volta voices march-april 2013 magazine

VOICESVOICESAlex Ander GrAhAm Bell AssociAtion for the DeAf AnD hArD of heAring

V O L T A

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March/april 2013

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increasing access to Cochlear implants

Let’s make it easier – together! For a copy of a new comparative study showing improvement in speech perception in children withhearing loss when using Amigo FM, contact [email protected]. And to see how we can helpyou solve other Pediatric challenges, visit www.making-it-easierusa.com.

Real Life Challenges

How can you make sure he is hearing what she’s saying?

The most e�cient way to help children overcome noise and distance and focus in classrooms is by providing good quality instruments and FM solutions. But what constitutes good? If a child has wide-bandwidth instruments, and the FM system cannot exploit this bandwidth, precious high frequency sounds may be lost.

While some systems use valuable bandwidth on transmitting data rather than speech, Oticon Amigo transmitters focus their power on capturing and delivering vital high-frequency details. So you needn’t be in any doubt as to which systemprovides more speech cues.

Oticon Amigo FM – wider bandwidth for more speech

A di�erence in sound quality“With the new digital hearing aids,the frequency response is going out so much farther. Being able to hearyour ‘s’ and ‘t’ is so important forspeech. When we add the FM to it,

we don’t want it to interfere with the good way the hearing aids have been �t. Now the FM systems aregoing out to a higher frequency that’s just been wonderful.”

Sandy Waters, MA, CCC-A Educational AudiologistTX

VOICESV O L T A

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 A t 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

3417 volta place, nw, washington, dc 20007 • www.listeningandspokenlanguage.org

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DepartmentsVoiCes from aG Bell 3 Advocating for Health Plan Access to Cochlear Implants 5 Improving Our World Through Advocacy

What’s neW in the KnoWledGe Center 32 Update Your AG Bell Profile and Maximize Your Involvement

tiPs for Parents 34 Things the Mother of a Child with Hearing Loss Wishes People Knew

hear our VoiCes 36 Reflections on Growing Up with Bilateral Cochlear Implants

uP front on the BaCK PaGe 48 Michael Hood

In Every Issue 2 Want to Write for Volta Voices?

6 Voices Contributors

8 soundbites

38 direCtory of serviCes

47 List of advertisers

Features 12 Working together to advance access:

the american Cochlear implant alliance By Susan Boswell and Nancy Gibson The ACI Alliance brings together consumers, parents, and professionals to work toward better recognition and reimbursement for cochlear implants.

18 Gabriel brainson: a young advocate’s Quest for better Captioning By Anna Karkovska McGlew, M.A. The teenager’s search for better captioning propelled him to conduct extensive research and ultimately brought him to Washington, D.C.

22 the rise of internet Captioning By James House We all take closed captioning on television for granted regardless of hearing ability. But that wasn’t always the case.

24 auditory-verbal therapy in telepractice: a Practical, Philosophical and Musical Perspective By Laura L. Van Antwerp, M.Ed. and K. Todd Houston, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT Auditory-verbal therapy delivered through telepractice is an ideal approach for many families that highlights the importance of parent coaching for success.

VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL

28 La terapia auditivo-verbal en la telepráctica: una perspectiva práctica, filosófica y musical Por Laura L. Van Antwerp, M.Ed. y K. Todd Houston, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT

MArch/April 2013

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V O l T A

VOICESAdvocating 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

AlexAnder GrAhAm BellAssociAtion for the DeAf

AnD hArD of heAring

3417 Volta Place, NW, Washington, DC 20007ListeningandSpokenLanguage.org

voice 202.337.5220tty 202.337.5221 | fax 202.337.8314

Volta Voices Staff

Director of Communications and Marketing Susan Boswell, CAE

Editor Anna Karkovska McGlew

Advertising, Exhibit and Sponsorship Sales

The Townsend Group

Design and LayoutEEI Communications

AG Bell Board of Directors

PresidentDonald M. Goldberg, Ph.D.,

LSLS Cert. AVT (OH)

President-ElectMeredith K. Knueve, Esq. (OH)

Immediate Past PresidentKathleen S. Treni (NJ)

Secretary-Treasurer Ted Meyer, M.D., Ph.D. (SC)

Executive Director/CEOAlexander T. Graham (VA)

Joni Y. Alberg, Ph.D. (NC)

Corrine Altman (NV)

Rachel Arfa, Esq. (IL)

Evan Brunell (MA)

Holly Clark (VA)

Wendy Ban Deters, M.S., CCC-SLP (IL)

Kevin Franck, Ph.D., MBA, CCC-A (MA)

Catharine McNally (VA)

Lyn Robertson, Ph.D. (OH)

VOLTA VOICES Volume 20, Issue 1, January/February (ISSN 1074-8016) is published 6 times per year in J/F, M/A, M/J, S/O, and N/D for $50 per year by Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, 3417 Volta Pl, NW, Washington, DC, 20007. Periodicals postage is paid at Washington, DC, and other additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Volta Voices, Subscription Department, 3417 Volta Pl., NW, Washington, DC 20007, 202/337-5220 (voice) or 202/337-5221 (TTY).

Claims for undelivered issues must be made within 4 months of publication. Volta Voices is sent to all members of the association. Yearly individual membership dues are $50. Volta Voices comprises $30 of membership dues. Subscriptions for schools, libraries and institutions are $115 domestic and $135 international (postage included in both prices). Back issues, when available, are $7.50 plus shipping and handling.

Copyright ©2013 by the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc., 3417 Volta Pl., NW, Washington, DC 20007. Articles published in Volta Voices do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Acceptance of advertising by Volta Voices does not constitute endorsement of the advertiser, their products or services, nor does Volta Voices make any claims or guarantees as to the accuracy or validity of the advertisers’ offer.

PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40624074 Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: P.O. Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R6

V O l T A

VOICESLetters to the Editor

Let us know how we are doing. Write a Letter to the Editor, and you could see your comment in the next issue.

Media KitVisit ListeningandSpokenLanguage.org and select

“About AG Bell” for advertising information.

Submit Articles/Items to:Volta Voices Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing 3417 Volta Place, NW • Washington, DC 20007Email: [email protected] online at ListeningandSpokenLanguage.org

Want to Write for Volta Voices?Submissions to Volta Voices

Volta Voices welcomes submissions from both AG Bell members and nonmembers. The magazine is published six times annually. Its audience consists of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing and professionals in fields related to hearing loss (audiology, speech-language pathology, psychology, otology, social services, education).

Visit the Volta Voices page at ListeningandSpokenLanguage.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.

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.

editorial Guidelines

The periodicals department reserves the right to edit material to fit the style and tone of Volta Voices and the space available. Articles are selected on a space-available and relevancy basis; submission of materials is not a guarantee of use.

Transfer of Copyright

The revised copyright law, which went into effect in January 1978, provides that from the time a manuscript is written, statutory copyright is vested with the author(s). All authors whose articles have been accepted for publication in Volta Voices are requested to transfer copyright of their articles to AG Bell prior to publication. This copyright can be transferred only by written agreement.

Without copyright ownership, the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing cannot issue or disseminate reprints, authorize copying by individuals and libraries, or authorize indexing and abstracting services to use material from the magazine.

Art Submission Guidelines

Volta Voices prefers digital images over original artwork. When submitting electronic files, please provide them in the following formats: TIF, EPS or JPG (no BMP or GIF images). Digital images must be at least 300 dpi (at size).

Want to Write for Volta Voices?

On the cover: Donna Sorkin and Poppy Kellmeyer enjoy music with the pre-kindergarten class at The River School in Washington, D.C.Credit: Terrie Kellmeyer, mother of Poppy Kellmeyer

volta voices • March/april 2013 3

VOICES FROM AG BELL

Advocating for Health Plan Access to Cochlear Implants

Advocacy for health plan coverage of cochlear implants has arguably never been more important. At both the

federal and state levels, policymakers are making critical decisions that will affect coverage for cochlear implants under public and private health plans. AG Bell has been at the forefront in two recent advocacy efforts to ensure that children and adults have access to a technol-ogy that is often critical for developing listening and spoken language.

As part of the Affordable Care Act, federal regulators are now developing standards related to the essential health benefits which will determine the compre-hensive package of health care services that must be included as part of health plans offered to individuals and small groups. In comments as part of the rulemaking process, AG Bell highlighted the critical need for access to cochlear implants and follow-up habilitative services as part of the essential health benefits package.

At the state level, the Washington State Health Care Authority conducts an annual technology review that determines which types of health tech-nologies will be covered under the state Medicaid program. As the state consid-ered whether or not to cover bilateral cochlear implants for children under age of 20 years, AG Bell advocated strongly for coverage of bilateral cochlear implants. By law, Medicaid is the payer of last resort, and if the Medicaid pro-gram does not cover bilateral cochlear implants, children with significant hearing loss lose the opportunity to gain meaningful access to sound.

Two Factors for SuccessFor children with severe to profound hearing loss, two converging factors should ideally be present to lead to

impressive success in spoken language development—early identification through newborn hearing screening and early intervention through access to cochlear implant technology. When children covered under Medicaid who meet cochlear implant candidacy criteria are forced to wait for a cochlear implant—or they are denied this tech-nology altogether—precious time is lost in spoken language development that cannot be regained. For these children, the research suggests that early cochlear implantation helps close the gap in language development between children with hearing loss and those who have typical hearing.

AG Bell advocated for access to bilat-eral cochlear implants which can assist children in overcoming several impor-tant limitations to a unilateral cochlear implant and can provide important ben-efits for children that are gained from access to binaural hearing. The decision to receive cochlear implants, however, is a personal decision for each family and

should be made in consultation with guidance from a team of professionals.

Bilateral Implantation—Why Two Is Better than OneBilateral cochlear implants can provide children with the ability to learn and function in the varied and complex lis-tening situations that are encountered in everyday life, such as noisy classrooms, playgrounds, and sports environments. Safety is also enhanced when there is a need to be aware of the sound of moving objects, such as oncoming traffic when crossing a busy street.

In addition, both children and adults have reported significant improvement in the quality of life after receiving bilateral cochlear implants from a more “balanced” perception of sound to conversations that are more enjoyable and less strenuous, particularly in noisy environments. As a clinician at a lead-ing cochlear implant program, I have been privileged to witness first-hand the

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Donald Goldberg works with Brian Gordon and his young son, Evan.

4 volta voices • March/april 2013

VOICES FROM AG BELL

QUeSTIOnS? COmmenTS? COnCernS?

Write to us: ag Bell 3417 volta place, nwwashington, dc20007

Or email us: [email protected]

Or online:listeningandspokenlanguage.org

tremendous therapeutic effectiveness and benefits of bilateral cochlear implants for children and adults who are deaf and hard of hearing.

One of these children was Evan Gordon, who was identified with profound bilateral hearing loss at age 2 months after he did not pass a newborn hearing screening. Although he wore hearing aids consistently and his parents were engaged in helping him to develop language, observations and assessments showed that he had limited auditory abilities and significantly limited speech and language development.

Evan celebrated his first birthday by hearing his first sounds through his bilateral cochlear implants. From then on, his communication skill development was on a fast track. At 2 years of age, just like other toddlers, Evan was saying two-

word phrases like “Where’s Daddy?” And no auditory-verbal session ends without a rendition of his favorite song, “Wheels on the Bus.”

For Evan—and many other chil-dren—bilateral cochlear implants, early identification and intervention are opening up the opportunity to achieve language on par with their peers. Cochlear implants and follow-up services are providing the opportunity for many recipients to be educated with accom-modations and support in mainstream environments, alongside their siblings and peers with typical hearing.

Despite these advances, there is still a tremendous need to educate the public and policymakers about this technology and to advocate for access to cochlear implants and related services under public and private health plans. AG Bell will con-

tinue to advocate in the year ahead. Look for periodic news on AG Bell’s advocacy efforts in upcoming issues of Volta Voices and in other communications vehicles.

Sincerely,

Donald M. Goldberg, Ph.D., CCC-SLP/A, FAAA, LSLS Cert. AVTPresident


EDITOR’S NOTE

Improving Our World Through Advocacy

Greetings! This marks my inaugural column as editor of Volta Voices. It is with delight and excitement that our edito-

rial team looks forward to hearing from you with story ideas and articles for future issues. I encourage you to write about what you want to read and submit it for consideration.

The March/April issue of Volta Voices focuses on advocacy efforts on behalf of the community of individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing. Our feature story about a young advocate, 16-year-old Gabriel Brainson, describes how the teenager’s search for better caption-ing propelled him to conduct extensive research and ultimately brought him to Washington, D.C., where he advocated for improved captions in a meeting with the Federal Communications Commission. The accompanying piece, written by Jim House from Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, describes how organized citizen advocacy led to greater availability of television captions and how similar efforts are making captions a real-ity on the Internet.

Our regular column, “Tips for Parents,” features Catherine Fries Vaughn, mother of 10-year-old Lily who has bilat-eral sensorineural cookie bite hearing loss. Catherine wrote “Things the Mother of a Child with Hearing Loss Wishes People Knew,” in which she highlights the impor-tance of helping children find their voice and advocate for themselves.

In “Auditory-Verbal Therapy in Telepractice: A Practical, Philosophical and Musical Perspective,” K. Todd Houston and Laura L. Van Antwerp pro-vide a powerful case for how telepractice can assist families in obtaining services from a Listening and Spoken Language Specialist and how these professionals can use concepts from other methodologies to assist parents in becoming their child’s

first teacher in developing listening and spoken language.

The “Hear Our Voices” column features the story of a teen who shares her journey growing up with bilateral cochlear implants, writing a book and serving as a mentor for other families.

This issue marks the launch of a new column “Up Front of the Back Page” which will profile the interesting people that make up the AG Bell community of adults, parents, and professionals who share their interests, perspective, and knowledge on their journey with hearing loss.

A short introductory note about my professional background. My profes-sional path has provided me with an eclectic and diverse bundle of skills and experiences. I started my career organiz-ing professional exchange study tours for Department of State guests under the auspices of the International Visitor Leadership Program, part of the U.S. government’s public diplomacy efforts. I then served as a membership manager at a corporate trade association, which represents software and digital content companies where I focused on mem-ber involvement and retention. I was a researcher for a law firm which special-

izes in corporate compliance for federally funded health centers and Head Start programs, where I provided research and data analysis as well as content manage-ment for websites. Most recently, I was the marketing, communications and membership coordinator at the Heart Rhythm Society in Washington, D.C., where I edited and produced the weekly membership e-newsletter, provided editorial support for print and electronic materials, and assisted with the society’s public awareness campaigns.

Please submit your story ideas, articles for publication, comments and sugges-tions to [email protected]. I encourage you to visit the Volta Voices section of the Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center to learn more about the many columns, topics of interest, and ways that you can write for the publica-tion. AG Bell is actively seeking contribu-tors for 2013, and we are eager to hear from you.

Kind regards,

Anna Karkovska McGlew Editor, Volta Voices


VOICES cONTriBuTOrs

Don’t miss another word!

www.captel.com 1-800-233-9130

Captioned Telephone

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Susan Boswell, CAE, co-author of “Working Together to Advance Access: The American Cochlear Implant Alliance,” is the director of communica-tions and marketing for

AG Bell. Boswell is pursuing a master’s degree in management from Notre Dame of Maryland University. She can be contacted at [email protected].

Regan Brady, author of this issue’s “Hear Our Voices,” offers her reflections on growing up with bilateral cochlear implants. Regan is an active eight grader, who

excels academically, plays a variety of sports, and wants to share her story, especially with parents thinking about a cochlear implant for their child.

Nancy Gibson, co-author of “Working Together To Advance Access: The American Cochlear Implant Alliance,” is a writer and public relations specialist. She founded

Gibson Communications, an integrated marketing and communications firm specializing in media relations.

Michael Hood shares his inspirational story about kayaking through the Amazon, whitewater rafting with his daughter, and exploring healthy cooking in a new

column, “Up Front on the Back Page.”

James House, author of “The Rise of Internet Captioning,” is the director of public relations at Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc.

During his tenure since 1999, Jim has participated in numerous consumer coalitions and industry forums involvin-gaccessibility issues in captioning on television, movies, and online; access to emergency communications; as well as mobile, text and video telecommunica-tions. House is the managing editor of TDI publications, and has provided a wealth of telecommunications and media access resources to both profes-sionals and consumers.

K. Todd Houston, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, is an Associate Professor in the School of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at The

University of Akron. His primary areas of research include spoken language acquisition in children with hearing loss, strategies for enhancing parent engage-ment in the intervention process, auditory-verbal practice, and teleprac-tice. He directs the Telepractice and eLearning Laboratory (TeLL), an initiative to evaluate clinical practices in the area of distance service delivery in speech-language pathology.

Elizabeth Reed-Martinez, author of “What’s New in the Knowledge Center,” is the Knowledge Center director for AG Bell. Before joining AG Bell in 2009, Reed-

Martinez was responsible for developing and implementing e-learning programs for the Society for Human Resource Management. She holds a B.S. in busi-ness administration from Bay Path College and an M.A. in human resource development and training from The George Washington University.

