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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
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Telepractice –
A Global Matter
Volume 20, Issue 1
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January/February 2013
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Real Life Challenges
How can you make sure
he is hearing what she’s saying?
The most efficient way to help children overcome noise and distance and focus in
classrooms is by providing good quality instruments and FM solutions. But what
constitutes good? If a child has wide-bandwidth instruments, and the FM system
cannot exploit this bandwidth, precious high frequency sounds may be lost.
While some systems use valuable bandwidth on transmitting data rather than
speech, Oticon Amigo transmitters focus their power on capturing and delivering
vital high-frequency details. So you needn’t be in any doubt as to which system
provides more speech cues.
Oticon Amigo FM – wider bandwidth for more speech
A difference in sound quality
“With the new digital hearing aids,
the frequency response is going out
so much farther. Being able to hear
your ‘s’ and ‘t’ is so important for
speech. When we add the FM to it,
we don’t want it to interfere with the good way the
hearing aids have been fit. Now the FM systems are
going out to a higher frequency that’s just been
wonderful.”
Sandy Waters, MA, CCC-A
Educational Audiologist
TX
Let’s make it easier – together!
For a copy of a new comparative study showing improvement in speech perception in children with
hearing loss when using Amigo FM, contact pediatrics@oticonusa.com. And to see how we can help
you solve other Pediatric challenges, visit www.making-it-easierusa.com.
January/February 2013
ISSUE 1
12
VOICES
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16
20
30
Departments
Features
Voices from AG Bell
12 Telepractice – A Global Matter
By Arlene Stredler-Brown, CCC-SLP, CED
Telepractice is a new option to provide services to children and
families at a distance and to mentor professionals around the world.
3Shaping Our Future
5New Directions in Listening
and Spoken Language
16 101 FAQs About Auditory-Verbal Practice
By Rafael Alvarez
This new book introduces professionals and parents to the
philosophy and principles and contemporary practice of auditoryverbal therapy and education.
What’s New in the Knowledge Center
24 Helping You Navigate IDEA Part C
20
Advocacy in Action
26 Advancing Policy Initiatives
By Alana Nichols
This premier professional development event will focus on the latest
strategies and service delivery models for serving diverse children
and families.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL
28 Promover iniciativas de política
Hear Our Voices
30 Discovering New Sounds
In Every Issue
AG Bell 2013 Listening & Spoken Language
Symposium: Delivering Quality Services to
Children and Families
2
2
Advancing Listening and Spoken Language
– A 20-Year Look Back
By Melody Felzien
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the magazine, which has
evolved over the years to stay relevant and current on providing.
2 Want to Write for Volta Voices?
6 voices Contributors
8 Soundbites
32
Directory of Services
44
List of Advertisers
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.li s tening and s pokenl anguage.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.listeningandspokenlanguage.org
voice 202.337.5220
tty 202.337.5221 | fax 202.337.8314
Volta Voices Staff
Director of Communications and Marketing
Susan Boswell, CAE
Advertising, Exhibit and
Sponsorship Sales
The Townsend Group
Design and Layout
EEI Communications
AG Bell Board of Directors
President
Donald M. Goldberg, Ph.D.,
LSLS Cert. AVT (OH)
President-Elect
Meredith K. Knueve, Esq. (OH)
Immediate Past President
Kathleen S. Treni (NJ)
Secretary-Treasurer
Ted Meyer, M.D., Ph.D. (SC)
Executive Director/CEO
Alexander T. Graham (VA)
Joni Y. Alberg, Ph.D. (NC)
Corrine Altman (NV)
Rachel Arfa, Esq. (IL)
Evan Brunell (MA)
Holly Clark (VA)
Wendy Ban Deters, M.S., CCC-SLP (IL)
Kevin Franck, Ph.D., MBA, CCC-A (MA)
Catharine McNally (VA)
Lyn Robertson, Ph.D. (OH)
Want to Write for Volta
Voices?
Volta Voices?
Submissions to Volta Voices
Volta Voices welcomes submissions from
both AG Bell members and nonmembers.
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
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.
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.
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
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).
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.listeningandspokenlanguage.org
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.listeningandspokenlanguage.org and select
“About AG Bell” for advertising information.
VOLTA VOICES Volume 20, Issue 1, January/February (ISSN 1074-8016) is published 6 times per year in J/F, M/A, M/J, S/O, and N/D for $50 per year by Alexander Graham Bell Association
for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, 3417 Volta Pl, NW, Washington, DC, 20007. Periodicals postage is paid at Washington, DC, and other additional offices. 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 $115 domestic and $135 international (postage included in both prices). Back issues, when
available, are $7.50 plus shipping and handling.
Copyright ©2013 by the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc., 3417 Volta Pl., NW, Washington, DC 20007. 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
On the cover: Telepractice is quickly becoming a reliable and successful way to develop listening and spoken language, regardless of location.
Credit: Todd Houston
VOICES FROM AG BELL
Shaping Our Future
W
hen the AG Bell
Board of Directors
met in November
2012, there was recognition that the association is at an
important juncture. The AG Bell Board
of Directors, which is representative of
all members of the association, is strategically positioned to shape the future
of the association and will continue to
work with all constituencies.
The development of the Listening
and Spoken Language Knowledge
Center, which launched in May 2012,
gives the association a stronger platform to provide information to children and adults with hearing loss
and the professionals that support
them. The Knowledge Center has
been a critical means for sharing
information on key topics of interest, highlighting your stories and
experiences, and raising awareness of
key advocacy issues. The Knowledge
Center recently featured a question and answer article with AG Bell
Public Affairs Council Chair John
Stanton, who provided an analysis of
the implications of the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities on existing U.S. law
and the rights of children with hearing
loss and their families. The Knowledge
Center is an essential resource for
parents and is in a position to guide
them right from the beginning to
help parents take the first steps
to advocate for their child. A new
resource on Part C of the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act helps
parents seek early intervention services
for their infants and young children
that are right for them.
In addition, the Knowledge Center
shines a spotlight on the work of AG
Bell supporters, such as Jonathan, a
VOLTA VOICES • J ANUARY /F EBRUARY 201 3 14-year-old who is in foster care and
received bilateral cochlear implants
through the Medical University of
South Carolina and Medicaid. He
came to Washington, D.C., to meet his
Congressional representatives and to
advocate for greater reimbursement for
a technology that has changed his life
and allowed him to hear music.
includes some of the founding members,
who have been instrumental in shaping its history, and currently includes
those who are serving in leadership
roles to guide AG Bell as it strategically
plans for the future. At the AG Bell
2012 Convention this past summer,
more than 40 adults who are deaf and
hard of hearing gathered for a Town
As AG Bell continues to advance its
mission, adults who are deaf or hard of
hearing are seeking to strengthen and
renew their affiliation with an organization
that represents their unique identity as
individuals who choose to listen and talk
and who are succeeding in the mainstream.
Making the world aware of the
possibilities of listening and spoken
language for children with hearing
loss, like Jonathan and many others,
is an important role of the Knowledge
Center. In my travels to Australia, and
more recently to Belgium and Holland,
I am reminded that for many parts of
the world, hearing loss is not always
strongly associated with listening and
spoken language. AG Bell needs to
continue in its role of advocating for
independence through listening and
talking. We need to positively inf luence
perceptions and attitudes worldwide so
that hearing loss will become associated
with the great achievements of each
new generation of children with hearing
loss. Our children are our best ambassadors–for themselves and for us!
AG Bell also recognizes another
important voice within our organization–adults who are deaf and hard of
hearing. This community of individuals
Hall discussion to share their thoughts,
concerns, needs and suggestions for the
future. These comments were presented
to the AG Bell Board of Directors during our November meeting.
As AG Bell continues to advance its
mission, adults who are deaf or hard of
hearing are seeking to strengthen and
renew their affiliation with an organization that represents their unique identity as individuals who choose to listen
and talk and who are succeeding in the
mainstream. They would like to connect with others as part of the association that has brought them together and
has served as a meeting place and focal
point throughout their lives–and to
serve as a resource for the organization.
“I’ve been interested in staying
involved with AG Bell because it is a
nexus through which peers can meet each
other,” said one adult with hearing loss
who responded to a recent survey by Evan
Brunell, an AG Bell board member.
3
VOICES FROM AG BELL
At the same time, adults who are
deaf and hard of hearing are an incredibly valued resource to AG Bell as
talented and diverse individuals, and
they have a lot of offer the association.
Adults serve as role models and a source
of support for parents, professionals
and children who are deaf and hard of
hearing as well as a younger generation
of adults who are deaf and hard of hearing who are beginning to make their
way in the world.
Another survey participant noted,
“People who stay involved want to be
a resource for parents, educators and
younger people in the organization
and that other adults have similar
life experiences, as we all lost our
hearing at a young age or were born
with hearing loss. Adults who are
deaf and hard of hearing want to be
a resource and be on panels at the
conventions to share their experiences
and advice.”
These adults have a valuable role to
play in the organization as peer and parent mentors that can share their wealth
of experience and expertise on a wide
variety of topics to parents, children,
teens and peers, promoting a cycle
of successful outcomes for individuals who can eventually pay it forward
and become role models and mentors
themselves. This mentoring is already
occurring within AG Bell through the
Knowledge Center as our online community grows and connects through
social media channels.
For many years, AG Bell has been
a gathering place where friendships
are made that last a lifetime. We look
forward to benefiting from the continued talents of adults who are deaf and
hard of hearing who have much to offer
the community as we continue to learn
about hearing loss, connect through the
Knowledge Center and through other
venues, and advocate for independence
through listening and talking.
Sincerely,
Donald M. Goldberg, Ph.D.,
CCC-SLP/A, LSLS Cert. AVT
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:
editor@agbell.org
Or online:
Support where
students need it.
Clarke Mainstream Services has been
a resource for families and schools mainstreaming students with hearing loss for
more than 30 years. Through a variety of
customizable services, we work with students, parents and school professionals to
provide information, support and teaching
services to help ensure that every child has
the chance to reach their full potential.
Itinerant Teacher Services
Consulting Services
Comprehensive Educational Evaluations
Transitional Planning
Acoustical Classroom Evaluations
“The professionals at Clarke
Mainstream Services have
always kept the best interests of
children as their main focus.”
—Special Education Director
To learn more, email mainstream@clarkeschools.org
or visit clarkeschools.org/mainstream.
Boston • Jacksonville • New York • Northampton • Philadelphia
clarkeschools.org Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech provides children who are deaf and hard of hearing
with the listening, learning and spoken language skills they need to succeed.
4
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VOLTA VOICES • JANUARY / FEBRUARY 201 3
EDITOR’S NOTE
New Directions in Listening
and Spoken Language
T
his issue highlights some of
the exciting developments
in the field of listening
and spoken language that
are increasing our knowledge and
providing new strategies and technologies to serve a wide range of children
and families.
The Volta Review recently published
a monograph on “Current Knowledge
and Best Practices for Telepractice,”
which highlights the ways in which
programs around the world are using
the Internet and teleconferencing
technology to bridge the distance
between professionals and families to
deliver listening and spoken language
services, making these services more
accessible than ever before. Telepractice
also connects professionals worldwide
for mentoring and clinical observation.
In “Telepractice–A Global Matter,”
we provide highlights of the monograph and share the current state of
the technology as well as considerations
for providing services through this
emerging service delivery platform.
This monograph also marks the first
time that professionals can receive
Continuing Education Units for
reading the journal–turn to p. 15
for more information.
For the first time in more than
a decade, AG Bell will debut the
publication of a new book, 101
Frequently Asked Questions About
Auditory-Verbal Practice: Promoting
Listening and Spoken Language for
Children who are Deaf and Hard of
Hearing and Their Families. The
article “101 FAQs” provides an
overview of this exciting new
development that is a collaboration
of more than 100 Listening and
Spoken Language Specialists (LSLS™ )
who have joined forces to update the
VOLTA VOICES • J ANUARY /F EBRUARY 201 3 knowledge in the field for a new
generation of families, children
and professionals. This book is
available in both a print version
and an e-reader version that is
compatible with every major
e-reader on the market.
Don’t miss the preview of the
exciting developments underway
for the AG Bell 2013 Listening &
Spoken Language Symposium on
July 18-20 at the Omni Los Angeles
Hotel. We provide highlights of
the upcoming conference and the
programming that is designed to
provide new research and strategies
to support the delivery of quality
services to children and families.
This issue also marks the 20th
anniversary of Volta Voices and
takes you on a journey through
the evolution of the magazine
over time to become a publication
that is relevant and current for
readers today.
A new column, “Advocacy in
Action,” highlights the many ways
that AG Bell has been active on
Capitol Hill over the past year to
advocate for independence through
listening and talking. Finally, we
include another iteration of “Hear
Our Voices,” which introduces you
to Ryan Lopacinski who has a
profound hearing loss and is
interested in elevator architecture.
Thank you for reading. As
always, if you have a story idea or
would like to submit an article for
publication, please contact AG Bell at
editor@agbell.org with your comments
and suggestions. AG Bell is actively
seeking contributors for 2013, and I
encourage you to write about what
you want to read and submit it for
consideration.
Best regards,
Susan Boswell
My Problems, God’s Solutions
by George W. Fellendorf, Ed.D., former Executive Director of
the Bell Association and Editor of the Volta Review from 1962-1978
“This book is a beautiful narrative…We see the Lord’s hand in the life
of a man who knows that he does not have all the answers, but believes
with all his heart that His gracious God does.”—Kenneth R. Klaus,
pastor and Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
12
$
plus shipping
for paperback
or 3-disk cd
This highly readable book chronicles Fellendorf ’s change in career
from electrical engineer to special education following the birth of
his hearing impaired daughter. The book covers teen social problems,
scholastic challenges and experiences at private and public schools.
My Problems, God’s Solutions by George Fellendorf is available
in paperback or 3-disk CD (read by the author). To order, go to
www.myproblemsgodssolutions.com or call 603-357-9096.
5
Voices contributors
Rafael Alvarez is a lifelong
Baltimore storyteller whose
work is inseparable from the
city he loves. A longtime
rewrite man on the City
Desk of the Baltimore Sun, he has
published “A People’s History of the
Archdiocese of Baltimore” and wrote
scripts for the HBO drama “The Wire.” Melody Felzien is a
freelance editor and writer
living in Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada. She previously
worked in AG Bell’s
communication department and served
as editor of Volta Voices for four years.
She continues to be involved with
The Volta Review as its managing
editor. She may be contacted at
mgfelzien@gmail.com.
6
Alana Nichols was born and
raised in Taipei, Taiwan.
Profoundly deaf in both ears
with a common cavity
malformation, she underwent
experimental surgery and received
auditory-verbal therapy while growing up.
After their experiences with Alana, her
parents started the Children’s Hearing
Foundation in Taiwan, which has since
expanded its resources to China and
Japan, helping thousands of children with
hearing loss. Her mother, Joanna Nichols,
was the 2010 recipient of AG Bell’s
prestigious Volta Award.
Elizabeth Reed-Martinez,
author of “What’s New in the
Knowledge Center,” is the
Knowledge Center manager
for AG Bell. Before joining AG
Bell in 2009, Reed-Martinez was responsible for developing and implementing
e-learning programs for the Society of
Human Resource Management. She holds
a B.S. in business administration from
Bay Path College and an M.A. in human
resource development and training from
The George Washington University.
