Some men see things as they are and say, "Why?"
I dream of things that never were and say, "Why not?"
- Robert F. Kennedy
An estimated 28 million Americans suffer from hearing loss, and for decades hearing aids have reached only about 20% of those who could benefit from them. Typical prices for one hearing aid range from $1,500 - $2,500, and this expense is typically not covered by Medicare or most insurance plans. Worldwide, an estimated 250 million people suffer from hearing loss, and in the developing world hearing aids reach a very small percentage of those who could benefit from them.
The Stanford Affordable Hearing Project is bringing together resources from Stanford's Schools of Engineering, Business, and Medicine, as well as local Silicon Valley companies and leading experts, to design new devices and delivery mechanisms for affordable hearing solutions, especially to low-income populations. It is partnering with the Northwest Lions Foundation for Sight and Hearing (http://www.nlfoundation.org/hearing/) and Project Impact (http://www.project-impact.net), whose mission is to bring affordable hearing solutions to the poor in both the U.S. and the developing world.
The project is applying the best research and available technology to design a mobile program for the screening and diagnosis of hearing loss, and to design an efficient and effective treatment program using high-quality, affordable hearing aids. The project is also applying recent hardware and software advances in digital signal processing to design new products to meet the needs of those with hearing loss.
The team of undergraduate and graduate students on the project participates through the Social Entrepreneurship Startup (SES) course. The team uses the Stanford methodology for design innovation. This involves interacting with different populations of people with hearing loss to gain a deep understanding and empathy for them. It involves working with community organizations that provide medical care to low-income populations. It involves talking to a wide range of experts in audiology, health care, technology, and product development. The team then designs, tests, and iteratively improves possible solutions, using the methodology of discovery-driven planning. The team receives periodic feedback, advice, and guidance from a group of expert advisers, and it receives coaching on its product design work from employees from the product design company IDEO (http://www.ideo.com).
Last modified: 2004 May 27