Laura L. Van Antwerp, M.Ed., is a second year graduate student in speech-language pathology in the School of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at The

University of Akron. Her primary areas of interest include traumatic brain injury, cognitive rehabilitation, spoken language acquisition in children with hearing loss, and auditory-verbal practice. She has been a member of the faculty at the New England Conservatory of Music and The Cleveland Institute of Music and is certified in the Suzuki method for flute.

Catherine Fries Vaughn, author of “Things the Mother of a Child with Hearing Loss Wishes People Knew,” has been a member of the Actors’ Equity

Association for 30 years, performing on Broadway, in national tours, and in regional theaters. Fries Vaughn studied Creative Writing, English, and Political Science at the University of Southern California. She attended the California Healing Arts College and was certified as a licensed massage therapist in Los Angeles. Her daughter, Lily, is 10 years old and has bilateral sensorineural cookie bite hearing loss. She wears bilateral hearing aids, and utilizes an FM system in school.

Don’t miss another word!

www.captel.com 1-800-233-9130

Captioned Telephone

CapTel® 840i

Hearing loss can’t keep me out of my bakery...CapTel® makes sure I catch every order!Make sure you are getting every

word of the phone conversation –

at work or at home – with

the CapTel Captioned

Telephone.

See what CapTel users are saying about this remarkable free service!

Visit CapTel.com

Includes built-in

answering machine

volta voice ad-jan2103_f.indd 1 1/14/13 9:40 AM


N E W s B i T E s

SOUNDleading Technology Companies Sponsor Knowledge CenterThree leading telecommunications and hearing technology organizations—CapTel®, MED-EL Corporation and Oticon—have become major sponsors of the Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center, the Internet resource for adults and children with hearing loss, their families and the professionals who support them. The “Partners in Hearing” sponsorship will advance the organi-zation’s common goals of providing resources and information that raise awareness of new technology options that support individuals who use listening and spoken language. Each sponsor is identified with a specific area or information channel for the Knowledge Center and their spon-sorship is identified on the landing page for these channels—Learn, Connect, Advocate—and they are featured in the weekly AG Bell e-newsletter that shares content related to these themes.

About the Knowledge

Center Sponsors

CapTel is the supporter of the Learn section of the Knowledge Center and the Learn edition of the AG Bell e-newsletter. For people with hearing loss, the CapTel Captioned Telephone works like any other telephone with one important addi-tion: it displays captions of every word the caller says. You can listen to the caller and read captions so you never miss a word! Visit www.captel.com.

MED-EL Corporation is the supporter of the Connect section of the Knowledge Center and the Connect edition of the AG Bell e-newsletter. Founded by

industry-leading scientists and engi-neers, MED-EL provides innovative solutions for those dealing with hearing loss. By advancing the field of hearing implant technology, MED-EL’s people and products connect individuals around the globe to the rich world of sound. Visit www.medel.com.

Oticon is the supporter of the Advocate section of the Knowledge Center and the Advocate edition of the AG Bell e-newsletter. Oticon’s pediatric philosophy reflects our commitment to offering children with hearing loss every opportunity to achieve their full poten-tial. By addressing their needs with the most child-friendly solutions avail-able, we can lay a solid foundation to empower them to communicate freely, interact naturally and participate actively in life. Visit www.oticonusa.com.

legal Case Paves the Way for StudentsAG Bell applauds the decision of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals which has ruled in favor of the plaintiff in Argenyi v. Creighton University. AG Bell filed an amicus brief in this case in support of Argenyi. Michael Argenyi, who recently received a cochlear implant, has been deaf since infancy and grew up using listening and spoken language. He had used Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) interpreting for many years in school and enrolled in Creighton University Medical School in Omaha, Neb. Argenyi requested CART inter-preting so he could understand what was being said in classes and during medical rounds. However, Creighton

rebuffed Argenyi’s request for CART and Argenyi spent nearly $100,000 of his own money to pay for the accom-modation. In the amicus brief, AG Bell argued that the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) clearly requires universities to provide accom-modations to ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to class-room materials. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) also filed a brief in this case largely agreeing with AG Bell’s arguments. In a unanimous decision, the 8th Circuit agreed with the plaintiff, AG Bell and the DOJ that Creighton had violated federal accessibility statutes by denying CART to Argenyi. The Court stated that accommodations are “necessary” if they “ensure that all people have ‘full and equal enjoyment’ of public accom-modations [i.e., schools] regardless of disability.” The 8th Circuit remanded the case to the district court for a trial under the proper standards. AG Bell will continue to monitor the case.

Text -to-911: Coming Your WayThe Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently published an update regarding “text-to-911,” or the ability to send a text message to 911 from a mobile phone or hand-held device. The four largest wireless carriers have voluntarily committed to make texting to 911 possible by May 15, 2014. Because most 911 centers are not currently able to accept text messages, the FCC has proposed an interim requirement for 911 centers to insti-tute automated “bounce-back” error messages by June 30, 2013, which will inform you that you need to reach 911


BITESCOMPILED BY:

ANNA KArKOVsKA McGLEW

in another way. The three facts that you need to be aware of for now are: (1) in an emergency, always make a voice, relay, or TTY call to 911 if possible; (2) in most cases, you cannot currently reach 911 by sending a text message; and (3) in the future, you may be able to send text messages to 911 – but you should still make a voice or TTY call if you can. Visit the FCC webpage at www.fcc.gov/text-to-911.

mobile App for Children with disabilitiesResearchers from Spain performed a pre-experimental study with 39 students with disabilities using a mobile application and the results of their work were published in the February 2013 issue of Computers & Education. Picaa, the application employed in the study, is a system designed for the development of

learning and communication activities to be performed in class that can be used on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Aimed at children and teenagers with some kind of cognitive, visual or hearing impairment, it includes a number of activities enhancing perception, vocabulary acquisition, and phonetic and syntactic performance. The appli-cation has been translated into several languages from Spanish, including English and Arabic, and has been downloaded 20,000 times from the iTunes App Store. More on the study, “Mobile Learning Technology Based on iOS Devices to Support Students with Special Education Needs,” can be found at www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131512002199.

designing Antibiotics That don’t damage hearingDesigning antibiotics that kill drug-resistant bacteria is at the forefront of global health efforts. However, some of the most powerful disease-fighting drugs bring an unwanted side effect – ototoxicity or permanent hearing loss – which makes doctors hesitant to prescribe them. In a paper published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team from Switzerland, England and the University of Michigan showed – through a broad range of tests in animals – that an antibiotic already used in veterinary medicine is highly efficient against bacteria with a low potential for causing hearing loss. The paper outlines a rational approach to designing drugs to combat bacterial threats such as multidrug-resistant tuberculosis without ototox-

hear Indiana hosts 10th Annual Talk Walk runOn April 27, 2013, Hear Indiana will host the 10th Annual Talk Walk Run. The event raises awareness about listening and spoken language development in children who are deaf and hard of hearing. In 2012, the event raised $70,000 to support Hoosiers with hearing loss through Hear Indiana’s ongoing pro-gramming: advocacy, support, an educational conference, and a summer camp. With over 700 attendees the event continues to grow each year. For those living in surrounding states, hotel rooms have been reserved and a kick-off dinner will be held Friday, April 26.

In honor of the 10th anniversary, the chapter is add-ing a 10K distance to the traditional 5K and Kids Run options. The 2013 Talk Walk Run Ambassador is Joey Blansette, whose team came in first place raising a total of $6,375. Joey and his mother, Elizabeth, both have auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder. Elizabeth received a cochlear implant last year, and after amaz-ing results she encouraged Joey to get one too. Just one month after activation, Joey understands speech through his implant alone, and he says that it sounds much clearer than his aided ear. Check out the event and online auction at www.TalkWalkRun.com.

north Carolina Chapter honors Beth WhitfieldThe North Carolina chapter of AG Bell honors the legacy of Dr. Daniel Ling by recognizing a professional for his or her contributions to the field of education for the deaf and hard of hearing in North Carolina. On Novem-ber 8, 2012, the chapter recognized AG Bell member, Beth Whitfield, LSLS Cert. AVT, with this award. Beth has been making a difference in the lives of children with hearing loss and their families since 1993.

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SOUND BITESicity, based on a theoretical framework that emerged from the work of the three laboratories and centers around the role of ribosomes, the structures inside the cell that “read” DNA and translate the genetic message into proteins. The aim is to protect the delicate cochlear hair cells in the inner ear. Once destroyed cochlear hair cells cannot be re-grown. Visit http://finance.boston.com/boston/news/read/21545384/kill_the_germs.

hearing Aid law for Children Goes into effect Last fall, the Massachusetts Hearing Aids for Children Coalition championed and secured passage of the Hearing Aid Law for Children. The coalition is a statewide network of families of children who are deaf and hard of hearing and professionals that worked toward the passage of legislation in Massachusetts that would compel insurance compa-nies to cover the cost of hearing aids for children. The Hearing Aid Law for Children went into effect in Massachusetts on Jan. 1, 2013. The new law requires that health insurers include coverage of hearing aids for children who are 21 years of age or younger, up to $2,000 per hearing aid for each hearing impaired ear in each 36-month period, and who are covered under the Health Plan. The coalition has provided answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about the new law at http://masshafcc.blogspot.com/2013/01/childrens-hearing-aid-law-effective.html.

lG electronics Accessibility Consumer Advisory BoardJohn Stanton, chair of the AG Bell Public Affairs Council (PAC), was recently asked by LG Electronics to join their Accessibility Consumer Advisory Board. The group brings together representatives from organiza-tions serving the disability community to provide consumer input into LG

AG BELL MEMBErs iN THE MEdiA

Young Cochlear Implant recipient Featured in Ohio, michigan and minnesota mediaA young bilateral cochlear implant recipient Mason Henoch and his fam-ily were featured on Cleveland’s Channel 19 Action News (WOIO), Dayton’s ABC 22 News and other local networks in Ohio, Michigan and Minnesota. The child and family participate in auditory-verbal therapy at the Cleve-land Clinic with Donald Goldberg, Ph.D., CCC-SLP/A, LSLS Cert. AVT, AG Bell president. Henoch was diagnosed with severe hearing loss in both ears right around his first birthday. After testing, the boy was deemed to be an excellent candidate for cochlear implants. “Every time when I see the surgeon with his or her skill put in the electrode array, I actually have chills up my arms, thinking, ‘that’s going to bring access to sound,’” Gold-berg said. Henoch started forming his first words just a few weeks after his implants were activated. Watch the story on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr9_8iRGPq0.

Challenging Fears to Gain StrengthAG Bell Board member Rachel Arfa challenged herself with a Fear Experi-ment by taking a stepping dance class despite not being able to hear the music well because of her deafness. “I’m not a dancer. I don’t have any train-ing, but I realized when I went to an information meeting about this, nobody had any experience,” said Arfa. Dance instructor Queen Meccasia Zabriskie said she was worried about having a student who is deaf. “It’s a process. We’re still working on it, but I’m completely inspired by her,” said Zabriskie. Rachel Arfa’s story appeared on ABC 7 Chicago at http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/disability_issues&id=8918979.

AG Bell Supporter Published in Scientific AmericanLydia Denworth, a freelance journalist, author, and the mother of a child with hearing loss, recently had an article published in Scientific American Mind. The piece, titled “Brain-Changing Games,” summarizes a body of recent research, which shows that playing certain video games improves vision, attention, spatial reasoning and decision making. Perhaps surpris-ingly, the games that have the most powerful neurological effects are the ones parents hate the most: violent first-person shooters. “With a house full of video game players, it was particularly interesting to work on this story,” Denworth said. She is the author of two books, “Toxic Truth: A Scientist, A Doctor, and the Battle Over Lead” (Beacon Press, 2009) and the forth-coming “I Can Hear You Whisper” (Dutton). Readers can view a portion of this premium content article at www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-video-games-change-brain.

On Being a deaf momLisa Goldstein shares her memories of what it was like being a new mom who also is deaf. Read about how she learned to communicate with her chil-dren at the various stages of their language development at the Hearing Like Me website, which is sponsored by Phonak, at http://www.hearinglikeme.com/living/relationships/being-deaf-mom.

volta voices • March/april 2013 1 1

SOUND BITESElectronics’ present and future product designs, and will meet several times a year. At the group’s first meeting in December 2012, LG executives and designers made presentations for their latest televisions and cell/smart phones. Other organizations represented at the meeting included: American Foundation for the Blind, Hearing Loss Association of America, and Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons, among others.

AG Bell Parent-Infant Financial Aid Awards distributedThe AG Bell Parent-Infant Financial Aid Committee is pleased to announce a total of $118,849.96 was recently awarded to 140 families that are committed to a listening and spoken language outcome

for their infants and toddlers who are deaf and hard of hearing. Awards ranged from $600 to $1,200. Award recipients reside in 31 U.S. states and Canada. The Parent-Infant Financial Aid Program is for families of infants and toddlers from birth through age 3 who have been diagnosed with a moderate to profound hearing loss who are in pursuit of spoken language outcome for their child. Awards are intended to assist with expenses for services such as auditory support services, speech-language therapy, tuition, etc.

earn CeUs reading The Volta reviewAG Bell is excited to announce that you can now receive CEUs through the AG Bell Academy for reading The Volta Review monograph as well as future journal issues. Starting with “Current Knowledge and Best

Practices for Telepractice” you will be able to receive up to two credit hours depending on the length and scope of the publication. Visit ListeningandSpokenLanguage.com/ TVRCEU to learn more and begin earning CEUs now!

Single-Unit Sound Processor ApprovedMED-EL received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a single-unit audio processor, the RONDOTM. This innovative and compact design combines the micro-phone, battery pack and coil into a single externally-worn processor. The RONDO can be used with all MED-EL cochlear implants. MED-EL cochlear implant users will now have the option of selecting a sound processor without an ear hook and separate coil and cable.


By susan Boswell and nancy gibson

The American Cochlear Implant Alliance

Cochlear implants have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for nearly 30 years. Yet, only half

of eligible children in the United States receive them. The general public may be more familiar with the controversy related to the technology than the benefits that it can bring. On the public policy front, there are challenges in obtaining reimbursement for the technology as well as habilitation services needed to use the device.

There are a number of national orga-nizations in the field of hearing loss that represent consumers, parents and profes-sionals, but there is no comprehensive orga-nization that brings together all of these

groups with a focus on cochlear implants. In 2010 a group of professionals, surgeons, audiologists, speech-language pathologists and representatives from three cochlear implant companies met to determine how they could improve the acceptance of and access to cochlear implants. A year later the American Cochlear Implant Alliance (ACI Alliance) was born. The organization’s mission is to focus on eliminating barriers to cochlear implantation through research, advocacy and awareness for people of all ages throughout the U.S. and its leadership and board include representatives from all its constituents.

The ACI Alliance is led by two individuals whose paths crossed twenty

years ago. John K. Niparko, M.D., chairman of the Board of Directors of the Alliance and recently appointed professor and chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and Donna L. Sorkin, execu-tive director of the Alliance and cochlear implant recipient, met when Sorkin visited Niparko’s cochlear implant center looking for help to speechread more effectively. Little did she know then how her life would change. Sorkin says she is privileged to have experienced first-hand the power of the evolving technology.

Niparko notes that, “Though I have a different vantage point as a cochlear

Working Together to Advance Access:


implant surgeon, I share Donna’s per-spective. Like many of you, I witnessed first-hand the life changing impact of cochlear implants for thousands of children and adults. Yet, despite the extraordinary benefits, we continue to be frustrated by roadblocks that interfere with appropriate provision of implants and the clinical services that support their full use. That is why I joined with other clinicians and representatives of the cochlear implant companies to establish a not-for-profit organization to focus on advancing access through research, advocacy, and awareness.”

The Alliance is stepping onto the national stage at an opportune time.

With the nation’s health care system changing, the Alliance hopes to ensure that the continuum of care for cochlear implants is appropriately covered for people of all ages. There are some tough challenges ahead, but by bringing together such a diverse group of profes-sionals, consumers and parents, the Alliance appears to be more than ready to meet these challenges. We invited Donna Sorkin and John Niparko to share with the AG Bell community details about the organization, its mission and goals.

Volta Voices: What was the inspiration behind the creation of the American Cochlear Implant Alliance?

Donna Sorkin: In 2010, a group of surgeons, audiologists, speech-language pathologists and representatives of the three cochlear implant companies met to discuss the low utilization of cochlear implants and the barriers to access. The meeting attendees agreed that a new organization was needed that would operate in an inclusive and collabora-tive manner with existing organizations in the field of hearing loss while at the same time providing a focus on cochlear implants. While there are a number of organizations in the field of hearing loss representing professionals, consumers and parents, there is no comprehen-sive organization that seeks to bring together the various parties and interests

with a focus on cochlear implants. The American Cochlear Implant Alliance was formed to bring together the expertise and passion that these professionals and consumers share about the benefits of this extraordinary intervention as well as its underutilization in America.