Arlene Stredler-Brown, M.A.,
CCC-SLP, CED, is director of
The Keystone Project in
Boulder, CO, and an adjunct
faculty at the University of
British Columbia and the University of
Northern Colorado. She is currently funded
as a fellow with the National Leadership
Consortium for Sensory Disabilities
(NLCSD) while working toward her
doctoral degree. Contact her by email at
arlene.brown@colorado.edu
VOLTA VOICES • JANUARY / F EBRUARY 201 3
"With my cochlear
implant, I was able
to happily attend
mainstream schools and
successfully achieve
my own personal and
career goals."
Holly M. –
Cochlear ™ Nucleus® Implant User
Growing up with Cochlear!
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and five sound processor upgrades later, Holly continues to enjoy the
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1
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Request your free information packet from the Cochlear Concierge today.
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You should talk to your physician about who is a candidate for cochlear implantation, the associated risks and benefits, and CDC
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additional information please refer to the Nucleus Package Insert available at www.CochlearAmericas.com/NucleusIndications
FUN1669 ISS1 SEP12
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©2012 Cochlear Limited. All rights reserved. Hear Now. And Always and other
trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of Cochlear Limited.
Follow us on
SOUND
NEWS BITES
Meet AG Bell’s
Secretary/Treasurer
AG Bell is pleased to
announce the appointment
of board member Ted A.
Meyer, M.D., Ph.D., as its
secretary-treasurer. Meyer
joined the AG Bell board of directors
in 2011 and is currently serving a
three-year term.
“I am thrilled at the opportunity to
work with individuals who are deaf
or hard of hearing and their families
in a very personal way,” said Meyer.
“I look forward to helping AG Bell
build on its programs and strengths
as it continues to grow and evolve.”
To read more about Meyer, visit
ListeningandSpokenLanguage.org.
Language Outcomes,
Service Provision of
Preschool Children with
Hearing Loss
A recent study concluded that
children with congenital hearing
loss who enter early intervention at
an early age show persistent benefits
on verbal comprehension scores
at a preschool age. These children
continue to need comprehensive
education services. The study,
which was published in the July 2012
issue of Early Human Development,
included assessments of language,
adaptive behavior and resource needs
at a mean age of 60 months. Effects of
age of enrollment in early intervention
and degree of hearing loss were
evaluated. The study was based on the
premise that children with congenital
hearing loss have an increased risk
of speech and language delays and
require increased resource needs.
8
In Memoriam
Dr. William F. House, 89, “Father of Neurotology” and
Pioneer of Cochlear Implant
Dr. William House, often referred to as the “Father of Neurotology,” passed
away at his home in Aurora, Oregon, on Friday, Dec. 7, 2012. He was 89 years
old. Among his many accomplishments, and perhaps his most profound,
is his development of the cochlear implant. “He persevered despite resistance by established medicine. They said it could not be done and he should
not continue this work. Millions of deaf children and adults are now hearing
because of his pioneering work,” said John House, M.D., nephew of William
House. Another pioneering development was an approach for removing
acoustic tumors and managing patients with disabling vertigo.
He is noted by the American Academy of Otolaryngology to have developed more new concepts in otology than almost any other single person in
history. He received many awards in his lifetime, including the Physician of
the Year award in 1985 by the President’s Committee on Employment of the
Handicapped. Patrick Stone, past president of AG Bell recalled, “In 1992 I had
the privilege of presenting the [AG Bell] Honors of the Association to Dr. House
at the convention in San Diego. It was a special moment for me as we were
good friends.” House is survived by his children Karen and David House, as
well as grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Parent Experiences
with Diagnostic Hearing
Assessment
An article, published in the June
2012 issue of the American Journal
of Audiology, examined parent
experiences with diagnostic hearing
assessment. The results of the
study, “Early Hearing Detection and
Intervention: Parent Experiences with
the Diagnostic Hearing Assessment,”
showed that for babies born between
2006 and 2009, the most frequently
reported challenge to obtaining a
diagnostic hearing evaluation by
3 months of age was a delay in
appointment availability. Twentyseven percent of parents reported
that they did not feel comfortable
in knowing what they needed to do
next after talking with the audiologist
at the time their child was diagnosed
with hearing loss.
The authors reported that
while significant progress has
been made over the past two
decades in reducing the age of
hearing loss identification, many
parents in this study experienced
challenges that resulted in delays
that exceeded Joint Committee
on Infant Hearing (2007) recommendations of diagnosis by 3
months of age. The parentreported experiences provide
valuable information about areas
that need further investigation to
improve the early hearing detection
and intervention process for
children with hearing loss.
BITES
CHAPTERS
Please join Hear Indiana for the 10th Annual Talk Walk Run on April 27, 2013.
Last year, Hear Indiana raised a record $70,000 for chapter programs, including
educational programming, emotional support, advocacy and its week-long
camp for children with hearing loss who listen and speak. The 2013 Talk Walk
Run Ambassador is Joey Blansette, a 10-year-old boy who attends Ochard
Park Elementary school in Carmel, Ind. He attended Hear Indiana’s camp this
past summer and recently received a cochlear implant. In 2012, Joey’s team,
“Carmel Masonic Lodge,” raised a total of $6,375! You don’t have to live in
Indiana to join the fun. Visit TalkWalkRun.com to start your team. You can join
us in person or become a virtual walker.
Rainbow Media Productions
The Michigan Chapter held a Fall Family Conference at the end of October.
Conference Chair Diane Hodgin planned a comprehensive program complete
with perfect fall weather. Corporate friends generously donated door prizes,
such as a Comfort Audio Contego FM System, an electronic hearing aid drying
kit, a telephone alerting system and sponsored the children’s activities. About
50 participants, including about a dozen children, attended the event. Sessions
for families included information about assistive listening devices presented
by HARC Mercantile, parent advocacy training presented by Teresa Sundberg,
and cochlear implants presented by Teresa A. Zwolan, Ph.D., CCC-A, of
the University of Michigan Cochlear Implant Program. Five students led by
experienced teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing supervised the children’s
program. At the end of the day, the children donned impromptu costumes and
acted out “The Big Pumpkin” by Erica Silverman, a book about Halloween.
More than 80 children, parents, families and friends participated in the Nevada
Chapter Annual Bowling Charity Event at Sam’s Town Bowling Center, where
children with hearing loss were recipients of a brand new bowling ball and a
pair of bowling shoes. The event also
helps raise chapter funds for additional events throughout the year,
and builds awareness, advocacy and
parental education. We appreciate the
efforts of our corporate sponsors: K&K
Bowling Services, Sam’s Town Bowling
Center, Cochlear, Starkey Hearing
Technologies, Turner Reporting and
Captioning Services, U-Swirl Frozen
Rep. Diana Titus, a legislative advocate for
Yogurt, Anderson Dairy, and American
hearing loss, with children attending the
Family Insurance Co.
bowling event.
The Wisconsin Chapter was recently reinvigorated by parents and professionals and hosted a successful first Fall family event in September at a local
pumpkin farm with more than 40 participants. Contact Melanie Ribich at
melribich@hotmail.com for more information about the chapter and future events.
VOLTA VOICES • J ANUARY /F EBRUARY 201 3 Compiled by:
Alana Nichols
Interactive Web-Based
Newborn Hearing
Screening Training
Curriculum
Developed as a way to standardize
training and to improve the quality
of care for newborn hearing
screening and follow-up, a interactive web-based course from
the National Center for Hearing
Assessment and Management
(NCHAM) provides screeners and
stakeholders—including pediatricians—with an understanding of
the comprehensive nature of a
quality program and provides the
necessary instruction to perform
in their role.
This interactive web course
gives screeners the ability to proceed
through the curriculum at their own
pace and includes a number of
related resources, as well as supplemental materials and links. For
example, screeners who may want
to learn more about their specific
state Early Hearing Detection and
Intervention (EHDI) program can click
on a link that will take them directly
to their state EHDI profile. There are
also updated scripts for screeners to
use when communicating with
parents in English and Spanish.
A Skills Checklist is included in
the Resource Section to provide
guidance in ensuring key competencies are addressed. A certificate
of completion is awarded to
those who register for the course
and pass the post test. Visit
www.infanthearing.org/infant_
screening_course/index.html
to access this resource.
9
SOUND BITES
AG Bell Members in the Media
Good Housekeeping Shares Perspectives on Raising
Children with Hearing Loss
AG Bell members Kelly Halacka Gilkey and Shon Halacka are featured in
the December 2012 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine. The humaninterest article features the mother/daughter team and shares their
perspectives on raising children with hearing loss and living life as an
individual with profound hearing loss. Gilkey received her cochlear implant
in December of 2011 and has spent the past year participating in auditoryverbal therapy at the Cleveland Clinic with Rachel Vovos and Donald
Goldberg, AG Bell president. Halacka is president of the Michigan Chapter
of AG Bell, and Gilkey is past president of the Ohio Chapter of AG Bell
and remains involved with the chapter as a board member. The article was
developed after a public relations staff member from the Cleveland Clinic
asked Gilkey if she would be interested in sharing her experiences with her
cochlear implant to a wider audience, and Good Housekeeping picked up
the story. Share your media successes! If you or your chapter has been featured in
the media, please let AG Bell know and contact sboswell@agbell.org.
Virginia EHDI Social
Media Resources
In May 2010 the Virginia Early Hearing
Detection and Intervention (VEHDI)
program posted two eight-minute videos
to YouTube titled “Loss & Found,” which
are available in English and Spanish.
The videos feature parents discussing
what to do if a baby does not pass the
first hearing screening. The “Lost and
Found” video also includes an abridged
30-second version which was used as a
televised public service announcement to
promote newborn hearing screening. The
televised version aired in the Richmond
and Hampton Roads markets this past
summer. In addition, VEHDI also has
created a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/vehdi to provide unbiased,
balanced educational information to all
stakeholders including parents, primary
care providers, and audiologists.
Mom
’s Ch
Awar oice
ds
Gold
Winn
er!
Please visit us at
www.almigal.com
and on Facebook!
Meet Almigal, a spunky little girl with a BIG personality
who’s determined to hear “every single sound in
the whole entire universe!”
Available through Amazon and Independent Publishers
Group (IPG)
ISBN: 978-0-9838294-0-9 / $16.99
Contact Wendy to inquire about speaking engagements,
school visits and book signings.
P: 561.654.8680 E: wendyk@almigal.com
10
5% of sa
les
deaf chil supports
dren
“This is the cutest book for kids!”
“You can’t help but fall in love
with Almigal.”
“Parents...get this!”
“Almigal is a great role model.”
Telepractice
A Global Matter
By Arlene Stredler-Brown, CCC-SLP, CED
F
rom the telegraph to the telephone
through the present-day use of
the Internet, a true evolution has
occurred in the means by which
health care, medicine, rehabilitation and
intervention can be delivered over distances.
For well over 150 years, individuals have
utilized existing communication technology
as a means to relay or transmit health-related
information (Bashshur & Shannon, 2009).
When the technology did not exist or failed
to do an adequate job, innovation led to new
technological advancements or the enhancement of devices already in use. Since the
prefix “tele-” is the Greek root word meaning
distant or remote, telepractice is simply practice over distance (Darkins & Cary, 2000).
12
Telepractice can be used to deliver early
intervention, therapeutic and educational
services to children who are deaf and hard
of hearing (DHH). For infants and toddlers, telepractice can provide early access
to family-centered services that are delivered by experts in hearing loss, irrespective
of where either party lives. For school-age
students, telepractice has the potential
to connect learners with experienced
listening and spoken language professionals, including teachers of the DHH and
speech-language pathologists who may not
be assigned to a student’s school.
This service delivery platform is rapidly
advancing and includes initiatives within
several professional disciplines serving
this population: speech-language pathology, audiology, education of individuals
who are DHH and early childhood special
education. Telepractice can also be used
to provide professional training to benefit
children. Telepractice can cross state lines,
with appropriate considerations given to
licensure and reimbursement. Services
can also be delivered to children when the
professional and the child live in different
countries. Telepractice is, indeed, a global
matter.
For many years, the technology to provide telepractice was not readily available.
And for some, the cost was prohibitive.
However, as the articles in a recent Volta
Review monograph on telepractice repeat-
Recommendations
for Future Program
Development
edly attest, today the equipment is readily
available and cost effective (StredlerBrown, 2012). Now, interested parties can
turn their sights to the practical implementation of this emerging practice.
Authors for the articles in Current
Knowledge and Best Practices for
Telepractice were strategically selected to
share experiences and expertise from the
perspectives of a variety of different professional disciplines. By representing different
perspectives, we are supporting and
promoting collaborative delivery systems,
and provide here considerations and recommendations for program development
and program enhancement to promote the
future of telepractice options.
VOLTA VOICES • J ANUARY /F EBRUARY 201 3 Scheduling
Some practitioners report challenges
integrating telepractice into busy practice
workflows (Puskin et al., 2010). However,
this concern may be offset with comments from other telepractice providers
who attest to less episodic care and greater
frequency and intensity of care (Speedie et
al., 2008).
Perhaps the solution to this contradiction
is to shift providers’ ways of thinking
Technology
so
that
telepractice is perceived as a “value
The audio and video components of technoladded” service. In this context, “value
ogy, as well as the synchronicity of the two
added” can be defined as characteristics of
signals, need to be addressed (Puskin et al.,
2010). The standards for delivering this ser- telepractice that go beyond the standard
vice to children who are DHH may need to expectations of intervention or education
for the child and, in so doing, provide a
meet a higher standard than those adopted
benefit to that client at little or no addiby other professions. For instance, a higher
speed for video transmission may be needed tional cost.
In the field of psychology, Nelson and
to allow for the transmission of visual comcolleagues (2006) suggest that telepracmunication supports (e.g. sign language
tice allows for easy access to the provider
and speech reading) in real time. Because
after therapy has ended. These “booster”
some treatments focus on the development
of listening and spoken language, there will sessions are conducted more easily
likely be a need for enhanced audio as well. than in-person follow-up sessions. It is
postulated that these booster sessions
Puskin and colleagues (2010) recommend
facilitate positive long-term outcomes for
asking providers about the specific features
the client.
they want in any technology that is used.
Todd Houston
Todd Houston
The fields of rehabilitative care can look
at the accomplishments and challenges
experienced in the medical profession and
plan accordingly. For instance, the medical
profession operates on the assumption that
care is inextricably linked to the location of the provider (Speedie et al., 2008).
Telepractice challenges this assumption;
yet, careful attention must be given to alter
it. Telepractice also carries with it some
practical and logistical challenges, such
as licensure, privacy and reimbursement.
Some of the recommendations for programs adopting telepractice, or enhancing
existing initiatives, are discussed here.
In addition to using the appropriate
hardware (e.g., screen size, screen resolution), access to appropriate connectivity
must be assured. Program personnel must
investigate access to broadband telecommunications, which may be available in a
family’s home, a local school building and/
or the professionals’ offices.
Advances in video technology have provided new ways in which children with hearing loss can
develop listening and spoken language skills.
13
Hybrid Activities
Some providers of telepractice wish for
or conduct some of their tasks in the
face-to-face condition. For instance, some
providers prefer to meet the client, in person, during the first encounter (B. Hecht,
personal communication, May 23, 2012).
Others rely on the face-to-face condition
to conduct developmental assessments
(K.T. Houston, personal communication,
April 28, 2010; A. Peters-Lalios, personal
communication, May 26, 2010).
