 The National Acoustic Laboratories, or NAL, is the Research Division of Australian Hearing. NAL is a unique organisation that leads the world in hearing research and the development of innovative hearing solutions. We study the way people hear and the impact that hearing loss can have on people's lives. In our laboratories we use some of the most advanced technology in the world. NAL has a long history. We've been around since 1947. NAL works to find hearing solutions for people of all ages, even babies. Hi, I'm Cara. I'm a neuropsychologist at NAL and this is Baby Arlo. In Australia, most babies have a hearing check at birth, so if there's a problem, help us at hand immediately. Understanding children's hearing loss enables us to provide the best assistance that we can, whether that be with hearing aids, cochlear implants, or through training. Early assistance is also really important for children's speech and language development, their education and their social well-being. Most people tend to think that hearing aids are something for grandparents, but babies with hearing loss are often fitted within the first few months of their life. We're always looking for new ways to improve our hearing tests using the latest technology. Our ultimate goal is to improve hearing health and transform the lives of people with hearing difficulties, but we can't do this without the help of volunteers. I'm Richard Braiding. I've had a hearing loss since my 20s. I've been a NAL volunteer for over 20 years. My father was a NAL volunteer and he signed me up. I've always believed in putting something back into the community and that's very much a strong belief of mine and I've always enjoyed volunteering for NAL because I think that the work that NAL does and the research that they've provided is just world-leading and very important for hearing impaired people such as myself. I've been a volunteer with NAL for about 20 years. My hearing I think would be called poor. I've probably lost around 50% of it and I have to wear hearing aids. Without hearing aids I struggle. The volunteer work I find really rewarding and having been going for so long I could actually see the results come up. Years after we've done research and the researchers explained very thoroughly to me you can actually see the improvement in hearing aids and it's quite amazing how something the size of a peanut can get better and better and better. Hi, I'm Caroline. This is Jordan and Andrew. We've been associated with NAL since 2006 when Jordan became a member of the LOKI study. Being volunteers in a long-running research program has been fantastic. We've been involved for 12 years. The commitment time-wise has been very minimal but we feel like we can contribute some real data to a rewarding study and it's satisfying being kept in the loop and always you know being involved in what's going on in the progress. At NAL we ask volunteers to do all different kinds of listening tasks because we want to learn as much as we can about how humans hear and that means that not just looking at the ears but in the pathways all the way up to the brain itself. I've been volunteering with NAL for about three years and I've participated in about four different projects. From volunteering I gain a sense of fulfillment that I'm somehow able to use my blessed good hearing to help those who maybe don't have such good hearing. I would tell someone at uni to volunteer because it's quick, it's easy, the support staff make it very simple and it's also a little bit of a challenge. I like to test myself see how good my hearing actually is. What keeps me coming back is just the thought that every time I contribute to research it's making the world a slightly better place. Just a couple of hours of your time can make a big impact on the hearing and lives of countless people in Australia and around the world.