Volta Voices: What is the unique role of the ACI Alliance in promoting cochlear implants as well as listening and spoken language?

John Niparko: Awareness of cochlear implantation and its benefits in overcom-ing the effects of severe to profound hear-ing loss is still low among the general population and even among health care professionals. We want to change that. Too often, parents are not told of their child’s potential candidacy and how a cochlear implant would facilitate the development of spoken language. At the present time, only about 50% of U.S. children who have the appropri-ate audiological profile receive cochlear implants compared with over 90% of eligible children in many European countries. In the United States, pediatric utilization rates in the under 3 years of age demographic group are believed to be even lower than 50%.

Children who do not have cochlear implants and could benefit from the auditory access that they provide are hampered in their efforts to develop spoken language. Hearing technol-

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John Niparko and a young patient.

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ogy is one of the nine domains of knowledge that are central to the AG Bell Academy’s Listening and Spoken Language Specialist certification. If a child’s hearing is not properly amplified, that child will experience significant limitations in developing spoken lan-guage. Because we know that children who received a cochlear implant at or under 18 months of age have the best outcomes, the fact that families are still coming to the cochlear implant process late is an issue that needs to be addressed. These statistics and the fac-tors contributing to low utilization of cochlear implants will be the subject of a forthcoming March 2013 special issue of the peer-reviewed publication Cochlear Implants International. The supplement is supported by the ACI Alliance and will be published online in March 2013 and in print the following month. This is an example of one way that we can highlight and address issues important to our community.

Volta Voices: What will the ACI Alliance focus on in the upcoming year?

Donna Sorkin: The ACI Alliance was established as a not-for-profit 501(c) (3) organization in October 2011. Our mission is to “advance access to the gift of hearing provided by cochlear implantation through research, advo-cacy and awareness. ” The organization is governed by a board of directors, which includes renowned professionals in the field of hearing loss and cochlear implants. Currently the board is com-prised of five cochlear implant surgeons, three audiologists, two speech-language pathologists, an educator, parent of a child with a cochlear implant, and a consumer recipient. A number of our board members are also active members of AG Bell.

Our funding is derived from a number of sources including member-ship revenues, donations from indi-viduals, grants from the three cochlear

implant companies and foundations, and conferences.

The ACI Alliance is committed to eliminating barriers to cochlear implanta-tion by sponsoring research, promoting increased awareness and advocating for improved access to cochlear implants for patients of all ages. To do this, the ACI Alliances aims to: ʶ Conduct awareness activities aimed at

the general public, patients, and the medical community

ʶ Develop and/or sponsor clinical trials and research documenting benefits and demonstrating links to health and wellness

ʶ Educate health care plan execu-tives and government officials about cochlear implant technology, its economic and social benefits and the relative value associated with coverage

ʶ Organize collaborative efforts to foster new research and encourage best clinical practices for standardized outcomes.An important element of the way

we will operate is inherent to the word “alliance” in our name. We are working collaboratively with the major organiza-tions in the field of hearing loss as well as with individual clinicians, educators, consumers, parents, public officials, and the cochlear implant companies. We are very fortunate to have received start-up support from all three cochlear implant companies operating in the United States. We view our role at the ACI Alliance to be one of collaboration and encourage-ment to the wide-ranging interests in cochlear implants.

Volta Voices: What public policy initia-tives will the ACI Alliance undertake in the next year? What are the chal-lenges in the public policy arena relat-ing to access to cochlear implants?

Donna Sorkin: Health care is in tremen-dous flux right now and it is important that we safeguard access by being proac-tive about health insurance coverage. The ACI Alliance submitted detailed comments on cochlear implant cover-age in response to the proposed rule on the Essential Health Benefits under the Affordable Care Act. We want to do our

Donna L. Sorkin may be a familiar face to many in the AG Bell commu-nity as she was executive director of the AG Bell Association from 1999-2001. She was recently appointed the first executive director of the newly established ACI Alliance, a non-profit organization focused on eliminating barriers to cochlear implantation through research, advocacy and awareness for people of all ages in the United States. As a cochlear implant recipient herself and one who has been a tireless advocate for children and adults with cochlear implants for many years, she is in a unique position to lead the ACI Alliance.

Sorkin is a past vice president of consumer affairs for Cochlear Americas, where she developed legislation and advocacy pro-grams to expand reimbursement of cochlear implantation via private and governmental insurance programs. She created the HOPE program, a program that provides support to professionals in educational and

therapeutic settings who work with children with cochlear implants. She also was executive director of Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, now known as Hearing Loss Association of America.

Sorkin is a graduate of Harvard University Kennedy School of Government where she received her masters in city planning. Her leadership on numerous boards and councils include Gallaudet University Advisory Board, Hearing Loss Association of America, U.S. Access Board (appointed by President Clinton), Council of Organizational Representatives, WGBH Center for Accessible Media, National Institute on Deafness Advisory Council, Knowles Center, Northwestern University, and Colorado Neurological Institute, Center for Hearing. She has lectured and published widely on hearing loss and cochlear implants. Sorkin has often spoken of her own first-hand knowledge of “the extraordinary power of the evolving technology.”

meet donna Sorkin


best to ensure that the entire continuum of care for cochlear implants is appropri-ately covered for people of all ages. We want to be proactive about prohibiting the new state exchanges that are devel-oped as part of the Affordable Care Act from including unreasonable and arbi-trary visit and dollar limits on cochlear implant services. At present, we know that some health plans have such dollar limits and that they can prevent an indi-vidual from receiving bilateral cochlear implants, which are now the standard of care for children with profound hearing loss to allow them to develop language that is as close as possible to that of their typically hearing peers.

The ACI Alliance will develop guid-ance materials for professionals in the field of cochlear implants, including educators and therapists, as well as par-ents and consumers to enable them to get involved in the new health care exchanges at the state level. States will have consid-erable flexibility in developing their own health exchanges. We strongly encourage our entire community to work together at the state level to ensure appropriate cover-age for the continuum of care associated with cochlear implantation.

ACI Alliance will remain as a resource throughout the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. As health care evolves in the years ahead, we want to stay on top of these changes and the need

to demonstrate important societal as well as patient benefits from this extraordinary intervention. As AG Bell members know, cochlear implantation involves more than just having the surgery. It is an inter-vention that has allowed children who are deaf and hard of hearing to develop age-appropriate language—if all of the needed supports are in place. The ACI Alliance will provide guidance on how to advocate for cochlear implant coverage under the Affordable Care Act, what to look for, and how to provide input.

The ACI Alliance would also like to be involved in Medicaid policies as they affect access to care. At present, some state Medicaid programs are not covering sound processor upgrades or replace-ments. As a consequence, some children who have Medicaid insurance coverage are using 10-year-old processors that are held together with duct tape. Clearly this is not satisfactory and we believe it is in conflict with congressional intent regarding state Medicaid programs. There are other examples of states that limit the number of therapy sessions that a child may receive under Medicaid. An increasing number of states do not cover cochlear implants for adults under Medicaid. We are interested in all of these issues as public affairs concerns that impact on access to appropriate care. The ACI Alliance will collaborate with other organizations to address these issues.

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Donna Sorkin and students in the 3rd grade class at The River School in Washington, D.C., which has many students who are deaf and hard of hearing.


Volta Voices: How is the ACI Alliance working to develop a standard of care?

Donna Sorkin: All of our activities will advance efforts to make cochlear implantation the standard of care for deafness. One of the critical areas we want to address is the lack of awareness that currently exists among the general population, among primary physicians such as pediatricians and internists, and even among some hearing health care professionals. Often we find that the pub-lic and medical professionals have limited knowledge about the empowering nature of the intervention.

Having cochlear implant surgeons and other clinicians on our board will provide us with greater opportunity to work collaboratively with professional societ-ies to address the misinformation that is currently impacting referrals for children and adults alike.

Volta Voices: How does the ACI Alliance foster research related to cochlear implants?

John Niparko: The first research project being undertaken by the ACI Alliance will evaluate cochlear implant candidacy for adults. At present, the candidacy criteria for Medicare beneficiaries are more stringent than the FDA guide-lines. Individuals age 65 and older face significant communication difficulties and experience serious life impacts when the hearing loss is so advanced that it limits the benefit derived from traditional amplification. While we believe that the senior population should be carefully evaluated for any surgical intervention, we believe that there are important health-related and quality-of-life benefits that accrue from providing cochlear implants to this population.

Our study will examine 90 adult study participants who experienced hearing loss after learning language to evaluate the safety and efficacy of cochlear implants. We will specifi-cally examine and assess the level of, in several domains, cochlear implantation under revised guidelines in seniors. We believe that this study will also con-

tribute to the general body of literature on outcomes in adults when cochlear implants are provided to those with more residual hearing.

An innovative element of the study involves the creation of a new patient reg-istry that will house the patient data for the Medicare study. In future years, the registry will provide a means to conduct a range of research projects relating to cochlear implantation in patients of all ages. The registry, which will be oper-ated by the ACI Alliance, will provide clinicians and scientists with important research opportunities.

Volta Voices: How can professionals, parents of children who have cochlear implants, and adults who use cochlear implants become involved in the ACI Alliance?

Donna Sorkin: We hope all of those groups will be members and supporters of the ACI Alliance. We have a member-ship structure that allows organizations such as cochlear implant clinics, hearing

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centers, schools and others to join. Each organizational member can then provide 10 free individual memberships to its staff. There is also an individual profes-sional membership category as well as a parent/consumer membership. We will be looking to our members to participate in our organization as advocates and strong voices for appropriate access to cochlear implants in diverse ways. For example, in December we sent out an alert to our membership asking them to submit comments on the Affordable Care Act. A number of clinics and individual members used our guidance to do that.

The ACI Alliance website will be the organization’s primary communication vehicle but our members will be hearing from us regularly. A strong membership will provide us with the strength and credibility that we need to communicate in a convincing way with government officials, insurance companies, primary care physicians, and others in the health care arena.

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Donna Sorkin dances with Poppy Kellmeyer at The River School in Washington, D.C.


By anna karkovska Mcglew

Gabriel Brainson

As many high school students do, Gabriel Brainson settled in to watch a TV show online, but quickly realized

that it was not captioned. He knew the show was captioned on television—but why wasn’t it captioned on the Internet? Brainson wears bilateral cochlear implants and finds that closed captioning helps him follow dialogue on television.

When watching live broadcasts, the 16-year-old noticed that the cap-tions were delayed, paraphrased or just plain inaccurate. His quest for answers and the search for better captioning propelled him to conduct extensive research and ultimately brought him to

Washington, D.C., where he advocated for improved captions in a meeting with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the federal agency responsible for regulating closed captioning.

The FCC established closed cap-tioning requirements for video pro-gramming distributors with the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (televi-sion broadcast stations and multichannel video programming distributors such as cable, satellite, and other television service providers). Since then, the agency has established rules and a schedule of increasing amounts of required caption-ing over a period of eight years. As of

January 1, 2006, all new, non-exempt, English language video programming must have closed captions.

However, as Brainson found out, these rules didn’t necessarily apply to online content. He wanted to know why some things were captioned online, and others were not.

The Quest BeginsOver the course of many months, Brainson spent a lot of his free time absorbing all that he could find about closed captioning. There was a tre-mendous amount of material on the subject: he learned about the various technologies used to caption and decode

A Young Advocate’s Quest for Better Captioning


captioning, the companies and organiza-tions involved in providing captioning services, and the efforts of Congress and the FCC to bring more closed caption-ing to online content. “I never thought my initial interest in closed captioning would become a pastime that consumed almost all my free time for almost a year,” Brainson said.

The more Brainson found out, the more interested he became. He began to have his own ideas on how to make captioning better and more available. With the encouragement of his dad, David Brainson, the teenager decided to try and change the way things are done. He knew from his research that the

FCC had been working on captioning of online content for some time, and had recently finalized an initial, comprehen-sive and lengthy round of rulemaking on the subject.

Without any idea about who the appropriate contact would be at the Commission, Brainson reached for the top. The teenager spent two months researching and writing a letter to FCC Chair Julius Genachowski, in which he offered to come to Washington to discuss his research and suggestions with the chairman and staff at the FCC.

Two months later, Gabriel received an email, followed by a letter, with Chairman Genachowski’s response, which also contained an invitation to Washington. The chairman offered to arrange a meeting for him and senior staff members at the FCC if Brainson was able to visit Washington, D.C. “I couldn’t believe that the chairman’s response was so comprehensive and thor-oughly researched. I was very happy that my letter had clearly made a favorable impression, and that I would have an opportunity to follow up,” Brainson said.

meeting at the FCCThe meeting, which occurred in November 2012, included Gabriel and David Brainson, and six FCC staff members: Karen Peltz Strauss, deputy chief of the Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau; Gregory Hlibok, chief of the Disability Rights Office (DRO); Rosaline Crawford, an attorney in the DRO; an intern who is hard of hear-ing working in the DRO; and two sign language interpreters.

The deputy chief, the senior most staff member at the meeting, congratulated Gabriel for having gotten the attention of the chairman regarding closed caption-ing. “It was intimidating and took me a while to get comfortable with the grand surroundings, and the process of a busi-ness meeting,” Brainson recalled.

The teenager gradually relaxed as he started describing the research he had done over the past year and shared his insights and views on the issues he identified. Brainson also learned a lot about the history of captioning rules, how they came about, and how the rules

are enforced. He started understand-ing why captioning is almost universal on broadcast television and how the eventual implementation of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA) would do the same for content delivered online.

“After all the research I had done, including studying the provisions of the CVAA, it was incredible to sit at the same table with a whole team of people who were actually involved in helping draft the CVAA, as well as draft the FCC rulemaking on the Act,” Brainson said. “I was truly moved by the experience.”

Issues with Closed CaptioningBrainson feels that one of the great-est problems with closed captioning is the poor quality of captions during live broadcasts. The closed captioning may include grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and sometimes, the captioner may paraphrase parts of the conversa-tions. To add to the issue of quality, the captioning will lag several seconds or more behind the real-time feed.

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Gabriel Brainson visits his Congressional representatives to raise awareness of issues with captioning

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David and Gabriel Brainson at the Volta Bureau


The meeting at the FCC left Brainson with lasting impressions and new insights. “I felt that all my work and effort were finally beginning to pay off,” he said. “The meeting was infor-

mative, interesting and, above all, heart-warming. It made me realize how many smart, dedicated and hard-working people are putting in tremendous effort to help the deaf and hard of hearing

community as a whole. On a personal level, I was particularly pleased that one of my ideas was met with some real enthusiasm.”

Brainson shared his simple and straightforward solution for all live broadcasts—he suggested that the FCC should mandate a requirement for a time delay on all live broadcasts, and that networks should allow the cap-tioner access to the actual, live video/audio feed, thus giving the captioner a much needed few extra seconds to improve the quality of captions for the delayed feed. Currently, at the broad-caster’s discretion, there is a short time delay only for certain live broadcasts to make sure they comply with FCC decency rules. For these broadcasts, the captioners get access to the time delayed feed rather than the live one, depriv-ing them of the few extra seconds they could use to significantly improve the quality of captions.

Making captions more ubiquitous and accurate provides broad soci-

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Gabriel Brainson meets with Greg Hlibok


etal value. Captions not only benefit individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing; they are useful for all patrons in noisy environments such as restau-rants, train stations, and airports; they

may prove indispensable in emergency situations; and they are tremendously valuable to people trying to learn a new language, as it allows them to better understand written language.

Brainson was born with a severe to profound hearing loss that was diag-nosed when he was around five months old. He was fitted with hearing aids and has attended mainstream schools. As his hearing gradually got worse, Brainson became a candidate for cochlear implants. He received his first implant in 2007 and his second in early 2012. Brainson enjoys having two implants, as they have allowed him to hear sounds he had never heard before, communicate with people whose voices he had never understood, and start enjoying music for the first time in his life.

“For anyone, life can have its chal-lenges,” Brainson noted. “If you are deaf or hard of hearing, there can be greater obstacles. For me, being deaf allows me to look in the mirror and see not only the ref lection of who I am, but where I’ve been and how far I have come. I see the challenges I have faced in the past, and realize that no obstacle will be too big for me in the future.”

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Karen Peltz Strauss, Gabriel Brainson, and Julius Genachowski at the FCC

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The Rise of Internet CaptioningBy James House

We all take closed captioning on television for granted regardless of hearing ability. But that wasn’t

always the case. The older generation may recall a time when captioning was nowhere to be found. By contrast, the younger generation has always had access to caption-ing if they knew where to look. TDI, or Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, has been at the forefront of cap-tioning advocacy since its inception in 1968.

TDI was founded by H. Latham Breunig, his wife Nancy from the Alexander Graham Bell Association, and Jess Smith from the National Association of the Deaf. Their united goal was simple: people who are deaf and hard of hearing needed equal access to telecommunications and they needed it every day; therefore, they needed access to technology.

