ancient Egyptian medical document from 1550 B.C., the concept of hearing loss is first mentioned within a description of a remedy for an “ear that hears badly.” People with the impairment were generally treated well until Ancient Greek philosopher Plato suggested in 350 B.C. that anyone born deaf could not be intelligent, which led to their exclusion from society and access to civil rights until recent times. In the 10th century Burgundy, Eastern France, some monks formed the very first sign language to communicate while they observed their vows of silence, and the first school for the deaf was established in the mid-16th century by Benedictine monk Pedro Ponce de Leon based on it. The ‘ear trumpet’ was invented in the early 17th century as a pioneer in hearing aid technologies. It is described in historical records as a “funnel for sound,” which became a popular treatment for hearing loss by the end of that century.

The most significant advances in hearing loss prevention, treatment and cure, came only in the last few decades with the invention of assistive listening devices, cochlear implants, and other amplification aids. Hearing loss caused by exposure to loud noise is now considered preventable unlike when it begins during childhood as is the case for more than 65 million people globally. According to a recent Global Burden of Disease Study report by the WHO, over one billion people worldwide are affected by hearing loss. The report also noted that it causes moderate to severe disability in about 124 million people, 108 million of whom live in low and middle-income countries. Problematic hearing loss only sets in for most people in their 70s. Statistics show that almost everyone will suffer some hearing loss if they live long enough, and almost every centenarian can’t hear well.

Hearing Awareness Week is an annual event in Australia organized to raise awareness on hearing impairment. It aims to improve the social inclusion of the one in six Australians who are deaf, have a hearing impairment, or have chronic ear disorder. According to a recently released report by the Hearing Care Industry Association, these 3.5 million Australians represent 22% of its population aged 15 and over. The core mission of the week is to help all Australians with hearing loss achieve a better quality of life by sharing their experiences and knowledge and inspiring people to understand their needs and aspirations better.

Hearing Awareness Week is also about encouraging the general public, especially employers, to offer more support, make society more inclusive, and the workplace more conducive for Australians with hearing loss.

How Businesses Can Celebrate Hearing Awareness Week