Reduced hearing can have a significant negative impact upon a Special Olympics athlete's ability to respond to directions in training, as well as understand other oral information from coaches, trainers and judges. The safety of the athlete also can be impeded by a hearing loss, as can the athlete's interpersonal relationships. Screening of hearing is the first step in the process of identifying an athlete's hearing loss and preventing its negative effects from occurring in sporting and social events. As his teammate looks on, a Special Olympics Russia athlete's hearing is screened at the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. [Photo by Takamitsu Mifune/PHOTO KISHIMOTO] Read "A Sound Resolution", an article detailing how Healthy Athletes helped Global Messenger Andy Williams with a new hearing aid...  The purpose of Healthy Hearing is to: screen the hearing of athletes and notify athletes and their coaches if follow-up care is needed provide corrective (hearing aids) and preventative (custom swim earplugs) services where possible, and study the prevalence of hearing loss in athletes competing in Special Olympics events. During a Healthy Hearing screening, athletes are directed through two registration/checkout desks and four screening stations, all made possible through the generous equipment donations of our Healthy Hearing partners. Many Special Olympics athletes require only the first two stations, examining the ear canals for cerumen (earwax) and an otoacoustic (OAE) hearing screening of both ears. If athletes pass the OAE station, they exit the screening area. If they do not pass, they are checked again using tympanometry (middle ear) and pure tone screening. Upon completion of of all examinations and screenings, the athlete receives a copy of the screening report form, which includes follow-up recommendations. The Healthy Hearing Global Clinical Directors are: Gilbert R. Herer, Ph.D., CCC-A Global Clinical Director, Healthy Hearing gherer@cnmc.org Judy K. Montgomery, Ph.D., CCC-SLP Global Clinical Coordinator, Healthy Hearing montgome@chapman.edu The Healthy Hearing component began in 1998 and first provided hearing screenings for Special Olympics athletes during the 1999 World Summer Games. Very special gratitude goes to Dr. Robert Cooke for his vision of adding hearing screenings to the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes initiative. His abiding interest in the welfare of athletes participating in Special Olympics, as well as other people with intellectual disabilities, is much to be admired. For more information on Healthy Hearing, contact David Evangelista, Director, Health Programs, at +1 (202) 824-0314 or devangelista@specialolympics.org.