voices - Alexander Graham Bell Association

Transcription

VOICES
A l e x a n d e r G r a h a m B e l l A s s o c i at i o n f o r t h e D e a f a n d Ha r d o f H e a r i n g
V
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September/October 2009
Auditory Access
in the Classroom
Bergen County:
A Model Program
K-12
Education
W W W. AGBELL .ORG • VOL 16, ISSUE 5
Remembering
Jim Marsters
september /october 2009
V O L U ME 1 6
ISS U E 5
VOICES
V
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Features
Auditory Access in
the Classroom
16
2
6
40
52
Want to Write for VV?
voices Contributors
Directory of Services
List of Advertisers
By Carol Flexer, Ph.D., LSLS Cert. AVT, and
John Rollow, B.S.
This article discusses the importance of
acoustical accessibility in the classroom,
especially for children with hearing loss who
use listening and spoken language.
19
Departments
Acoustical Retrofitting for Learning
Spaces
Voices from AG Bell
3 | Cutting-Edge Programs
Expand Listening and Spoken
Language Opportunities
By Marcus Adrian, AIA
32 | Tips for Parents:
Ring, Ring Goes the Bell
34 | Conversations With
Alex Graham
36 | Psychosocial Potential
Maximization: Risk, Resilience and
Lifestyle Strategies for Success
in this issue
5 | K-12 Education
8 | Soundbites
14 | Remembering Jim Marsters
Bergen County – A Model Public School
Listening and Spoken Language Program
By Catherine Murphy
Classroom Acoustic Accessibility:
A Brain-Based Perspective
In Every Issue
22
Appropriate auditory access in the classroom
can be facilitated by the space itself. Learn
tips for minimizing noise outside and inside
the classroom through adaptations of the
physical learning space.
Learn about one public school program that demonstrates best practices in helping children with
hearing loss learn listening and spoken language
in the classroom.
26
ENGLISH VERSION
How Students Can A.D.A.P.T. in Life
By Jayna Altman and Karen Rothwell-Vivian,
M.S.Ed., CCC-A, LSLS Cert. AVT
This article discusses strategies to help students
adapt socially to their surroundings and to succeed in their academic and social endeavors.
28
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL
Cómo pueden los estudiantes ADAPTarse
en la vida
Por Jayna Altman y Karen Rothwell-Vivian, M.S.Ed.,
CCC-A, LSLS Cert. AVT
21
En este artículo se tratan estrategias que ayudan
a que los estudiantes se adapten socialmente a su
entorno y tengan éxito en sus empeños académicos y sociales.
By Lois Thibault
30
Implementing Classroom Acoustics
Standards: A Progress Report
This article provides a status-update for implementing standards that will ensure proper
acoustical environments in classrooms.
A Teacher’s Role in the IEP
By Jessica Coriat, M.A.
Learn about the educator’s role in supporting the
goals and outcomes of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
38 | Around the World
Alex ander Graham Bell
A s s o c i a t i o n f o r t h e D e a f a n d Ha r d o f H e a r i n g
3417 volta pl ace, nw, was hington, dc 20 0 07 • w w w. agbell .org
V
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VOICES
Advocating Independence
through Listening and Talking
— Adopted by the Alexander Graham Bell Association
for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Board of Directors, November 8, 1998
Ale x ander Gr aham Bell
As sociation for the Deaf
and Hard of Hearing
3417 Volta Place, NW, Washington, DC 20007
www.agbell.org | voice 202.337.5220
tty 202.337.5221 | fax 202.337.8314
Volta Voices Staff
Production and Editing Manager
Melody Felzien
Director of Communications and
Public Affairs
Catherine Murphy
Manager of Advertising and Exhibit Sales
Garrett W. Yates
Design and Layout
Alix Shutello and Jake Needham
EEI Communications
AG Bell Board of Directors
President
John R. “Jay” Wyant (MN)
President-Elect
Kathleen S. Treni (NJ)
Secretary-Treasurer
Christine Anthony, M.B.A., M.E.M. (IL)
Immediate Past President
Karen Youdelman, Ed.D. (OH)
Executive Director
Alexander T. Graham (VA)
Donald M. Goldberg, Ph.D. (OH)
Meredith K. Knueve, Esq. (OH)
Michael A. Novak, M.D. (IL)
Peter S. Steyger, Ph.D. (OR)
Want to Write for Volta
Volta Voices?
Voices?
Submissions to Volta Voices
Volta Voices welcomes submissions from
both AG Bell members and non-members.
The magazine is published six times
annually. Its audience consists of individuals
who are deaf or hard of hearing, parents
of children who are deaf or hard of hearing
and professionals in fields related to
hearing loss (audiology, speech-language
pathology, psychology, otology, social
services, education).
Visit the Volta Voices page at www.agbell.org
for submission guidelines and to submit
content.
Subjects of Interest
nTechnology – related to hearing loss,
new technology, improvements to or
problems with existing technology, or
how people are using existing technology,
accommodations.
nEducation – related to public or private
schools through post-secondary education,
new approaches and teaching methods,
legal implications and issues, etc.
nAdvocacy – information on legislation,
hearing health, special or mainstream
education, and accessibility.
nHealth – audiology issues relating to
children or adults with hearing loss and/or
their families and friends.
Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and
Hard of Hearing cannot issue or disseminate
reprints, authorize copying by individuals
and libraries, or authorize indexing and
abstracting services to use material from
the magazine.
Art Submission Guidelines
Volta Voices prefers digital images over original
artwork. When submitting electronic files,
please provide them in the following formats:
TIF, EPS or JPG (no BMP or GIF images).
Digital images must be at least 300 dpi
(at size).
nAction – stories about people with hearing
loss who use spoken language as their
primary mode of communication; deafness
need not be the focal point of the article.
Submit Articles/Items to:
Volta Voices
Alexander Graham Bell Association for the
Deaf and Hard of Hearing
3417 Volta Place, NW • Washington, DC 20007
Email: editor@agbell.org
Submit online at www.agbell.org
Editorial Guidelines
The periodicals department reserves the
right to edit material to fit the style and tone
of Volta Voices and the space available.
Articles are selected on a space-available
and relevancy basis; submission of materials
is not a guarantee of use.
Transfer of Copyright
The revised copyright law, which went into
effect in January 1978, provides that from
the time a manuscript is written, statutory
copyright is vested with the author(s). All
authors whose articles have been accepted
for publication in Volta Voices are requested
to transfer copyright of their articles to AG
Bell prior to publication. This copyright can
be transferred only by written agreement.
Without copyright ownership, the Alexander
V
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VOICES
Letters to the Editor
Let us know how we are doing. Write a Letter to the
Editor, and you could see your comment in the next issue.
Media Kit
Visit www.agbell.org and select “About AG Bell”
for advertising information.
Volta Voices (ISSN 1074-8016) is published six times a year. Periodicals postage is paid at Washington, DC, and other additional offices. Copyright ©2009 by the Alexander Graham Bell
Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc., 3417 Volta Pl., NW, Washington, DC 20007. Postmaster: Send address changes to Volta Voices, Subscription Department, 3417 Volta Pl.,
NW, Washington, DC 20007, 202/337-5220 (voice) or 202/337-5221 (TTY).
Claims for undelivered issues must be made within 4 months of publication. Volta Voices is sent to all members of the association. Yearly individual membership dues are $50. Volta Voices
comprises $30 of membership dues. Subscriptions for schools, libraries and institutions are $83 domestic and $108 international (postage included in both prices). Back issues, when
available, are $7.50 plus shipping and handling.
Articles published in Volta Voices do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Acceptance of advertising by Volta Voices does not constitute endorsement of the advertiser, their products or services, nor does Volta Voices make any claims or guarantees as to the
accuracy or validity of the advertisers’ offer.
PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40624074
Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to:
P.O. Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R6
VOICES FROM AG BELL
Cutting-Edge Programs
Expand Listening and Spoken
Language Opportunities
W
hen I left St. Louis
following the AG
Bell 2009 Listening
& Spoken Language
Symposium, I felt completely energized.
As I watched the keynote speakers
deliver their morning programs, I
thought of how proud Dr. Bell would
have been to have such a cuttingedge and thought-provoking program
presented under his name. The impact
of hearing loss on Executive Function
is still being researched and measured.
However, we continue to learn about
and asked Melody to help him learn to
talk. After 4 1/2 years of hard work and
commitment, he learned to speak. His
journey is truly amazing and it reminds
us all of what a wonderful gift it is to
be able to listen and talk, and that with
the right combination of a committed,
willing individual and the help of a qualified professional, the sky’s the limit.
For many, the subject matter of the
Symposium was – excuse the pun – very
“cerebral.” However, the program’s
purpose is to bring this incredible
research and knowledge to professionals
The more opportunities for clinicians and
researchers to interact with therapists
and educators, the more we gain out
of what we are all trying to accomplish
together – improved outcomes for
individuals with hearing loss.
the benefits of listening and spoken
language on the overall development of
the brain and how it leads to increased
cognitive, memory and literacy skill
development as well as its impact on
social development.
The possibilities for children and
adults who are learning to listen and talk
are endless. This was especially poignant
during a panel presentation when
Melody Harrison, Ph.D., shared a story
about one of her patients. When he first
came to her, he was 58 years old and had
been profoundly deaf all of his life. He
had recently obtained a cochlear implant
VOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009
for use in their classroom or therapeutic
practices. One of AG Bell’s members,
Teri Ouellette, summed it up best when
she talked about the Listening & Spoken
Language Symposium being akin to AG
Bell’s premier 110-year-old research
journal, The Volta Review. She described
the Symposium as an opportunity for
teachers, clinicians and other “front
line” specialists to learn about the latest
research and theories, often from scientists outside of the hearing health field.
Not only does this experience help give
educators and therapists more powerful
context and additional tools in their
daily work, but they are then able to
provide feedback on real-world outcomes
to help researchers and clinicians design
meaningful, high-impact research. The
more opportunities for clinicians and
researchers to interact with therapists
and educators, the more we gain out
of what we are all trying to accomplish
together – improved outcomes for individuals with hearing loss.
When applying The Volta Review
as a metaphor for the Symposium,
Ms. Ouellette also pointed to Volta
Voices as akin to AG Bell’s biennial
convention in that it provides a broader,
more community-oriented forum that
includes families and adults who are
deaf or hard of hearing as well as professionals. When the AG Bell Board of
Directors met for its quarterly meeting
immediately following the Symposium,
Convention Chair Dan Salvucci provided
an update on the planning for the next
convention. The AG Bell 2010 Biennial
Convention is scheduled for June 25-28
in Orlando, Fla., at the brand-new, stateof-the-art Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek,
and will again feature the popular Child
& Teen Program, social and networking
opportunities for parents, professionals, and deaf and hard of hearing
adults, general sessions, the research
symposium, vendors and exhibitors,
and the added bonus of being inside the
gates of Disney World. Be sure to enter
the dates in your calendar and stay
tuned for when you can begin to make
reservations…and don’t forget to book
your excursion to the theme parks, spa
appointments or tee times, after the
day’s sessions are over of course!
Another outcome of the board meeting
was to approve the appointment of two
3
VOICES FROM AG BELL
task forces – one for membership and
one for Chapters – to first review AG
Bell’s membership and chapter structures to make sure they are working
efficiently, and then to ensure that
members and Chapters are adequately
supported by AG Bell national in its
overall programs and services. Part of
this initiative will include the introduction of membership “town hall”
forums to gather feedback from AG Bell
members on how best to serve them, and
engage various Shared Interest Groups
(SIGs) for participation and guidance.
Finally, although AG Bell is experiencing much of the same challenges
as other nonprofits in the current
economy, its overall financial outlook
is healthy and it continues to explore
new development opportunities in
the way of grants and private foundation outreach. AG Bell is expanding
its suite of programs to include an
upcoming online seminar based on the
online community, I urge you to do
so – it is the best way to stay on top
of all the exciting happenings at AG
Bell. If you need help with the log in
be sure to contact the AG Bell staff at
info@agbell.org, or by calling (202)
337-5220/(202) 337-5221 (TTY).
recent Listening and Spoken Language
Capitol Hill briefing and is planning to
re-launch the Leadership Enrichment
and Achievement Program (LEAP) for
young adults with hearing loss and the
acclaimed Parent Advocacy Training
(PAT) program. Although other organizations are cutting back, we continue
to expand our programs due to diligent
management of the association’s financial resources.
At the July board meeting I had the
pleasure of welcoming the newest
member of the AG Bell Board of
Directors, Meredith Knueve, Esq., a
mother to a 3-year-old with bilateral
implants (as well as two other boys)
and an attorney at the firm of Brickler
& Eckler in Columbus, Ohio. As we
continue to cultivate new leaders for
the national board, I encourage you to
email me at jwyant@agbell.org if you
have any suggestions or comments. If
you have not already logged in to our
Sincerely,
Jay Wyant
President
QUESTIONS?
C O MMEN T S ?
C O N C ERN S ?
Write to us:
AG Bell
3417 Volta Place, NW
Washington, DC
20007
Or email us:
voltavoices@agbell.org
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VOLTA VOICES • SEPTE M BER/ OCTOBER 2009
EDITOR’S NOTE
G Bell is pleased to offer this
very special issue of Volta
Voices on ways to enhance
the education of children
with hearing loss who use spoken language and are in grades kindergarten
through 12th grade.
This edition begins with a series of
articles focused on the importance of
classroom acoustics. According to Carol
Flexer and John Rollow in “Classroom
Acoustic Accessibility,” the key to
spoken language instruction rests on
the ability of the brain to access and
process sound. They discuss the importance of providing an optimal listening environment for children in the
classroom. In “Acoustical Retrofitting
of Learning Spaces,” architect Marcus
Adrian provides suggestions for adapting existing classrooms to minimize
excess outside and inside noise. Finally,
in “Implementing Classroom Acoustics
Standards,” Lois Thibault discusses the
status of regulating building standards
to ensure that proper acoustics are
achieved in new and renovated buildings and classrooms.
This issue also features a model
program for K-12 public education
of students with hearing loss who
are learning to use spoken language.
In “Bergen County – A Model Public
School Program,” Catherine Murphy
introduces a New Jersey program that
combines appropriate intervention and
access with staggered levels of mainstream integration and highly qualified
and trained teachers.
Beyond the structure of the classroom and space, Jayna Altman and
Karen Rothwell-Vivian discuss
the social integration of
children with hearing
loss in “How Students
Can A.D.A.P.T. in Life.” This article provides suggestions for how to increase a
student’s self-confidence and interaction with peers in the classroom as
well as in social settings. In addition,
Jessica Coriat discusses the important
role of a teacher in achieving the goals
set forth in a student’s Individualized
Education Plan in “A Teacher’s Role
in the IEP.” Finally in “Ring, Ring
Goes the Bell,” Tiffani Hill-Patterson
reviews some of the key school supplies
children with hearing loss should bring
when returning to school this fall.
Celebrating the recently completed
Leadership Opportunities for Teens
(LOFT) program, Alex Graham sits down
with one of the program’s facilitators,
Dani Paquin, to discuss her perspective as an adult living with a hearing
loss in “Conversations.” This issue of
Volta Voices also introduces a brand new
column by Paul Jacobs, “Psychosocial
Potential Maximization.” In this and
future columns, Jacobs discusses eight
social themes that allow individuals who
are deaf to maximize their potential.
This column is complemented by an
online discussion forum at www.agbell.
org where readers can comment and ask
questions of the author.
Finally, AG Bell remembers Dr. Jim
Marsters, an AG Bell lifetime member
and one of the founders of AG Bell’s
Oral Deaf Adult Section (now known as
the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Shared
Interest Group). His contributions to
communications access for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing
made him a role model for those who
followed.
Thank you for reading. As always,
if you have a story idea or would like
to submit an article for publication,
please contact me at editor@agbell.org
with your comments and suggestions.
Best regards,
Melody Felzien
Editor, Volta Voices
Photo Credit: Abelstock
A
K-12 Education
5
VOICES FROM AG BELL
Voices contributors
Marcus
Adrian,
AIA,
author of
“Acoustical
Retrofitting
of Learning
Spaces,”
is a principal architect at Mackey Mitchell
Architects in St. Louis, Mo., and a
recognized expert in the design of
learning spaces for children with
sensory and cognitive needs. He
designed additions to Central
Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis
in 2000 and a new campus for
Sunshine Cottage School for the
Deaf in San Antonio, Texas, in
2007. He can be contacted at
marcus_a@mackeymitchell.com.
Jayna
Altman,
co-author
of “How
Students Can
A.D.A.P.T. in
Life,” has
a profound
hearing
loss and serves as a role model and
advocate. She is a graduate of the
University of California, San Diego,
and is pursuing a doctorate in audiology. She has served as a spokesperson
for John Tracy Clinic and Central
Institute for the Deaf, and is the
reigning Miss International. For
more information, visit
www.jaynaaltman.com.
Jessica
Coriat,
M.A.,
author of
“A Teacher’s
Role in the
IEP,” is a
teacher of
the deaf
6
with Bergen County Special Services.
Previously, she was an itinerant
teacher of the deaf in New York City
public schools. Coriat has a bachelor’s
degree in elementary and special
education from Buffalo State College,
masters degrees in special education
of the deaf from CUNY Hunter, N.Y.,
and in fine arts and creative writing
from the New School in New York.
Sarah
Crum,
co-author of
“Around the
World,” was
a student
intern at AG
Bell. She is
currently
a junior at Georgetown University
working toward a degree in American
Musical Culture.
Carol
Flexer,
Ph.D., LSLS
Cert. AVT,
co-author of
“Classroom
Acoustic
Accessibility:
A BrainBased Perspective,” is past president
of the AG Bell Academy and a distinguished lecturer and audiologist
specializing in pediatric and educational audiology. Dr. Flexer speaks
nationally and internationally on the
development and expansion of listening, speaking and literacy skills in
infants and children, including those
with all degrees of hearing loss. She
received her doctorate in audiology
from Kent State University and is a
distinguished professor emeritus of
audiology at the University of Akron
School of Speech-Language Pathology
and Audiology. For more information,
visit www.carolflexer.com.
Alexander
T. Graham,
author of
“Conver
sations,” is
the executive director
of AG Bell.
He has a
bachelor’s
degree from Lynchburg College in
Lynchburg, Va., and masters degrees in
organizational effectiveness and business administration from Marymount
University in Arlington, Va. His late
mother had a hearing loss as a result of
a childhood illness. He can be contacted at agraham@agbell.org.
Paul
Gordon
Jacobs,
Ph.D.,
author of
“Psycho
social
Potential
Maximi
zation: Risk, Resilience and Lifestyle
Strategies for Success,” works for
the Institute of Social Participation
at La Trobe University in Australia.
Profoundly deaf since age 5, Dr. Jacobs
is the author of “Neither-Nor: A Young
Australian’s Experience with Deafness”
(available from Gallaudet University
Press). Please visit Dr. Jacobs’ blog at
www.agbell.org.
Catherine
Murphy,
author of
“Bergen
County – A
Model Public
School
Listening
and Spoken
Language
Program,” is director of communications and public affairs at AG Bell.
Murphy received her bachelor’s degree
in communications from Ohio State
University. Her brother, Michael, was
born profoundly deaf and recently
received a cochlear implant. She can be
contacted at cmurphy@agbell.org.
Tiffani HillPatterson,
author of
“Ring, Ring
Goes the
Bell,” is a
freelance
writer,
newspaper
copy editor, sports enthusiast and
cochlear implant awareness advocate.
She graduated from the University of
North Alabama in Florence, Ala., with
a degree in journalism. She lives in
Harvest, Ala., with her husband, Ryan,
and daughter, Riley, a bilateral cochlear
implant user. She can contacted at
patterson1723@mac.com.
John
Rollow, B.S.,
co-author of
“Classroom
Acoustic
Accessibility:
A BrainBased
Perspective,”
is president of Green Schools
Plus, High Performance Schools
Consultants. He has 45 years of experience as an architect and engineer for
major public and industrial projects.
Since 2001, Mr. Rollow has focused
his time on research and advocacy for
“Green” high-performance building
design.
Karen Rothwell-Vivian, M.S.Ed.,
CCC-A, LSLS Cert. AVT, co-author of
“How Student Can A.D.A.P.T. in Life,”
has worked with children and adults
with hearing loss as an auditoryverbal therapist for 30 years. She has
a bachelor’s degree in speech language
pathology and audiology and masters’ degrees in special education and
audiology. She runs a private auditoryverbal therapy practice in Southern
California.
Lois L. Thibault, author of “Imple
menting
Classroom
Acoustics
Standards:
A Progress
Report,”
has worked
as an
architect in
the private
sector and for The American Institute
of Architects. Ms. Thibault joined the
U.S. Access Board in 1992 and assists
in agency rulemaking, currently
working on classroom acoustics. She
can be contacted at
thibault@access-board.gov.

2010 AG Bell Biennial Convention
JUNE 25-28, 2010 • HILTON BONNET CREEK HOTEL • ORLANDO, FLORIDA
call for
papers
Be an integral part of the
program by sharing your
knowledge and best
practices with your
peers.
Mark your calendar now to submit a
short course or concurrent session to
present at the 2010 AG Bell Convention.
submission windows
short courses:
August 3 – September 24, 2009
concurrent sessions:
September 17 – November 12, 2009
Visit www.agbell.org for updates
on the submission process for the
2010 AG Bell Convention – Call for Papers.
7
SOUND
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
NE W S B ITES
Photo Credit: Darren Higgins Photography
AG Bell Congratulates
LOFT Class of 2009
LOFT class of 2009
On July 9, 2009, the AG Bell Leadership
Opportunities for Teens (LOFT)
program wrapped up four days of
whirlwind activities in Washington, D.C.,
which included panel exercises with
local dignitaries, a tour of the White
House, a ROPES course adventure
and a special presentation at the
U.S. Capitol. In addition, the 20 teens
between the ages of 15 and 18 who are
deaf or hard of hearing and use spoken
language were treated to a closing
night reception at the Volta Bureau, AG
Bell’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
According to one participant, “LOFT
went way above and beyond my initial
expectations. It was more than a leadership opportunity – it was something
that changed my life…I made connections, friends and found myself among
others with the burning desire to make
a difference in the world...thank you so
much for all that you’ve given me.” The
LOFT 2009 program was the kick-off
to AG Bell’s reinvestment in youth and
family programming. Revised and new
programs for parents and college-age
adults are also underway.
8
AG Bell would like to especially thank
its lead sponsors, Oticon and National
Technical Institute for the Deaf, as
well as the Max and Victoria Dreyfus
Foundation and the Tenenbaum
Family Foundation for their support
of this year’s program. None of this
would have been possible without
the round-the-clock assistance of the
LOFT 2009 counselors, Ken Levinson,
Danielle “Dani” Paquin and Catharine
McNally. Stay tuned for details about
next year’s LOFT program to be held
in conjunction with the AG Bell 2010
Biennial Convention, June 25-28, at
the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek in
Orlando, Fla.
Institute of Medicine Lists
Hearing Loss among Top
25 Priorities
An Institute of Medicine (IOM) panel
released its 100 Initial Priority Topics
for Comparative Effectiveness
Research. Listed within the top 25 was
a recommendation to compare the
effectiveness of the different treatments for hearing loss in children and
adults, especially individuals with
diverse cultural, language, medical and
developmental backgrounds.
