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 H A R D O F H E A R I N G
V
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A PARENT’S ROLE In The IEP
Preparing PROFESSIONALS
to WORK WITH FAMILIES
July/August 2009
7 7 7 !'"%,, /2's6/,)335%
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V OLU M E 1 6
ISSUE 4
VOICES
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ENGLISH VERSION
Expanding the Rights of Children Learning
to Listen and Talk
By Melody Felzien
Learn more about AG Bell’s Children’s Legal
Advocacy program and what parents can do to
ensure appropriate educational services for their
children who use listening and spoken language.
18
In Every Issue
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL
Ampliación de los derechos de los niños
que aprenden a escuchar y hablar
Por Melody Felzien
2 Want to Write for VV?
4 Letters to the editor
6 voices Contributors
40Directory of Services
52 List of Advertisers
Conozca más sobre el programa de Defensa
legal para niños de AG Bell (AG Bell’s Children’s
Legal Advocacy program) y lo que los padres
pueden hacer para asegurar que sus hijos,
que escuchan y usan el lenguaje oral, reciban
servicios educativos adecuados.
Departments
22
Voices from AG Bell
3 | Appreciating Our Supporters
Advocacy and Your Child’s Education
By Jay Wyant
Parents are the strongest advocates for their
child’s development. This article provides
specific tips and how-to’s for working with
school districts and educators in your area.
34 | Tips for Parents:
Get in the Game
By Beth Cash, R.N.
Preparing Professionals to Foster SocialEmotional Development within the Family
Context
By Maribeth Nelson Lartz, Ph.D., and Tracy
Meehan, M.S.
The importance of a family’s emotional
connection is often overlooked when providing
early intervention services. This article provides
professionals with tools to help children with
hearing loss develop a strong social-emotional
bond with their parents.
30
Usher Syndrome and Hearing Loss
Compiled by Melody Felzien; Sidebar by Gail
MacKinnon
Usher syndrome is a genetic disorder affecting
both hearing and vision loss, and is often
misdiagnosed. In an effort to expand knowledge
about the disorder, this article explains the
identification and effects of Ushers.
Special Section: Recognizing the
Generosity of Our Donors
AG Bell thanks its 2008 supporters and donors.
By Tiffani-Hill Patterson
6 | Conversations With
3
Alex Graham
in this issue
5 | Family Advocacy
By Melody Felzien
8 | Soundbites
38 | Around the World
By Sarah Crum
Alex ander Graham Bell
A s s o c i a t i o n f o r t h e D e a f a n d Ha r d o f H e a r i n g
3417 volta pl ace, nw, was hington, dc 20 0 07 • w w w. agbell .org
V
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VOICES
Advocating Independence
through Listening and Talking
— Adopted by the Alexander Graham Bell Association
for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Board of Directors, November 8, 1998
ALE X ANDER GR AHAM BELL
AS SOCIATION FOR THE DEAF
AND HARD OF HEARING
3417 Volta Place, NW, Washington, DC 20007
www.agbell.org | VOICE 202.337.5220
TTY 202.337.5221 | FAX 202.337.8314
Volta Voices Staff
Production and Editing Manager
Melody Felzien
Director of Communications
Catherine Murphy
Manager of Advertising and Exhibit Sales
Garrett W. Yates
Design and Layout
Alix Shutello and Jake Needham
EEI Communications
AG Bell Board of Directors
President
John R. “Jay” Wyant (MN)
President-Elect
Kathleen S. Treni (NJ)
Secretary-Treasurer
Christine Anthony, M.B.A., M.E.M. (IL)
Immediate Past President
Karen Youdelman, Ed.D. (OH)
Executive Director
Alexander T. Graham (VA)
Donald M. Goldberg, Ph.D. (OH)
Meredith K. Knueve, Esq. (OH)
Michael A. Novak, M.D. (IL)
Peter S. Steyger, Ph.D. (OR)
Want to Write for Volta
Volta Voices?
Voices?
Submissions to Volta Voices
Volta Voices welcomes submissions from
both AG Bell members and non-members.
The magazine is published six times
annually. Its audience consists of individuals
who are deaf or hard of hearing, parents
of children who are deaf or hard of hearing
and professionals in fi elds related to
hearing loss (audiology, speech-language
pathology, psychology, otology, social
services, education).
Visit the Volta Voices page at www.agbell.org
for submission guidelines and to submit
content.
Subjects of Interest
N Technology – related to hearing loss,
new technology, improvements to or
problems with existing technology, or
how people are using existing technology,
accommodations.
N Education – related to public or private
schools through post-secondary education,
new approaches and teaching methods,
legal implications and issues, etc.
N Advocacy – information on legislation,
hearing health, special or mainstream
education, and accessibility.
N Health – audiology issues relating to
children or adults with hearing loss and/or
their families and friends.
Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and
Hard of Hearing cannot issue or disseminate
reprints, authorize copying by individuals
and libraries, or authorize indexing and
abstracting services to use material from
the magazine.
Art Submission Guidelines
Volta Voices prefers digital images over original
artwork. When submitting electronic fi les,
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).
N Action – stories about people with hearing
loss who use spoken language as their
primary mode of communication; deafness
need not be the focal point of the article.
Submit Articles/Items to:
Volta Voices
Alexander Graham Bell Association for the
Deaf and Hard of Hearing
6OLTA0LACE.7s7ASHINGTON$#
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The periodicals department reserves the
right to edit material to fi t 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.
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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
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Let us know how we are doing. Write a Letter to the
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Volta Voices (ISSN 1074-8016) is published six times a year. Periodicals postage is paid at Washington, DC, and other additional offi ces.Copyright ©2009 by the Alexander Graham Bell
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VOICES FROM AG BELL
Appreciating Our
Supporters
T
his edition of Volta Voices
recognizes those individuals
and organizations that
contributed to AG Bell
in 2008. I want to thank each and
every one of those individuals and
organizations for their support.
Recently, I received an email that
really hit home for me on how much
AG Bell impacts individuals who
are deaf or hard of hearing who use
spoken language, and thought I would
pass it on to our readers:
“I just wanted to share with AG
Bell that I will be graduating from
medical school next week and
who helped to make this dream
possible and who wanted to share
this personal achievement.”
–AG Bell member Shehzaad Zaman
Reading Shehzaad’s note helped
reaffi rm why I contribute my time
and resources to AG Bell. Although
we may not always be able to see it,
we do make a diff erence in the lives
of children and adults who are deaf or
hard of hearing each and every day.
His letter mentions some of our key
programs such as LOFT (Leadership
Opportunities for Teens) and LEAP
(Leadership Enrichment Adventure
Even in this tight economy, we’re
not sitting still. We continue
to seek additional funding
opportunities so that AG Bell
is able to grow our portfolio of
programs and services.
doing my internship at University
of Massachusetts Medical
School and residency in Physical
Medicine & Rehabilitation at the
University of California-Davis
School of Medicine…as a profoundly deaf individual and AG
Bell member since childhood, it
is with the support, generosity
and inspiration of many individuals that I have met within
the organization through LOFT,
LEAP leadership programs, local
chapters and national conventions
6 /,4! 6/)#%3 s*5 ,9!5'534
Program) as well as Chapters and
the biennial convention. I hope that
you, as a donor and supporter, get the
same sense of satisfaction of knowing that your help is what makes
these programs possible, as well as
the Listening & Spoken Language
Symposium, our advocacy on public
policy issues and our work with parents
of newly identified children with hearing loss. It is because of contributors
like you that we are able to make a
diff erence in the lives of individuals
like Shehzaad.
Even in this tight economy, we’re not
sitting still. We continue to seek additional funding opportunities so that
AG Bell is able to grow our portfolio of
programs and services. Right now, we
are working to introduce an online version of our popular Parent Advocacy
Training (PAT) program and planning
a re-launch of the widely acclaimed
LEAP. If you’d like to help support
these efforts, consider giving a donation online at www.agbell.org. Please
also consider signing up for automatic
monthly giving. As always, stay tuned
to Volta Voices and AG Bell Update, AG
Bell’s e-newsletter, for announcements
on upcoming programs that will better
serve AG Bell members.
If you are an AG Bell member, but
are not receiving AG Bell Update, log
in to your profi le on Virtual Voices via
www.agbell.org and select “email preferences” from the drop down menu.
Under “e-newsletter subscription,”
check the box next to AG Bell Update.
Misconceptions in the
Media
On a separate note, I’d like to convey
my appreciation to those of you who
provided feedback regarding my
column in the May/June issue of
Volta Voices, “Defending the Lines of
Communication.” I appreciate your
supportive comments about the
need to respect all modes of communication. It’s my hope that we,
as a wider community, can continue
to find areas of common ground to
collectively, and positively, impact
public policy and public perceptions
of individuals who are deaf or hard
of hearing.
An example of an opportunity to
positively influence public perceptions is by addressing the portrayal
3
VOICES FROM AG BELL
of individuals who are deaf or hard of
hearing in the popular media. Images
of individuals who are deaf or hard of
hearing are few and far between and,
when there is an opportunity to portray a character with hearing loss, it
seems to perpetuate the “controversy”
that continues to define the community in the public-at-large.
For example, several months ago,
the FOX show “House” featured a
character that was deaf. The misconceptions demonstrated in the story­
line about individuals who are deaf,
cochlear implants, Deaf Culture, spoken language, etc., I think all would
agree, were detrimental to the public
image of individuals with hearing
loss. I understand that the theme of
the show centers on pushing the limits
of medical ethics. However, with the
limited opportunities for promoting
public awareness of individuals with
hearing loss it’s a shame that most
portrayals of these individuals focus
on controversy versus the individual’s
unique value to society (see the movie
“The Family Stone” for an example
of the latter). Keep in mind that
viewers who watch the show may
be potential employers, educators,
social workers, medical personnel and
others who may rarely, if ever, come
into contact with someone who is
deaf. Unfortunately, that episode may
be the only impression they receive
about someone who is deaf or hard
of hearing.
Organizations and individuals need
to work together to educate the public
and the media about the significant
roles that individuals who are deaf or
hard of hearing have in society and
how our examples can be highlighted
to positively influence others. I hope
we, as a community, can facilitate
that effort going forward.
Sincerely,
Jay Wyant
President
QUESTIONS?
C O MMEN T S ?
C O N C ERN S ?
Write to us:
AG Bell
3417 Volta Place
NW, Washington
DC 20007
Or email us:
voltavoices@agbell.org
Letters to the Editor
As a family member and mental health counselor who works with a wide variety of families and children who are deaf or
hard of hearing and who use a variety of methods and languages for effective communication, I want to thank you and commend you for Jay Wyant’s column “Defending the Lines of Communication” in the May/June 2009 issue. I believe AG Bell’s
wise leadership on these matters is an excellent model for all to follow.
Louise A. Montoya, MA, LPC, ACS, CSC
Mental Health Therapist, Coordinator
Philadelphia, PA
As the second longest editor of The Volta Review, I enjoyed your article about the 100th anniversary of this classic periodical on the education of children who are deaf and hard of hearing. Thanks for reminding your readers of the role The Volta
Review earned over all those years.
I must confess however, I was a bit disappointed that no reference was made to the “Bibliography on Deafness.” This selected
index of The Volta Review and the American Annals of the Deaf, from the first year of their inceptions to 1976, has proven an
invaluable resource for professionals, teachers and parents. In a real sense, for the student in a teacher training program,
the parent who wants to learn about the reputations of different schools and professionals around the world who look to
the past to learn from others’ successes and failures, this volume must have saved many hours of seeking out the riches of
these two classic publications. I do know from many contacts with colleagues throughout the world that, at least when it was
published, it was viewed as a substantial contribution. It might be appropriate to include a note about the “Bibliography on
Deafness” in the next issue of Volta Voices.
George Fellendorf, Ed.D.
Former AG Bell Executive Director
Keene, New Hampshire
4
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY /A U GU ST 2009
EDITOR’S NOTE
A
Family Advocacy
fter a child has been
diagnosed with a hearing
loss, parents spend
countless hours searching
for resources to ensure their child
succeeds with the chosen method of
communication. However, with all
the attention focused on the child,
parents often overlook the resources
that may empower them to help their
child. This issue of Volta Voices focuses
on family advocacy to provide parents
and professionals with the tools they
need to advocate for the right services
in their communities for a child who
is deaf or hard of hearing and uses
listening and spoken language.
In “Expanding the Rights of
Children Learning to Listen and
Talk,” Bruce Goldstein with AG Bell’s
Children’s Legal Advocacy program
discusses the rights and educational
services children with hearing loss are
legally entitled to, and what parents
can do if their child is not receiving
appropriate services. In addition, the
article announces a lawsuit AG Bell
has initiated in Georgia that would
set legal precedent for the follow-up
testing of infants who do not pass the
initial newborn hearing screening test.
Beth Nash, chair of the North
Carolina Chapter of AG Bell advocacy
committee, provides parents with specific tips for working with local school
districts and educators in “Advocacy
and Your Child’s Education.” This
article provides a road map for creating a customized Individualized
Education Plan (IEP) for your child’s
education needs.
In “Preparing Professionals to Work
within the Family Context,” Maribeth
Lartz and Tracy Meehan discuss the
importance of the parent-child relationship and how early interventionists can play a key role in developing
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY/AUGUST 2009
this relationship. By focusing on the
social-emotional bond of the family in
addition to spoken language development, professionals can ensure parent
and child build a strong relationship
that will help the child’s long-term
development.
Rounding out our family advocacy
features, Tiffani Hill-Patterson discusses how sports can help children
with hearing loss hone their listening
abilities, stay active and make friends,
and build their own advocacy and
vocabulary skills in “Tips for Parents.”
Continuing a regular feature highlighting causes of hearing loss, this
issue includes an overview on Usher
syndrome. This genetic cause of hearing loss results in both hearing and
vision loss, and is often misdiagnosed.
Read about the causes and treatments
for Usher syndrome and about one
family’s experience navigating the
challenges of this disorder in “Usher
Syndrome and Hearing Loss.”
In “Around the World,” we introduce
you to Kara Mongell, a 16-year-old
living in North Andover, Mass. Read
about Mongell’s journey in making the
decision to obtain a cochlear implant
and about her participation in an
ambassador’s program, which will take
her to Japan this summer.
Finally, on a somber note, AG Bell
Executive Director remembers longtime member and friend Neil Dickman
in “Conversations.” Neil, as he was
known around AG Bell headquarters,
was the husband of the late Donna
Dickman, AG Bell’s executive director
from 1986 to 1998.
Thank you for reading. As always,
if you have a story idea or would like
to submit an article for publication,
please contact me at editor@agbell.org
with your comments and suggestions.
Best regards,
Melody Felzien
Editor, Volta Voices
5
Voices contributors
Beth Cash,
R.N., author of
“Advocacy and
Your Child’s
Education,” is
chair of the North
Carolina Chapter
of AG Bell’s advocacy committee. As
chair, Cash answers parents’ questions
regarding Individualized Education
Plan (IEP) issues, provides support
at IEP meetings and provides parent
advocacy training for local support
groups. In addition, Cash is a leader for
the local HITCH-UP (Hearing Impaired
Children and Toddlers Have Unlimited
Potential) support group in Albemarle,
N.C., and one of three parents on the
Best Practice Committee for Deaf and
Hearing Impaired at the North Carolina
Department of Public Instruction. Cash
lives in Stanly County, N.C., with her
sons Benjamin, age 12, and Daniel,
age 10, who is deaf and uses bilateral
cochlear implants.
Sarah Crum,
author of “Around
the World” and
“SoundBites,” is
a student intern
at AG Bell. She
is a sophomore
at Georgetown University working
toward a degree in American Musical
Culture. Crum plans to pursue a career
in journalism.
Alexander T.
Graham, author
of “Conversations,”
is the executive
director of AG Bell.
Before joining AG
Bell in October
2007, Graham served as the executive
director for the Society of Competitive
Intelligence Professionals. Graham’s
experience includes managing financial,
human resource and strategic planning
programs as well as membership, marketing, government/public affairs and
6
conference development. In addition
to earning a Bachelor of Arts degree
in Political Science from Lynchburg
College in Lynchburg, Va., Graham has
a Master of Science degree in organizational effectiveness and a Master of
Business Administration degree from
Marymount University in Arlington, Va.
His late mother had a hearing loss as a
result of a childhood illness.
Tiffani HillPatterson, author
of “Get in the Game:
How children with
cochlear implants
can benefit from
playing sports,” is a
freelance writer, newspaper copy editor,
sports enthusiast and cochlear implant
awareness volunteer. She graduated
from the University of North Alabama
in Florence, Ala., with a degree in
journalism. She lives in Harvest, Ala.,
with her golf pro husband, Ryan, and
7-year-old daughter, Riley, a bilateral
cochlear implant user who plays soccer
and softball.
Maribeth
Nelson Lartz,
Ph.D., co-author
of “Preparing
Professionals to
Work within the
Family Context,”
is professor and coordinator of the
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher
Preparation Program at Illinois
State University. She is the Principal
Investigator for a U.S. Department of
Education personnel preparation grant
that prepares early intervention professionals to work with young children
with hearing loss and their families.
Dr. Lartz received her bachelor’s and
master’s degrees from the University
of Texas at Austin and a Ph.D. in Early
Childhood Special Education from
the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. Prior to working at
Illinois State University, Dr. Lartz was
a classroom teacher of children with
hearing loss in Texas. Her maternal
grandparents were profoundly deaf.
Gail MacKinnon,
author of “Living
with Usher
Syndrome,” is a
member of AG
Bell, mother to
two young boys,
one of whom uses bilateral cochlear
implants, and a parent advocate. She
sits on the Freetown-Lakeville Special
Education Parent Advisory Committee,
recently joined the Clarke School East
Steering Committee and is a member
of the Coalition for Usher Syndrome
Research. She holds a bachelor’s degree
in management from Bridgewater State
College. Mackinnon and her family
reside in Lakeville, Mass., where she
works for Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.
Tracy Meehan,
M.S., co-author
of “Preparing
Professionals to
Work within the
Family Context,” is
a faculty instructor at Illinois State University. She
is the project coordinator for a U.S.
Department of Education personnel
preparation grant that prepares early
intervention professionals to work
with young children with hearing loss
and their families. Meehan received
her bachelor’s degree from Southern
Methodist University in Dallas, Texas,
and her master’s degree from National
Lewis University in Evanston, Ill. She
is also credentialed in Illinois as an
early intervention service provider
serving children with hearing loss
and their families. Meehan’s career
includes work in education for the
deaf and hard of hearing at a variety
of levels, such as a classroom teacher,
itinerant teacher, special education
administrator and private educational
consultant.
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY /A U GU ST 2009

J
oin friends, colleagues, advocates and families
in Orlando, Fla., June 25-28, 2010, for an exciting
experience. Advance your knowledge and skills,
learn about the latest products and services, and
expand your network of people committed to
listening and spoken language for all children
with hearing loss.
endless
possibilities
Advocating Independence through Listening and Talking!
Attend the 2010 AG Bell Biennial Convention
JUNE 25-28, 2010
HILTON BONNET CREEK HOTEL
ORLANDO, FLORIDA
SOUND
NEWS BITES
AG Bell/Virginia DOE
Workshop Promotes
Success with Spoken
Language Outcomes
On April 3-4, AG Bell partnered with
the Virginia Department of Education,
Partnership for People with Disabilities
at Virginia Commonwealth University
and Radford University to hold a workshop for Virginia educators who work
with students who are deaf or hard of
hearing. The workshop, “Optimizing
Auditory Learning for Students
with Hearing Aids and/or Cochlear
Implants,” focused on providing support for students who are deaf or hard
of hearing and use spoken language
in the Virginia public school systems,
ages preschool through high school.
The content of the workshop was
based on the AG Bell Academy’s
nine domains of listening and spoken
language. AG Bell was able to provide
all participants with a copy of the “Talk
Around the Clock Toolkit,” which was
well-received and is currently available
through AG Bell’s bookstore. AG Bell
hopes to pilot more programs like this
one across the country by working
with other local or regional agencies
and state departments of education.
AG Bell Holds Briefing
for Congressional Staff
On Thursday, April 30, AG Bell held
a briefing in the U.S. Capitol for key
congressional staffers and public policy staff from other associations about
the hearing health and education crisis
facing our nation’s children with hearing loss, and what public policy makers
can do to alleviate this challenge in
our public early childhood intervention
programs and K-12 schools.
8
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
AG Bell President Jay Wyant moderated the briefing and panelists Teresa
Caraway, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert.
AVT, CEO of Hearts for Hearing in
Oklahoma City, Okla.; Kathleen Treni,
president-elect of AG Bell; and Donald
M. Goldberg, Ph.D., LSLS Cert. AVT
and president of the AG Bell Academy,
discussed the importance of supporting professional development and
educational solutions in addressing
the needs of the next generation of
children with hearing loss.
Staffers from the offices of key
congressional leaders were present, as well as representatives from
the American Speech-Language
Hearing Association (ASHA),
American Academy of Audiology
(AAA), National Association of the
Deaf (NAD), Hearing Industries
Association (HIA) and many AG Bell
members and supporters. Captioning
and ASL interpreting services were
provided. Special thanks goes to AG
Bell member and former president of
the board Michael Tecklenburg with
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office
for arranging the meeting space.
7/23-25
Study Finds Hearing
Loss Not Properly
Documented by
Physicians
A study examining the electronic
medical records of 100 people
consecutively diagnosed with
substantial bilateral hearing loss
by Massachusetts Eye and Ear
Infirmary showed that 36 percent
of records did not have the results
indicated, only 28 percent of the
patients’ primary care physicians
were notified of the results and 36
percent of records incorrectly noted
may also help highlight a child
AG Bell will host its 2009 Listening
& Spoken Language Symposium
at the Union Station Marriott
July 23-25 in St. Louis, Mo. The
theme for the 2009 Symposium is
“Executive Function” (EF). Vital
to the development of problem
solving, social competence and
academic readiness, EF is a
cognitive or thinking process
that influences and controls
behavior such as working memory,
organizational strategies and
inhibition. Understanding EF can
help professionals identify where
cognitive breakdowns occur, and
or adult’s areas of strength and
talent. Symposium attendees
will also have the opportunity to
explore techniques and strategies
in applying EF to their respective
practices. Continuing Education
Units (CEUs) will also be offered.
For more information about the
event or to register, visit
www.listeningandspokenlanguage.
org or call (866) 337-5220.
VOLTA VOICES • JULY /AU GU ST 2009
BITES
Compiled by:
Melody Felzien and Sarah Crum
Photo Credit: AG Bell
submission. The deadline for proposals
is September 1, 2009. Audiologists
interested in participating should contact
at George Lindley, Ph.D., at (800) 5263921, ext. 2806, or gal@oticonusa.com.
(From L to R): Jay Wyant, Teresa Caraway, Kathleen Treni and Donald M. Goldberg
prepare for the AG Bell briefing in the U.S. Capitol to begin.
the patient had typical hearing. The
article, “Medical Documentation of
Patients’ Hearing Loss by Physicians,”
was published in the Journal of General
Internal Medicine in April 2009. The
results provide evidence that severe
hearing loss is often underreported by
patients and not properly documented
by physicians. The full article can be
found online at www.springerlink.com/
content/l7756224175662l1.