In the field of psychology, Wade and
colleagues (2005) pair telepractice sessions
with self-guided online sessions for children
with traumatic brain injury. The online
material includes didactic content regarding
specific skills, video clips showing individuals and families modeling a skill, and
exercises and assignments that provide family members with opportunities to practice
a skill. This strategy could be easily adapted
for parents of children who are DHH.
Evaluation of the
Telepractice Platform
Assessment is an integral aspect of intervention (Stredler-Brown, 2010). Assessment
results allow the professional to monitor the
rate of progress made by the child and, in so
doing, support high expectations. Ideally,
a program already collects performance
data and this routinely-collected data can
be utilized to document child outcomes
More Research Is Needed
when the service delivery platform changes
to telepractice. Once telepractice starts,
evaluation of children’s progress is critical. This information can guide decision
makers in other programs to adopt and/
or expand their use of telepractice. Puskin
and colleagues (2010) warn that attempts
to collect special data in a special format
specifically for telepractice may compromise compliance and potentially limit the
amount of data that is available. It would be
more efficient to integrate specific questions
about telepractice into an established assessment protocol.
The documents published by the American
Speech-Language-Hearing Association
(2005a, b, c; 2010) repeatedly state the
need for outcome data to evaluate the
efficiency, clinical effectiveness, and levels
of satisfaction of clients and providers. The
literature compels professionals to conduct
more research related specifically to the
effectiveness and efficacy of treatment
(Cason, 2009; Heimerl & Rasch, 2009).
The Human Factor
It is critical for any program utilizing
telepractice to secure buy-in from the
clinicians (Puskin, 2010). Specialists in
information technology (IT) can offer
support for the equipment and telecommunications connectivity. Support for
the therapeutic process can be provided
through careful access to materials.
Colleagues who have experienced the shift
from face-to-face delivery to telepractice
can also provide assistance. The hope is for
practitioners to perceive “value added” – in
this context, Puskin (2010) defines value
added as a person who loves their job…
and would quit if they didn’t have access
to telepractice.
Reimbursement
The first consideration when initiating telepractice is the cost of the capital
investment in equipment, including
hardware and broadband access. Next,
reimbursement for the therapy needs
to be studied. The reimbursement for
therapeutic and/or educational services
will vary depending on a client’s health
insurance, each state’s Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part
C regulations, and relevant school district
policies. As of 2012, 14 states require
private-sector insurance companies to
pay for telepractice services delivered by
speech-language pathologists (Brannon,
2012). As of 2009, Medicaid programs
in 23 states reimburse for telepractice
(Brown, 2009).
Sustainability
14
VOLTA VOICES • J ANUARY / F EBRUARY 201 3
Todd Houston
Telepractice provides a way for children with hearing loss and their families to access qualified
professionals, regardless of location.
Singh and colleagues (2010) report that
telepractice innovations often struggle
to endure after initial sponsorship
(e.g., grants) end. The advice offered by
Cradduck (2002) states that a telepractice
service is considered sustainable when it
is “no longer considered a special case,
but has been absorbed into routine health
care delivery” (p. 8). To accomplish this,
each professional discipline involved in
the effort needs to participate in planning
and evaluating the telepractice services
being offered. Any number of stakeholders
may be involved, including the organization providing the service, staff in public
schools receiving the service, IDEA Part
C programs funding early intervention,
university facilities, and specialists using
different communication approaches to
educate children who are DHH.
A path toward sustainable telepractice is described in detail by Singh
and colleagues (2010). These authors
initiated telepractice in a large public
health district in the state of Georgia.
Gain Valuable Insight, Earn CEUs!
With this issue of The Volta Review, AG Bell has debuted an ongoing
opportunity to earn AG Bell Academy continuing education units
(CEUs) just for reading the journal! Visit The Volta Review online at
ListeningandSpokenLanguage.org/TheVoltaReview to learn more about
this exciting new opportunity to expand your knowledge and earn CEUs.
The initial step was to develop a shared
vision among staff within an agency and,
shortly thereafter, cultivate participation
from people in organizations in other
communities. Together, the stakeholders
seek and develop new ideas to establish a
shared vision based on needs and potential participants. Then, funding sources
can be explored along with technological options. After this, administrative
processes can be established or improved.
It is highly recommended that multiple
agencies participate in the funding to
demonstrate their commitment and,
hence, to improve sustainability.
telepractice was the opportunity to provide
services to all children. This includes
audiological services, services to school-age
students and, interestingly, a prominent
focus on delivering early intervention.
The attention also goes beyond direct
services and includes support for enhancing
skills of professionals delivering the treatments. Hopefully, this is a trend that will
satisfy the recommendations from the Joint
Committee on Infant Hearing (2007) for
services to be delivered by professionals who
have the appropriate knowledge and skills
about childhood hearing loss.
Unique Opportunities for
Children Who Are DHH
For decades, individuals have utilized
communication technologies as a means to
relay or transmit health-related information (Bashshur & Shannon, 2009). By
fully understanding the past, practitioners can continue to shape the future of
telepractice to fully realize the potential of
this service delivery model. The content in
the Current Knowledge and Best Practices
When inviting professionals to share
their experiences implementing telepractice with children who are DHH, it was
evident that many initiatives were in place
around the country; the impact was sometimes worldwide. One central theme supporting the interest in and advancement of
References
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
(2005a). Speech-language pathologists
providing clinical services via telepractice
[Technical report]. Retrieved from http://www.
asha.org/practice/telepractice
(2005b). Speech-language pathologists
providing clinical services via telepractice
[Position statement]. Retrieved from http://www.
asha.org/practice/telepractice
(2005c). Knowledge and skills needed by
speech-language pathologists providing clinical
services via telepractice. Retrieved from http://
www.asha.org/policy
(2010). Professional issues in telepractice for
speech-language pathologists [Professional
issues statement]. Retrieved from http://www.
asha.org/policy
Bashshur, R. L., & Shannon, G. W. (2009). History
of telemedicine: Evolution, context, and
transformation. New Rochelle, NY: Mary Ann
Liebert, Inc.
Brannon, J. A. (2012, July 03). Two states pass
telemedicine coverage mandates. The ASHA
Leader, 8.
VOLTA VOICES • J ANUARY /F EBRUARY 201 3 Conclusion
Brown, J. (2009, November). Telepractice ethics,
licensure, and reimbursement. Paper presented
at the annual meeting of the American SpeechLanguage-Hearing Association, Las Vegas, NV.
Cason, J. (2009). A pilot telerehabilitation
program: Delivering early intervention services
to rural families. International Journal of
Telerehabilitation, 1(1), 29–37.
Cradduck, T. D. (2002). Sustainability: The holy
grail of telehealth? Journal of Telemedicine and
Telecare, 8(3), 7–8.
Darkins, A., & Cary, M. (2000). Telemedicine and
telehealth: Principles, Policies, Performance
and Pitfalls. New York: Springer Publishing
Company, Inc.
Heimerl, S. & Rasch, N. (2009). Delivering
developmental occupational therapy
consultation services through telehealth.
Developmental Disabilities Special Interest
Section Quarterly, 32(3), 1–4.
Joint Committee on Infant Hearing. (2007). Year 2007
position statement: Principles and guidelines for
early hearing detection and intervention programs.
Pediatrics, 102(4), 893–921.
Nelson, E., Barnard, M., & Cain, S. (2006).
Feasibility of telemedicine intervention for
childhood depression. Counselling and
Psychotherapy Research, 6(3), 191–195.
for Telepractice monograph provides an
opportunity for readers to discover the
growing trend to deliver services remotely.
The intent is for this body of information
to motivate readers to move forward with
this initiative.
There is a common theme throughout
the monograph—the incentive to harness
current technology to provide high-quality
intervention, both therapeutic and educational, to more children in the United
States and around the world. Children
who are DHH are unwitting members of
a low-incidence disability group. Where
a child lives need not dictate access to
services. Nor should one’s geographic
location dictate the type of services or
communication method chosen. Using
telepractice, each child has an opportunity to learn from experts who may live
at previously incapacitating distances
from a family’s home. Telepractice can
increase the efficiency and effectiveness of
services delivered in urban settings also.
And, telepractice can span time zones and
continents.
We have the technology. The broad
list of contributors to the monograph is
evidence that we, as a profession, have the
motivation. There are growing incentives.
Now, we need only take the information
we are garnering and apply it to benefit the
children we serve.
Puskin, D. (2010, February). Telehealth policy
considerations for teleaudiology: The future
is here. Paper presented at the National
Conference for Early Hearing Detection and
Intervention, Chicago, IL.
Puskin, D. S., Cohen, Z., Ferguson, A. S., Krupinski,
E., & Spaulding, R. (2010). Implementation and
evaluation of telehealth tools and technologies.
Telemedicine and e-Health, 16(1), 96–102.
Singh, R., Mathiassen, L., Stchura, M. E., &
Astapova, E. V. (2010). Sustainable rural
telehealth innovation: A public health case study.
Health Services Research, 45(4), 985–1004.
Speedie, S. M., Ferguson, A. S., Sanders, J., &
Doarn, C. R. (2008). Telehealth: The promise of
new care delivery models. Telemedicine and
e-Health, 14(9), 964–967.
Stredler-Brown, A. (2010). Communication choices and
outcomes during the early years: An assessment
and evidence-based approach. In M. Marschark
& P. E. Spencer (Eds.), Oxford handbook of deaf
studies, language, and education (pp. 292–315).
New York: Oxford University Press.
Stredler-Brown, A. (Ed.) (2012). Current knowledge
and best practices for telepractice. The Volta
Review, 112(3).
Wade, S. L., Wolfe, C. R., Brown, T. M., &
Pestian, J. P. (2005). Can a web-based family
problem-solving intervention work for children
with traumatic brain injury? Rehabilitation
Psychology, 50(4), 337–345.
15
101 FAQs About
Auditory-Verbal
Practice
Collaborative Project
Brings Knowledge to
Parents and
Professionals
By Rafael Alvarez
T
he landscape of therapy and
education for children with
hearing loss continues to
evolve. Today more than ever,
people all over the world are recognizing
the possibilities for children who are deaf
and hard of hearing to develop listening and spoken language. This exciting phenomenon has brought together
a worldwide community of more than
100 Listening and Spoken Language
Specialists (LSLS™) to join forces and
expand the knowledge base of the field
of auditory-verbal practice. The distilled
wisdom of the listening and spoken
language community is compiled in a
new book from AG Bell, “101 Frequently
16
Asked Questions About Auditory-Verbal
Practice: Promoting Listening and Spoken
Language for Children who are Deaf and
Hard of Hearing and Their Families.”
Steeped in the history, philosophy and
principles of auditory-verbal practice, the
book’s greatest strength is its demonstration of strategies and techniques that
promote effective development of listening
and spoken language. The book also helps
parents become their child’s primary
teachers on the journey to lifelong language development, literacy and independent thinking skills.
“The field of auditory-verbal practice
continues to evolve as the clinical and
educational landscapes change,” said
Warren Estabrooks, editor of 101 FAQs
About Auditory-Verbal Practice, “and this
book represents the ideologies of listening
and spoken language that have proven to
be successful.”
A Compendium of
Current Topics
The book’s mission is to share the philosophy, principles and contemporary
practice of auditory-verbal therapy and
education to support today’s families with
children with hearing loss, and to encourage professionals who have the privilege
of working with them. It is a collective
effort of many practitioners who worked
in the spirit of community to bring facts,
Courtesy of Warren Estabrooks
strong connection between listening and
spoken language as the foundation for
developing literacy and written language
for children with hearing loss. The book
also gives parents a solid understanding
of audiological testing as well as auditory
disorders they may encounter.
This compendium of information
emphasizes families today, supporting
the father’s role in their child’s language
development and addressing the needs of
children from bilingual and multilingual
households and families with socioeconomic challenges. Among the many issues
addressed are contemporary topics, such
as the effects of pediatric bilateral and
sequential cochlear implants on language
development and the needs of children
who receive a cochlear implant at a
“later age” or who have grown up using
a visual language system. Other topics
include executive functioning, theory of
mind, adult learning styles, techniques
and strategies in practice, storytelling
and educational supports in mainstream
environments. Most “responses” include
references on the topic and suggestions for
further reading.
A Collaborative Effort
Shepherding all of this information into a
single volume was something Estabrooks
has contemplated for some time. “This
new book compiles a comprehensive body
of knowledge and skills and was embraced
with a passion by the LSLS community,”
Estabrooks said. Although he is the editor
of this book, Estabrooks is adamant in
pointing out that “101 FAQs,” the biggest
thoughts, opinions, insights, experiences, work of its kind, represents the collaborative work of researchers and practitioners
successes and challenges to the reader.
engaged in auditory-verbal practice all
The “responses” provided to the 101
frequently asked questions about auditory- over the world.
Covering the nine domains of listening
verbal practice guide the reader through
and spoken language (as identified by the
most of the questions posed to practitioAG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken
ners , such as how to encourage developLanguage), “101 FAQs” offers a comprehenment of listening and spoken language
sive accounting of current knowledge, skills
and the number of treatment sessions for
and thinking in the practice of developing
children of various ages. The responses
also cover new ground, exploring new ser- listening and spoken language skills. It is a
vice delivery models, such as telepractice, detailed resource of the state of the science,
art and evidence-based outcomes. It is
which uses telecommunications technolhoped that this new book will inspire a new
ogy to connect professionals and families
generation of professionals to follow “an
over great distances, and the use of social
media in intervention and communication enhanced career in auditory-verbal practice,” Estabrooks remarked.
with families. The book focuses on the
VOLTA VOICES • J ANUARY /F EBRUARY 201 3 Very simply, said Estabrooks, it is
a compendium of “the breadth and
depth of auditory-verbal practice as we
live it today.” “101 FAQs” builds on
advancements made in auditory-verbal
therapy and education and, according
to author Linda L. Daniel of Dallas,
Texas, the book “elevates the field of
aural rehabilitation.”
“This is a book for professionals and
for parents,” said Estabrooks. “It will be
valuable to career professionals, aspiring practitioners and those that are being
mentored by a practitioner.” Parents of
children who are deaf and hard of hearing
will find hope, support and encouragement in its pages.
The book also highlights advances in
neuroscience and its applications along
with the benefits of current technology,
particularly cochlear implants, hearing
aids and FM systems. “These and other
technologies have made the gifts of listening and spoken language a greater possibility than ever for our children,” said
Estabrooks. “The movements towards universal screening of hearing loss and early
intervention have provided more children
in developed nations with the chance to
learn to listen and talk at a very early age,
so that delays in spoken communication
are significantly reduced.”
As always, the contribution of parents, guardians and caregivers is paramount. The book addresses concerns
from all of them. “We understand that
they provide the best models for their
children to learn in real life and in real
time. The power of coaching and guiding
parents in synergy with practitioners
helps us as we travel with children as precious passengers on a journey to listening
and spoken language,” said Estabrooks.
“We are really working with the
citizens of 2020 and 2030, when the
world will be a new and hopefully a better
place,” Estabrooks continued. “We know
that learning to listen, learning to talk,
to read, to write, to use electronic media
and to engage with others through social
media are easier than ever before. This
book can help all of us to bring these skills
as efficiently and effectively as possible to
children who are deaf and hard of hearing
by working in partnership with their families and those that love them.”