The recommendations were developed in response to the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009 (ARRA), which provided funding
of $1.1 billion to begin comparative
effectiveness research and called on
the IOM to develop research priorities.
Although the priorities are not official
policies of the IOM, the recommendations will likely influence the allocation
of funding dollars. Visit www.iom.edu/
CMS/3809/63608/71025/71032.aspx to
learn more.
6/25-28 2010
Join friends, colleagues, advocates and families in Orlando,
Fla., June 25-28, 2010, for AG
Bell’s Biennial Convention.
Advance your knowledge and
skills, learn about the latest
products and services, and
expand your network of people
committed to listening and
spoken language for individuals
with hearing loss. For updated
information, visit http://
nc.agbell.org/netcommunity/
2010Convention.
Wisconsin Mandates
Private Health Insurance
Plans Cover Hearing Aids
and Cochlear Implants
On May 21, 2009, Wisconsin Governor
Jim Doyle signed into law a bill that
requires private health insurance plans
to pay for cochlear implants, hearing
aids and related treatment for anyone
under the age of 18. “This is what
insurance is about,” Governor Doyle
stated. “We all should…help people
realize their full potential.” The bill was
originally sponsored by Wisconsin
State Representative David Cullen,
who has two siblings with hearing
loss, one of whom uses a cochlear
implant. The Wisconsin Insurance
Commissioner estimates this mandate
will cost the state’s privately insured
residents just 17 cents a month.
BITES
CDC Releases EHDI Data
for 2007
The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) Early Hearing
Detection and Intervention (EHDI)
Team has released its 2007 hearing
screening and follow-up survey
results. The CDC summarized
hearing screening, diagnostic, early
intervention and demographic data
that was reported by states and
territories for the 2007 calendar
year. Overall, the data showed that
about 94 percent of infants (about
3.8 million) are screened for hearing
loss in the United State. However, the
data continues to reflect a significant
loss to follow-up of about 56 percent
of infants who screen for a possible
hearing loss. Visit www.cdc.gov/
ncbddd/ehdi/data.htm#2007 to view
the 2007 EHDI data.
Landmark Communication
Accessibility Legislation
Introduced in House
On June 26, 2009, Representative
Edward Markey (D-MA) introduced
H.R. 3101, also known as the “21st
Century Communication and Video
Accessibility Act of 2009.” If enacted,
the legislation will ensure that new
Internet-enabled telephone and television services are accessible to and
Compiled by:
Melody Felzien
usable by people with disabilities as
well as close existing gaps in federal
laws governing telecommunications
access.
Karen Peltz Strauss of Communication
Services for the Deaf (CSD) stated,
“H.R. 3101 puts people with
disabilities squarely into 21st century
communications. This legislation builds
on existing law and puts the U.S. at the
forefront of innovations that will ensure
that people with disabilities can take
Transforming
Lives
The possibilites for children
who are deaf and hard of
hearing are endless. At
Clarke every child is given
the opportunity to flourish.
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'/+*2%((!ƳƳđƳƳ!3Ƴ+.'ƳƳđƳƳ+.0$),0+*ƳƳđƳƳ$%( !(,$%
HEARING LOSS 101: RESOURCES FOR PARENTS
www.clarkeschools.org
9
SOUND BITES
full advantage of Internet advantages
enjoyed by everyone else.” To learn
more about the legislation, visit
www.coataccess.org.
MED-EL to Offer
Comprehensive Assess
ment Tool in Spanish
MED-EL has announced the availability of a Spanish version of LittlEARS
Auditory Questionnaire, an assessment tool for parents that evaluates
auditory behaviors that are observable
as a reaction to acoustic stimuli. The
questionnaire is designed to assess the
auditory development of children after
newborn hearing screening, from birth
to 24 months of age, or children with
hearing loss who use cochlear implants
or hearing aids with a hearing age
(time after first fitting) of 0-24 months.
The questionnaire is part of MED-EL’s
BRIDGE to Better Communication
program. Visit www.medel.com/US/
Rehabilitation/index.php to learn more.
NTID, PEPNet Collaborate
on Tip Sheets for College
Students with Hearing Loss
The National Technical Institute for the
Deaf (NTID) has partnered with the
Postsecondary Education Programs
Network (PEPNet), a group that
advances education opportunities for
people who are deaf or hard of hearing,
to develop a series of eight informational
“tip sheets” covering topics related to
hearing loss, communication access and
the college experience. The tip sheets
are provided free of charge and available
at www.pen.ntid.rit.edu/resources/
documents/other/tipsheets.php.
New Play Mat Promotes
Speech Development and
Interaction
The U-Play Mat is a play tool designed
to enhance interaction between
parents and children, and is specifically geared toward children with
special needs. U-Play Mat was
10
CHAPTERS
The Michigan Chapter of AG Bell will hold its annual fall conference,
“We’re All in This Together: Maximizing Success for Students who are Deaf or
Hard of Hearing,” November 6, 2009, in Okemos, Mich. The event will include
presenters from the Clarke School for the Deaf-Center for Oral Education in
Northampton, Mass. Early bird registration ends October 9. Contact Sarah Yu
at sarahandrogerye@gmail.com with questions or to register.
The Ohio Chapter of AG Bell will hold its annual conference on October 3,
2009, at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. In the morning session, Betsy Moog Brooks, MS-CED, LSLS Cert. AVEd., will present “Advocacy
Strategies for Parents of the Deaf or Hard of Hearing.” The afternoon session will
include a question and answer session with Brooks as well as a parent-panel discussion on how to navigate the Individualized Education Plan process successfully.
Visit www.agbell.org/oh to register or for additional information.
The California Chapter of AG Bell’s annual conference on May 30, 2009,
“Audiology: Connections and Collaborations,” featured Jane R. Madell, PhD, CCC
A/SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, who spoke on the importance for a multi-disciplinary team
collaboration to ensure that every child’s hearing device is working to its full potential. Members of this team include parents, children, auditory-verbal practitioners,
speech-language therapists and teachers, who all have significant information that
will aid the audiologist in maximizing the child’s access to sound. Congratulations
also goes to Kristin Minasian, who received the 2009 Ken Levinson Grant, awarded
each year to an outstanding California student who has proven to be a positive role
model for the deaf and hard of hearing community.
SHARED INTEREST GROUPS
Two New SIGs Available!
AG Bell is pleased to offer two new Shared Interest Groups, available to all current
AG Bell members:
CI Users – The purpose of this SIG is to share common experiences of cochlear
implants (CI) users and assist those seeking information about how to navigate the
process of receiving an implant and those learning to interpret their environment.
This SIG is led by a dynamic and successful CI user who received a CI at age 30.
LSL Students and New Professionals – This SIG brings together gradu-
ate students in speech-language pathology, deaf education, audiology and related
fields with practicing professionals in the field of listening and spoken language.
The purpose of this group is to make connections, network, share experiences and
best practices, assist others in preparing for the Listening and Spoken Language
Specialist (LSLS) certification exam, find mentors, and encourage the next generation of professionals in listening and spoken language fields.
To participate in these SIGs, please login to www.agbell.org. Once logged in, look
for the “Shared Interest Groups” link to access both groups.
As AG Bell continues to launch its SIG effort, it is putting out a “call for leaders”
to encourage volunteer leadership participation in our online networking community. AG Bell’s volunteers are the heart and soul of the AG Bell community.
Visit http://nc.agbell.org/netcommunity/aboutsigs to learn more or to suggest
a new SIG for the AG Bell community. Still have questions? Please contact
Elizabeth Reed-Martinez, AG Bell director of association relations and administration, at ereed-martinez@agbell.org.
Photo Credit: Play This Way Everyday
People in the News
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
(NIDCD) appointed AG Bell member John Niparko, M.D., to its
Advisory Council. Dr. Niparko is the George T. Nager professor and director of the Division of Otology, Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery in the
Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the Johns
Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore, Md.
created by a pediatrician and mother
of four who was having trouble
engaging her son in speech therapy
lessons. This learning toy allows the
child to sit inside the opening of a
U-shaped mat and have full access to
15 clear pockets – filled with interactive flash cards – enhancing interactive floor play between the child and
parents and helping parents follow up
on the language lessons from speech
therapy. For more information, visit
www.playthisway.com.
Better Hearing Institute
Launches Seven-Topic
Mega-Blog
The Better Hearing Institute (BHI) has
launched a seven-topic mega-blog that
offers the latest hearing health news
and provides a forum for people to
discuss hearing concerns and personal
stories and challenges. The blogs will
post short articles by experts and cover
seven key topics: hearing loss, technology, hearing health care journey,
pediatrics, hearing loss prevention,
family relationship and tinnitus. To learn
more, visit www.betterhearing.org/blog.
Chinese Government to
Fund Cochlear Implant and
Follow-Up Services
The Chinese Government has allocated special funds to provide free
cochlear implant surgery and postsurgery follow-up services to children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
According to the China Disabled
AG Bell lifetime member Carolyn Stern-Spanjer, M.D., is a finalist
for Purple Communications’ “Trailblazer of the Year” award, which recognizes leaders in the deaf and hard of hearing community. Dr. Stern, a family
physician in Rochester, N.Y., treats and educates patients who are deaf
about health issues, trains interpreters for medical settings, educates other
doctors and health care professionals on accessibility and works to ensure
that national continuing medical education programs are accessible for individuals who are deaf. The 2009 Trailblazer of the Year will be announced in
October 2009. To vote for Dr. Stern, visit www.purple.us/dreambigger.
On August 3, 2009, the Los Angeles Times ran an in-depth feature article on
the cochlear implant process. Tyler de Lara, age 2, was featured as well as
his teacher, AG Bell member Caroline Fuentes, with the John Tracy
Clinic in Los Angeles, Calif.
AG Bell congratulates member Jeanette Hachmeister for receiving
the 2009 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching on May 10, 2009.
The award honors teachers in the Chicago area and recognizes her dedication
to teaching children with hearing loss to listen and talk. Hachmeister teaches
kindergarten and first grade at Child’s Voice in Chicago, Ill., and is one of 10
recipients picked from over 972 individuals nominated for the award.
Judith S. Sexton, director of Clarke School’s Pennsylvania campus and an AG Bell member, has been appointed to the Pennsylvania
Department of Health’s Infant Hearing Screening Advisory Committee. The
committee was established to advise and make recommendations on issues
related to program regulation and administration, diagnostic testing, technical support and follow-up.
On July 30, 2009, the Wisconsin Law Journal featured AG Bell member
Rachel Arfa in its “Up and Coming Lawyers” section. Arfa, who is
profoundly deaf, is a staff attorney at Legal Aid Society of Wisconsin.
Persons’ Federation, the goal is to
provide cochlear implants and services
to 1,500 children by 2011. In addition,
a program will be initiated to offer free
hearing aids as well as cover follow-up
service fees for 9,000 children with
hearing loss. The fees will be allocated
to children living in rural areas where
medical services are seldom offered
and whose parents often cannot afford
these services.
New Book Focuses on Life
of Anne Sullivan
“Beyond the Miracle Worker: The
Remarkable Life of Anne Sullivan Macy
and Her Extraordinary Friendship with
Helen Keller” is the first biography in
nearly 50 years to focus on the life of
Anne Sullivan Macy, Helen Keller’s
teacher and companion. With access
to privately held diaries, personal
letters and recently uncovered photos,
11
SOUND BITES
IN MEMORIAM
On July 29, 2009, AG Bell lifetime member and co-founder of AG Bell’s Oral
Deaf Adult Section Dr. James C. Marsters passed away at his
home in Oakland, Calif. He was 85. AG Bell remembers Dr. Marsters in an
article on page 14.
On June 10, 2009, Helen Rachael Golf, a former member of the AG
Bell board of directors and past president of the Texas Chapter, passed
away at the age of 77. Golf dedicated her life to the listening and spoken language education of children with hearing loss. Golf’s career included teaching appointments at Clarke School for the Deaf and Central Institute for the
Deaf; serving as the director of the Speech and Hearing Center in Amarillo,
Texas; and working for the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center in Nashville,
Tenn., and the Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children and San Antonio
public school system in San Antonio, Texas. In lieu of flowers, donations may
be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 322 North Greenwood, Fort Smith,
AR, 72901, or the Sebastian County Humane Society, 3800 Kelley Hwy, Fort
Smith, AR 72904.
award-winning historian Kim Nielsen
chronicles Macy’s traumatic childhood,
her lifelong struggles with partial blindness and depression, her tumultuous
marriage and her deep friendship with
Helen Keller. To purchase the book,
visit www.beacon.org.
Photo Credit: Ben Case
Strong Friendships Still
Growing Within LOFT
Class of 2008
In June 2009, nine of the 17 teens
who participated in the LOFT 2008
program in Milwaukee, Wis., gathered
in Greenbus, Mich., for a reunion to
catch up with each other and sail,
boat and swim on Lake Huron, among
LOFT Class of 2008
12
processor falls off the ear, it won’t go
too far; a Snuggie that securely fits
over little ears to keep an active child’s
processor in place; and a DVD that
explains the cochlear implant process
to children in a fun cartoon format. For
additional information, visit
www.BionicEar.com.
TECHNOLOGY WATCH
other fun summer activities. These
teens began LOFT with the intent to
strengthen their leadership skills, and
completed the program with friendships that will last a lifetime. The
LOFT class of 2008 has kept in touch
through texting, Facebook, email,
video-chat and many other methods
of communication. LOFT strengthened
the advocacy skills of these teens
and they will have the opportunity to
use these leadership skills in the year
ahead as they head into either their
final year of high school or first year of
college.
Mercury-Free Hearing Aid
Battery Introduced
Rayovac has introduced a longlasting, mercury-free hearing aid
battery. Mercury has been a key
component to hearing aid batteries
since their inception, but several U.S.
states and Canada have recently
banned batteries containing mercury
beginning June 30, 2011. In response
to the ban, Rayovac has developed
cleaner processes and materials
to replace the need for mercury.
According to tests by the International
Electrotechnical Commission and
American National Standards
Institute, the mercury-free hearing aid
battery lasts 30 percent longer than
other similar products. The batteries
are currently available in Europe,
with distribution to the United States
expected next year. To learn more,
visit www.rayovac.com.
Advanced Bionics
Launches New Kit for
Children Receiving a CI
Advanced Bionics recently launched
its Bionic Ears for Kids kit, featuring
accessories for children with cochlear
implants as well as the new Melody
doll to help children through the
cochlear implant (CI) process. The kit
includes a Platinum Speech Processor
Bilateral Harness, available in pink
or blue, that holds and protects two
processors simultaneously; a Bionic
Buddy Critter Clip that attaches
to the child’s clothing so that if the
Cochlear Introduces
First Programmable Baha
Sound Processor
Cochlear Americas announced the
availability of the Baha BP100, the
first programmable sound processor
designed to work with bone conduction technology and the Cochlear
Baha implant. The new sound
processor provides clearer sound in
changing environments and is simple
for clinicians and individuals using
the Baha system to use. For more
information, visit http://professionals.
cochlearamericas.com/BP100.
Photo Credit: Catharine McNally
Sonic Alert
Introduces New
Amplified Telephone
Sonic Alert announced the availability
of a new telephone for the deaf and
hard of hearing. The AmpliPOWER60
multifunction telephone features
extra amplification and tone control,
including a receiving volume control of
up to 67 dB as well as a receiving tone
control of +10 dB, and a built-in sound
equalizer that automatically increases
the volume of high- or low-frequency
sounds. The AmpliPOWER60 is
designed to help those with a high
frequency hearing loss. To learn more,
visit www.sonicalert.com.
2009 LOFT attendees participate in outdoor games in Washington, DC
13
SOUND BITES
AG Bell Remembers
Dr. James C. Marsters
By Catherine Murphy
14
Photo Credit: Marsters Family
O
n July 28, 2009, AG Bell lifetime
member and co-founder of AG
Bell’s Oral Deaf Adult Section
Dr. James C. Marsters passed away at
his home in Oakland, Calif. He was 85.
Born in Norwich, N.Y. on April 5,
1924, and profoundly deaf since the
age of 3 months as a result of scarlet
fever, Marsters was a tireless advocate
for individuals with hearing loss. He
actively promoted awareness of the
listening and spoken language option
for individuals with hearing loss, and
in 1964 was the first deaf keynote
speaker at an AG Bell convention. He
was also instrumental in the development of text telephones, also known
as TTYs. For many years, Marsters ran
a successful orthodontics practice in
Pasadena, Calif., and was a lecturer and
clinical instructor in orthodontics at the
University of Southern California.
In 1964, Marsters and three other
AG Bell members founded the Oral
Deaf Adults Section (ODAS) of AG Bell,
today known as the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing Shared Interest Group (DHH
SIG). He served on the AG Bell Board
of Directors as vice-chairman, and
was a recipient of the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing Section Achievement Award.
In 1990, he was awarded the “Honors
of the Association” award for “extreme
dedication to and sustained efforts to
the betterment of the lives of people
with hearing loss.”
“Jim’s passing has prompted innumerable reminisces from AG Bell
members, signifying the broad and
deep impact he had on our lives,” said
John R. “Jay” Wyant, president of
AG Bell. ”He and the other pioneers
of his generation were trailblazers in
From L-R: A secretary, Arthur Simon, Jim Marsters, Richard Zellerbach, Andrew Saks and
Robert Weitbrecht participate in the first long-distance telephone call using TTY.
expanding communication access for
individuals who are deaf or hard of
hearing and their contributions touch us
in many ways each and every day.”
“He was an icon in my eyes,” said
Alan Hurwitz, president of the National
Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID)/
Rochester Institute of Technology
(RIT), and a lifetime member of AG
Bell. Hurwitz considered Dr. Marsters a
personal friend for nearly 40 years. “He
gave me wonderful advice and guidance whenever I needed to talk with
him about anything. He was a very kind
man, passionate and always interested
in talking with people. He had a great
sense of humor…He will be sorely
missed.”
His most outstanding contribution
to the deaf community started in 1964,
when he and two other men who were
deaf, Robert Weitbrecht and Andrew
Saks, collaborated to advocate for
changes that would allow deaf persons
to communicate with TTYs from home
and work. Before that, individuals who
were deaf were limited to communication in person, by letters or by phone
with the help of hearing friends or family
members.
Chronicled in the book “A Phone of
Our Own: The Deaf Insurrection Against
Ma Bell,” by Harry G. Lang, Weitbrecht
made history by calling Marsters with
the first long-distance TTY phone call
on a traditional telephone line. Their
Photo Credit: Marsters Family
communication was garbled at first.
But after some adjustments, their typed
words were clear and concise: “Are you
printing me now?” Weitbrecht asked
Marsters. “Let’s quit for now and gloat
over the success,” Marsters replied.
The three men also worked to overcome barriers to TTY communication
established by telephone corporations,
which at the time prohibited direct
connections to telephone lines. They
founded Applied Communications
Corporation in Belmont, Calif., and
obtained discarded teletype machines,
repaired them and gave them to people
who were deaf to use with acoustic
modems. They also educated the deaf
community about this new technology
and partnered with other organizations
to make TTYs a reality. Thick telephone
directories of TTY users were eventually
published and local organizations were
formed to allow people who were deaf
or hard of hearing to meet, communicate
and disseminate the technology across
the country. TTYs liberated people with
hearing loss, allowing them for the first
time to independently communicate with
others in different locations.
“I look back with pleasure and satisfaction with time well spent serving the
public and fellow man,” Marsters once
said about his contributions.
“I just think about how he cared about
other people – patients, family, friends
in the deaf community,” said his son,
Jim Marsters, Jr. “When I was growing
up, I remember he spent a lot of time
fussing around with those big Western
Union teletype machines so you could
communicate with another person who
happened to have another machine on
the other end. He also spent a lot of
time both in California and Washington,
pushing for government support for this
program to make telephone communication more accessible to deaf people.
I was really impressed by the time and
energy he put in to helping deaf people.”
Marsters graduated from the
Wright Oral School for the Deaf in
New York City in 1943 and earned a
bachelor’s degree in chemistry from
Union College in Schenectady, N.Y.
He applied to dental schools but
was repeatedly told a person who
is deaf could not become a dentist.
Undaunted, he was eventually admitted
to New York University College of
Dentistry with the understanding that
they would provide no special accommodations, his family said. In a story
recounted by an AG Bell member,
Marsters brought a typewriter with him
to class so he could take notes without
taking his eyes off the teacher. Other
students complained about the noise,
so he wrapped rubber bands around
each individual typewriter key to muffle
the sound. He graduated with a D.D.S.
degree in 1952, becoming one of the
first known deaf dentists in the country.
“Jim made significant achievements
through his indomitable ‘can-do’ spirit
that got him through dental school, he
and modeled quiet, persistent leadership by example,” concluded Wyant.
An accomplished pilot, Marsters had
a second dental office in Lone Pine,
Calif., that he would fly to in his private
plane and provide dental services to the
underserved community. Often, those
services were done for free because the
patients could not afford dental care.
Although there were other deaf pilots,
most would avoid flying to airports that
required radio communication. Marsters
radioed control towers and announced
his proximity to the airport. “He would
ask the tower to give him clearance to
land using signal lights,” said his son.
Marsters was a former member of
the NTID’s National Advisory Group
and in 2000 started the Dr. James C.
Marsters Endowed Scholarship Fund to
benefit students who were deaf or hard
of hearing. He was honored in 2008 by
having the modem he used for the first
TTY call between two deaf persons
prominently displayed at RIT’s Wallace
Memorial Library.
Marsters is survived by three children and two grandchildren. In lieu of
flowers, contributions may be made in
his memory to the John Tracy Clinic,
806 West Adams Blvd., Los Angeles,
CA 90007, or to the Jean Weingarten
Peninsula Oral School, 3518 Jefferson
Ave., Redwood City, CA 94062.
15
A Brain-Based
Perspective
Photo Credit: Ablestock
Classroom Acoustic
Accessibility:
By Carol Flexer, Ph.D., LSLS Cert. AVT, and John Rollow, B.S.
T
ypical mainstream classrooms
are auditory-verbal environments where instruction is
presented through the teacher’s spoken communication. Children
in a mainstream classroom, whether or
not they have a hearing loss, must be
able to hear the teacher and each other
for learning to occur. If the brains of
children cannot consistently and clearly
receive spoken instruction, the major
premise of the educational system is
undermined and that is what “acoustic
accessibility” is about.
Children Have Organic
Listening Limitations
We “hear” with the brain; the ears are
just a way for sounds to get in. The
problem with hearing loss and with
poor auditory environments is that
intact sound is barred from reaching the brain. The purpose of having
favorable listening environments and
appropriate acoustic access technologies is to enhance acoustic saliency
by channeling complete words efficiently and effectively to the brain
(Flexer, 2004). Typical classroom
16
acoustic environments can be roadblocks to the brain accessing sufficient
sounds unless active measures are
taken (Nelson, Smaldino, Erler, &
Garstecki, 2008).
