Community Spotlight: Sara Oser

Meet Sara Oser, one of the co-founders and presidents of the Hearing Loss Association of America North Bay Chapter. Together with Tawna Cooley and Donn Nisja, she works to build a chapter that informs, educates, supports and advocates for people with hearing loss. Sara first became involved with the HLAA after attending the national convention in 2017. She says, “The convention showed me I was not alone and gave me the opportunity to meet people who understood hearing loss.” After her experience at the convention, and inspired by the wealth of knowledge, Sara brought her passion to the Bay Area. Her focus lies on the principle that support and advocacy are one and the same. She created the HOPE (Hearing Other People’s Experiences) support group, modeling it after a program at the convention. HOPE allows members to speak aloud and listen to concerns and successes, and collectively the opportunity to learn from and bond with each other. “Every month we come away with deeper connections, friendships, and surprisingly, the power to advocate for ourselves. Spending time each month to understand others experiences managing hearing loss empowers each of us who attend. We are not afraid, ashamed, or embarrassed to let family, friends and coworkers know we have hearing loss. You are not alone.” If you want to get involved, go to www.hearingloss.org to find your local chapter.