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Hearing Health Care
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I’m an Audiologist and I personally have broken two scissors just trying to get into these packaging. I fear for any individual with low dexterity, low vision and/or on blood thinners, especially those still living alone.
Nicole supported: Change the extremely difficult packaging of hearing aid batteries to easier accessAn article talking about this was posted on hearinglife.com warning about the packaging change. One of their suggestions was to ask a friend or family member for help in opening the package. This is ridiculously ableist! I am a middle-aged adult with both hands that function and I STRUGGLED with opening this new package design. This is an absurd burden to put on hearing aid users, most of whom are adults and many seniors. We should protect kids, but these hearing aid packages are NOT the problem!! We have to change our hearing aid batteries in so many situations throughout the day. We do not always have access to SCISSORS!
Melani supported: Change the extremely difficult packaging of hearing aid batteries to easier accessThe new child-resistant packaging is not merely an inconvenience; it is a barrier to independence and accessibility for millions of individuals who rely on hearing aids for daily functioning. These packaging changes, while well-meaning, have produced an absurd result: able-bodied individuals are now struggling to open them, even with two hands and scissors. Imagine the impact on older adults, those with arthritis, or anyone with limited dexterity.
Worse yet, the suggestion from one manufacturer that we simply "ask someone for help" if we can't open the packaging is deeply ableist and completely out of touch with real-world scenarios. Hearing aid users frequently need to change batteries in unscheduled, unpredictable, and time-sensitive situations:
In the middle of a business meeting
During a college lecture or high school classroom
While commuting on a train or bus
At a restaurant, during a meal
In their car, on a roadside
Even while hiking or traveling alone
We don’t always have access to scissors. And we certainly don’t always have someone nearby to assist us.
This new packaging design fails to account for the reality of daily life with hearing loss. It robs individuals of their autonomy and assumes that people with hearing loss should rely on others to navigate essential tasks. This is a fundamental violation of accessibility principles and the intent of laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which aims to reduce—not create—barriers.
Melani supported: Change the extremely difficult packaging of hearing aid batteries to easier accessI started working with hearing aids in 1976. I can honestly say that this is the most stupid law regarding hearing aids I have ever seen. When the professional has trouble getting into the package, imagine a visual and dexterity impaired patient trying to get into the package. I am afraid many will just stop using their hearing aids instead of fighting the package.
WAYNE supported: Change the extremely difficult packaging of hearing aid batteries to easier accessAs an Audiologist with arthritis in a school district, there has to be a better way. Safety for children is crucial but the difficulty level of accessing batteries in the plastic clamshell style packaging has resulted in a safety concern for the adults who change these batteries for students. It requires a painful amount of pressure for someone with arthritis, like myself to access these batteries and I have received many complaints from teachers and high school students trying to change their batteries and being cut by the plastic or whatever tool they are using when it slips. Rechargeable batteries are not ideal in school as a forgotten charge results in hours of missed instructional time where a battery can be replaced very quickly. Educational streaming devices also deplete rechargeable batteries rapidly which can drain a full charge before the end of a school day as the devices age. The safety packaging in its current form also cuts deeper into instructional time resulting in well meaning adults cutting multiple packages open and leaving batteries lying around which is both dangerous and useless as they deplete when in contact with one another. Overall, a safe alternative must be found that keeps safety of children and the person accessing batteries for hearing instrument users in mind.
Tara supported: Change the extremely difficult packaging of hearing aid batteries to easier accessI have been using the 312 batteries for over ten years. The new packaging requires special tools not readily available in the common home. Scissors are not adequate. The plastic is too tough to be easily cut. When cut with heavy duty implements the remnants of the cut are sharp enough to cut the skin. No other product is allowed to produce such sharp edges in the process of removing the packaged contents.
Alfonso supported: Change the extremely difficult packaging of hearing aid batteries to easier accessMy senior patients can’t open these batteries. I can’t hardly open them. This packaging is taking away their independence. It must be fixed.
Nichole supported: Change the extremely difficult packaging of hearing aid batteries to easier accessI have a hard time opening these new packages so I can only imagine the struggles of my elderly patients. There needs to be a better solution
Michelle supported: Change the extremely difficult packaging of hearing aid batteries to easier accessMy elderly patients cannot open their batteries for their hearing aids. So they have their kids come over and open the whole thing leaving batteries touching each other which deactivates them or even more susceptible to being swallowed if their was a child present. I can barely get a battery out. Also if the scissors hit the battery it will cause it to go dead because air leaks out of the zinc air cell.
Melinda supported: Change the extremely difficult packaging of hearing aid batteries to easier accessAs someone who has been a hearing aid user her entire life and frequently finds herself changing hearing aid batteries on the fly, this new packaging style has created significant and unnecessary barriers. I take pride in my independence and in not having to rely on others for daily tasks. Being told to simply “ask for help” to open this packaging is not a solution—it’s a dismissal. It strips away my autonomy and reinforces the damaging notion that disabled individuals should always rely on others for assistance. This is not a solution—it is a violation of my independence.
You may think, “If you know your batteries last about a week, just plan to change them at the same time every week.” That doesn't work. Sometimes the battery drains faster than expected—especially in louder environments or during extended use. I always wait until I hear the beeping sound that indicates the battery is low. This ensures I am maximizing battery life and saving money in the long run. Planning ahead doesn’t replace the reality of needing to change a battery at the moment it dies.
Because of this unpredictability, I often need to change batteries in unexpected and time-sensitive situations: during a meeting, at the beach, on a boat, in a store, at a restaurant, in a car. I am profoundly deaf and without functioning hearing aids, I cannot hear a single thing. My entire life, I’ve been able to change batteries quickly and discreetly. No production. No need for help. Just independence.
Now, with this new packaging, I need durable scissors to access my batteries. Not nail scissors. Not a paperclip. Scissors. And even after cutting, the packaging still has to be pried open. This makes battery replacement a cumbersome ordeal. I cannot be expected to carry heavy-duty scissors everywhere I go. What about when I’m flying and can’t bring scissors through TSA? Or when I’m traveling and need a battery change at the airport, in another state, or abroad? Am I expected to go buy scissors, ask a stranger, or depend on my accommodations to provide them?
I understand the need for child-resistant packaging due to legal requirements. But this? This isn't safety—this is exclusion. It fails to consider the lived realities of actual hearing aid users. This new packaging creates barriers where none existed before.
I urge you to revisit this design and prioritize accessibility. Develop a solution that protects children without punishing adults. And when testing future packaging, include a wide and representative range of users: people who are deaf and change batteries daily, people with arthritis or limited dexterity, elderly users, and more.
Accessible design is not optional—it is essential. Please do better.
Colleen supported: Change the extremely difficult packaging of hearing aid batteries to easier accessYou’re not alone — a community of supporters is ready to back you.
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