EURO-CIU Newsletter 2022
View of the December 2022 newsletter in your browser
Another year is over, and it has been intense. EURO-CIU, as you well know, has been influencing and lobbying at the WHO or the European Parliament, and continuing as founding members of the World Hearing Forum. The Board has held several meetings a year, as well as representing Cochlear Implant Users at several events in Brussels, getting media coverage and being invited to an online event at the European Parliament on World Hearing Day. Several of you have helped us make our campaigns more visible in social media with photos or videos; trying to improve the visibility of cochlear implants and hearing loss throughout Europe.
The Board is very proud of our @OPCI member as well as collaboration with @ONICI, they reached for the stars with an amazing Rotterdam Symposium.
Communication accessibility is always a must in our events, but sometimes it is difficult to accomplish. This time, in Rotterdam, all participants gave an “excellence in quality” to the organizers thanks to the great advancements in technology that allowed to translate in several languages in 4 screens as well as having other languages at the users’ disposal thanks to their phones with QR Access. During the Symposium there was a “Silence room” for anybody who had Hearing Burnout provoked by a full stress Schedule of “active hearing”. This was well received as well. You will be able to find all the presentations to download from our website.
To end this introduction of the newsletter, can I just say, I am really hopeful of EURO-CIU’s future after Rotterdam. We got a new Secretary from Belgium for our Board as you can see in his photo, and in the articles below you will learn more about the work we have going on. Remember to share your studies, research, projects with us and have an amazing holiday. Thinking about all of you and warming up for 2023 with more ideas!
Teresa Amat, President EURO-CIU
View of the September 2022 newsletter in your browser
As Joan Zamora is in hospital, Teresa has asked me to write a message for this newsletter. We are obviously thinking of Joan and his family at this time.
I must draw your attention to two very important topics:
EURO-CIU Symposium and General Assembly: You will see the article below that Hennie Epping, Peter Helmhout, Henk van Rees & Leo De Raeve have written about the forthcoming EURO-CIU Symposium and General Assembly, which we would encourage you to attend. We hope that you will register, if you haven’t already done so, and we look forward to seeing you in Rotterdam. It will be so good to be able to meet up face-to-face again.
Could YOU be the next EURO-CIU secretary? We will elect a new Secretary for EURO-CIU at the General Assembly to join our small team looking after the interests of EURO-CIU. To apply, you must be a member of one of EURO-CIU’s member associations for your country, and your application must be supported by your home association. We anticipate that the successful candidate will serve a three-year term to 2025. As Secretary, you have the opportunity to gain an international perspective, advocate for cochlear implants and help to steer EURO-CIU along its path. The job description and application form are available from our Second Vice President, Beatrice Cusmai, and you can e-mail her at beatrice.cusmai@aguav.it . All EURO-CIU board members are voluntary and unpaid. Your duties would include taking meeting minutes, co-operating with host countries of our events, maintaining member databases, and developing our internal/external communications. The line-up of the board will be significantly refreshed next year, so this promises to be an exciting and rewarding time for the new Secretary who will provide continuity between this board and the next. Applications should be returned to Beatrice by Monday 31 October. If you would like any further information, please contact either me at robert.mandara@elisanet.fi or Beatrice.
I hope that you have had an enjoyable summer, and I look forward to seeing many of you in Rotterdam.
Robert Mandara
First Vice President
View of the June 2022 newsletter in your browser
At last, meetings and conferences are taking place again! We have all missed the face-to-face contact.
Many thanks to those who have sent us articles – it’s always good to hear what is happening in our member countries. Also thanks to the cochlear implant companies for keeping us up to date.
Please feel free to forward this Newsletter to Members of Parliament, friends, colleagues and members of your own organisations. We are keen to increase the number of people who can read about the benefits of cochlear implantation. Let’s get the message across, particularly as we develop our work, about which you can read in this newsletter.
The next edition of the EURO-CIU Newsletter will be due in September, so please let me have your articles and jpg photos by Monday 5 September 2022. Just e-mail them to me at newsletter@eurociu.eu
With every good wish – and have a good Summer!
Brian Archbold (Editor)
View of the March 2022 newsletter in your browser
The board of the European Association of Cochlear Implant Users, EURO-CIU, is deeply concerned by the escalation of fighting taking place in Ukraine. We abhor violence and war. Governments must pursue diplomatic avenues, not take incomprehensible actions with devastating consequences to the civil population.
We ask for an immediate ceasefire, and for all parties to follow International Humanitarian Rights, and the United Nations Convention Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Minors, vulnerable and disabled persons must not end up paying the highest price.
The use of weapons will cause many more people to suffer the burden of hearing loss. We support and celebrate those who work to reduce the global burden of hearing loss, not those who add to it.
Cochlear implant users require accessible communication. Messages to the population must be available in writing or be captioned so that, for their own safety, persons with hearing loss can follow the instructions in these times of need.
Cochlear implant users also require a continuous supply of batteries and other consumables for their processors, so that they are not plunged into silence.
We petition to facilitate access to international agencies and humanitarian organisations in Ukraine and its neighbours. We ask EU politicians and citizens to take measures to properly attend to refugees and to take into account their disabilities.
We are proud to say that several of our members have already offered help to refugees fleeing Ukraine to other countries, as well as organizing and providing materials to reach the borders and go directly to people who are suffering. Dear friends, cochlear implant users and families in Ukraine, EURO-CIU, with our 33 members from 23 countries, will do our utmost to support you in any way we can!
From the board of EURO-CIU.