Commissioner for Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing Honored with 2016 Oticon Focus on People Award
(PHOENIX – Oct. 10, 2016) – The Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing (ACDHH) is pleased to announce that Commissioner Elizabeth (Liz) Booth was honored as the first place winner the advocacy category by the 2016 Oticon Focus on People Awards, a national competition that celebrates people who are helping to eliminate negative stereotypes of what it means to have a hearing loss.
Booth was honored at a special awards ceremony at Oticon, Inc. U.S. headquarters in Somerset, N.J. on Sept. 27. More than 100 hearing care professionals from across the U.S. attended the event to celebrate her achievements. As part of her award, Booth designated the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) and the HLAA, Sun Lakes Chapter as her choice for a $1,000 donation from Oticon, Inc.
People from across the country cast thousands of votes at www.oticon.com to help determine who among the 12 finalists would be the 2016 first, second and third place winners in the Adult, Student, Practitioner and Advocacy categories.
“Outstanding volunteers, like Elizabeth Booth, are opening doors of opportunity for all people with hearing loss,” said Oticon President Peer Lauritsen. “Elizabeth generously shares her time, talent and personal experience with hearing loss to help others with hearing loss live full and productive lives. We are inspired by her optimism, her dedication and her ‘can do’ attitude.”
Aside from being an ACDHH commissioner, Booth is the co-leader of two HLAA chapters and her popular “Listening with Liz” column appears in HLAA and Association of Late-Deafened Adults (ALDA) newsletters. She is a mentor for cochlear implant candidates and recipients and a frequent volunteer for research studies at Arizona State University.
Booth received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in education and psychology from Gettysburg College and a master’s degree in English Literature from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in Reading Education from Montclair University. She is currently a retired teacher and reading specialist.
She has been married to her husband Harold for 44 years and they have two sons and three grandchildren. Booth resides in Sun Lakes, Ariz.
ABOUT ACDHH:
Established in 1977 to improve the quality of life for deaf and hard of hearing residents, ACDHH serves as a statewide information referral center for issues related to people with hearing loss and aspires to be a national leader in communication access, support services and community empowerment throughout the state. The purpose of the organization, and its commissioners, is to ensure, in partnership with the public and private sector, accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing to improve their quality of life.
ABOUT OTICON FOCUS ON PEOPLE AWARDS:
The Oticon Focus on People Awards program was created in 1997 by Oticon, Inc., one of the world’s oldest and most respected hearing instrument manufacturers. Through the national competition, Oticon, Inc. aims to call attention to common misconceptions about hearing loss and motivate people with hearing loss to take advantage of the help that is available to them. The company’s goal is to reach out to the 80 percent of an estimated 48 million Americans who could benefit from hearing solutions, but who fail to seek professional help.
Read the inspirational stories of all 12 winners of the 2016 Oticon Focus on People Awards at www.oticon.com.
