Frustrated by the sudden loss of what had been familiar to you, wondering how you are going to communicate now and struggling to cope with the intense emotions from your loss, you look around for a support group. And that is how you come to find and become a part of the Association of Late-Deafened Adults, known as ALDA Inc.
Through the ALDA, you meet others going through the same thing or who have been there, done that. In addition to making new friends, at ALDA meetings and workshops you also have the opportunity to learn about technologies such as the cochlear implant, that may help you with your acquired hearing loss.
Ever since its informal beginnings in 1987, the ALDA has grown into a large, formal organization with chapters across the United States. Regional directors help people who inquire to find local chapters or other sources of help. The annual convention, ALDACon, has taken its place in the deaf and hard of hearing community right alongside the other big national conventions. Proceedings from some past conventions can be obtained from ALDA.
ALDA has a newsletter, the ALDA newsletter. Some of the local and state chapters also have newsletters. There is also a discussion list ALDA members (and non-members) can participate in, LDAChat.
An About visitor wrote that he had become deafened at the age of ten, and because of problems in both the deaf and hearing worlds, decided to join ALDA.