Cochlear Americas Offers
New Online Community
Cochlear Americas announced the
creation of “Cochlear Community,” a Web
site featuring information about hearing
loss and the ability to connect with others
who are deaf or hard of hearing. The
site’s main focus is on those who have,
or could benefit from, cochlear implant
technology, but it is also a resource for
all individuals who are deaf and hard of
hearing. The main “Community” section
provides users with the opportunity
to connect with other individuals and
share experiences about living with a
hearing loss. Other features include a
“Support Center,” which offers product
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY/AUGUST 2009
support for Cochlear products, including
troubleshooting and user guides, and an
area for insurance help, which provides
frequently asked questions and guidance
about obtaining insurance coverage for
cochlear implants. For more information,
visit www.cochlearcommunity.com.
Oticon Announces New
Initiative to Support
Pediatric-Focused
Research
Oticon Pediatrics announced a new
initiative to promote and support
pediatric-focused clinical research. The
Oticon Pediatrics Research Initiative
will provide support for U.S.-based
audiologists who work with children with
hearing loss in hospital, educational,
private practice and other clinical settings.
Audiologists must be conducting
research that optimizes hearing care
and solutions for children who are deaf
or hard of hearing. Depending on the
nature of the research project, support
may include provision of hearing aids and
FM systems, funding for study expenses
and/or assistance in research design
and Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Study Finds Tectorial
Membrane Plays Significant
Role in Hearing Process
According to new research from the
National Institute on Deafness and Other
Communication Disorders (NIDCD), the
tectorial membrane, which lies above
small sensory cells in the inner ear, could
have a larger role in the hearing process
than previously believed. In order for
humans to hear, sound vibrations travel
through the ear canal to the cochlea,
causing fluid in the ear to move and a
wave to form along the basilar membrane. Hair cells on top of this membrane travel and bump into a second
membrane, the tectorial membrane,
which lies above. Using nanotechnology
techniques, Richard Chadwick, Ph.D.,
and Nuria Gavara, Ph.D., calculated the
stiffness of the collagen fibers running
throughout the tectorial membrane and
discovered that the distance between
the individual fibers of the cochlea
changes and the larger the gap between
them, the better the ear can distinguish
between lower and higher frequencies. For more information about this
research, visit www.nidcd.nih.gov/
research/scientists/chadwickr.asp.
CSD Launches Transition
Program for Students
Communication Service for the Deaf
(CSD) and the Oklahoma Department of
Rehabilitation’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Unit has recently launched a “School-toWork” transition program to help students
9
Credit: State of Georgia House of Representatives
SOUND BITES
CHAPTERS
People in the News
Kevon London, a 6-year-old
student in the Atlanta Speech
School’s Katherine Hamm Center,
led Georgia’s State House of
Representatives in the Pledge of
Allegiance on February 26, 2009.
Kevon was introduced by state
representative Kathy Ashe. The
legislative session was broadcast
live from the Georgia State Capitol,
so Kevon’s classmates and teachers
were able to cheer him on.
AG Bell congratulates member
Catharine McNally and her
partners for winning the George
Washington University Business
Plan Competition. McNally’s team
received $20,000 in seed money
for their work developing Keen
Guides, which offers customized
video tours of museums, universities
and cultural institutions in multiple
spoken languages and modalities,
such as captioning, Cued Speech
and American Sign Language, for
those with disabilities. The award
money will be used to help build
their business. Volta Voices recently
featured Keen Guides on the cover
of its January/February 2009 issue.
For more information about Keen
Guides, visit www.keenguides.org.
The Georgia Chapter of AG
Bell hosted its 3rd Annual Talk/
(L to R) State Representative Kathy Ashe,
Walk/Run on Saturday, May 16, at
Kevon London and State House Speaker
Atlanta Academy in Roswell, Ga.,
Glenn Richardson pose after Kevon recites
with over 200 people participating the Pledge of Allegiance.
in a 5K race and a 1-Mile Fun Run.
The event aimed to raise awareness for early intervention and included a variety of
food from local vendors, an obstacle course for the children to complete as well
as clowns, face painting, fire trucks and police cars, and the Chick-fil-A cow.
On May 9, more than 550 people attended Hear Indiana’s 6th Annual Talk/
Walk/Run, sponsored by Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent in
Indianapolis, Ind. The event raised $45,000 to support children who are deaf and
hard of hearing who use listening and spoken language, their families and the
professionals who support them.
Get Connected – Join AG Bell’s Social Networking
Communities. AG Bell is pleased to offer online communities for members
and supporters through popular social networking Web sites, including Facebook,
Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. With lively discussions and announcements about
association activities and initiatives, these social networking groups can enhance
and improve your AG Bell experience. Visit www.agbell.org to find direct links to
AG Bell’s social networking sites.
Azariah Tan Peng Chay, who
was featured in Volta Voices’ “Around
the World” section in November
2005, was recently awarded the
VSA Arts 2009 International Young
Soloists Award for piano. Tan was
diagnosed with a moderate-tosevere hearing loss at age 4. In April,
he performed at the Kennedy Center
Family Theater with the other Young
Artist award finalists. VSA Arts is a
nonprofit organization that strives
to create a society where all people
with disabilities can enjoy the arts.
For more information,
visit www.vsarts.org.
who are deaf and hard of hearing develop
employment skills and receive career
guidance. The program, designed to give
tools, resources and guidance to teachers,
parents and students, is incorporated as
part of a student’s Individualized Education
Plan (IEP). This allows transition specialists to work with and motivate students to
pursue community jobs, post-secondary
education opportunities or other community support programs and services.
For more information, contact CSD of
Oklahoma at 800-717-1958 (voice),
888-252-1017 (TTY), 605-367-5958
(fax) or csdoklahoma@c-s-d.org.
10
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY /A U GU ST 2009
State-of-the-Art Hearing
Test Facility Simulates
Real World Sound
The Center for Hearing and
Communication (formerly the League
for the Hard of Hearing) announced
the opening of the Listening Studio,
a breakthrough innovation for people
with hearing loss. The Listening Studio
is an audio and video installation
acoustically designed to simulate an
array of real-life listening environments.
Working in this unique setting,
audiologists at the Center for Hearing
and Communication provide people
with hearing loss the opportunity to
maximize the benefit they receive from
hearing aids and cochlear implants
by experiencing a variety of listening
situations that occur in real life. The
studio was featured in the May 15
edition of The New York Times. For
more information, visit www.lhh.org.
Program Provides
Monthly Hearing Aid
Subscription
New Perceptions in Hearing Inc.,
announced the national release of
a monthly subscription program
designed to make digital hearing aids
more affordable to individuals with
hearing loss. The new subscription
service will allow anyone to be fitted
with digital hearing aids with an
initial activation fee, and to pay a
monthly subscription fee afterwards
comparable to the cost of a cell phone.
After 48 months, the hearing aids
belong to the subscriber regardless
of whether or not they renew. Hearing
evaluations and fittings are provided
by local hearing health care providers.
For more information, contact New
Perceptions in Hearing at
www.hearingaidsforlife.com or
(877) 234-3277.
Advanced Bionics
Launches Web Site for
Prospective Cochlear
Implant Recipients
Advanced Bionics is connecting cochlear
implant recipients and candidates from
across the country through its new
“Connect to Mentor” Web site. The new
site allows cochlear implant candidates
to contact volunteer “mentors” and
communicate directly with hearing
professionals. Candidates can search the
site for mentors, who include recipients
of cochlear implants as well as parents
and relatives of children with implants.
Each mentor has a profile complete with a
personal photo and facts, such as favorite
sound, interests (i.e., cell phone user,
traveler, musician), hometown, age they
received the implant, severity of hearing
loss and how they can help cochlear
implant candidates. For more information,
visit www.BionicEar.com/CTM.
Transforming
Lives
The possibilites for children
who are deaf and hard of
hearing are endless. At
Clarke every child is given
the opportunity to flourish.
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'/+*2%((!ƳƳđƳƳ!3Ƴ+.'ƳƳđƳƳ+.0$),0+*ƳƳđƳƳ$%( !(,$%
HEARING LOSS 101: RESOURCES FOR PARENTS
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY/AUGUST 2009
www.clarkeschools.org
11
SOUND BITES
IN MEMORIAM
Photo credit: AG Bell
R. Neil Dickman, a longtime AG Bell
member and husband to the late Donna
Dickman, former AG Bell executive
director, died at his home in Georgetown
on May 20, 2009 at the age of 70. He was
known for his generous spirit, philanthropic endeavors, upbeat outlook on
life and off-beat humor. Dickman was
born in Bronxville, N.Y., and earned a
bachelor’s degree from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a law
degree from the University of Virginia.
He spent most of his professional career
as a lawyer in Washington, D.C., government. Dickman is survived by his son,
Eric, his sister, Meigs Freeman, and many In memoriam; Robert Neil Dickman,
1939–2009. Pictured with Donna
others whose lives he touched. Several
Dickman, date unknown.
members of the AG Bell staff attended
Dickman’s memorial service. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations
be made to AG Bell at www.agbell.org, or the Westside Club, 1341 Wisconsin
Avenue, Washington, DC 20007.
Thomas R. Behrens, a pioneer of newborn hearing screening methods
and procedures, died March 25, 2009, at the age of 78. Born in Switzerland in
1931, Behrens was a special education teacher in Zurich when he discovered
that his oldest daughter was deaf. Shortly thereafter, he and his family moved
to Chicago so he could earn a Ph.D. in Speech Language Pathology and
Psychology of Deafness from Northwestern University. In 1973, Behrens started
working for the Department of Education in the Office of Special Education
Programs, where he began the effort to implement hearing screening programs
for newborns. Behrens is responsible for the exploration of using otoacoustic
emissions as part of the newborn hearing screening procedure and for
persuading the American Academy of Pediatrics to create an early hearing
detection and intervention program to help improve federally mandated newborn
hearing screening follow-up in all states. Much of his work was done behind the
scenes and he never sought recognition for his efforts. Behrens is survived by
his wife, Sophia, two daughters, Susanne and Anne, and six grandchildren.
Clarification: The May/June issue of Volta Voices, featured an “In
Memoriam” for Connie Rahill/Cahill. While she was known as Connie Rahill
by many and in the AG Bell community, the obituary obtained by Volta Voices
cited her married name, Cahill (from TheState.com). Volta Voices apologizes
for the confusion.
Program Acknowledges
Businesses That Support
People with Disabilities
“Disabilities At Work,” a new national
program, aims to acknowledge and
reward businesses that support people
with disabilities. Once endorsed by a
service provider, government agency,
12
business leadership network or
nonprofit organization dedicated to
advancing the causes of the disability
community, businesses are granted
the right to display the “Disabilities At
Work” logo on their Web sites, products
and window decals. For more information, visit www.DisabilitiesAtWork.org.
AG Bell Announces the
Recipients of the 2009
Helen Hulick Beebe
Auditory-Verbal Practice
Scholarship
This year, AG Bell awarded 10
scholarships of $1,000 each to support
professional development critical to the
success of auditory-verbal practice.
These scholarships, made possible by
grants from the Helen Beebe Speech
& Hearing Center, honor the legacy of
Helen Hulick Beebe, one of the pioneers
of the auditory-verbal approach and an
internationally known speech-language
pathologist and educator of the deaf.
It was a passion of Beebe’s to train
professionals so they may continue on
in supporting a listening and spoken
language outcome for those children.
This year’s recipients are:
yy Brittany Dendle, M.S., CCC-SLP,
LSLS Cert. AVT Candidate
yy Emily Lund, M.S., CCC-SLP, LSLS
Cert. AVT Candidate
yy Erin McSweeney, M.Cl.Sc., S-LP (C),
LSLS Cert. AVT Candidate
yy Joy Wilmouth, M.S., CCC-SLP, LSLS
Cert. AVT Candidate
yy Mary Jane Johnson, M.Ed., LSLS
Cert. AVEd Candidate
yy Molly Moosman, M.S., CCC-SLP,
LSLS Cert. AVT Candidate
yy Shana Smith, M.A., CFY-SLP, LSLS
Cert. AVT Candidate
yy Taylor Sands, M.S., CCC-SLP, LSLS
Cert. AVEd Candidate
yy Victoria Spoon, M.S., CCC-SLP,
LSLS Cert. AVT Candidate
yy Young Deok Park, M.S., LSLS Cert.
AVT Candidate
TECHNOLOGY WATCH
MED-EL Software
Updated for Older Hearing
Devices
Software updates for MED-EL
Corporation’s MAESTRO software for
cochlear implant speech processors
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY /A U GU ST 2009
allow users of older models to access
current sound coding technology. The
technology processes the structure
detail of sound, leading to improved
musical sounds and better understanding of speech in noisy environments. For
more information, visit www.medel.com.
Oticon, Inc., Releases
Wireless Adapter
Oticon, Inc., has released ConnectLine,
a wireless system that connects
Oticon’s line of hearing aids to TVs and
landline phones. The ConnectLine TV
adapter connects to the audio output
of any TV, allowing users to enjoy audio
without increasing the TV’s volume
output. The ConnectLine phone
adapter turns any landline phone into
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY/AUGUST 2009
a cordless Bluetooth phone without
interfering with the ability of other
household members to answer or use
the phone. For more information about
the ConnectLine wireless system,
visit www.oticonusa.com.
Phonak Unveils New
Hearing Aid Models
Phonak has recently upgraded three
hearing aid models — Exelia Art,
Audeo Yes IX and Naida IX — to
provide better performance and
connectivity. For more information
about the specific features of the new
models, visit www.phonak-us.com.
In addition, Phonak has completed
its junior product portfolio. The Nios
micro BTE is now available for children
with mild to moderately-severe hearing
loss, and offers feedback elimination,
frequency compression and adaption
to FM systems. For more information,
visit www.phonak-us.com.
Phonak Offers Wireless
Connectivity
Phonak has introduced two new
products that provide wireless
connectivity to TVs and cell phones.
Click’nTalk is a mobile phone link that
connects to hearing aids, providing
stability, good digital sound quality and
ease of use. iCom TV package uses
a Bluetooth transmitter to wirelessly
connect a hearing device to the TV.
For more information,
visit www.phonak-us.com.
13
Expanding
xpanding the Rights
ights of
Children Learning to
0HOTO#REDIT&UN4UP0RODUCTIONS
Listen
and Talk
By Melody Felzien
A
G Bell founded the Children’s
Legal Advocacy (CLA)
program to support the
rights of children with
hearing loss who are seeking a listening
and spoken language outcome. Th eCLA
program supports these children by
providing legal advice to their parents
about how to obtain appropriate
services in their local school systems
and communities. According to Bruce
Goldstein, Esq., the program’s legal
counsel, “CLA works to bring test cases
in order to set precedents that expand
the rights of children with hearing
loss to learn to listen and speak. It is a
resource for parents and professionals
to consult for assistance in securing
appropriate services and programs.”
Volta Voices recently sat down with
Mr. Goldstein to find out how parents
and professionals can advocate for the
legal rights of access and professional
services for children with hearing loss
who are learning to listen and talk.
14
Volta Voices: What kinds of services
are states required, by federal law,
to provide?
VV: Where can parents fi nd services
required by their state for school
and intervention programs?
Bruce Goldstein: Th eIndividuals with
Disabilities Education Improvement
Act (IDEIA) is a federal law that entitles
every child with an educational disability to receive a free, appropriate
public education (FAPE). In this context,
“appropriate” means an educational
approach designed to meet the unique
needs of the child. Students with disabilities are provided with an annual
Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
that describes the special education
and related services needed, which are
to be provided during the course of
the year and the student’s progress is
evaluated periodically with progress
reports. Specifics of an IEP must include
the required assistive technology, the
child’s present levels of educational
performance, the child’s strengths and
weaknesses, and appropriate, measurable annual goals.
BG: Th efront-line responsibility to
implement the law resides with the
family’s school district for children ages
3 to 21 (Part B of the IDEIA), and with
the state-lead agency for early intervention for children ages birth to 3 (Part
C of the IDEIA), which diff ers for each
state. Whenever a parent suspects their
child has a disability, the parent should
make a referral and the responsible
agency/school district is required to
conduct an evaluation. Parents should
inquire about the available public and
private programs and services in their
locale, and if appropriate services are
not available, parents may request and
expect that they will be provided. Under
Part B, everything is set forth in an IEP;
for Part C, an Individualized Family
Service Plan (IFSP) is the document that
describes what services and programs
are to be provided.
6 / ,4! 6 / ) # % 3 s * 5,9 ! 5 '5 3 4 PENDING GEORGIA CASE
In December 2008, AG Bell sued the state of Georgia in federal district court.
This test case is the fi rst time that AG Bell has been a direct party (plaintiff)
in a lawsuit rather than playing a supporting role. Although newborn hearing
screening has been successfully implemented throughout the United States,
follow-up diagnostic testing for newborns who do not pass the initial screening
has been poor in many states.
Part C of the IDEIA requires the lead agency in each state to implement “child
find” activities. “Child find” means the state has an affirmative responsibility to locate and identify all children with disabilities. In the Georgia case, AG
Bell is claiming that if a child does not pass the newborn hearing screening,
then there is a basis to suspect that the child has a hearing loss, and the state
has an obligation to ensure that he or she receives a timely hearing evaluation
pursuant to the state’s “child fi nd” responsibilities.
This is the fi rst case of its kind in the United States and the state of Georgia
has moved to dismiss the lawsuit. Briefs have been fi led with the U.S. District
Court in Atlanta, and AG Bell is waiting for a decision on the state’s motion to
dismiss. AG Bell is hopeful that this case can establish precedent not only that
is newborn hearing screening legally required, but also that early and prompt
diagnosis of hearing loss is mandated as well. If this case can establish a
precedent, AG Bell is hopeful that a ripple effect will appear among other
states and serve as a catalyst for those states to correct their own defi ciencies
in follow-up to newborn hearing screening.
VV: What kinds of resources should
parents look for and expect from
early intervention programs?
Special, grade-level education
programs? Mainstream education
programs?
BG: For children ages birth to 3, evaluations should be provided at no cost.
However, under Part C of IDEIA (early
intervention), the law permits states to
set a sliding scale and look to parents to
contribute part of the cost of services.
Th is is unfortunate, since the early years
are so critical. In my opinion, the most
important need at this age is for services
by a professional (listening and spoken
language specialist, teacher of the deaf,
speech language pathologist, etc.) who
has background, training and experience
in working with young children pursuing a listening and spoken language
outcome.
For children ages 3 to 21, the same
applies except that now the family is
only dealing with the school district.
For preschool children, some districts
don’t have programs for children with
hearing loss – in which case the district
should contract with a private program
or professional. For those districts
that do have programs, the quality
and services provided by the program
6 /,4! 6/)#%3 s*5 ,9!5'534
may vary – staff without background,
training and experience in listening
and spoken language, classes using
manual communication techniques,
classes with children of varying
disabilities, etc.
For school-aged children, some are
not yet ready to enter into mainstream
classrooms and need more time in
a specialized listening and spoken
language program, either in the public
school or in a private setting. Other
children who are ready to enter into
mainstream classrooms often need
additional supports, which will vary
by child. Examples include push-in or
pull-out services from a teacher of the
deaf or speech language pathologist,
audiological services, assistive
technology, testing accommodations
and environmental adaptations.
VV: What kind of services are
commonly expected, but are not
required, by federal law?
BG: Unfortunately, federal law
does not require that children be
provided with hearing aids or cochlear
implants and there is no explicit
requirement that parents of newly
identified children with hearing loss be
provided with information regarding
all communication options in a fair
15
JBUG_
Expanding the Rights of Children
Learning to Listen and Talk
and unbiased manner. In addition,
there is no explicit requirement
that professionals must have the
appropriate background, training
and experience for all communication
options; however, CLA has two court
decisions that support a requirement
for professionals to have listening
and spoken language communication
training (the full details of which can
be found on the AG Bell Web site).
Finally, federal law is not explicit
regarding acoustical requirements,
CART (Communication Access
Realtime Translation) or similar
VV: How can parents advocate for
their child? What kinds of things do
you commonly see and recommend
that work?
BG: Whenever possible, parents should
seek to maintain good relationships with
their school district – since the relationship will likely continue for some time.
However, this should not undermine
advocacy efforts to get whatever services
a child needs.
Ideally, becoming knowledgeable about
the law and negotiation techniques can
be very helpful. AG Bell is presently seeking funding to update the content and
Ideally, becoming
knowledgeable about the
law and negotiation
techniques can be
very helpful.
communication access (although
parents are succeeding in some
instances in securing these services).
One area of common misperception
is that many parents believe their child
is entitled to services that provide
a particular methodology – such as
auditory-verbal therapy (AVT) and
education (AVEd). The law is quite
clear that school districts have broad
discretion in determining what
methodologies to provide. This does
not mean, however, that parents must
accept a Total Communication program
(or, for that matter, a listening and
spoken language program without
properly trained professionals).
The IDEIA states that the IEP team
must “consider…opportunities for
direct instruction in the child’s
language and communication mode…”
[emphasis added].
16
delivery format of its Parent Advocacy
Training (PAT) program and also to make
it available online – stay tuned to
www.agbell.org for further updates.
Parents should keep copies of all records
in an orderly manner (e.g., notebook with
tabs), prepare for all meetings (think
of what you want, try to put yourself in
the district’s shoes and anticipate the
district’s response, and consider what
alternatives you can suggest that may
be acceptable to all), maintain your
composure and don’t be afraid to ask
questions (especially when unfamiliar
jargon is used). It is often helpful to bring
someone along for support, another
set of ears and possibly as a note taker.
Whenever possible, parents should also
bring a knowledgeable professional to be
in their corner.
The CLA program is available to parents at any step in the process. Parents
and professionals should feel free to
contact the CLA program whenever they
feel they need some input or assistance.
VV: What should parents do if they
think their child is entitled to services not being provided?
BG: A parent always has a right to
request a meeting with the IEP team
to address educational issues. The
comments about IEPs previously
mentioned are germane to those
meetings. If parents are still unsatisfied,
they could request an outside evaluation.
In many instances, if cost is an issue,
the district can be induced to pay. Also,
an Independent Educational Evaluation
(IEE) can sometimes be agreed upon by
the district and the parents as a tiebreaker when there is a stalemate.
If fiscally feasible, consulting a
special education attorney can also be
quite helpful. Some areas may have
knowledgeable, local advocates or
low-cost legal services. Again, the CLA
program may be of some assistance.
Ultimately, if parents are unhappy
about what services are being provided
by the district, they have a right to
go to an administrative hearing. I do
not recommend that parents do this
independently. It is virtually essential
that they be represented by an attorney
or knowledgeable advocate.
Another option available to parents
is to file a complaint with their State
Education Agency (SEA). SEAs will
investigate parent complaints, but they
typically will intervene only when there
has been a procedural violation of the
law. Generally, SEAs will not address
substantive matters, such as those that
would second-guess decisions of the
IEP team.
For more information about the CLA
program, please visit www.agbell.org/
DesktopDefault.aspx?p=CLA_Program.
To discuss your situation or arrange an
informational meeting, please call
716-362-1113 or email cla@agbell.org.