It is important to recognize that
children are not able to listen like adults
listen; they have organic listening
limitations in two main ways. First,
the human auditory brain structure is
not fully mature until about 15 years
of age; thus a child does not bring a
complete neurological system to a
listening situation (Chermak & Musiek,
2007). Second, children do not have the
years of language and life experience
that enable adults to fill in the gaps of
missed or inferred information (such
filling in of gaps is called auditory/
cognitive closure). Therefore, because
children require more complete,
detailed auditory information than
adults, all children need a quieter room
and a louder signal – a better signal-tonoise ratio (SNR) (Anderson, 2004). The
goal is to develop the brains of children
– to create new brain maps – unlike
adults where sound enters an already
developed brain.
SNR and Acoustic
Accessibility
SNR is the relationship between the
desired auditory signals to all other
unwanted sounds – that is, the level
of the speaker’s voice relative to the
background noise. The more positive the
SNR, the more intelligible the spoken
message. Adults with typical hearing require a SNR of approximately +6
dB to hear a consistently intelligible
spoken message. For them, the desired
signal needs to be about twice as loud as
background sounds.
However, some populations require
a much more favorable SNR in order to
receive intelligible speech. These groups
need the SNR to be approximately +15
dB to +20 dB – that is, the desired signal
needs to be about 10 times louder than
background sounds! These populations
include all children, who generally do not
develop auditory maturity until about 15
years of age, and especially children with
any type of hearing problems, including
ear infections and unilateral hearing loss
(Crandell, Smaldino, & Flexer, 2005).
Unfortunately, most classrooms
contribute to an inconsistent and poor
Photo Credit: Ablestock
Proper acoustical environments provide students with optimal access to language and learning.
SNR. In a typical classroom, the SNR
can vary minute by minute from about
+5 dB to worse than -20 dB, depending
on teacher and student positions and
background noise levels. The teacher’s
voice, at a distance in the room, may be
only 40 or 50 dBA. (A-weighted decibels,
or dBA, are an expression of the relative
loudness of sounds in air as perceived
by the human ear, and is the common
measurement used for environmental
and industrial noise.)
Children Are the
Primary Source of
Noise in a Classroom
Acknowledging that the interfering sound
levels in a room originate with the occuVOLTA VOICES • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009
pants themselves is not a usual part of
architectural acoustics design (American
National Standards Institute, 2002). There
have been few measurements of sound
levels in occupied rooms, and little recognition that students and teachers are truly
the source of noise in classrooms.
In recent years, however, several studies have shown the reality of classroom
occupants as the primary source of noise.
The British acoustician Bridget Shields,
who pioneered studies published in 2002
on the effects of classroom noise on student performance, reported background
sound-pressure levels (SPL, or Basic
SPL) of 56 dBA for classrooms where all
students were engaged in the activity of
“silent reading and writing” (Dockrell
& Shield, 2006). In 2004 at the Gratts
Elementary School in Los Angeles, tests
conducted in a fourth-grade classroom
with 30 students showed that average
“working” classroom SPL was between 65
and 70 dBA, and Basic SPL was between
47 and 53 dBA (Rollow, 2004a; 2004b).
Most significantly, extensive studies in
Germany have provided solid field test
results clearly showing that the dominant noise levels in classrooms are generated by the occupants and are rarely less
than 45 dBA (Oberdorster & Tiesler,
2007; 2008).
So, as these studies show, the background sound level (the Basic SPL) in
all the working classrooms was almost
never less than 45 dBA, and is often 50
17
Classroom Acoustic Accessibility:
A Brain-Based Perspective
dBA or more. With this recognition, the
question persists: How can we achieve
a SNR of +15 dB or greater in the
working classroom?
Assistive Listening
Devices
Assistive listening device (ALD) is a
term used to describe a range of products designed to solve the problems of
noise, distance from the speaker and
room reverberation or echo that cannot
be solved with a hearing aid or cochlear
implant alone (Boothroyd, 2004). ALDs
enhance the SNR to improve the intelligibility of speech, expand the child’s
distance hearing and enable incidental
learning through the use of a remote
microphone worn by the talker.
The types of ALDs most relevant
to children might be referred to as
SNR-enhancing devices, which include
personal-worn FM systems and soundfield IR and FM (classroom) amplification
systems. By enhancing the SNR, these
devices augment the audibility and intelligibility of the speaker’s voice and allow
better sound access to the brain.
So why are SNR enhancing devices
effective as a learning tool, especially for
children with hearing loss? Information
about brain neuroplasticity offers
insights about how and why acoustic
access is so important for children’s
learning (Doidge, 2007).
Learning a new task or acquiring information requires the brain to form neural
maps. In order for the brain to develop
these maps, the information first has to
reach the brain, a process that requires
sound to travel from the speaker (the
teacher in this case) to the brain of the
listener through the environment of the
classroom. In order for the information
to be useful, the child has to remember
it. “When we want to remember something we have heard, we must hear it
clearly because memory can be only as
clear as its original signal…muddy in,
muddy out” (Doidge, 2007, p. 68).
Doidge also writes that learning new
information/tasks/skills requires active
18
attention. “While we can learn with
divided attention, divided attention
does not lead to abiding changes in your
brain maps” (2007, p. 68). More positive
SNR is provided by personal-worn and/
or soundfield technology, which in turn
facilitates auditory attention.
Summary
Acoustic accessibility is critical because
in environments relying on spoken
language instruction, sounds have to
reach the brain in order for learning to
occur. Therefore, we need to consider
the environment of the classroom – a
place where the interfering background
noise is generated by the students,
where that noise can be mitigated by
architectural design features, and
where the noise barrier can be overcome with soundfield technologies and
assistive listening devices – in order
to provide the brain access to spoken
instruction.
References
American National Standards Institute (ANSI). (S12.60-2002). Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design
Requirements, and Guidelines for Schools. New York: American National Standards Institute (ANSI
S12.60).
Anderson, K. (2004). The problem of classroom acoustics: The typical classroom soundscape is a
barrier to learning. Seminars in Hearing, 25(2), 117-129.
Boothroyd, A. (2004). Room acoustics and speech perception. Seminars in Hearing, 25(2), 155-166.
Chermak, G.D., & Musiek, F.E., Eds. (2007). Differential Diagnosis, Related Neuroscience, and
Multidisciplinary Perspectives on (C)entral Auditory Processing Disorder. San Diego, CA: Plural
Publishing Inc.
Crandell, C.C., Smaldino, J.J., & Flexer, C. (2005). Sound-field amplification: Applications to speech
perception and classroom acoustics, 2nd ed. New York, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning.
Dockrell, J.E., & Shield, B.M. (2006). Acoustical barriers in classrooms: The impact of noise on
performance in the classroom. British Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 509-525.
Doidge, N. (2007). The BRAIN That Changes Itself. London, England: Penguin Books Ltd.
Flexer, C. (2004). The impact of classroom acoustics: Listening, learning, and literacy. Seminars in
Hearing, 25(2), 131-140.
Nelson, E.L., Smaldino, J., Erler, S., & Garstecki, D. (2008). Background noise levels and reverberation
times in old and new elementary school classrooms. Journal of Educational Audiology, 14, 12-18.
Oberdorster, M., & Tiesler, G. (2007). “Modern Teaching” Needs Modern Conditions – Room Acoustics
as an Ergonomic Factor, Paper presented at 19th International Congress on Acoustics, Madrid, 2-7
September 2007.
Oberdorster, M., & Tiesler, G. (2008). Noise – a stressor? Acoustic ergonomics of schools. Building
Acoustics, 15(3), 249-262.
Rollow, J. (2004a). Field Report: Background Sound Levels In Classroom. Gratts Elementary School,
Los Angeles Unified School District, May 11, 2004.
Rollow, J. (2004b). Field Report: Continuous Sound-Level Recording In Classroom. Gratts Elementary
School, Los Angeles Unified School District, May 11-13, 2004.
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SPEAK MIRACLES
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www.speakmiracles.org
412-924-1012
Photo Credit: Orkan Utkan photography.
Acoustical Retrofitting
for Learning Spaces
By Marcus Adrian, AIA
B
eyond the basics of a mere shelter, architects and engineers
regard buildings as places that
facilitate and celebrate human
interaction. Learning, like any other
form of human interaction, is necessarily a sensory exchange – there is simply
no other path to the brain than through
the senses. Every new building provides
an opportunity to craft the sensory balance between signal and noise, stimulation and calm.
Because the auditory sense is so critical for learning, and because hearing
loss in young children can affect their
learning, any new building designed
for education should be as quiet as
possible. The exterior shell should be
shaped to deflect and absorb traffic
and other outside noises, ventilation
systems should be designed to prevent
machine noise from traveling through
ducts and floor plans should be zoned
to keep noisy spaces away from quiet
spaces. The strategies are exhaustive
and achievable.
So what can be done to reduce noise in
existing learning environments?
To be cost-effective, acoustical retrofitting needs to be approached no less
methodically than the noise strategies
for a new building. As in the scientific
method, the first step is to thoroughly
define the problem – identify all sources
of noise in each space to be treated and
rank them according to sound pressure level and frequency. While highest
priority is generally given to sources
in the middle to upper portions of the
human speech frequency range (500
Hz to 6,000 Hz), it may be advantageous to address noises above or below
that range if they are interfering with
the students’ attention. For instance, a
faulty belt in a mechanical unit cycling
rapidly between 8,000 and 10,000 Hz,
even at relatively low volume, is likely to
distract or annoy any student forced to
sit nearby.
As each source of noise is identified,
it should be classified into two types –
those which originate outside and filter
in, and those generated within the space
being treated.
Noise from Outside
Outside noise can infiltrate through
weak links that occur within the wall,
ceiling and floor assemblies, or at the
places where they adjoin one another.
Often referred to as “flanking paths,”
these weak spots occur commonly
in walls above suspended acoustical ceilings. Wherever a pipe, duct or
conduit passes through a wall, the gap
between the pipe and the edge of the
wall opening needs to be sealed airtight
with a flexible adhesive sealant. These
penetrations are often neglected for
two reasons: (1) the flawed assumption
that small holes can’t compromise the
acoustical effectiveness of a heavy wall
or slab, and (2) the misunderstanding that acoustical ceiling assemblies
are as effective at blocking sound
transmission as they are at absorbing
reverberation.
Junction boxes for light switches
and outlets, while they don’t constitute
outright penetrations, can present
weak spots in walls as well. Cracks
and gaps around windows and doors,
though subtle to the eye, can be equally
damaging to the acoustical integrity of
a building or room. When finding and
sealing these weak spots, changes in
temperature can be a dead giveaway.
Because sound and heat are both types
of energy, just about any strategy to
reduce a building envelope’s thermal
transmittance will also reduce sound
transmission.
Similarly, because sound pressure
energy travels at roughly 1,100 feet
per second and in all directions, noise
doesn’t just find the most efficient
flanking path – it finds every flanking path. Understanding this fact can
help determine which conditions are
worthwhile to treat and, just as useful,
which ones are not. For example, when
trying to protect a classroom from corridor noise, it is not at all beneficial to
seal wall penetrations above the ceiling
unless it can be assured that the teacher
will close the classroom door. Sealing
penetrations between adjacent classrooms may prove more effective.
Sheet metal ducts are designed for
delivering hot and cold air over long
distances, and because they have to
penetrate walls, they can be just as
efficient at conducting mechanical and
other noise all over a building. It is often
possible to replace small sections of
ductwork with larger, acoustically-lined
19
Acoustical Retrofitting for Learning
Spaces
sections to reduce sound transmission
between acoustically critical spaces in
existing buildings.
Noise from Inside
It has been said that the quietest
classrooms are those without children.
While it may not be possible to prevent
the sound that students generate, a
room’s finishes can prevent noise from
building up by reverberation. Whereas
sound waves have to negotiate multiple
reflective and absorptive surfaces –
people, equipment, furnishings – before
reaching the floor, nearly every square
inch of a classroom’s ceiling is exposed
to noise from below. For this reason, it
is vastly more effective to use absorptive materials on the ceiling and upper
wall surfaces. When acoustical tile is
suspended from existing plaster ceilings, a classroom’s reverberation time
is reduced in two ways: (1) from the
introduction of absorptive material and
(2) by reducing the room’s volume. Where
existing ceiling heights prove restrictive,
fibrous acoustical panels can be surfacemounted.
Soft flooring is also useful in buffering
impact noise from upper floors, and can
eliminate the grinding and squealing
from desks and chairs moving across
harder surfaces. Especially in early
childhood environments, introduction of
area rugs might offer a more economical,
more flexible solution than fixed carpeting, but care should be taken to prevent
tripping around the edges.
Room furnishings can sometimes
offer as many opportunities for absorption as the walls themselves. In lieu of
traditional base and wall cabinets, large
wood cubbies with open fronts can be
provided along an entire wall and fitted
with heavy fabric flaps instead of doors.
Each flap is fastened continuously along
the top edge and held in place by magnets at the bottom corners. The effect is
a reduction in auditory and visual noise.
Similar heavy fabric treatments can be
used to mask upper areas of window
glazing, which can be just as problematic
visually (from glare) as acoustically (from
reverberation).
Conclusion
As they age, buildings can only get noisier, not quieter – cracks form and widen,
duct anchors come loose and vibrate,
fans and belts begin to squeal. Whatever
the mix of exterior and interior noise,
the best retrofit solutions are the ones
that counteract multiple sources at the
same time. Hiring a qualified acoustician who can help find those solutions is
highly recommended, and can leverage
all the other investments you make in an
existing building.
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20
Implementing Classroom Acoustics Standards: A Progress Report
By Lois Thibault
Good classroom acoustical performance is critical if young children are to develop the communications skills they
need to progress academically. Background noise hardly noticed by adults, who are presumably mature and skillful
listeners, can adversely affect learning by young children, who require optimal conditions for hearing and comprehension. Classroom noise – from air conditioning, the playground, classmates, traffic and the classrooms next door
– adds extra difficulty for young children who have hearing loss.
Voluntary Acoustical Standards
In 1998, the U.S. Access Board joined with the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) to support the development of
a classroom acoustics standard. That work culminated in a voluntary standard: ANSI/ASA S12.60-2002, Acoustical
Performance Criteria, Design Requirements and Guidelines for Schools. Consistent with long-standing recommendations for good practice in educational settings, room background noise was limited to a maximum of 35 dBA and
reverberation time to 0.6 seconds for unoccupied classrooms.
Although some school systems – and the state of Connecticut – adopted the standard, it remains largely voluntary
for lack of reference in a state code, ordinance or regulation. However, parents have found the standard useful as
a guide to classroom accommodations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); its preamble
language indicates that “a proper acoustical environment” can be a component of a child’s Individualized Education
Plan.
Growing public awareness of the educational benefits of good listening conditions has broadened support for good
classroom acoustics, making it possible to proceed to the next level: moving the voluntary standard toward enforceability. Parents of students who are deaf or hard of hearing have renewed calls for regulations to ensure that all new
schools are designed to meet the ANSI/ASA standard. This is particularly important for the fast-growing numbers of
children being identified early and receiving cochlear implants, making them particularly sensitive to reverberation in
mainstream classrooms. Educators are also making the connection between poor listening conditions and failure to
learn and progress in school.
Progress Report
In November 2008, the Access Board convened a stakeholders’ roundtable to explore the potential of regulation under the ADA, the model building codes, IDEA, Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and even
a Green Schools bill (H.R. 2187, which was passed by the House on May 14, 2009). Participants included members of the Access Board, acoustical and code consultants, congressional staff, and representatives from ASA,
the U.S. Department of Education, the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, the American
Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Hearing
Enhancement.
Stakeholders agreed to pursue a range of activities as developing conditions and organizational mandates warranted. Subsequently, the Access Board became a member of ASA’s S12 Committee on Noise so it could pursue an
initiative to reference the ANSI/ASA standard in the International Building Code (IBC) and provide for local enforcement. This work is now underway. If successful (a first public hearing is scheduled in Baltimore, Md., in October
2009), the standard could appear in the 2012 edition of the IBC. This would provide for local enforcement by building
code officials, a key benefit.
In May 2009, representatives from AG Bell attended an ASHA briefing on Capitol Hill to address the critical need
to plan and design classrooms for good acoustics to facilitate a quieter and more productive learning environment
for children with and without hearing loss. Panel members stressed that classrooms and school buildings must be
designed with the same level of attention to ensure that access to spoken language is as available as, for example,
access for a student who uses a wheelchair.
Continued advocacy efforts on the federal level may result in a reference to the standard in a schools funding bill or
through upcoming reauthorizations of IDEA and ESEA. Parents can help by voicing their support of quiet classrooms
to their legislators. The Access Board has developed a series of handouts that may help parents advocate for proper
acoustics locally; these can be accessed at www.quietclassrooms.org/ada/ada.htm. The Board’s Web site also has
other useful information on classroom acoustics: www.access-board.gov/acoustic.
21
Bergen County – A
Model Public School
Listening and
By Catherine Murphy
W
hen we think of the
possibilities for children
today who are deaf or
hard of hearing, particularly those who are learning to listen
and talk, we sometimes focus so much
on the outcome that we forget about the
steps it takes to get there. It takes years
for even a child with typical hearing
to learn to talk. When hearing loss is
present, the process becomes even more
intensive and strategic.
Approaches to deaf education vary
widely in the United States, but one
method growing in demand is the listening and spoken language approach in the
mainstream setting of the public school
system. Some states have documented
that parents are choosing the listening
and spoken language outcome as high as
9 out of every 10 cases. As such, school
districts are facing what one administrator with the U.S. Department of
Education has referred to as a “tsunami”
of children with hearing loss who are
learning to listen and talk entering
mainstream public schools.
An ideal scenario to ensuring a successful listening and spoken language
outcome for a child with hearing loss is
to continually work on those skills in a
classroom learning environment, and
through interaction with other students
with typical hearing and with hearing
22
Program
loss. Central to that focus is the presence of a qualified professional who is
trained and, ideally, certified in listening and spoken language instruction.
Because this approach is limited to just
a few of the 14,000 school districts in
the United States, educators and administrators are examining existing model
programs to determine best practices.
A Model Listening and
Spoken Language
Program in the Public
Schools
New Jersey’s Bergen County Special
Services School District Programs for
the Hearing Impaired are programs that
demonstrate best practices in deaf
education. They offer a continuum of
communication support services including listening and spoken language. The
professional staff consists of two audiologists, 11 speech-language pathologists,
23 teachers of the deaf, seven interpreters, seven CART (Communication
Access Realtime Translation) providers
and eight itinerant teachers. Nine of
these professionals are certified by the
AG Bell Academy for Listening and
Spoken Language as specialists in their
field (LSLS Cert. AVEd or LSLS Cert.
AVT). The program serves more than
300 students who are deaf or hard of
hearing; about half of those students
Photo credit: AG Bell
Spoken Language
are completely mainstreamed and
receive support in their home districts.
The remainder are served at one of four
central locations, depending on their
grade level and chosen communication
method: 110 in the listening and spoken
language program, and 42 in the total
communication program.
When a child enters the program, he
or she is assessed to determine the most
appropriate placement. A wide range of
children come into the program with
varying needs. The program assesses and
places each student as individuals based
on his or her unique circumstances and
in consultation with their family. Factors
such as age at identification, use and
type of hearing assistive devices, family
involvement and parental choice are all
considerations in determining placement (see Figure). For example, a child
on “Track A” may have received intensive
intervention services and appropriate
amplification. A child on “Track D” may
have been identified late and/or has
received no amplification or intervention services. Then there are those in
between that may require a little, or a
lot, of accommodation in the classroom
environment. Some of the classroom
accommodations might include personal
FM systems, portable mics or CART.
Once a student has been placed, he
or she and the family are provided with
services to support the language and
communication outcome(s) best suited
for that child. That may include audiological evaluation, FM amplification,
speech therapy, sign language classes
for parents and/or Spanish translation.
Each child is continually monitored and
evaluated on his or her progress and is
reassessed for placement as his or her
language skills improve.
Trends in Listening and
Spoken Language
This program was truly ahead of its
time in preparing for an increasing
number of children who are deaf or
hard of hearing and learning to listen
and talk. In 1997, just 16 percent of
elementary level and no secondary
level students in the program were
pursuing a spoken language outcome.
Today, 73 percent of elementary and
68 percent of secondary level students
are learning through spoken language.
That’s a dramatic shift to occur over
just one generation, and that’s just
within the program. “I actually have
another 100 students attending classes
in their own home districts because
of readiness and having all the skills
necessary to be mainstreamed,” said
Kathleen Treni, principal of the Bergen
County Special Services School District
program and AG Bell’s president-elect.
Students attending school in their own
home districts continue to receive support from itinerant teachers of the deaf
as well as audiological services.
Children entering the program come
from all walks of life. Many come with
no language or no vocalizations at all.
One such student, Miguel, is a perfect example of what happens when
a child is identified early and obtains
the appropriate hearing technology,
but does not have access to a qualified
professional. Miguel has a profound
hearing loss and received an implant
at 19 months of age. But when he came
to the Bergen County Special Services
School District program at the age of
3, he had not yet developed effective
listening and spoken language skills.
As a result, Miguel did not respond to
any sounds and had neither expressive
nor receptive language or communication skills. He receded into his own
Figure 1: Educational lifecycle scenarios of students who are deaf or hard of hearing
entering the Bergen County Special Services program (provided no other learning issues are present).
Newborn screening
Child B
Newborn screening
Early intervention at 6 weeks
Early intervention at 16 months
CI at 12 months old
CI at 2 years old
Child A
Typical preschool
Center-based LSL Preschool
Mainstream for kindergarten and
onwards
Return to home district with supports
Collaborative kindergarten
Little or no support services
Child C
Child D
Newborn screening
Newborn screening
Early intervention at 2 years old
No early intervention
CI or amplification at 2.5 years old
Little or no amplification
Center-based LSL preschool
Center-based ASL preschool
Self Contained Kindergarten
K-12 ASL programming for HI students
Several grades of collaborative education
Return to home district with supports
world with no eye contact and no social
interaction.
Miguel was monitored in the classroom environment by his teacher, a
listening and spoken language specialist,
and his speech-language pathologist.
After working with Miguel on behavioral
issues, proper listening skills and obtaining an improved setting on his cochlear
implant, he began to imitate sounds,
attend to conversations and spontaneously babble – all of the stepping stones
that lead to spoken language. “Miguel
began to make great progress in a very
short period of time. He is happier and
more engaged, and now calls people by
name, asks and answers simple ques-
tions, and comments on events,” said
Treni. “He uses spontaneous greetings
and converses with his peers, and continues to make significant gains through his
listening and spoken language training.
This is truly a success story. But so much
could have been circumvented had he
worked with a professional trained in
listening and spoken language development at the beginning of his journey.”
Treni often credits her dedication
to the listening and spoken language
model in her program to her own
experience in 1992 when she received
a cochlear implant. “I myself was born
with a profound hearing loss and when
I was a child, it was a long and labori-
23
Photo credit: Kathleen Treni
Bergen County – A Model Public School
Listening and Spoken Language Program
Thanks to Bergen County’s services, Miguel can actively engage in class projects and
lessons.
ous process to learn to talk. I had very
dedicated parents and I learned to
lipread and rely on visual and tactile
cues to develop language,” said Treni.
“When I received my first cochlear
implant, I was stunned by how much
hearing I gained from it. It was this
awesome experience that reframed
my entire teaching philosophy with
children who are deaf.”