Back then, the only accessible media were captioned theatrical movies and educational films on 16mm reels that were loaned by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) to orga-nizations and schools around the country. People who were deaf and hard of hearing eagerly waited for the “latest” accessible Hollywood blockbuster to come out six or more months after it had swept the movie theaters around the country. This program still functions today as the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP).

Forty-five years have passed since the organization was founded. Captions on television are ubiquitous and they are more than an accommodation for a small section of the population. Bars and other public places display captions on their TV sets for the benefit of all customers. Captioned movies are also undergoing a similar evolu-tion: resistance is crumbling and more people are embracing captions as “curb cuts,” similar to a ramp that provides access to the sidewalk. Today, we enjoy captioned movies at the theater with mega-cups of popcorn and drinks within arm’s reach. Some of us choose to wait the few weeks until the release of captioned DVDs and BluRays, so we can enjoy many of the same blockbusters in the privacy of our homes.

Captioning for television is a great suc-cess story that provides lessons for extending captioning to other media. The idea for cap-tioning came about in the early 1970s, when government officials, public broadcasters, and other industry engineers began testing ways to carry extra data in television signals. Dr. Malcolm “Mac” J. Norwood, known as the “Father of Closed Captioning” and deaf himself, was head of the HEW at the time. The department, since renamed the U.S. Department of Education, provided funding with the creation of the National Captioning Institute in 1979.

On March 16, 1980, the Sunday evening broadcast programs on the ABC, CBS and PBS networks included closed captioning, a giant milestone in the history of television. Live captioning was devel-oped shortly after that in 1982 and private captioning businesses proliferated. Fast forward to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which, along with many acces-sibility provisions, required the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to draft regulations mandating captions in nearly all television programming by 2006.

As full captioning on television was being realized, the rise of the Internet in the 1990s brought a new dimension to the quest for universal captioning and opened a whole new area of need for full and equal access. According to the DCMP, the first live cyber-cast to be captioned was in 1994 when Vice President Al Gore presented his

“Information Superhighway” speech. In 1995, the Discovery Network’s “Live! With Derek McGinty” show became the first regularly captioned Internet program. In 1997, President Clinton’s second inaugura-tion speech was the first live event to be captioned online simultaneously with TV.

Online tools now make it much easier for do-it-yourselfers and profes-sionals alike to provide accessibility for the masses. Google saw captioning on YouTube as a gold mine, where text within the captions can provide keywords for search engines of the future. At the press conference announcing its new service in late 2009, Google statistics illustrated the scale of supply and demand challenges with its autocaptioning tool for inserting time code in videos. For every minute of streaming video you download to watch, thousands of other users are uploading 20 hours of video.

The demand for captioned videos continued to rise. By 2008, the number of U.S. broadband households watch-ing premium online content, including movies and TV shows, had reached 25 million. While the Internet makes it easier to orate on any topic, the onus is on video creators to make their content accessible to everyone.

In the 2000s, it became apparent that a new law was needed: one that provided equal access to the new telecommunications and media technologies. This led to the

During his trip to Washington, Gabriel Brainson also met with two members of Congress and discussed caption-ing and some of the issues surround-ing the subject. If you are interested in advocating for better and more accessible captioning, he suggests visiting your elected representatives the next time you are in the nation’s capital, or writing a letter to your congressman or senator.

Brainson has created a Facebook page, The Closed Captioning Alliance, https://www.facebook.com/

pages/The-Closed-Captioning-Alliance/323998277704654?ref=hl, to encourage people to share problems they encounter with closed caption-ing, or offer their suggestions/ideas, which will be shared with the FCC. You can also share your thoughts on captioning via Twitter, https://twitter.com/TheCCAlliance.

Complaints about closed caption-ing can also be filed directly with the FCC using the complaint form at the bottom of the page at www.fcc.gov/guides/closed-captioning.

make Your Voice heard


founding of the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) in 2007. From a handful of organizations that included TDI and AG Bell, COAT now speaks for more than 300 national, local and international affiliates. On October 8, 2010, President Barack Obama signed a bipartisan bill, the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA), telling the world that it is time to make the Internet accessible.

Now, more than two years later, we are beginning to see results of our advocacy for captioning on the Internet. Current CVAA regulations call for captioning online televised content according to the following schedule: ʶ September 30, 2012 – New, prere-

corded, full-length TV programming displayed online must be captioned.

ʶ March 30, 2013 – The same require-ment kicked in for live TV program-ming displayed online.

ʶ September 30, 2013 is the effective date of captioning for prerecorded programs edited for the Internet.

ʶ March 30, 2014 is when archival pro-grams must be captioned after showing on television again.The CVAA updates the Decoder

Circuitry Act of 1990, which required that all TV sets – above 13 inches and manufactured or imported into the U.S. – must support captioning. Now, all devices that display video must be able to support captioning. Due to advances from analog to digital technologies, cap-tions are much easier to read on small screens such as smartphones, computer monitors, tablets, glasses, as well as on big jumbo screens. Video program-ming distributors are required to enable captions to be rendered or displayed on browsers and smartphone apps. The requirement for all devices that display video kicks in on January 1, 2014, when they must include captions with the capa-bilities to change color, font, background and size.

The FCC has deemed that the CVAA does not cover video clips. This is an area where TDI and other national consumer

groups for deaf and hard of hearing people have petitioned for reconsideration. Such clips include important information from news stories and interviews are self-con-tained videos that can stand alone with its own story. Many shows are cut up into bite-sized pieces and end up as a series of short videos on the web. The FCC rules also do not cover direct-to-Internet video that has never been on television.

Captioning for downloaded movies is also seeing some progress. As the result of a recent lawsuit that was settled in October 2012, Netflix is committed to providing captioning for all videos in its online library within two years.

Captions on the Internet are not uni-versal yet. But important steps have been taken to make it a reality. You can also be part of the solution by getting involved and filing a complaint with the FCC every time you see a program with poor or no captions. See the sidebar on page 22 for instructions. Making your voice heard and asking for access to captioning is how we can all make a world of difference.

At St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf (SJI), we believe that children with hearing loss deserve the opportunity to listen, speak and read.

As international leaders in listening and spoken language (LSL) based education, our highly trained staff of certified deaf educators, speech therapists and audiologists help children develop

oral language without the use of sign language. SJI is the only school for the deaf to be fully accredited by the prestigious Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS).

Visit us at sjid.org & ihearlearning.orgfor more information on our locations and services

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AGBELLAD.indd 1 4/4/2012 8:37:08 AM


By laura l. Van antwerp, M.ed. and k. todd Houston, ph.d., CCC-slp, lsls Cert. aVt

Auditory- Verbal Therapy in Telepractice:

Auditory-verbal therapy deliv-ered through telepractice is an ideal solution for many fami-lies that meets many practical

needs. Parents can receive the guidance and coaching they need to be effective language facilitators, and delivering services at a distance through telepractice puts parents at the center of the session in developing their child’s listening and spoken language skills. Professionals who deliver services through telepractice need to have a strong understanding of adult learning styles and in developing these skills, insight can be gained from other methodologies such as the Suzuki method for musical learning.

Telepractice can assist families over-coming some of the tremendous obstacles in obtaining services from listening and spoken language specialists. For example, the mother of an 8-year-old with bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss was considering discontinuing traditional ther-apy sessions because of the time demands and the impact on the entire family.

She described her typical scenario: she needed to drive an hour and a half to the nearest location for services because auditory-verbal therapy was not available in her community. She and her child spent more than an hour at each session, includ-ing bathroom and food breaks and talking with the practitioner after the session. Then

there was the cost of a babysitter for her other children and the need to bring the child directly from school, tired and with homework needing to be completed. While this mother is committed to developing her child’s listening and spoken language abili-ties, the traditional, in-person sessions were beginning to take a huge toll.

“Telepractice saves time and is so convenient,” she said of her son’s auditory-verbal telepractice sessions after just seven weeks of participation. The mother said she was able to be more actively involved in her child’s daily life, and she often looked for opportunities to apply what she learned in therapy. “I feel like I am learning the skills to be a better advocate for those with hear-

A Practical, Philosophical and Musical Perspective


ing loss, as well as a lifetime advocate for my son,” she said.

Auditory-Verbal Therapy & TelepracticeFor this family, auditory-verbal therapy delivered through telepractice was the answer. The mother could receive the par-ent coaching that she needed to facilitate her son’s listening and spoken language development. Her son was able to directly interact with a practitioner knowledge-able about listening and spoken language acquisition. These services were provided through the Telepractice and eLearn-ing Laboratory (TeLL) in the School of Speech-Language Pathology and

Audiology at the University of Akron which uses distance learning technology to deliver listening and spoken language services to both children and adults who benefit from a range of hearing technology.

Providing auditory-verbal therapy through telepractice can meet one of the most significant needs for children with hearing loss and their families—access to services. With a limited number of Listening and Spoken Language Specialists (LSLS) available to provide services in the United States and worldwide, finding an experienced therapist can be a challenge. Telepractice is a viable way to meet the needs of families, but requires profession-als to be cognizant of adult learning styles in working with families to promote their ability to facilitate their child’s listening and spoken language development.

Facilitating Adult learning Through CoachingAccording to the AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language (AG Bell Academy, 2012), most of the principles of LSLS auditory-verbal practice put the guid-ance and coaching of the parents front and center in their child’s intervention. This is especially true when providing therapy through telepractice, when the clinician and parent are working at a distance. In the case of auditory-verbal therapy, the parents are active participants in each session’s activities, therefore, an effective practitioner must possess knowledge about adult learning strategies. Professionals can be more effective in providing guidance to parents when they understand how adults learn and process new information. This knowledge is critical to guiding the parents to become their child’s primary facilitator of listening and spoken language.

Adults typically lean toward one of the general learning styles identified by most teachers and clinicians: auditory, verbal or kinesthetic, but they often exhibit many more variations and combinations of these learning styles. Just as with a child, the clinician should discern the learning style of the parent and provide multiple meth-ods and opportunities to acquire skills. Additionally, there are three key elements of the adult learning process that clinicians should keep in mind. For adults to learn

best, they need to know the why, the how, and the where of what they’re learning. Consider the following factors: ʶ Why: Because of their life experiences

and problem-solving skills, the adult learner needs to understand the under-lying principles and reasons why they’re doing something, and why they are doing it in a particular way or order.

ʶ How: Regardless of differences in learning style, most adults acquire skills through experience, critiqued (i.e., coached) performance and affirmation.

ʶ Where: The adult learner needs to understand and be able to easily keep in mind where each task is going—the “big picture” goal for the activity. In working with adult learners, profes-

sionals should recognize the signs that indi-cate when one or more of the above elements are missing. In conversations, a parent may exhibit a great deal of head nodding, too many “yes’s, mm-hmm’s and uh-huh’s” are a common indicator. Sometimes, it’s simply a glazed or quizzical look.

Adults may initially be high-mainte-nance learners; however, once they have taken ownership of their role in their child’s therapy and understand the why, how and where of the process, the clinician is able to step back and move to the posi-tion of coach/trainer.

Teaching adults includes giving them a framework of words and phrases to use, as well as specific outcomes to watch and listen for with their child in a therapy ses-sion or in the home. It also is helpful for the practitioner to ensure that the parent demonstrates understanding of concepts through their verbal expression and perfor-mance during the session before introduc-ing additional skills or concepts. As time goes on, the clinician assumes more of a coaching role during the session as the par-ent takes the lead in facilitating the child’s language and learning.

The Suzuki methodThe concepts of parent responsibility, encouragement, repetition, and guided practice are central to auditory-verbal practice. In reflecting on these principles of auditory-verbal practice, it’s useful to examine the well-respected and widely utilized methodologies of other disciplines. Consider the following:

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Laura Van Antwerp in a telepractice session


ʶ Every child can learn ʶ Ability develops early ʶ Environment nurtures growth ʶ Children learn from one another ʶ Success breeds success ʶ Parental involvement is critical ʶ Encouragement is essential

The preceding list could easily be mistaken for a supplement to the prin-ciples of LSLS auditory-verbal practice. However, it’s actually a list of the key concepts of an internationally renowned method of teaching music known as the mother-tongue approach, or the Suzuki Method (Suzuki, 1983).

Briefly, the pedagogy of the Suzuki method applies the basic principles of language acquisition to the learning of music, in essence, the language of music. Ironically, it began around the same time the field of speech-language pathology was developing its own therapeutic approaches. In the early 1940s, a talented Japanese violinist, Shin’ichi Suzuki, was studying violin in Germany and made the simple, but astute observation that young children learned to speak fluent German, just as all children around the world absorbed their native language by listening to the adults and children in their natural environment.

The underpinning of his pedagogical model was that with focused listening, repetition, guided practice, praise and performance, a child could assimilate their “mother tongue” with 100% success, but it encompassed much more than just teach-ing children to successfully play a musical instrument. Suzuki recognized the unique contribution the language of music could make to the learning process and, more broadly, to a child’s life. Unlike traditional teacher/student music lessons, the founda-tion of instruction lies in what teachers of the method call the Suzuki Triangle, which

is a model of the relationship between the child, parent and teacher that emphasizes parental involvement and is shown in Figure 1. In fact, the parent often learns to play the instrument before or along with their child, so the parent understands what their child is expected to do.

While guiding and coaching parents is central to auditory-verbal practice it was – and remains – a revolutionary and sometimes controversial conceptual model among music educators. Consider the philosophical similarities between several of the principles of the two methodologies:

Figure 1. Suzuki Triangle. Adapted from Suzuki Association of Americas (1998).

principles of listening & spoken language suzuki Method Core principles (suzuki, 1983)

Guide and coach parents to help their child integrate listening and spoken language into all aspects of the child’s life.

LISTEN: Children listen to recordings at home and observe other students and parents playing the instrument in lessons and classes.

Guide and coach parents to create environments that support listening for the acquisition of spoken language throughout the child’s daily activities

MASTERY: The teacher guides the student toward increased accu-racy, giving the parent clear guidelines on how to practice at home.

Guide and coach parents to help their child self-monitor spoken language through listening.

RECOGNITION: Listening to music every day is important, especially listening to pieces in the Suzuki repertoire, so the child knows them immediately.

Guide and coach parents to become the primary facilitators of their child’s listening and spoken lan-guage development through active consistent par-ticipation in individualized auditory-verbal therapy.

REPETITION: Constant repetition is essential in learning to play an instrument. Children do not learn a word or piece of music and then discard it. They add it to their vocabulary or repertoire, gradually using it in new and more sophisticated ways.

Guide and coach parents to use natural develop-mental patterns of audition, speech, language, cognition, and communication.

GRADED REPERTOIRE: Children do not practice exercises to learn to talk, but use language for its natural purpose of com-munication and self-expression. Pieces in the Suzuki repertoire are designed to present technical problems to be learned in the context of the music rather than through dry technical exercises.

Promote education in mainstream schools with peers who have typical hearing and with appropri-ate services from early childhood onward.

LEARNING WITH OTHER CHILDREN: In addition to private les-sons, children participate in regular group lessons and perfor-mance at which they learn from and are motivated by each other.

Practice

LessonEnvironment

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parent teaCHer


Making an analogy between musi-cal language and spoken language is both worthwhile and informative. Using the lens of the Suzuki method of music instruction helps to reveal an unexpected commonality in both adult learning and child development. Both approaches underscore the need for parent engage-ment in a child’s later success.

The comparison also illuminates an expanded potential for learning and applica-tion of these concepts. Just as the music teacher sends her student and parent home with guidance and instruction, so should the LSLS practitioner. For families served through the Telepractice and eLearning Lab, this is occurring. Parents are receiving a high level of coaching and guidance that

ensures increased engagement in their child’s listening, speech, and language development. Parents are integrating developmental and language learning goals into their child’s daily routines and in the community. And, most importantly, parents are becoming their child’s primary language facilitators – which is music to everyone’s ears!

referencesAG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language

(2012). 2012 certification handbook. Available at www.ListeningandSpokenLanguage.org

Suzuki Association of the Americas. (1998). Suzuki Twinkler. Retrieved August 1, 2012, from Suzuki Association of the Americas: http://suzukiassociation.org/

Suzuki, S. (1983). Nurtured by Love: A Classic Approach to Talent Education. (W. Suzuki, Trans.) Miami, FL, USA: Suzuki Method International Summy-Birchard.

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Todd Houston at the Telepractice and eLearning Lab at The University of Akron

Laura Van Antwerp


La terapia auditivo verbal sumi-nistrada mediante telepráctica es una solución ideal para muchas familias ya que atiende a muchas

necesidades prácticas. Los padres pueden recibir la orientación y el entrenamiento que necesitan para poder ser facilitadores del lenguaje efectivos. Proveer servicios a distancia mediante la telepráctica pone a los padres en el centro de la sesión para desarrollar las habilidades de escucha y oralidad del lenguaje de su hijo. Los pro-fesionales que prestan servicios mediante telepráctica deben tener un sólido enten-dimiento de los estilos de aprendizaje del adulto y al desarrollar esas habilidades, pueden adquirir conocimientos de otras

metodologías, como el método Suzuki de aprendizaje musical.

