Giving Deaf Kids The Chance to Hear When Health Insurance Fails | NBC Left Field

Mary and Wes Rinella are deaf. While Mary was raised with American Sign Language, Wes learned speech with hearing aids, and now they want to give their three deaf children the chance to choose which language they prefer. The problem? Hearing aids aren’t covered by health insurance in California, and at around $4,000 a pair, they’re too expensive to buy out of pocket. That’s where Tanya Penn and the HearAid Foundation step in — since 2011 they’ve given out 270 hearing aids to families in need.

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Video journalists

Sutton Raphael

Haimy Assefa

ASL Translator

Douglas Ridloff

Special thanks

HearAid Foundation

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