When Treni became the principal of
the Bergen County program in 1998,
she implemented an intensive professional development training program
aimed toward listening and spoken
language in anticipation of the increasing number of children entering the
school district with cochlear implants.
In the following years, 50 to 60 percent
of the student body had cochlear
implants and the rest of the students
came in with very sophisticated digital
hearing aids.
The success of this program can
be demonstrated in two ways: (1)
the number of students who have
“graduated” from the program and
are attending school in their own
home school districts, and (2) the high
24
school graduation rate of this particular student population.
“I am very proud to point out that
since beginning this program, I have
never had a student who did not
graduate from high school,” said Treni.
That is quite an achievement when
compared to average public high school
dropout rates for any major metropolitan area.
A Model for
Professional and Public
Policy Support
Even today, many teachers of the deaf
continue to be trained extensively
in sign language with very little
exposure to speech and language
development or even in the basics
of audiology. To meet the needs of
today’s children who are deaf or hard
of hearing, the model professional
should have a background in education of the deaf, speech-language
pathology and/or audiology; should
know how to troubleshoot equipment
such as hearing aids and cochlear
implants; and should know how to
help a child maximize his or her
listening skills and apply them to
developing spoken language.
However, professional development
programs rely in large part on public
policy support. Of the 64 teacher of the
deaf training programs in the United
State., just 12 emphasize listening and
spoken language. As recently as 2007,
only 64 out of 572 graduates from
teacher of the deaf training programs
received instruction that emphasized
listening and talking. When compared
to the existing data that show that parents are choosing listening and spoken
language outcomes upwards of 70, 80
and 90 percent of the time, it is clear
that the necessary skill set for educators to serve these children is underrepresented and, as a result, public
school systems are underprepared. In
addition, for general education teachers who may have a student who is deaf
in their classroom for the very first
time, they need to be provided with
instruction and training on how to best
facilitate learning for these kids.
“Because of the lack of public policy
support for professional development,
we are quite literally experiencing a
‘crisis of capacity’ in the public school
system,” said Treni. “Public policy
needs to catch up with the technology
and the capabilities of this new generation; otherwise we will be doing a great
disservice to these children if we don’t
help them maximize their potential.
“As I travel around the country, I see
how rare our program is in the grand
scheme of public school offerings for these
kids,” concluded Treni. “I am very proud
of the program we have developed in
New Jersey and with our state and local
districts we are able to serve a wide range
of needs – and that really is the ideal situation for a positive outcome for children
with hearing loss in the public system.”
Editor’s Note: To learn more about the
Bergen County Special Services School
District Programs for the Hearing
Impaired, please contact Kathleen Treni at
kattre@bergen.org.
Build Your Listening and
Spoken Language Library Today!
The AG Bell bookstore offers reading materials suggested by the AG Bell Academy for
Listening & Spoken Language for LSLS Cert. AVT and Cert. AVEd certification test preparation.
In addition, the bookstore carries a wide selection of books, videos and resource materials
on deafness and spoken language. AG Bell members receive a 15% discount on every title.
Bulk purchases are also eligible for a discount.
Visit AG Bell’s Online Bookstore at www.agbell.org to Order Now!
Academy Recommended Reading Materials Include:
Auditory-Verbal
Therapy and
Practice
Speech and the
Hearing-Impaired
Child: Theory
and Practice
50 FAQs about
Auditory-Verbal
Therapy
The ABCs of AVT
Songs for
Listening! Songs
for Life!
You May Also Be Interested In These Titles:
Learn to Talk Around
the Clock
8 www.agbell.org
publications@agbell.org
) (866) 337-5220
(202) 337-5221(TTY)
SMILE
Hear & Listen!
Talk & Sing!
Listen to This,
Volumes 1 and 2
A.D.A.P.T.
By Jayna Altman and Karen Rothwell-Vivian,
S
tudents with hearing loss who
listen and use spoken language
must employ creative strategies
at an early age in order to be successful, especially in the area of social
interaction with peers. These tactics
can include speech reading to enhance
listening skills, asking questions from
those next to them and uttering the wellknown “What?” response when engaged
in conversation.
While these aspects may become
second nature in communicating with
others, there are five other important
facets of social engagement that should
be practiced to ensure success in any setting, regardless of hearing loss. Here we
present them in the form of an acronym
entitled A.D.A.P.T.:
dvocating for
A — AYourself
to
D — Determination
Succeed
A — Attitude Check!
P — Preparation
echnology and
T — Tthe
Use of It
26
in Life
dvocating for
A — AYourself
Students living with hearing loss are
most successful when they learn to advocate for themselves and express their
thoughts, ideas and opinions. Building
confidence and self-advocacy skills is a
life-long process that should begin as
early as possible. Encouraging students
to be expressive and to ask and respond
to questions are all ways through which
students learn to speak for themselves.
Self-expression helps motivate students toward activities that will bolster
their self confidence, such as sports and
extracurricular activities. These avenues
also provide students with a vested
interest in an activity. For example,
drama teaches students to project their
voices to an audience, whereas sports
focus on communication and teamwork.
Parents play a key role in teaching
their children to be comfortable sharing
their hearing loss with others and to
speak up when they need assistance in
certain settings. Advocacy starts with
parents in the early intervention and
preschool years, and then transfers to
the student progressively through his
or her educational journey. The student will need to be coached through
this process. Allow the child or teen
to explain his or her hearing loss to
peers and teachers, and to participate
in the Individualized Education Plan
(IEP) process so that he or she will take
ownership of his or her educational
development.
Jayna’s Real-Life Tip: Sometimes
in social settings, both academic and
non-academic, a speaker responds to a
request for clarification with, “Oh never
mind, it wasn’t important” or “I’ll tell
you later.” These responses devalue the
individual’s advocacy efforts, which
can lead to less initiative in future
situations. The student should use the
opportunity to speak up and say, “It’s
important for me to understand what
you said. I would really appreciate it if
we could go over it again.”
Determination to
D — Succeed
Determination to persevere in the
presence of a hearing loss is one way
the student can be taught to overcome
obstacles, and is one of the best lessons
of life. The message should always be,
“You can accomplish your goals!”
Examples of determination in action
can be seen in successful individuals
across history, music, sports and academics. For example, did you know that
Lucille Ball was dismissed from drama
school because it was assumed she was
too shy to put her best foot forward?
Or that the Beatles were told by record
executives that they didn’t like their
How Students
Can
music style and it was on the way out?
Or Michael Jordan was cut from his
high school basketball team? Or Walt
Disney was fired from a newspaper
because he lacked imagination and was
told he had no original ideas?
All of these individuals didn’t just
quit. They persevered in their dreams
and achieved great success in life. In
fact, if we haven’t been faced with a
setback or obstacle, how do we learn to
succeed in life?
A — Attitude Check!
In the popular children’s book “The
Little Engine That Could,” we learn
the can-do attitude of “I think I can! I
think I can!” The same thought process
can be applied to student life, especially in the middle and high school
years.
Although cliché, it’s very true that
“your attitude determines your attitude.” How students in middle or high
school view life and their perception of
their hearing loss determines how well
they will accept their hearing loss and
interact with those around them. Why?
Because most people dislike negativity,
and if you are comfortable with your
hearing loss, then other people will be
comfortable with it too.
In middle school, high school and
even college, everything in a student’s
life is changing, including how one
looks, acts and feel about things in life.
Encourage students to focus on being
comfortable with themselves, and that
includes being comfortable with their
hearing loss.
P — Preparation
There is a widely used business mantra,
“Success is when preparation meets
opportunity.” The same can be applied
to academics and everyday life because
when we are prepared, then we are
more likely to succeed, or at least able
to handle the unexpected. Studying for
a big test, rehearsing a presentation or
practicing for the big game are all ways
in which we prepare for success.
Federal and state laws provide a
level playing field for students with
hearing loss to request necessary
accommodations, such as captioning
for video/TV in class, a note taker,
real-time captioning and study guides,
to name a few. Parents and students
should learn about the services
available through federal and state
legislation, which enable students
with hearing loss to put their best
foot forward in academics and social
settings.
This is where a student can practice
advocacy skills by requesting a study
guide before each test as well as daily
and/or weekly notes via a note taker or
real-time captioning in the classroom.
Jayna’s Real-Life Tip: You may
be surprised by how thankful your
fellow students will be when captioning is requested for in-class videos or
by offering to share each other’s notes.
Chances are that if you help others,
then they will want to help you.
echnology and
T — Tthe
Use of It
Technology is critical for a person with
hearing loss to be able to fully access
both academic and social information.
There are several ways that students
can benefit from technology.
yy Facebook and MySpace are two of
the fastest-growing social networking Web sites for individuals to
connect, world-wide. Best of all,
students with hearing loss can give
their ears a break while still engaging socially.
yy Chat Rooms and Instant
Messaging (IM) are another way
to communicate with peers. These
are widely growing as a primary
method of both professional and
personal communication for hearing individuals and those with
hearing loss.
yy Video Conferencing is fun!
You can choose to use chat, IM, a
headset to talk through and/or cued
speech/sign to communicate, all
through video interaction.
yy Assistive Listening Devices,
such as FM systems, amplified
telephones, telecoil/loop and other
options, pick up the speaker’s voice
and transmit it directly to the
users’ technology as if the speaker
is standing right next to them, and
help students hear more clearly in
the classroom. Plus, the latest FM
systems on the market are wireless
and snap into the bottom of a hearing aid or cochlear implant sound
processor, making it less obvious.
Jayna’s Real-Life Tip: I love
listening to music from my iPod
through the FM boots to my hearing
aids, especially during those long
study break hours where one can get
bored staring at the occasional text
book (or ceiling).
yy Mobile Phones/Smartphones
provide an additional resource for
communication. Today, students
with and without hearing loss
prefer texting to communicate
with others. However, many teens
and young adults with hearing loss
choose to make communicating
orally through the phone a goal of
their speech therapy.
Conclusion
Even under typical circumstances,
coping with academic, social and
physical situations can be challenging.
For students with hearing loss, this
can even be more of a hurdle. With the
help of A.D.A.P.T. and a willingness to
problem-solve and advocate for themselves, students can learn to manage
and achieve success in these situations
with grace and composure.
27
Cómo pueden
los estudiantes
en la vida
Por Jayna Altman y Karen Rothwell-Vivian,
L
os estudiantes con hipoacusia
que escuchan y usan la lengua
hablada deben usar estrategias
creativas desde temprana edad
para tener éxito, especialmente en el área
de la interacción social con sus pares.
Estas tácticas pueden incluir la lectura
labiofacial (speech reading) para mejorar
las habilidades auditivas, hacer preguntas a quienes están cerca y pronunciar la
bien conocida palabra “¿Qué?” cuando
participan en una conversación.
Mientras que estos aspectos pueden
convertirse en una segunda naturaleza al
comunicarse con los demás, existen otras
cinco facetas importantes de la actividad social que deben practicarse para
garantizar el éxito en cualquier caso,
independientemente de la hipoacusia.
Las presentamos a continuación, bajo la
forma de una sigla llamada ADAPT:
bogar por uno
A — Amismo
D — Determinación
para lograr el éxito
Atención a la
A — ¡actitud!
P — Preparación
ecnología y su
T — Tutilización
28
bogar por uno
A — Amismo
Los estudiantes que viven con hipoacusia tienen más éxito cuando aprenden
a abogar por sí mismos y a expresar
sus pensamientos, ideas y opiniones.
Fortalecer la confianza y las habilidades para abogar por uno mismo es
un proceso que dura toda la vida y que
debe comenzar tan pronto como sea
posible. Estimular a los estudiantes para
que se expresen, hagan preguntas y den
respuestas son formas para que aprendan a hablar por sí mismos.
La autoexpresión ayuda a motivar
a los estudiantes para que realicen
actividades que aumenten la seguridad
en sí mismos, como los deportes y las
actividades extracurriculares. Estos
caminos también les proveen un interés
personal en una actividad. Por ejemplo,
el arte dramático les enseña a proyectar
la voz hacia un público, mientras que los
deportes se concentran en la comunicación y el trabajo en equipo.
Los padres tienen un papel clave en
cuanto a enseñarles a sus hijos a sentirse
cómodos al compartir la hipoacusia con
los demás y a expresarse si necesitan
asistencia en determinadas situaciones.
La tarea de abogar comienza con los
padres, en los años de intervención
temprana y preescolar y, luego, se
va transfiriendo progresivamente al
estudiante a lo largo de su trayectoria
educativa. El estudiante necesita
entrenamiento durante este proceso.
Permita que el niño o adolescente hable
sobre la hipoacusia con sus pares y
maestros, y que participe en el proceso
del Programa Educativo Individualizado
(PEI) para que pueda sentirse
responsable de su desarrollo educativo.
El consejo de Jayna para el mundo
real: A veces, en los entornos sociales,
tanto académicos como no académicos, es
posible que alguien responda con “No te
preocupes, no era importante” o “Te lo diré
después”, cuando se le pide que aclare algo.
Estas respuestas desvalorizan los esfuerzos de la persona que aboga por sí misma,
y esto puede llevar a que no demuestre
tanta iniciativa en situaciones futuras. El
estudiante debe aprovechar la oportunidad
para hablar por sí mismo y decir: “Para mí
es importante entender lo que dijiste. Te
agradecería de veras si pudieras repetirlo”.
D — Determinación
para lograr el éxito
En los casos de hipoacusia, la determinación para perseverar es algo que se le
puede enseñar al estudiante para que
supere los obstáculos, y es una de las
mejores lecciones de vida. El mensaje
siempre debe ser: “¡Tú puedes lograr tus
objetivos!”.
Pueden verse ejemplos de “determinación en acción” en personas que
alcanzaron el éxito a lo largo de la historia,
la música, los deportes y los estudios. Por
ADAPTarse
ejemplo, ¿sabía que a Lucille Ball la echaron
de la escuela de arte dramático porque se
suponía que era demasiado tímida como
para dar lo mejor de sí misma? ¿O que los
ejecutivos de las discográficas les dijeron a
los Beatles que no les gustaba su estilo de
música y que ya estaba pasando de moda?
¿O que a Michael Jordan lo sacaron del
equipo de baloncesto de su escuela? ¿O que
Walt Disney fue despedido de un periódico
porque le faltaba imaginación y le dijeron
que no tenía ideas originales?
Todas estas personas no se contentaron
con abandonar. Perseveraron en sus sueños
y lograron enormes éxitos en su vida. De
hecho, si no nos hemos enfrentado con un
contratiempo o un obstáculo, ¿cómo aprendemos a vivir y a tener éxito en la vida?
Atención a la
A — ¡actitud!
En el popular libro para niños La pequeña
locomotora que sí pudo, aprendemos la
actitud positiva, que es “¡Pienso que
puedo! ¡pienso que puedo!”. Puede aplicarse el mismo proceso de pensamiento a
la vida estudiantil, especialmente en los
años de escuela secundaria obligatoria y
bachillerato.
Aunque sea un cliché, es muy cierto
que “tu actitud determina tu actitud”. La
forma en que los estudiantes de escuela
secundaria obligatoria o bachillerato vean
la vida y su percepción de la hipoacusia
determinan cuán bien la aceptarán e
interactuarán con los que los rodean. ¿Por
qué? Porque a la mayoría de la gente le
desagrada la negatividad y, si uno se siente
cómodo con la hipoacusia, las demás personas se sentirán cómodas también.
En la escuela secundaria obligatoria, el
bachillerato e, incluso, en la universidad,
todo está cambiando en la vida de los
estudiantes, desde cómo se ven y actúan
hasta qué sentimientos tienen respecto
de la vida. Los estudiantes deben ser alentados para que se concentren en sentirse
cómodos consigo mismos, y eso incluye
sentirse cómodos con la hipoacusia.
P — Preparación
Hay un mantra muy utilizado en el mundo
de los negocios que dice: “El éxito se da
cuando la preparación se encuentra con la
oportunidad”. Lo mismo puede aplicarse
a los estudios y a la vida cotidiana porque,
cuando estamos preparados, tenemos más
probabilidades de tener éxito, o al menos
somos capaces de manejar lo inesperado.
Estudiar para un examen importante,
ensayar una presentación o practicar para
un gran partido son maneras de prepararnos para tener éxito.
Las leyes estatales y federales
establecen condiciones de igualdad para
estudiantes hipoacúsicos, y ellos pueden
solicitar las adaptaciones necesarias,
como subtitulados para video/televisor
en una clase, sistemas de toma de notas,
subtitulados en tiempo real y guías de
estudio, para nombrar sólo algunos. Los
padres y estudiantes deben aprender
acerca de los servicios disponibles a
través de las leyes estatales y federales,
que permiten que los estudiantes
hipoacúsicos den lo mejor de sí mismos
en los entornos académicos y sociales.
En estas situaciones un estudiante puede
ejercitarse en abogar por sí mismo y pedir
una guía de estudio antes de cada examen
así como notas diarias o semanales por
medio de sistema de toma de notas o subtitulado en tiempo real en la clase.
El consejo de Jayna para el mundo
real: Puede sorprenderte lo agradecidos
que estarán tus compañeros si pides subtitulado para los videos que se muestran
en la clase u ofreces compartir tus notas
con los demás. Lo más probable es que,
si ayudas a los demás, los demás querrán
ayudarte a ti.
ecnología y su
T — Tutilización
La tecnología es fundamental para que
una persona con hipoacusia sea capaz de
tener acceso completo a la información
académica y social. Los estudiantes
tienen varias maneras de beneficiarse de
la tecnología.
yy Facebook y MySpace son dos de los
sitios web de redes sociales que más
rápido crecen para que las personas
de todo el mundo se conecten. Lo
mejor de todo es que los estudiantes
hipoacúsicos pueden descansar sus
oídos y aun así participar socialmente.
yy Las salas de chat y la mensajería
instantánea son otras formas de
comunicarse con los pares. Se encuentran en rápido crecimiento como
método de comunicación profesional
y personal para personas con audición
normal y también para personas con
hipoacusia.
yy ¡Las videoconferencias son divertidas! Es posible elegir entre distintos
medios para establecer la comunicación,
como el chat, la mensajería instantánea,
unos auriculares para hablar o palabras/
signos complementados, todo por
medio de interacción con video.
yy Los dispositivos de audición asistida, como los sistemas FM, teléfonos amplificados, telebobina/loop y
otras alternativas, captan la voz del
hablante y la transmiten directamente
al dispositivo auditivo de los usuarios
igual que si el hablante estuviera justo
al lado de ellos, y ayudan a que los estudiantes escuchen con más claridad en
la clase. Además, los últimos sistemas
FM del mercado son inalámbricos y se
enganchan en la base de un audífono
o implante coclear, lo que los hace más
estéticos y menos evidentes.
El consejo de Jayna para el
mundo real: Me encanta escuchar
música con mi iPod, que va desde mis
receptores FM hasta mis audífonos,
especialmente durante esas interminables horas de estudio, cuando
uno puede aburrirse de tanto fijar la
mirada en el libro (o en el techo).
yy Los teléfonos celulares/teléfonos
inteligentes brindan otro recurso
más para la comunicación. Hoy en día,
estudiantes con hipoacusia y sin ella
prefieren enviar mensajes de texto
para comunicarse con los demás.
Sin embargo, muchos adolescentes y
adultos jóvenes con hipoacusia eligen
hacer que comunicarse oralmente por
medio del teléfono sea una meta de su
terapia del habla.
Conclusión
Incluso en circunstancias normales,
enfrentar situaciones de la vida académica, social y física puede constituir un
desafío. Para los estudiantes con hipoacusia, esto puede ser más difícil aún. Con la
ayuda del enfoque ADAPT y la voluntad
de resolver problemas y abogar por sí
mismos, los estudiantes pueden aprender a manejarse y lograr el éxito en estas
situaciones con gracia y calma.
29
Photo Credit: AG Bell
A Teacher’s Role
in the IEP
By Jessica Coriat, M.A.
A
s a teacher, I work in a classroom of approximately 23
students, some of whom are
deaf or hard of hearing. And
as a teacher of the deaf, it is my responsibility to make sure the needs of my
students with hearing loss are being met,
especially those who learn in a mainstream setting. This involves advocating
on behalf of those children, offering
advice to other professionals about
individual learning styles and surroundings, and keeping parents informed
about their child’s progress. These are the
elements of my job that I must not only
know inside and out, but adjust if I feel
they are no longer working to benefit the
child’s educational progress.
Advocacy
By definition, an Individualized
Education Plan (IEP) is designed with
careful consideration of the specific
needs of the child. In every educational
setting, it is my job as a teacher of the
30 deaf to make sure that what is included
in a child’s IEP is being applied by everyone involved in his or her education.
My advocacy skills must be sharp so
that I can defend my student’s right to a
quality education that meets the child’s
particular needs.
For students with hearing loss, their
IEP highlights their needs in areas such
as modifications, supplementary aids,
supports and services. If the IEP states
that a child should learn in amplified
surroundings, then anyone speaking to
the class will be handed a microphone,
including the principal making a brief
announcement and the student’s fellow classmates participating in a class
discussion. If the IEP states a child is
allowed extended time on an assignment, then I will make certain the term
“time’s up” does not apply to him or
her. The ability to advocate on behalf
of the child is necessary regardless of
the educational setting. It is important
to remember that an IEP is not worth
the paper it is printed on unless it is
carried out effectively and religiously;
not within the confines of a conference
room, but within and beyond the four
walls of a classroom.
Working with Other
Teachers
Advising other teachers and staff
members about a child’s learning needs,
or how to create and maintain the
best learning environment possible, is
another facet of my job. Sifting through
the pages of an IEP can be overwhelming and time-consuming for a teacher
who is unfamiliar with the needs of a
child with hearing loss learning in a
listening and spoken language environment. One way to ease this process is
to create a “student information” sheet,
which can summarize key areas in an
IEP such as modifications, environmental accommodations and the child’s
learning style, strengths and weaknesses. The student information sheet
More formal methods of communicating with the parents about their child’s
education include progress reports, written PLEP’s (Present Levels of Educational
Performance) as seen in the IEP, report
cards and annual IEP review meetings. If
for any reason either the teacher or the
parent feels that an aspect of the child’s
education is no longer working in favor
of that child, parents should request
a meeting with the teacher and a case
manager to discuss changes to the IEP.
can also include basic notes about the
child’s hearing loss and amplification
technology.
What cannot be covered on an information sheet can be learned by example,
and I will usually demonstrate ways for
a teacher to make that child’s learning
experience more rich and full. This can
include modeling the importance of not
talking while facing the blackboard so
that the child can hear more clearly and/
or speech read, or demonstrating how a
U-shaped seating arrangement can be
beneficial for the student to hear everyone in the class.