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY /A U GU ST 2009
JBUG_47349_38595_7x9.5:JBUG-47349_7x9.5
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5/15/09
2:16 PM
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aprenden prenden
a escuchar y
hablar
Por Melody Felzien
A
G Bell fundó el programa
de Defensa legal para niños
(Children’s Legal Advocacy
program, CLA) para favorecer
los derechos de los niños con pérdida
auditiva que buscan como resultado
poder hablar y escuchar. El programa de
CLA apoya a estos niños al brindarles
a sus padres asesoramiento legal sobre
cómo obtener servicios adecuados en
sus comunidades y sistemas escolares
locales. De acuerdo con el Sr. Bruce
Goldstein, asesor legal del programa:
“CLA trabaja para aportar casos de
prueba a fin de sentar precedentes
que amplíen los derechos a aprender
a escuchar y hablar de los niños con
pérdida auditiva. Es un recurso para los
padres y los profesionales que brinda
asistencia en la obtención de programas
y servicios adecuados”.
Volta Voices estuvo recientemente con
el Sr. Goldstein para averiguar cómo
los padres y los profesionales pueden
abogar por los derechos legales de acceso
18
y servicios profesionales de los niños
con pérdida auditiva que están
aprendiendo a hablar y escuchar.
Volta Voices: De acuerdo con la ley
federal, ¿qué tipo de servicios deben
brindar los estados?
Bruce Goldstein: La Ley para el
Mejoramiento de la Educación de
Personas con Discapacidades (Individuals
with Disabilities Education Improvement
Act, IDEIA) es una ley federal que
les da derecho a todos los niños con
discapacidad educativa a recibir educación pública adecuada y gratuita (free,
appropriate public education, FAPE). En
este contexto, “adecuada” quiere decir
un enfoque educativo diseñado para
cubrir las únicas necesidades del niño. A
los estudiantes con discapacidades se les
brinda un Plan de educación individualizado (Individualized Education Plan,
IEP) que describe la educación especial y
los servicios relacionados necesarios que
se brindarán en el transcurso del año.
Sobre la base de este plan, el progreso
del estudiante se evalúa periódicamente
con informes de progreso. Los detalles
de un IEP deben incluir la tecnología
asistencial necesaria, los niveles
actuales del desempeño educativo del
niño, sus debilidades y fortalezas, y las
metas anuales medibles y apropiadas.
VV: ¿En dónde pueden encontrar los
padres los servicios de programas
escolares e intervención requeridos
por el estado?
BG: La responsabilidad inicial de
implementar la ley reside, para niños
desde los tres hasta los 21 años, en el
distrito escolar de la familia (Parte
B de la IDEIA); y, para niños desde el
nacimiento hasta los tres años, en la
institución pública de intervención
temprana (Parte C de la IDEIA), que
varía según el estado. Siempre que
un padre sospeche que su hijo tiene
una discapacidad, debe consultar con
un especialista, y la institución o el
distrito escolar responsables deben
realizar una evaluación. Los padres
6 / ,4! 6 / ) # % 3 s * 5,9 ! 5 '5 3 4 0HOTO #REDIT&UN4UP 0RODUCTIONS
0HOTO#REDIT&UN4UP0RODUCTIONS
Ampliación de los
derechos de los niños que
e
deberían averiguar sobre los servicios
y programas públicos y privados
disponibles en su localidad y, si no
existieran, pueden solicitar y esperar
a que se los proporcionen. Respecto de
la Parte B, todo se establece en un IEP.
En cuanto a la Parte C, el documento
que describe los servicios y programas
que se otorgarán es el Plan de servicio
individualizado para la familia
(Individualized Family Service Plan
Plan, IFSP).
VV: ¿Qué tipos de recursos deben
buscar y esperar los padres de parte
de los programas de intervención
temprana? ¿Programas de educación especiales de nivel escolar?
¿Programas de educación integral?
BG: Para los niños desde el nacimiento
hasta los tres años, las evaluaciones se
deben proporcionar de forma gratuita.
Sin embargo, en la Parte C de IDEIA
(intervención temprana), la ley autoriza a
los estados a establecer una escala móvil
y esperar que lo padres aporten parte del
costo de los servicios. Esto es desafortunado, ya que los primeros años son muy
críticos. En mi opinión, la necesidad más
importante a esta edad son servicios
de un profesional (un especialista en
audición y lenguaje oral, una maestra
de sordos, un patólogo del lenguaje y
el habla, etc.) que tenga trayectoria,
capacitación y experiencia en el trabajo
con niños pequeños que buscan como
resultado poder escuchar y hablar.
Lo mismo se aplica para los niños
de tres a 21 años, excepto que en este
caso la familia sólo se maneja con el
distrito escolar. Algunos distritos no
cuentan con programas para niños en
edad preescolar con pérdida auditiva. En
ese caso, el distrito debería contratar a
un profesional o programa privado. En
relación con los distritos que sí cuentan
con programas, la calidad y los servicios
que brinda el programa pueden variar:
personal sin trayectoria, capacitación y
experiencia en audición y lenguaje oral;
clases en las que se usan técnicas de
comunicación manual, clases con niños
con diferentes discapacidades, etcétera.
Algunos niños en edad escolar aún no
están preparados para formar parte de
aulas comunes y necesitan más tiempo
en un programa de audición y lenguaje
oral especializado, ya sea en una escuela
6 /,4! 6/)#%3 s*5 ,9!5'534
CASO DE GEORGIA PENDIENTE
En diciembre de 2008, AG Bell demandó al estado de Georgia. Este caso de
prueba representa la primera vez en que AG Bell fue una parte directa (demandante) en un juicio en vez de jugar un papel secundario. A pesar de que la prueba
auditiva en el recién nacido se implementó exitosamente en todos los EE. UU.,
el seguimiento de esta prueba para los recién nacidos que no pasaron la prueba
inicial fue defi ciente en muchos estados.
La Parte C de la IDEIA exige que la institución principal de cada estado implemente actividades de intervención temprana o “child fi nd”. “Child fi nd” signifi ca
que el estado tiene una responsabilidad afi rmativa de ubicar e identifi car a todos
los niños con discapacidades. En el caso de Georgia, AG Bell sostiene que si
un niño no pasa la prueba auditiva para recién nacidos, entonces hay un fundamento para sospechar que el niño tiene una pérdida auditiva, y el estado tiene la
obligación de asegurar que el niño reciba una evaluación auditiva adecuada de
acuerdo con las responsabilidades de “child fi nd” del estado.
Este es el primer caso de este tipo en los EE. UU. y el estado de Georgia pasó a
desestimar el juicio. Los sumarios se archivaron en el Tribunal de Distrito de los
EE. UU. en Atlanta, y AG Bell está esperando la petición de desestimación de
parte del estado. AG Bell espera que este caso pueda sentar un precedente de
que no sólo se solicita legalmente la prueba auditiva en el recién nacido, sino también el diagnóstico rápido y temprano de la pérdida auditiva. Si este caso puede
sentar un precedente, AG Bell tiene esperanzas de que se produzca un “efecto
dominó” en otros estados y sirva como catalizador para que corrijan sus propias
defi ciencias en el seguimiento de la prueba auditiva en el recién nacido.
pública o en un ámbito privado. Otros
niños que sí están preparados para formar parte de aulas comunes a menudo
necesitan apoyo adicional, que variará
según el niño. Ejemplos de esto incluyen
servicios dentro y fuera de la clase de
parte de un maestro de sordos o un
patólogo del lenguaje y el habla, servicios audiológicos, tecnología asistencial
y adaptaciones de prueba y de ambiente.
VV: ¿Qué tipo de servicios se
esperan normalmente, pero no son
obligatorios según la ley federal?
BG: Lamentablemente, la ley federal no
exige que se les proporcionen audífonos o implantes cocleares a los niños,
y no existe un requisito explícito que
establezca que a los padres de niños
recientemente identificados con pérdida
auditiva se les debe brindar información
sobre todas las opciones de comunicación de una manera justa e imparcial.
Además, no existe un requisito explícito
que indique que los profesionales deben
tener la trayectoria, la capacitación y la
experiencia adecuadas para todas las
opciones de comunicación. Sin embargo,
CLA cuenta con dos decisiones del tribunal que respaldan un requisito para que
los profesionales reciban capacitación
sobre la comunicación de la audición y
el lenguaje oral (puede encontrar más
información en el sitio web de AG Bell).
19
Ampliación de los derechos de los
niños que aprenden a escuchar y hablar
Finalmente, la ley federal no es explícita
con respecto a los requisitos acústicos, la
traducción en tiempo real para facilitar
la comunicación (Communication Access
Realtime Translation, CART) o accesos a
la comunicación similares (aunque los
padres están logrando obtener algunos
de estos servicios).
Un área que frecuentemente se
interpreta de manera errónea es que
muchos padres creen que su hijo tiene
derecho a los servicios que brindan una
metodología en particular, tales como
la terapia auditiva y verbal (auditoryverbal therapy, AVT) y educación
durante algún tiempo. Sin embargo,
esto no debe socavar los esfuerzos de
defensa legal para obtener cualquier
tipo de servicios que un niño necesite.
Idealmente, puede ser muy útil tener
conocimiento sobre la ley y las técnicas
de negociación. En la actualidad, AG
Bell está buscando financiación para
actualizar el contenido y el formato de
envío de su programa de Entrenamiento
en Defensa legal para padres (Parent
Advocacy Training, PAT) y también para
tenerlo disponible en línea. Para obtener
más actualizaciones, consulte
www.agbell.org.
Idealmente, puede ser muy
útil tener conocimiento
sobre la ley y
las técnicas de
negociación.
auditiva y verbal (auditory-verbal education, AVEd). La ley es muy clara con
respecto a que los distritos escolares
tienen la facultad de determinar qué
metodologías brindarán. Sin embargo,
esto no significa que los padres deben
aceptar un programa de comunicación
total (o, para el caso, un programa de
audición y lenguaje oral sin profesio­
nales capacitados adecuadamente). La
IDEIA establece que el equipo del IEP
debe “tener en cuenta... las oportunidades de instrucción directa en el modo
de comunicación y lenguaje del niño...”
[las cursivas se agregaron].
VV: ¿Cómo pueden los padres abogar
por sus hijos? ¿Qué tipo de cosas
que generalmente ve y recomienda
funcionan?
BG: Siempre que sea posible, los padres
deben tratar de mantener una buena
relación con su distrito escolar, ya que
es probable que la relación continúe
20
Los padres deben guardar copias de
todos los registros de manera ordenada
(por ej., una computadora portátil con
pestañas), prepararse para todas las
reuniones (pensar en lo que desean, tratar de ponerse en el lugar del distrito y
anticipar su respuesta, y tener en cuenta
qué alternativas que puedan sugerir
pueden ser aceptables para todos), mantener la calma y no temer realizar preguntas (especialmente cuando se utiliza
una jerga desconocida). Muchas veces
es útil ir acompañado de alguien que
sirva de apoyo, como otro par de orejas
y posiblemente como alguien que tome
nota. Siempre que sea posible, los padres
también deberían llevar un profesional
especialista para que esté de su lado.
El programa de CLA está disponible
para los padres en cualquier etapa del
proceso. Los padres y los profesionales
pueden ponerse en contacto con el
programa de CLA cuando sientan que
necesitan algún comentario o ayuda.
VV: ¿Qué deben hacer los padres si
piensan que sus hijos tienen derecho
a servicios que no se les brindan?
BG: Un padre siempre tiene el derecho
de solicitar una reunión con el equipo
del IEP para abordar asuntos educativos.
Los comentarios sobre los IEP anteriormente mencionados están relacionados
con esas reuniones. Si los padres aún
están insatisfechos, pueden solicitar
una evaluación externa. En muchos
casos, si el costo es un problema,
se puede inducir al distrito a pagar.
Además, algunas veces, si se produce un
estancamiento en las negociaciones, el
distrito y los padres pueden acordar en
que se haga una Evaluación educativa
independiente (Independent Educational
Evaluation, IEE) para que “desempate”.
Si es posible desde el aspecto
económico, también puede ser muy útil
consultar con un abogado de educación
especial. Algunas áreas pueden contar
con abogados locales expertos o servicios legales de bajo costo. Nuevamente,
el programa de CLA puede ser de ayuda.
Finalmente, si los padres no están
satisfechos con los servicios que brinda
el distrito, tienen derecho a acudir a una
audiencia administrativa. Recomiendo
que los padres no hagan esto de forma
independiente. Es prácticamente fundamental que un abogado o un defensor
experto los represente.
Otra opción disponible para los
padres es presentar una reclamación
en su Institución de Educación Estatal
(State Education Agency, SEA). Las SEA
investigarán las reclamaciones de los
padres, pero normalmente sólo intervendrán cuando exista una violación
procesal de la ley. Por lo general, las SEA
no abordarán asuntos importantes,
tales como los que anticiparían las decisiones del equipo del IEP.
Para obtener más información sobre el
programa de CLA, visite www.agbell.org/
DesktopDefault.aspx?p=CLA_Program.
Para tratar su situación u organizar una
reunión informativa, llame al 716-362-1113
o envíe un correo electrónico a cla@agbell.org.
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY /A U G U ST 2009
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY/AUGUST 2009
21
0HOTO#REDIT#ASH&AMILY
By Beth Cash, R.N.
B
eing an advocate was new to
me. When my son, Daniel,
was diagnosed with a mild-tomoderate hearing loss, I never
thought I would assume a key role in
advocating for his education. Th enhis
hearing loss progressed to profound
at age 2, and he subsequently received
his first cochlear implant at age 4½ and
his bilateral implant at age 8. Living
in a rural community, there are very
few children with cochlear implants
and, therefore, very few trained and
knowledgeable personnel to address my
son’s unique needs. I want to share what
I’ve learned about the Individualized
Education Plan (IEP) process and provide other parents with tools to advocate for appropriate education services
and accommodations for their children
who are deaf or hard of hearing and use
listening and spoken language.
Children with hearing loss have an
educational disability that is medically
diagnosed. Parents should educate
themselves about the delays or problems that could occur in their child’s
education, and then contact their local
school district or the school principle to
start the IEP process. Once a child has
22
been identified as having a disability,
schools must evaluate how the disability
aff ects him or her functionally as well as
academically.
The Evaluation
Th einitial evaluation will determine
two things: (1) whether the child
has a disability, as defined under the
Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act (IDEIA) Section
300.8, and (2) whether the child needs
special education and related services.
Th eschool is responsible for evaluating
how a disability aff ects the child’s
education. Regulations require that
these assessments:
 Reflect the needs of the child, based
on his or her disability.
 Reflect the child’s educational needs
including functional skills, i.e. the
ability to participate in the “routine
activities of everyday living” (Federal
Register).
 Be administered by trained and
knowledgeable personnel. In the case
of a child with hearing loss, if test
administrators do not have knowledge or training concerning hearing
loss and your child’s communication
method, they are not the appropriate
personnel to test your child.
 Be administered using that same
method of communication the child
uses in order to yield the most accurate information.
You will be required to consent to
testing at which time you should be
told what kind of tests will be performed. You can request to know who
is performing the test and what to
expect. Some pertinent questions to ask
include:
 How are you evaluating the communication skills of my child in the
classroom?
 How will my child’s academic skills
and social skills be assessed?
 When will I be notified of the
results?
IDEIA legislation requires that
parents have access to the evaluation
reports and documentation of eligibility
decisions. Parents should review these
results prior to the IEP meeting. Th is
can be a very emotional time because
results sometimes include unexpected
or surprising news. You cannot actively
participate in the IEP meeting if you
have not processed the information. If
6 / ,4! 6 / ) # % 3 s * 5,9 !5 '5 3 4 the school will not provide you with the
results before the initial IEP meeting,
attend the meeting, obtain the evaluation results and then adjourn the meeting without signing or agreeing to the
IEP until you have had time to review it.
If you disagree with the results of
the school’s evaluation, per IDEIA you
may request an independent evaluation at the expense of the school
district. Each school district must
provide to parents, upon request,
information about where an independent educational evaluation can be
obtained. Parents are not required to
disclose reasons for requesting the
independent evaluation. Independent
evaluations are useful when the
school system lacks knowledgeable
and trained personnel. For example, if
the school system only has one child
with a cochlear implant, do you consider them trained and knowledgeable
in working with children with hearing
loss who are learning to use spoken
language to communicate?
The Initial IEP Meeting
Once the evaluations are complete, an
initial meeting is held to determine
the child’s eligibility for an IEP. Your
child’s disability (in this case hearing
loss) must have an adverse effect on
educational performance and require
specially designed instruction, as demonstrated by the evaluations.
Being a parent and not an educator,
I was unsure what “specially designed
instruction” meant, so I asked Denise G.
Nelson, M.Ed., a teacher of the deaf and
hard of hearing, to define it for me. She
replied that the instruction (in the case
of a child with hearing loss who uses
spoken language) should:
yy Be targeted to remediate the unique
delays commonly associated with
hearing loss.
yy Foster appropriate skills to improve
access to auditory information.
yy Demonstrate appropriate use of
amplification technology, including
maintenance and independent use
skills.
yy Foster social, academic, organizational and self-advocacy skills.
The IEP team typically includes the
parents, the child’s regular education
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY/AUGUST 2009
teacher, the child’s special education
teacher or provider and a representative from the school system’s Local
Education Agency (LEA). The LEA
representative is qualified to provide or
supervise the special education of the
child, is knowledgeable about the general curriculum and is knowledgeable
about the resources available.
The team may also include a qualified person who can interpret the
instructional implications of evaluation
results. This means that if your school
does not employ a listening and spoken
language specialist (LSLS) or speech
language pathologist (SLP), the school
may provide, or you may invite, one
to interpret the evaluation’s implications as it relates to the child’s hearing
loss and education. Other individuals
who have knowledge or experience are
allowed to participate at the discretion
of either side. In fact, I recommend that
you never attend an IEP meeting alone
and that parents make every effort to
attend meetings together.
Parents play a key role in developing
an IEP. No one knows your child like
you do. Before the meeting, take time to
write down the strengths of your child.
What concerns do you have for enhancing his or her education? What concerns do you have with regards to the
evaluation results? The IEP team must
consider the concerns of the parents.
yy
yy
yy
yy
Developing the IEP
There are certain factors parents of
children who are deaf or hard of hearing should consider during the initial
IEP meeting. These include the child’s
language and communication needs,
opportunities for direct communications
in the child’s communication mode, the
child’s full range of needs, including
opportunities for direct instruction in
the child’s communication mode, and
whether or not the child needs assistive
technology.
Once the IEP begins to develop, it
must include the following:
yy A statement of the child’s present
levels of academic achievement and
functional performance developed
from evaluations, classroom-based
assessments and observation. For
example, “Daniel’s age-equivalent
yy
yy
score on the Expressive One-Word
Picture Vocabulary Test is 4.3
and his chronological score is 8.4,
indicating a two-year delay when
compared to his chronological age.”
Measurable annual goals based on
the present level of performance.
Measurable means you can count it. If
the annual goal is to increase vocabulary, it should provide a measure by
which an increase is demonstrated. For
example, “Daniel will improve vocabulary/language by completing four out
of the five following objectives,” then
list the five objectives.
A means for assessing your child’s
progress. The IEP was developed
using measurable goals, therefore
measurable progress reports should
be provided. “Daniel has increased
receptive knowledge from 60 percent
accuracy to 90 percent accuracy each
month for an approximate total of
200 vocabulary words, including
concepts.”
Special and related services for
the child, which are required to
help the child benefit from special
education. Timing for implementation of these special services must
be included.
A statement indicating the extent
to which the child will interact with
typically developing children. “Daniel
will be in his regular classroom 80
percent of the day, with pull-out
services the other 20 percent.”
Any accommodations or modifications that the child may need in
order to access the curriculum and
participate in state and district
wide assessments. These should be
provided throughout the year, not
just for testing purposes. FM systems
should be provided for every day of
school; back-up systems should also
be available.
Per IDEIA, an extended school year
can be considered for children who
have regression over the summer or
when a child has an emerging skill.
New language skills can be considered an emerging skill, and parents
should advocate for a SLP or LSLS
year round to work with the child
while he or she is learning listening
and spoken language.
23
Advocacy and Your Child’s
Education
Specifically, children with hearing loss
may require related services, which should
be noted in the IEP. Services may include:
yy Parent training, which can be a part
of the child’s IEP according to IDEIA.
If your child’s goal is to learn to listen
and speak, then you should be trained
on how to implement these goals.
yy School personnel working with parents need to have training as it relates
to the child’s hearing loss, mode of
communication and accommodations,
such as FM systems.
yy A spoken language facilitator, who
assists the child with language delays
when accessing the curriculum.
yy Audiological services, if not available
through your school district, can be a
contracted service. Audiologists ensure
that assistive hearing technology is
functioning properly and can help
determine how your child hears in
noisy environments. Federal law
24
yy
yy
yy
yy
excludes cochlear implant mapping or
replacement; however, it is the school’s
responsibility to ensure the external
components are functioning properly
and to report problems to the parents.
SLPs are responsible for language
goals other than articulation, such as
vocabulary delays.
Counseling services for adolescents
who may have self-esteem issues.
Orientation for emergency drills is
necessary for safety issues. Children
may hear the fire alarm, but may be
easily disoriented in the event of an
emergency.
Physical education can be
challenging for children with hearing
loss who use assistive technology.
Whether it’s a ball hitting their
equipment, not understanding the
directions given in the gym due to
poor acoustics or removing their
devices during class so they can’t
hear the instructions at all, safety
issues must be addressed. The child
may need an assistant during PE or
the directions explained by the PE
teacher in a classroom using a sound
field system.
Placement issues are a concern for
many parents. IDEIA regulations state
that the IEP team must determine
where the services will be provided.
The regulation mandates that a child
with a disability is to be educated in
the least restrictive environment –
the classroom where he or she would
normally be placed absent the disability. Schools may place children
outside a mainstream classroom only
when a typical classroom education,
with supplementary aids and services,
can’t be achieved satisfactorily. If this
is the case, each school should provide
a continuum of alternative placements
(Continued on page 25)
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY /A U GU ST 2009
 
Special Section: Recognizing
the Generosity of Our Donors
Arts and Sciences Scholarship
Winner Gives Back to AG Bell
Shalini Chalikonda is a 15-
2003 at Children’s Memorial
year-old high school student
Hospital in Chicago when
attending Bridgewater-
she was 9 years old. Shortly
Raritan High School in
thereafter, Shalini and her
Bridgewater, N.J. Shalini is
parents applied for an Arts
like any other active young
and Sciences scholarship
teenager, except she lives
award from AG Bell. Shalini
with a profound hearing loss.
was awarded the grant,
which she used pay for
Shalini was born in Kakinada,
classical Indian dance
a small town in Andhra
lessons.
Pradesh, India. Her hearing
Shalini receives a certificate from AG Bell
during the Classical Indian Dance event she
created to help support AG Bell programs.
loss was not discovered
Last summer, when she
until she was 2 years old
was about to start her
when, according to Shalini,
freshman year of high
“Mom tried to call out to
school, Shalini decided
me but I did not respond.”
to give back to AG Bell
evening of Indian Classical
Her parents, Padmini and
what the association had
Dance. On April 18, the
Bhavani, wanted Shalini to
given her – the opportunity
fundraiser performance
be able to listen and talk
to pursue a dream. “I have
occurred for over 300
in the same language as
come to know that there are
people and raised $6,275.
everyone around her.
many children that are not
They enrolled her in the
as fortunate as I was…that
When asked what she liked
Balavidyalaya School for
made my decision to help
most about this experience,
Young Deaf Children that
AG Bell and such children
Shalini replied, “I really
promoted listening and
through them an important
enjoyed raising money for
spoken language.
one,” said Shalini.
