When Maya Queenan puts in her hearing aids, the world becomes a little more clear. It’s the small things, like hearing her dog bark, and the big things, like listening to her mom’s voice.

“I wouldn’t know where I am today without my hearing aids. They really are such a huge part of me,” said Queenan.

She was diagnosed with hearing loss at birth, and relies daily on her ear devices. But it has become a bigger financial burden than her family expected.

Insurance companies in New York are not required to provide reimbursement for the cost of hearing aids.

“The technology changes rapidly, so to have the best, most effective application, you want to change your hearing aids every two to three years. So that is financially a little bit of a challenge, even with a dual-income family, because they cost at a minimum, $3,500 a pair, and that’s for the basic,” said Queenan’s mom, Rosemary.

For the family, that number is double. Queenan’s older brother is also hearing impaired.

Rosemary said over the years, her family has spent close to $35,000 on the electronic devices.

“Parents shouldn’t have to choose between whether or not to purchase hearing aids for their children or paying their bills,” she said.

It's a financial burden that is felt by families across the state. That’s why the mother-daughter duo teamed up with other advocates to start Let’s Amplify NY.

The organization is urging legislators to pass a bill that would require insurance companies to cover the costs of hearing aids for children.

One of the founding members is Queenan’s doctor, Dr. Jason Mouzakes, an ear, nose and throat specialist at Albany Medical Center.

This year, he’s working to publish a survey in clinical pediatrics of families in the Capital Region.

“What we found was somewhat surprising, that over 50 percent of families face financial distress when they are trying to pursue hearing aids for their kids,” said Mouzakes.

He said despite paying an average of $480 in insurance premiums, only 50% receive some form of reimbursement and only 10% of families with children at high risk for hearing loss follow up for diagnosis and proper management due to financial concerns.

“Blindness separates you from things. Deafness separates you from people,” said Mouzakes. “And I witness that when children get their must needed hearing aids, they become connected with all of us.”

It's a connection that Queenan hopes other kids who need hearing aids will one day have, regardless of cost.

“They help me in more ways than I can count, and they’re just a great thing to have. I think every kid should have access to it,” she said.