Talking Healthy Hearing with Special Olympics
From ASHA Voices by American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
June 4, 2026 · 26 min
About this episode
The episode discusses hearing health care for athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the context of the upcoming Special Olympics USA Games.
Just ahead of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota, we discuss hearing health care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, or IDD. Along with competing in events like track and field, swimming, and basketball, many athletes work with volunteers to receive hearing screenings, among other types of health screenings through attending Special Olympics Healthy Athletes®. Listen to conversations with two audiologists—Denise Cardona Barnes, of Special Olympics International, and Eric McCabe, a volunteer clinical director in Minnesota. Learn More: An Audiologist Brings Healthy Hearing to Special Olympics Supporting Care Partners of Adults With Dysphagia and IDD Recognizing National Public Health Week: A Collection of Articles, Podcasts, and Resources ASHA Voices: Pediatric TBI—Transitioning from Hospital to School ASHA Voices: Overcoming Barriers on Families’ Journey From NICU to Home Transcript
People in this episode
Guests: Denise Cardona Barnes, Eric McCabe
Topics covered
- hearing health care
- intellectual disabilities
- developmental disabilities
- athlete health screenings
- Special Olympics Healthy Athletes
Keywords
- hearing health
- intellectual disabilities
- developmental disabilities
- Special Olympics
- audiologists
- health screenings
- Healthy Athletes
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Special Olympics International, Special Olympics, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
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