AG Bell and dancing for
my friends and family. The
Shalini and her parents
Shalini, with the help of her
success of the fundraiser
moved to Chicago, Ill.,
parents, relatives, school-
made me very happy.”
in 1998. She received a
mates and friends, planned
cochlear implant in May
and performed a special
 
The Honor Roll of Donors
(January 1, 2008 – December, 31, 2008)
The honor roll of donors lists individuals, corporations and foundations that made financial contributions during
fiscal year 2008 (January 1 – December 31) in support of AG Bell programs and services. AG Bell celebrates all
of its donors for their generosity in support of the Association.
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this list, including spelling of names and placement of donors within
respective giving categories. However, omissions or errors may still have occurred. We apologize for any inaccuracies and ask
that you notify Howard Silberstein, AG Bell director of development, at hsilberstein@agbell.org if you find an incorrect listing.
Circle Alliance
$100,000+
Advanced Bionics
Anonymous Family
Foundation
Cochlear Americas
President’s
Circle
$10,000 – $99,999
Anonymous
LaFawn Biddle
Jeffrey B. Bowen
Lisa A. Bowen
Kenny Cheng
Community Foundation
of Tampa Bay, Inc.
Dextra Baldwin
McGonagle
Foundation, Inc.
Helen Beebe Speech
and Hearing Center
J. Willard and Alice S.
Marriott Foundation
NIDCD/NIH (Grant)
Oticon Incorporated
Rothman Family
Foundation
Wasily Family Foundation
Wonderland Nurserygoods Co., Ltd.
Clyde Wyant
Benefactors
$5,000 – $9,999
Anonymous
Blue Ridge Speech &
Hearing Center of
Loudon County, Inc.
Nan Ellen D. East
Enzo S. Fanucchi
Judith Scott
Jay M. Tenenbaum
The Samuel M. Levy
Family Foundation
Patrons
$1,000 – $4,999
Christine L. Anthony
Lilian Flores-Beltran
Bergen County Special
Services School District
(Academy)
Stella Boyle
Theresa Bulger
Robert J. Bush
Captel, Inc.
CCHAT CenterSacramento
Charles Del Mar
Foundation
The Children’s Hearing
Institute
Children's Memorial
Hospital
Clarke School for the
Deaf
CSDVRS
Jason Curry
CVS Pharmacy, Inc.
Joshua Davis
Richard England
Walter A. Franck
Gallaudet University
Alexander T. Graham
Hamilton Relay CapTel
Andrea Hill
Marcy Kelly
Ken H. Levinson
The Los Angeles Unified
School District
Merrill Lynch
Milton M. Meyer, Jr.
and Mildred B. Meyer
Foundation
National Philanthropic
Trust
Michael A. Novak
N. Clay Robbins
Rochester Institute of
Technology
Joseph Rosenstein
Jonathan P. and Sarah
Sommer
SComm, Inc.
Sprint Relay
John F. Stanton
St. Joseph Institute for
the Deaf
Ultratec, Inc.
Deanne Uschold
Steven L. Vonderfecht
C. R. Wagner III
George Webb
Jay R. Wyant
Karen S. Youdelman
Richard C. Zellerbach
Supporters
$500 – $999
Vincent Bartholomew
Bolesta Center, Inc
Christopher T. Campos
David J. Davis
Deafness Research
Foundation
Ear Technology
Corporation
Expocommerce, Inc.
John Fread
Laura A. Gold
Judy Harrison
Allen Janger
Janet S. Kahn
Irene W. Leigh
Pam Lewis
Roberta Meyer
Mill Neck Foundation, Inc
John C. Miller
Robert Moyer
George H. Nofer
Karen J. Parrish
Chris Prilenski
Regan D. Rohde
Samuel J. Rosenfeld
Alex Roush
Emily Soloff
Stephen T. Steiner
John Teeger
University of Hartford
Frank L. Van Husen
Eric D. Wade
Robert Whipple
Champions
$250 – $499
Rebecca Anderson
Steven Asciutto
Janice Biron
William Buckley
George Case
Cassidy Publishing
Christine L. Corcoran
Jean M. Dennis
DePaul Institute
R. Neil Dickman
Ear Books
Stephen Epstein
Phyllis B. Feibelman
Cindy Feinberg
Alton J. Fleming
Carol Flexer
Cindy G. Fluxgold
Monique Gibson
Donald M. Goldberg
Gabell Gorman
Jenny Graham
Ralph F. Guertin
Heimbinder Family
Foundation
Martin Hruska
Inez K. Janger
Michael Janger
John Tracy Clinic
Norma Kalkhoff
Michael Kay
Margaret A. Klarman
Law Offices of Joseph
L. Bornstein
Ilena Lea
The Leigh Foundation
Keith Mallonee
Trelesa Marriott
Jim McCord
Jackie Meeks
Michigan Chapter of
AG Bell
Patricia Midura
Ryan Miller
Cindy O'Brien
Oralingua School for the
Hearing Impaired
Jonathan Petromelis
Jeff Pink
David B. Pisoni
Kathy R. Pulkownik
Gary M. Quateman
Neil Quateman
Elizabeth Ragalie
Helene Reiner
Justine Roberts
Janet S. Scheeline
Rochelle Schneider
Harvey A. Schneier
Richard L. Schulze
Robert Sherman
Judith Simser (Academy)
Elizabeth P. Sloan
Gwendolyn Sommer
Frederick T. Spahr
Richard B. Sparr
Barbara A. Stone
Joan Sullivan
Michael H. Tecklenburg
Thieme Medical
Publishers
Joanne N. Travers
United Way of Camden
County
Williams Asset
Management, LLC
Associates
$100 – $249
James Albenesius
Jill L. Bader
Theresa Ballard
Henry Becker
Lori Beyerly
Guy W. Blaedow
Arthur Boothroyd
Peter Bower
David Browne
Lori Bryan
Harrison T. Bubb
Anitta Burg
John M. Burke
Teresa H. Caraway
Beverly Casinelli
Teresa Chang
Janet E. Christensen
Christopher Churchill
Mary V. Compton
Bill J. Corwin
Mary Ann Costin
Guy R. Crane
Davis Funeral Chapel, Inc.
Todd Davis
Elizabeth Delia
Joseph DiBattista
Bruce Donenberg
Dennis K. Filloon
Frank N. Fleischer
William R. Forbis
Christine J. Forsthoefel
Raymond Forsthoefel
David L. Frank
Eleanor J. Frank
Richard L. Freeman
Michael Friedman
Barbara Galoob
Mary J. Garrison
Lori Glassman
Jay R. Gold
Emilie Goldberg
Robert M. Goldberg
Lisa A. Goldstein
Tim Grafft
Astrida Greco
Sylvia Greenberg
Barry Griebler
Sara Grosvenor
Henry Groth
Ralph F. Guertin
Virginia Hall
Richard Hickey
Gregory L. Hubert
Michael B. Hunter
David M. James
Kim-Jae Kang
John J. Kearney
Carol Kortekamp
Stephen Kozowyk
Richard R. Kretschmer
Lawrence Kronenberger
Tom W. Kyzer
Victoria Labriola
Kent Landsberg
Christopher Lehfeldt
Robert J. Lillie
Kirsten Lodal
James Marsters
Ajay Marwah
Donald I. McGee
Kevin J. Miller
Natural Communication Inc.
Pauline T. Newton
Andrew Ober
Ruth Oppold
William A. Paine
Donald B. Paterson
Melody A. Parton
Peter J. Paulson
Patricia A. Pearce
Christina B. Perigoe
Priscilla Pike
Jane E. Pilcher
Kathy Plump
Thomas Poe
Cathy Price
Professional Audiology
Clinic, Ltd.
Maureen Quirk
Thomas Raffa
Raffa, P.C.
Ramesh K. Ramanathan
J. T. Ratnanather
Stephen Rexrode
Carol Richards
c.
 
Randall Robinson
Jerome Roth
Deganit R. Ruben
Jerold A. Salmanson
Gregory Schweitzer
Charles E. Shallbetter
Jan Shearer
Brenda Shepard
Lisa M. Sheppard
Neil Sherman
Jay Shore
Howard and Char
Silberstein
John Skold
Edward Snow
Robert W. Snyder
Ruth Sorrell
Jade Stanford
Mark L. Stern
Virginia Stern
Peter S. Steyger
Christen Stotts
Kathleen D. Sussman
Julie Swaim
Mary R. Sylvester
Robert Taliaferro
Michael Tanzio
Scott Telesz
Sarah M. Thomas
Robert H. Topel
Patricia Trautwein
Kathleen S. Treni
Dana A. Troetel
Susie M. Trotochaud
United Way of New York
City
Gary Varclay
Cara Voth
Charles Wagner
Wild Rose Audiology
Clinic Ltd.
Michele Wilkins
Wendy F. Will
Elisabeth Williams
John A. Williams
Vincent M. Wood
Denise Wray
Carol Wyant
Alice Wylie
Garrett W. Yates
Friends
$25 – $99
Henry J. Adler
Amanda Aldridge
Margaret Allen
Candace J. Alper
Andrea Amestoy
Laura Andrukaitis
Phyllis Apuzzio
Akio Arai
Paul Arenberg
David H. Arfaa
Robin D. Bailey
Andrew and Carol G. Ban
Maureen Bard
Patricia Barrett
Mary Bartholomew
Debbie Bendetson
Judy Bentsen
Kristen M. Bergeron
Roslyn Berry
Megan Bethel
Belinda Biddle
Jennifer Biewer
Tracey Blair
Doris W. Blanchard
Priscilla Bollard
Nancy Bolton-Beck
Marion R. Bradford
Jennifer Bransfield
Ralph J. Braunschweig
Stephen Brenner
Mildred A. Bross
Graham Brown
James B. Brown
Martin Brown
Julie Burke
Charles Bury
Lori A. Cabe
Daliana Camacho
Zuzana Capar
Kevin Carroll
Cars 4 Charities
Melissa K. Chaikof
Celia Chase
Barbara L. Chertok
Jill Coffman
Joe Cohen
Jim Collins
Sid Cook
Jay-Lo Cooperman
Molly C. Corum
Michelle Crawley
John C. Curtis
John L. Darby
Rochelle Davidoff
James D. Davis
Fannie W. Davison
Ryan Demien
Wendy DeMoss
Lisa Dichter
Russell Dieterich
Leslie Dixon
Ronald Dobson
Nancy Dolberg
Kristin Dombrowski
Doris Dannemann
Rachel Dubin
Christine Dunbar
Lynette Eckhardt
Frances Eldis
Nancy B. Emerson
Elaine Engel
D.L. Ensor
Daniel Erb
Marian M. Ernst
Susan Fanning
Sandy Farrell
Melody G. Felzien
Tammy Ferguson
Stephen Ferlazzo
M.T. Fiadeiro
Joan Filowitz
Gerald Finger
Tony Fiorino
Rebecca M. Fischer
Ann M. Forsberg
Dorothea French
John Friedewald
Susan Gallant
Louis Gancsos
Elizabeth L. Garrison
Melinda Gillinger
Virginia Gilmer
Karen Goldammer
David Goldschmid
Ellen Graff
Sian Gray
Kent Greenfelder
Carrie Grefe
Lydia Gregoret
Mark W. Griffin
Elisabeth Grunig
Susan L. Hambrecht
Bonnie Hamilton
Robin Hancock
Amanda Harkelroad
Gregg Harrison
Lisa Harrison
Nancy Harrison
Patrice Harrison
Patricia Harrison
Todd Harrison
Justin M. Haux
Willard Hayden
Ed R. Heintzman
Josh Heitler
B.J. Henning
Jeanette Hepp
Thomas R. Hickey
Sarah Hite
Karen Hoppe
Anne Horner
Anne Hubert
Angela Isaac
Merrie Jackson
Leonardo Jafet
Jacqueline JankoffErshow
Bob Jensen
Susan W. Johnson
William W. Jones
Sue Jubinville
Pat Kager
Sally Kamman
Ian Katz
Anthony Keck
Mary B. Kendall
Karen A. Kennedy
Rebecca S. Keuter
Virginia F. Keville
Elizabeth Kirsch
Mary Kneen
Sidney Kraizman
Sally Kraske
Alan Kraus
Joseph Kulakowski
Sally Lambert
Diana Lee
Mary R. Leen
Cynthia F. Leigh
Lori I. Leiman
Andrew Leonard
Laura Levy
Richard G. Lewis
Richard Lewis
Joan Lichter
Anita H. Liebman
Cynthia H. Llewellyn
Laura Lyell
Michael Madigan
Berrvecos Mariapaz
Robert Matje
Susan McCabe
Deloris McCarley
Portia B. McCurry
Greg McGann
Darlene McGuire
Maurice Meysenburg
Mile High United Way
Debra J. Miller
Christy Monaghan
Moog Center for Deaf
Education (Academy)
John R. Mooney
Jim Morris
Neil Morris
Matsuki Motoko
Keith D. Muller
Bernard F. Murphy
Peter Murphy
Cathy Mutascio
Elsie Myers-Martin
Robert Neunherz
Amy Newman
Nannette Nicholson
David J. Nicodemo
Brad Nitz
James Noonan
Marie K. O'Brien
Kimberly O'Donnell
Julie O'Hara
Harald A. Pels
Christine Petrik
Thomas J. Petrone
Ilana Pollack
L.H. Price
Jothi Ramanathan
Mark Reeve
Margaret P. Roberts
James Rodgers
Erika Rosenzweig
Rochelle Rotgin
Susan Sagiv
Marsha Saper
Robert Saperstein
Susan V. Schmidberger
Andrea N. Schnure
John Schwartz
Julie Scott
Karen A. Scully
Stella Sharp
Rhonda A. Shronts
Stuart Sitzman
James Smith
Joanna T. Smith
Kim Smith
Diane P. Smith-Gale
Eileen Solla-Diaz
Paul Sonier
Ishmael Soto
Rathna Srinivasan
Belle Steinberg
Jan Steinmetz
Gary Stern
Meredith A. Stewart
Stafford K. Stice
Stephen A. Stitle
Nathan M. Stoeckle
Leslie S. Stone
Patrick S. Stone
Jim Tabor
Alan Taliaferro
Sally Tannenbaum
Lauren Taylor
Lee Taylor
Doris B. Titsworth
Stacey Tokarski
Marjorie A. Torgan
Jacqueline M. Torri
Judy Torri
Michael P. Traynor
Vincent Turano
Kristen Van Dyke
Susan Vanhoven
Sandra L. Vidgoff
Joyce A. Vinson
Dawn Violetto
Eleanor R. Vorce
Judith F. Wagner
Sandra Walling
Esther K. Walowitz
Julia K. Ward
James G. Watson
Mark Weatherington
Jacob Weaver
Steven Weigandt
Weiner Household
Karen White
Edwin Whitmore
Doug Williams
Lori Williams
Mary J. Williams
Judy Wilson
Patrick H. Wilson
Rose Wolitzer
John R. Wray
Elizabeth Yang
Chun Te Yu
Pauline Zakarian
Scott Ziegler
Carla M. Zimmerman
James Zlogar
Tributes
Helen Beebe
Jaime Buehl and Bill
Reichard
DePaul School
Ava Dovner
Family of Susan and
Alvin Schonfeld
Laura Flomenhoft
David Frangiosa
Stuart Halpert
Alyna Heitler Cook
Ken Levinson
Ed Moeller
Brad Nitz
Caitlin Parton
Claudia Taylor
Lauren Taylor
Jay Wyant
Karen Youdelman
Juliette Anne Zabel
Memorial Gifts
Helen Hulick Beebe
Buckler, Nichols, Love,
Vorce
George C. Chapman
Celia (Ce Ce) Clime
Donna Dickman
Evelio Forns
Mildred Foster
Cathie Gancsos
Gastwirth, Eckstein,
White & Springer
Dena Goldstein
Joan Harrison
Irene Kline
Joseph Samuel Lewis
Daniel Ling
Eleanor Malafa
Barbara McCarley Alva
Kay Robinson
Sonja Sagal
Jean Marie Saks
Louise Shorey
Ray Simser
Judy Siser's Husband
Zoe Sorrells
Melissa Thorn
Adelyn Wilson
Paul Wilson
Robert Lee Wilson
Mary Wisner
 
Where Your Money Goes
Allocation of Funding
19%
7%
25%
7%
18%
19%
5%
Education and Training
Membership
Financial Aid
Fundraising
Advocacy
General
Publications
(Continued from page 24)
for consideration. Parents should
visit all placement options offered by
the school system so that they can
make an informed decision regarding
placement.
Parental Advocacy
Parents should become active with
local support groups. These groups can
provide information and resources
to help you advocate for your child.
Information about local resources can
be found through your state’s office of
educational services or special education services as well as through AG
Bell Chapters (www.agbell.org). The
AG Bell Web site also provides parents
with an extensive list of advocacy
resources.
Other resources may include:
yy Hands & Voices
(www.handsandvoices.org) – a
parent-driven, parent/professional
collaborative group that provides
FinAidAd_HALF PG
5/12/09
11:21 AM
unbiased information about communication modes and methods and
resources for families.
yy American Society for Deaf Children
(www.deafchildren.org) – supports
and educates families of children
who are deaf and hard of hearing and
advocates for high quality programs
and services.
yy National Association of the Deaf
(www.nad.org) – state associations
may provide local resources.
In North Carolina, we are fortunate
to have many resources available
for parents. BEGINNINGS
(www.ncbegin.org) provides education and advocacy support for parents
at IEP meetings, and CCCDP/CASTLE
provide listening and spoken language
education to parents and professionals
across the state, among many other
services and resources.
Being an advocate for your child
involves knowing your child’s needs,
learning the IEP process and being
an active member of the IEP team. If
your child is not performing as well as
expected in school, call an IEP meeting so that changes to the plan can be
made. The most important thing I have
learned is to speak up. I am not afraid
to ask questions and make suggestions because I am the most important
member of my child’s IEP team and his
number one advocate.
Author’s Note: Information for this article
came from the AG Bell Parent Advocacy
Training program (2006) and IDEIA regulations. This article provides general information only and should not to be construed
as authority about IDEIA law.
Reference
Commentary in the Federal Register. (2006).
Rules and regulations. Federal Register,
71(156), 46661.
Page 1
Every Child Deserves a Chance
...to Learn...to Grow...
to Hear from the Start
dvances in newborn hearing screening, early intervention detection and intervention
A
are giving more children with hearing loss the opportunity to learn to listen, talk and thrive
along with their hearing peers. That’s why AG Bell offers programs designed to support
children and youth with hearing loss who are pursuing spoken language education.
PRE SCHOOL-AGE
FINANCIAL AID PROGRAM
DEADLINE: JULY 31, 2009
PARENT-INFANT
FINANCIAL AID PROGRAM
DEADLINE: OCTOBER 1, 2009
Eligibility criteria, program deadlines and applications are
available at www.agbell.org. Email requests for an
application to financialaid@agbell.org or fax to 202.337.8314.
TEL 202.204.4681 • TTY 202.337.5221
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY/AUGUST 2009
25
0HOTOCREDIT4RACY-EEHAN
By Maribeth Nelson Lartz, Ph.D., and
Tracy Meehan, M.S.
A
n increasing number
of infants and toddlers
are being identified
with hearing loss at
very young ages. Consequently, a
growing number of professionals are
working with young children and
their families during a time when the
critical relationship between child
and caregiver is developing. Most
professional training is focused on
the mechanics of spoken language
development and school-aged children,
so many professionals engaging in
early intervention lack awareness
about the importance of a strong
social-emotional foundation for
parents and their children.
26
As assistive listening technology
continues to provide better access to
sound for many infants and toddlers,
early intervention professionals will
be increasingly called upon to provide
listening and spoken language skill
development within the context of the
family. Intervention tactics designed to
increase joint attention and eye gaze,
coordinate gestures and vocal acts,
imitate vocal play with consonants and
vowels, establish reciprocity and
promote awareness of sound will need
to be implemented within everyday
family routines. Th isfamily-focused
intervention should include goals to
promote family relationships and
enhance a family’s sense of well-being.
Since optimal development of a
child occurs within the context of
healthy social-emotional relationships
with the family, attention to these
relationships becomes an important
component of quality intervention
and services for infants and toddlers
with hearing loss. Indeed, research
studies emphasizing emotional
availability (Pressman, Pipp-Siegel,
Yoshinaga-Itano, Kubicek & Emde,
2000), ramifications of early identification of hearing loss (YoshinagaItano, 2002) and family participation
in early intervention (Moeller, 2000)
support the importance of socialemotional development for families of
children with hearing loss.
6 / ,4! 6 / ) # % 3 s * 5,9 ! 5 '5 3 4 To ensure that professionals entering
the field of early intervention have
the skills to promote social-emotional
development within the context of the
family, a module was designed for participants enrolled in the Illinois State
University Graduate Specialization
Early Intervention Certificate Training
Program. The module included:
yy Reading material related to the
impact of hearing loss on the development of the higher functions of cognition, communication and language.
yy Seminar discussions on infant mental
health and typical child development.
yy Observations of infants and toddlers
with hearing loss and their families.
yy Review of evidenced-based research
related to the observed challenge
hearing loss has on social-emotional
development in young children.
yy Development of a probe question
based on an identified socialemotional challenge.
yy Design of a tool, toy or handout that
could be used as a resource with
families.
Photo Credit: Tracy Meehan
Promoting SocialEmotional Development
Ideal mother-child communication develops when there are opportunities to connect
through joint attention and positive affect.
yy One-on-one supervisor/
student discussion to determine
how student findings would be
meaningful to families and interventionists and how the student
artifact would be meaningful to
the field.
Students spent several months
researching their question and developing potential resources. Each student
Table: Challenges and Solutions for Working with Families of Young
Children with Hearing Loss
Challenges
Questions
Tools/Toys/Handouts
Children can be born prematurely
and hospitalized for extended
periods of time.
Children are not always prepared
for cochlear implant surgery due to
limited communication.
What is the effect of extended hospitalization on the bonding process
between parent and infant?
What strategies and activities
could help families explain surgery
to their toddler?
How can interventionists support grandparents (or other family
members) in nurturing positive
relationships?
How can interventionists model
strategies to increase a parent’s
comfort in reading to their child?
Handout with bonding activities
emphasizing the importance of
touch.
Cochlear implant party with hospital props and picture book illustrating the hospital experience.
Flip chart with short, printed
inserts that could be mailed or
sent electronically with updates
about the child.
How can siblings be integrated
into home interventions?
Develop a book that highlights
activities siblings can do together.
How can interventionists
use music to promote early
communication?
What can be provided to parents,
grandparents and caregivers to
empower them in encouraging the
use of assistive technology?
Instrument and nursery rhyme kits
that include focus cards to leave
behind with parents.
Life-like doll with hearing aids
that can be placed on and off for
practice by extended family or
caregivers.
Extended family members are often
unaware of challenges the family is
facing.
Early literacy skill development is
not always prevalent.
