26. Janice Lintz, CEO of Hearing Access & Innovations
Janice Lintz is a passionate, accomplished hearing loss consultant and advocate. She is the CEO of Hearing Access & Innovations, the leading company dedicated to helping the world’s businesses, cultural and entertainment institutions, government agencies, and mass transit organizations improve their accessibility for people with hearing loss. Since 2002, Janice has become the global “go-to” person on all matters related to access for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Equipped with an undergraduate degree in business, a law degree, and experience as a successful litigator, Janice leverages her broad background to articulate compelling business cases for organizations in both the for-profit and not-for-profit worlds to improve hearing access for customers with hearing loss. A culture lover, Janice felt her heart sink whenever her daughter – diagnosed with hearing loss at 2 ½ – struggled to understand museum guides and actors on stage, even with hearing aids. Not one to wait, Janice plunged into the research and learned that cultural venues could provide better hearing access with relatively standard technology, such as the induction loop, a coil placed around a room that wirelessly transmits amplified sound to a hearing aid. Janice works with domestic and international organizations to benchmark best practices and helps clients leverage the most effective solutions for their situations. Working with multiple organizations, she helped the NYC Transit recommend that induction loops be included in all NYC subway information booths and call boxes as part of President Obama’s $13.5 million Stimulus Package. She also worked with the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission to implement this same technology in all taxis. New York City is the first United States city to offer this technology in its transit systems. The New York City resident and mother of two is a 2023 Harvard Kennedy School MC/MPA Candidate, 2021 Tell Her She Can’t Changemaker, and 2018 The Points Guy + Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Goalkeepers Partnership Travel Grant Recipient. Janice is also a Consumer Education/Travel/Food writer. Thrive Global, The Outdoor Journal, Forbes/Lifestyle, Forbes Woman Africa, Yahoo Travel, Huffington Post, Johnny Jet, and Consumer Mojo published her articles. She has traveled to 139+3 UN countries and 194 Travelers’ Century Club destinations and is on a quest to visit every country in the world. Highlights of the episode: · Why Janice chose changing the world vs. lowering her standards · Induction loop technology as a customer service tool for people with hearing loss · How Janice made New York City the model of excellence for accessibility · Janice’s goal to visit EVERY country in the world · Janice’s #1 tip on how to never give up Additional resources: · JaniceLintz.com · HearingAccess.com · TellHerSheCant.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to the show: · Apple Podcasts · EricRMueller.com · Spotify --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ericmuellershow/support