17
Finally, Estabrooks commented it
was his hope “that young professionals around the world will discover this
resource, contact many of the authors
and through their generosity, build a
network of outstanding alliances that will
bring knowledge and hope to families
everywhere.”
Available in Print and
E-Reader Format
Karen MacIver-Lux
“101 FAQs” is available in print from the
AG Bell Bookstore. The publication is also
the first-ever e-book offered by AG Bell
and is available in a format compatible
with every major e-reader device on the
market. Readers can obtain the e-book
version from two major outlets: Amazon.
com and Smashwords.com. To learn
more about the “101 FAQs” book and to
purchase the print or e-book version, visit
www.listeningandspokenlanguage.org/
101FAQs.
Warren Estabrooks trains professionals in Dubai.
Free Services!
Help Your Baby Talk and Hear
The Moog Center Family Teleschool is undertaking a national project designed
to evaluate the effectiveness of tele-therapy for children with hearing loss from
birth to age three.
• Expertteleschoolteacherswillprovideinstructionovertheinternet
for you and your child.
• Learnthroughourprovencurriculumandteachingstrategies.
• AstudyofchildrenenrolledintheMoogCenterFamilySchoolprogram
indicates by age 3-4 years, over 80% achieve vocabulary scores within
the average range.
• TheseservicesareFREE.
Formoreinformationandtofindoutifyourfamilyiseligible
contact Betsy Moog Brooks at (314) 692-7172
or email to bbrooks@moogcenter.org
www.moogcenter.org
The Moog Center for Deaf Education
St. Louis, MO
18
UTMED12142011261
Teaching teachers. Listening to students.
Changing lives.
Deaf Education & Hearing Science
at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio
We know that students learn best when provided opportunities to work directly with
peers and faculty.
2002
2012
Celebrating 10 Years of
Making Lives Better
Our reciprocal peer coaching and mentoring program involves teachers in training
and faculty mentors in language intervention.
A premier listening and spoken language program for educators of children with hearing loss.
For more information, please visit UTDeafEd.com
Phone: (210) 450-0716
AG Bell 2013
Listening & Spoken
Language Symposium
Delivering Quality Services
to Children and Families
By Alana Nichols
A
G Bell will hold its 2013
Listening and Spoken
Language (LSL) Symposium
July 18-20 in the Omni
Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza.
Focusing on the theme of delivering
quality services to families, the symposium will provide practitioners with the
latest strategies and trends in new service
delivery models and in serving diverse
children and families.
The LSL Symposium is the premier
professional development event for
educators, clinicians, Listening and
Spoken Language Specialists (LSLS™),
school administrators and legislators
who support children and families
20
working towards a listening and spoken
language outcome. This event offers
professionals the opportunity to
network and meet old friends while
building new connections, to explore
new technologies and programs
supporting children and families,
and to gain the latest research and
strategies in the field.
The symposium will feature keynote
speaker Dana Suskind, M.D., director
of the pediatric cochlear implant
program at the University of Chicago,
who will present research on Project
ASPIRE. Recently featured on NBC’s
Today show as a “local nonprofit doing
amazing things,” Project ASPIRE takes
its name from their approach to supporting participants and families. Through
Project ASPIRE, Suskind is conducting
research to reduce disparities among children from lower socio-economic backgrounds who receive a cochlear implant
in receiving post-cochlear implant
(re)habilitation, and to reduce barriers
such as parental communication skills,
self-efficacy and health literacy.
Pre-symposium short courses also
will be available to gain in-depth
knowledge about topics that fall under
the nine LSLS domains of knowledge
(as identified by the AG Bell Academy
for Listening and Spoken Language).
Attendees are encouraged to bring ideas
In addition to a valuable continuing
education opportunity, attendees can
take advantage of the hotel and location. The Omni Los Angeles Hotel at
California Plaza is in the heart of the
business, financial and cultural districts of downtown Los Angeles. This
convenient location offers numerous
attractions and entertainment options,
as well as close proximity to California’s
beaches, such as Malibu, Redondo,
Manhattan, Santa Monica and more.
Register for the
AG Bell 2013 LSL
Symposium Today!
The AG Bell 2013 Listening &
Spoken Language Symposium is an
excellent continuing education value
and offers valuable hours of continuing education from the AG Bell
Academy, American Speech-LanguageHearing Association and American
Academy of Audiology. Registration
is now open for the Symposium. Visit
ListeningandSpokenLanguage.org/
LSLSymposium to register and stay
tuned for more information through
AG Bell communication channels.
and questions to share during dynamic
and interactive sessions on current trends
in the field and to share the strategies
they have while learning from other
participants. The symposium offers an
invaluable source of information and
support for both new and experienced
professionals. As Donna Sperandio,
LSLS Cert. AVT, said, “this is an essential conference for those working in the
field of delivering listening and spoken
language opportunities to families and
professionals!”
The conference also offers participants
a unique opportunity to gain advice and
knowledge from renowned experts in the
field. Pat Swanson, an educator of the
VOLTA VOICES • J ANUARY /F EBRUARY 201 3 Craig Huey Photography
Christopher Barr
deaf, said that the symposium allowed
her talk about the kids she serves with
the leaders in the field of listening and
spoken language. “The Symposium offers
the best pit crew in the world: fellow
LSLS and speakers who all want every
child to win!”
For speech-language pathologist
Christy Ghazimoradi, the Symposium
continued to fuel her passion for serving students with hearing loss who use
listening and spoken language and gave
her the opportunity to “learn new skills
that she could immediately apply to
her everyday work” by offering cuttingedge research, practical strategies and
evidenced-based best practices.
Symposium attendees will also have
the opportunity to explore new technology by visiting different exhibitors and
vendors to learn more about innovations
in personal hearing technology, classroom amplification, strategies and software to connect with families and other
professionals through telephone and
Internet technology. Another important
event will include a LSLS exam administration, which will be offered immediately following the symposium.
The 2013 AG Bell Listening & Spoken Language Symposium offers practical strategies for working
with a wide range of children.
21
Advancing Listening and
Spoken Language
VOI
A 20-Year
ALEX A
V
O
NDER
L
T
GRAH
AM BE
LL
AS
A
Look Back
A GUIDE FOR
NEW PAREN
CHILDREN WTS OF
HEARING LO ITH
SS
W W W.
By Melody Felzien
T
AGBEL
L.ORG
• VOL
18, IS
SUE
medium of expression, some means of
ready and frequent communication with
and among the membership” (Booth,
1899). They went on to say, “The establishment of a periodical, it is believed,
will strengthen the work and strengthen
the hands that are doing the work all
over the field.”
The magazine began by publishing
reports
from localized meetings, but
A Look Back
soon
expanded
to include the philosoThe history of Volta Voices dates back
phies of Dr. Bell as well as letters and
to the early 1900s. AG Bell’s original
publication, The Association Review, was correspondence from its readers. As the
first published in 1899 by Dr. Alexander years progressed and the AG Bell assoGraham Bell. The creators thought that ciation became a correspondence-driven
resource for parents, professionals and
“the life and future usefulness of the
adults with hearing loss, The Association
Association required activity and some
Review morphed into The Volta Review
and published an amalgam of letters, tips, science-driven research and
dialogue on the strategies required for
individuals with hearing loss to acquire
listening and spoken language.
In the 1970s, AG Bell staff understood that there were two distinct purposes of the publication, and that the
needs of its constituents would be best
served if the publication shifted focus.
Today’s mission of The Volta Review
remains as it did back then: to be a professional, peer-review journal inviting
manuscripts devoted to reporting scholarly findings that explore the development of listening and spoken language
22
his year marks the 20th anniversary of Volta Voices. During
the last 20 years, the magazine has undergone many
facelifts and adjustments, changing focus
as AG Bell has done to stay relevant and
current in providing information on
listening and spoken language.
3
ICES
S O C I AT
ION FO
R THE
DEAF A
ND HA
RD
OF HEA
RIN
May/Jun
G
e 2011
and the professionals that serve them.
The AG Bell staff noticed that a lot of
inconsistencies were arising from the
production of multiple publications
and charged a member and staff-driven
task force to review the publications.
At the time, the task force noted that
much content was disparate and did
not overlap. However, according to
Bruce Goldstein, who chaired the task
force, “We felt the association, as an
organization, was greater than the sum
of its three parts, and we wanted the
magazine to be a catalyst and support
to strengthening that collaboration and
cohesion.” To mainstream the process,
the task force recommended the creation
of a magazine to serve all of AG Bell’s
constituents. Aptly named Volta Voices
by long-time AG Bell member Barbara
Chertok, the publication continues to
thrive today.
Driven to Serve Needs
F
M
SIU
PO
YM .ORG
S
L
LS BELL
G
HE
R T WW.A
O
F
ER AT W
T
GIS AY
RE TOD
by individuals with hearing loss. The
rest of the content was turned into a
series of newsletters geared towards
AG Bell’s distinct constituencies and
sections, supporting each individual’s
unique information needs. For several
years AG Bell supported many newsletters, including OK (Our Kids) magazine, Newsounds, Children’s Corner,
ODAS (Oral Deaf Adults Section),
and others.
Volta Voices started as a compilation
of these various section and constituent
newsletters. The newsletters focused
specifically on AG Bell’s three constituencies – parents of children with
hearing loss, adults with hearing loss
VOLTA VOICES • J ANUARY /F EBRUARY 201 3 Although the basic mission and goals
of the magazine have remained the
same, the editorial direction of the
magazine has continued to shift and
f luctuate. In 2005, AG Bell’s editorial
staff began publishing themed editions
to help focus content on specific areas
and provide more in-depth reporting on
specific topics. Past thematic editions
have included technology, professional
development and a popular new parent
guide. These editions seem to help balance some of the surface-level articles
that Volta Voices is able to publish in its
regular editions.
The magazine has also received several awards for its work over the last few
years, including recognition for writing, column series and cover designs.
Indeed, some of the most popular
content has been past columns, such as
Dr. Stephen Epstein’s Sound Advice and
Jay Wyant’s Tech Talk columns, as well
as articles by leaders in the field, such as
Dr. Daniel Ling.
By publishing six times a year, the
magazine provides consistent and datasupported content that readers can take
into their daily lives. With the launch
of the Listening and Spoken Language
Knowledge Center, much of the content
has been repurposed online to provide
the vital information families, professionals and adults with hearing loss
need to continue their journeys.
Feedback and Future
Directions
Throughout the last several years, AG
Bell has reached out to its reader base
for feedback on the magazine and its
impact. Here are some of the comments
AG Bell received:
Very professional. I’m always proud to
see it, read it and show it off.
Volta Voices has provided information
I desperately needed and I share the
magazine with families.
The information keeps me very well
informed about the most recent developments and gives me knowledge which
otherwise would be much harder to get,
living outside the United States.
Volta Voices helped us find resources
and understand the issues as parents of
a new baby with hearing loss.
The information we gain may direct
us to inquire about new technology or
approaches.
I enjoy most the ‘personal interest’ stories, such as parents chronicling their
early years, adults with hearing loss
telling of their challenges, etc.
As the online Knowledge Center
continues to grow, much of the content in the magazine will become more
adaptable and more cross-promotion of
content will occur. With an increasing
digital world, readers can rely on AG
Bell to continue providing the most
relevant and up-to-date content online
while still highlighting the best it has to
offer in print. Twenty years later, Volta
Voices continues to support and provide
information on the unlimited potential
for children with hearing loss who are
learning to listen and talk.
Reference
Booth, F. W. (1899). The association magazine.
The Volta Review, 1(1).
23
What’s New in the Knowledge Center
Helping You Navigate IDEA
Part C
By Elizabeth Reed-Martinez
T
he Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA) requires states to
provide early intervention
services for children ages birth to 3,
but each state provides those services uniquely. AG Bell has gathered
resources to help you understand the
services available to your child and links
to help find services in your area.
Early intervention services are
designed to meet the needs of infants
and toddlers who have a developmental
delay or disability and their families.
Sometimes it is known from the moment
a child is born that early intervention
services will be essential in helping
the child grow and develop. Families
whose infants are identified with hearing loss through hospital screening and
follow-up at birth, or those that have
children who develop a hearing loss
before the age of 3, should be directed
to their state’s early intervention services
through their Early Hearing Detection
and Intervention (EHDI) program.
For infants and toddlers, these early
intervention services are provided
through IDEA Part C (which is U.S.
federal law). Services are called early
intervention or Part C services, which
are named for where they are described
in IDEA.
Service Considerations
Because hearing loss is a low-incidence
disability (meaning it is rare in comparison to other disabilities), eligibility for assistance under Part C can be
unclear to professionals who do not
have expertise in hearing loss. It is often
up to parents to ensure that the child
is appropriately evaluated and that the
24
unique considerations of hearing loss
are addressed and met. These include:
ʶʶ The decisions the family makes for
communicating with their child
ʶʶ Assistive technology (hearing aids,
cochlear implants, FM systems, etc.)
ʶʶ Family training, counseling and
home visits (families should be
supported as the primary language
teachers for their children)
ʶʶ Family support networks
ʶʶ Family Service Coordinator – this
is one of the family’s primary collaborators. According to IDEA Part
C, the family service coordinator
should be “from the profession most
immediately relevant to the infant’s,
toddler’s or family’s needs.”
ʶʶ Qualified, knowledgeable service providers who have expertise, training,
experience and certification (if appropriate) in assessing and working with
infants and toddlers who are deaf and
hard of hearing, specifically in the
child’s/family’s chosen communication option if known or selected.
The Individualized
Family Service Plan
After the child’s evaluation is complete
and he or she is found to be eligible for
early intervention services, the family
and a team of providers will meet to
develop a written plan for providing
early intervention services to the child
and the family. This plan is called the
Individualized Family Service Plan, or
IFSP. It is a very important document,
and parents are crucial members of the
team that develops it.
The guiding principle of the IFSP
is that the family is the child’s greatest
resource and the needs of a young child
are closely tied to the needs of his or her
family. The best way to support children and meet their needs is to support
and build upon the individual strengths
of their family. This is why the IFSP
is a plan for the entire family and the
parents are major contributors in its
development. Involvement of other team
members will depend on what the child
needs. These other team members could
come from several agencies and may
include medical specialists, therapists,
child development specialists, social
workers and others.
Developing an
Effective Plan
Each state has specific guidelines for the
IFSP. The family service coordinator
can explain what the IFSP guidelines
are in your state. The following are key
considerations for parents of a child who
is deaf or hard of hearing in developing
the IFSP:
ʶʶ Communication Considerations
include the language and communication currently used in the home,
such as English, native language (or
a combination), and communication
options currently used with the child,
such as listening and spoken language. Another consideration is communication options that the family
would like more information about,
and required support necessary to
increase the access and ability for parents and family members to become
language models for the child.
ʶʶ Assistive Technology can be thought
of as any item that supports the child’s
ability to participate actively in his or
her home, childcare program, school or
other community settings. These may
include but are not limited to hearing
aids, cochlear implants and FM systems. Information in the IFSP should
include a description of the assistive
technology the family is currently using
as well as those assistive technologies
that families are considering and/or
would like more information about.
ʶʶ Peers and Adult Role Models
are opportunities for the child to
directly communicate with others
who are deaf and hard of hearing.
The IFSP should describe the supports necessary for direct adult role
model connections for the family as
well as opportunities for the child’s
direct interaction with other sameage children who are deaf and hard
of hearing.