Executing the IEP
The IEP is a legal document, one which
needs an executor to ensure that what is
written is actually carried out. A teacher
is crucial in that regard because a teacher
can provide consistency in learning to
ensure the goals of the IEP are being
met. A teacher of the deaf must find ways
to infuse the targeted IEP objective or
goal into daily learning experiences. For
example, an auditory processing goal,
such as “the student will correctly follow
a series of 3-5 verbal directions in the
presence of background noise,” is one
that can be seamlessly incorporated into
any academic activity. This particular
goal can be exercised several times a
day, at the beginning of any test or quiz,
or long- and short-term assignments
and projects. Even transitioning to a
lunch period can be used as a teachable
moment, one which can exemplify the
use of this goal. “Please put your papers
away, push in your chair and line up
Working with Parents
Providing guidance about the education of a child with hearing loss can be
extended to parents as well. Parents
should be provided updates about their
child’s progress, should understand the
annual goals and objectives selected for
their child, and should be informed as
to how those goals are being approached
and implemented in the classroom. It
is also beneficial for parents to receive
updates on their child’s assessments,
including the academic and/or social
successes of the child in the mainstream
environment. Encouraging parents to
relay their questions or concerns in a
“communication journal” is a good way
to open the lines of communication. For
the teacher, asking the parents how the
child is progressing at home can be useful when assigning homework.
for lunch” are examples of a series of
directives spoken in the presence of the
ambient noise of a classroom.
A receptive language goal, such as
“the student demonstrates the ability to
make predictions based on information
provided,” can be incorporated into a
reading lesson, where students have read
a story and are asked to predict what
happens next. A math word problem
read aloud to a student can also serve to
enhance receptive language skills. Word
problems can be particularly difficult for
students with hearing loss, as they can
easily get lost in the language of math.
Initially, answering fact-based questions
from the problem, i.e. “From where did
the train leave?” “Where is it going?”
“How many miles from point A to point
B?” may help a student to break down
the problem and better understand the
question being asked.
Conclusion
From advocacy to advice, from the
start of the academic year to its end, a
teacher’s involvement in the education
of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing is pivotal to the outcome of his or
her learning, especially when that child
is immersed in a listening and spoken
language environment such as a mainstream classroom. Regardless of the
unique challenges each child will face, it
is our job as teachers of the deaf to make
sure our students are provided every
opportunity to learn and to excel.
DUBARD ASSOCIATION METHOD
TM
Accredited at IMSLEC’S Teaching, Instructor of Teaching, Therapy and Instructor of Therapy Levels
Creating Success for Students with Hearing Loss and Additional Language, Speech or Learning Disorders
THE DUBARD SYMPOSIUM: DYSLEXIA AND RELATED DISORDERS
Hattiesburg, Miss., February 4-5, 2010
DUBARD ASSOCIATION METHOD BASIC COURSE
TM
Hattiesburg, Miss., February 23-25 and March 23-25, 2010 (two-part course)
For additional information
Phone: 601.266.5223
Web site: www.usm.edu/dubard
E-mail: dubard@usm.edu
AA/EOE/ADAI
Customized Professional Development at your site
PCS 7.15.09
Earn 4.0 CEUS
31
tips for parents
Ring, Ring Goes the Bell
Must-have school gear for children with
assistive hearing devices
By Tiffani Hill-Patterson
Testing, Testing
Parents should make sure their child’s
cochlear implants (CIs) or hearing aids
are working properly. If your child is having problems with a hearing device, he or
she is missing out on valuable instruction. Several tools can help your child’s
teacher check CI and/or hearing aid
equipment while your child is in school.
For children who use CIs, a variety of
testing equipment is available to check
that sound is being transmitted through
the processor. The type of testing equipment will depend on the device used, so
check with your child’s audiologist or CI
manufacturer to determine what equipment you should get.
For children who use hearing aids, a testing stethoscope can be used to check that
the device is receiving and transmitting
sound. This device allows parents or teachers to hear the sounds the device is producing. Check with your child’s audiologist to
identify the best way to purchase one.
32 Photo Credit: FunTup Productions
N
otebooks…pencils…glue…soundfield system…scissors…paper…
wait a minute, a soundfield
system? In a list of school supplies?
For some children with hearing loss, a
soundfield system can be as essential to
success in the classroom as notebooks
and pencils. A soundfield system helps
cut through background noise so students can better hear the lesson because
a teacher’s voice is amplified through a
microphone and broadcast through a
speaker in the classroom.
Other supplies – some high-tech, some
basic – can also help your child with
hearing loss make the most of his or her
class time.
School-age children with hearing loss will need a wide variety of special school supplies in
addition to books, pencils and paper.
Finally, Jodi Cutler Del Dottore, mom to
Jordan who uses a CI, says extra batteries
are a must. “We keep a supply at the
school in case of emergency,” she says. If
your child is old enough, he or she can be
responsible for changing the batteries in
the sound processor or hearing aid. If not,
show your child’s teacher how to do it. It’s
also a good idea to have a battery tester in
the classroom to ensure that your child’s
hearing aids are working at optimal power
each day.
Safety First
In addition to making sure the hearing
devices are working properly, you also
want to make sure the equipment stays
safe at school, especially when it’s time
for gym or recess.
Val Blakely, an Alabama mom to two
children who both use bilateral cochlear
implants, shares this tip: “We use fabric
tape to keep the processors on, so we
send a roll of tape to the teacher.” Other
families find toupee tape or body glue
(think beauty pageant contestants) work
well to keep the sound processors and
hearing aids from falling off.
Parents should also find a way to
secure the CI sound processor or hearing
aid to their child’s body. Some devices
have body clips built in to ensure that
the hearing device does not fall off and
get lost. For those devices without this
feature, a mic lock (small plastic tubing
that attaches to the ear hook and bottom
of the sound processor or hearing aid
to form a loop) may be a viable option.
A cord clip ensures that if the processor
does fall off, it will still stay attached to
the child. A sound processor swinging
from a child’s back is much better than
one lying on the ground in danger of
being trampled.
Finally, while some sound processors are no longer susceptible to static
electricity, this remains a concern for
many parents. Blakely sends a box of
fabric softener sheets in the winter to
help tame static. “The kids like the freshscent rubdown they get when their hair
is standing on end,” Blakely adds.
Classroom
Enhancements
Like a soundfield system, an FM system
is another high-tech way to enhance
a student’s hearing in the classroom.
With an FM system, sound is broadcast
directly into the student’s sound processor or hearing aid, reducing background
noise and reverberation.
In addition, TV-video cables and
personal audio cables can help children
with hearing loss get more out of the
classroom experience. While children with
typical hearing can easily use headphones,
children with CIs or hearing aids may
find it difficult. Personal audio cables
allow sound to be transmitted directly to
a child’s sound processor or hearing aid,
making listening to videos or computer
programs much easier. However, be sure
to use these cables with battery-operated
devices only. Using the cables with a device
that is plugged into a wall can result in
an energy-surge that could damage the
hearing device or frighten the child.
Also, CART and C-print systems can be
good alternatives for students with hearing loss during a lecture, says Elizabeth
Boschini, a speech-language pathology graduate student at Fontbonne
University in St. Louis, Mo. “Systems like
CART or C-print are like closed captioning for the classroom. They can give
students with hearing loss a text display
or print summary of what is being said
during a lecture or in a class discussion.”
Low-Tech Essentials
Despite all the electronic enhancements
available, sometimes a simple notebook
can be your child’s most valuable asset in
the classroom. “We have a separate folder
that goes back and forth with notes that
Jordan’s support teacher sends us,” Del
Dottore says. “He carries a journal so that
we know what his assignments are at least
a week in advance. It works really well.”
Boschini also notes, “If your child has a
note taker, carbon paper is another helpful
tool.” This ensures that a copy of the notes
is available in case the originals are lost.
Special education teacher and bilateral
cochlear implant user Valerie Deleon of
Clarksville, Tenn., says, “Make sure you
label everything! And put hearing supplies in a hard case; pencil cases are too
easy to lose.”
Elizabeth Harris of Wrentham, Mass.,
whose daughter Li-Li uses bilateral
cochlear implants, agrees with Deleon’s
labeling suggestion. “Li-Li is in class
with nine little pre-K kids with cochlear
implants, mostly bilaterals, and they
love to take apart and share parts – it
can look like a Transformers set some
days. So I’m all for labeling, even down
to the small parts level.”
Harris also suggests giving your child’s
teacher a “cheat sheet” for the CI or hearing
aid’s programs and any special settings. “I
tape an index card to the inside of Li-Li’s
backpack with some basic information for
the teacher,” said Harris.
Whether it’s a soundfield system or simply a communication notebook, adding a
couple of these supplies to your stash of
glue sticks and erasers can enhance your
child’s time in the classroom.
Tiffani Hill-Patterson writes about parenting,
fitness and health. She is author of Sound Check
Mama, http://soundcheckmama.blogspot.com,
a blog about her daughter’s hearing loss and
cochlear implants.
33
VOICES FROM AG BELL
Conversations
With Alex Graham
T
he cover of this issue of Volta
Voices celebrates one of AG
Bell’s most exciting and fun
youth programs – Leadership
Opportunity for Teens (LOFT). So it was
only natural to feature one of the program’s counselors in “Conversations.”
Meet Danielle “Dani” Paquin. Dani has
served as a LOFT counselor for the past
two years. While her contributions to the
LOFT program are tremendous, I thought
it would be more interesting to focus our
conversation on Dani’s perspective as an
adult living with hearing loss.
Alex Graham: How did you first get
involved with AG Bell?
Dani Paquin: In 1999, I attended AG
Bell’s college-age program, Leadership
Enrichment Adventure Program (LEAP).
LEAP proved to be the most enriching
opportunity I had ever participated in,
and to this day remains at the top of my
list of once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Prior to attending LEAP, my involvement
in AG Bell was only at the state level. As
a mainstream student, I was usually the
only individual with hearing loss in my
classes, so attending LEAP was the first
time I engaged with other peers who had
hearing loss. I had never before experienced the mutual understanding of
missing parts of group conversations and
the immediate willingness of my peers to
ensure that everyone was included during all aspects of the program.
AG: When did you realize that you
wanted to dedicate your career to
working with children that have a
hearing loss?
DP: My undergraduate degree is in elementary education and psychology, but it
wasn’t until my junior year that I realized
I wanted to pursue a career in special education. As a college student with strong
listening and spoken language skills, I
found myself learning Cued Speech to
support my academics and began realizing
that not everyone with hearing loss was
afforded equal opportunities. Meeting
individuals who used Cued Speech to
learn language and who were able to
communicate effectively and efficiently
with the hearing world and receiving my
first cochlear implant as a junior in college
also contributed to my decision. Because
I experienced auditory (re)habilitation as
a young adult, I am able to connect with
other adults and parents of children with
hearing loss who have also pursued this
option. AG Bell members Paul and Sarah
Sommer also provided me with excellent
resources to explore a variety of graduate degree programs. Visiting the Smith
College program reaffirmed that I wanted
34 Photo Credit: Dani Paquin
AG: What is your viewpoint on your
own hearing loss and its impact on
your approach as an educator of the
deaf?
DP: Dreams are the catalyst for achievement and personal growth. Thanks to
my parents, the one thing I learned early
on is the power of perseverance and a
“can-do” attitude. I am grateful my parents
viewed my hearing loss as a part of me and
didn’t allow it to define me. Working with
children with hearing loss, I interact with
some parents who are afraid to let their
child make mistakes or who fear their child
won’t achieve success in life because he
or she is deaf. My job is to work with the
entire family and the family becomes my
team; I coach them on a positive path so
that they can help their child be successful.
As a teacher who is “just like them,” I
see it as my job to help my students navigate successfully through their personal
challenges by providing my own stories
of how “sometimes things were just too
hard” and my strategies for beating life’s
challenges. Most important, I emphasize
with every student that it’s okay to admit
“I’m not sure” or ask questions in front of
their peers because more often than not,
their friends have the same question!
AG: What, if any, are the differences
between children with hearing loss
today and when you were a student?
Who is Dani Paquin?
Dani is a teacher of the deaf at Sunshine Cottage
School for Deaf Children in San Antonio, Texas. After
graduating from Roger Williams University with a
degree in elementary education and psychology,
she received a master’s in education of the deaf
and hard of hearing from Smith College. Dani is a
transplant from the east coast to San Antonio, where
she serves on the board of the Texas Chapter of AG
Bell and the Alumni Advisory Board for the Leukemia
and Lymphoma Society Team in Training program.
Dani has personally raised more than $16,000 for the
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in honor of her
grandfather.
to teach children with hearing loss to
listen and talk.
Dani enjoys being active in sports
and the outdoors.
DP: The technological boom, including
cochlear implants and digital hearing aids,
has afforded more children with hearing
loss a chance to access the world through
sound. While teaching practices have
become more defined and research has
evolved to support a variety of instructional methods within the classroom, the
bottom line remains the same: parents
who are invested in their child’s education
will reap the rewards of success. A team
working together toward a common goal
– the teachers, the child and the parents
– almost always results in success. As an
educator, I would love to be able to solve
the language needs of each child in my
classroom, but I know it is imperative that
I have the parents working with me to help
their child fulfill his or her potential.
AG: In your opinion, what’s missing
in today’s approach to early childhood education for children who are
deaf and hard of hearing?
DP: The Chinese proverb, “Tell me and
I’ll forget; Show me and I may remember;
Involve me and I’ll understand,” is so
helpful when talking about approaches
to education for individuals with hearing
loss. I think it is important to be continually reminded that each child is a unique
individual, requiring different techniques and tools to be successful. Having
personal experience with listening and
spoken language, Cued Speech and total
communication and seeing how each
used alone or in combination can effectively promote language development, it
is safe to say that teachers need a variety
of tools at their disposal.
I’d love to see more children for whom
the listening and spoken language
approach isn’t entirely meeting their needs
be offered the opportunity to incorporate
another type of support, such as Cued
Speech, into their spoken language instruction both at school and at home. I believe
that it isn’t necessarily important how you
get the end result, as long as you get there.
AG: AG Bell often gets labeled as
an organization that serves only
families dealing with their children’s
hearing loss. What role would you
like for AG Bell to play in lives of
adults living with hearing loss?
DP: I believe I speak for many when I say
we adults with hearing loss are happy
to be a part of the mainstream society,
yet we long for more opportunities to
connect with one another. Providing
more opportunities like those at the AG
Bell Biennial Convention for adults with
hearing loss to gather would be beneficial. AG Bell should also enhance its
online offerings beyond the DHH SIG to
provide knowledge about tools that make
communication easier as well as information about access and advocacy issues.
AG: You are a marathon and triathlon participant – why?
DP: I grew up an athlete because it was
the one place where I was an equal to
my peers. You don’t necessarily need to
hear clearly to catch a baseball, shoot
hoops, run around a track or swim in a
pool. If anything, I had an advantage. My
keen vision gave me an edge, providing
me with quicker reaction times and the
ability to track various movements; thus
athletic fields were my second home.
Sports became an incentive to pay
attention in school and get my work
done, and to this day as an adult I still
find sports to be an incentive! I find that
participating in organized athletics gives
me an opportunity to decompress, relax
and connect with individuals who are
not necessarily associated with deafness
and hearing loss. Of course, the thrill of
completing a challenge is also enticing!
For Single-Sided Deafness
Finally hear what you’ve been missing.
Do you have single-sided deafness
or know someone who does?
Ask about TransEar®.
Your hearing healthcare
provider can help you decide.
For more information about single-sided deafness
visit www.transear.com or call 1.888.382.9327
35
Psychosocial potential maximization
Risk, Resilience and Lifestyle
Strategies for Success
By Paul Jacobs, Ph.D
W
hether deaf or hearing,
proactive thinking and
social skills are crucial
for our everyday living. Profoundly deaf since the age of 5,
my social, academic and professional
survival has depended on proactive,
psychosocial tactics and attributes. But
what skills do individuals who are deaf
use to maximize their social and career
potential? Are these skills similar or
different to those of people with typical
hearing? Through the next several issues
of Volta Voices and my online column at
www.agbell.org, I hope to discuss these
questions and provide a framework to
help people who are deaf maximize their
social and career potential.
Background Research
I first explored these questions in my
autobiography “Neither-Nor: A Young
Australian’s Experience with Deafness”
(2007), which documented some
deafness-related social challenges that
I and others experienced. My doctorate
research went further and investigated
how individuals successfully deal with
these social challenges.
My research was conducted at the
University of Melbourne with 49 participants, including 30 adults who are deaf
and 19 adults with typical hearing, from
all over the world. They had all maximized their career potential in areas such
as academia, journalism, fashion design,
medicine, town planning, education,
dentistry, legislation, accountancy, retail
and information technology.
For my research I used a framework of
eight psychosocial themes used in Reiff,
Ginsberg and Gerber’s (1995) groundbreaking study of successful individuals with a learning disability. However,
36 my research revealed an additional
ninth theme – Psychosocial Potential
Maximization: the outcome of successfully executing the eight themes.
“Psychosocial” combines two meanings in one word. “Psych” is Greek
for “soul,” and also explains thought
processes. The word “social” defines
engagement with numerous people and
environments. Therefore, Psychosocial
Potential Maximization is the maximization of our social and career potential.
The research findings were remarkable.
The information gathered was rich and
detailed, and the skills were simple, practical and many. But, above all, there were
two main findings. First, the participants
who are deaf used similar or identical
proactive cognitive attributes and social
tactics as the participants with typical
hearing. Secondly, the participants who
are deaf used additional skills to master
deafness-related social challenges. All
of these skills required competence
with risk and resilience. Therefore,
“Psychosocial Potential Maximization” is
not possible without risk and resilience.
Taking strategic risks enable us to learn
about our own abilities and to understand the world around us. In addition, it
is through resilience we gradually master
our psychosocial skills.
Real-Life Application
Living with deafness has required that
I develop specialized life skills. But
until now, a framework of practical
lifestyle skills has been missing. We now
understand how people who are deaf
can maximize their social and career
potential. This newfound knowledge will
be explained in my forthcoming Volta
Voices’ and online columns. It is designed
for parents, clinicians and educators, and
individuals who are deaf. I will demonstrate real-life scenarios and practical
examples of these themes to help people
who are deaf maximize their social and
career potential. The purpose of this
article, however, is to outline the framework that we will be exploring over the
next several months:
Control – Control is empowerment
and the mastery of social skills over time
and in given circumstances. I will show
you how to identify issues you can and
cannot control. Strategies will also be
outlined.
Desire – Desire is putting motivation
into action. Here I will outline how to
sensibly recognize and practice some
attributes of Desire.
Goal Orientation – Goal Orientation
is the purposeful pursuit of short- or
long-term goals. Pre-preparedness is a
main theme. I will demonstrate how Goal
Orientation can operate in a daily situation. Long-term career planning will also
be discussed.
Reframing – Reframing is purposefully challenging negative thought processes. I will show you how to recognize
negative beliefs and reframe these in a
positive manner. Reframing creates positive behavioral outcomes.
Persistence – Persistence is dealing with adversity. I will explain how
persistence can be put into action. The
behavioral outcome involves strategies
like self-advocacy, assertiveness and having back-up conversational strategies.
Goodness of Fit – Goodness of Fit
involves choosing social environments
that suit personal strengths as well
as avoiding or minimizing entry into
settings where success is unlikely. I will
exhibit social strategies designed for
maximizing social and career potential.
Learned Creativity – Learned
Creativity involves the creative use of
learned skills. I will demonstrate a series
of tactics related to captioned TV/DVD
and text-based communications (e.g.,
email and text messages) to improve
conversational skills, including humor.
Social Ecologies – Social Ecologies
relates to social networking. I will elabo-
These are designed to expand your knowledge of proactive cognitive attributes and
social tactics related to deafness. Keep all
columns, backtrack if need be. All themes
relate to each other and all activities can
be practiced and mastered.
Below is a question, exercise and
quote related to next month’s column on
Control:
Living with deafness
has required that I develop
specialized life skills.
But until now, a framework of
practical lifestyle skills has
been missing.
rate on how individuals with deafness
can employ the assistance of hearing
peers without being overly dependent.
Potential Maximization – An
individual’s ability to put all these eight
themes into action determines the maximization of their potential. This final
column will provide a real-life scenario
showing all of the eight themes in action.
As my research has shown, degree of
hearing or hearing loss has nothing to
do with cognitive strategies or behavioral outcomes (Jacobs, 2009). Some
people who are deaf can succeed in areas
that many people with typical hearing have not. Whether deaf or hearing,
Psychosocial Potential Maximization
depends on how the individual uses
cognitive strategies and social tactics to
create positive social and professional
outcomes. The refusal to take risks and
the lack of resilience severely limits psychosocial potential.
People with hearing loss who are successful also use specific skills to master
deafness-related difficulties. The focus
of my work has been to discover and
understand how these skills work and
my expertise offers a blend of research
and personal experience.
Each of my upcoming columns will end
with an exercise, a question and a quote.
Question:
Has there been a recent unpleasant
incident(s) related to your or your child’s
hearing loss?
Exercise:
Read an autobiographical account by a
person who is deaf and pay attention
to social and career issues. Suggestions
include (in alphabetical order): “Wired
for Sound: A Journey into Hearing” by
Beverly Biderman, “Voices of the Oral
Deaf: Fourteen Role Models Speak Out”
by Jim Reisler, “Hear Again – Back To
Life with a Cochlear Implant” by Arlene
Romoff, “The Unheard: A Memoir of
Deafness and Africa” by Josh Swiller,
and “Deafness: An Autobiography” by
David Wright.
Quote:
“It may seem a paradox, but the deaf
person – so far from being liable to be
left out – is often in a strong position
psychologically…though this is only
true of those who have dominated, not
merely accepted, the disability. Every
disability offers the same alternative:
Either it dominates you or you dominate
it…once a disability has been dominated
it ceases, truly, to be a disability but
becomes an asset, a weapon.”
David Wright, Deafness: An Autobiography.
(1994). New York, NY: Harper Perennial
Publishing
Dr. Jacobs’ column is complemented by an
online discussion forum, available at
www.agbell.org. The next issue of his
column, “Control,” will be published in
October 2009, exclusively on AG Bell’s
Web site. AG Bell encourages you to discuss
this and future columns with Dr. Jacobs
through AG Bell’s online community.
References
Jacobs, P.G. (2009). The psychosocial
attributes and tactics of vocationally
and socially successful who are deaf: A
Pragmatist study. Doctorate dissertation.
University of Melbourne, Melbourne,
Australia.
Jacobs, P.G. (2007). Neither-Nor: A young
Australian’s experience of deafness.
Washington DC: Gallaudet University Press.
Reiff, H.B., Ginsberg, R., & Gerber, P.J.
(1995). New perspectives on teaching from
successful adults with learning disabilities.
Remedial and Special Education, 16(1),
29-37.
37
kid's zone
Around the World
By Melody Felzien and Sarah Crum
38 Credit: Slayton Family
N
ate Wesley Slayton is a fearless and outgoing 6-year-old
Texan with a passion to learn
and grow.
Nate lives in Coleman, Texas, with his
parents, Kerry and Buddy, and younger
brother, Bode, age 4. Plagued from
a young age by ear infections, Nate’s
parents never suspected he had a hearing
loss.
“Around a year old, he started having
chronic ear infections until tubes were
put in when he was 14 months old,”
explained Kerry. “At first, the chronic
ear infections explained why his vocabulary was behind. Nate’s doctors told
us he would catch up with his peers by
the age of 4.” And, up until then, Nate
seemed to be developing at the same
rate as his peers with typical hearing.
However, in November 2006, Nate
experienced a sudden drop in his hearing. According to Kerry, “he started
losing his hearing rapidly and noticeably. By the time the month ended, he
was completely unresponsive to sound.”
