Our History
The CHHA-NL was established as the Newfoundland Hearing Association (NHA) in 1984 by the founding President Dr. Norah Browne. It became the provincial chapter of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA) in 1994. Since its inception, the association has made steady progress in the number and extent of its programs and services. It is the only organization in the province that exclusively serves the hard of hearing.
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Dr. Norah Browne
Dr. Browne was a well-known Newfoundland pediatrician and an active volunteer. She was born in England and earned her bachelor's degree in medicine and science from London University in 1945. She completed postgraduate training in pediatrics before moving to Newfoundland in 1961. Dr. Browne was a Royal College of Physicians of Canada Fellow, a Consulting Pediatrician at the Dr. Charles A. Janeway Child Health Centre, and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Memorial University of Newfoundland's Faculty of Medicine.
Dr. Browne dedicated her life to helping others. She specialized in the diagnosis and care of children with hearing loss at a time when no other services were available for the hard of hearing in this province. She formed a planning committee in 1983 to establish the Newfoundland Hearing Association (NHA), which became incorporated in 1984 with Dr. Browne as the founding President. She left her full-time job as a pediatrician at the age of 66 to devote her time to the Newfoundland Hearing Association, which later became the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association - Newfoundland and Labrador.