ʶʶ Programming Options/Natural
Environments are all services and
resources provided and explored by
the early intervention team. The
IFSP should describe the supports
necessary for the family to access
these services, including the environment in which they may be provided.
This may be in the child’s home, a
school or therapy center, or a daycare
facility, for example.
ʶʶ Community Activities include
all of the activities in the community that the family would like to
participate in, such as playgroups,
library story times, religious
services, etc. The resources and
supports required to provide full
communication access in these environments should be described. For
example, would an FM system help
the child hear better? Is preferential
seating needed?
ʶʶ Proficiency of Staff includes a list of
the qualified service providers on the
team who have expertise, experience
and training in working with children ages birth to 3 who are deaf and
hard of hearing. The communication
option and appropriate certification
should be noted.
Resources for Parents
and Professionals
The Knowledge Center provides an
overview of early information services
in both English and Spanish which
includes a listing of EHDI programs
in each state, where to go for help,
resources for getting an evaluation
and assessment for the child, what
is included in early intervention
services, how they’re delivered and
who pays for them, as well as many
other helpful resources. To learn more,
visit ListeningandSpokenLanguage.org
for answers.
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25
Advocacy in Action
Advancing Policy Initiatives
By Susan Boswell
A
G Bell advocates on its
members behalf through
participation in a number of coalitions, including the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Alliance (DHHA), Deaf and Hard of
Hearing Consumer Action Network
(DHHCAN), Joint Committee on
Infant Hearing (JCIH), and Council
on the Education of the Deaf (CED).
The AG Bell Public Affairs Council sets
advocacy priorities and guides AG Bell’s
public policy efforts. AG Bell has been
active over the past year in advocating
on a number of public policy issues to
improve reimbursement and access to
hearing technology, increase the effectiveness of relay services, and advocate
for job opportunities for AG Bell members. The following are just some of the
recent initiatives undertaken.
Joint Committee
Position Statement
Development Underway
JCIH held a retreat in Aurora, Colo.,
on August 17 and 18 at the Marion
Downs Hearing Center. JCIH is composed of representatives from audiology,
otolaryngology, pediatric medicine,
education of the deaf, speech-language pathology and consumers. The
Committee’s primary activity has been
publication of position statements that
guide U.S. and international policy
and best practices in early identification and appropriate intervention for
infants and young children who have
or are suspected of having hearing
loss. AG Bell has been a member of
JCIH since 2005 and is represented by
Carianne Muse, an AG Bell member
and parent to two children, one of
whom uses bilateral cochlear implants,
and Judy Harrison, AG Bell director
of programs. The Committee tackled a
26
full agenda and began work on its next
position statement; no release date has
been decided.
“I am both honored and humbled
by being a part of JCIH as the parent
representative from AG Bell,” stated
Muse. She continued, “I am particularly
excited about actively engaging in the
early intervention discussions because I
have been living the early intervention
process while we have been writing about
it. I hope that my experiences with my
daughter over the past three years, and
the experiences of other families I know,
can help add richness to the publications
we are producing.” To learn more about
JCIH and its position statements, visit
www.jcih.org/posstatemts.htm.
Reimbursement for
Implant Technologies
AG Bell has taken steps to advocate for
increased reimbursement for cochlear
implants and bone-anchored implants,
including the BAHA system, for children and adults who are covered under
Medicare. Access to these technologies
is critical for candidates who use listening and spoken language. Advocacy for
reimbursement under Medicare is critical for all candidates–both Medicare
beneficiaries and those covered
under other insurance plans–because
Medicare rates and coverage policies
often inf luence insurance coverage by
private insurers.
AG Bell recently submitted letters to the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS), which sets
payment rates for the procedures. AG
Bell commended CMS for its proposed
increase for cochlear implants from
6.5% to 6.6%, depending on where the
procedure is performed. This amount
covers the cochlear implant device, the
procedure cost and other related costs.
This increased payment is a step in the
right direction, but this increase does
not reflect the actual cost of the intervention. For bone-anchored implants,
AG Bell advocated to avert a proposed
reduction of 3.8% to 5.7% in payment
for the BAHA system and to review
potential inaccuracies in its data on
which payment rates are based.
Video Relay Service
Advocacy
In comments related to rulemaking by the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC), AG Bell has advocated for improvements to video relay
service (VRS), a type of relay service
offered through statewide relay systems
that allow consumers to communicate
through web-based videoconferencing.
AG Bell members need access to this
vital relay service because they often
speechread interpreters during VRS calls,
making access to functionally equivalent calls crucial. In conjunction with
DHHCAN, TDI, National Association
Meet the AG Bell
Public Affairs Council
The Public Affairs Council (PAC) directs the advocacy work of the association by establishing public affairs issue priorities, reviewing letters for
sign on and developing position statements on key issues. PAC members
include: John Stanton (chair), Joni Alberg, Rachel Arfa, Bill Corwin, Ben
Dubin, Rachel Dubin, Bruce Goldstein, Jack Roush and Jay Wyant.
care needs of individuals with disabilities. AG Bell members rely on access to
hearing technology in all major health
care reform legislation for listening and
spoken language.
of the Deaf (NAD), Adult Learning
Development Association (ALDA),
California Coalition of Agencies Serving
the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, American
Society of Deaf Children, National Black
Deaf Advocates, Cerebral Palsy and
Deaf Organization, and others, AG Bell
supported improved services including
increased speed of answer for calls and
matching consumers with a communications assistant that meets their needs,
among other issues.
Support for Truck
Drivers Who Are Deaf
In coalition with 35 other national and
state disability organizations, individuals and coalitions, AG Bell signed on
to a letter from NAD to advocate for
exemption for the hearing requirements
in the Federal Motor Carrier’s Safety
Administration (FMCSA) for truck drivers who are deaf and hard of hearing.
The hearing requirement has no evidentiary support and no basis in research or
practice. Furthermore, the validity of the
hearing requirement has been called into
question by the FMCSA’s own study of
the issue and by the safe driving records
of the 45 experienced drivers now seeking exemptions. The letter advocated
for a full, unqualified exemption for the
applicants and a removal of the hearing
requirement altogether.
Hearing Aid Coverage
in Affordable Care Act
AG Bell signed on with 20 other
national organizations representing individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing
to advocate for the coverage of hearing
aids and related services in the Essential
Health Benefits (EHB) Bulletin as part
of President Obama’s Affordable Care
Act (ACA). Currently, the Bulletin fails
to provide coverage for rehabilitative
devices, like hearing aids, despite the
specific language of the law and does
not take into consideration the health
Health Plan
Coverage in Utah
AG Bell advocated for coverage of boneanchored implants as part of Utah’s
Intermountain Healthcare’s medical
policy. Intermountain does not provide
coverage for this important auditory
intervention for children and adults with
appropriate indications. SelectHealth
(Intermountain’s health insurance program) is one of the few large carriers in
the United States that does not include
coverage for this medical device as part of
a typical health insurance policy. Access
to this auditory intervention is critical for
children and adults in Utah. For individuals who are candidates for this implant,
there is no other intervention that allows
auditory access.
This is the first in an occasional series that
highlights the work of AG Bell on Capitol
Hill to shape federal policy, advance access
and advocate for listening and spoken
language on behalf of adults and children
with hearing loss and the professionals that
support them.
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27
Apoyo en acción
Promover iniciativas de política
Por Susan Boswell
A
G Bell participa en su nombre
en una serie de coaliciones,
entre las que se incluye la
Alianza de Sordos y con
Problemas Auditivos (DHHA, por sus
siglas en inglés), la Red de Acción de los
Consumidores Sordos y con Problemas
Auditivos (DHHCAN, por sus siglas en
inglés), el Comité Adjunto de Audición en
Infantes (JCIH, por sus siglas en inglés)
y el Consejo sobre la Educación de los
Sordos (CED, por sus siglas en inglés).
El Consejo de Asuntos Públicos de AG
Bell establece las prioridades del apoyo y
guía los esfuerzos de la política pública
de AG Bell. AG Bell ha estado activa
este último año apoyando una serie de
asuntos políticos públicos para mejorar
el reembolso y el acceso a la tecnología
auditiva, aumentar la efectividad de los
servicios de retransmisión y apoyar las
oportunidades de empleo para todos los
miembros de AG Bell. A continuación
se mencionan algunas de las iniciativas
recientes llevadas a cabo.
miembro del JCIH desde el año 2005 y
está representado por Carianne Muse, una
miembro de AG Bell y un padre de dos
hijos, uno de los cuales utiliza implantes
cocleares bilaterales y Judy Harrison,
directora de los programas de AG Bell. El
Comité emprendió una actividad intensa
y comenzó el trabajo en su siguiente
declaración de posición, aún no se ha
decidido una fecha de publicación.
“Me honra formar parte del JCIH
como representante de los padres de
AG Bell”, declaró Muse. Añadió:
“Estoy especialmente emocionada por
participar activamente en las discusiones
sobre la intervención temprana porque
he vivido el proceso mientras escribía
sobre ello. Espero que las experiencias
con mi hija en los últimos tres años y las
experiencias de otras familias que conozco
puedan ayudar a aportar riqueza a las
publicaciones que estamos redactando”.
Para más información sobre el JCIH y sus
declaraciones de posición, consulte www.
jcih.org/posstatemts.htm.
Desarrollo de la
declaración de posición
del comité adjunto en la
actualidad
Reembolso por
las tecnologías de
implantes
JCIH celebró una jornada de reflexión en
Aurora, Colo., el 17 y 18 de agosto en el
centro audiológico de Marion Downs. El
JCIH está formado por representantes
de la audiología, la otorrinolaringología,
la medicina pediátrica, la educación de
los sordos, la patología del lenguaje y los
consumidores. La actividad primaria
del Comité fue la publicación de las
declaraciones de posición que guía a
las mejores prácticas y a las políticas
internacionales y de los EE.UU. en la
identificación temprana y la intervención
adecuada para los infantes y los niños
pequeños que tienen o se sospecha que
tienen una pérdida auditiva. AG Bell es
28
AG Bell ha tomado medidas para apoyar el
incremento del reembolso por los implantes
cocleares y los implantes osteointegrados,
incluyendo el sistema BAHA, para
niños y adultos que están cubiertos por
los beneficios de Medicare. El acceso a
estas tecnologías es fundamental para los
candidatos que utilizan la audición y el
lenguaje oral. El apoyo al reembolso por
los beneficios de Medicare es fundamental
para todos los candidatos (tanto para
los beneficiarios de Medicare como los
cubiertos por otros planes de seguros
médicos) ya que las tarifas de Medicare y las
políticas de cobertura a menudo influyen
en la cobertura del seguro mediante seguros
privados.
AG Bell recientemente envió cartas a
los Centros de Servicios de Medicare y
Medicaid (CMS, por sus siglas en inglés),
en las cuales se establecen las tarifas para
los procedimientos. AG Bell recomendó
a los CMS que aumentasen los implantes
cocleares un 6,5% - 6,6%, dependiendo
de donde se realice el procedimiento. Este
importe cubre al dispositivo del implante
coclear, el coste del procedimiento así
como otros costes relacionados. Este
aumento de la tarifa es un paso dado en
la dirección correcta, pero no refleja el
coste actual de la intervención. Para los
implantes osteointegrados, AG Bell apoyó
evitar la reducción propuesta del 3,8% 5,7% de la tarifa para el sistema BAHA y
revisar las imprecisiones potenciales en sus
datos en los cuales se basan sus tarifas.
Apoyo al servicio de
retransmisión de vídeo
En los comentarios relacionados con
las normas aplicadas por la Comisión
Reunirse con el Consejo de
Asuntos Públicos de AG Bell
El Consejo de Asuntos Públicos de AG Bell (PAC, por sus siglas en inglés)
dirige el trabajo de apoyo de la asociación estableciendo los asuntos públicos prioritarios, revisando las cartas para firmarlas y desarrollando declaraciones de posición sobre algunas cuestiones clave. Entre los miembros del
PAC están: John Stanton (presidente), Joni Alberg, Rachel Arfa, Bill Corwin,
Ben Dubin, Rachel Dubin, Bruce Goldstein, Jack Roush y Jay Wyant.
Federal de Comunicaciones (FCC, por
sus siglas en inglés), AG Bell apoyó las
mejoras en el servicio de retransmisión
de vídeo, un tipo de servicio de
retransmisión que se ofrece a través de
sistemas de retransmisión estatales para
permitir a los consumidores comunicarse
a través de videoconferencias basadas
en la tecnología web. Los miembros
de AG Bell necesitan acceder a este
servicio de retransmisión vital porque, a
menudo, leen los labios de los intérpretes
durante las llamadas del servicio de
retransmisión de vídeo, lo que les
facilita el acceso a llamadas importantes
equivalentes funcionalmente. Junto
con DHHCAN, TDI, NAD, ALDA,
Coalición Californiana de Agencias que
Sirven a los Sordos y con Problemas
Auditivos, Sociedad Americana de Niños
Sordos, Defensores de los Sordos Negros
Nacionales, Organización de Sordos y
con Parálisis Cerebral entre otros, AG
Bell apoyó la mejora de los servicios
aumentando la velocidad de respuesta
de las llamadas y permitiendo a los
consumidores que establezcan relaciones
con el asistente de comunicaciones que,
entre otras cuestiones, cumple con sus
necesidades.
Cobertura de las
ayudas auditivas en
la Ley de cuidado de
salud asequible
AG Bell firmó con otras 20
organizaciones nacionales que
representan a los individuos sordos o
con problemas auditivos para apoyar
la cobertura de las ayudas auditivas y
los servicios relacionados en el Boletín
de Beneficios para la Salud Esenciales
(EHB, por sus siglas en inglés) como
parte de la Ley de cuidado de salud
asequible (ACA, por sus siglas en inglés)
del presidente Obama. Actualmente,
el Boletín no cubre a los dispositivos
de rehabilitación, como las ayudas
auditivas, a pesar del lenguaje específico
de la ley y no tiene en cuenta las
necesidades de atención médica de
los individuos con discapacidades.
Los miembros de AG Bell cuentan
con acceso a la tecnología auditiva en
la nueva reforma de la salud para la
audición y el lenguaje oral.
VOLTA VOICES • J ANUARY /F EBRUARY 201 3 Apoyo a los
conductores de
camiones sordos
Junto con otras 35 organizaciones de
personas con discapacidades estatales
y nacionales, otros individuos y otras
coaliciones, AG Bell firmó una carta
de la Asociación Nacional de Sordos
para apoyar la exención de los requisitos
auditivos en la Administración Federal
de Seguridad de Autotransportes
(FMCA, por sus siglas en inglés) de los
conductores de camiones sordos o con
problemas auditivos. El requisito auditivo
no cuenta con el apoyo evidencial y no
tiene ninguna base en investigación ni
en la práctica. Además, la validez del
requisito auditivo la ha puesto en duda
el propio estudio de la cuestión de la
FMCSA y los registros de conducción
segura de 45 conductores experimentados
que ahora solicitan las exenciones. La
carta apoyaba una exención absoluta
y completa para los solicitantes y la
eliminación del requisito auditivo.
Cobertura del plan de
salud en Utah
AG Bell apoyó la cobertura de los
implantes osteointegrados como parte
de la política médica de Intermountain
Healthcare de Utah. Intermountain
no proporciona cobertura para esta
importante intervención auditiva para
niños y adultos con las indicaciones
adecuadas. SelectHealth (el programa de
seguros de la salud de Intermountain)
es una de las pocas líneas de los Estados
Unidos que no incluye la cobertura para
este dispositivo médico como parte de la
póliza de seguro médico típica. El acceso
a esta intervención auditiva es importante
para los niños y los adultos de Utah.