At the age of 4, Nate was diagnosed with
a bilateral, severe-to-profound hearing
loss.
Kerry and her husband, Buddy, felt a
sense of shock and urgency. “We took
him to Cook Children’s Medical Center
to get help and figure out what was
going on, what to do next and what
our options were,” Kerry said. Kerry
and Buddy sought resources through
the cochlear implant team at Cook
Children’s Medical Center, other parents
who had children with hearing loss and
Internet searches.
Fortunately, the Slaytons met Dr. Paul
Bauer, an ear, nose and throat physician
working with the center. According to
Kerry, Dr. Bauer helped them understand that due to the severity of Nate’s
hearing loss, cochlear implants were
The Slayton Family (from L to R): Buddy, Kerry, Nate and Bode.
his best option for developing spoken
language. “[Dr. Bauer] was so wonderful
with Nate and us. He was straightforward, but compassionate and he told
us what receiving cochlear implants
entailed.”
Kerry and Buddy weighed their
options and ultimately made the
decision to have Nate receive bilateral
cochlear implants. He received the first
one at age 4 years, 3 months, and the
second three months later.
According to Kerry, Dr. Bauer helped
them understand that cochlear implants
were not a “quick fix…as parents, we have
to be 100 percent committed and supportive (as well as rely on our family and
friends for support) to ensure success
using cochlear implants in helping our
child achieve spoken language.”
Entering first grade this fall at
Coleman Elementary School, Nate
will continue to be supported by FM
systems and speech and auditory
therapists at school, and receive listening and spoken language instruction
outside of school. He also participates
in Terrific Kids Only (TKO), an afterschool program.
Nate is personable and vivacious. In
school, his favorite subjects are math and
music. “These classes are independent
work,” said Kerry. “He’s good at these
subjects, so it builds self-confidence and
self-expression.”
However, the majority of Nate’s time
is spent outside. He is currently in his
second year of T-ball through the Coleman
Youth Baseball Association and enjoys
playing with his brother and friends,
riding his bike, playing football, hunting,
fishing, gymnastics, swimming and doing
pretty much anything outdoors. Nate and
his family go bike riding and to church
Photo Credit: Slayton Family
together. He also likes to play rodeo. “He’s
crazy about rodeos, especially bull riding
and rodeo clowns,” said Kerry.
Kerry and Buddy have learned a lot
through their experience with Nate’s
hearing loss. “We are stronger parents
than we thought we were,” she said.
Kerry advises other parents to discover
options for your child. “You must be
your child’s advocate! Do all you can,
never stop finding resources and read,
read, read to your child.”
Kerry hopes that Nate will continue to grow and develop the more
he adapts to using cochlear implants.
“We’ll work hard together to bridge
the gap with his typical-hearing peers
so that he never feels left behind, and
teach him self-advocacy skills to be
able to tell others what he needs to
hear them,” said Kerry.
“Our hope for both our boys’ futures
is the same: to be joyful, happy, loving, thoughtful, kind and productive
human beings and be the best they can
be. The sky’s the limit for them both,”
said Kerry.
Nate in his element: biking and enjoying the outdoors.
39
nAlabama
Alabama Ear Institute, 300 Office Park Drive, Suite
210, Birmingham, AL 35223 • 205-879-4234 (voice) •
205-879-4233 (fax) • www.alabamaearinstitute.org •
The AEI Auditory-Verbal Mentoring Program: ongoing
professional development / AVI curriculum / Mentoring
by Cert. AVTs®. “The AEI Summer Institute in AuditoryVerbal Therapy” - Two weeks of intense A-V training;
AVI Modules and Practicum; hands-on practice of A-V
Therapy. Education, research, public policy, family &
culturally oriented programs & services.
nArizona
Desert Voices, 3426 E. Shea Blvd., Phoenix, AZ
85028 • 602-224-0598 (voice) • 602-224-2460 (fax)
• info@desertvoices.phxcoxmail.com (email). Emily
Lawson, Executive Director. Oral school for deaf and
hard-of-hearing children from birth to nine years of
age. Programs include Birth to Three therapy, Toddler
Group, and full day Educational Program. Other services
include parent education classes, speech and language
evaluations, parent organization and student teacher
placements. Desert Voices is a Moog Curriculum school.
nCalifornia
Auditory Oral School of San Francisco, 1234
Divisadero, San Francisco, CA 94115 • 415-921-7658
(voice) • 415-921-2243 (fax) • Offers auditory-oral day
classes for toddlers, PreKindergarten and K-2 levels with
daily individual therapy. Also consultation and itinerant
teacher of the deaf services; aural rehabilitation for
children and adults; family education groups; and
workshops. Our experienced staff includes credentialed
teachers of the deaf and speech therapists, all with
specialized training in CI technologies. Contact Janet
Christensen, M.A., at jan@auditoryoralsf.org.
Auditory-Verbal Services, 10623 Emerson
Bend, Tustin, CA 92782 • 714-573-2143 (voice) •
email KarenatAVS@aol.com • Karen Rothwell-Vivian,
M.S.ED. M.A. CCC-A. LSLS-Cert.AVT. Listening and
Spoken Language Specialist - Certified Auditory-Verbal
Therapist providing Auditory-Verbal Therapy and
both audiological and educational consultation for
children from infancy through college age. Auditory
Rehabilitation is also provided for adults. Extensive
expertise with amplification, cochlear implants, and FM
systems.
Auditory-Verbal Therapy Services, 980 E.
Mountain Street, Pasadena, CA 91104 • 626-798-3903
(voice) • bsackett_certavt@live.com (e-mail). Beatriz
Sackett, M.S. Ed., LSLS Cert AVT, bilingual English and
Español. Offering Auditory-Verbal Therapy services to
children ages six and above and their families. Services
provided to children with hearing aids and/or cochlear
implants. Llámeme para hablar de su hijo(a) y de cómo la
terapia Auditiva-Verbal les podría ayudar.
Echo Horizon School, 3430 McManus Ave., Culver
City, CA 90232 • 310-838-2442 (voice) • 310-838-0479
(fax) • 310-202-7201 (TTY) • www.oraldeafed.org/
schools/echo/index.html • www.echohorizon.org • Vicki
Ishida, Echo Center Director. Private elementary school,
incorporating an auditory/oral mainstream program for
students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Daily resource
support in speech, language, auditory training and
academic follow-up.
40 HEAR Center, 301 East Del Mar Blvd., Pasadena,
CA 91101 • 626-796-2016 (voice) • 626-796-2320 (fax)
• Specializing in audiological services for all ages.
Auditory-Verbal individual therapy, birth to 21 years.
HEAR to Talk, 547 North June St., Los Angeles,
CA 90004 • 323-464-3040 (voice) • sylvia@hear2talk.
com (e-mail) • www.hear2talk.com • Sylvia Rotfleisch,
M.Sc.A., CED, CCC, Certified Auditory-Verbal
Therapist®, Licensed Audiologist, California NPA
Certified. Trained by Dr. Ling. Extensive expertise with
cochlear implants and hearing aids.
InSight Cinema - The Audience is Reading,
2800 28th Street, Suite 380, Santa Monica, CA 90405
• 310-452-8700 (voice) • 310-452-8711 (fax) • www.
insightcinema.org • The “Go To” place for all forms of
captioned entertainment - blockbuster movies, live
theatre, opera, museums, lectures and much more in
your area! InSight Cinema is a non-profit organization
dedicated to bringing Captioned Entertainment
Experiences to the 31 million deaf and hard-of-hearing
patrons in the U.S. Captioning the Imagination of
Audiences Nationwide.
Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for
the Deaf, 3518 Jefferson Avenue, Redwood City, CA
94062 • 650-365-7500 (voice) • jwposd@jwposd.org
(e-mail) • www.oraldeafed.org/schools/jwposd (website)
• Kathleen Daniel Sussman, Executive Director; Pamela
Musladin, Principal. An auditory/oral program where
deaf and hard of hearing children listen, think and
talk! Cognitive based program from birth through
mainstreaming into 1st or 2nd grade. Students develop
excellent language, listening and social skills with
superior academic competencies. Cochlear Implant
Habilitation, mainstream support services and Family
Center offering special services for infants, toddlers and
their families.
John Tracy Clinic, 806 West Adams Blvd., L.A.,CA
90007 • 213-748-5481 (voice) • 213-747-2924 (TTY)
• 800-522-4582 (parents) • www.jtc.org • Since 1942,
free Worldwide Correspondence Education and onsite
comprehensive audiological, counseling and educational
services for families with children ages birth to 5 years.
Intensive 3-week Summer Sessions (ages 2-5), with
sibling program. Online and on-campus options for an
accredited Master’s and Credential in Deaf Education.
Let’s Talk About It, 800 Santa Ynez Street, San
Gabriel, CA 91775 • 626-451-9920 (voice) • bk-avt@
sbcglobal.net (e-mail) • Bridgette Klaus, M.S. Ed.,
Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist®. Providing
Auditory-Verbal therapy for children with a hearing
loss and their families. Services for individuals with
hearing aids and/or cochlear implants, infancy through
adulthood.
Listen and Learn, 4340 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite
107, San Jose, CA 95129 • 408-345-4949 • Marsha A.
Haines, M.A., CED, Cert. AVT, and Sandra Hamaguchi
Hocker, M.A., CED • Auditory-verbal therapy for the
child and family from infancy. Services also include
aural habilitation for older students and adults with
cochlear implants. Extensive experience and expertise
with cochlear implants, single and bilateral. Mainstream
support services, school consultation and assessment
for children in their neighborhood school. California
NPA certified.
The Alexander Graham Bell Association
for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is not
responsible for verifying the credentials of
the service providers below. Listings do not
constitute endorsements of establishments
or individuals, nor do they guarantee quality.
No Limits Speech and Language Educational
Center and Theatre Program, 9801 Washington
Blvd., 2nd Floor, Culver City, CA 90232 • 310-280-0878,
800-948-7712 • www.nolimitsspeaksout.org • Free
individual auditory, speech and language therapy for
dhh children between the ages of five-and-eighteen as
well as a biweekly literacy program, computer training,
weekly parent classes and a nationwide theatrical
program.
Oralingua School for the Hearing Impaired,
North Campus – 7056 S. Washington Avenue, Whittier,
CA 90602 • 562-945-8391 (voice) • 562-945-0361
(fax) • info@oralingua.org (email) • www.oralingua.
org (website) South Campus – 221 Pawnee Street, San
Marcos, CA 92078 • 760-471-5187 (voice) • 760-5914631 (fax) Where children are listening and talking. An
auditory/oral program serving children from infancy to
10 years. Audiological, Speech, Itinerant, AVI Therapy,
and other related Designated Instructional Services
available. Contact Elisa J. Roche, Executive Director.
West Coast Cued Speech Programs, 348
Cernon St., Suite D, Vacaville, CA 95688 • 707-448-4060
(voice/TTY) • www.cuedspeech.org • A resource center
serving deaf and hard-of-hearing children and their
families. Cued Speech training available to schools/
agencies.
nColorado
Bill Daniels Center for Children’s Hearing,
The Children’s Hospital - Colorado, Depart
ment of Audiology, Speech Pathology and
Learning Services, 13123 East 16th Avenue,
B030 Aurora, CO 80045 • www.thechildrenshospital.
org (website) • 720-777-6531(voice) • 720-777-6886
(TTY). We provide comprehensive audiology and
speech-language services for children who are deaf
or hard-of-hearing (ages birth through 21years). Our
pediatric team specializes in family-centered care and
includes audiologists, speech-language pathologists,
a deaf educator, family consultant, and clinical social
worker. Individual, group and parent educational
support and programs are designed to meet each family
desire for their preference of communication needs. We
also provide advanced technology hearing aid fitting and
cochlear implant services.
Rocky Mountain Ear Center, P.C. • 601 East
Hampden Avenue, Suite 530, Englewood, CO 80113
• 303-783-9220 (voice) • 303-806-6292 (fax) • www.
rockymountainearcenter.com (website). We provide a
full range of neurotology and audiology services for all
ages, ranging from infants to seniors. Using a multidisciplinary approach, our board-certified otologist
and doctors of audiology rest and diagnose hearing,
balance, facial nerve and ear disorders and we provide
full-service hearing aid, cochlear implant and BAHA
services. We offer medical and surgical treatment as well
as language therapy and support groups, and are actively
involved in various research studies.
nConnecticut
CREC Soundbridge, 123 Progress Dr., Wethersfield,
CT 06109 • 860- 529-4260 (voice/TTY) • 860-2578500 (fax) • www.crec.org/soundbridge (website). Dr.
Elizabeth B. Cole, Program Director. Comprehensive
audiological and instructional services, birth through
post-secondary, public school settings. Focus on
providing cutting-edge technology for optimal
auditory access and listening in educational settings
and at home, development of spoken language,
development of self advocacy – all to support each
individual’s realization of social, academic and
vocational potential. Birth to Three, Auditory-Verbal
Therapy, integrated preschool, intensive day program,
direct educational and consulting services in schools,
educational audiology support services in all settings,
cochlear implant mapping and habilitation, diagnostic
assessments, and summer programs.
New England Center for Hearing
Rehabilitation (NECHEAR), 354 Hartford
Turnpike, Hampton, CT 06247 • 860-455-1404
(voice) • 860-455-1396 (fax) • Diane Brackett. Serving
infants, children and adults with all degrees of
hearing loss. Speech, language, listening evaluation
for children using hearing aids and cochlear implants.
Auditory-Verbal therapy; Cochlear implant candidacy
evaluation, pre- and post-rehabilitation, and creative
individualized mapping. Post-implant rehabilitation for
adults with cochlear implants, specializing in prelingual
onset. Mainstream school support, including onsite
consultation with educational team, rehabilitation
planning and classroom observation. Comprehensive
audiological evaluation, amplification validation and
classroom listening system assessment.
nFlorida
Bolesta Center, Inc, 7205 North Habana Avenue,
Tampa, FL 33614 • 813-932-1184 (voice) • 813-9329583 (fax) • jhorvath@bolestacenter.org (email) • www.
bolestacenter.org (website) • Non-profit Listening and
Spoken Language Center dedicated to teaching children
who are deaf and hard of hearing to listen and speak.
No family turned away based on ability to pay. Services
provided to families, professionals, and school districts.
Specializing in auditory-verbal therapy, educational
outreach, and professional development programs.
Kids and professionals immersion and summer
programs available. Talk to us about our success with
late implanted children! Contact Judy Horvath, LSL
Cert. AVEd.
Clarke Jacksonville Auditory/Oral Center,
9857 St. Augustine Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32257 • 904880-9001 (voice/TTY) • info@clarkeschool.org (email)
• www.clarkeschool.org (website). Susan G. Allen,
Director, LSLS Cert. AVEd. A program of Clarke School
for the Deaf/Center for Oral Education, serving families
with young children with hearing loss. Auditory/ Oral
programs include early intervention, preschool, toddler
PreK/kindergarten, primary, parent support, individual
listening, speech and language services, cochlear
implant habilitation.
Orange County Auditory-Oral Program for
the Hearing Impaired, Kaley Elementary School,
1600 East Kaley St., Orlando, FL 32806 • 407-897-6420
(voice) • 407-897-2407 (fax) • www.eak.ocps.k12.fl.us •
Available to residents of Orange and Lake Counties. We
have self-contained classes PreK (3 & 4 yrs) to 5th grade
with partial and full-time mainstream options.
nGeorgia
Atlanta Speech School – Katherine Hamm
Center, 3160 Northside Parkway, NW, Atlanta,
GA 30327 • 404-233-5332 ext. 3119 (voice/TTY) •
404-266-2175 (fax) • eestes@atlspsch.org (e-mail) •
www.atlantaspeechschool.org • An auditory/oral and
Auditory-Verbal program serving children who are deaf
or heard of hearing from infancy to elementary school
age. Children receive language-rich lessons and highly
individualized instruction in a nurturing environment.
Teachers and staff work closely with parents to instill
the knowledge and confidence children need to reach
their full potential. Early intervention programs,
audiological support services, Auditory-Verbal therapy,
mainstreaming opportunities and independent
educational evaluations. Established in 1938.
Auditory-Verbal Center, Inc - Atlanta, 1901
Century Boulevard, Suite 20, Atlanta, GA 30345,
404-633-8911 (voice) • 404-633-6403 (fax) • listen@
avchears.org (email) • www.avchears.org (website).
Auditory-Verbal Center, Inc - Macon, 2720 Sheraton
41
Drive, Suite D-240, Macon, GA 31204 • 478-471-0019
(voice). A comprehensive Auditory-Verbal program for
children with hearing impairments and their families.
Home Center and Practicum Site programs provide
intensive A-V training for families and professionals.
Complete audiological services for children and adults.
Assistive listening devices demonstration center.
nIllinois
nIndiana
Alexander Graham Bell Montessori School
(AGBMS), www.agbms.org • 847-297-4660
(voice) • agbms1@comcast.net (email).
Alternatives in Education for the Hearing
Impaired (AEHI) • www.aehi.org (website) • 847-
St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf –
Indianapolis, 9192 Waldemar Road, Indianapolis,
nIdaho
297-3206 (voice) • info@aehi.org (email) • 2020 E. Camp
McDonald Road, Mount Prospect, Il 60056 • 847297-4660. AGBMS is a Montessori school educating
children ages 3-12 who are deaf or hard of hearing or
have other communicative challenges in a mainstream
environment with hearing peers. Teacher of Deaf/
Speech/Language Pathologist/ Reading Specialist/
Classroom Teachers emphasize language development
and literacy utilizing Cued Speech.
AEHI, a training center for Cued Speech, assists
parents, educators, or advocates in verbal language
development for children with language delays or
who do not yet substantially benefit from auditory
technology.
Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind,
Child’s Voice School, 180 Hansen Court, Wood
Georgia Relay, 866-787-6710 (voice) • garelay@
hamiltonrelay.com (email) • www.georgiarelay.org
(website). Georgia Relay provides services that enable
people who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind and
speech impaired to place and receive calls via a standard
telephone. Free specialized telephones are available
to applicants who financially and medically qualify
through the Georgia Telecommunications Equipment
Distribution Program (TEDP). Georgia Relay is easily
accessed by dialing 7-1-1 and is overseen by the Georgia
Public Service Commission.
450 Main Street, Gooding, ID 83330 • 208-934 4457
(V/TTY) • 208-934 8352 (fax) • isdb@isdb.idaho.
gov (e-mail). ISDB serves birth to 21 year old youth
with hearing loss through parent-infant, on-site, and
outreach programs. Options include auditory/oral
programs for children using spoken language birth
through second grade. Audiology, speech instruction,
auditory development and cochlear implant
habilitation is provided.
42 Dale, IL 60191 • (630) 595-8200 (voice) • (630)
595-8282 (fax) • info@childsvoice.org (email) • www.
childsvoiceschool.org (website). Michele Wilkins,
Ed.D., Executive Director. An auditory/oral school for
children ages 3-8. Cochlear implant (re) habilitation,
mainstream support services and audiology services
provided. Early intervention for birth to age three with
parent-infant and toddler classes. Child’s Voice is a
Moog Curriculum school.
IN 46268 • 317-471-8560 (voice) • 317-471-8627 (fax)
• touellette@sjid.org (e-mail) • www.sjid.org • Teri
Ouellette, M.S. Ed., Director. St. Joseph Institute for
the Deaf – Indianapolis, a campus of the St. Joseph
Institute system, serves children with hearing
loss, birth to age 6. Auditory/oral programs include
early intervention, toddler and preschool classes,
cochlear implant rehabilitation and daily speech
therapy. Challenging speech, personal development
and academic programs are offered in a nurturing
environment. First Steps Provider. (See Illinois, Kansas,
and Missouri.)
nKansas
St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf - Kansas
City Campus, 8835 Monrovia, Lenexa, KS 66215 •
913-383-3535 (voice) • 913-383-0320 (fax) • www.sjid.
org • jfredriksen@sjid.org • Jeanne Fredriksen, M.S.,
Ed., Director. St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf - Kansas
City, a campus of the St. Joseph Institute system, serves
hearing-impaired children, birth to age 6. Auditoryoral programs include early intervention, toddler and
preschool classes, cochlear implant rehabilitation and
daily speech therapy. Challenging speech, personal
development and academic programs are offered in
a nurturing environment. (See Illinois, Indiana and
Missouri).
nMaine
hear ME now, 19 Yarmouth Drive, Suite 201,
Yarmouth Hall, Pineland Farms, New Gloucester, ME
04260 • 207-688-4544 (voice) • 207-688-4548 (fax) •
info@hear-me-now.org (e-mail) • www.hear-me-now.
org • Maine’s Oral Deaf Learning Center. Maine’s
only OPTION school for infants and children who are
deaf or hard of hearing. Utilizing specially trained
staff in promoting spoken language and developing
listening skills, our loaner hearing aid program, parent
infant, toddler, preschool and kindergarten offers the
opportunity for children with hearing loss to develop
spoken language at a rate similar to their normal
hearing peers without sign language support. Auditory/
oral and Auditory-Verbal programming available.
nMaryland
The Hearing and Speech Agency’s Oral
Center, 5900 Metro Drive, Baltimore, MD 21215
• 410-318-6780 (voice) • 410-318-6758 (TTY) • 410318-6759 (fax) • hasa@hasa.org (e-mail) • www.hasa.
org • Jill Berie, Educational Director, Olga Polites,
Clinical Director, Heather Eisgrau, Teacher of the Deaf/
Coordinator. Auditory-oral education and therapy
program for young children who are deaf or hard of
hearing ages three through five with early intervention
services for birth to age 3. Self-contained state-of-theart classrooms located in the Gateway School approved
by the Maryland State Department of Education.
Additional services include speech-language therapy,
family education and support, pre- and post-cochlear
implant habilitation, collaboration and support of
inclusion and audiological management. Applications
are accepted year-round. Families are encouraged to
apply for scholarships and financial assistance. HASA
is a direct service provider, information resource center
and advocate for people of all ages who are deaf, hard of
hearing or who have speech and language disorders.
nMassachusetts
Auditory-Verbal Communication Center
(AVCC), 544 Washington Street, Gloucester, MA,
01930 • 978-282-0025 (phone) • avcc@avcclisten.com
(e-mail) • www.avcclisten.com • Listening and Spoken
Language Specialists: James G. Watson, MSc, CED,
Cert. AVT, and Lea D. Watson, MS, CCC-SLP, Cert.
AVT. AVCC is a husband-wife team offering parent
guidance for infants and preschoolers, school support,
adult therapy, world-wide consultation for programs,
distance (online) therapy for families, supervision
and training (online) for professionals aiming at
certification from the AG Bell Academy for Listening
and Spoken Language.
Clarke School East, 1 Whitman Road, Canton,
MA 02021 • 781-821-3499 (voice) • 781-821-3904 (tty)
• info@clarkeschool.org (email) • www.clarkeschool.
org (website). Cara Jordan, Director, LSLS Cert. AVEd.
A program of Clarke School for the Deaf/Center for
Oral Education, serving families with young children.
Auditory/Oral programs include early intervention,
preschool, kindergarten, parent support, cochlear implant
habilitation, and support for mainstream placements.