Siblings can feel left out as family
attention is centered on the child
with hearing loss.
Infants use rhythm and voice for
early language development.
Caregivers can be hesitant to utilize
new technologies such as cochlear
implants and hearing aids.
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY/AUGUST 2009
Mirror reading activities and book
bags with accompanying props.
27
Preparing Professionals to Foster Social-Emotional
Development within the Family Context
Photo credit: Amelia Rosenberg
During the project presentations,
students and instructors were equally
surprised at the depth and diversity
of challenges found in their search for
ways to promote healthy relationships
in families of children with hearing
loss. The table includes the challenges
and questions that students explored
from this course assignment, as well
as the tool, toy or handout created to
address the challenge or question.
Positive Results
A grandmother practices hearing aid fitting on a life-size doll so she’ll feel confident to
help her own grandchild.
presented findings to their peers and
instructors that included answers to
three questions:
yy What social-emotional challenge
prompted their investigation?
yy What related literature was currently
available?
yy How would their findings
impact delivery of services to
families?

Families were receptive to the students’
ideas and many parents utilized the tool,
toy or handout to improve interaction
with their infants and toddlers. One
father increased the time spent reading with his daughter when a book and
accompanying story props were loaned
for home use. In another instance, a
mother was able to participate more in a
2010 AG Bell Biennial Convention
JUNE 25-28, 2010 • HILTON BONNET CREEK HOTEL • ORLANDO, FLORIDA
call for
papers
Be an integral part of the
program by sharing your
knowledge and best
practices with your
peers.
28
Mark your calendar now to submit a
short course or concurrent session to
present at the 2010 AG Bell Convention.
submission windows
short courses:
August 3 – September 24, 2009
concurrent sessions:
September 17 – November 12, 2009
Visit www.agbell.org for updates
on the submission process for the
2010 AG Bell Convention – Call for Papers.
VOLTA VOICES • JULY /AU GU ST 2009
home therapy session with her daughter when the developmental therapist
involved the older brother by having
him read a book and letting him hold a
“brother bear.” This allowed the mother
to focus on her daughter rather than
entertaining her son.
Although the social-emotional module
outlined above was designed for graduate
students in a university training program, its content is relevant to practitioners currently working with families
in early intervention. Practitioners can
help develop strong social-emotional
relationships within families by utilizing some of the solutions developed by
students in the Illinois State University
program. For example, if a professional
wants to increase the involvement of
parents in a therapy session centered on
music activities, then leaving a research
article promoting the importance of
music activities for brain development in
children is not the most effective way to
do so. By loaning instrument and nursery rhyme bags with short activity cards
to the parents, the practitioner is making
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY/AUGUST 2009
the musical activities relevant, more
likely to occur and mutually enjoyable for
the child and parents. Sharing activities
strengthens the parent-child relationship and fosters strong social-emotional
development.
In another example, perhaps an early
interventionist provides therapy to a
toddler who is cared for by a grandmother
or aunt who seems reluctant to fit the
child’s hearing aid. Recognizing the fear
and discomfort that family members
may have regarding the care and fitting
of assistive listening technology, the
professional could let the relatives practice
fitting hearing aids on a doll with altered
ears in addition to providing a handout
on the importance of early and consistent
hearing aid use. By focusing on the need
of the family members, the parent feels
more empowered to care appropriately
for the child and social-emotional
development of the extended family is
also strengthened.
Author’s Note: To learn more about the
social-emotional project or the U.S.
Department of Education federally funded
early intervention training program at
Illinois State University (H325K060116),
please visit www.specialeducation.ilstu.edu/
certifications/admission.shtml, or contact
Dr. Maribeth Lartz at (309) 438-8988 or
mnlartz@ilstu.edu.
References
Moeller, M.P. (2000). Early intervention and
language development in children who
are deaf and hard of hearing. Pediatrics,
106(3), 1-9.
Pressman, L., Pipp-Siegel, S., YoshinagaItano, C., Kubicek, L., & Emde, R. (2000).
A comparison of links between emotional
availability and language gain in young
children with and without hearing loss. In
C. Yoshinaga-Itano and A.L. Sedey, (Eds).
Language, speech, and social-emotional
development of children who are deaf and
hard-of-hearing: The early years. The Volta
Review, 100(5), 251-278.
Yoshinaga-Itano C. (2002). The socialemotional ramifications of universal
newborn hearing screening, early
identification and intervention of children
who are deaf or hard of hearing. In R.
Seewald & J. Gravel, (Eds). A sound
foundation through early amplification 2001:
Proceedings of the Second International
Conference. Suffolk, UK: Immediate
Proceedings, Limited.
29
0HOTOCREDIT'AIL-AC+INNON
Compiled by Melody Felzien
C
onsidered to be the leading
cause of deaf-blindness, Usher
syndrome is an inherited
condition that results in hearing loss and a progressive loss of vision
from retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Th e
hearing loss is thought to be congenital
and ranges from moderate to profound.
RP causes night-blindness and a loss
of peripheral vision through a progressive degeneration of the retina. Many
individuals with Usher syndrome also
have severe balance problems.
Historically, Usher syndrome was
diagnosed in 3 to 5 percent of children
with hearing loss. Advancements in
genetic testing are now showing the
rates to be higher, possibly up to
10 percent in children with profound
hearing loss.
Causes of Usher
Syndrome
Usher syndrome is inherited genetically, which means it is caused by
gene mutations that are passed from
parents to their children. To develop
Usher syndrome, a child must receive
an abnormal form of an Usher syndrome gene from both parents. If
both parents are carriers of an Usher
30
Th efollowing information was compiled from the National Institutes of Health Web site on
Usher syndrome, the Coalition of Usher Syndrome Research Web site and material provided
by Heidi L. Rehm, Ph.D., FACMG, Assistant Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical
School. A full reference and resource list can be found at the conclusion of this article.
syndrome gene mutation, there is a
one-in-four chance of having a child
with Usher syndrome.
Usually, parents who have typical hearing and vision do not know
that they are carriers of an Usher
syndrome gene mutation. Currently,
screening for carrier status is not
common if an individual does not have
a family history of Usher syndrome.
As researchers better understand the
gene mutations that cause Usher syndrome and as genetic testing methods
become less costly, carrier screenings
may become more common.
Types of Usher
Syndrome
Th ereare three types of Usher
Syndrome:
 Type 1 – causes severe-to-profound
hearing loss, usually present at birth.
Poor balance is often present and can
cause delays in the age of sitting and
walking. RP may be noticed before
the age of 10.
 Type 2 – causes a mild-to-severe
hearing loss, which is present at
birth. Balance is not usually aff ected
and RP may not become apparent
until adolescence.
 Type 3 – is a rarer form of Usher
syndrome. Children usually have
typical hearing and sight at birth,
but may have a progressive hearing loss following birth. RP will
develop around the time of adolescence into adulthood. Some people
also experience balance problems.
In the United States, types 1 and 2 are
the most common forms. Together, they
account for approximately 90 to 95 percent of all cases of children diagnosed
with Usher syndrome.
Diagnosing Usher
Syndrome
Early diagnosis of Usher syndrome
is very important. Th eearlier that
parents know their child has Usher
syndrome, the sooner that child
can begin early intervention and
educational programs to manage the
loss of hearing and vision.
The most common way to diagnosis Usher syndrome is by evaluating the child’s hearing, vision and
balance. An audiological assessment
will determine the degree and type
of hearing loss. Evaluations of eye
sight may include a visual field test
to measure peripheral vision, an elec6 / ,4! 6 / ) # % 3 s * 5,9 ! 5 '5 3 4 troretinogram (ERG) to measure the
electrical response of the eye’s lightsensitive cells, and a retinal examination to observe the retina and other
structures in the back of the eye. An
electronystagmogram (ENG) measures
involuntary eye movements, which
could signify a balance problem.
Usher syndrome, genetic tests for the
disorder are costly and not always covered by insurance. Therefore, diagnosis
of Usher syndrome is often performed
through hearing and vision tests.
Genetic testing for a few of the
identified genes is clinically available.
To learn about laboratories that
The best treatment
involves early identification
and enrollment in
early intervention and
educational programs
Another possible way to diagnose
Usher syndrome is through genetic testing. So far, nine genes have been found
to cause Usher syndrome. However,
with so many possible genes involved in
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY/AUGUST 2009
conduct clinical testing, visit
www.GeneTests.org and search the
laboratory directory by typing in
the term “Usher syndrome.” Genetic
testing for additional Usher syndrome
genes may be available through clinical
research studies. To learn about
clinical trials that include genetic
testing for Usher syndrome, visit
www.clinicaltrials.gov and type in
the search term “Usher syndrome” or
“Usher genetic testing.”
Treating Usher
Syndrome
While there is no cure for Usher
syndrome, there are a number of
studies under way that hold promise.
Currently the best treatment involves
early identification and enrollment
in early intervention and educational
programs as soon as possible. The
exact nature of these programs will
depend on the severity of the hearing
and vision losses as well as the age and
abilities of the individual. Typically,
auditory treatment will include
assistive listening devices, such as
hearing aids or cochlear implants,
and auditory-verbal education and
therapy. Generally, listening and
spoken language approaches will be
31
Living with Usher Syndrome By Gail MacKinnon
At the age of 10 months, my son Jacob was diagnosed with profound sensorineural hearing loss. The following
months were a blur of appointments, genetic screenings and assessments. Jacob received a cochlear implant at 13
months old and was receiving physical therapy for gross motor delays. His cognition was age appropriate as well as
his fine motor skills. We originally chose Total Communication for Jake since that was how he was communicating
prior to the implant.
The hospital told us they screened for the most common genetic causes of hearing loss and when the results came
back negative, although I was still curious about the cause of Jacob’s hearing loss, I discounted anything genetic.
At 16 months of age, Jacob’s listening and spoken language skills were progressing but he still wasn’t meeting his
gross motor milestones. I would point this out to everyone we saw – his early interventionists, audiologist, speech
language pathologist and pediatrician – that he wasn’t crawling normally yet and he couldn’t sit up on his own. I was
told that many children with hearing loss have vestibular (balance) issues. However, I had a gut feeling that something wasn’t right.
I remember hearing about Usher syndrome as I was researching the genetic causes of hearing loss when Jacob was
first diagnosed. As I continued researching causes of hearing loss and balance issues, my searches kept bringing
up Usher syndrome. The lump in my throat would get bigger every time I read about the vestibular issues and gross
motor delays that result from Usher syndrome – it really sounded like Jacob. But hadn’t they ruled that out as a
genetic condition?
Diagnosis
At our next appointment with the pediatrician, I mentioned how similar Jacob’s behaviors were to a description of
Usher syndrome that I had read, but then continued with how lucky we were he didn’t have that. A few days later that
pediatrician called and told me that she looked at Jacob’s genetic screenings, and confirmed that Jacob had not
been tested for Usher syndrome because it’s not one of the routine genetic screenings hospitals order when a child
is diagnosed with hearing loss. The pediatrician wasn’t even sure that there was a genetic test available for Usher
syndrome.
During my informational searches, I found that Harvard Medical School Laboratory for Molecular Medicine had
developed a genetic test for certain types of Usher syndrome. I made an appointment to see a geneticist and
requested that Jacob be tested. A few weeks later, Jacob was diagnosed with Usher syndrome, Type I. Jacob was
the youngest child diagnosed with Usher syndrome that our hospital, Children’s Hospital Boston, had seen and
there were no guidelines for what to do next. I remember lying on the floor in Jacob’s room that night next to his crib,
being so afraid that he was going to wake up one morning and not be able to see.
Almost three years later, I think that we were lucky to have Jacob’s diagnosis so early. Because we were able to get
Jacob all of the services that he needed, his speech and language progressed consistently and he was able to walk
at just over 2 years old. Occupational and physical therapy, orientation and mobility training, hippotherapy (a form
of physical therapy using horses), speech and language sessions, and a weekly visit from a teacher of the visually
impaired fill up our days. The biggest benefit with such an early diagnosis was our ability to change Jacob’s communication modality from Total Communication to spoken language. The early diagnosis also helped us make the
decision to seek a second cochlear implant when Jake was 3 years old.
Hope for the Future
Over the past few years, a lot has changed in the diagnoses of Usher syndrome. Doctors and professionals are
more aware of Usher syndrome than before. Broader access and less expensive testing have become available,
but it is still not yet part of routine screening. You should speak with your child’s doctor about genetic testing if you
suspect your child has Usher syndrome. While there is no cure for Usher syndrome, there is hope through extensive and promising research through the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Deafness and Other
Communication Disorders and the Coalition for Usher Syndrome Research.
At age 4, Jacob’s spoken language skills are almost age appropriate and he is a typical preschooler attending Clarke
School East, an oral-deaf preschool in Boston, Mass. He loves to sing, play with other kids, play his big brother’s
video games and resist bedtime. He is very determined, very affectionate and always happy. He has to sleep with a
nightlight due to early stages of night blindness and does wear glasses to help correct a lazy eye, but can still see.
As a parent, it’s difficult for me to watch Jacob work so hard to keep up with the other kids while running around in
the back yard – his vestibular issues cause him to run slower and he’s very clumsy. But judging from all the laughing
and smiles, he sure is having fun trying.
32
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY /A U G U ST 2009
emphasized for children diagnosed
with Usher syndrome; however,
management may be supplemented
with manual communication,
such as American Sign Language.
Vision loss and balance deficiencies
will be managed with orientation
and mobility training, as well as
independent-living training, which
may include Braille instruction or
low-vision services.
Some ophthalmologists believe
that a high dose of vitamin A palmitate may slow, but not halt, the
progression of RP. This belief stems
from the results of a long-term clinical trial supported by the National
Eye Institute and the Foundation for
Fighting Blindness. However, parents
should discuss this treatment option
with their child’s health care provider
before proceeding.
Ongoing Research
Researchers are currently trying to
identify all of the genes that cause
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY/AUGUST 2009
Usher syndrome and determine the
function of those genes. This research
will lead to improved genetic counseling and early diagnosis, and may
eventually expand treatment options.
Those interested in learning more
about the causes, types and treatments available for Usher syndrome
should consider the following
resources:
yy Usher Syndrome: National Institutes
of Health –
www.ushersyndrome.nih.gov
yy The Coalition for Usher
Syndrome Research –
www.usher-syndrome.org
yy Partners Healthcare Center for
Personalized Genetic Medicine,
Usher Syndrome Genetic Testing –
www.hpcgg.org/LMM
In addition, these sites contain
resources for individuals living with
hearing and vision loss:
yy National Institute on Deafness and
Other Communication Disorders –
www.nidcd.nih.gov
yy National Eye Institute –
www.nei.nih.gov
yy Alexander Graham Bell Association
for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing –
www.agbell.org
yy Foundation Fighting Blindness –
www.blindness.org
While there is no cure or easy diagnosis for Usher syndrome, ongoing
research and current therapies available
for hearing and vision loss can help
those diagnosed with Ushers to live and
thrive in today’s world.
References
National Institutes of Health. (2009). Usher
Syndrome. Online. www.ushersyndrome.nih.
gov. Accessed May 26, 2009.
Rehm, H. Personal Communication. May 19,
2009.
The Coalition for Usher Syndrome Research.
(2009). Usher Syndrome. Online. www.
usher-syndrome.org. Accessed May 26,
2009.
33
tips for parents
Get in the Game
How children with cochlear implants
can benefit from playing sports
Get Moving
One big benefit – sports get children
moving. With obesity rates on the rise
in the United States, your child’s health
34
depends on being active. Physical activity also reduces stress, eases frustrations and boosts self-confidence.
“Participating in team sports can
really boost a child’s self-esteem,
so parents should not deny their
children the opportunity to play a
sport just because they use a cochlear
implant,” says Robyn Chapman, Au.D.,
CCC/A, cochlear implant audiologist at Columbia University Medical
Center in New York. “In my eight years
of working with children who use
cochlear implants and their families,
sports have never become a limitation
for a child. If anything, the implant
has provided them with the opportunity to participate in whatever they
wanted to.”
Scott Rinehart, a cochlear implant
user, Cochlear Americas Awareness
Network manager and avid soccer
player, agrees. “More than anything,
sports gave me confidence in myself and
my abilities to communicate, and that
confidence grew even more with the
ability to hear with a cochlear implant.
It also taught me to find ways to solve
problems and still be successful. Those
skills have certainly helped me out in all
areas of my life.”
Riley Patterson, 7, looks for an open teammate to pass the ball to in fall 2008.
Listen Up
Not only will your child’s physical
development benefit from sports, his
or her listening skills will get a workout, too.
“Children who participate in sports
will have specific auditory demands
that may differ significantly from their
daily auditory demands,” says Sophie
Ambrose, research associate and
Photo credit: Tiffani Hill-Patterson
W
hen my daughter hit her
first home run during
softball last year, I was
so proud and excited.
And I was thrilled that thanks to her
bilateral cochlear implants, she could
hear me, her teammates and the rest
of the crowd cheering, whistling and
stomping the bleachers.
Playing sports enriches my daughter’s
language and social skills and gives her
confidence, important if your child feels
“different” from other kids. Sports can
do the same for your child with hearing
loss. But as a parent, you’re probably
worried about whether it’s worth the
risk of injury. If you follow the safety
rules and keep a constant check on the
equipment, sports can be a wonderful
and fun addition to your child’s life.
“I think sports are great for kids –
parents just have to use common sense
on which sports they feel are safe for
their child,” says Audie Woolley, M.D.,
otolaryngologist at Children’s Hospital
in Birmingham, Ala. “Any sport is good,
as long as the implant is not subjected
to direct trauma. The device is still
fragile, and a direct blow to the implant
can damage it.”
Of course, regardless of hearing
ability, all children should be protected
from a blow to the head. Make sure your
child always wears his or her helmet
when playing sports that require them,
such as baseball, football, biking or
rollerblading.
Photo credit: Tiffani Hill-Patterson
By Tiffani Hill-Patterson
Riley Patterson scores a run during her first
softball season in spring 2008.
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY /A U GU ST 2009
Build Skills
Also, being involved in athletics will
expand your child’s language development. Each sport has a specialized
language and knowing it will add to
his or her vocabulary. For instance,
the word “run” means different things
in softball – it can be a noun, as in the
point scored when someone crosses
home plate, or a verb, as in what you
do after you hit the ball. The same
logic applies in basketball with “shoot”
and “shot.”
“I remember the first time
Krystyna’s basketball coach told
her to shoot,” says Marcy Miller of
Plainville, Conn., mom to a 7-yearold who uses bilateral cochlear
implants. “Krystyna stopped and
looked at her. She had no clue what
that meant. I had to explain to the
coach that a child with hearing loss
picks up vocabulary differently than
other children. They may not pick
things up incidentally – they have to
learn many words one by one.”
Chapman adds, “Children with
cochlear implants can always benefit
from being surrounded by their typical
hearing peers and they can be good
language models. Participating in sports
can encourage language development
in situations that are different from
everyday activities.”
But perhaps Krystyna’s story best illustrates how sports enhance a child’s life.
“Krystyna is doing something that
she is naturally good at,” Miller says.
“Because of this, other children are
seeing her as a ‘child,’ not a ‘hearingimpaired child.’ Since she is not treated
any differently, she does not see herself
as different.”
Tiffani Hill-Patterson writes about
health, parenting, fitness and sports. She
Photo credit: Tiffani Hill-Patterson
pediatric speech language pathologist
at House Ear Institute in Los Angeles.
“For example, children must listen
for sounds such as a buzzer signifying the end of a period in basketball.
These sounds may not be sounds that
children are experiencing in their daily
environment. Additionally, children
will typically be unable to lip read
when their coach provides information during sporting activities, thus
requiring them to rely entirely on their
auditory abilities.”
Rachel Chaikof, a bilateral cochlear
implant user and photography major
at Savannah College of Art and
Design, says sports helped her learn to
use her hearing better. “Playing soccer, basketball and flag football gave
me really good practice in learning to
hear in greater distances with background noises,” she says. “My teammates could be on the other side of
the field calling me to pass the ball to
them, and I had to learn to respond to
them quickly to ensure that we would
win points.”
Riley Patterson is ready to make the throw
to first.
also blogs about her family’s experience
with deafness and cochlear implants at
http://soundcheckmama.blogspot.com. You
can contact her at patterson1723@mac.com
or visit http://tiffanihillpatterson.com.
DUBARD ASSOCIATION METHOD
Accredited at IMSLEC’S Teaching, Instructor of Teaching, Therapy and Instructor of Therapy Levels
Creating Success for Students with Hearing Loss and Additional Language, Speech or Learning Disorders
DUBARD ASSOCIATION METHOD BASIC COURSE
Hattiesburg, Miss., September 22-24 and October 20-22, 2009 (two-part course)
THE DUBARD SYMPOSIUM: DYSLEXIA AND RELATED DISORDERS
For additional information
Phone: 601.266.5223
Web site: www.usm.edu/dubard
E-mail: dubard@usm.edu
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY/AUGUST 2009
AA/EOE/ADAI
Customized Professional Development at your site
PCS 5.10
Hattiesburg, Miss., February 4-5, 2010
35
VOICES FROM AG BELL
Conversations
With Alex Graham
W
hen I started this
column in 2009, I
dedicated it to the
many people that I
am fortunate enough to meet in my
travels as the executive director of
AG Bell. The wide scope of individuals
involved with AG Bell and the listening and spoken language community
is truly amazing. On a daily basis, the
AG Bell staff interacts with people
from across the United States and all
over the world. Little did I know that
one of the most interesting characters
I would meet would reside right here
in Georgetown, home of the Volta
Bureau, AG Bell’s historic headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Over the past year, AG Bell has
hosted a series of meet-and-greets
at the Volta Bureau for local AG
Bell members and residents of the
Georgetown community. These receptions are meant to serve as a community building effort in the region, as
AG Bell lacks a chapter in the District
of Columbia and Maryland. At the
first gathering, a gentleman introduced himself to me as Neil Dickman
– husband of the late Donna Dickman,
executive director of AG Bell from
In memoriam, Robert Neil Dickman,
1939–2009.
1986 to 1998. We exchanged pleasantries, but with the crush of people and
noise of conversation, we both moved
on as often happens during these
events.
A week later I received an email
from Neil inviting me to lunch at a
(L to R) Betsy Goldstein, Neil Dickman, Bruce Goldstein and Donna Dickman at AG Bell’s
1996 Convention in Snowbird, Utah.
36
near by restaurant called Martin’s,
a well-known local pub with good
food and an environment conducive
to conversation. Our first lunch and
those that followed provided me an
interesting window into a different
era at AG Bell. To Neil, AG Bell was
more than an employer to his wife
Donna – it was family. In fact, AG Bell
was key piece of his family’s history.
From the Leadership Opportunity
for Teens (LOFT) program to various
biennial conventions, Neil told me fun
stories of staff singing as he played
piano or humorous antics of AG Bell
“kids” who have now grown up – one
or two even serving as members of the
board! Neil’s interest in AG Bell was
not just about the current happenings
or reminiscing about the past. Neil
continued to generously support AG
Bell by focusing his donations to the
LOFT program that Donna helped
create with AG Bell former president,
Ken Levinson.
