Apple made history this month when a feature in the company’s forthcoming AirPods Pro 2 was approved by the Food and Drug Administration as the first over-the-counter (OTC), clinical-grade hearing aid software. The Hearing Aid Feature, as Apple refers to the software, amplifies sound for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment (it also features a user-friendly hearing test).
Stigma over hearing loss — and old-school hearing aids — persists, even though over 30 million Americans suffer from some level of hearing loss. Can the new AirPods convince more people to get their hearing tested, boost their aural faculties, and lead better lives? Attorney Haben Girma, the first deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School and the author of Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law, is optimistic about what the new AirPods — available this fall in many countries — can offer. Girma connected with Mashable about the AirPods’ innovation and Big Tech’s role in improving disabled lives.
Mashable: As a disability advocate, are the hearing aid-assisted AirPods a game-changer?
Haben Girma: The AirPods Pro 2 is a powerful new tool for people with hearing disabilities! The diversity within this community includes a variety of different types of hearing and life experiences. Extensive accessibility features throughout the Apple ecosystem means more people with combined hearing and other disabilities (visual disabilities, learning disabilities, mobility disabilities, and more) will have the ability to personally adjust their own hearing aids.
Do you believe the Air Pods could help those with profound hearing loss, as opposed to only those experiencing age-related hearing loss?
The goal is to give people choices. The more communication tools available to us, the more likely it is that every single person will find their right fit. When I think of past visits to hearing aid clinics, the memories bring back the stress and frustration that many other deaf and hard of hearing people experienced. Apple has eliminated some of the emotional, administrative, and time-based barriers that cause people to delay exploring their hearing. The portability and friendliness of the iPhone and AirPods Pro 2 makes it easier for more people to learn about their hearing at a comfortable time and place, try on hearing aids, and then go to a hearing professional—if they choose. How exciting to have these choices at our fingertips!
Credit: Darius Bashar
Could this help normalize the use of assistive tech among the general public?
Many people already use AirPods for hearing assistance, without realizing they are doing so. Many people assume disability tech must be ugly, but disability tech can be absolutely delightful! Disability tech is all around us, from the touchscreen to audiobooks. Disabled people spark innovation, and over time those developments travel into the mainstream. Future people will be surprised to learn listening devices didn’t always have hearing aid capabilities. Apple is leading the way in showing how disability innovations move tech forward for all of us.
Could there be a danger in removing the physician’s role in providing these devices?
Medical professionals still have a role to play, and many people may find themselves booking that appointment after taking Apple’s hearing test.
Anything else you would like to see from tech companies like Apple in regards to making disabled lives better?
Disabled people are innovators, developing powerful solutions. I’m hopeful Apple and other tech companies will increase hiring of disabled engineers, designers, AI researchers, and others.
Does the FDA approval make you feel more confident in the hearing aids’ practicality?
I can’t predict whether these hearing aids will help my very rare type of deafness, but I am excited to try them out!