Para los individuos que son candidatos
para este implante, no existe ninguna
otra intervención que les permita acceso
auditivo.
Este es el primero de una serie de artículos
que destaca el trabajo de AG Bell en
Capitol Hill para determinar la política
federal, promover el acceso y el apoyo a la
audición y al lenguaje oral tanto en adultos
como en niños con pérdida de audición y a
los profesionales que los apoyan.
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29
Hear Our Voices
Discovering New Sounds
By Ryan Lopacinski
Ronnie Eisen
M
om was worried. I was making no speech progress and
she began to suspect there was
something wrong with me.
My name is Ryan and I was born genetically deaf. My deafness stems from the lack
of a particular gene, GJB2 (also known as
Connexin 26) which is responsible for the
information needed to form hair cells in
the cochlea. Approximately 40 percent of
newborn babies who have a genetic hearing
loss have a mutation in the GJB2 gene.
There are many advantages and disadvantages to being deaf. In some ways, I
enjoy it because I prefer the quiet at night
while my cochlear implant is off and there
are no distractions. Being a part of Special
Services School District is always a fun
and educational experience for me. On the
other hand, deafness can be hard because
it affects language development and can
create a barrier in social situations. The
story of my deafness includes the process
of learning about my genetic difference,
my parents’ support, and learning skills to
understand and develop language.
My hearing loss was discovered at the
age of 2. I was at my babysitter’s house
playing with toys when the sitter, Nancy,
called my name and saw no response
from me. Puzzled, she decided to call my
parents and explain the odd scenario.
My mother was confused. “What do you
mean he is not hearing anything?” she
questioned. She agreed to pick me up and
take me to the hospital. At the hospital, I
received an auditory brainstem response
(ABR) test to determine whether or not I
had hearing loss. The doctors confirmed
what Nancy and my mother feared; I had
a profound hearing loss. Devastated, my
mother broke down crying and called my
father to come to the hospital immediately.
Little did they know, a few years later, I
would be a happy, successful child thriving
in the school and in the hearing world.
Journey to a
Cochlear Implant
A few days later, my parents took me
to an audiologist in East Orange, N.J.,
to make ear molds for a hearing aid. I
received my first hearing aid when I was
2 ½ years old. According to my parents, I
was extremely irritated by the hearing aid
and kept taking it off until at one point, I
accidently broke it. Despite my irritation,
I continued to wear the hearing aid for
a few months. My parents noticed that
unfortunately even with hearing aids, my
hearing did not improve enough. Seeking
a better solution, they took me to New
30 VOLTA VOICES • J ANUARY / F EBRUARY 201 3
York Eye and Ear Infirmary where the
audiologist suggested that because my
hearing loss was profound, a cochlear
implant would be more appropriate.
Uncertain, scared and full of questions,
my parents hesitantly agreed to pursue
surgery when I was 3 years old.
It was a cold afternoon on the day of my
surgery. My father took me to the operating
room, changed my clothes, and comforted
me as I cried. To my deaf ears he whispered
“I love you” before handing me to the doctor. Five hours later, my surgeon told my
parents the words they wanted to hear the
most: “Your son finished the surgery, and it
was successful.”
Feeling the effects of the surgery, I was
drowsy and cried a lot. My grandmother
came to take care of me for the night of
my surgery. A few days later, the doctor
deemed it appropriate to discharge me
from the hospital. When I went home, I
was greeted by friends and family with
gifts, all of which put a huge smile on my
face. Unfortunately after a few weeks, the
magnet failed and needed to be replaced.
I remember going to the hospital at 2 a.m.
in the morning to fix my magnet. In the
hospital I met other children who also had
cochlear implants. Three weeks after the
surgery, my parents took me to the audiologist who activated the cochlear implant
for the first time. According to them, I
was confused where the new sounds were
coming from, but everyone was happy I
could hear.
New Sounds
My hearing loss is profound. This means
I cannot hear any sounds at all without
my cochlear implant. However, with the
device on I can hear airplanes, trucks,
lawnmowers, music and people talking.
I have difficulty hearing soft sounds and
conversations in areas with a lot of background noises. My parents helped me by
sending me to the Summit Speech School
in New Providence, N.J.
Although I was born with profound
hearing loss, my cochlear implant, the
Special Services School District, and the
support of my parents have all contributed
to the successful and happy life I now lead
in mainstream society.
Ryan Lopacinski is a SHIP student at
Midland Park High School. He is 15 years
old and he enjoys Math and English. His
favorite hobbies are collecting coins and
doing family trees. Ryan was born profoundly deaf. He has a cochlear implant and
uses an FM system in school. At home, he
watches a lot of captioned news to get information from around the world. Ryan wants
to be an elevator architect when he grows up.
This is the last in a series of short narratives by students in Ronnie Eisen’s
8 th Grade Secondary Hearing Impaired
Program (SHIP) at Midland Park High
School in Midland Park, N.J. Their
assignment was to write a series of personal
experiences as students with hearing loss
in a mainstream school. The following is a
selection of their stories.
A Listening and Spoken Language School
Services and Programs:
• Newborn Hearing Evaluation Center
• Parent-Infant Cottage
• Early Childhood and Elementary Programs
• Outdoor and Discovery classrooms
• Music and Art classrooms
• Speech Language Pathology
• Audiology Center with five testing booths
• Cochlear Implant Programming
• Placement site for Graduate Program in
Deaf Education and Hearing Science
though UTHSCSA
Sunshine Cottage provides the very best early
identification and intervention services for infants and
children with hearing loss.
The day-school program offers a comprehensive
educational environment for children, preschool
through fifth grade, with state-of-the-art technology
taught by master-level educators.
(210) 824-0579
603 E. Hildebrand Ave.
San Antonio, Texas 78212
www.sunshinecottage.org
Sunshine Cottage, a listening and spoken language school, is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement,
OPTIONschools International, and is a Texas Education Agency approved non-public school. We accept students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin.
New 2012 BW ad.indd 1
VOLTA VOICES • J ANUARY /F EBRUARY 201 3 9/14/2012 2:51:27 PM
31
nCalifornia
Auditory-Verbal Services, 10623
Emerson Bend, Tustin, CA 92782. 714-5732143 (voice) - KarenatAVS@aol.com (email).
Karen Rothwell-Vivian, M.S.Ed., M.A., CCC-A,
LSLS Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist
(LSLS Cert.AVT). Auditory-Verbal Therapy
and audiological consultation for children
with hearing loss from infancy. Expertise
with hearing aids, cochlear implants, FM
systems, and mainstreaming support. Auditory
Rehabilitation both pre-lingual and postlingual hearing loss for children and adults.
Children’s Choice for Hearing and
Talking, CCHAT Center – Sacramento,
11100 Coloma Road, Rancho Cordova, Ca 95670
• 916-361-7290 (voice). Laura Turner, Principal.
An auditory/oral day school educating children
and their families from birth through early
elementary grades. Other programs include adult
cochlear implant support, parent-infant program,
on-site audiological services and mainstreaming
support services. The school is staffed with
credentialed teachers, licensed speech-language
pathologists and a licensed audiologist.
Echo Center/Echo Horizon School,
3430 McManus Avenue, Culver City, CA 90232
• 310-838-2442 (voice) • 310-838-0479 (fax)
• 310-202-7201 (tty) • vishida@echohorizon.
org (email) • www.echohorizon.org (website)
• Vicki Ishida, Echo Center Director. Private
elementary school incorporating an auditory/oral
mainstream program for students who are deaf
or hard of hearing. Daily support provided by
credentialed DHH teachers in speech, language,
auditory skills and academic follow-up.
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. AuditoryVerbal individual therapy, birth to 21 years.
HEAR to Talk, 547 North June Street, 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®, LSLS
Cert. AVT, Licensed Audiologist, California
NPA Certified. Trained by Dr. Ling. Extensive
expertise with cochlear implants and hearing aids.
32 John Tracy Clinic, 806 West Adams
Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007 · 213-7485481 (voice) · 800-522-4582 · PALS@JTC.org ·
www.jtc.org & www.youtube.com/johntracyclinic.
Early detection, school readiness and parent
empowerment since 1942. Worldwide Parent
Distance Education and onsite comprehensive
audiological, counseling and educational
services for families with children ages birth-5
years old. Intensive Summer Sessions (children
ages 2-5 and parents), with sibling program.
Online and on-campus options for an accredited
Master’s and Credential in Deaf Education.
Listen and Learn, 4340 Stevens Creek
Blvd., Suite 107, San Jose, CA 95129 • 408-3454949 • 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.
No Limits Performing Arts Academy
and Educational Center, 9801
Washington Boulevard, 2nd Fl, Culver City,
CA 90232 – 310.280.0878, 800.948.7712
• www.kidswithnolimits.org. • Provides
free speech, language, literacy and support
services to dhh children and their families
between the ages of 3 and 18 through its No
Limits Educational Center. Additionally,
No Limits offers a national performing arts
program for schools and the community that
builds the self confidence and communication
skills of children with a hearing loss.
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.
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 – 1305 Deodar Road, Escondido, CA
92026 – 760-297-6725 (voice) • 562-945-0361
(fax). Where children are listening and talking.
An auditory/oral day program serving children
from birth to 13 years old. Audiological, Speech/
Language, Aural Habilitation, Mainstreaming,
Auditory-Verbal Therapy and other related
Designated Instructional Services available.
Contact Elisa J. Roche, Ph.D., Executive Director.
Training and Advocacy Group (TAG)
for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Children
and Teens, Leah Ilan, Executive Director
• 11693 San Vicente Blvd. #559, Los Angeles,
CA 90049 • 310-339-7678 • tagkids@aol.com •
www.tagkids.org. TAG provides exciting social
opportunities through community service,
field trips, weekly meetings, college prep and
pre-employment workshops, guest speakers and
parent-only workshops. site in the community.
Group meetings and events offered to oral D/HoH
children in 5th grade through high school seniors.
nColorado
Bill Daniels Center for Children’s
Hearing, Children’s Hospital Colorado,
Department of Audiology, Speech
Pathology and Learning Services,
13123 East 16th Avenue, B030 Aurora, CO
80045 • www.childrenscolorado.org (website)
• 720-777-6531 (voice) • 720-777-6886 (TTY)
• BillDanielsCenter@childrenscolorado.org
(email). We provide comprehensive audiology,
speech-language and pediatric otolaryngology
services for children who are deaf or hard of
hearing (ages birth through 21 years). Our
pediatric team specializes in family-centered
care and includes pediatric otolaryngologists,
audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and
a deaf educator, family consultant and clinical
social worker. Therapy services include individual,
group and parent support designed to meet each
family’s goals for their child’s development.
We also provide advanced technology hearing
aid fitting and cochlear implant services.
Colorado Oral-Deaf PreSchool,
8081 E. Orchard Road, Suite 280, Greenwood
Village, CO 80111 • 303-953-7344 (phone) •
303-953-7346 (fax) • info@oraldeafpreschool.
org (email) • http://www.oraldeafpreschool.org
(website). The Colorado Oral-Deaf PreSchool
(CO ODPS) provides listening and spoken
language intervention in a superior educational
setting for young children with hearing loss. The
school, located approximately 20 miles south
of Denver, serves children who are deaf and
hard of hearing from birth to 6 years old and
provides support and education for parents and
family members. Services at the school include
parent infant language intervention, toddler
group, preschool group and mainstream support
for school age students. Our superior learning
environment is characterized by classrooms
staffed by master’s-prepared teachers.
Rosie’s Ranch: Ride! Listen! Speak!
303-257-5943 or 720-851-0927 •
www.rosiesranch.com • RosiesRanch@comcast.
net • Our mission: To provide a family centered
atmosphere where children with deafness or oral
language challenges will expand their listening,
verbal and reading skills by engaging in activities
with horses, under the guidance of a highly
trained and qualified staff. Our programs: Mom
and Tot: A 90-minute parent and tot group pony
activity; ages 1-5. Pony Camp: Daily riding
and camp activities; age 6-13. Saturday Riding
Club: For riders of all skill levels; ages 6-16.
Out of state families welcome to experience
ranch life; accommodations will be arranged!
SPEAK, LISTEN AND
READ WIRELESSLY!
nConnecticut
CREC Soundbridge, 123 Progress Drive,
Wethersfield, CT 06109 • 860- 529-4260 (voice/
TTY) • 860-257-8500 (fax) • www.crec.org/
soundbridge (website). Dr. Elizabeth B. Cole,
Program Director. Comprehensive audiological
and instructional services, birth through postsecondary, 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.
sprintcaptel.com
Wireless CapTel® by Sprint® powered by Raketu
is a free app for individuals with hearing loss to
place captioned calls on select Android™ powered
devices.* Wireless CapTel by Sprint delivers
word-for-word captions of everything your caller
says, while listening and speaking directly to
your caller!
Scan to download app or search
Wireless CapTel by Sprint in the
Android Marketplace.
*
App requires an Android-powered device with
OS 2.2 or higher.
Need a device? Wireless CapTel by Sprint
uses VOiP services to connect your calls.
Start saving today by visiting sprintrelaystore.com/wcs
Although Wireless CapTel by Sprint can be used for emergency calling, such emergency calling may not function the same as traditional 911/E911 services. By using
Wireless CapTel by Sprint for emergency calling you agree that Sprint is not responsible for any damages resulting from errors, defects, malfunctions, interruptions or
failures in accessing or attempting to access emergency services through Wireless CapTel by Sprint whether caused by the negligence of Sprint or otherwise. . ©2012
Sprint. Sprint and the logo are trademarks of Sprint. Android, Google, the Google logo and Android Market are trademarks of Google Inc. The HTC logo, and HTC EVO are
the trademarks of HTC Corporation. Other marks are the property of their respective owners.
VOLTA VOICES • J ANUARY /F EBRUARY 201 3 33
Frequently Asked Questions
About Auditory-Verbal Practice
New from the AG Bell Bookstore!
do you have questions about auditory-verbal therapy and
education? Find the answers 101 frequently asked questions
from more than 100 listening and spoken language
specialists. this book will help you:
• learn about the history, philosophy, principles
and outcomes of auditory-verbal practice
• gain an understanding of contemporary issues
and current trends in field
• Build strong parent-professional partnerships that
foster the development of listening, spoken language and literacy
• Find hope, support and encouragement
s
Available in print and e-book format for all major e-readers
ListeningandSpokenLanguage.org/101FAQs
listeningandspokenlanguage.org
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. AuditoryVerbal 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.
University of Miami Debbie School,
Auditory Oral Education Program,
1601 Northwest 12th Avenue, Miami, Florida
33136 • 305-243-6961 (voice) • Kathleen C.
Vergara, Director, Debbie Institute (kvergara@
med.miami.edu) and Lynn W. Miskiel, Director
of Ancillary Services (lmiskiel@med.miami.
edu). Our auditory-oral education program
provides early intervention and primary
education services in a nurturing, inclusive
listening and spoken language environment.
Classrooms include early preschool, preschool,
kindergarten and primary. Services include early
intervention, family education, individualized
small group instruction, audiology and speechlanguage pathology. Staff consists of credentialed
teachers, a credentialed service coordinator,
licensed therapists and a licensed audiologist.
nFlorida
nGeorgia
Clarke Schools for Hearing and
Speech/Jacksonville, 9803 Old St.
