2026 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 15-17, 2026 • Jacksonville, FL
3/11/2025 | 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM | Making Amplification More Accessible: Florida’s Children’s Hearing Aid Program | 321
Making Amplification More Accessible: Florida’s Children’s Hearing Aid Program
In June 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 5001 into law, providing funding for the Florida Department of Health, Newborn Hearing Screening (NBHS) Program to create and administer the Children’s Hearing Aid Program.
The Program helps ensure qualified children, birth to 18 years of age, with any hearing difference have access to hearing aids, Cochlear implant processor replacements, assistive listening devices, hearing accessories, and affordable audiology follow-up care.
The Florida’s NBHS Program parent liaison will describe the Program designed and will detail hurdles, successes, and surprises throughout the Program’s first year of implementation. Participants will learn how families in their own states who struggle to afford amplification and follow-up services for their D/HH children may benefit from similar programs.
- Participants will identify reasons hearing technology and services may be out of reach for some families.
- Participants will describe strategies to overcome implementation challenges.
- Participants will analyze key elements to creating a successful program.
Presentation:
3545975_18249MirandaNerland.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Miranda Nerland
(Primary Presenter), FL Dept of Health, Miranda.Nerland@flhealth.gov;
Miranda Nerland is the parent of a child with CHARGE syndrome and bilateral mixed hearing loss. Ms. Nerland provides parent-to-parent support and referrals to families of children with hearing differences and deafblindness and, as of January 2023, conducts follow-up for newborns diagnosed with CMV. Ms. Nerland also serves as the program lead for Florida's Children's Hearing Aid Program.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.