Newark Woman Earns National Award For Hearing Loss Advocacy

NEWARK, NJ — An inspirational Newark native has earned some well-deserved kudos for being a “dynamite advocate” to people with hearing loss.

If you ask Latisha Porter-Vaughn about her experience with progressive hearing loss – which wasn’t diagnosed until she was a teenager – she’s quick to tell you that it was a journey filled with obstacles. But the Newark native was determined not to let it define who she was.

“Instead, it became a driving force behind my quest to understand and live life with purpose,” she says.

Porter-Vaughn has been a passionate advocate for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, blazing a trail as the first African-American president of the Hearing Loss Association of America-New Jersey Chapter, and helping to improve education and employment for students as a researcher for the National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes. She has also authored two books in the field.

Recently, Porter-Vaughn learned that she was one of the finalists up for the annual Oticon Focus on People Awards. The national awards program “honors advocates, hearing care professionals and everyday heroes making a real difference for people with hearing loss.”

While the prizes were nice – first-place winners receive a $2,500 cash award – the real honor was being able to expand her platform as an advocate to fight for change.

Her efforts paid off in late February, when Porter-Vaughn was announced as a first-place winner.

Award organizers said Porter-Vaughn is a “dynamite advocate and inspiration for people with hearing loss.”

Supporters from around the world cast more than 14,000 votes this year, organizers noted.

“This year’s Focus on People Awards winners join a 25-year legacy and an incredible community of people who are expanding possibilities and redefining what the future holds for people with hearing loss,” said Jacob Torpe Winter, vice president of marketing for Oticon Inc.

Watch the video that Porter-Vaughn submitted as a finalist below.

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