The Clarke School for the Deaf - Center
for Oral Education, 47 Round Hill Road,
Northampton, MA 01060 • 413-584-3450 (voice/tty) •
info@clarkeschool.org (email) • www.clarkeschool.org
(website). Bill Corwin, President. Early intervention,
preschool, day, and boarding school, cochlear implant
assessments, summer programs, mainstream support,
evaluations for infants through school age children,
audiological services, assistive devices, graduateteacher-education program.
June A. Reynolds, Inc., Auditory-Verbal Inclusion
Program for Hearing Impaired Children, 10 Yale Blvd.
Beverly, MA 01915 • June Reynolds, M.Ed., CED, Cert.
AVT® • 978-927-2765 (voice) • 978-921-9459 (fax) •
jreyno2727@aol.com (e-mail) • www.juneareynolds.
com. Comprehensive auditory program providing
parent-infant A-V therapy, licensed preschool program,
cochlear implant habilitation, mainstream support
services, preschool through high school.
SoundWorks for Children, 18 South Main
Street, Topsfield, MA 01983 • 978-887-1284 (voice) •
soundworksforchildren@verizon.net (e-mail) • Jane
E. Driscoll, MED, Director. Satellite program serving
Southern Maine. Katelyn Driscoll, MED, Program
Coordinator. A comprehensive non-profit program
dedicated to the development of auditory-oral skills in
children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Specializing
in cochlear implant habilitation and offering a full
continuum of inclusionary support models from
preschool through high school. Early
The Source
for Deaf and
Hard of Hearing
Individuals
From vibrating alarm clocks, signaling systems and
emergency devices to books, DVDs and CD-ROMS,
Harris Communications carries a variety of
products for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals.
Check out our large selection! Visit us online
or request a free catalog to see all we have to offer.
www.harriscomm.com
(800) 825-6758 voice
(800) 825-9187 tty
Sign up for our email newsletter to receive updates on new products and specials!
43
Intervention services and social/self-advocacy groups
for mainstreamed students are offered at our Family
Center. Summer programs, in-service training, and
consultation available.
nMichigan
Monroe County Program for Hearing
Impaired Children, 3145 Prairie St., Ida, MI 48140-
9778 • 734-269-3875 (voice/TTY) • 734-269-3885 (fax) •
whitman@ida.k12.mi.us (e-mail) • www.misd.k12.mi.us •
Kathleen Whitman, Supervisor. Auditory/oral program,
full continuum of services, birth to 25 years. Staff: 21.
Redford Union Oral Program for Children
with Hearing Impairments, 18499 Beech Daly Rd.
Redford, MI 48240 • 313-242-3510 (voice) • 313-2423595 (fax) • 313-242-6286 (tty) • Dorothea B. French,
Ph.D., Director. Auditory/oral day program serves 80
center students/250 teacher consultant students. Birth
to 25 years of age.
nMinnesota
Northeast Metro #916 Auditory / Oral
Program, 701 West County Road “B”, Roseville,
Minnesota 55113 • 651-415-5399 (voice). The mission
of the program is to provide an intensive oral education
to children with impaired hearing. Centered-based
services are provided in a least restrictive public school
environment, combining oral specific early intervention
services within the mainstream setting for students
pre-school through kindergarten age. Birth to 3 services
and parent/child groups are tailored to meet identified
needs. Parent and professional workshops are offered.
Referrals are through the local school district in which
the family live.
Northern Voices, 1660 West County Road B,
Roseville, MN 55113-1714 • 651-639-2535 (voice) • 651639-1996 (fax) • director@northernvoices.org (e-mail) •
Kristina Blaiser, Executive Director. Northern Voices is
a nonprofit early education center focused on creating
a positive environment where children with hearing
loss and their families learn to communicate through
the use of spoken language. Our goal is for students
to become fluent oral communicators and to join
their hearing peers in a traditional classroom at their
neighborhood schools.
nMississippi
DuBard School for Language Disorders, The
University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive
#10035, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001 • 601-2665223 (voice) • dubard@usm.edu (e-mail) • www.usm.
edu/dubard • Maureen K. Martin, Ph.D., CCC-SLP,
CED, Director • The school is a clinical division of the
Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences and serves
children from birth to age 13 in its state-of-the-art
facility. Working collaboratively with 22 public school
districts, the school specializes in coexisting language
disorders, learning disabilities/dyslexia and speech
disorders, such as apraxia, through its non-graded,
11-month program. The Association Method, as refined,
and expanded by the late Dr. Etoile DuBard and the
staff of the school, is the basis of the curriculum.
Comprehensive evaluations, individual therapy,
audiological services and professional development
programs also are available. AA/EOE/ADAI
Magnolia Speech School, Inc., 733 Flag Chapel
Rd., Jackson, MS 39209 • 601-922-5530 (voice) •
601-922-5534 (fax) • sullivandirector@comcast.net
(e-mail) • www.oraldeaf.org • Anne Sullivan, M.Ed.
Family Services (age 0 to 3 served free), Auditory/oral
classrooms, association method classroom, audiological
services, mainstream services, evaluations and outpatient services available in an 11-month school year.
nMissouri
CID – Central Institute for the Deaf, 825
South Taylor Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110 • 314977-0135 (voice) • 314-977-0037 (tty) • lberkowitz@
cid.edu (email) • www.cid.edu (website) • Child- and
family-friendly learning environment for children
birth-12; exciting adapted curriculum incorporating
mainstream content, emphasizing early literacy and
childhood development; family center for parents and
babies; expert mainstream preparation; professional
workshops, consulting and in-services for schools,
auditory learning and educational materials; close
affiliation with Washington University deaf education
and audiology programs.
The Moog Center for Deaf Education,
12300 South Forty Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141 •
314-692-7172 (voice) • 314-692-8544 (fax) • Betsy
Moog Brooks, Director of School and Family School •
bbrooks@moogcenter.org (e-mail) • Services provided
to children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing from
birth to 9 years of age. Programs include the Family
School (birth to 3), School (3 to 9 years), Audiology
(including cochlear implant programming),
mainstÚdam seÚoices, educational evaluations,
parent education and support groups, professional
workshops, teacher education and student teacher
placements.
The Moog School at Columbia, 3301
West Broadway, Columbia, MO 65203 • 573-4461981(voice) • 573-446-2031 (fax) • Judith S. Harper,
CCC SLP, Director • jharper@moogschool.org (e-mail).
Services provided to children who are deaf and hard-of
hearing from birth to kindergarten. Programs include
the Family School (birth to 3). School (3 years to
kindergarten). Mainstream services (speech therapy/
academic tutoring) ,educational evaluations, parent
education, support groups, and student teacher
placements. The Moog School—Columbia is a Moog
Curriculum School.
St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf – St.
Louis, 1809 Clarkson Road, Chesterfield, MO 63017
• 636-532-3211 (voice/TYY) • 636-532-4560 (fax)
• mdaniels@sjid.org (e-mail) • www.sjid.org • Mary
Daniels, M.A., Principal. An independent, Catholic
auditory/oral, day and residential school serving
children with hearing loss ages birth through the
eighth grade. Auditory-oral programs include early
intervention, toddler and preschool classes, K-8th
grade, on-site audiology clinic, full evaluations,
mainstream consultancy, summer camp, after-school
enhancement program, financial aid. Fontbonne
University graduate and undergraduate practicum
site. Mainstream academic accreditations (ISACS and
NCA), Approved private agent of Missouri Department
of Education.
nNebraska
Omaha Hearing School for Children, Inc.
1110 N. 66 St., Omaha, NE 68132 402-558-1546
ohs@hearingschool.org An OPTIONschools Accredited
Program offering auditory/oral education for birth to
three, preschool and K – 3rd grades. Serving Omaha
and the surrounding region.
44 VOLTA VOICES • SEPTE M BER/ OCTOBER 2009
nNew Hampshire
HEAR in New Hampshire, 11 Kimball Drive,
Suite 103, Hooksett, NH 03106 • 603-624-4464 (voice)
• www.HEARinNH.org • Lynda S. French, Director.
New Hampshire’s only auditory-oral school for
children who are deaf or hard of hearing. HEAR in NH
serves children with all degrees of hearing loss from
infancy through high school. Programs offered include
parent/child play groups, preschool, pre-kindergarten,
kindergarten and itinerant services for children in
their community schools. Summer services, parent
education/support, speech/language services and
professional workshops are available.
nNew Jersey
HIP and SHIP of Bergen County Special
Services - Midland Park School District, 41
E. Center Street, Midland Park, N.J. 07432 • 201-3438982 (voice) • kattre@bergen.org (email) • Kathleen
Treni, Principal. An integrated, comprehensive preK-12th grade auditory oral program in public schools.
Services include Auditory Verbal and Speech Therapy,
Cochlear Implant habilitation, Parent Education, and
Educational Audiological services. Consulting teacher
services are available for mainstream students in
home districts. Early Intervention services provided
for babies from birth to three. SHIP is the state’s only
7-12th grade auditory oral program. CART (Computer
Real Time Captioning) is provided in a supportive,
small high school environment.
The Ivy Hall Program at Lake Drive, 10 Lake
nNew Mexico
Drive, Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046 • 973-299-0166
(voice/tty) • 973-299-9405 (fax) • www.mtlakes.org/
ld. • David Alexander, Ph.D., Principal. An innovative
program that brings hearing children and children with
hearing loss together in a rich academic environment.
Auditory/oral programs include: early intervention,
preschool, kindergarten, parent support, cochlear
implant habilitation, itinerant services, OT, PT and
speech/language services. Self-contained to full range
of inclusion models available.
Presbyterian Ear Institute – Albuquerque, 415
Cedar Street SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106 • 505-224-7020
(voice) • 505-224-7023 (fax) • Contact: Bettye Pressley,
Executive Director. A cochlear implant center, auditory/
oral school for deaf and hard-of-hearing children and
parent infant program. Serves children from infancy to
early elementary school years. Comprehensive audiology,
diagnostic and speech therapy services. Presbyterian Ear
Institute is a Moog Curriculum School.
Speech Partners, Inc., 26 West High Street,
nNew York
Somerville, NJ 08876 • 908-231-9090 (voice) •
nancyschumann@hotmail.com (email) • Nancy V.
Schumann, M.A., CCC-SLP, Cert.AVT. Auditory-Verbal
Therapy, Communication Evaluations, SpeechLanguage Therapy and Aural Rehabilitation, School
Consultation, Mentoring, Workshops.
Summit Speech School for the HearingImpaired Child, F.M. Kirby Center, 705 Central
Ave., New Providence, NJ 07974 • 908-508-0011 (voice/
TTY) • 908-508-0012 (fax) • info@summitspeech.com
(e-mail) • www.summit-speech.org • Pamela Paskowitz,
Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Executive Director. Auditory/
oral services for deaf and hard of hearing children.
Programs include Parent Infant (0 to 3 years), Preschool
(3 to 5 years) and itinerant services for children in
their home districts. Speech and language, OT and PT
services available.
Anne Kearney, M.S., LSLS Cert. AVT, CCCSpeech Language Pathology, 401 Littleworth
Lane, Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY 11579 • 516-671-9057
(voice).
Auditory/Oral School of New York, 2164 Ralph
Avenue & 3321 Avenue “M,” Brooklyn, NY 11234 •
718-531-1800 (voice) • 718-421-5395 (fax) • info@
auditoryoral.org (e-mail) • Pnina Bravmann, Program
Director. A premier auditory/oral early intervention and
preschool program servicing hearing impaired children
and their families. Programs include: StriVright Early
Intervention (home-based and center-based), preschool,
integrated preschool classes with children with normal
hearing, multidisciplinary evaluations, parent support,
Auditory-Verbal Therapy, complete audiological
services, cochlear implant habilitation, central auditory
processing (CAPD) testing and therapy, mainstreaming,
ongoing support services following mainstreaming.
45
Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center-Oral Deaf
Education Program, 50 E. North Street, Buffalo,
NY 14203 • 716-885-8318 (voice) • 716-885-4229
(fax) • lshea@askbhsc.org (e-mail) • www.askbhsc.org
• Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center is a non-for profit
organization that offers a auditory/oral program for
children ages birth to 5 years who are deaf and hard of
hearing. The Oral Deaf Education Program consists of
parent/infant program, early intervention classroom
and a preschool program. BHSC also offers innovative
services to children and adults with communication
and educational needs including a cochlear implant
center and comprehensive audiological services. Our
dedicated and skilled staff is focused on the mission
of improving the quality of life for adults, children
and infants in need of speech, hearing or educational
services. The Oral Deaf Education Program is a Moog
Curriculum School.
Center for Hearing and Communication
(formerly the League for the Hard of
Hearing), 50 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10004
• 917 305-7700 (voice) • 917-305-7888 (TTY) • 917305-7999 (fax) • http://www.chchearing.org (website).
Florida Office: 2900 W. Cypress Creek Road, Suite 3,
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309 • 954-601-1930 (Voice) • 954601-1938 (TTY) • 954-601-1399 (Fax). A leading center
for hearing and communication services for people of
all ages who are hard of hearing or deaf. Comprehensive
array of services include: audiology, otology, hearing
aid evaluation, fitting and sales, communication
therapy, cochlear implant training, assistive technology
consultation, emotional health and wellness, public
46 education, support groups and Mobile Hearing Test
Units. Visit http://www.chchearing.org to access our
vast library of information about hearing loss and
hearing conservation. For more information or to make
an appointment, contact us at info@chchearing.org.
Clarke School - New York, 80 East End Avenue,
New York, NY 10028 • 212-585-3500 (voice/tty) • info@
clarke-nyc.org (email) • www.clarkeschool.org (website)
• Dan Salvucci, Acting Director. A program of Clarke
School for the Deaf/Center for Oral Education, serving
families of young deaf and hard of hearing children.
Auditory/oral programs include early intervention,
preschool, kindergarten, comprehensive evaluations,
hearing aid and FM system dispensing and related
services including occupational, physical and speechlanguage therapies.
Cleary School for the Deaf, 301 Smithtown
Boulevard, Nesconset, New York 11767 • 631-588-0530
(voice/TTY) • 631-588-0016 (fax) • www.clearyschool.
org • Kenneth Morseon, Superintendent; Ellen McCarthy,
Principal. A state-supported program serving hearing
impaired children birth to 21. Auditory/oral programs
include Parent-Infant Program (school and home based)
for children birth to 3, Auditory-Oral Reverse Inclusion
Preschool Program for children 3 to 5 and Transition
Program for children with cochlear implants who have a
sign language base. Auditory/oral programs include daily
individual auditory-based speech and language therapy,
daily speech push-in, annual and on-going audiological
and speech-language evaluations and parent training/
support. The mission of the Reverse Inclusion Auditory-
Oral Preschool Program is to best prepare children to
enter kindergarten in their own school district. Classes
consist of children with hearing loss and their normal
hearing peers.
Lexington School for the Deaf, 26-26 75th
Street, Jackson Heights, NY 11370 • 718-350-3300
(voice/tty) • 718-899-9846 (fax) • www.lexnyc.org •
Dr. Regina Carroll, Superintendent, Ronni Hollander,
Principal - rhollander@lexnyc.org (email). A statesupported program serving hearing impaired children
in the Greater New York area from infancy through
age 21. Auditory-Oral programs include the Deaf
Infant Program (ages 0-3), Preschool classes (ages
3-6) and early Elementary classes. Auditory-Oral
programs include daily speech, listening and language
services, ongoing audiological support, coordination
with hospital implant centers, evaluations and parent
support. The school’s academic program follows the
New York State standards. Music/Dance, Physical
Education (and swimming), Art, Library, as well as
technology are part of the school schedule.
Long Island Jewish Medical Center Hearing
& Speech Center, 430 Lakeville Road, New Hyde
Park, NY 11042 • 718-470-8910 (voice) • 718-470-1679
(fax) • The Long Island Jewish Hearing and Speech
Center provides services for individuals of all ages
with communication disorders. The Center serves two
tertiary care hospitals, Long Island Jewish Medical
Center and North Shore University Hospital, providing
both in-patient and outpatient services. As the largest
hearing and speech center on Long Island, the Center
accepts referrals from physicians, schools, community
speech pathologists and audiologists, and self-referrals
from Long Island and New York City. The professional
staff consists of 14 audiologists, 10 speech-language
pathologists, a social worker and a deaf educator.
Audiologic services available at Center include complete
diagnostic and habilitative services, a cochlear implant
program, a voice and laryngeal laboratory and a hearing
aid dispensary.
Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf, GOALS
(Growing Oral/Aural Language Skills)
Program, 40 Frost Mill Road, Mill Neck, NY 11765
• 516-922-4100 (voice) • Mark R. Prowatzke, Ph.D.,
Executive Director, Francine Bogdanoff, Assistant
Superintendent. Publicly-funded integrated preschool
program, serving Deaf and hard of hearing children
(ages 3-5) on Long Island. Literacy-based program
with auditory/oral approach, curriculum aligned with
NY State Preschool Standards, art, music, library,
audiology, speech, language therapy, related support
services and family programs.
Nassau BOCES Program for Hearing and
Vision Services, 740 Edgewood Drive, Westbury,
NY 11590 • 516-931-8507 (Voice) • 516-931-8596
(TTY) • 516-931-8566 (Fax) • www.nassauboces.org
(Web) • JMasone@mail.nasboces.org (Email). Dr. Judy
Masone, Principal. Provides full day New York State
standards - based academic education program for
children 3-21 within district-based integrated settings.
An auditory/oral or auditory/sign support methodology
with a strong emphasis on auditory development is
used at all levels.
Itinerant services including auditory training and
audiological support are provided to those students who
are mainstreamed in their local schools. Services are
provided by certified Teachers of the Hearing Impaired
on an individual basis.
The Infant/Toddler Program provides centerand home-based services with an emphasis on the
development of auditory skills and the acquisition of
language, as well as parent education and support.
Center-based instruction includes individual and small
group sessions, speech, parent meetings and audiological
consultation. Parents also receive 1:1 instruction with
teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing on a weekly
basis to support the development of skills at home.
Comprehensive audiological services are provided
to all students enrolled in the program, utilizing state
of the art technology, FM assistive technology to
maximize access to sound within the classroom, and
cochlear implant expertise. Additionally, cochlear
implant mapping support provided by local hospital
audiology team will be delivered on site at the school.
New York Eye & Ear Cochlear Implant and Hearing
& Learning Centers, (formerly Beth Israel/New York
Eye Ear program). New Location: 380 Second Avenue
at 22nd Street, New York, NY 10010 • 646-438-7800
(voice). Comprehensive diagnostic and rehabilitative
services for infants, children and adults including
audiology services, amplification and FM evaluation
and dispensing, cochlear implants, auditory/oral
therapy, otolaryngology and counseling.

nNorth Carolina
BEGINNINGS For Parents of Children Who
Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, Inc., 3714-A
Benson Drive, PO Box 17646, Raleigh, NC 27619 •
919-850-2746 (voice) • 919-850-2804 (fax) • raleigh@
ncbegin.org (e-mail) • Joni Alberg, Executive Director.
BEGINNINGS provides emotional support, unbiased
information, and technical assistance to parents of
children who are deaf or hard of hearing, deaf parents
with hearing children and professionals serving those
families. BEGINNINGS assists parents of children
from birth through age 21 by providing information
and support that will empower them as informed
decision makers, helping them access the services they
need for their child, and promoting the importance of
early intervention and other educational programs.
BEGINNINGS believes that given accurate, objective
information about hearing loss, parents can make sound
decisions for their child about educational placement,
communication methodology and related service needs.
CASTLE- Center for Acquisition of Spoken
Language Through Listening Enrichment,
5501-A Fortunes Ridge Drive, Suite A, Durham, NC
27713 • 919-419-1428 (voice) • www.uncearandhearing.
com/pedsprogs/castle An auditory/oral center for
parent and professional education. Preschool and Early
intervention services for young children including
Auditory Verbal parent participation sessions. Hands-on
training program for hearing-related professionals/
university students including internships, two week
summer institute and Auditory Verbal Modules.
Every Child Deserves a Chance
...to Learn...to Grow...
to Hear from the Start
dvances in newborn hearing screening, early intervention detection and intervention
A
are giving more children with hearing loss the opportunity to learn to listen, talk and thrive
along with their hearing peers. That’s why AG Bell offers programs designed to support
children and youth with hearing loss who are pursuing spoken language education.
PARENT-INFANT
FINANCIAL AID PROGRAM
DEADLINE: OCTOBER 1, 2009
Eligibility criteria, program deadlines and applications are
available at www.agbell.org. Email requests for an
application to financialaid@agbell.org or fax to 202.337.8314.
TEL  • TTY 
47
nOhio
Auditory Oral Children’s Center (AOCC),
5475 Brand Road, Dublin, OH 43017 • 614-5987335 (voice) • auditoryoral@columbus.rr.com (email)
• http://auditoryoral.googlepages.com (website).
AOCC is a non-profit auditory and spoken language
development program for children with hearing loss.
We offer a blended approach by combining an intensive
therapy-based pre-school program integrated into a
NAEYC preschool environment. Therapy is provided
by an Auditory-Verbal Therapist, Hearing –Impaired
Teacher, and Speech Language Pathologist. Birth to
three intervention, and parent support services are
also available.
Millridge Center/Mayfield Auditory Oral
Program, 950 Millridge Road, Highland Heights,
OH 44143-3113 • 440-995-7300 (phone) • 440-9957305 (fax) • www.mayfieldschools.org • Louis A.
Kindervater, Principal. Auditory/oral program with
a ful continuum of services, birth to 22 years of age.
Serving 31 public school districts in northeast Ohio.
Early intervention; preschool with typically developing
peers; parent support; individual speech, language,
and listening therapy; audiological services; cochlear
implant habilitation; and mainstreaming in the general
education classrooms of Mayfield City School District.
48 Ohio Valley Voices, 6642 Branch Hill Guinea
Pike, Loveland, OH 45140 • 513-791-1458 (voice) •
513-791-4326 (fax) • mainoffice@ohiovalleyvoices.
org (e-mail) • www.ohiovalleyvoices.org (website).
Ohio Valley Voices teaches deaf and hearing-impaired
children to use spoken language as their primary means
of communication. The vast majority of our students
utilize cochlear implants to give them access to sound,
which in turn, allows them to learn to speak when
combined with intensive speech therapy. We offer a
birth-to-3 program, a preschool through second grade
program, a full array of on-site audiological services,
parent education and support resources. Ohio Valley
Voices is a Moog Curriculum School.
nOklahoma
Hearts for Hearing, 3525 NW 56th Street,
Suite A-150, Oklahoma City, OK 73112 • 405-5484300 • 405-548-4350(Fax) • Teresa H. Caraway,
Ph.D.,CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT and Joanna T. Smith,
M.S., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, Jace Wolfe, Ph.D.,
CCC-A. Comprehensive hearing healthcare program
which includes pediatric audiological evaluations,
management and cochlear implant mapping. AuditoryVerbal therapy, cochlear implant habilitation, early
intervention, pre-school, summer enrichment services
and family support workshops are also provided.