La telepráctica puede ayudar a las familias a superar algunos de los tremendos obstáculos de obtener servicios de especial-istas de escucha y oralidad del lenguaje. Por ejemplo, la madre de un paciente de 8 años con pérdida de la audición neurosensorial profunda bilateral estaba considerando interrumpir las sesiones de terapia tradicio-nales por el tiempo que exigen y el impacto que tienen en toda la familia.

Describió su situación típica: tenía que conducir una hora y media hasta el lugar más cercano porque no había servicios de terapia auditivo-verbal disponibles en su comunidad. Ella y su hijo estaban durante

más de una hora en cada sesión, inclu-yendo pausas para ir al baño y comer algo y hablar con el terapeuta después de cada sesión. Además tenía el costo adicional de una niñera para sus otros hijos y la necesi-dad de llevar al niño directamente desde la escuela, cansado y con tarea para el hogar que tenía que hacer. Aunque la madre está comprometida con el desarrollo de las habilidades de escucha y oralidad de su hijo, las sesiones en persona tradicionales empezaban a ser una gran complicación.

“La telepráctica ahorra tiempo y es muy conveniente,” comentó sobre las sesiones de telepráctica auditivo-verbal de su hijo después de participar tan solo siete semanas. La madre afirmó que podía

por laura l. Van antwerp, M.ed. y k. todd Houston, ph.d., CCC-slp, lsls Cert. aVt

La terapia auditivo-verbal en la telepráctica: una perspectiva práctica, filosófica y musical


involucrarse más activamente en la vida diaria de su hijo, y que con frecuencia buscaba oportunidades para aplicar lo que había aprendido en la terapia. “Siento que estoy aprendiendo habilidades para poder abogar mejor por las personas con pérdida de la audición, y también para poder abogar mejor por mi hijo para toda la vida,” agregó.

la terapia auditivo-verbal y la teleprácticaPara esta familia, la terapia auditivo-verbal suministrada mediante telepráctica fue la solución. La madre pudo recibir el entrenamiento para padres que necesitaba para facilitar el desarrollo de la escucha

y oralidad del lenguaje de su hijo. El hijo pudo interactuar directamente con un terapeuta idóneo en la adquisición de la escucha y oralidad del lenguaje. Estos servicios fueron prestados mediante el Laboratorio de Telepráctica y Aprendizaje Virtual (TeLL, por sus siglas en inglés) de la Facultad de Patología del Habla y el Lenguaje y de Audiología de la Universidad de Akron, EE. UU., que usa tecnología de aprendizaje a distancia para prestar servicios de escucha y oralidad a niños y adultos que se benefician de una variedad de tecnología para la audición.

Ofrecer terapia auditivo-verbal por telepráctica satisface una de las necesidades más significativas de los niños con pérdida de la audición y sus familias: tener acceso a esos servicios. Debido a la disponibilidad de una cantidad limitada de Especialistas de Escucha y Oralidad del Lenguaje (LSLS, por sus siglas en inglés) para prestar servicios en los Estados Unidos y en todo el mundo, encontrar un terapeuta experi-mentado puede ser un desafío. La teleprác-tica es un método viable de satisfacer las necesidades de las familias, pero requiere que los profesionales tengan amplios cono-cimientos sobre los estilos de aprendizaje del adulto al trabajar con familias para promover su habilidad de facilitar el desa-rrollo de la escucha y oralidad del lenguaje de su hijo.

Facilitar el aprendizaje del adulto mediante entrenamientoSegún la AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language (AG Bell Academy, 2012), la mayoría de la práctica audi-tivo verbal con LSLS pone en el centro y hace hincapié en la orientación y el entrenamiento de los padres en la inter-vención con su hijo. Y esto es incluso más cierto al ofrecer terapia mediante telepráctica, cuando el clínico y el padre están trabajando a distancia. En el caso de la terapia auditivo-verbal, los padres son participantes activos en las actividades de cada sesión, por eso, un terapeuta efectivo debe tener conocimiento sobre estrategias de aprendizaje del adulto. Los profesionales pueden ser más efectivos al brindarles orientación a los padres cuando comprenden cómo aprenden los adultos y cómo procesan la información nueva.

Este conocimiento es crítico para guiar a los padres para convertirse en el facilitador principal de escucha y oralidad del lenguaje de su hijo.

Los adultos normalmente se apoyan en uno de los estilos de aprendizaje generales identificados por la mayoría de los maestros y clínicos: auditivo, verbal o cinestésico, pero con frecuencia muestran muchas más variantes y combinaciones de estos estilos de aprendizaje. Tal como con un niño, el clínico debe discernir cuál es el estilo de aprendizaje del padre y brindar múltiples métodos y oportunidades para adquirir habilidades. Asimismo, hay tres elementos fundamentales del proceso de aprendizaje del adulto que los clínicos deben tener presentes. Para que los adultos aprendan mejor, necesitan saber el porqué, el cómo y el dónde de lo que están aprendiendo. Considere los siguientes factores: ʶ Por qué: debido a sus experiencias de

vida y sus capacidades de resolución de problemas, el adulto necesita compren-der los principios y las razones subya-centes de por qué están haciendo algo, y por qué lo están haciendo de determi-nada manera o en determinado orden.

ʶ Cómo: independientemente de las diferencias de estilo de aprendizaje, la mayoría de los adultos adquiere habilidades mediante la experiencia, el desempeño analizado desde un punto de vista crítico (es decir, evaluado por su entrenador) y la afirmación.

ʶ Dónde: el alumno adulto necesita entender y ser capaz de tener en mente con facilidad hacia dónde apunta la tarea: el objetivo de la “visión global” para la actividad. Al trabajar con alumnos adultos, los

profesionales deben reconocer las señales que indican cuando falta uno o más de los elementos mencionados. Durante las con-versaciones, el padre puede afirmar con la cabeza con mucha frecuencia, demasiados “síes y ajáes” son un indicador común. A veces, es simplemente una mirada luminosa o inquisitiva.

Al principio los adultos pueden ser alumnos complicados, sin embargo, una vez que adquieren el dominio de su rol en la terapia de su hijo y entienden el porqué, el cómo y el dónde del proceso, el clínico puede retraerse y trasladarse a la posición de entrenador/capacitador.

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Enseñar a adultos incluye darles un marco léxico y frases a emplear, como así también resultados específicos a esperar ver y escuchar de su hijo en la sesión de terapia o en el hogar. También es útil que el profe-sional se asegure de que el padre demuestre que entiende los conceptos mediante su expresión oral y desempeño durante la sesión antes de presentar habilidades o conceptos adicionales. Mientras pasa el tiempo, el clínico asume más el papel de entrenador durante la sesión mientras que el padre lidera la facilitación del lenguaje y aprendizaje del niño.

el método SuzukiLos conceptos de responsabilidad de los padres, estímulo, repetición y práctica guiada es el centro de la práctica auditivo-verbal. Al reflexionar sobre estos principios de la práctica auditivo-verbal, es conve-niente examinar las metodologías tan res-petadas y ampliamente utilizadas de otras disciplinas. Considere lo siguiente: ʶ Todo niño/a puede aprender ʶ La capacidad se desarrolla temprano ʶ El ambiente alimenta el crecimiento

ʶ Los niños aprenden de otros niños ʶ El éxito fomenta el éxito ʶ La participación de los padres es crítica ʶ El estímulo es esencial

La lista anterior con facilidad se puede confundir con un suplemento a los principios de la práctica auditivo-verbal de LSLS. Sin embargo, en realidad es una lista de los conceptos claves de un método reconocido a nivel internacional

de enseñanza de la música conocido como el enfoque de la lengua materna o método Suzuki (Suzuki, 1983).

En pocas palabras, la pedagogía del método Suzuki aplica los principios bási-cos de adquisición del lenguaje al apren-dizaje de música, en esencia, el lenguaje de la música. Irónicamente, comenzó casi en el mismo momento en que el campo de la patología del habla y del lenguaje desa-

principios de escucha y oralidad del lenguaje principios fundamental del método suzuki (suzuki, 1983)

Orientar y entrenar a los padres para ayudar a sus hijos a integrar la escucha y oralidad del lenguaje en todos los aspectos de la vida del niño.

ESCUCHA: los niños escuchan grabaciones en el hogar y observan a otros alumnos y padres tocar el instrumento durante las lecciones y clases.

Orientar y entrenar a los padres para crear ambientes que soporten la escucha para la adquisición del len-guaje hablado en todas las actividades diarias del niño.

DOMINIO: el maestro guía al alumno hacia una exactitud incrementada, y le da al padre lineamientos claros sobre cómo practicar en el hogar.

Guiar y entrenar a los padres para que ayuden a su hijo a autocontrolar el idioma hablado mediante la escucha.

RECONOCIMIENTO: escuchar música todos los días es importante, especialmente escuchar obras del repertorio de Suzuki, para que el niño las conozca inmediatamente.

Orientar y entrenar a los padres para que se convier-tan en los facilitadores principales del desarrollo de la escucha y oralidad del lenguaje de su hijo mediante una participación activa y sistemática en la terapia auditivo-verbal individualizada.

REPETICIÓN: la repetición constante es fundamental para aprender a tocar un instrumento. El niño no aprende una palabra ni una obra musical y luego la desecha. La agrega a su vocabulario o repertorio y gradualmente la utiliza de nue-vas maneras más sofisticadas.

Orientar y entrenar a los padres a usar patrones de desarrollo natural de la audición, del habla, del len-guaje, de cognición y comunicación.

REPERTORIO GRADUADO: los niños no hacen ejercicios de práctica para aprender a hablar, pero usan el lenguaje para su propósito natural de comunicación y auto-expresión. Las obras del repertorio Suzuki están diseñadas para presentar problemas técnicos a aprender en el contexto de la música más que mediante ásperos ejercicios técnicos.

Promover la educación en las escuelas comunes con los pares que tienen audición normal y con servicios apropiados a partir de la infancia temprana.

APRENDIZAJE CON OTROS NIÑOS: además de las leccio-nes privadas, los niños participan en lecciones y tocan en grupo donde aprenden de sus pares y se motivan entre sí.

Práctica

LecciónEntorno

niÑo

padres Maestro

Figura 1. Triángulo de Suzuki. Adaptado de la Suzuki Association of Americas (1998).


rrollo sus propios enfoques terapéuticos. A principios de la década de 1940, un talen-toso violinista japonés, Shin’ichi Suzuki, estaba estudiando violín en Alemania e hizo una simple pero astuta observación de que los niños pequeños aprendían a hablar alemán con fluidez, del mismo modo que todos los niños del mundo absorbían su idioma natal al escuchar a los adultos y niños en su ambiente natural.

Este modelo pedagógico se cimentaba en que con escucha enfocada, repetición, práctica guiada, reconocimiento y desem-peño, el niño puede asimilar su “lengua materna” con un éxito del 100%; pero abarcaba mucho más que solo enseñarle a niños a tocar un instrumento musical con éxito. Suzuki reconoció la contribución única que el lenguaje de la música podía hacer al proceso de aprendizaje y, en un sentido más amplio, a la vida del niño. A diferencia de las lecciones maestro-alumno, la base de la enseñanza se basa en lo que los maestros del método llaman Triángulo de Suzuki, que es un modelo de relación entre el niño, el padre y el maestro que enfatiza la participación de los padres como ilustra la Figura 1. En realidad, el padre con frecuencia aprende a tocar el instrumento antes o junto con su hijo, para que el padre entienda qué se espera que haga el niño.

Mientras que orientar y entrenar a los padres es fundamental para la práctica

auditivo-verbal, fue – y sigue siendo – un modelo conceptual revolucionario y a veces controversial entre los educado-res musicales. Considere las similitudes filosóficas entre varios de los principios de las dos metodologías:

Hacer la analogía entre el lenguaje musical y el lenguaje oral es informativo y vale la pena. Usar la luz del método Suzuki de enseñanza musical ayuda a revelar la inesperada comunidad tanto del apren-dizaje del adulto como del desarrollo del

niño. Ambos enfoques subrayan la necesi-dad de que los padres participen en el éxito ulterior del niño.

La comparación también ilumina el potencial expandido del aprendizaje y la aplicación de estos conceptos. Tal como la maestra de música manda a sus alumnos y a los padres al hogar con orientación e instrucciones, el LSLS profesional debe hacer lo mismo. Esto está ocurriendo con las familias atendidas mediante el Laboratorio de Telepráctica y Aprendizaje Virtual. Los padres están recibiendo entre-namiento y orientación de alto nivel que aseguran que su participación aumentará en el desarrollo de la escucha, el habla y el lenguaje de su hijo. Los padres están integrando los objetivos de desarrollo y aprendizaje del lenguaje en las rutinas dia-rias de su hijo y en la comunidad. Y, lo que es aún más importante, es que los padres se están convirtiendo en los facilitadores principales de su hijo – ¡eso es música para todos los oídos!

referenciasAG Bell Academy for Listening and

Spoken Language (2012). Manual de certificación 2012. Disponible en www.ListeningandSpokenLanguage.org

Suzuki Association of the Americas. (1998). Suzuki Twinkler. Recuperado el 1º de agosto de 2012 de la Suzuki Association of the Americas: http://suzukiassociation.org/

Suzuki, S. (1983). Alimentados por el amor: un enfoque clásico a la educación de talentos. (W. Suzuki, Trad.) Miami, FL, EE. UU: Suzuki Method International Summy-Birchard.

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WHAT’S NEW IN THE KNOWLEdGE cENTEr

As part of the launch of the Listening and Spoken Language Center, AG Bell is pleased to introduce a new

database, which stores and protects infor-mation about your AG Bell membership, transaction and donation history, and your role within the community.

Your secure AG Bell profile offers a number of new features! Once logged in, you can personalize your profile and set your preferences: ʶ Update your contact information to

maintain an accurate membership directory listing and ensure your publications get sent to the correct mailing address;

ʶ Select the e-communications you wish to receive from AG Bell, including weekly e-newsletter, announcements and notifications;

ʶ Receive notices and updates from your local chapter;

ʶ View your payment transactions and donation history and print receipts for your records. You will need to login and update your

password to customize your new profile.

login Instructions To login to your profile, visit the Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center (ListeningandSpokenLanguage.org) and click on the ‘Login’ button in the right cor-ner of the page below the search field. Your username is your email address. If you can-not remember the email address on file with us, simply click the ‘Forgot your username or password?’ link under the password field, call (202-337-5220), or email [email protected], and our staff will assist you.

By updating your profile, you can con-nect more fully with us and the commu-nity. Thank you in advance for updating your profile today!

Update Your AG Bell Profile and Maximize Your InvolvementBy Elizabeth Reed-Martinez

cONNEcT WiTH MEMBErs:

melanie ribich, noah’s momNoah is a typical 4 ½ year old boy in every respect [with bilateral cochlear implants]. His progress has been remarkable. There are no limits to what Noah will be able to do in his life. As Melanie was writing an article for AG Bell, she recalls, “my little boy who is deaf came running in the room at top speed, looked me in the eye, and said in the most perfect little voice: ‘I love you, Mommy.’”

Wendy Kupfer, Ali’s mom“In January of 1977, our beautiful daughter Ali was born prematurely at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia; 10 months later, our baby was diagnosed with a severe to profound hearing loss and the doctors predicted that she would “never” speak. Needless to say, that was devastating news! [34 years ago] doctors at a very prominent hospital said [Ali] would never speak, today [she is] a remarkable and accomplished young woman, and is often known as a ‘chatter-box.’”

Ben Case, college student with hearing loss Ben is a history major and is following a pre-med educational track. He aspires to be an otolaryngologist. Ben loves being around people and caring for them. He works in a research laboratory at the Kresge Hearing Research Institute in Ann Arbor, Mich., as an undergraduate lab assistant. Additionally, he is studying photography and enjoys ultimate Frisbee and traveling in his free time.

Jenna Voss, m.A., Ced, lSlS Cert. AVedJenna Voss is a fellow with the National Leadership Consortium in Sensory Disabilities. Her research interests include early intervention and evidence-based practice in listening and spoken language programs. She is espe-cially interested in serving children and families living in poverty. Voss holds teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing and early childhood/special educa-tion certifications; she is credentialed with the early intervention programs in Missouri and Illinois.

Kate reedy, ryan’s mom“Our daughter, Ryan, is 5 months old. She has a bilateral profound hearing loss and is scheduled to receive her cochlear implants in the next few months. Cochlear implants were a no-brainer for our daughter right from the start, and we look forward to the day she can not only hear, but she can understand us when we say ‘I love you.’ For more information, you can always check out my blog: www.ourreedyfamily.blogspot.com.”

