Xpressive Handz Joyce Edmiston wins Oticon's "Focus on People" Award for Advocacy

Thank you so very much for supporting me and helping me win this NATIONAL award! 

It is a great honor to not only be nominated and selected as a candidate, but to have been voted by you and so many others, not just in the US, but around the world as Oticon's 2014 Focus on People award winner for "Advocate of the Year".  

Please share this press release with as many people as you can. Oticon is truly a company that puts "People First", just as their motto claims. This non-profit based company gave the winners in each category a brand new pair of state of the art hearing aids, Bluetooth accessories to go with them, $1,000.00 donated to their charities of choice, as well as a $1,000.00 prize money. They covered all the travel expenses, meals and hotel costs of our stay for the national convention.

During our tour of the company, we learned that many of their employees stay for decades because they are extremely well cared for and they enjoy the mission behind the company and the president of the company Peer Lauritsen to put "People First".

Too many companies today put money and numbers first. It is a wonderful thing to find a company that sincerely cares about people!   

    

Joyce Edmiston and Oticon President Peer Lauritsen

2014 OTICON FOCUS ON PEOPLE AWARDS HONOR  

JOYCE EDMISTON OF MOUNT JOY, PA 

Growing up with hearing loss, Joyce Edmiston lost many opportunities to interact with others, make friends and advocate for herself.  Over time, she gained the courage and wisdom to make her voice heard. Today, she freely shares her hard-won knowledge as a vocal advocate for people with all degrees of hearing loss through her popular blog Xpressive Handz.  Edmiston is among the outstanding individuals with hearing loss honored by the 2014 Oticon Focus on People Awards, a national competition that celebrates individuals who are helping to eliminate negative stereotypes of what it means to have a hearing loss.   

This is the third year that Oticon, Inc., sponsor of the national awards program, has invited the public to cast their votes to help determine who among the 12 finalists would be first, second and third place winners in the Adult, Student, Practitioner and Advocacy categories. More than 10,000 votes were cast by people from across the country and around the world. 

As the first place winner in the Advocacy Category, Edmiston was recognized on August 14 at a special awards ceremony at Oticon, Inc.’s US headquarters that was attended by hearing care professionals from across the US. As part of her award, Edmiston has designated Hearing Loss of America Association, Lancaster County as her choice for a $1,000 donation from Oticon, Inc. 

Edmiston is passionate about the teaching of American Sign Language (ASL) in schools and has also formed a committee to educate local churches the need to provide captioned services for those who do not communicate by sign language. She volunteers with the Telecommunications Relay Service Advisory Board for the Pennsylvania PUC, the Collaborative for Communication via Captioning, and with HLAA at both local and state levels. 

“Individuals like Joyce Edmiston are inspiring role models for people living with hearing loss,” states Oticon President Peer Lauritsen. “The remarkable people who are honored in this year’s Oticon Focus on People Awards program have taken their unique circumstances and transformed their lives with a positive outlook that has enabled them to overcome challenges and accomplish goals well beyond what many thought possible.”  

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.  By celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of individuals with hearing loss, 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 28 million Americans who could benefit from hearing solutions, but who fail to seek professional help.   

Oticon Winners: L-R Deputy Susie Cambre, Vako Gevelesiani, Joyce Edmiston, Susie Ternes Aud. CCC-A

Read the inspirational stories of all 12 winners of the Oticon Focus on People Awards at www.oticonusa.com.