As I write this I have just returned
with a delegation of AG Bell staff
from Neil’s memorial service, which
served as a celebration of his life. Neil
passed away on May 20, 2009, at his
home in Georgetown. The memorial
service, held in the same church that
celebrated Donna’s passing more than
10 years ago, included stories from
long time friends who confirmed what
I learned from Neil in the few short
hours we spent together over lunch.
He was a man of humor, a man of
service and a man of generosity.
For those AG Bell members who
knew Donna and Neil, I thought
this column would be an appropriate way to recognize their combined
contribution to the association. This
month’s column is also a way for Neil
to know how much I appreciated our
conversations.
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY /A U GU ST 2009
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kid's zone
Around the World
By Sarah Crum
38
Photo credit: Mongell Family
K
ara Jane Mongell is an outgoing and friendly 16-year-old
from North Andover, Mass.,
who has not let her hearing
loss keep her from exploring new places
and accepting new challenges.
Kara was diagnosed at age 10 months
with a bilateral, severe hearing loss.
After Kara’s diagnosis at Massachusetts
Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, Kara’s
mother, Cheryl, recalls, “I remember my
husband Bob and I receiving the ABR
[auditory brainstem response] results
and saying, ‘Ok, what do we do now?’”
At the advice of an audiologist, Kara
received hearing aids in both ears at age
11 months. Cheryl and Bob then began
to educate themselves about communication options for Kara. They sought out
resources and schools, such as the Beverly
School for the Deaf in Beverly, Mass.,
and, in addition to spoken language, were
intrigued by Signing Exact English (SEE)
courses. “SEE uses many similar signs as
American Sign Language, but it follows
English word order and every word ending is signed,” explained Cheryl.
“We chose SEE because we wanted Kara
to develop spoken language and wanted
to ensure her reading ability stayed at her
grade level, something we learned is a
challenge for most children who are deaf
or hard of hearing,” she said. “We believe
SEE helped Kara develop both literary
and spoken language skills.”
When she was 3 years old, Kara
entered an integrated, mainstream
preschool. She was there for two years
before attending kindergarten in
an out-of-district public school that
focused on hearing issues and oral
education. Kara returned to her local
school district in first grade, where she
was integrated into mainstream classes,
assisted by educational support for
students who have a hearing loss.
Kara Mongell, age 16, poses for the camera in her back yard.
At that time, Cheryl and Bob met a
teacher who would become an advocate
in helping Kara adapt to mainstream
school. “That contact opened a whole
other grouping of resources, which
remains valuable to Kara today and has
played a major role in Kara’s development,” said Cheryl.
Kara wore two hearing aids until fifth
grade when she lost all the hearing in
her right ear.
“We thought it was the aid and
kept getting it checked, but it was her
hearing. We researched the option of
a cochlear implant in that ear in case
something happened to the other,”
explained Cheryl.
Kara took two years to decide if she
wanted the surgery. She wrote a poem
to her parents with her decision, titled “I
Have Decided,” in which she explained
her reasons for going through with surgery (see inset). She received the cochlear
implant when she was 14 years old.
Kara is currently in 10th grade and
attends North Andover High School in
North Andover, Mass. “Since she was
mainstreamed in first grade, a full-time
teacher of the deaf has attended every
class with Kara, sitting beside her with
a PC, typing the class discussion,” said
Cheryl. Kara also receives academic
support at the end of the school day,
where she can discuss and clarify information presented in the day’s classes.
“Kara loves social studies courses. She
has been in honors-level social studies
classes with outstanding teachers who
have challenged her and allowed her to
be creative,” said Cheryl.
In addition to her school studies, Kara
plays softball on the North Andover
Junior Varsity team. Kara has also
attended art classes for 10 years and
loves drawing, especially manga, a form
of Japanese drawing and cartooning.
Kara spends her free time exploring
bookstores for manga books and
hanging out with her friends.
Kara participates in the teen program
offered by the Massachusetts Chapter
of AG Bell and she has made many
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY /A U GU ST 2009
friendships through this group. She and
her friends enjoy sleepovers, shopping
and camping together. Overall, Kara
has excelled in her studies and extracurricular activities. “She is amazing; many
have no idea she has a hearing loss,”
said Cheryl. “Kara has her own style
and never just goes with the crowd. She
stands her ground and has confidence in
her opinions even when they differ from
everyone else,” said Cheryl.
But Cheryl and Bob know the challenges that a child with a hearing loss
can face. “As a parent you have to be very
involved, constantly advocating for your
child’s needs without demanding,” said
Cheryl. Cheryl and Bob met with professionals, such as doctors and early intervention teachers, to help develop Kara’s
Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Cheryl advises other parents research all
the services that are available.
Kara embraces every opportunity that
comes her way, in spite of her hearing
loss. This summer, Kara will travel to
Japan through the People to People
Ambassadors Program, an organization
that offers education travel opportunities for students, athletes, educators
and professionals. Kara will visit Tokyo,
Kyoto and Nagasaki, where she will
interview survivors of the atomic bombings. Kara is the only delegate with a
hearing loss this year, but she is excited
and ready to explore a new country.
However, Kara does have some concerns about traveling to a country with
her hearing loss and understanding
different customs. “I’m nervous about
getting lost or separated from the del-
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY/AUGUST 2009
I’ve Decided…
By Kara Mongell
September 2006
I’ve been thinking about this for over 3 years now
I have finally decided I should get a cochlear implant.
I was always so scared of the surgery that needs to take place in order to hear better.
I have finally broke through my fears and decided to get the surgery.
I decided to get one in February, even though I’m still afraid. I’ll still go for it.
I’ve decided…
I’ve decided...I’ll do this for my friends.
I’ve decided that if I want to hear better,
listen and hear my friends’ laughter and joy…
I’ve always wondered what it’s like to understand exactly like them…
I’ve decided...
That if I wanted to hear news, if I wanted to listen to music, that if I wanted to fit in
better, that if I wanted to listen to what my friends were saying.
I’ve decided...
One day in February, I will sit up in the hospital bed, and try the implant. I will
burst into tears and tell my parents: “I’m crying mom...I’m crying tears of joy!”
I’ve decided that my future will be much brighter...
…I’ve decided this…
will be the turn of my life.
egate group,” she said. “I’m also nervous
about insulting someone by getting the
Japanese customs wrong.” However,
Kara notes, “I will push my limits to
advocate for myself.”
Kara has already talked to the
delegate leaders of the trip about her
needs and they are prepared to help.
Through her interest in manga, Kara has
learned much about Japanese customs
and culture, and will learn even
more about by exploring the country
and meeting Japanese students and
families. She wants to take advantage
of all the available opportunities while
in Japan. “I really am looking forward
to the home-stay for three days with a
Japanese family. This is a way to fully
indulge in the Japanese culture,” Kara
said. “I’m more excited than nervous
because my dream is coming true. This
means the world to me.”
Cheryl hopes that Kara’s experience
in Japan will help her in the future as
she continues to make progress with her
hearing loss. “Bob and I think this is a
great opportunity for her and a chance
for her to advocate for herself. We
believe this is definitely a life-changing
experience,” said Cheryl. “My hopes for
Kara in the future are what every parent
hopes for – that she stays healthy,
pursues a career using her gift for art
and remains supported by her family
and friends.”
39
Directory of Services
Directory of Services
nAlabama
Alabama Ear Institute, 300 Office Park Drive, Suite
210, Birmingham, AL 35223 • 205-879-4234 (voice) •
205-879-4233 (fax) • www.alabamaearinstitute.org •
The AEI Auditory-Verbal Mentoring Program: ongoing
professional development / AVI curriculum / Mentoring
by Cert. AVTs®. “The AEI Summer Institute in AuditoryVerbal Therapy” - Two weeks of intense A-V training;
AVI Modules and Practicum; hands-on practice of A-V
Therapy. Education, research, public policy, family &
culturally oriented programs & services.
nArizona
Desert Voices, 3426 E. Shea Blvd., Phoenix, AZ
85028 • 602-224-0598 (voice) • 602-224-2460 (fax)
• info@desertvoices.phxcoxmail.com (email). Emily
Lawson, Executive Director. Oral school for deaf and
hard-of-hearing children from birth to nine years of
age. Programs include Birth to Three therapy, Toddler
Group, and full day Educational Program. Other services
include parent education classes, speech and language
evaluations, parent organization and student teacher
placements. Desert Voices is a Moog Curriculum school.
nCalifornia
Auditory Oral School of San Francisco, 1234
Divisadero, San Francisco, CA 94115 • 415-921-7658
(voice) • 415-921-2243 (fax) • Offers auditory-oral day
classes for toddlers, PreKindergarten and K-2 levels with
daily individual therapy. Also consultation and itinerant
teacher of the deaf services; aural rehabilitation for
children and adults; family education groups; and
workshops. Our experienced staff includes credentialed
teachers of the deaf and speech therapists, all with
specialized training in CI technologies. Contact Janet
Christensen, M.A., at jan@auditoryoralsf.org.
Auditory-Verbal Services, 10623 Emerson
Bend, Tustin, CA 92782 • 714-573-2143 (voice) •
email KarenatAVS@aol.com • Karen Rothwell-Vivian,
M.S.ED. M.A. CCC-A. LSLS-Cert.AVT. Listening and
Spoken Language Specialist - Certified Auditory-Verbal
Therapist providing Auditory-Verbal Therapy and
both audiological and educational consultation for
children from infancy through college age. Auditory
Rehabilitation is also provided for adults. Extensive
expertise with amplification, cochlear implants, and FM
systems.
Auditory-Verbal Therapy Services, 980 E.
Mountain Street, Pasadena, CA 91104 • 626-798-3903
(voice) • bsackett_certavt@live.com (e-mail). Beatriz
Sackett, M.S. Ed., LSLS Cert AVT, bilingual English and
Español. Offering Auditory-Verbal Therapy services to
children ages six and above and their families. Services
provided to children with hearing aids and/or cochlear
implants. Llámeme para hablar de su hijo(a) y de cómo la
terapia Auditiva-Verbal les podría ayudar.
Echo Horizon School, 3430 McManus Ave., Culver
City, CA 90232 • 310-838-2442 (voice) • 310-838-0479
(fax) • 310-202-7201 (TTY) • www.oraldeafed.org/
schools/echo/index.html • www.echohorizon.org • Vicki
Ishida, Echo Center Director. Private elementary school,
incorporating an auditory/oral mainstream program for
students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Daily resource
support in speech, language, auditory training and
academic follow-up.
40
HEAR Center, 301 East Del Mar Blvd., Pasadena,
CA 91101 • 626-796-2016 (voice) • 626-796-2320 (fax)
• Specializing in audiological services for all ages.
Auditory-Verbal individual therapy, birth to 21 years.
HEAR to Talk, 547 North June St., Los Angeles,
CA 90004 • 323-464-3040 (voice) • sylvia@hear2talk.
com (e-mail) • www.hear2talk.com • Sylvia Rotfleisch,
M.Sc.A., CED, CCC, Certified Auditory-Verbal
Therapist®, Licensed Audiologist, California NPA
Certified. Trained by Dr. Ling. Extensive expertise with
cochlear implants and hearing aids.
InSight Cinema - The Audience is Reading,
2800 28th Street, Suite 380, Santa Monica, CA 90405
• 310-452-8700 (voice) • 310-452-8711 (fax) • www.
insightcinema.org • The “Go To” place for all forms of
captioned entertainment - blockbuster movies, live
theatre, opera, museums, lectures and much more in
your area! InSight Cinema is a non-profit organization
dedicated to bringing Captioned Entertainment
Experiences to the 31 million deaf and hard-of-hearing
patrons in the U.S. Captioning the Imagination of
Audiences Nationwide.
Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for
the Deaf, 3518 Jefferson Avenue, Redwood City, CA
94062 • 650-365-7500 (voice) • jwposd@jwposd.org
(e-mail) • www.oraldeafed.org/schools/jwposd (website)
• Kathleen Daniel Sussman, Executive Director; Kathy
Berger, Principal. An auditory/oral program where
deaf and hard of hearing children listen, think and
talk! Cognitive based program from birth through
mainstreaming into 1st or 2nd grade. Students develop
excellent language, listening and social skills with
superior academic competencies. Cochlear Implant
Habilitation, mainstream support services and Family
Center offering special services for infants, toddlers and
their families.
John Tracy Clinic, 806 West Adams Blvd., L.A.,CA
90007 • 213-748-5481 (voice) • 213-747-2924 (TTY)
• 800-522-4582 (parents) • www.jtc.org • Since 1942,
free Worldwide Correspondence Education and onsite
comprehensive audiological, counseling and educational
services for families with children ages birth to 5 years.
Intensive 3-week Summer Sessions (ages 2-5), with
sibling program. Online and on-campus options for an
accredited Master’s and Credential in Deaf Education.
Let’s Talk About It, 800 Santa Ynez Street, San
Gabriel, CA 91775 • 626-451-9920 (voice) • bk-avt@
sbcglobal.net (e-mail) • Bridgette Klaus, M.S. Ed.,
Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist®. Providing
Auditory-Verbal therapy for children with a hearing
loss and their families. Services for individuals with
hearing aids and/or cochlear implants, infancy through
adulthood.
Listen and Learn, 4340 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite
107, San Jose, CA 95129 • 408-345-4949 • Marsha A.
Haines, M.A., CED, Cert. AVT, and Sandra Hamaguchi
Hocker, M.A., CED • Auditory-verbal therapy for the
child and family from infancy. Services also include
aural habilitation for older students and adults with
cochlear implants. Extensive experience and expertise
with cochlear implants, single and bilateral. Mainstream
support services, school consultation and assessment
for children in their neighborhood school. California
NPA certified.
The Alexander Graham Bell Association
for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is not
responsible for verifying the credentials of
the service providers below. Listings do not
constitute endorsements of establishments
or individuals, nor do they guarantee quality.
No Limits Speech and Language Educational
Center and Theatre Program, 9801 Washington
Blvd., 2nd Floor, Culver City, CA 90232 • 310-280-0878,
800-948-7712 • www.nolimitsspeaksout.org • Free
individual auditory, speech and language therapy for
dhh children between the ages of five-and-eighteen as
well as a biweekly literacy program, computer training,
weekly parent classes and a nationwide theatrical
program.
Oralingua School for the Hearing Impaired,
North Campus – 7056 S. Washington Avenue, Whittier,
CA 90602 • 562-945-8391 (voice) • 562-945-0361
(fax) • info@oralingua.org (email) • www.oralingua.
org (website) South Campus – 221 Pawnee Street, San
Marcos, CA 92078 • 760-471-5187 (voice) • 760-5914631 (fax) Where children are listening and talking. An
auditory/oral program serving children from infancy to
10 years. Audiological, Speech, Itinerant, AVI Therapy,
and other related Designated Instructional Services
available. Contact Elisa J. Roche, Executive Director.
West Coast Cued Speech Programs, 348
Cernon St., Suite D, Vacaville, CA 95688 • 707-448-4060
(voice/TTY) • www.cuedspeech.org • A resource center
serving deaf and hard-of-hearing children and their
families. Cued Speech training available to schools/
agencies.
nColorado
Bill Daniels Center for Children’s Hearing,
The Children’s Hospital - Colorado, Depart­
ment of Audiology, Speech Pathology and
Learning Services, 13123 East 16th Avenue,
B030 Aurora, CO 80045 • www.thechildrenshospital.
org (website) • 720-777-6531(voice) • 720-777-6886
(TTY). We provide comprehensive audiology and
speech-language services for children who are deaf
or hard-of-hearing (ages birth through 21years). Our
pediatric team specializes in family-centered care and
includes audiologists, speech-language pathologists,
a deaf educator, family consultant, and clinical social
worker. Individual, group and parent educational
support and programs are designed to meet each family
desire for their preference of communication needs. We
also provide advanced technology hearing aid fitting and
cochlear implant services.
Rocky Mountain Ear Center, P.C. • 601 East
Hampden Avenue, Suite 530, Englewood, CO 80113
• 303-783-9220 (voice) • 303-806-6292 (fax) • www.
rockymountainearcenter.com (website). We provide a
full range of neurotology and audiology services for all
ages, ranging from infants to seniors. Using a multidisciplinary approach, our board-certified otologist
and doctors of audiology rest and diagnose hearing,
balance, facial nerve and ear disorders and we provide
full-service hearing aid, cochlear implant and BAHA
services. We offer medical and surgical treatment as well
as language therapy and support groups, and are actively
involved in various research studies.
nConnecticut
CREC Soundbridge, 123 Progress Dr., Wethersfield,
CT 06109 • 860- 529-4260 (voice/TTY) • 860-2578500 (fax) • www.crec.org/soundbridge (website). Dr.
Elizabeth B. Cole, Program Director. Comprehensive
audiological and instructional services,
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY /A U G U ST 2009
Directory of Services
birth through post-secondary, public school settings.
Focus on providing cutting-edge technology for
optimal auditory access and listening in educational
settings and at home, development of spoken language,
development of self advocacy – all to support each
individual’s realization of social, academic and
vocational potential. Birth to Three, Auditory-Verbal
Therapy, integrated preschool, intensive day program,
direct educational and consulting services in schools,
educational audiology support services in all settings,
cochlear implant mapping and habilitation, diagnostic
assessments, and summer programs.
New England Center for Hearing
Rehabilitation (NECHEAR), 354 Hartford
Turnpike, Hampton, CT 06247 • 860-455-1404
(voice) • 860-455-1396 (fax) • Diane Brackett. Serving
infants, children and adults with all degrees of
hearing loss. Speech, language, listening evaluation
for children using hearing aids and cochlear implants.
Auditory-Verbal therapy; Cochlear implant candidacy
evaluation, pre- and post-rehabilitation, and creative
individualized mapping. Post-implant rehabilitation for
adults with cochlear implants, specializing in prelingual
onset. Mainstream school support, including onsite
consultation with educational team, rehabilitation
planning and classroom observation. Comprehensive
audiological evaluation, amplification validation and
classroom listening system assessment.
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY/AUGUST 2009
nFlorida
Bolesta Center, Inc, 7205 North Habana Avenue,
Tampa, FL 33614 • 813-932-1184 (voice) • 813-9329583 (fax) • jhorvath@bolestacenter.org (email) • www.
bolestacenter.org (website) • Non-profit Listening and
Spoken Language Center dedicated to teaching children
who are deaf and hard of hearing to listen and speak.
No family turned away based on ability to pay. Services
provided to families, professionals, and school districts.
Specializing in auditory-verbal therapy, educational
outreach, and professional development programs.
Kids and professionals immersion and summer
programs available. Talk to us about our success with
late implanted children! Contact Judy Horvath, LSL
Cert. AVEd.
Clarke Jacksonville Auditory/Oral Center,
9857 St. Augustine Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32257 • 904880-9001 (voice/TTY) • info@clarkeschool.org (email)
• www.clarkeschool.org (website). Susan G. Allen,
Director. A program of Clarke School for the Deaf/
Center for Oral Education, serving families with young
children with hearing loss. Auditory/ Oral programs
include early intervention, preschool, toddler PreK/
kindergarten, primary, parent support, individual
listening, speech and language services, cochlear
implant habilitation.
Orange County Auditory-Oral Program for
the Hearing Impaired, Kaley Elementary School,
1600 East Kaley St., Orlando, FL 32806 • 407-897-6420
(voice) • 407-897-2407 (fax) • www.eak.ocps.k12.fl.us •
Available to residents of Orange and Lake Counties. We
have self-contained classes PreK (3 & 4 yrs) to 5th grade
with partial and full-time mainstream options.
nGeorgia
Atlanta Speech School – Katherine Hamm
Center, 3160 Northside Parkway, NW, Atlanta,
GA 30327 • 404-233-5332 ext. 3119 (voice/TTY) •
404-266-2175 (fax) • eestes@atlspsch.org (e-mail) •
www.atlantaspeechschool.org • An auditory/oral and
Auditory-Verbal program serving children who are deaf
or heard of hearing from infancy to elementary school
age. Children receive language-rich lessons and highly
individualized instruction in a nurturing environment.
Teachers and staff work closely with parents to instill
the knowledge and confidence children need to reach
their full potential. Early intervention programs,
audiological support services, Auditory-Verbal therapy,
mainstreaming opportunities and independent
educational evaluations. Established in 1938.
41
Directory of Services
Auditory-Verbal Center, Inc - Atlanta, 1901
Century Boulevard, Suite 20, Atlanta, GA 30345,
404-633-8911 (voice) • 404-633-6403 (fax) • listen@
avchears.org (email) • www.avchears.org (website).
Auditory-Verbal Center, Inc - Macon, 2720 Sheraton
Drive, Suite D-240, Macon, GA 31204 • 478-471-0019
(voice). A comprehensive Auditory-Verbal program for
children with hearing impairments and their families.
Home Center and Practicum Site programs provide
intensive A-V training for families and professionals.
Complete audiological services for children and adults.
Assistive listening devices demonstration center.
outreach programs. Options include auditory/oral
programs for children using spoken language birth
through second grade. Audiology, speech instruction,
auditory development and cochlear implant
habilitation is provided.
Georgia Relay, 866-787-6710 (voice) • garelay@
hamiltonrelay.com (email) • www.georgiarelay.org
(website). Georgia Relay provides services that enable
people who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind and
speech impaired to place and receive calls via a standard
telephone. Free specialized telephones are available
to applicants who financially and medically qualify
through the Georgia Telecommunications Equipment
Distribution Program (TEDP). Georgia Relay is easily
accessed by dialing 7-1-1 and is overseen by the Georgia
Public Service Commission.
297-3206 (voice) • info@aehi.org (email) • 2020 E. Camp
McDonald Road, Mount Prospect, Il 60056 • 847297-4660. AGBMS is a Montessori school educating
children ages 3-12 who are deaf or hard of hearing or
have other communicative challenges in a mainstream
environment with hearing peers. Teacher of Deaf/
Speech/Language Pathologist/ Reading Specialist/
Classroom Teachers emphasize language development
and literacy utilizing Cued Speech.
AEHI, a training center for Cued Speech, assists
parents, educators, or advocates in verbal language
development for children with language delays or
who do not yet substantially benefit from auditory
technology.
nIdaho
Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind,
450 Main Street, Gooding, ID 83330 • 208-934 4457
(V/TTY) • 208-934 8352 (fax) • isdb@isdb.idaho.gov
(e-mail). ISDB serves birth to 21 year old youth with
hearing loss through parent-infant, on-site, and
42
nIllinois
Alexander Graham Bell Montessori School
(AGBMS), www.agbms.org • 847-297-4660
(voice) • agbms1@comcast.net (email).
Alternatives in Education for the Hearing
Impaired (AEHI) • www.aehi.org (website) • 847-
Child’s Voice School, 180 Hansen Court, Wood
Dale, IL 60191 • (630) 595-8200 (voice) • (630)
595-8282 (fax) • info@childsvoice.org (email) • www.
childsvoiceschool.org (website). Michele Wilkins,
Ed.D., Executive Director. An auditory/oral school for
children ages 3-8. Cochlear implant (re) habilitation,
mainstream support services and audiology services
provided. Early intervention for birth to age three with
parent-infant and toddler classes. Child’s Voice is a
Moog Curriculum school.
