Clinical excellence alone cannot ensure full participation for patients with hearing loss. This session bridges the gap between audiological best practice and the systemic barriers that undermine device effectiveness in real-world environments. Drawing on over 30 years of experience as a disability rights lawyer, accessibility advocate, and person born with profound hearing loss, Lorin MacDonald explores why audiologists are uniquely positioned to lead Canada’s communication inclusion movement. Participants will learn how legal frameworks support expanded audiological practice, how clinical reports can be reframed using rights-based language, and how communication access tools function as an integrated system alongside hearing devices.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the key Canadian legal frameworks that support audiologists in advocating for comprehensive communication access beyond hearing devices.
- Apply rights-based language and evidence-based environmental recommendations in clinical reports and accommodation letters.
- Explain to employers, educators, and organizations why communication access tools function as integrated systems that benefit diverse populations.
- Develop practical strategies for integrating systemic advocacy into clinical practice.