Opportunities for family, professional education and
consultations. www.heartsforhearing.org
INTEGRIS Cochlear Implant Clinic at the
Hough Ear Institute, 3434 NW 56th, Suite 101,
Oklahoma City, OK 73112 • 405-947-6030 (voice) •
405-945-7188 (fax) • Pamela.mathews@integrisok.com
(email) • www.integris-health.com (website) • Our team
includes board-certified and licensed speech-language
pathologists, pediatric and adult audiologists, as well
as neurotologists from the Otologic Medical Clinic.
Services include hearing evaluations, hearing aid fittings,
cochlear implant testing and fittings, newborn hearing
testing, and speech/language therapy. The Hearing
Enrichment Language Program (HELP) provides speech
services for children and adults who are deaf or hard
of hearing. Our speech-language pathologists respect
adults’ and/or parents’ choice in (re) habilitation options
that can optimize listening and language skills.
nOregon
Tucker-Maxon Oral School, 2860 S.E. Holgate,
Portland, OR 97202 • 503-235-6551(voice) • 503-2351711 (TTY) • tminfo@tmos.org (e-mail) • www.tmos.
org (website) • Established in 1947, Tucker-Maxon
is an intensive auditory-oral school that co-enrolls
children with hearing loss and children with normal
hearing in every class. Each class is taught by a regular
educator or early childhood specialist and a teacher
of deaf children. Programs for children with hearing
loss start at birth and continue through 5th grade.
Tucker-Maxon provides comprehensive pediatric
audiology evaluations, cochlear implant management,
habilitation and mapping, early intervention, and
speech pathology services.
nPennsylvania
Archbishop Ryan School for Children with
Hearing Impairment, 233 Mohawk Ave., Norwood,
PA 19074 • 610-586-7044 (voice) • 610-586-7053
(fax) • Our Oral Academy is located within a regular
elementary school enabling some children to learn
with hearing peers in a mainstream classroom with the
support of a Deaf educator. Some children learn in selfcontained classrooms with other deaf children. We offer
a full academic program from preschool through age
14. For more information visit www.ces-msa.org, click
registry and our school by name.
Bucks County Schools Intermediate Unit
#22, Hearing Support Program, 705 North
Shady Retreat Road, Doylestown, PA 18901 • 215-3482940 x1240 (voice) • 215-340-1639 (fax) • kmiller@
bucksiu.org • Kevin J. Miller, Ed.D., CCC-SP, CED,
Supervisor. A publicly-funded program serving local
school districts with deaf or hard of hearing students
(birth -12th Grade). Services include itinerant support,
resource rooms, audiology, speech-language therapy,
auditory-verbal therapy, C-Print captioning, and
cochlear implant habilitation.
Center for Childhood Communication at The
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 3405 Civic
Center Boulevard, Philadelphia 19104 • 800-551-5480
(voice) • 215-590-5641 (fax) • www.chop.edu/ccc • Judith
S. Gravel, Ph.D., Director. The CCC provides children
with audiology, amplification, speech-language and
cochlear implant services and offers support through
our Family Wellness Program. We serve families at our
main campus in Philadelphia and at our Pennsylvania
satellite offices in Bucks County, Exton, King of Prussia,
Springfield, and at our New Jersey satellite offices in
Voorhees, Mays Landing and Princeton.
Clarke Pennsylvania Auditory/Oral Center,
455 South Roberts Road, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 • 610525-9600 (voice/tty) • info@clarkeschool.org (email)
• www.clarkeschool.org (website). Judith Sexton,
Director. A program of Clarke School for the Deaf/
Center for Oral Education, serving families with young
children with hearing loss. Auditory/Oral programs
include early intervention, preschool, parent support,
individual auditory speech and language services,
cochlear implant habilitation, audiological support, and
mainstream support.
Delaware County Intermediate Unit #25,
Hearing and Language Programs, 200 Yale
Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf,
300 East Swissvale Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15218 •
412-244-4207 (voice) • 412-244-4251 (fax) • vcherney@
wpsd.org (e-mail) • www.wpsd.org.The Western
Pennsylvania School for the Deaf is a non-profit school
with high academic expectations. WPSD, located in
Pittsburgh since 1869, has provided quality educational
services, cutting-edge technology and a complete
extracurricular program to deaf and hard-of-hearing
children from birth through grade 12. Serving over
250 day and residential students, from more than 100
school districts and 30 counties, WPSD is the largest
comprehensive center for deaf education in the state.
For more information: wpsd.org
nSouth Carolina
The University of South Carolina Speech
and Hearing Center, 1601 St. Julian Place,
Columbia, SC 29204 • 803-777-2614 (voice) • 803253-4143 (fax) • Center Director: Danielle Varnedoe,
daniell@sc.edu (e-mail). The center provides audiology
services, speech-language therapy, adult aural
rehabilitation therapy and Auditory-Verbal therapy.
Our audiology services include comprehensive
evaluations, CAPD evaluations, and cochlear implant
evaluations and programming. The University also
provides a training program for AVT and cochlear
implant management for professional/ university
students. Additional contacts for the AVT or CI
programs include: Nikki Burrows (803-777-2669),
Wendy Potts (803-777-2642) or Cheryl Rogers (803777-2702).
nSouth Dakota
South Dakota School for the Deaf (SDSD),
2001 East Eighth Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 •
605-367-5200 (V/TTY) • 605-36705209 (fax) •sdsd@
sdbor.edu (e-mail). Serving children and youth with
hearing loss by offering services on site and through its
outreach program. Academic option includes auditory/
oral program for students using spoken language and
are preschool through third grade. SDSD utilizes the
Sioux Falls School District Curriculum and prepares
students to meet state standards. Instructional
support in other areas is available as dictated by the
IEP, including parent/child education, speech language
pathology, auditory training and special education.
Arranges for dual enrollment of students in their
local schools to expand curricular and social options.
Outreach staff provides support to families with
newborns and children through the ages of 2 years and
continues to work with the families and school district
personnel of older students who are either remaining
in or returning to their local districts. Any student in
South Dakota with a documented hearing loss can take
advantage of services offered through SDSD, including
audiological testing, speech evaluation, and triennial
multidisciplinary assessment.
nTennessee
Memphis Oral School for the Deaf, 7901 Poplar
Avenue, Germantown, TN 38138 • 901-758-2228 (voice)
• 901-531-7050 (fax) • www.mosdkids.org (website)
• tschwartz@mosdkids.org (email). Teresa Schwartz,
Executive Director. Parent-infant program, auditory/
oral day school (ages 2 to 6), speech-language and
cochlear implant therapy, mainstream services.
Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center - National
Center for Childhood Deafness and Family
Communication, Medical Center East South
Tower, 1215 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 372328105 • 615-936-5000 (voice) • 615-936-1225 (fax) •
nccdfc@vanderbilt.edu (email) • www.mc.vanderbilt.
edu/root/vumc.php?site=hearing (web). Tamala
Bradham, Ph.D., Director. The NCCDFC Service
Program is an auditory/oral learning program serving
children with hearing loss from birth through 18
years. Services include educational services at the
Mama Lere Hearing School at Vanderbilt as well as
audiological and speech-language pathology services.
Specifically, the Service Program includes audiological
evaluations, hearing aid services, cochlear implant
evaluations and programming, parent-infant
program, individual speech, language, and listening
therapy, educational assessments, toddler program,
all day preschool through kindergarten educational
program itinerant/academic tutoring services, parent
support groups, and summer enrichment programs.
nTexas
Bliss Speech and Hearing Services, Inc.,
12700 Hillcrest Rd., Suite 207, Dallas, TX 75230 • 972387-2824 • 972-387-9097 (fax) • blisspeech@aol.com
(e-mail) • Brenda Weinfeld Bliss, M.S., CCC-SLP/A, Cert.
AVT®. Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist® providing
parent-infant training, cochlear implant rehabilitation,
aural rehabilitation, school visits, mainstreaming
consultations, information, and orientation to deaf and
hard-of-hearing children and their parents.
Avenue, Morton, PA 19070 • 610-938-9000, ext. 2277
• 610938-9886 (fax) • mdworkin@dciu.org • Program
Highlights: A publicly funded program for children with
hearing loss in local schools. Serving children from birth
through high school. Services include audiology, speech
therapy, cochlear implant habilitation (which includes
auditory-verbal therapy),psychology and social work.
DePaul School for Hearing and Speech, 6202
Alder Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 • (412)924-1012
(voice/TTY) • mk@depaulinst.com (email) • www.
speakmiracles.org (website) • Mary Beth Kernan
- Family Service Coordinator. DePaul is Western
Pennsylvania’s only auditory-oral school serving
families for 100 years. A state-approved, private
magnet school, DePaul’s programs are tuition-free to
parents and caregivers of approved students. Program
includes: early intervention services for children birth
to 3 years; a center-based toddler program for children
ages 18 months to 3 years; a preschool for children ages
3-5 years and a comprehensive academic program for
grades K-8. Clinical services include speech therapy,
cochlear implant habilitation services, audiological
support including cochlear implant mapping, physical
and occupational therapy, mainstreaming support,
parent education programs and a parent support group.
49
Callier Center for Communication
Disorders/UT Dallas, Callier-Dallas Facility,
1966 Inwood Road, Dallas, TX, 75235 • 214-905-3000
(voice) • 214-905-3005 (tty) • Callier-Richardson
Facility: 811 Synergy Park Blvd., Richardson, TX,
75080 • 972-883-3630 (voice) • 972-883-3605 (tty) •
eloyce@utdallas.edu (email) • www.callier.utdallas.edu
• Nonprofit organization, hearing evaluations, hearing
aid dispensing, assistive devices, cochlear implant
evaluations, psychology services, speech-language
pathology services, child development program for
children ages 6 weeks to 5 years.
The Center for Hearing and Speech, 3636
West Dallas, Houston, TX 77019 • 713-523-3633
(voice) • 713-874-1173 (TTY) • 713-523-8399 (fax)
• info@centerhearingandspeech.org (email) • www.
centerhearingandspeech.org (website) • CHS serves
children with hearing impairments from birth to
18 years. Services include auditory/oral preschool;
Audiology Clinic providing comprehensive hearing
evaluations, diagnostic ABR, hearing aid and FM
evaluations and fittings, cochlear implant evaluations
and follow-up mappings; Speech-Language Pathology
Clinic providing Parent-Infant therapy, Auditory-Verbal
therapy, speech therapy, aural (re)habilitation; family
support services. All services offered on sliding fee scale
and many services offered in Spanish.
Denise A. Gage, M.A., CCC, Cert. AVT©
- Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist,
Speech-Language Pathologist, 3111 West
Arkansas Lane, Arlington, TX 76016-0378 • 817-4600378 (voice) • 817-469-1195 (metro/fax) • denise@
50 denisegage.com (email) • www.denisegage.com • Over
25 years experience providing services for children
and adults with hearing loss. Services include cochlear
implant rehabilitation, parent-infant training,
individual therapy, educational consultation, onsite and
offsite Fast ForWord training.
Speech and Hearing Therapy Services, North
Dallas • 214-458-0575 (voice) • speechandhearingtherapy@
yahoo.com (e-mail) • www.speechandhearingtherapy.
com (website) • Tammi Galley, MA, CCC-SLP, Aural
Habilitation Specialist. Comprehensive Aural Habilitation
therapy, specializing in pediatric populations, cochlear
implant habiltation, parent-infant/child and individual
therapy, Auditory-Verbal therapy, auditory/oral, or total
communication offered with strong emphasis on auditory
skill development. Home visits or office visits.
Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children,
103 Tuleta Dr., San Antonio, TX 78212 • 210-824-0579
• 210-826-0436 (fax). Founded in 1947, the auditory/
oral school promotes early identification of hearing loss
and subsequent intervention, working with parents and
children from infancy through high school. Audiological
services include diagnostic hearing evaluations for
children of all ages, hearing aid fitting, cochlear
implant programming and habilitation, maintenance
of soundfield and FM equipment in the classroom.
Programs include the Newborn Hearing Evaluation
Center, Parent-Infant Program, Hearing Aid Loaner and
Scholarship Programs, and Educational Programs (three
years of age through 12th grade mainstream), Speech
Pathology, Counseling, and Assessment Services. For
more information visit www.sunshinecottage.org.
nUtah
Sound Beginnings of Cache Valley, Utah
State University, 1000 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT
84322-1000 • 435-797-0434 (voice) • 435-797-0221 (fax)
• www.soundbeginnings.usu.edu • lauri.nelson@usu.edu
(email) • Lauri Nelson, Ph.D., Sound Beginnings Director
• todd.houston@usu.edu (email) • K. Todd Houston, Ph.D.,
CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, Graduate Studies Director.
A comprehensive auditory learning program serving
children with hearing loss and their families from birth
through age five; early intervention services include
home- and center-based services, parent training, a weekly
toddler group, pediatric audiology, and Auditory-Verbal
Therapy. The preschool, housed in an innovative public
lab school, provides self-contained Auditory-Oral classes
for children aged three through five, parent training,
and mainstreaming opportunities with hearing peers.
The Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf
Education offers an interdisciplinary graduate training
program in Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology, and
Deaf Education that emphasizes auditory learning and
spoken language for young children with hearing loss.
Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, 742
Harrison Boulevard, Ogden, UT 84404 • 801-6294700 (voice) • 801-629-4701 (tty) • www.usdv.org • A
state-funded program for children with hearing loss
(birth through high school) serving students in various
settings including local district classes throughout
the state and residential options. Audiology, speech
instruction, auditory verbal development and cochlear
implant habilitation provided.
nVirginia
Chattering Children, Richmond Center,
1307 Lakeside Avenue, Richmond, VA 23228
• 804-290-0475 (voice) • NOVA Center, 1495
Chain Bridge Road, Suite 100, McLean, VA 22101
• www.chatteringchildren.org (website) • adavis@
chatteringchildren.org (email). Chattering Children,
Empowering hearing-impaired children through
spoken communication. Infants through school age.
Parent-Infant Program, AV Therapy, mainstream
support. SPEAK UP (an auditory oral school). Familycentered conversational approach. In-service training
and an internship program for graduate students. NoVa
Center: 1495 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 100, McLean, VA
22101 (Metro DC area), Tel: (571) 633-0770. Richmond
Center: SPEAK UP auditory-oral school and auditoryverbal therapy: 1307 Lakeside Ave Richmond VA 23228.
Tel: (804) 290-0475. Contact Anne Davis, Executive
Director, Anne Davis, adavis@chatteringchildren.org.
Listen Hear Audiology, 1101 S. Arlington Ridge
Rd. #117, Arlington, VA 22202 • 202-997-4045 (voice)
• listenhearaudiology@yahoo.com (e-mail) • www.
listenhear.net • Rachel Cohen, Au.D., CCC-A • Auditory/
oral services provided to children or adults who are
hard-of-hearing or deaf using preferred methodology
(Auditory/oral, Cued, TC, or ASL) when needed.
Auditory (re)habiliation is provided in your home/
natural environment or at my office. Birth through
geriatric cochlear implant habiliation, aural (re)
habilitation, assistive listening device information,
parent-infant training and consultation.
Lynchburg Speech Therapy, Inc., 1049
The Listen For Life Center at Virginia
Mason, 1100 9th Ave. MS X10-ON Seattle, WA 98111
Claymont Drive, Lynchburg, VA 24502 • 434-8456355 (voice) • 434-845-5854 (fax) • dclappavt@aol.
com (e-mail) • Denice D. Clapp, M.S., CCC-SLP, Cert.
AVT®, Director. Auditory-Verbal habilitation services
provided for hearing impaired children with all degrees
of hearing loss and their families to develop spoken
language through listening. Auditory re(habilitation)
provided for older children through adults who use
cochlear implants to access hearing. Consultations and
mainstream educational support for children and their
families. Early inter-vention provided in the home.
• 206-223-8802 (voice) • 206-223-6362 (tty) • 206223-2388 (fax) • lsnforlife@vmmc.org (email) • www.
vmmc.org/listen (website) • Non-profit organization
offering comprehensive diagnostic and rehabilitation
services from infancy through senior years. Audiology,
otolaryngology, hearing aids, implantable hearing aids,
cochlear implants, communication classes, assistive
listening devices, Aural Rehabilitation, counseling,
support groups, school consultations, professional
training workshops, community days, library.
nWashington
nWisconsin
Listen and Talk – Education for Children
with Hearing Loss, 8610 8th Avenue, NE, Seattle,
Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing,
WA, 98115 • 206-985-6646 (voice) • 206-985-6687
(fax) • hear@listentalk.org (e-mail) • www.listentalk.
org (website). Maura Berndsen, Educational Director.
Family-centered program teaches children with all
degrees of hearing loss to listen, speak, and think in
preparation for inclusion in neighborhood schools.
Services include early intervention (0 to 3 yrs),
Auditory-Verbal therapy (3 to school age), blended preschool/pre-K classes (3 to 5 yrs), and consultations.
A summer program is offered in addition to services
provided during the school year.
10243 W. National Avenue, West Allis, WI 53227 414604-2200(Voice) 414-604-7200 (Fax) www.cdhh.org
(Website) Amy Peters Lalios, M.A., CC-A, LSLS, Cert.
AVT® as well as five LSLS Cert. AVEds. Nonprofit agency
located in the Milwaukee area provides comprehensive
auditory programming to individuals with hearing
loss, from infants to the elderly. The Birth to Three
program serves children from throughout Southeastern
Wisconsin, including education in the home, toddler
communication groups, and individual speech therapy.
AV Therapy is also provided to school-age children
locally as well as through an interactive long-distance
therapy program. Pre- and post-cochlear implant
training is provided for adults and communication
strategies and speechreading is offered to individuals as
well as in small groups.
51
INTERNATIONAL
nAustralia
Telethon Speech & Hearing Centre for
Children WA (Inc), 36 Dodd Street, Wembley WA
6014, Australia • 61-08-9387-9888 (phone) • 61-089387-9888 (fax) • speech@tsh.org.au • www.tsh.org.au •
Our oral language programs include: hearing impairment
programs for children under 5 and school support
services, Talkabout program for children with delayed
speech and language, audiology services, Ear Clinic for
hard to treat middle ear problems, Variety WA Mobile
Children’s Ear Clinic, newborn hearing screening and
Cochlear Implant program for overseas children.
List of Advertisers
Advanced Bionics...............................................................................................Inside Back Cover
Auditory-Oral School of San Francisco...................................................................................... 41
Auditory-Verbal Center, Inc (Atlanta)........................................................................................... 23
Central Institute for the Deaf ....................................................................................................... 20
Clarke School for the Deaf ............................................................................................................ 9
University of Newcastle, Graduate School.
GradSchool, Services Building, University of Newcastle,
Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia • 61-2-49218856
(voice) • 61-2-49218636 (fax) • gs@newcastle.edu.au
(email) • www.gradschool.com.au (website). Master
of Special Education distance education through the
University of Newcastle. Program provides pathways
through specialisations in Generic Special Education,
Emotional Disturbance/Behaviour Problems, Sensory
Disability, Early Childhood Special Education. The
Master of Special Education (Sensory Disability
Specialisation) is available through the Renwick Centre
and is administered by the Australian Royal Institute
for Deaf and Blind Children. Program information and
application is via GradSchool: www.gradschool.com.au,
+61249218856, or email gs@newcastle.edu.au.
DePaul School for Hearing and Speech .................................................................................... 18
DuBard School for Language Disorders ................................................................................... 31
Ear Technology Corporation........................................................................................................ 35
Harris Communications................................................................................................................ 43
Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for the Deaf................................................................49
Logital Company, Ltd. ................................................................................................................. 50
nCanada
Montreal Oral School for the Deaf, 4670
St. Catherine Street, West, Westmount, QC, Canada
H3Z 1S5 • 514-488-4946 (voice/ tty) • 514-488-0802
(fax) • info@montrealoralschool.com (email) • www.
montrealoralschool.com (website). Parent-infant
program (0-3 years old). Full-time educational program
(3-12 years old). Mainstreaming program in regular
schools (elementary and secondary). Audiology, cochlear
implant and other support services.
Saskatchewan Pediatric Auditory
Rehabilitation Center (SPARC), Room 21, Ellis
Moog Center for Deaf Education........................................................................................... 39, 44
National Technical Institute for the Deaf/RIT.............................................................................. 48
National Cued Speech Association ........................................................................................... 37
Oticon Pediatrics . ..............................................................................................Inside Front Cover
St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf.................................................................................................. 51
Hall, Royal University Hospital, Saskatoon, SK, S7N
0W8, Canada • 306-655-1320 (voice) • 306-655-1316
(fax) • lynne.brewster@usask.ca (e-mail) • www.usask.
ca/healthsci/sparc • Rehabilitative services including
Auditory-Verbal Therapy for children with hearing
impairments. (Birth through school age).
Sound Aid Hearing Aid Warranties ............................................................................................ 45
Children’s Hearing and Speech Centre of
British Columbia (formerly, The Vancouver Oral
Sound Clarity, Inc. ........................................................................................................................ 13
Centre for Deaf Children), 3575 Kaslo Street, Vancouver,
British Columbia, V5M 3H4, Canada, 604-437-0255
(voice), 604-437-1251 (tty), 604-437-0260 (fax) - www.
childrenshearing.ca (website). Our auditory-oral
program includes: on-site audiology, cochlear implant
mapping, parent-infant guidance, auditory-verbal
therapy, music therapy, preschool, K, Primary 1-3;
itinerant services.
nEngland
The Speech, Language and Hearing Centre,
Christopher Place, 1-5 Christopher Place, Chalton Street,
Euston, London NW1 1JF, England • 0114-207-383-3834
(voice) • 0114-207-383-3099 (fax) • info@speechlang.
org.uk (e-mail) • www.speech-lang.org.uk • Assessment,
nursery school and therapeutic centre for children
under 5 with hearing impairment or speech/language
difficulties.
52 Sorenson Communications ........................................................................................................ 42
Sprint Relay .................................................................................................................................. 46
Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children.............................................................................. 33
Tucker-Maxon Oral School............................................................................................................ 4
AG Bell 2010 Biennial Convention .............................................................................. Back Cover
AG Bell 2010 Biennial Convention (Call for Papers) ................................................................... 7
AG Bell – Financial Aid . ............................................................................................................... 47
AG Bell – Listening & Spoken Language Library ...................................................................... 25
We’ve Been in
Your Shoes
Advanced Bionics has answers for
helping your child hear their best.
You want your hearing-impaired child to learn, play, grow, and talk right along with their normalhearing peers. Cochlear implants can bring the rich world of sound to your child and help
them develop the language skills needed to succeed in life. With Advanced Bionics’ Connect
to Mentor program, you can learn more about cochlear implants and have all your questions
answered by someone who’s really been there—the parent of a child with a cochlear implant.
Connect to a mentor of your very own today by visiting bionicear.com/ctm
or calling the Bionic Ear Association at 866-844-HEAR (4327)
J
oin friends, colleagues, advocates and
families in Orlando, Fla., June 25-28, 2010,
for an exciting experience. Advance your
knowledge and skills, learn about the latest
products and services, and expand your
network of people committed to listening
and spoken language for all children
with hearing loss.
endless
possibilities
Advocating Independence through Listening and Talking!
Attend the 2010 AG Bell Biennial Convention
JUNE 25-28, 2010
HILTON BONNET CREEK HOTEL
ORLANDO, FLORIDA

voices - Alexander Graham Bell Association

Transcription

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