St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf – Carle, 809
West Park St., Urbana, IL 61801 • 217-326-2824 (voice)
• 217-344-7524 (fax) • carle@sjid.org (e-mail) • danielle.
edmondson@carle.com (e-mail) • www.sjid.org •
Danielle Edmondson, M.A., CCC-A, Director. St. Joseph
Institute for the Deaf – Carle, a campus of the St.
Joseph Institute system, serves children with hearing
loss, birth to age 6. Auditory/ oral programs include
early intervention, nursery and preschool classes,
cochlear implant rehabilitation, daily speech therapy
and mainstream support services. Challenging speech,
personal development and academic programs are
offered in a nurturing environment. Early intervention
credentialed and Illinois State Board of Education
approved. (See Indiana, Kansas and Missouri.)
nIndiana
St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf –
Indianapolis, 9192 Waldemar Road, Indianapolis,
IN 46268 • 317-471-8560 (voice) • 317-471-8627 (fax)
• touellette@sjid.org (e-mail) • www.sjid.org • Teri
Ouellette, M.S. Ed., Director. St. Joseph Institute for
the Deaf – Indianapolis, a campus of the St. Joseph
Institute system, serves children with hearing
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY /A U GU ST 2009
Directory of Services
loss, birth to age 6. Auditory/oral programs include
early intervention, toddler and preschool classes,
cochlear implant rehabilitation and daily speech
therapy. Challenging speech, personal development
and academic programs are offered in a nurturing
environment. First Steps Provider. (See Illinois, Kansas,
and Missouri.)
nKansas
St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf - Kansas
City Campus, 8835 Monrovia, Lenexa, KS 66215 •
913-383-3535 (voice) • 913-383-0320 (fax) • www.sjid.
org • jfredriksen@sjid.org • Jeanne Fredriksen, M.S.,
Ed., Director. St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf - Kansas
City, a campus of the St. Joseph Institute system, serves
hearing-impaired children, birth to age 6. Auditoryoral programs include early intervention, toddler and
preschool classes, cochlear implant rehabilitation and
daily speech therapy. Challenging speech, personal
development and academic programs are offered in
a nurturing environment. (See Illinois, Indiana and
Missouri).
nMaine
hear ME now, 19 Yarmouth Drive, Suite 201,
Yarmouth Hall, Pineland Farms, New Gloucester, ME
04260 • 207-688-4544 (voice) • 207-688-4548 (fax) •
info@hear-me-now.org (e-mail) • www.hear-me-now.
org • Maine’s Oral Deaf Learning Center. Maine’s only
OPTION school for infants and children who are
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY/AUGUST 2009
deaf or hard of hearing. Utilizing specially trained
staff in promoting spoken language and developing
listening skills, our loaner hearing aid program, parent
infant, toddler, preschool and kindergarten offers the
opportunity for children with hearing loss to develop
spoken language at a rate similar to their normal
hearing peers without sign language support. Auditory/
oral and Auditory-Verbal programming available.
nMaryland
The Hearing and Speech Agency’s Oral
Center, 5900 Metro Drive, Baltimore, MD 21215
• 410-318-6780 (voice) • 410-318-6758 (TTY) • 410318-6759 (fax) • hasa@hasa.org (e-mail) • www.hasa.
org • Jill Berie, Educational Director, Olga Polites,
Clinical Director, Heather Eisgrau, Teacher of the Deaf/
Coordinator. Auditory-oral education and therapy
program for young children who are deaf or hard of
hearing ages three through five with early intervention
services for birth to age 3. Self-contained state-of-theart classrooms located in the Gateway School approved
by the Maryland State Department of Education.
Additional services include speech-language therapy,
family education and support, pre- and post-cochlear
implant habilitation, collaboration and support of
inclusion and audiological management. Applications
are accepted year-round. Families are encouraged to
apply for scholarships and financial assistance. HASA
is a direct service provider, information resource center
and advocate for people of all ages who are deaf, hard of
hearing or who have speech and language disorders.
nMassachusetts
Auditory-Verbal Communication Center
(AVCC), 544 Washington Street, Gloucester, MA,
01930 • 978-282-0025 (phone) • avcc@avcclisten.com
(e-mail) • www.avcclisten.com • Listening and Spoken
Language Specialists: James G. Watson, MSc, CED,
Cert. AVT, and Lea D. Watson, MS, CCC-SLP, Cert.
AVT. AVCC is a husband-wife team offering parent
guidance for infants and preschoolers, school support,
adult therapy, world-wide consultation for programs,
distance (online) therapy for families, supervision
and training (online) for professionals aiming at
certification from the AG Bell Academy for Listening
and Spoken Language.
Clarke School East, 1 Whitman Road, Canton,
MA 02021 • 781-821-3499 (voice) • 781-821-3904 (tty)
• info@clarkeschool.org (email) • www.clarkeschool.org
(website). Cara Jordan, Director. A program of Clarke
School for the Deaf/Center for Oral Education, serving
families with young children. Auditory/Oral programs
include early intervention, preschool, kindergarten,
parent support, cochlear implant habilitation, and
support for mainstream placements.
43
Directory of Services
The Clarke School for the Deaf - Center
for Oral Education, 47 Round Hill Road,
Northampton, MA 01060 • 413-584-3450 (voice/tty) •
info@clarkeschool.org (email) • www.clarkeschool.org
(website). Bill Corwin, President. Early intervention,
preschool, day, and boarding school, cochlear implant
assessments, summer programs, mainstream support,
evaluations for infants through school age children,
audiological services, assistive devices, graduateteacher-education program.
June A. Reynolds, Inc., Auditory-Verbal Inclusion
Program for Hearing Impaired Children, 10 Yale Blvd.
Beverly, MA 01915 • June Reynolds, M.Ed., CED, Cert.
AVT® • 978-927-2765 (voice) • 978-921-9459 (fax) •
jreyno2727@aol.com (e-mail) • www.juneareynolds.
com. Comprehensive auditory program providing
parent-infant A-V therapy, licensed preschool program,
cochlear implant habilitation, mainstream support
services, preschool through high school.
SoundWorks for Children, 18 South Main
Street, Topsfield, MA 01983 • 978-887-1284 (voice) •
soundworksforchildren@verizon.net (e-mail) • Jane
E. Driscoll, MED, Director. Satellite program serving
Southern Maine. Katelyn Driscoll, MED, Program
Coordinator. A comprehensive non-profit program
dedicated to the development of auditory-oral
skills in children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
Specializing in cochlear implant habilitation and
offering a full continuum of inclusionary support
models from preschool through high school. Early
Intervention services and social/self-advocacy groups
for mainstreamed students are offered at our Family
Center. Summer programs, in-service training, and
consultation available.
nMichigan
Monroe County Program for Hearing
Impaired Children, 3145 Prairie St., Ida, MI 48140-
9778 • 734-269-3875 (voice/TTY) • 734-269-3885 (fax)
• whitman@ida.k12.mi.us (e-mail) • www.misd.k12.
mi.us • Kathleen Whitman, Supervisor. Auditory/oral
program, full continuum of services, birth to 25 years.
Staff: 21.
Redford Union Oral Program for Children
with Hearing Impairments, 18499 Beech Daly Rd.
Redford, MI 48240 • 313-242-3510 (voice) • 313-2423595 (fax) • 313-242-6286 (tty) • Dorothea B. French,
Ph.D., Director. Auditory/oral day program serves 80
center students/250 teacher consultant students. Birth
to 25 years of age.
nMinnesota
Northeast Metro #916 Auditory / Oral
Program, 701 West County Road “B”, Roseville,
Minnesota 55113 • 651-415-5399 (voice). The mission
of the program is to provide an intensive oral education
to children with impaired hearing. Centered-based
services are provided in a least restrictive public school
environment, combining oral specific early intervention
services within the mainstream setting for students
pre-school through kindergarten age. Birth to 3 services
and parent/child groups are tailored to meet identified
needs. Parent and professional workshops are offered.
Referrals are through the local school district in which
the family live.
Northern Voices, 1660 West County Road B,
Roseville, MN 55113-1714 • 651-639-2535 (voice) • 651639-1996 (fax) • director@northernvoices.org (e-mail) •
Kristina Blaiser, Executive Director. Northern Voices is
a nonprofit early education center focused on creating a
positive environment where children with hearing loss
and their families learn to communicate through
44
the use of spoken language. Our goal is for students
to become fluent oral communicators and to join
their hearing peers in a traditional classroom at their
neighborhood schools.
nMississippi
DuBard School for Language Disorders, The
University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive
#10035, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001 • 601-2665223 (voice) • dubard@usm.edu (e-mail) • www.usm.
edu/dubard • Maureen K. Martin, Ph.D., CCC-SLP,
CED, Director • The school is a clinical division of the
Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences and serves
children from birth to age 13 in its state-of-the-art
facility. Working collaboratively with 22 public school
districts, the school specializes in coexisting language
disorders, learning disabilities/dyslexia and speech
disorders, such as apraxia, through its non-graded,
11-month program. The Association Method, as refined,
and expanded by the late Dr. Etoile DuBard and the
staff of the school, is the basis of the curriculum.
Comprehensive evaluations, individual therapy,
audiological services and professional development
programs also are available. AA/EOE/ADAI
St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf – St.
Louis, 1809 Clarkson Road, Chesterfield, MO 63017
• 636-532-3211 (voice/TYY) • 636-532-4560 (fax)
• mdaniels@sjid.org (e-mail) • www.sjid.org • Mary
Daniels, M.A., Principal. An independent, Catholic
auditory/oral, day and residential school serving
children with hearing loss ages birth through the
eighth grade. Auditory-oral programs include early
intervention, toddler and preschool classes, K-8th
grade, on-site audiology clinic, full evaluations,
mainstream consultancy, summer camp, after-school
enhancement program, financial aid. Fontbonne
University graduate and undergraduate practicum site.
Mainstream academic accreditations (ISACS and NCA),
Approved private agent of Missouri Department of
Education.
nNew Hampshire
HEAR in New Hampshire, 11 Kimball Drive,
Suite 103, Hooksett, NH 03106 • 603-624-4464 (voice)
• www.HEARinNH.org • Lynda S. French, Director.
New Hampshire’s only auditory-oral school for
children who are deaf or hard of hearing. HEAR in NH
serves children with all degrees of hearing loss from
infancy through high school. Programs offered include
parent/child play groups, preschool, pre-kindergarten,
kindergarten and itinerant services for children in
their community schools. Summer services, parent
education/support, speech/language services and
professional workshops are available.
Magnolia Speech School, Inc., 733 Flag Chapel
Rd., Jackson, MS 39209 • 601-922-5530 (voice) •
601-922-5534 (fax) • sullivandirector@comcast.net
(e-mail) • www.oraldeaf.org • Anne Sullivan, M.Ed.
Family Services (age 0 to 3 served free), Auditory/oral
classrooms, association method classroom, audiological
services, mainstream services, evaluations and outpatient services available in an 11-month school year.
nNew Jersey
nMissouri
HIP and SHIP of Bergen County Special
Services - Midland Park School District, 41
CID – Central Institute for the Deaf, 825
South Taylor Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110 • 314977-0135 (voice) • 314-977-0037 (tty) • lberkowitz@
cid.edu (email) • www.cid.edu (website) • Child- and
family-friendly learning environment for children
birth-12; exciting adapted curriculum incorporating
mainstream content, emphasizing early literacy and
childhood development; family center for parents and
babies; expert mainstream preparation; professional
workshops, consulting and in-services for schools,
auditory learning and educational materials; close
affiliation with Washington University deaf education
and audiology programs.
The Moog Center for Deaf Education, 12300
South Forty Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141 • 314-692-7172
(voice) • 314-692-8544 (fax) • Betsy Moog Brooks,
Director of School and Family School • bbrooks@
moogcenter.org (e-mail) • Services provided to children
who are deaf and hard-of-hearing from birth to 9 years
of age. Programs include the Family School (birth to
3), School (3 to 9 years), Audiology (including cochlear
implant programming), mainstÚdam seÚoices,
educational evaluations, parent education and support
groups, professional workshops, teacher education and
student teacher placements.
The Moog School at Columbia, 3301 West
Broadway, Columbia, MO 65203 • 573-446-1981(voice)
• 573-446-2031 (fax) • Judith S. Harper, CCC SLP,
Director • jharper@moogschool.org (e-mail). Services
provided to children who are deaf and hard-of
hearing from birth to kindergarten. Programs include
the Family School (birth to 3). School (3 years to
kindergarten). Mainstream services (speech therapy/
academic tutoring) ,educational evaluations, parent
education, support groups, and student teacher
placements. The Moog School—Columbia is a Moog
Curriculum School.
E. Center Street, Midland Park, N.J. 07432 • 201-3438982 (voice) • kattre@bergen.org (email) • Kathleen
Treni, Principal. An integrated, comprehensive preK-12th grade auditory oral program in public schools.
Services include Auditory Verbal and Speech Therapy,
Cochlear Implant habilitation, Parent Education, and
Educational Audiological services. Consulting teacher
services are available for mainstream students in
home districts. Early Intervention services provided
for babies from birth to three. SHIP is the state’s only
7-12th grade auditory oral program. CART (Computer
Real Time Captioning) is provided in a supportive,
small high school environment.
The Ivy Hall Program at Lake Drive, 10 Lake
Drive, Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046 • 973-299-0166
(voice/tty) • 973-299-9405 (fax) • www.mtlakes.org/
ld. • David Alexander, Ph.D., Principal. An innovative
program that brings hearing children and children with
hearing loss together in a rich academic environment.
Auditory/oral programs include: early intervention,
preschool, kindergarten, parent support, cochlear
implant habilitation, itinerant services, OT, PT and
speech/language services. Self-contained to full range
of inclusion models available.
Speech Partners, Inc., 26 West High Street,
Somerville, NJ 08876 • 908-231-9090 (voice) •
nancyschumann@hotmail.com (email) • Nancy V.
Schumann, M.A., CCC-SLP, Cert.AVT. Auditory-Verbal
Therapy, Communication Evaluations, SpeechLanguage Therapy and Aural Rehabilitation, School
Consultation, Mentoring, Workshops.
Summit Speech School for the HearingImpaired Child, F.M. Kirby Center, 705 Central
Ave., New Providence, NJ 07974 • 908-508-0011 (voice/
TTY) • 908-508-0012 (fax) • info@summitspeech.com
(e-mail) • www.summit-speech.org • Pamela Paskowitz,
Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Executive Director. Auditory/
oral services for deaf and hard of hearing children.
Programs include Parent Infant (0 to 3 years), Preschool
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY /A U G U ST 2009
Directory of Services
(3 to 5 years) and itinerant services for children in
their home districts. Speech and language, OT and PT
services available.
nNew Mexico
Presbyterian Ear Institute – Albuquerque,
415 Cedar Street SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106 •
505-224-7020 (voice) • 505-224-7023 (fax) • Contact:
Bettye Pressley, Executive Director. A cochlear implant
center, auditory/oral school for deaf and hard-ofhearing children and parent infant program. Serves
children from infancy to early elementary school years.
Comprehensive audiology, diagnostic and speech
therapy services. Presbyterian Ear Institute is a Moog
Curriculum School.
nNew York
Anne Kearney, M.S., LSLS Cert. AVT, CCCSpeech Language Pathology, 401 Littleworth
Lane, Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY 11579 • 516-671-9057
(voice).
Auditory/Oral School of New York, 2164 Ralph
Avenue & 3321 Avenue “M,” Brooklyn, NY 11234 •
718-531-1800 (voice) • 718-421-5395 (fax) • info@
auditoryoral.org (e-mail) • Pnina Bravmann, Program
Director. A premier auditory/oral early intervention and
preschool program servicing hearing impaired children
and their families. Programs include: StriVright
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY/AUGUST 2009
Early Intervention (home-based and center-based),
preschool, integrated preschool classes with children
with normal hearing, multidisciplinary evaluations,
parent support, Auditory-Verbal Therapy, complete
audiological services, cochlear implant habilitation,
central auditory processing (CAPD) testing and therapy,
mainstreaming, ongoing support services following
mainstreaming.
Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center-Oral Deaf
Education Program, 50 E. North Street, Buffalo,
NY 14203 • 716-885-8318 (voice) • 716-885-4229
(fax) • lshea@askbhsc.org (e-mail) • www.askbhsc.org
• Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center is a non-for profit
organization that offers a auditory/oral program for
children ages birth to 5 years who are deaf and hard of
hearing. The Oral Deaf Education Program consists of
parent/infant program, early intervention classroom
and a preschool program. BHSC also offers innovative
services to children and adults with communication
and educational needs including a cochlear implant
center and comprehensive audiological services. Our
dedicated and skilled staff is focused on the mission
of improving the quality of life for adults, children
and infants in need of speech, hearing or educational
services. The Oral Deaf Education Program is a Moog
Curriculum School.
Center for Hearing and Communication
(formerly the League for the Hard of
Hearing), 50 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, NY
10004 • 917 305-7700 (voice) • 917-305-7888 (TTY)
• 917-305-7999 (fax) • http://www.chchearing.org
(website). Florida Office: 2900 W. Cypress Creek Road,
Suite 3, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309 • 954-601-1930
(Voice) • 954-601-1938 (TTY) • 954-601-1399 (Fax). A
leading center for hearing and communication services
for people of all ages who are hard of hearing or deaf.
Comprehensive array of services include: audiology,
otology, hearing aid evaluation, fitting and sales,
communication therapy, cochlear implant training,
assistive technology consultation, emotional health and
wellness, public education, support groups and Mobile
Hearing Test Units. Visit http://www.chchearing.org
to access our vast library of information about hearing
loss and hearing conservation. For more information
or to make an appointment, contact us at info@
chchearing.org.
Clarke School - New York, 80 East End Avenue,
New York, NY 10028 • 212-585-3500 (voice/tty) • info@
clarke-nyc.org (email) • www.clarkeschool.org (website)
• Dan Salvucci, Acting Director. A program of Clarke
School for the Deaf/Center for Oral Education, serving
families of young deaf and hard of hearing children.
Auditory/oral programs include early intervention,
preschool, kindergarten, comprehensive evaluations,
hearing aid and FM system dispensing and related
services including occupational, physical and speechlanguage therapies.
45
Directory of Services
Cleary School for the Deaf, 301 Smithtown
Boulevard, Nesconset, New York 11767 • 631-588-0530
(voice/TTY) • 631-588-0016 (fax) • www.clearyschool.
org • Kenneth Morseon, Superintendent; Ellen McCarthy,
Principal. A state-supported program serving hearing
impaired children birth to 21. Auditory/oral programs
include Parent-Infant Program (school and home based)
for children birth to 3, Auditory-Oral Reverse Inclusion
Preschool Program for children 3 to 5 and Transition
Program for children with cochlear implants who have a
sign language base. Auditory/oral programs include daily
individual auditory-based speech and language therapy,
daily speech push-in, annual and on-going audiological
and speech-language evaluations and parent training/
support. The mission of the Reverse Inclusion AuditoryOral Preschool Program is to best prepare children to
enter kindergarten in their own school district. Classes
consist of children with hearing loss and their normal
hearing peers.
Lexington School for the Deaf, 26-26 75th
Street, Jackson Heights, NY 11370 • 718-350-3300
(voice/tty) • 718-899-9846 (fax) • www.lexnyc.org •
Dr. Regina Carroll, Superintendent, Ronni Hollander,
Principal - rhollander@lexnyc.org (email). A statesupported program serving hearing impaired children
in the Greater New York area from infancy through age
21. Auditory-Oral programs include the Deaf Infant
Program (ages 0-3), Preschool classes (ages 3-6) and
early Elementary classes. Auditory-Oral programs
include daily speech, listening and language services,
ongoing audiological support, coordination
46
with hospital implant centers, evaluations and parent
support. The school’s academic program follows the
New York State standards. Music/Dance, Physical
Education (and swimming), Art, Library, as well as
technology are part of the school schedule.
Long Island Jewish Medical Center Hearing
& Speech Center, 430 Lakeville Road, New Hyde
Park, NY 11042 • 718-470-8910 (voice) • 718-470-1679
(fax) • The Long Island Jewish Hearing and Speech
Center provides services for individuals of all ages
with communication disorders. The Center serves two
tertiary care hospitals, Long Island Jewish Medical
Center and North Shore University Hospital, providing
both in-patient and outpatient services. As the largest
hearing and speech center on Long Island, the Center
accepts referrals from physicians, schools, community
speech pathologists and audiologists, and self-referrals
from Long Island and New York City. The professional
staff consists of 14 audiologists, 10 speech-language
pathologists, a social worker and a deaf educator.
Audiologic services available at Center include complete
diagnostic and habilitative services, a cochlear implant
program, a voice and laryngeal laboratory and a hearing
aid dispensary.
Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf, GOALS
(Growing Oral/Aural Language Skills)
Program, 40 Frost Mill Road, Mill Neck, NY 11765
• 516-922-4100 (voice) • Mark R. Prowatzke, Ph.D.,
Executive Director, Francine Bogdanoff, Assistant
Superintendent. Publicly-funded integrated preschool
program, serving Deaf and hard of hearing children
(ages 3-5) on Long Island. Literacy-based program
with auditory/oral approach, curriculum aligned with
NY State Preschool Standards, art, music, library,
audiology, speech, language therapy, related support
services and family programs.
Nassau BOCES Program for Hearing and
Vision Services, 740 Edgewood Drive, Westbury,
NY 11590 • 516-931-8507 (Voice) • 516-931-8596
(TTY) • 516-931-8566 (Fax) • www.nassauboces.org
(Web) • JMasone@mail.nasboces.org (Email). Dr. Judy
Masone, Principal. Provides full day New York State
standards - based academic education program for
children 3-21 within district-based integrated settings.
An auditory/oral or auditory/sign support methodology
with a strong emphasis on auditory development is
used at all levels.
Itinerant services including auditory training and
audiological support are provided to those students who
are mainstreamed in their local schools. Services are
provided by certified Teachers of the Hearing Impaired
on an individual basis.
The Infant/Toddler Program provides centerand home-based services with an emphasis on the
development of auditory skills and the acquisition of
language, as well as parent education and support.
Center-based instruction includes individual and
small group sessions, speech, parent meetings and
audiological consultation. Parents also receive 1:1
instruction with teacher of the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing on a weekly basis to support the development
of skills at home.
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY /A U GU ST 2009
Directory of Services
Comprehensive audiological services are provided
to all students enrolled in the program, utilizing state
of the art technology, FM assistive technology to
maximize access to sound within the classroom, and
cochlear implant expertise. Additionally, cochlear
implant mapping support provided by local hospital
audiology team will be delivered on site at the school.
New York Eye & Ear Cochlear Implant and Hearing
& Learning Centers, (formerly Beth Israel/New York
Eye Ear program). New Location: 380 Second Avenue
at 22nd Street, New York, NY 10010 • 646-438-7800
(voice). Comprehensive diagnostic and rehabilitative
services for infants, children and adults including
audiology services, amplification and FM evaluation
and dispensing, cochlear implants, auditory/oral
therapy, otolaryngology and counseling.
nNorth Carolina
BEGINNINGS For Parents of Children Who
Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, Inc., 3714-A
Benson Drive, PO Box 17646, Raleigh, NC 27619 •
919-850-2746 (voice) • 919-850-2804 (fax) • raleigh@
ncbegin.org (e-mail) • Joni Alberg, Executive Director.