©2012 Cochlear Limited. All rights reserved. Hear Now. And Always and other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of Cochlear Limited.

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You should talk to your physician about who is a candidate for cochlear implantation, the associated risks and benefits, and CDC recommendations for vaccination. Cochlear implantation is a surgical procedure, and carries with it the risks typical for surgery. For additional information please refer to the Nucleus Package Insert available at www.CochlearAmericas.com/NucleusIndications

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Click: [email protected]: www.CochlearAmericas.com/SupportCall: 1 800 483 3123

Cochlear implants are covered by most insurance plans and may be covered by Medicaid. Request your free information packet from the Cochlear Concierge today.

Growing up with Cochlear!

Holly received her Cochlear implant at four years old. One implant and five sound processor upgrades later, Holly continues to enjoy the benefits from new technological advancements.

"With my cochlear implant, I was able to happily attend mainstream schools and successfully achieve my own personal and career goals."HOLLY M. – Cochlear™ Nucleus® Implant User

Have it all! With the world’s most chosen, most trusted1 cochlear implant system


TIPS fOr PArENTs

I don’t like the word disability. I’d rather use any other word that applies. I tell my 10-year-old that she is differ-ent. I tell her that we’re all different.

I’m short. Some people are tall. We come in all colors, shapes and sizes. I tell my child that she has a “physical chal-lenge.” Most of us have some sort of physi-cal challenge to address. Our daughter, Lily, has bilateral cookie bite hearing loss. She can hear, but she misses out on mid-range frequencies where speech occurs.

Lily was adopted from Guanxi Province in China. She was 15 months old when we traveled to China to adopt her and, at the time, we did not realize that she had hearing loss. Despite all of our research prior to adopting, my husband and I were not aware that a hearing test should be administered as soon as we returned to the states. Although we took Lily to wonderful pediatricians, a hear-ing test was not immediately performed. My husband and I would like to stress that parents should have their children’s hearing tested as soon as they return from adopting in another country.

Lily picked up English very quickly, but a couple of years later we realized she was not always responding when spo-ken to. Since our daughter had chronic congestion and enlarged tonsils, the doctors surmised that the tonsils might be pressing on the Eustachian tubes and caus-ing loss of hearing. After a tonsillectomy, our daughter was not sick as much, but it became evident that she had permanent hearing loss. We turned to The Children’s Hearing Institute in Manhattan for help. Lily was diagnosed at age 4 and wears bilateral hearing aids.

The following are things that we wish people knew about hearing loss:

Hearing loss affects the whole person. My husband and I strongly recommend a whole-child approach. The Children’s Hearing Institute offers this kind of comprehensive mode of care. The Institute has helped us not only with audi-ology, but also with speech therapy as well as assistance with Lily’s educational and emotional needs. My husband and I try to teach our daughter not to focus on the loss, but we also realize the importance of accepting the loss, and even grieving that loss, so that she can move forward and grow into a proud woman who happens to have hearing loss.

My daughter hears, but she often does not overhear. I wish that people could really understand the information that is gleaned from overhearing others talk. We could then put ourselves in the shoes of people with hearing loss and imagine what it would be like for them. Sometimes people address Lily, and she doesn’t answer them. People think she is ignoring them, and I know that she simply didn’t hear them.

Speaking in a loud voice doesn’t always help. Well-meaning people are not always aware that speaking louder is not helpful, but looking directly at someone who is deaf or hard of hearing may be bet-ter for communication. It hurts my daugh-ter’s ears when someone raises their voice.

Help children find their voice. Lily has been working on finding her own voice, and she has been speaking up more when she doesn’t understand people. It’s a process. I advocate for my daughter, but more importantly, I am teaching her to advocate for herself.

When her hearing loss was first diag-nosed, Lily was reluctant to let teachers and friends know that she didn’t hear

them. As time goes by, she feels more com-fortable saying “I didn’t hear you,” rather than “What?” or “Huh?”. This helps others realize that Lily was paying attention to them, but she didn’t hear them.

In previous years, Lily was getting good grades, but she was often confused about her assignments. Even though the assign-ment was written on the board, I believe Lily was not hearing the details. This year, Lily speaks up more when she doesn’t understand an assignment. She tells mom and dad when she is having a problem, or she calls a friend for clarification. I have started suggesting to Lily’s teachers to seat her close to the assignment board so that she can hear any explanation the teacher might give.

Lily studies Kung Fu at Edgewater Kung Fu in New Jersey. She is part of a leadership training program taught by

Things the Mother of a Child with Hearing Loss Wishes People KnewBy Catherine Fries Vaughn

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Lily Vaughn at the 2011 Walk4Hearing in New York City


Sifu Karl Romain. In addition to their physical training, the children learn to overcome fear of speaking in front of a group. Recently, Lily was asked to read a brief essay in front of her class and take a few questions. Without looking to me for help, Lily was able to politely let the other children know when she couldn’t hear their question, and she moved right on. I was very happy to see this growth in Lily’s confidence. Lily has been fortunate to find a sport that she feels she can excel at under the guidance of caring instructors. This has helped her to gain confidence and to advocate for herself.

Networking with parents can be a great comfort. Meeting parents of other children with hearing loss can be a great comfort for both parent and child. Along the way, Lily has made friends with another child who also has bilateral hearing loss. Their friendship has helped to sustain them as they navigate this tender age in their lives. They share a special bond because they can relate to what the other one is going through. They laugh. They

talk. They are just kids together. Hearing loss is not the focus of their conversations. Lively discussions of Harry Potter are the order of the day.

Mainstream educators need to be trained and informed about children who are deaf and hard of hearing. I would like to see more seminars and programs that would help teachers gain knowledge about the particular journey of our children in the classroom. I would also like to see substitute teachers receive more training in hearing loss and other types of disabilities so that children don’t lose valu-able class time when their regular teacher is absent. I don’t know how to implement these programs in the school system, but this is on my wish list.

Know the law and remain calm. I recommend familiarizing yourself with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). When you are knowledgeable about the law and your parental rights, you will be able to advocate for your child. When discussing an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for your child,

take your time to examine it carefully, ask questions, and request meetings/teacher conferences in order to understand it fully.

As parents, it is easy to become emo-tional about matters that concern your child. My husband and I have found that it is important to remain calm in meet-ings. We realize that our administrators, teachers and other professionals have our child’s best interest at heart too, and we know that working together as a team is in the best interest of our child.

Support from professionals who are deaf or hard of hearing. My daughter would like to see professionals who are deaf and hard of hearing in the field of audiol-ogy or who specialize in disorders of the ear, nose and throat. She feels that these profes-sionals can relate to what other patients with hearing loss are going through. My daughter raises a valid point and she would like to make her thoughts known.

I wish that my daughter were writing this herself. I hope that she will continue to confidently speak up for herself, and be proud of all that she is.

Sunshine Cottage, a listening and spoken language school, is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement, OPTIONschools International, and is a Texas Education Agency approved non-public school. We accept students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin.

Sunshine Cottage provides the very best early identification and intervention services for infants and children with hearing loss.

The day-school program offers a comprehensive educational environment for children, preschool through fifth grade, with state-of-the-art technology taught by master-level educators.

(210) 824-0579 603 E. Hildebrand Ave.

San Antonio, Texas 78212www.sunshinecottage.org

A Listening and Spoken Language School

Services and Programs: • Newborn Hearing Evaluation Center • Parent-Infant Cottage • Early Childhood and Elementary Programs • Outdoor and Discovery classrooms • Music and Art classrooms • Speech Language Pathology • Audiology Center with five testing booths

• Cochlear Implant Programming • Placement site for Graduate Program in

Deaf Education and Hearing Science though UTHSCSA

New 2012 BW ad.indd 1 9/14/2012 2:51:27 PM


HEAR OUR VOicEs

I was born into a silent world. My profound bilateral hear-ing loss went undetected for the first nine months of

my life. I received my first pair of high-powered hearing aids at the age of one. My parents had decided early on that the best thing to do for me would be to cultivate the remaining hearing that I had using the auditory-ver-bal approach to teach me listening and spoken language. Although I was doing well with my hearing aids, my parents and the profes-sionals working with me thought that I could do even better if I had better access to sound through the use of cochlear implants. I received my first cochlear implant when I was 20 months old. At that time, it was common practice to only implant one ear and save the other for future technology. Years later, my parents felt that waiting any longer would dimin-ish any chances of my left ear ever responding well to stimulation, so I received my second implant the summer after second grade. I am happy to say that I have done extremely well with my cochlear implants, and I simply cannot imagine my life without them!

I have attended mainstream schools my whole life, and I am currently in eighth grade. I have excelled academically and have held high honor status for all four years of middle school. I participate in many extracurricular activities such as Junior Model United Nations, Mock Trial and school musicals. Recently, I was chosen as one of 15 recipients of the Caroline D.

Bradley Scholarship, a prestigious national scholarship awarded by the Institute for Educational Advancement. I enjoy playing sports and have served as the captain for many of my school teams including vol-leyball, swimming and lacrosse. Currently, I am serving as class president. None of my friends are deaf or hard of hearing, but they all accept my cochlear implants. Everyone knows that my hearing loss is just one part of who I am.

I realize that I am very suc-cessful with my implants, which is why I want to share my story with others. A few years ago, I wrote a book titled “Listening to the Waves,” which is about my life growing up with cochlear implants. My book has advice for implant users and parents, anecdotes about living with hearing loss, experiences I have had with my cochlear implants, and some funny stories. The main purpose of the book is to show parents who are think-ing about an implant for their child that their child can lead a successful, normal life with cochlear implants. I have had the opportunity to travel to promote my book and have met with so many great families at AG Bell conventions across the country. I enjoy being a mentor for the Advanced Bionics Corporation and meet-ing with families considering cochlear implantation. I also maintain a website www.lis-teningtothewaves.com to share information with others about hearing loss. I feel that it is important to share

my story with others, and I enjoy teach-ing families about hearing loss and the power of cochlear implants. I hope that by providing unbiased information to others I can help a parent make an educated deci-sion for their child’s future. Most impor-tantly, I want to give parents hope and a sense that everything will be just fine! Hearing is just a small part of who we are. Dream big!

Reflections on Growing up with Bilateral Cochlear ImplantsBy Regan Brady

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Regan Brady

JULY 18-20, 2013

Omni Los Angeles Hotel

at California Plaza

AG Bell Listening and Spoken Language Symposium

2013

HIGHLIGHTS:•

•

•

•

•

SympoSIum aTTendeeS wILL:•

•

•

•

•

HigHligHts: General sessions to inspire and enlighten your work with families

• Seven pre-symposium workshops offering in-depth knowledge on current trends

• Learn about products, programs, and technologies to support families and children

• Workshop sessions that will provide evidence-based strategies for intervention

• Explore Los Angeles, a city known for its culture, art, and numerous attractions!

symposium attendees will:• Learn from the leaders in the field

• Enrich your skills with practical strategies that can be implemented immediately

• Get new ideas for effectively serving diverse children and families

• Network and exchange ideas with peers during interactive sessions

• Earn up to 18 hours of continuing education from the AG Bell Academy,

AAA and ASHA

Visit ListeningandSpokenLanguage.org today to register

Delivering Quality Services to Families

Hearing and Hearing TecHnology

audiTory FuncTioning

Spoken language communicaTion

cHild developmenT

parenT guidance, educaTion, and

SupporT

STraTegieS ForliSTening and

Spoken language developmenT

HiSTory, pHiloSopHy, &proFeSSional iSSueS

educaTion

emergenT liTeracy


DIRECTORY OF sErVicEs

nCalifornia

Auditory-Verbal Services, 10623 Emerson Bend, Tustin, CA 92782. 714-573-2143 (voice) - [email protected] (email). Karen Rothwell-Vivian, M.S.Ed., M.A., CCC-A, LSLS Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist (LSLS Cert.AVT). Auditory-Verbal Therapy and audiological consultation for children with hearing loss from infancy. Expertise with hearing aids, cochlear implants, FM systems, and mainstreaming support. Auditory Rehabilitation both pre-lingual and post-lingual hearing loss for children and adults.

Children’s Choice for Hearing and Talking, CCHAT Center – Sacramento, 11100 Coloma Road, Rancho Cordova, Ca 95670 • 916-361-7290 (voice). Laura Turner, Principal. An auditory/oral day school educating children and their families from birth through early elementary grades. Other programs include adult cochlear implant support, parent-infant program, on-site audiological services and mainstreaming support services. The school is staffed with credentialed teachers, licensed speech-language pathologists and a licensed audiologist.

Echo Center/Echo Horizon School, 3430 McManus Avenue, Culver City, CA 90232 • 310-838-2442 (voice) • 310-838-0479 (fax) • 310-202-7201 (tty) • [email protected] (email) • www.echohorizon.org (website) • Vicki Ishida, Echo Center Director. Private elementary school incorporating an auditory/oral mainstream program for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Daily support provided by credentialed DHH teachers in speech, language, auditory skills and academic follow-up.

HEAR Center, 301 East Del Mar Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101 • 626-796-2016 (voice) • 626-796-2320 (fax) • Specializing in audiological services for all ages. Auditory-Verbal individual therapy, birth to 21 years.

HEAR to Talk, 547 North June Street, Los Angeles, CA 90004 • 323-464-3040 (voice) • [email protected] (e-mail) • www.hear2talk.com • Sylvia Rotfleisch, M.Sc.A., CED, CCC, Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist®, LSLS Cert. AVT, Licensed Audiologist, California NPA Certified. Trained by Dr. Ling. Extensive expertise with cochlear implants and hearing aids.

John Tracy Clinic, 806 West Adams Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007 · 213-748-5481 (voice) · 800-522-4582 · [email protected] · www.jtc.org & www.youtube.com/johntracyclinic. Early detection, school readiness and parent empowerment since 1942. Worldwide Parent Distance Education and onsite comprehensive audiological, counseling and educational services for families with children ages birth-5 years old. Intensive Summer Sessions (children ages 2-5 and parents), with sibling program. Online and on-campus options for an accredited Master’s and Credential in Deaf Education.

Listen and Learn, 4340 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 107, San Jose, CA 95129 • 408-345-4949 • 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.

No Limits Performing Arts Academy and Educational Center, 9801 Washington Boulevard, 2nd Fl, Culver City, CA 90232 – 310.280.0878, 800.948.7712 • www.kidswithnolimits.org. • Provides free speech, language, literacy and support services to dhh children and their families between the ages of 3 and 18 through its No Limits Educational Center. Additionally, No Limits offers a national performing arts program for schools and the community that builds the self confidence and communication skills of children with a hearing loss.

Training and Advocacy Group (TAG) for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Children and Teens, Leah Ilan, Executive Director • 11693 San Vicente Blvd. #559, Los Angeles, CA 90049 • 310-339-7678 • [email protected] • www.tagkids.org. TAG provides exciting social opportunities through community service, field trips, weekly meetings, college prep and pre-employment workshops, guest speakers and parent-only workshops. site in the community. Group meetings and events offered to oral D/HoH children in 5th grade through high school seniors.

nColorado

Bill Daniels Center for Children’s Hearing, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Department of Audiology, Speech Pathology and Learning Services, 13123 East 16th Avenue, B030 Aurora, CO 80045 • www.childrenscolorado.org (website) • 720-777-6531 (voice) • 720-777-6886 (TTY) • [email protected] (email). We provide comprehensive audiology, speech-language and pediatric otolaryngology services for children who are deaf or hard of hearing (ages birth through 21 years). Our pediatric team specializes in family-centered care and includes pediatric otolaryngologists, audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and a deaf educator, family consultant and clinical social worker. Therapy services include individual, group and parent support designed to meet each family’s goals for their child’s development. We also provide advanced technology hearing aid fitting and cochlear implant services.

Rosie’s Ranch: Ride! Listen! Speak! 303-257-5943 or 720-851-0927 • www.rosiesranch.com • [email protected] • Our mission: To provide a family centered atmosphere where children with deafness or oral language challenges will expand their listening, verbal and reading skills by engaging in activities with horses, under the guidance of a highly trained and qualified staff. Our programs: Mom and Tot: A 90-minute parent and tot group pony activity; ages 1-5. Pony Camp: Daily riding and camp activities; age 6-13. Saturday Riding Club: For riders of all skill levels; ages 6-16. Out of state families welcome to experience ranch life; accommodations will be arranged!

nConnecticut

CREC Soundbridge, 123 Progress Drive, Wethersfield, CT 06109 • 860- 529-4260 (voice/ TTY) • 860-257-8500 (fax) • www.crec.org/soundbridge (website). Dr. Elizabeth B. Cole, Program Director. Comprehensive audiological and instructional services, birth through 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.

