About THAA
THAA is a not-for-profit professional association serving hearing aid dispensers licensed by the Texas Department of State Health Services, who in turn, serve the hearing impaired of Texas. The purpose of this state association is set forth in its mission statement shown below.
The association is owned and operated by its membership and governed by a Board of Directors elected by the membership. The THAA offices and staff are located in Austin, a few blocks from the State Capitol.
THAA represents its members before the Texas Legislature and the State Committee of Examiners in the Fitting and Dispensing of Hearing Instruments within TDSHS. The association monitors and tracks all legislation and regulatory proposals affecting licensed dispensers and lobbies both government entities on behalf of its dispenser members.
THAA is also a state approved provider of continuing education. The association provides 20 hours of continuing education each year. 15 of those hours are offered at the THAA annual convention, which is usually conducted in late May or June. Each fall, the association provides its members five free hours of continuing education in Houston and Dallas.
During the annual convention, the association also conducts the Southwest Regional Trade Show, where manufacturers and suppliers display the latest in products and services available to licensed dispensers.
Each year, the association honors one of its members with the coveted THAA Dispenser of the Year Award. The award is given to the licensed dispenser who practices the highest standard of ethics when serving the hearing impaired of Texas. Helen Ross, BC-HIS, is shown above (right) accepting her Dispenser of the Year award in 2002.
THAA provides a comprehensive communications package to its members through this web site, e-mails, and special mailings. The association is a chapter of the International Hearing Society, the national association for licensed hearing instrument specialists, and supports the IHS effort to represent licensed dispensers at the national level.
For more information on membership benefits and dues, see the How To Join section in this site, or call the THAA staff.
- To serve the hearing impaired of Texas with quality hearing instrument care.
- To provide quality education to licensed hearing instrument dispensers in the area of continuing education approved by the Texas Department of Health, as well as, programs and seminars designed to keep licensed hearing aid dispensers up-to-date on changes occurring within the hearing instrument industry and their profession.
- To provide information on a timely basis to the membership on issues and changes within the hearing instrument industry that affect licensed hearing instrument dispensers.
- To represent the interests of licensed hearing instrument dispensers before the Texas Legislature, the Texas Department of State Health Services and other regulatory agencies affecting the profession.
- To improve the image of licensed hearing instrument dispensers and the association in Texas.
- To promote the hearing aid industry and the hearing instrument dispensing profession in Texas.