BEGINNINGS provides emotional support, unbiased
information, and technical assistance to parents of
children who are deaf or hard of hearing, deaf parents
with hearing children and professionals serving those
families. BEGINNINGS assists parents of children from
birth through age 21 by providing information and
support that will empower them as informed
peers; parent support; individual speech, language,
and listening therapy; audiological services; cochlear
implant habilitation; and mainstreaming in the general
education classrooms of Mayfield City School District.
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.
Ohio Valley Voices, 6642 Branch Hill Guinea
Pike, Loveland, OH 45140 • 513-791-1458 (voice) •
513-791-4326 (fax) • mainoffice@ohiovalleyvoices.
org (e-mail) • www.ohiovalleyvoices.org (website).
Ohio Valley Voices teaches deaf and hearing-impaired
children to use spoken language as their primary means
of communication. The vast majority of our students
utilize cochlear implants to give them access to sound,
which in turn, allows them to learn to speak when
combined with intensive speech therapy. We offer a
birth-to-3 program, a preschool through second grade
program, a full array of on-site audiological services,
parent education and support resources. Ohio Valley
Voices is a Moog Curriculum School.
CASTLE- Center for Acquisition of Spoken
Language Through Listening Enrichment,
5501-A Fortunes Ridge Drive, Suite A, Durham, NC
27713 • 919-419-1428 (voice) • www.uncearandhearing.
com/pedsprogs/castle An auditory/oral center for
parent and professional education. Preschool and Early
intervention services for young children including
Auditory Verbal parent participation sessions. Hands-on
training program for hearing-related professionals/
university students including internships, two week
summer institute and Auditory Verbal Modules.
nOklahoma
nOhio
Hearts for Hearing, 3525 NW 56th Street,
Suite A-150, Oklahoma City, OK 73112 • 405-5484300 • 405-548-4350(Fax) • Teresa H. Caraway,
Ph.D.,CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT and Joanna T. Smith,
M.S., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, Jace Wolfe, Ph.D.,
CCC-A. Comprehensive hearing healthcare program
which includes pediatric audiological evaluations,
management and cochlear implant mapping. AuditoryVerbal therapy, cochlear implant habilitation, early
Millridge Center/Mayfield Auditory Oral
Program, 950 Millridge Road, Highland Heights, OH
44143-3113 • 440-995-7300 (phone) • 440-995-7305
(fax) • www.mayfieldschools.org • Louis A. Kindervater,
Principal. Auditory/oral program with a ful continuum
of services, birth to 22 years of age. Serving 31 public
school districts in northeast Ohio. Early intervention;
preschool with typically developing
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VOLTA VOICES • JU LY/AUGUST 2009
47
Directory of Services
intervention, pre-school, summer enrichment services
and family support workshops are also provided.
Opportunities for family, professional education and
consultations. www.heartsforhearing.org
nOregon
Tucker-Maxon Oral School, 2860 S.E. Holgate,
Portland, OR 97202 • 503-235-6551(voice) • 503-2351711 (TTY) • tminfo@tmos.org (e-mail) • www.tmos.
org (website) • Established in 1947, Tucker-Maxon
is an intensive auditory-oral school that co-enrolls
children with hearing loss and children with normal
hearing in every class. Each class is taught by a regular
educator or early childhood specialist and a teacher
of deaf children. Programs for children with hearing
loss start at birth and continue through 5th grade.
Tucker-Maxon provides comprehensive pediatric
audiology evaluations, cochlear implant management,
habilitation and mapping, early intervention, and
speech pathology services.
nPennsylvania
Archbishop Ryan School for Children with
Hearing Impairment, 233 Mohawk Ave., Norwood,
PA 19074 • 610-586-7044 (voice) • 610-586-7053
(fax) • Our Oral Academy is located within a regular
elementary school enabling some children to learn
with hearing peers in a mainstream classroom with the
support of a Deaf educator. Some children learn in selfcontained classrooms with other deaf children. We offer
48
a full academic program from preschool through age
14. For more information visit www.ces-msa.org, click
registry and our school by name.
Bucks County Schools Intermediate Unit
#22, Hearing Support Program, 705 North
Shady Retreat Road, Doylestown, PA 18901 • 215-3482940 x1240 (voice) • 215-340-1639 (fax) • kmiller@
bucksiu.org • Kevin J. Miller, Ed.D., CCC-SP, CED,
Supervisor. A publicly-funded program serving local
school districts with deaf or hard of hearing students
(birth -12th Grade). Services include itinerant support,
resource rooms, audiology, speech-language therapy,
auditory-verbal therapy, C-Print captioning, and
cochlear implant habilitation.
Center for Childhood Communication at
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia,
3405 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia 19104 •
800-551-5480 (voice) • 215-590-5641 (fax) • www.
chop.edu/ccc • Judith S. Gravel, Ph.D., Director. The
CCC provides children with audiology, amplification,
speech-language and cochlear implant services and
offers support through our Family Wellness Program.
We serve families at our main campus in Philadelphia
and at our Pennsylvania satellite offices in Bucks
County, Exton, King of Prussia, Springfield, and at our
New Jersey satellite offices in Voorhees, Mays Landing
and Princeton.
Clarke Pennsylvania Auditory/Oral Center,
455 South Roberts Road, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 • 610525-9600 (voice/tty) • info@clarkeschool.org (email)
• www.clarkeschool.org (website). Judith Sexton,
Director. A program of Clarke School for the Deaf/
Center for Oral Education, serving families with young
children with hearing loss. Auditory/Oral programs
include early intervention, preschool, parent support,
individual auditory speech and language services,
cochlear implant habilitation, audiological support, and
mainstream support.
Delaware County Intermediate Unit #25,
Hearing and Language Programs, 200 Yale
Avenue, Morton, PA 19070 • 610-938-9000, ext. 2277
• 610938-9886 (fax) • mdworkin@dciu.org • Program
Highlights: A publicly funded program for children with
hearing loss in local schools. Serving children from birth
through high school. Services include audiology, speech
therapy, cochlear implant habilitation (which includes
auditory-verbal therapy),psychology and social work.
DePaul School for Hearing and Speech, 6202
Alder Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 • (412)924-1012
(voice/TTY) • mk@depaulinst.com (email) • www.
speakmiracles.org (website) • Mary Beth Kernan
- Family Service Coordinator. DePaul is Western
Pennsylvania’s only auditory-oral school serving
families for 100 years. A state-approved, private
magnet school, DePaul’s programs are tuition-free to
parents and caregivers of approved students. Program
includes: early intervention services for children birth
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY /A U GU ST 2009
Directory of Services
to 3 years; a center-based toddler program for children
ages 18 months to 3 years; a preschool for children ages
3-5 years and a comprehensive academic program for
grades K-8. Clinical services include speech therapy,
cochlear implant habilitation services, audiological
support including cochlear implant mapping, physical
and occupational therapy, mainstreaming support,
parent education programs and a parent support group.
Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf,
300 East Swissvale Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15218 •
412-244-4207 (voice) • 412-244-4251 (fax) • vcherney@
wpsd.org (e-mail) • www.wpsd.org.The Western
Pennsylvania School for the Deaf is a non-profit school
with high academic expectations. WPSD, located in
Pittsburgh since 1869, has provided quality educational
services, cutting-edge technology and a complete
extracurricular program to deaf and hard-of-hearing
children from birth through grade 12. Serving over
250 day and residential students, from more than 100
school districts and 30 counties, WPSD is the largest
comprehensive center for deaf education in the state.
For more information: wpsd.org
nSouth Carolina
The University of South Carolina Speech
and Hearing Center, 1601 St. Julian Place,
Columbia, SC 29204 • 803-777-2614 (voice) • 803253-4143 (fax) • Center Director: Danielle Varnedoe,
daniell@sc.edu (e-mail). The center provides audiology
services, speech-language therapy, adult aural
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY/AUGUST 2009
rehabilitation therapy and Auditory-Verbal therapy.
Our audiology services include comprehensive
evaluations, CAPD evaluations, and cochlear implant
evaluations and programming. The University also
provides a training program for AVT and cochlear
implant management for professional/ university
students. Additional contacts for the AVT or CI
programs include: Nikki Burrows (803-777-2669),
Wendy Potts (803-777-2642) or Cheryl Rogers (803777-2702).
nSouth Dakota
South Dakota School for the Deaf (SDSD),
2001 East Eighth Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 •
605-367-5200 (V/TTY) • 605-36705209 (fax) •sdsd@
sdbor.edu (e-mail). Serving children and youth with
hearing loss by offering services on site and through its
outreach program. Academic option includes auditory/
oral program for students using spoken language and
are preschool through third grade. SDSD utilizes the
Sioux Falls School District Curriculum and prepares
students to meet state standards. Instructional
support in other areas is available as dictated by the
IEP, including parent/child education, speech language
pathology, auditory training and special education.
Arranges for dual enrollment of students in their
local schools to expand curricular and social options.
Outreach staff provides support to families with
newborns and children through the ages of 2 years and
continues to work with the families and school district
personnel of older students who are either remaining
in or returning to their local districts. Any student in
South Dakota with a documented hearing loss can take
advantage of services offered through SDSD, including
audiological testing, speech evaluation, and triennial
multidisciplinary assessment.
nTennessee
Memphis Oral School for the Deaf, 7901 Poplar
Avenue, Germantown, TN 38138 • 901-758-2228 (voice)
• 901-531-7050 (fax) • www.mosdkids.org (website)
• tschwartz@mosdkids.org (email). Teresa Schwartz,
Executive Director. Parent-infant program, auditory/
oral day school (ages 2 to 6), speech-language and
cochlear implant therapy, mainstream services.
Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center - National
Center for Childhood Deafness and Family
Communication, Medical Center East South Tower,
1215 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37232-8105 •
615-936-5000 (voice) • 615-936-1225 (fax) • nccdfc@
vanderbilt.edu (email) • www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/
root/vumc.php?site=hearing (web). Tamala Bradham,
Ph.D., Director. The NCCDFC Service Program is an
auditory/oral learning program serving children with
hearing loss from birth through 18 years. Services
include educational services at the Mama Lere Hearing
School at Vanderbilt as well as audiological and
speech-language pathology services. Specifically, the
Service Program includes audiological evaluations,
hearing aid services, cochlear implant evaluations and
programming, parent-infant program, individual
49
Directory of Services
speech, language, and listening therapy, educational
assessments, toddler program, all day preschool
through kindergarten educational program itinerant/
academic tutoring services, parent support groups, and
summer enrichment programs.
nTexas
Bliss Speech and Hearing Services, Inc.,
12700 Hillcrest Rd., Suite 207, Dallas, TX 75230 • 972387-2824 • 972-387-9097 (fax) • blisspeech@aol.com
(e-mail) • Brenda Weinfeld Bliss, M.S., CCC-SLP/A, Cert.
AVT®. Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist® providing
parent-infant training, cochlear implant rehabilitation,
aural rehabilitation, school visits, mainstreaming
consultations, information, and orientation to deaf and
hard-of-hearing children and their parents.
Callier Center for Communication
Disorders/UT Dallas, Callier-Dallas Facility,
1966 Inwood Road, Dallas, TX, 75235 • 214-905-3000
(voice) • 214-905-3005 (tty) • Callier-Richardson
Facility: 811 Synergy Park Blvd., Richardson, TX,
75080 • 972-883-3630 (voice) • 972-883-3605 (tty) •
eloyce@utdallas.edu (email) • www.callier.utdallas.edu
• Nonprofit organization, hearing evaluations, hearing
aid dispensing, assistive devices, cochlear implant
evaluations, psychology services, speech-language
pathology services, child development program for
children ages 6 weeks to 5 years.
50
The Center for Hearing and Speech, 3636
West Dallas, Houston, TX 77019 • 713-523-3633
(voice) • 713-874-1173 (TTY) • 713-523-8399 (fax)
• info@centerhearingandspeech.org (email) • www.
centerhearingandspeech.org (website) • CHS serves
children with hearing impairments from birth to
18 years. Services include auditory/oral preschool;
Audiology Clinic providing comprehensive hearing
evaluations, diagnostic ABR, hearing aid and FM
evaluations and fittings, cochlear implant evaluations
and follow-up mappings; Speech-Language Pathology
Clinic providing Parent-Infant therapy, Auditory-Verbal
therapy, speech therapy, aural (re)habilitation; family
support services. All services offered on sliding fee scale
and many services offered in Spanish.
Denise A. Gage, M.A., CCC, Cert. AVT©
- Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist,
Speech-Language Pathologist, 3111 West
Arkansas Lane, Arlington, TX 76016-0378 • 817-4600378 (voice) • 817-469-1195 (metro/fax) • denise@
denisegage.com (email) • www.denisegage.com • Over
25 years experience providing services for children
and adults with hearing loss. Services include cochlear
implant rehabilitation, parent-infant training,
individual therapy, educational consultation, onsite and
offsite Fast ForWord training.
Speech and Hearing Therapy Services,
North Dallas • 214-458-0575 (voice) •
speechandhearingtherapy@yahoo.com (e-mail) • www.
speechandhearingtherapy.com (website) • Tammi
Galley, MA, CCC-SLP, Aural Habilitation Specialist.
Comprehensive Aural Habilitation therapy, specializing
in pediatric populations, cochlear implant habiltation,
parent-infant/child and individual therapy, AuditoryVerbal therapy, auditory/oral, or total communication
offered with strong emphasis on auditory skill
development. Home visits or office visits.
Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children,
103 Tuleta Dr., San Antonio, TX 78212 • 210-8240579 • 210-826-0436 (fax). Founded in 1947, the
auditory/oral school promotes early identification of
hearing loss and subsequent intervention, working
with parents and children from infancy through high
school. Audiological services include diagnostic hearing
evaluations for children of all ages, hearing aid fitting,
cochlear implant programming and habilitation,
maintenance of soundfield and FM equipment in the
classroom. Programs include the Newborn Hearing
Evaluation Center, Parent-Infant Program, Hearing
Aid Loaner and Scholarship Programs, and Educational
Programs (three years of age through 12th grade
mainstream), Speech Pathology, Counseling, and
Assessment Services. For more information visit www.
sunshinecottage.org.
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY /A U GU ST 2009
Directory of Services
nUtah
Sound Beginnings of Cache Valley, Utah
State University, 1000 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT
84322-1000 • 435-797-0434 (voice) • 435-797-0221
(fax) • www.soundbeginnings.usu.edu • lauri.nelson@
usu.edu (email) • Lauri Nelson, Ph.D., Sound Beginnings
Director • todd.houston@usu.edu (email) • K. Todd
Houston, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, Graduate
Studies Director. A comprehensive auditory learning
program serving children with hearing loss and their
families from birth through age five; early intervention
services include home- and center-based services,
parent training, a weekly toddler group, pediatric
audiology, and Auditory-Verbal Therapy. The preschool,
housed in an innovative public lab school, provides
self-contained Auditory-Oral classes for children aged
three through five, parent training, and mainstreaming
opportunities with hearing peers. The Department of
Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education offers an
interdisciplinary graduate training program in SpeechLanguage Pathology, Audiology, and Deaf Education
that emphasizes auditory learning and spoken language
for young children with hearing loss.
Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, 742
Harrison Boulevard, Ogden, UT 84404 • 801-629-4700
(voice) • 801-629-4701 (tty) • www.usdv.org • A statefunded program for children with hearing loss (birth
through high school) serving students in various
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY/AUGUST 2009
settings including local district classes throughout
the state and residential options. Audiology, speech
instruction, auditory verbal development and cochlear
implant habilitation provided.
nVirginia
Chattering Children, Richmond Center,
1307 Lakeside Avenue, Richmond, VA 23228
• 804-290-0475 (voice) • NOVA Center, 1495
Chain Bridge Road, Suite 100, McLean, VA 22101
• www.chatteringchildren.org (website) • adavis@
chatteringchildren.org (email). Chattering Children,
Empowering hearing-impaired children through
spoken communication. Infants through school age.
Parent-Infant Program, AV Therapy, mainstream
support. SPEAK UP (an auditory oral school). Familycentered conversational approach. In-service training
and an internship program for graduate students.
NoVa Center: 1495 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 100,
McLean, VA 22101 (Metro DC area), Tel: (571) 6330770. Richmond Center: SPEAK UP auditory-oral
school and auditory-verbal therapy: 1307 Lakeside
Ave Richmond VA 23228. Tel: (804) 290-0475. Contact
Anne Davis, Executive Director, Anne Davis, adavis@
chatteringchildren.org.
Listen Hear Audiology, 1101 S. Arlington Ridge
Rd. #117, Arlington, VA 22202 • 202-997-4045 (voice)
• listenhearaudiology@yahoo.com (e-mail) • www.
listenhear.net • Rachel Cohen, Au.D., CCC-A • Auditory/
oral services provided to children or adults who are
hard-of-hearing or deaf using preferred methodology
(Auditory/oral, Cued, TC, or ASL) when needed.
Auditory (re)habiliation is provided in your home/
natural environment or at my office. Birth through
geriatric cochlear implant habiliation, aural (re)
habilitation, assistive listening device information,
parent-infant training and consultation.
Lynchburg Speech Therapy, Inc., 1049
Claymont Drive, Lynchburg, VA 24502 • 434-8456355 (voice) • 434-845-5854 (fax) • dclappavt@aol.
com (e-mail) • Denice D. Clapp, M.S., CCC-SLP, Cert.
AVT®, Director. Auditory-Verbal habilitation services
provided for hearing impaired children with all degrees
of hearing loss and their families to develop spoken
language through listening. Auditory re(habilitation)
provided for older children through adults who use
cochlear implants to access hearing. Consultations and
mainstream educational support for children and their
families. Early intervention provided in the home.
51
Directory of Services
nWashington
Listen and Talk – Education for Children with Hearing Loss, 8610 8th
Avenue, NE, Seattle, WA, 98115 • 206-985-6646 (voice) • 206-985-6687 (fax) • hear@
listentalk.org (e-mail) • www.listentalk.org (website). Maura Berndsen, Educational
Director. Family-centered program teaches children with all
degrees of hearing loss to listen, speak, and think in preparation for inclusion in
neighborhood schools. Services include early intervention (0 to 3 yrs), AuditoryVerbal therapy (3 to school age), blended pre-school/pre-K classes (3 to 5 yrs), and
consultations. A summer program is offered in addition to services provided during
the school year.
The Listen For Life Center at Virginia Mason, 1100 9th Ave. MS X10-ON
Seattle, WA 98111 • 206-223-8802 (voice) • 206-223-6362 (tty) • 206-223-2388
(fax) • lsnforlife@vmmc.org (email) • www.vmmc.org/listen (website) • Non-profit
organization offering comprehensive diagnostic and rehabilitation services from
infancy through senior years. Audiology, otolaryngology, hearing aids, implantable
hearing aids, cochlear implants, communication classes, assistive listening devices,
Aural Rehabilitation, counseling, support groups, school consultations, professional
training workshops, community days, library.
nWisconsin
Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, 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., CC-A, LSLS, Cert.AVT® as well as five LSLS Cert. AVEds.
Nonprofit agency located in the Milwaukee area provides comprehensive auditory
programming to individuals with hearing loss, from infants to the elderly. The
Birth to Three program serves children from throughout Southeastern Wisconsin,
including education in the home, toddler communication groups, and individual
speech therapy. AV Therapy is also provided to school-age children locally as
well as through an interactive long-distance therapy program. Pre- and postcochlear implant training is provided for adults and communication strategies and
speechreading is offered to individuals as well as in small groups.
List of Advertisers
Advanced Bionics................................................. Inside Back Cover
Auditory-Oral School of San Francisco......................................... 46
Auditory-Verbal Center, Inc (Atlanta).............................................. 39
Central Institute for the Deaf .......................................................... 43
Clarke School for the Deaf ............................................................. 11
DePaul School for Hearing and Speech ......................................... 5
DuBard School for Language Disorders ...................................... 35
Ear Technology Corporation............................................................13
First Street ..................................................................................17, 37
Harris Communications................................................................... 42
Jean Weingarten School..................................................................19
Logital Company, Ltd. .................................................................... 50
Moog Center for Deaf Education............................................. 15, 45
INTERNATIONAL
nAustralia
Telethon Speech & Hearing Centre for Children WA (Inc), 36 Dodd
Street, Wembley WA 6014, Australia • 61-08-9387-9888 (phone) • 61-08-93879888 (fax) • speech@tsh.org.au • www.tsh.org.au • Our oral language programs
include: hearing impairment programs for children under 5 and school support
services, Talkabout program for children with delayed speech and language,
audiology services, Ear Clinic for hard to treat middle ear problems, Variety WA
Mobile Children’s Ear Clinic, newborn hearing screening and Cochlear Implant
program for overseas children.
nCanada
Montreal Oral School for the Deaf, 4670 St. Catherine Street, West,
Westmount, QC, Canada H3Z 1S5 • 514-488-4946 (voice/ tty) • 514-488-0802 (fax)
• info@montrealoralschool.com (email) • www.montrealoralschool.com (website).
Parent-infant program (0-3 years old). Full-time educational program (3-12 years old).
Mainstreaming program in regular schools (elementary and secondary). Audiology,
cochlear implant and other support services.
Saskatchewan Pediatric Auditory Rehabilitation Center (SPARC),
Room 21, Ellis Hall, Royal University Hospital, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 0W8, Canada •
306-655-1320 (voice) • 306-655-1316 (fax) • lynne.brewster@usask.ca (e-mail) • www.
usask.ca/healthsci/sparc • Rehabilitative services including Auditory-Verbal Therapy
for children with hearing impairments. (Birth through school age).
The Vancouver Oral Centre for Deaf Children, 3575 Kaslo Street,
Vancouver, British Columbia, V5M 3H4, Canada • 604-437-0255 (voice) • 604-4371251 (tty) • 604-437-0260 (fax) • www.deafeducationcentre.org (website) • Our
auditory-oral program includes: on-site audiology, cochlear implant mapping, parentinfant guidance, auditory-verbal therapy, music therapy, preschool, K, Primary 1-3;
itinerant services.
nEngland
The Speech, Language and Hearing Centre, Christopher Place, 1-5
Christopher Place, Chalton Street, Euston, London NW1 1JF, England • 0114-207383-3834 (voice) • 0114-207-383-3099 (fax) • info@speechlang.org.uk (e-mail) • www.
speech-lang.org.uk • Assessment, nursery school and therapeutic centre for children
under 5 with hearing impairment or speech/language difficulties.
52
National Technical Institute for the Deaf/RIT................................. 48
National Cued Speech Association .............................................. 10
Oticon..................................................................... Inside Front Cover
Phonak, LLC .................................................................... Back Cover
St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf..................................................... 33
Sorenson Communications ........................................................... 41
Sound Aid Hearing Aid Warranties ............................................... 49
Sound Clarity Inc. . .......................................................................... 51
Sprint Relay ..................................................................................... 31
Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children................................. 24
Tucker-Maxon Oral School............................................................. 47
University of Hartford/CREC.......................................................... 29
AG Bell Biennial Convention ............................................................ 7
AG Bell Biennial Convention (Call for Papers) . ............................ 28
AG Bell – Financial Aid . .................................................................. 25
AG Bell – Listening & Spoken Language Symposium ................ 21
VOLTA VOICES • JU LY /A U G U ST 2009
Today is a beautiful day
Dynamic FM for adults and teenagers
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