A new program is seeking to collect, refurbish, and distribute used hearing aids to Kentuckians who need assistance.
The Statewide Hearing Aid Assistance and Reuse Program—or SHARP—accepts hearing aids of any age of condition. The donations will be evaluated and refurbished to like-new condition, or will be used for parts.
Jimmy Brown, director of the Kentucky Assistive Technology Service, the group SHARP, says providing hearing aids to someone who can’t afford them will transform their lives.
“Communication is the key. Individuals with a hearing impairment, whether they’re completely deaf or hard of hearing, that communication is key, and being able to provide that component to that individual is going to open many doors, whether it’s for education, or for work, or for their everyday community living-type access.”
Medicare and most health insurance plans don’t cover the cost of hearing aids, and Brown says the average cost of a pair of hearing aids is prohibitively high for many Kentuckians who need the help.
“When you look at funding for hearing aids, there’s not really a lot of options for adults—and especially older adults—in the state to be able to purchase hearing aids. It’s a very costly item. It can be anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 for a pair of hearing aids.”
Hearing aid donations can be dropped off at several locations in our listening area, including offices in Bowling Green, Louisville, Owensboro, and Williamsburg.
Donations can be made at any Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) local office or the following Independent Living Centers or KATS Network Regional Assistive Technology Resource Center:
The Center for Accessible Living - Louisville
501 S. 2nd St, Suite 200
Louisville, Kentucky 40202-1864
Bluegrass Technology Center
409 Southland Drive
Lexington, Kentucky 40503
The Center for Accessible Living – Murray
1051 N. 16th St., Suite C
Murray, Kentucky 42071
Carl D. Perkins Vocational Training Center
5659 Main St.
Thelma, Kentucky 41260
Disability Resource Initiative
624 Eastwood St.
Bowling Green, Kentucky 42103
Enabling Technologies of Kentuckiana (enTECH) at Spalding University
901 S. Third St.
Louisville, Kentucky 40203
Independence Place, Inc.
1093 S. Broadway, Suite 1218
Lexington, Kentucky 40504
Redwood Assistive Technology Center
71 Orphanage Road
Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky 41017
Independence Place of the Cumberlands
60 Mackey Ave.
Williamsburg, Kentucky 40769
Western Kentucky Assistive Technology Center (WKATC) at Wendell Foster's Campus
815 Triplett St.
Owensboro, Kentucky 42302
Independence Place of Ashland
2932 Winchester Ave.
Ashland, Kentucky 41101
To contact the OVR office nearst you, call 1-800-372-7172, or go online here.