Augustine Road, Suite 7, Jacksonville, FL
32257 • 904-880-9001(voice/relay). info@
clarkeschools.org • www.clarkeschools.org.
Alisa Demico, MS, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert AVT,
and Cynthia Robinson, M.Ed., CED, LSLS
Cert. AVEd, Co-Directors. A member of the
Options School network, Clarke Schools for
Hearing and Speech provides children who are
deaf and hard of hearing with the listening,
learning and spoken language skills they need
to succeed. Comprehensive listening and spoken
language programs prepare students for success in
mainstream schools.
Services include early intervention, toddler,
preschool, pre-K, kindergarten, parent support,
cochlear implant habilitation, and mainstream
support. Summer Listening and Spoken language
Program provides additional spoken language
therapy for toddler and preschool-aged children.
Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech has
locations in Boston, Bryn Mawr, Jacksonville,
New York City, Northampton and Philadelphia.
Atlanta Speech School – Katherine
Hamm Center, 3160 Northside Parkway,
NW Atlanta, GA 30327 • 404-233-5332 ext.
3119 (voice/TTY) • 404-266-2175 (fax) • scarr@
atlspsch.org (email) • www.atlantaspeechschool.
org (website). A Listening and Spoken Language
program serving children who are deaf or hard
of hearing from infancy to early elementary
school age. Children receive language-rich
lessons and highly individualized literacy
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
education evaluations. Established in 1938.
VOLTA VOICES • J ANUARY /F EBRUARY 201 3 Auditory-Verbal Center, Inc – Atlanta,
1901 Century Blvd. Suite 20, Atlanta Georgia
30345 • (voice) 404-633-8911 • (fax) 404633-6403 • (email) listen@avchears.org •
(website) www.avchears.org. AuditoryVerbal Center – Macon, 2720 Sheraton
Drive, Suite D-140, Macon, Georgia 31204 •
(voice) 478-741-0019 • (fax) 478-742-1308 •
(email) listen@avchears.org • (website) www.
avchears.org. A comprehensive auditory-verbal
program for children who are deaf or hard
of hearing and their families. Also provide
audiological services for birth to geriatric.
Provide adult cochlear implant rehabilitation.
nIllinois
Child’s Voice School, 180 Hansen Court,
Wood Dale, IL 60191 • (630) 595-8200 (voice)
• (630) 595-8282 (fax) • info@childsvoice.org
(email) • www.childsvoice.org (website). Michele
Wilkins, Ed.D., LSLS Cert. AVEd., Executive
Director. A Listening and Spoken Language
program for children birth to age 8. Cochlear
implant (re) habilitation, audiology services and
mainstream support services provided. Early
intervention for birth to age three with parentinfant and toddler classes and home based
services offered in Wood Dale and Chicago areas.
Parent Support/Education classes provided.
Child’s Voice is a Certified Moog Program.
The University of Chicago, Comer
Children’s Hospital Pediatric Hearing
Loss and Cochlear Implant Center,
5841 S. Maryland Avenue, DCAM 4H,
Chicago, IL 60637 • 773-702-8182. Program
Director, Sally Tannenbaum, M.Ed., CED,
LSLS Cert. AVT, stannenbaum@surgery.bsd.
uchicago.edu. Dr. Dana Suskind, dsuskind@
surgery.bsd.uchicago.edu. Website: www.
uchicagokidshospital.org/cochlear. The center
provides full medical and audiological services
for infants, children and adults. Comprehensive
services for children with hearing loss and their
families are provided from time of diagnosis
through schools years. Services include
otolaryngology, audiology services including
cochlear implants and loaner hearing aids, and
listen and spoken language therapy. Mentoring
in Listening and Spoken Language, AuditoryVerbal therapy is available for professionals.
In addition, the Center is actively involved
in research projects including developing
an evidenced-based, listening and spoken
language curriculum called Project ASPIRE.
nIndiana
St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf
- Indianapolis. 9192 Waldemar Road,
Indianapolis, IN 46268 • (317) 471-8560 (voice) •
(317) 471-8627 (fax) • www.sjid.org; touellette@
sjid.org (email) • Teri Ouellette, M.S. Ed., LSLS
Cert. AVEd, Director. St. Joseph Institute for the
Deaf - Indianapolis, a campus of the St. Joseph
Institute system, serves children with hearing loss,
birth to age six. Listening and Spoken Language
programs include early intervention, toddler and
preschool classes, cochlear implant rehabilitation,
mainstream therapy and consultation and daily
speech therapy. Challenging speech, academic
programs and personal development are offered
in a nurturing environment. (See Kansas and
Missouri for other campus information.)
35
nMaryland
The Hearing and Speech Agency’s
Auditory/Oral Program: Little Ears,
Big Voices, 5900 Metro Drive, Baltimore,
MD 21215 • (voice) 410-318-6780 • (relay) 711
• (fax) 410-318-6759 • Email: hasa@hasa.org •
Website: www.hasa.org • Jill Berie, Educational
Director; Olga Polites, Clinical Director; Erin
Medley, Teacher of the Deaf. Auditory/Oral
education and therapy program for infants and
young children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Early intervention services are available for
children birth to age 3 and a preschool program
for children ages 3 through 5. Cheerful, spacious,
state-of-the-art classrooms located in Gateway
School are approved by the Maryland State
Department of Education. Services include
onsite audiology, speech-language therapy,
family education and support. Applications are
accepted year-round. Financial aid available.
nMassachusetts
Speech/Boston, 1 Whitman Road, Canton,
MA 02021 • 781-821-3499 (voice) • 781-8213904 (tty) • info@clarkeschools.org • www.
clarkeschools.org. Barbara Hecht, Ph.D., Director.
A member of the Option Schools network,
Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech provides
children who are deaf and hard of hearing with
the listening, learning and spoken language skills
they need to succeed. Comprehensive listening
and spoken language programs prepare students
for success in mainstream schools.
Services include early intervention, preschool,
kindergarten, speech and language services, parent
support, cochlear implant habilitation, and an
extensive mainstream services program (itinerant
and consulting). Children and families come to
our campus from throughout Eastern and Central
Massachusetts, Cape Cod, Rhode Island, Maine
and New Hampshire for services.
36 Clarke Schools for Hearing and
Speech/Northampton, 47 Round Hill
Road, Northampton, MA 01060 • 413-5843450 (voice/tty). info@clarkeschools.org • www.
clarkeschools.org. Bill Corwin, President. A
member of the Option Schools network, Clarke
Schools for Hearing and Speech provides children
who are deaf and hard of hearing with the
listening, learning and spoken language skills they
need to succeed. Comprehensive listening and
spoken language programs prepare students for
success in mainstream schools.
day school through 8th grade, cochlear implant
assessment, summer programs, mainstream
services (itinerant and consulting), evaluations for
infants through high school students, audiological
services, and a graduate degree program in teacher
education.
nMinnesota
Northeast Metro #916 Auditory/
Oral Program, 1111 S. Holcombe Street,
Stillwater MN 55082 • 651-351-4036 • auditory.
oral@nemetro.k12.mn.us (email). The purpose of
Northeast Metro 916’s Auditory/Oral Program
is to provide a listening and spoken language
education to children who are deaf or hard of
hearing. Services strive to instill and develop
receptive (listening) and expressive (speaking)
English language skills within each student.
Well-trained specialists carry the principles of this
program forward using supportive, necessary and
recognized curriculum. The program’s philosophy
is that children who are deaf or hard of hearing
can learn successfully within a typical classroom
environment with peers who have typical hearing.
This can be achieved when they are identified at
an early age, receive appropriate amplification,
and participate in an spoken language-specific
early intervention program. Referrals are through
the local school district in which the family lives.
nMississippi
DuBard School for Language
Disorders, The University of Southern
Mississippi, 118 College Drive #5215,
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001 • 601-266-5223
(voice) • dubard@usm.edu (email) • www.
usm.edu/dubard • Maureen K. Martin, Ph.D.,
CCC-SLP, CED, CALT, QI, Director. The
DuBard School for Language Disorders is a
clinical division of the Department of Speech and
Hearing Sciences at The University of Southern
Mississippi. The school serves children from birth
to age 13 in its state-of-the-art facility. Working
collaboratively with 20 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 DuBard Association Method®, an
expanded and refined version of The Association
Method, 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 Road, Jackson, MS 39209 – 601922-5530 (voice), 601-922-5534 (fax) – anne.
sullivan@magnoliaspeechschool.org –Anne
Sullivan, M.Ed. Executive Director. Magnolia
Speech School serves children with hearing loss
and/or severe speech and language disorders.
Listening and Spoken Language instruction/
therapy is offered to students 0 to 12 in a homebased early intervention program (free of charge),
in classroom settings and in the Hackett Bower
Clinic (full educational audiological services,
speech pathology and occupational therapy).
Assessments and outpatient therapy are also
offered to the community through the Clinic.
nMissouri
CID – Central Institute for the
Deaf, 825 S. Taylor Avenue, St. Louis, MO
63110 314-977-0132 (voice) • 314-977-0037
(tty) • lberkowitz@cid.edu (email) • www.cid.
edu (website) Lynda Berkowitz/Barb Lanfer,
co-principals. Child- and family-friendly
learning environment for children birth-12;
exciting adapted curriculum incorporating
mainstream content; Family Center for infants
and toddlers; expert mainstream preparation in
the CID pre-k and primary programs; workshops
and educational tools for professionals; close
affiliation with Washington University deaf
education and audiology graduate programs.
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St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf - St.
Louis, 1809 Clarkson Road, Chesterfield, MO
63017 • (636) 532-3211 (voice/TYY) • www.
sjid.org; Mary Daniels, MAEd, LSLS Cert.
AVEd, Director of Education • mdaniels@sjid.
org • An independent, Catholic school serving
children with hearing loss birth through the
eighth grade. Listening and Spoken Language
programs include early intervention, toddler
and preschool classes, K-8th grade, I-Hear
internet therapy, audiology clinic, evaluations,
mainstream consultancy, and summer school.
Challenging speech, academic programs and
personal development are offered in a supportive
environment. ISACS accredited. Approved private
agency of Missouri Department of Education and
Illinois Department of Education. (See Kansas
and Indiana for other campus information.)
nNew Jersey
Stephanie Shaeffer, M.S., CCCSLP, LSLS Cert. AVT • 908-8790404 • Chester, NJ • srshaeffer@comcast.
net. Speech and Language Therapy and
Communication Evaluations. Auditory-Verbal
Therapy, Aural Rehabilitation, Facilitating
the Auditory Building Blocks Necessary for
Reading. Fluency and Comprehension.
Summit Speech School for the
Hearing-Impaired Child, F.M. Kirby
Center is an exclusively auditory-oral/auditoryverbal school for deaf and hard of hearing children
located at 705 Central Ave., New Providence,
NJ 07974 • 908-508-0011 (voice/TTY) •
908-508-0012 (fax) • info@summitspeech.org
(email) • www.summitspeech.org (website) •
Pamela Paskowitz, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Executive
Director. Programs include Early Intervention/
Parent Infant (0-3 years), Preschool (3-5 years)
and Itinerant Mainstream Support Services for
children in their home districts. Speech and
language, OT and PT and family support/
family education services available. Pediatric
audiological services are available for children
birth-21 and educational audiology and
consultation is available for school districts.
nNew York
Anne Kearney, M.S., LSLS Cert. AVT,
CCC-SLP, 401 Littleworth Lane, Sea Cliff,
Long Island, NY 11579 • 516-671-9057 (Voice)
• Kearney@optonline.net. Family-centered
auditory-verbal speech therapy for infants,
children and adults with any level of hearing loss.
38 VOLTA VOICES • J ANUARY / F EBRUARY 201 3
Auditory/Oral School of New York,
3321 Avenue “M”, Brooklyn, NY 11234 • 718531-1800 (voice) • 718-421-5395 (fax) • info@
auditoryoral.org (email). Pnina Bravmann,
Program Director. An Auditory/Oral Early
Intervention and Preschool Program serving
children with hearing loss and their families.
Programs include: Early Intervention (centerbased and home-based), preschool, integrated
preschool classes with children with normal
hearing, multidisciplinary evaluations, parent
support, auditory-verbal therapy (individual
speech, language and listening therapy),
complete audiological services, cochlear implant
(re)habilitation, mainstreaming, ongoing
support services following mainstreaming.
Speech/New York, 80 East End Avenue,
New York, NY 10028 • 212-585-3500 (voice/
tty). info@clarkeschools.org • www.clarkeschools.
org. Meredith Berger, Director. A member of
the Option Schools network, Clarke Schools
for Hearing and Speech provides children who
are deaf and hard of hearing with the listening,
mainstream schools.
Clarke’s New York campus is located on the
Upper East Side of Manhattan and serves children
age birth-5 years old from New York City and
Westchester County. Clarke is an approved
provider of early intervention evaluations and
services, service coordination, and pre-school
classes (self-contained and integrated). There are
typically little or no out of pocket expenses for
families attending Clarke New York. Our expert
staff includes teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing,
speech language pathologists, audiologists, social
workers/service coordinators and occupational and
physical therapists.
VOLTA VOICES • J ANUARY /F EBRUARY 201 3 Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf,
40 Frost Mill Road, Mill Neck, NY 11765 • (516)
922-4100 (voice). Mark R. Prowatzke Ph.D.,
Executive Director. State- supported school
maintains Infant Toddler Program with focus
on parent education and family support that
includes listening and spoken language training
by a speech therapist and TOD. Audiological
services onsite. Auditory-verbal preschool and
kindergarten (ages 3-6) program serves students
who are deaf or hard of hearing alongside peers
with typical hearing. Curriculum addresses NYS
standards as it promotes language development
through listening in a less restrictive setting.
Full time TOD, along with music, art, library,
audiological services and therapies that include
individual and group speech, occupational,
physical and family supports are available onsite.
Rochester School for the Deaf,
1545 St. Paul Street, Rochester, NY 14621 •
585-544-1240 (voice/TTY) • 866-283-8810
(videophone) • info@RSDeaf.org • www.RSDeaf.
org • Harold Mowl, Jr., Ph.D., Superintendent/
CEO. Serving Western and Central New York
State, Rochester School for the Deaf (RSD) is an
inclusive, bilingual school where children who
are deaf and hard of hearing and their families
thrive. Established in 1876, RSD goes above and
beyond all expectations to provide quality Pre-K
through 12th grade academic programs, services
and resources to ensure a satisfying and successful
school experience for children with hearing loss.
The Children’s Hearing Institute,
380 Second Avenue at 22nd Street, 9th floor,
New York, NY 10010 • 646-438-7819 (voice).