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.Directory of Services



New England Center for Hearing Rehabilitation (NECHEAR), 354 Hartford Turnpike, Hampton, CT 06247 • 860-455-1404 (voice) • 860-455-1396 (fax) • Diane Brackett. Serving infants, children and adults with all degrees of hearing loss. Speech, language, listening evaluation for children using hearing aids and cochlear implants. Auditory-Verbal therapy; Cochlear implant candidacy evaluation, pre- and post-rehabilitation, and creative individualized mapping. Post-implant rehabilitation for adults with cochlear implants, specializing in prelingual onset. Mainstream school support, including onsite consultation with educational team, rehabilitation planning and classroom observation. Comprehensive audiological evaluation, amplification validation and classroom listening system assessment.

nFlorida

Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech/Jacksonville, 9803 Old St. Augustine Road, Suite 7, Jacksonville, FL 32257 • 904-880-9001(voice/relay). [email protected] • www.clarkeschools.org. Alisa Demico, MS, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert AVT, and Cynthia Robinson, M.Ed., CED, LSLS Cert. AVEd, Co-Directors. A member of the Options School network, Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech provides children who are deaf and hard of hearing with the listening, learning and spoken language skills they need to succeed. Comprehensive listening and spoken language programs prepare students for success in mainstream schools. Services include early intervention, toddler, preschool, pre-K, kindergarten, parent support, cochlear implant habilitation, and mainstream support. Summer Listening and Spoken language Program provides additional spoken language therapy for toddler and preschool-aged children. Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech has locations in Boston, Bryn Mawr, Jacksonville, New York City, Northampton and Philadelphia.

University of Miami Debbie School, Auditory Oral Education Program, 1601 Northwest 12th Avenue, Miami, Florida 33136 • 305-243-6961 (voice) • Kathleen C. Vergara, Director, Debbie Institute ([email protected]) and Lynn W. Miskiel, Director of Ancillary Services ([email protected]). Our auditory-oral education program provides early intervention and primary education services in a nurturing, inclusive listening and spoken language environment. Classrooms include early preschool, preschool, kindergarten and primary. Services include early intervention, family education, individualized small group instruction, audiology and speech-language pathology. Staff consists of credentialed teachers, a credentialed service coordinator, licensed therapists and a licensed audiologist.

Join the Summer Fun!Family Camp

May 31st - June 2ndMalibu, California

Register at www.houseresearch.org orEmail [email protected]



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) • [email protected] (email) • www.atlantaspeechschool.org (website). A Listening and Spoken Language program serving children who are deaf or hard of hearing from infancy to early elementary school age. Children receive language-rich lessons and highly individualized literacy instruction in a nurturing environment. Teachers and staff work closely with parents to instill the knowledge and confidence children need to reach their full potential. Early intervention programs, audiological support services, auditory-verbal therapy, mainstreaming opportunities and independent education evaluations. Established in 1938.

Auditory-Verbal Center, Inc – Atlanta, 1901 Century Blvd. Suite 20, Atlanta Georgia 30345 • (voice) 404-633-8911 • (fax) 404-633-6403 • (email) [email protected] • (website) www.avchears.org. Auditory-Verbal Center – Macon, 2720 Sheraton Drive, Suite D-140, Macon, Georgia 31204 • (voice) 478-741-0019 • (fax) 478-742-1308 • (email) [email protected] • (website) www.avchears.org. A comprehensive auditory-verbal program for children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families. Also provide audiological services for birth to geriatric. Provide adult cochlear implant rehabilitation.

nIllinois

Child’s Voice School, 180 Hansen Court, Wood Dale, IL 60191 • (630) 595-8200 (voice) • (630) 595-8282 (fax) • [email protected] (email) • www.childsvoice.org (website). Michele Wilkins, Ed.D., LSLS Cert. AVEd., Executive Director. A Listening and Spoken Language program for children birth to age 8. Cochlear implant (re) habilitation, audiology services and mainstream support services provided. Early intervention for birth to age three with parent-infant and toddler classes and home based services offered in Wood Dale and Chicago areas. Parent Support/Education classes provided. Child’s Voice is a Certified Moog Program.

The University of Chicago, Comer Children’s Hospital Pediatric Hearing Loss and Cochlear Implant Center, 5841 S. Maryland Avenue, DCAM 4H, Chicago, IL 60637 • 773-702-8182. Program Director, Sally Tannenbaum, M.Ed., CED, LSLS Cert. AVT, [email protected]. Dr. Dana Suskind, [email protected]. Website: www.uchicagokidshospital.org/cochlear. The center provides full medical and audiological services for infants, children and adults. Comprehensive services for children with hearing loss and their families are provided from time of diagnosis through schools years. Services include otolaryngology, audiology services including cochlear implants and loaner hearing aids, and listen and spoken language therapy. Mentoring in Listening and Spoken Language, Auditory-Verbal therapy is available for professionals. In addition, the Center is actively involved in research projects including developing an evidenced-based, listening and spoken language curriculum called Project ASPIRE.

nIndiana

St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf – Indianapolis. 9192 Waldemar Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268 • (317) 471-8560 (voice) • (317) 471-8627 (fax) • www.sjid.org; [email protected] (email) • Teri Ouellette, M.S. Ed., LSLS Cert AVEd, Director. St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf – Indianapolis, a campus of the St. Joseph Institute system, serves children with hearing loss, birth to age six. Listening and Spoken Language programs include early intervention, toddler and preschool classes, cochlear implant rehabilitation, mainstream therapy and consultation and daily speech therapy. Challenging speech, academic programs and personal development are offered in a nurturing environment. (See Missouri for other campus information)

nmaryland

The Hearing and Speech Agency’s Auditory/Oral Program: Little Ears, Big Voices, 5900 Metro Drive, Baltimore, MD 21215 • (voice) 410-318-6780 • (relay) 711 • (fax) 410-318-6759 • Email: [email protected] • Website: www.hasa.org • Jill Berie, Educational Director; Olga Polites, Clinical Director; Erin Medley, Teacher of the Deaf. Auditory/Oral education and therapy program for infants and young children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Early intervention services are available for children birth to age 3 and a preschool program for children ages 3 through 5. Cheerful, spacious, state-of-the-art classrooms located in Gateway School are approved by the Maryland State Department of Education. Services include onsite audiology, speech-language therapy, family education and support. Applications are accepted year-round. Financial aid available.

nmassachusetts

Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech/Boston, 1 Whitman Road, Canton, MA 02021 • 781-821-3499 (voice) • 781-821-3904 (tty) • [email protected] • www.clarkeschools.org. Barbara Hecht, Ph.D., Director. A member of the Option Schools network, Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech provides children who are deaf and hard of hearing with the listening, learning and spoken language skills they need to succeed. Comprehensive listening and spoken language programs prepare students for success in mainstream schools. Services include early intervention, preschool, kindergarten, speech and language services, parent support, cochlear implant habilitation, and an extensive mainstream services program (itinerant and consulting). Children and families come to our campus from throughout Eastern and Central Massachusetts, Cape Cod, Rhode Island, Maine and New Hampshire for services. Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech has locations in Boston, Bryn Mawr, Jacksonville, New York City, Northampton and Philadelphia.

Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech/Northampton, 47 Round Hill Road, Northampton, MA 01060 • 413-584-3450 (voice/tty). [email protected] • www.clarkeschools.org. Bill Corwin, President. A member of the Option Schools network, Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech provides children who are deaf and hard of hearing with the listening, learning and spoken language skills they need to succeed. Comprehensive listening and spoken language programs prepare students for success in mainstream schools. Services include early intervention, preschool, day school through 8th grade, cochlear implant assessment, summer programs, mainstream services (itinerant and consulting), evaluations for infants through high school students, audiological services, and a graduate degree program in teacher education. Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech has locations in Boston, Bryn Mawr, Jacksonville, New York City, Northampton and Philadelphia.



nminnesota

Northeast Metro #916 Auditory/Oral Program, 1111 S. Holcombe Street, Stillwater MN 55082 • 651-351-4036 • [email protected] (email). The purpose of Northeast Metro 916’s Auditory/Oral Program is to provide a listening and spoken language education to children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Services strive to instill and develop receptive (listening) and expressive (speaking) English language skills within each student. Well-trained specialists carry the principles of this program forward using supportive, necessary and recognized curriculum. The program’s philosophy is that children who are deaf or hard of hearing can learn successfully within a typical classroom environment with peers who have typical hearing. This can be achieved when they are identified at an early age, receive appropriate amplification, and participate in an spoken language-specific early intervention program. Referrals are through the local school district in which the family lives.

nmississippi

DuBard School for Language Disorders, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive #5215, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001 • 601-266-5223 (voice) • [email protected] (email) • www.usm.edu/dubard • Maureen K. Martin, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, CED, CALT, QI, Director. The DuBard School for Language Disorders is a clinical division of the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at The University of Southern Mississippi. The school serves children from birth to age 13 in its state-of-the-art facility. Working collaboratively with 20 public school districts, the school specializes in coexisting language disorders, learning disabilities/dyslexia and speech disorders, such as apraxia, through its non-graded, 11-month program. The DuBard Association Method®, an expanded and refined version of The Association Method, is the basis of the curriculum. Comprehensive evaluations, individual therapy, audiological services and professional development programs also are available. AA/EOE/ADAI.

Magnolia Speech School, Inc. 733 Flag Chapel Road, Jackson, MS 39209 – 601-922-5530 (voice), 601-922-5534 (fax) – [email protected] –Anne Sullivan, M.Ed. Executive Director. Magnolia Speech School serves children with hearing loss and/or severe speech and language disorders. Listening and Spoken Language instruction/therapy is offered to students 0 to 12 in a home-based early intervention program (free of charge), in classroom settings and in the Hackett Bower Clinic (full educational audiological services, speech pathology and occupational therapy). Assessments and outpatient therapy are also offered to the community through the Clinic.

� e DuBard Association Method R is a multisensory

teaching strategy for• educators of deaf and hard of hearing students,• K-2 teachers,• special education teachers,• reading specialists and• speech-language pathologists.

A phonetic, multisensory approach to teaching language and speech to children with

• hearing loss,• language disorders,• severe speech disorders,• autism spectrum disorders and• dyslexia.

Contact us for information about on-site training.IMSLEC-accredited | Graduate credit and CEUs availablewww.usm.edu/dubard • 601.266.5223 A

A/E

OE/

AD

AI

UC

680

88.6

215

1.13

R

THEY can learn... YOU can teach them.

Upcoming Course: Missing Links in Academics - April 11-12



nmissouri

CID – Central Institute for the Deaf, 825 S. Taylor Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110 314-977-0132 (voice) • 314-977-0037 (tty) • [email protected] (email) • www.cid.edu (website) Lynda Berkowitz/Barb Lanfer, co-principals. Child- and family-friendly learning environment for children birth-12; exciting adapted curriculum incorporating mainstream content; Family Center for infants and toddlers; expert mainstream preparation in the CID pre-k and primary programs; workshops and educational tools for professionals; close affiliation with Washington University deaf education and audiology graduate programs.

The Moog Center for Deaf Education, 12300 South Forty Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141 • 314-692-7172 (voice) • 314-692-8544 (fax) • www.moogcenter.org (website) • Betsy Moog Brooks, Executive Director, [email protected]. 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 (3-9 years), Audiology (including cochlear implant programming), mainstream services, educational evaluations, parent education and support groups, professional workshops, teacher education, and student teacher placements. The Moog Center for Deaf Education is a Certified Moog Program.

St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf – St. Louis, 1809 Clarkson Road, Chesterfield, MO 63017 • (636) 532-3211 (voice/TYY) • www.sjid.org • An independent, Catholic school serving children with hearing loss birth through the eighth grade. Listening and Spoken Language programs include early intervention, toddler and preschool classes, K-8th grade, ihear internet therapy, audiology clinic, evaluations, mainstream consultancy, and summer school. Challenging speech, academic programs and personal development are offered in a supportive environment. ISACS accredited. Approved private agency of Missouri Department of Education and Illinois Department of Education. (See Indiana for other campus information)

nnew Jersey

Summit Speech School for the Hearing-Impaired Child, F.M. Kirby Center is an exclusively auditory-oral/auditory-verbal school for deaf and hard of hearing children located at 705 Central Ave., New Providence, NJ 07974 • 908-508-0011 (voice/TTY) • 908-508-0012 (fax) • [email protected] (email) • www.summitspeech.org (website) • Pamela Paskowitz, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Executive Director. Programs include Early Intervention/Parent Infant (0-3 years), Preschool (3-5 years) and Itinerant Mainstream Support Services for children in their home districts. Speech and language, OT and PT and family support/family education services available. Pediatric audiological services are available for children birth-21 and educational audiology and consultation is available for school districts.

nnew York

Anne Kearney, M.S., LSLS Cert. AVT, CCC-SLP, 401 Littleworth Lane, Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY 11579 • 516-671-9057 (Voice) • [email protected]. Family-centered auditory-verbal speech therapy for infants, children and adults with any level of hearing loss.

Auditory/Oral School of New York, 3321 Avenue “M”, Brooklyn, NY 11234 • 718-531-1800 (voice) • 718-421-5395 (fax) • [email protected] (email). Pnina Bravmann, Program Director. An Auditory/Oral Early Intervention and Preschool Program serving children with hearing loss and their families. Programs include: Early Intervention (center-based and home-based), preschool, integrated preschool classes with children with normal hearing, multidisciplinary evaluations, parent support, auditory-verbal therapy (individual speech, language and listening therapy), complete audiological services, cochlear implant (re)habilitation, mainstreaming, ongoing support services following mainstreaming.

Center for Hearing and Communication, 50 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10004 • 917 305-7700 (voice) • 917-305-7888 (TTY) • 917-305-7999 (fax) • 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 have a hearing loss as well as children with listening and learning challenges. Our acclaimed services for children include pediatric hearing evaluation and hearing aid fitting; auditory-oral therapy; and the evaluation and treatment of auditory processing disorder (APD). Comprehensive services for all ages include hearing evaluation; hearing aid evaluation, fitting and sales; cochlear implant training; communication therapy; assistive technology consultation; tinnitus treatment, emotional health and wellness; and Mobile Hearing Test Unit. Visit www.CHChearing.org to access our vast library of information about hearing loss and hearing conservation.

Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech/New York, 80 East End Avenue, New York, NY 10028 • 212-585-3500 (voice/tty). [email protected] • www.clarkeschools.org. Meredith Berger, Director. A member of the Option Schools network, Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech provides children who are deaf and hard of hearing with the listening, learning and spoken language skills they need to succeed. Comprehensive listening and spoken language programs prepare students for success in mainstream schools. Clarke’s New York campus is located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and serves children age birth-5 years old from New York City and Westchester County. Clarke is an approved provider of early intervention evaluations and services, service coordination, and pre-school classes (self-contained and integrated). There are typically little or no out of pocket expenses for families attending Clarke New York. Our expert staff includes teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing, speech language pathologists, audiologists, social workers/service coordinators and occupational and physical therapists. Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech has locations in Boston, Bryn Mawr, Jacksonville, New York City, Northampton and Philadelphia.



Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf, 40 Frost Mill Road, Mill Neck, NY 11765 • (516) 922-4100 (voice). Mark R. Prowatzke Ph.D., Executive Director. State-supported school maintains Infant Toddler Program with focus on parent education and family support that includes listening and spoken language training by a speech therapist and TOD. Audiological services onsite. Auditory-verbal preschool and kindergarten (ages 3-6) program serves students who are deaf or hard of hearing alongside peers with typical hearing. Curriculum addresses NYS standards as it promotes language development through listening in a less restrictive setting. Full time TOD, along with music, art, library, audiological services and therapies that include individual and group speech, occupational, physical and family supports are available onsite. Certified Auditory Verbal Educators are on staff.

Rochester School for the Deaf, 1545 St. Paul Street, Rochester, NY 14621 • 585-544-1240 (voice/TTY) • 866-283-8810 (videophone) • [email protected] • www.RSDeaf.org • Harold Mowl, Jr., Ph.D., Superintendent/CEO. Serving Western and Central New York State, Rochester School for the Deaf (RSD) is an inclusive, bilingual school where children who are deaf and hard of hearing and their families thrive. Established in 1876, RSD goes above and beyond all expectations to provide quality Pre-K through 12th grade academic programs, services and resources to ensure a satisfying and successful school experience for children with hearing loss.

The Children’s Hearing Institute, 380 Second Avenue at 22nd Street, 9th floor, New York, NY 10010 • 646-438-7819 (voice). Educational Outreach Program – provides continuing education courses for professionals to maintain certification, with accreditation by American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), American Academy of Audiology (AAA), and The AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language. Free parent and family programs for children with hearing loss. CHI’s mission is to achieve the best possible outcome for children with hearing loss by caring for their clinical needs, educating the professionals that work with them, and providing their parents with the pertinent information needed for in-home success.



nnorth Carolina

BEGINNINGS For Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, Inc., 302 Jefferson Street, Suite 110, PO Box 17646, Raleigh, NC 27605, 919-715-4092 (voice) – 919-715-4093 (fax) – [email protected] (email). Joni Alberg, Executive Director. BEGINNINGS provides emotional support, unbiased information, and technical assistance to parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing, deaf parents with hearing children, and professionals serving those families. BEGINNINGS assists parents of children from birth through age 21 by providing information and support that will empower them as informed decision makers, helping them access the services they need for their child, and promoting the importance of early intervention and other educational programs. BEGINNINGS believes that given accurate, objective information about hearing loss, parents can make sound decisions for their child about educational placement, communication methodology, and related service needs.

