The New Audiology Committee of the IALP Cooperates with the WHO in the Global Work on Problems of Hearing-Impaired People

Because a special motivation of audiologists to work in the IALP and to visit its congresses was lacking so far, the Audiology Committee should improve this situation by initiatives which increase the attractiveness of audiology in the IALP. Effective actions and projects, symposia, publication of guidelines, a special edition of Folia Phoniatrica et Logopedica on audiology as well as articles on audiological topics in this journal, and an attractive webpage are seen as efficient ways to reach this goal and are planned. With these activities, the Audiology Committee aims to increase international visibility of itself and of audiology within the IALP. Currently, the committee projects are aligned with the aims of the WHO in the field of audiology. One of the WHO projects is to launch the provision of appropriate and affordable hearing aids and services worldwide, especially in developing countries. Another WHO initiative is the encouragement of countries, with WHO technical support, to conduct random sample, populationbased prevalence and cause surveys of deafness and hearing impairment. The data will be used in planning, determination of priorities, economic analysis, and raising awareness. A global data bank on deafness and hearing impairment is being developed using data from the WHO Protocol Surveys and other published and unpublished sources. A forthcoming activity will assess cost-effectiveness of interventions against deafness and hearing impairment as part of an initiative on the Economic A new Audiology Committee of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP) has recently been founded. An Audiology Committee had already existed before, but a new one was initiated because the World Health Organization (WHO), with which the IALP has informal status, had asked the IALP for more activities in the field of audiology. Therefore, the IALP board decided to refound this committee and asked the author of this editorial to become its chairperson. The IALP president sent a message to the WHO with a statement that the IALP Audiology Committee will collaborate with the WHO to develop guidelines for the screening of neonates, children, and adults for deafness and hearing loss. After a period of searching for members since fall 2006, the committee was officially established in August 2007 during the 27th IALP World Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark. The committee consists of members who represent all continents and all specializations in the field of audiology, and who are enthusiastic and willing to work voluntarily on a global network to improve the health and quality of life of persons with hearing disorders. Members come from Germany, China, Canada, the USA, Australia, Serbia, Egypt, Chile, Brazil, Sweden, and India. The Audiology Committee has developed a working plan for the next 3 years which includes a variety of initiatives, activities, and projects as described in the following sections. Published online: December 6, 2007