World Hearing Day (3 March)
From communities to classrooms: hearing care for all children
Tuesday 3 March 2026 is World Hearing Day. This year’s theme is “From communities to classrooms: hearing care for all children”.
World Hearing Day 2026 shines a spotlight on the critical role hearing plays in every stage of a child’s life. Hearing supports speech and language development, learning, social connection and emotional wellbeing. When hearing difficulties go unnoticed or untreated, the impacts can extend well beyond the ears, affecting communication, confidence and participation at school and in everyday life.
This year’s theme highlights the shared responsibility of families, health professionals, educators and communities to support children’s hearing early, and to ensure parents have the knowledge and tools they need to act with confidence.
Free public webinar for parents:
Helping Parents Understand Children’s Hearing and Hearing Checks
Tuesday, March 3 at 1.30 – 2 PM AEDT
Hosted by Lia Traves, Audiology Australia President
To mark World Hearing Day 2026, Audiology Australia invites parents and carers to a free public webinar led by Audiology Australia President, Lia Traves. In this practical and parent-focused session, Lia will cover key topics including:
Why hearing is so important for children
Explore how hearing shapes a child’s learning, communication and play, and how even minimal loss can make a difference.
Signs to look for
Understand the typical signs that may indicate your child needs a hearing check. These can appear differently at each stage, from babies and toddlers to older children.
Childhood hearing issues
Learn what happens if hearing problems are identified or treated and understand the most common childhood hearing issues.
Options for accessing hearing checks
Identify the different ways your child’s hearing can be checked, including what hearing screenings and full diagnostic tests involve.
Hear from audiologists from around Australia
Change is up to all of us
Get talking and challenge the stigma.
Australia, it’s time to start talking to take the stigma out of hearing health. Hearing loss is more common than you think and can occur at any age.
Make hearing checks part of your health check-up routine like going to the dentist or taking an eye test. Not only can we pick up changes early but there are many great options available to help you. Seek help from a qualified audiologist today!
Share accurate information.
Prioritise your hearing by sharing resources from reputable organisations such as Audiology Australia (AudA), or the World Health Organisation, to familiarise yourself with best-practice hearing care.
How are you taking care of your hearing?
Find out more about World Hearing Day and your hearing
What is World Hearing Day?
Held annually on 3 March, World Hearing Day is a global awareness campaign led by the World Health Organization (WHO) to highlight the importance and value of hearing healthcare and the need to protect hearing throughout the course of our lives.
How do we hear?
Our ears work with our brain using a delicate system to transport sound waves through the outer, middle, and inner ear and process and transform sound signals into the things we hear.
Sound waves travel down our ear canal where they are vibrated through the ear drum. The sound is then conducted by the smallest bones in the body ‘the hammer, anvil and stirrup’ into the cochlea in the inner ear where tiny hairs perfectly tuned to specific pitches transform the sound into signals that are sent along the hearing nerve to our brain.
Our brain then helps us process and understand these signals as the things we hear.
Learn more about preventing and addressing hearing loss and common ear diseases, in WHO’s instructional resource on basic ear and hearing care, or in Audiology Australia’s online fact sheet: how can I prevent and manage hearing loss?
What is the role of an audiologist?
Audiologists are master degree–educated allied health practitioners who work in the prevention, assessment, non-medical treatment and rehabilitation of hearing and balance disorders.
Find out more by reading our online fact sheets today:
Find an Audiology Australia Accredited Audiologist today
Your hearing is precious. Don’t wait for the signs of hearing loss to appear — take a proactive step today by adding a regular hearing check to your healthcare routine.