CASTLE – Center for Acquisition of Spoken Language Through Listening Enrichment, 5501 Fortunes Ridge Drive, Suite A, Chapel Hill, NC 27713 • 919-419-1428 (voice) • www.med.unc.edu/earandhearing/castle (website) • CASTLE is a part of the UNC Pediatric Cochlear Implant Team. Our mission is to provide a quality listening & spoken language program for children with hearing loss; empower parents as primary teachers and advocates; and train and coach specialists in listening and spoken language. We offer toddler classes, preschool language groups, auditory-verbal parent sessions and distance therapy through UNC REACH. A hands-on training program for hearing-related professionals/university students is also available.

nOklahoma

Hearts for Hearing, 3525 NW 56th Street, Suite A-150, Oklahoma City, OK 73112 • 405-548-4300 • 405-548-4350(Fax) • Comprehensive hearing health care for children and adults with an emphasis on listening and spoken language outcomes. Our family-centered team includes audiologists, LSLS Cert. AVTs, speech-language pathologists, physicians and educators working closely with families for optimal listening and spoken language outcomes. Services include newborn hearing testing, pediatric and adult audiological evaluations, hearing aid fittings, cochlear implant evaluations and mapping. Auditory-verbal therapy as well as cochlear implant habilitation is offered by Listening and Spoken Language Specialists (LSLS™), as well as an auditory-oral preschool, parent-toddler group and a summer enrichment program. Continuing education and consulting available. www.heartsforhearing.org.



nPennsylvania

Center for Childhood Communication at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 3405 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia 19104 • (800) 551-5480 (voice) • (215) 590-5641 (fax) • www.chop.edu/ccc (website). The CCC provides Audiology, Speech-Language and Cochlear Implant services and offers support through CATIPIHLER, an interdisciplinary program including mental health and educational services for children with hearing loss and their families from time of diagnosis through transition into school-aged services. In addition to serving families at our main campus in Philadelphia, satellite offices are located in Bucks County, Exton, King of Prussia, and Springfield, PA and in Voorhees, Mays Landing, and Princeton, NJ. Professional Preparation in Cochlear Implants (PPCI), a continuing education training program for teachers and speech-language pathologists, is also headquartered at the CCC.

Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech/Pennsylvania, 455 South Roberts Road, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 • 610-525-9600 (voice/tty). [email protected] • www.clarkeschools.org. Judith Sexton, MS, CED, LSLS Cert AVEd, Director. A member of the Option Schools network, Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech provides children who are deaf and hard of hearing with the listening, learning and spoken language skills they need to succeed. Comprehensive listening and spoken language programs prepare students for success in mainstream schools. Locations in Bryn Mawr and Philadelphia. Services include early intervention, preschool, parent education, individual auditory speech and language services, cochlear implant habilitation for children and adults, audiological services, and mainstream services including itinerant teaching and consulting. Specially trained staff includes LSLS Cert. AVEd and LSL Cert. AVT professionals, teachers of the deaf, special educators, speech language pathologists and a staff audiologist. Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech has locations in Boston, Bryn Mawr, Jacksonville, New York City, Northampton and Philadelphia.

Delaware County Intermediate Unit # 25, Hearing and Language Programs, 200 Yale Avenue, Morton, PA 19070 • 610-938-9000, ext. 2277, 610-938-9886 (fax) • [email protected] • Program Highlights: A publicly funded program for children with hearing loss in local schools. Serving children from birth through 21 years of age. Teachers of the deaf provide resource room support and itinerant hearing therapy throughout Delaware County, PA. Services also include audiology, speech therapy, cochlear implant habilitation (which includes LSLS Cert. AVT and LSLS Cert. AVEd), psychology and social work.

DePaul School for Hearing and Speech, 6202 Alder Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 • 412-924-1012 (voice) • 412-924-1036 (fax) • www.speakmiracles.org (website) • [email protected] (email) • Lillian Rountree Lippencott, Director of Outreach & Development. As western Pennsylvania’s only auditory-oral school for children who are deaf or hard of hearing, DePaul School provides Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) education to children in Pennsylvania, and from Ohio and West Virginia. A State Approved Private School, most programs are tuition-free to approved students. DePaul School provides early intervention services for children (birth to age 5); a center-based toddler program (ages 18-36 months); a preschool program (ages 3-5) and a comprehensive academic program grades K-8. DePaul School provides clinical services including audiology, Auditory-Verbal and speech therapy, cochlear implant MAPping and habilitation, physical and occupational therapy, mainstreaming support and parent education and support programs. Most children who participate in DePaul School’s early intervention programs gain the listening and spoken language skills needed to succeed and transition to their neighborhood schools by first grade.

nSouth Carolina

The University of South Carolina Speech and Hearing Research Center, 1601 St. Julian Place, Columbia, SC, 29204 • (803) 777-2614 (voice) • (803) 253-4143 (fax) • Center Director: Danielle Varnedoe, [email protected]. The center provides audiology services, speech-language therapy, adult aural (re)habilitation therapy, and Auditory-Verbal Therapy. Our audiology services include comprehensive diagnostic evaluations, hearing aid evaluations and services, and cochlear implant evaluations and programming. The University also provides a training program for AV therapy and cochlear implant management for professional/university students. Additional contacts for the AVT or CI programs include Wendy Potts, CI Program Coordinator (803-777-2642), Melissa Hall (803-777-1698), Nikki Herrod-Burrows (803-777-2669), Gina Crosby-Quinatoa (803) 777-2671, and Jamy Claire Archer (803-777-1734).

nTennessee

Memphis Oral School for the Deaf, 7901 Poplar Avenue, Germantown, TN 38138 • 901-758-2228 (voice) • 901-531-6735 (fax) • www.mosdkids.org (website) • [email protected] (email). Teresa Schwartz, Executive Director. Services: Family Training Program (birth-age 3), Auditory/Oral Day School (ages 2-6), Audiological Testing, Hearing Aid Programming, Cochlear Implant Mapping and Therapy, Aural (Re)Habilitation, Speech-Language Therapy, Mainstream Service.

Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center - National Center for Childhood Deafness and Family Communication, Medical Center East South Tower, 1215 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37232-8718 • 615-936-5000 (voice) • 615-936-1225 (fax) • [email protected] (email) • www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/VanderbiltBillWilkersonCenter (web). Tamala Bradham, Ph.D., Associate Director in Clinical Services. The NCCDFC Service Division is an auditory learning program serving children with hearing loss from birth through 21 years. Services include educational services at the Mama Lere Hearing School at Vanderbilt as well as audiological and speech-language pathology services. Specifically, services includes audiological evaluations, hearing aid services, cochlear implant evaluations and programming, speech, language, and listening therapy, educational assessments, parent-infant program, toddler program, all day preschool through kindergarten educational program, itinerant/academic tutoring services, parent support groups, and summer enrichment programs.

nTexas

Callier Center for Communication Disorders/UT Dallas - Callier-Dallas Facility 1966 Inwood Road, Dallas, TX, 75235 • 214-905-3000 (voice) • 214-905-3012 (TDD) • Callier-Richardson Facility: 811 Synergy Park Blvd., Richardson, TX, 75080 • 972-883-3630 (voice) • 972-883-3605 (TDD) • [email protected] (e-mail) • www.callier.utdallas.edu (website). Nonprofit Organization, hearing evaluations, hearing aid dispensing, assistive devices, cochlear implant evaluations, psychology services, speech-language pathology services, child development program for children ages six weeks to five years.

The Center for Hearing and Speech, 3636 West Dallas, Houston, TX 77019 • 713-523-3633 (voice) • 713-874-1173 (TTY) • 713-523-8399 (fax) - [email protected] (email) www.centerhearingandspeech.org (website) CHS serves children with hearing impairments from birth to 18 years. Services include: auditory/oral preschool; Audiology Clinic providing comprehensive hearing evaluations, diagnostic ABR, hearing aid and FM evaluations and fittings, cochlear implant evaluations and follow-up mapping; Speech-Language Pathology Clinic providing Parent-Infant therapy, Auditory-Verbal therapy, aural(re) habilitation; family support services. All services offered on sliding fee scale and many services offered in Spanish.



Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children, 603 E. Hildebrand Ave., San Antonio, TX 78212; 210/824-0579; fax 210/826-0436. Founded in 1947, Sunshine Cottage, a listening and spoken language school promoting early identification of hearing loss and subsequent intervention teaching children with hearing impairment (infants through high school.) State-of-the-art pediatric audiological services include hearing aid fitting, cochlear implant programming, assessment of children maintenance of campus soundfield and FM equipment. Programs include the Newborn Hearing Evaluation Center, Parent-Infant Program, Hearing Aid Loaner and Scholarship Programs, Educational Programs (pre-school through fifth grade on campus and in mainstream settings), Habilitative Services, Speech Language Pathology, Counseling, and Assessment Services. Pre- and post-cochlear implant assessments and habilitation. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement, OPTIONschools International, and is a Texas Education Agency approved non-public school. For more information visit www.sunshinecottage.org

nUtah

Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB), 742 Harrison Boulevard, Ogden UT 84404 - 801-629-4712 (voice) 801-629-4701 (TTY) - www.udsb.org (website). USDB is a state funded program for children with hearing loss (birth through high school) serving students in various settings including local district classes and direct educational and consulting services throughout the state. USDB language and communication options include Listening and Spoken Language. USDB has a comprehensive hearing healthcare program which includes an emphasis on hearing technology for optimal auditory access, pediatric audiological evaluations, and cochlear implant management. Services also include Early Intervention, full-day preschool and Kindergarten, intensive day programs, and related services including speech/language pathology and aural habilitation.

nWisconsin

Center for Communication, Hearing & Deafness, 10243 W. National Avenue, West Allis, WI 53227 • 414-604-2200(Voice) • 414-604-7200 (Fax) • www.cdhh.org (Website). Amy Peters Lalios, M.A., CCC-A, LSLS Cert. AVT as well as five LSLS Cert. AVEds. Nonprofit agency located in the Milwaukee area provides comprehensive auditory programming to individuals with hearing loss, from infants to the elderly. The Birth to Three program serves children from throughout Southeastern Wisconsin, including education in the home, toddler communication groups, and individual speech therapy. AV Therapy is also provided to school-age children locally as well as through ConnectHear, an interactive teletherapy program. Pre- and post-cochlear implant training is provided for adults and communication strategies and speechreading is offered to individuals as well as in small groups.

Every Child Deserves a Chanceto Listen, Talk and Thrive

Advances in newborn hearing screening and early hearing detection and intervention aregiving more children with hearing loss the opportunity to learn to listen, talk and thrivealong with their peers. That’s why AG Bell offers programs designed to support children and youth with hearing loss who are pursuing spoken language education.

TEL 202.337.5220 • EMAIL [email protected] www.listeningandspokenlanguage.org

SCHOOL-AGE FINANCIAL AID PROGRAMAPPLICATIONS AVAILABLE: APRIL 18, 2013APPLICATION DEADLINE: JUNE 17, 2013

More information, including eligibility criteriaand an application packet, is available at

www.ListeningandSpokenLanguage.org.

FinAidAd_HALF PG_School Age_Jan13:1 1/5/13 7:22 AM Page 1



InTernATIOnAl

nCanada

Children’s Hearing and Speech Centre of British Columbia ( formerly The Vancouver Oral Centre for Deaf Children), 3575 Kaslo Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5M 3H4, Canada • 604-437-0255 (voice) • 604-437-1251 (tty) • 604-437-0260 (fax) • www.childrenshearing.ca (website) • Janet Weil, Principal and Executive Director, [email protected]. Our auditory-oral program includes: onsite audiology, cochlear implant mapping, parent guidance, auditory-verbal education, preschool, pre-kindergarten and K, Primary 1-3; 1:1 therapy sessions, itinerant services and teletherapy.

Montreal Oral School for the Deaf, 4670 St. Catherine Street, West, Westmount, QC, Canada H3Z 1S5 • 514-488-4946 (voice/ tty) • 514-488-0802 (fax) • [email protected] (email) • www.montrealoralschool.com (website). Parent-infant program (0-3 years old). Full-time educational program (3-12 years old). Mainstreaming program in regular schools (elementary and secondary). Audiology, cochlear implant and other support services.

nengland

The Speech, Language and Hearing Centre – Christopher Place, 1-5 Christopher Place, Chalton Street, Euston, London NW1 1JF, England • 0114-207-383-3834 (voice) • 0114-207-383-3099 (fax) • [email protected] (email) • www.speech-lang.org.uk (website) • Assessment, nursery school and therapeutic centre for children under 5 with hearing impairment, speech/language or communication difficulties, including autism. • We have a Child Psychologist and a Child Psychotherapist. • Auditory-Verbal Therapy is also provided by a LSLS Cert. AVT.

Advanced Bionics Corporation .............................................. Inside Back Cover

Auditory-Verbal Center, Inc. ................................................................................5

CapTel ..................................................................................................................7

Central Institute for the Deaf ............................................................................11

Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech ..........................................................21

Cochlear Americas ........................................................................................... 33

Dubard School for Language Disorders ...........................................................41

Ear Gear ...............................................................................................................4

Ear Technology Corp. (Dry & Store) ..................................................................20

Harris Communications ....................................................................................27

House Research Institute ................................................................................. 39

Let’s Hear It For Almigal ....................................................................................16

MED-EL Corporation ......................................................................... Back Cover

Moog Center for Deaf Education ......................................................................17

National Technical Institute for the Deaf - RIT ................................................. 44

Oticon ..................................................................................... Inside Front Cover

St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf .................................................................15, 23

Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children ....................................................35

Tucker-Maxon School for the Deaf .................................................................. 43

2013 AG Bell LSL Symposium ..........................................................................37

AG Bell School-Age Financial Aid .....................................................................46

LisT Of AdVErTisErs


michael hoodKayaking Through the Amazon and exploring healthy Cooking

Interview by Susan Boswell

When I was 1 year old, my mom found me enjoying myself inside the fireplace playing with the soot. She yelled my name many times before I turned around and jumped back with shock after seeing her. That’s when she realized I couldn’t hear.

My mom, who is an artist, devoted many hours creating illustrated books to teach me the concept of words. She also spent innumerable hours talking to me to help me learn to speechread and begin to talk. To assist other parents of children who are deaf and hard of hearing, my parents co-founded the AG Bell HEAR Indiana chapter.

While on whitewater rafting trips, I noticed kayakers were having more fun in their small boats with the water splashing against their faces. In 2007, I signed up for a weeklong whitewater kayaking school for beginners and promptly bought my gear which I still use today.

Whitewater kayaks have a tendency to spin around which requires me to con-stantly rotate my head to speechread my instructors and mentors. Repositioning the boat into an ideal listening position in mov-ing water is not as simple as moving around in dry land. I communicated to instructors the need for individualized attention during on-water instruction which worked well.

One of my trip leaders has made laminated cards describing how to approach significant rapids he has run many times and has given me copies for my own use. The key is having a mentor or buddy willing to com-

municate directly with me any guidance or warnings communicated with the group.

In general, I prefer “steep creeking” which involves descending very steep low-volume whitewater with waterfalls and navigating around many different types of hazards. I regularly travel along the Appalachian Mountains especially West Virginia and surrounding areas, the vicin-ity of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee, and the Carolinas.

My 18-year-old daughter and I both regularly guide a whitewater raft, and I am proud that she will be working as a profes-sional guide this coming summer.

While kayaking under heavy rains in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador, my group of seven boaters had to evacuate the rapidly rising river and into the thick bush facing a steep slope. After an hour we finally

reached the nearest dirt road where a large family of indigenous people walked by with the men carrying machetes and the women and children hoisting stacks of leaves for roofing. They indicated the way back to our van. We had no idea what we would come to face in that jungle, so I consider this experience a great example of adventure!

I started cooking in college when I grew tired of the unhealthy options served in the dorm, and it has been a never-ending journey of discovering new ways to prepare healthy meals that are fun to eat. I’ve cultivated a local network of farmers to source vegetables, fruits, meats and raw milk and cook with an emphasis on fresh local foods and minimal preparation. My philosophy is you will be tempted to resort to unhealthy eating habits if you do not make the effort to create healthy meals that are fun to prepare and eat.

Up Front on the Back Page

“The key is having a mentor or buddy willing to communicate directly with me.”

Read the entire interview online on the Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center at ListeningandSpokenLanguage.org/BackPage. If you have stories to tell, experiences to share and a perspective on hearing loss for this column, please send an email to [email protected] and tell us a bit about yourself.

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volta voices march-april 2013 magazine

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