'A powerful new tool': A disabled advocate on Apple's FDA-approved hearing aids

Apple made history this month when a feature in the company's forthcoming AirPods Pro 2 was approved by the Food and Drug Administration as the first over-the-counter (OTC), clinical-grade hearing aid software. The Hearing Aid Feature, as Apple refers to the software, amplifies sound for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment (it also features a user-friendly hearing test). Stigma over hearing loss — and old-school hearing aids — persists, even though over 30 milli