Educational Outreach Program – provides
continuing education courses for professionals
to maintain certification, with accreditation
by American Speech-Language-Hearing
Association (ASHA), American Academy of
Audiology (AAA), and The AG Bell Academy
for Listening and Spoken Language. Free
parent and family programs for children with
hearing loss. CHI’s mission is to achieve the
best possible outcome for children with hearing
loss by caring for their clinical needs, educating
the professionals that work with them, and
providing their parents with the pertinent
information needed for in-home success.
nNorth Carolina
BEGINNINGS For Parents of Children
Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing,
Inc., 302 Jefferson Street, Suite 110, PO Box
17646, Raleigh, NC 27605, 919-715-4092
(voice) – 919-715-4093 (fax) – Raleigh@
ncbegin.org (email). 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 Fortunes Ridge Drive,
Suite A, Chapel Hill, NC 27713 • 919-419-1428
(voice) • www.med.unc.edu/earandhearing/
castle (website) • CASTLE is a part of the UNC
Pediatric Cochlear Implant Team. Our mission is
to provide a quality listening & spoken language
program for children with hearing loss; empower
parents as primary teachers and advocates; and
train and coach specialists in listening and spoken
language. We offer toddler classes, preschool
language groups, auditory-verbal parent sessions
and distance therapy through UNC REACH. A
hands-on training program for hearing-related
professionals/university students is also available.
nOhio
Ohio Valley Voices, 6642 Branch Hill
Guinea Pike, Loveland, OH 45140 • 513791-1458 (voice) • 513-791-4326 (fax) •
mainoffice@ohiovalleyvoices.org (e-mail) •
www.ohiovalleyvoices.org (website). Ohio
Valley Voices teaches children who are deaf and
hard of hearing how to listen and to speak. The
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 age 3 program, a preschool through second
grade program, a full array of onsite audiological
services, parent education and support resources.
39
nOklahoma
nPennsylvania
Hearts for Hearing, 3525 NW 56th
Street, Suite A-150, Oklahoma City, OK
73112 • 405-548-4300 • 405-548-4350(Fax) •
Comprehensive hearing health care for children
and adults with an emphasis on listening and
spoken language outcomes. Our family-centered
team includes audiologists, LSLS Cert. AVTs,
speech-language pathologists, physicians and
educators working closely with families for
optimal listening and spoken language outcomes.
Services include newborn hearing testing,
pediatric and adult audiological evaluations,
hearing aid fittings, cochlear implant evaluations
and mapping. Auditory-verbal therapy as well
as cochlear implant habilitation is offered by
Listening and Spoken Language Specialists
(LSLS™), as well as an auditory-oral preschool,
parent-toddler group and a summer enrichment
program. Continuing education and consulting
available. www.heartsforhearing.org.
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 (website). The CCC provides Audiology,
Speech-Language and Cochlear Implant services
and offers support through CATIPIHLER, an
interdisciplinary program including mental health
and educational services for children with hearing
loss and their families from time of diagnosis
through transition into school-aged services. In
addition to serving families at our main campus
in Philadelphia, satellite offices are located in
Bucks County, Exton, King of Prussia, and
Springfield, PA and in Voorhees, Mays Landing,
and Princeton, NJ. Professional Preparation in
Cochlear Implants (PPCI), a continuing education
training program for teachers and speech-language
pathologists, is also headquartered at the CCC.
40 Clarke Schools for Hearing and
Speech/Pennsylvania, 455 South Roberts
Road, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 • 610-525-9600
(voice/tty). info@clarkeschools.org • www.
clarkeschools.org. Judith Sexton, MS, CED,
LSLS Cert AVEd, Director. A member of the
Option Schools network, Clarke Schools for
Hearing and Speech provides children who are
deaf and hard of hearing with the listening,
mainstream schools. Locations in Bryn Mawr and
Philadelphia.
parent education, individual auditory speech and
language services, cochlear implant habilitation
for children and adults, audiological services,
and mainstream services including itinerant
teaching and consulting. Specially trained
staff includes LSLS Cert. AVEd and LSL Cert.
AVT professionals, teachers of the deaf, special
educators, speech language pathologists and a staff
audiologist.
Delaware County Intermediate
Unit # 25, Hearing and Language
Programs, 200 Yale Avenue, Morton, PA
19070  610-938-9000, ext. 2277, 610-938-9886
(fax)  sdoyle@dciu.org  Program Highlights:
A publicly funded program for children with
hearing loss in local schools. Serving children
from birth through 21 years of age. Teachers
of the deaf provide resource room support and
itinerant hearing therapy throughout Delaware
County, PA. Services also include audiology,
speech therapy, cochlear implant habilitation
(which includes LSLS Cert. AVT and LSLS
Cert. AVEd), psychology and social work.
DePaul School for Hearing and
Speech, 6202 Alder Street, Pittsburgh,
PA 15206 • 412-924-1012 (voice) • 412924-1036 (fax) • www.speakmiracles.org
(website) • ll@depaulinst.com (email) • Lillian
Rountree Lippencott, Director of Outreach &
Development. As western Pennsylvania’s only
auditory-oral school for children who are deaf
or hard of hearing, DePaul School provides
Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) education
to children in Pennsylvania, and from Ohio
and West Virginia. A State Approved Private
School, most programs are tuition-free to
approved students. DePaul School provides
early intervention services for children (birth
to age 5); a center-based toddler program (ages
18-36 months); a preschool program (ages 3-5)
and a comprehensive academic program grades
K-8. DePaul School provides clinical services
including audiology, Auditory-Verbal and
speech therapy, cochlear implant MAPping and
habilitation, physical and occupational therapy,
mainstreaming support and parent education
and support programs. Most children who
participate in DePaul School’s early intervention
programs gain the listening and spoken language
skills needed to succeed and transition to
their neighborhood schools by first grade.
VOLTA VOICES • J ANUARY /F EBRUARY 201 3 n
South Carolina
nTexas
The University of South Carolina
Speech and Hearing Research
Center, 1601 St. Julian Place, Columbia,
SC, 29204 • (803) 777-2614 (voice) • (803)
253-4143 (fax) • Center Director: Danielle
Varnedoe, daniell@mailbox.sc.edu. The center
provides audiology services, speech-language
therapy, adult aural (re)habilitation therapy,
and Auditory-Verbal Therapy. Our audiology
services include comprehensive diagnostic
evaluations, hearing aid evaluations and
services, and cochlear implant evaluations and
programming. The University also provides a
training program for AV therapy and cochlear
implant management for professional/university
students. Additional contacts for the AVT or
CI programs include Wendy Potts, CI Program
Coordinator (803-777-2642), Melissa Hall (803777-1698), Nikki Herrod-Burrows (803-7772669), Gina Crosby-Quinatoa (803) 777-2671,
and Jamy Claire Archer (803-777-1734).
Callier Center for Communication
Disorders/UT Dallas - Callier-Dallas
Facility 1966 Inwood Road, Dallas, TX,
75235 • 214-905-3000 (voice) • 214-905-3012
(TDD) • Callier-Richardson Facility: 811
Synergy Park Blvd., Richardson, TX, 75080 •
972-883-3630 (voice) • 972-883-3605 (TDD)
• cpiloto@utdallas.edu (e-mail) • www.callier.
utdallas.edu (website). Nonprofit Organization,
hearing evaluations, hearing aid dispensing,
assistive devices, cochlear implant evaluations,
psychology services, speech-language pathology
services, child development program for
children ages six weeks to five years.
n
Tennessee
Memphis Oral School for the Deaf,
7901 Poplar Avenue, Germantown, TN 38138
• 901-758-2228 (voice) • 901-531-6735 (fax)
• www.mosdkids.org (website) • tschwarz@
mosdkids.org (email). Teresa Schwartz, Executive
Director. Services: Family Training Program
(birth-age 3), Auditory/Oral Day School
(ages 2-6), Audiological Testing, Hearing Aid
Programming, Cochlear Implant Mapping
and Therapy, Aural (Re)Habilitation, SpeechLanguage Therapy, Mainstream Service.
Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center
- National Center for Childhood
Deafness and Family Communication,
Medical Center East South Tower, 1215 21st
Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37232-8718 • 615936-5000 (voice) • 615-936-1225 (fax) • nccdfc@
vanderbilt.edu (email) • www.mc.vanderbilt.
edu/VanderbiltBillWilkersonCenter (web).
Tamala Bradham, Ph.D., Associate Director
in Clinical Services. The NCCDFC Service
Division is an auditory learning program serving
children with hearing loss from birth through
21 years. Services include educational services
at the Mama Lere Hearing School at Vanderbilt
as well as audiological and speech-language
pathology services. Specifically, services includes
audiological evaluations, hearing aid services,
cochlear implant evaluations and programming,
speech, language, and listening therapy,
educational assessments, parent-infant program,
toddler program, all day preschool through
kindergarten educational program, itinerant/
academic tutoring services, parent support
groups, and summer enrichment programs.
The Center for Hearing and Speech,
3636 West Dallas, Houston, TX 77019 • 713-5233633 (voice) • 713-874-1173 (TTY) • 713-5238399 (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 mapping; Speech-Language Pathology
Clinic providing Parent-Infant therapy, AuditoryVerbal therapy, aural(re) habilitation; family
support services. All services offered on sliding
fee scale and many services offered in Spanish.
Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf
Children, 603 E. Hildebrand Ave., San
Antonio, TX 78212; 210/824-0579; fax
210/826-0436. Founded in 1947, Sunshine
Cottage, a listening and spoken language
school promoting early identification of hearing
loss and subsequent intervention teaching
children with hearing impairment (infants
through high school.) State-of-the-art pediatric
audiological services include hearing aid fitting,
cochlear implant programming, assessment of
children maintenance of campus soundfield
and FM equipment. Programs include the
Newborn Hearing Evaluation Center, ParentInfant Program, Hearing Aid Loaner and
Scholarship Programs, Educational Programs
(pre-school through fifth grade on campus and
in mainstream settings), Habilitative Services,
Speech Language Pathology, Counseling,
and Assessment Services. Pre- and postcochlear implant assessments and habilitation.
Accredited by the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation
and School Improvement, OPTIONschools
International, and is a Texas Education
Agency approved non-public school. For more
information visit www.sunshinecottage.org
41
nUtah
nWisconsin
INTERNATIONAL
Utah Schools for the Deaf and the
Blind (USDB), 742 Harrison Boulevard,
Ogden UT 84404 - 801-629-4712 (voice)
801-629-4701 (TTY) - www.udsb.org (website).
USDB is a state funded program for children
with hearing loss (birth through high school)
serving students in various settings including
local district classes and direct educational and
consulting services throughout the state. USDB
language and communication options include
Listening and Spoken Language. USDB has a
comprehensive hearing healthcare program which
includes an emphasis on hearing technology for
optimal auditory access, pediatric audiological
evaluations, and cochlear implant management.
Services also include Early Intervention, fullday preschool and Kindergarten, intensive day
programs, and related services including speech/
language pathology and aural habilitation.
Center for Communication, Hearing
& Deafness, 10243 W. National Avenue,
West Allis, WI 53227 • 414-604-2200(Voice)
• 414-604-7200 (Fax) • www.cdhh.org
(Website). Amy Peters Lalios, M.A., CCC-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 ConnectHear, an interactive
teletherapy 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.
nAustralia
VOLTA VOICES • J ANUARY /F EBRUARY 201 3 The Shepherd Centre, 391-401 Abercrombie
Street, Darlington, NSW, Australia 2008 • (voice)
+61 2 9351 7888 • (TTY) +61 2 9351 7881 • http://
www.shepherdcentre.org.au. Over the last 40 years,
The Shepherd Centre has assisted more than 1,500
children who are deaf or hard of hearing to reach
their full potential. The organization is recognized as
a world leader in the field of Auditory-Verbal Therapy,
providing assistance through early intervention and
cochlear implant programs for children, birth to 6
years with all levels of hearing loss, to develop spoken
language. With a team of Auditory-Verbal Therapists,
Audiologists and Child and Family Counselors,
our Centre-based services include: one-on-one
sessions; preschool and child care visits; home visits;
babies, toddler and school readiness group sessions;
playgroup; parent information sessions; formal speech
and language assessments; professional seminar series;
New Families programs; internal and external AVT
mentoring programs; Cochlear Implant program in
conjunction with the Sydney Children’s Hospital; and
intensive workshop programs and distance services
for families from regional Australia and overseas.
43
Telethon Speech & Hearing Centre for
Children WA (Inc), 36 Dodd Street, Wembley
WA 6014, Australia, 61-08-9387-9888 (phone),
61-08-9387-9889 (fax), speech@tsh.org.au (e-mail),
www.tsh.org.au (website). Teaching children with
communication disabilities to listen and speak
since 1966. Our oral language programs include
early intervention and school support services
for children with hearing loss and an innovative
intervention program for children experiencing
speech and language delay. Audiological services
include newborn hearing screening, diagnostic
testing, cochlear implant program and a network
of mobile ear clinics providing free screening
services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander children. The Centre employs a team of
audiologists, Auditory-Verbal Therapists, speech
pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologist,
Early Childhood Teachers and specialist Teachers
of the Deaf to ensure families have the highest
level of professional assistance and advice.
List of Advertisers
Advanced Bionics Corporation..........................................................................11
Auditory-Verbal Center...................................................................................... 30
CapTel...................................................................................... Inside Back Cover
Central Institute for the Deaf............................................................................. 43
Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech.............................................................4
Cochlear Americas...............................................................................................7
Dubard School for Language Disorders............................................................25
Ear Gear................................................................................................................6
nCanada
Children’s Hearing and Speech Centre
of British Columbia ( formerly The Vancouver
Oral 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) • Janet Weil, Principal and Executive
Director, jweil@childrenshearing.ca. Our
auditory-oral program includes: onsite audiology,
cochlear implant mapping, parent guidance,
auditory-verbal education, preschool, prekindergarten and K, Primary 1-3; 1:1 therapy
sessions, itinerant services and teletherapy.
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.
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 (email) • www.speech-lang.org.uk (website) •
Assessment, nursery school and therapeutic centre
for children under 5 with hearing impairment,
speech/language or communication difficulties,
including autism. • We have a Child Psychologist
and a Child Psychotherapist. • Auditory-Verbal
Therapy is also provided by a LSLS Cert. AVT.
44 Ear Technology Corp. (Dry & Store)...................................................................27
Harris Communications.....................................................................................29
Let’s Hear It For Almigal.....................................................................................10
Med-EL............................................................................................... Back Cover
Moog Center.......................................................................................................18
“My Problems, God’s Solutions”.........................................................................5
National Technical Institute for the Deaf - RIT.................................................. 38
Oticon...................................................................................... Inside Front Cover
Phonak................................................................................................................37
Sprint CapTel..................................................................................................... 33
Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children.....................................................31
Tucker-Maxon School for the Deaf....................................................................40
University of Texas Health Science Center.......................................................19
AG Bell LOFT......................................................................................................42
AG Bell 101 FAQs.............................................................................................. 34
It’s Your Call!
Enjoy phone conversations confident you’ll catch
every word! The CapTel® Captioned Telephone
shows you captions of everything your caller says.
• Built-in answering machine records voice
messages and captions
• Extra large display screen with variable font
sizes & colors
• Includes free captioning service
(no monthly fees or contracts required)
CapTel®
840i
Don’t miss another word!
www.captel.com
1-800-233-9130
See what CapTel users are saying
about this remarkable free service!
Visit CapTel.com
Extra Small for All
As the industry‘s technology leader in implantable hearing
solutions, MED-EL products are the result of 30 years of
focused research and commitment. MED-EL now offers the
MAESTRO Cochlear Implant System hearing experience in an
Xtra Small size. The new XS battery pack makes the OPUS 2XS
the smallest and lightest audio processor in the world.
Our Cochlear Implant System external equipment is covered
by an industry best 5 year warranty!
EMAIL IMPL ANTS-USA@MEDEL.COM
TOLL FREE (888) MEDEL-CI (633-3524)
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www.medel.com

PDF edition - Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and

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