Foundation Update Archive
During the first trip in January, volunteers worked with 146 kids at four different CCCD campuses to test their hearing and evaluate aids. Some only needed their hearing aids adjusted, but most were in need of new ear molds and new aids. Upon return to the States, funds were needed for 127 new ear molds; 18 hearing aid repairs; and 78 new hearing aids before volunteers could return in February.
For almost 30 years, the Hearing and Speech Foundation has provided the gift of sound for hundreds of thousands of individuals in East Tennessee and beyond. One part of that gift is providing profoundly-deaf individuals with the tools they need for normal speech patterns.
The HSF Training Program focuses on a multi-sensory approach to auditory training for educators of the deaf and parents with deaf or hard-of-hearing children.
Through the Verbotonal Method, trainers are able to teach profoundly-deaf children to develop normal speech patterns, thus enabling them to live in a hearing world.
The Hearing and Speech Foundation is pleased to announce the online publication of our 2009 Annual Report.
From new leadership to a successful implementation of a new program, 2009 was a year of change and growth for HSF. A few highlights from the report include:
The Foundation would like to thank all those involved in 2009 who helped bring the opportunities for growth we now face in 2010 and beyond.
Susie Robertson, M.A., CCC-A, currently in the Ph.D. program at UT in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, presented an HSF-funded research project at the 2010 Southeast Regional Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Conference July 26 at the UT Conference Center.
Her poster, titled “The Effect of Hearing Loss on Infant Directed Speech,” focuses on the perceptual preference of speech types – infant directed speech (IDS) versus adult directed speech (ADS) – in infants with hearing impairments who wear amplification devices, such as hearing aids.
“The purpose of this study is to better understand the development of speech perception in preverbal infants with hearing loss,” said Robertson. "Infant directed speech, used around the world in different cultures, helps capture babies’ attention and helps them learn words and language. We were curious if that same assumption held true in infants with hearing impairments." IDS is the type of speech adults and caregivers use when talking to infants. Also known as “baby-talk,” it involves using an exaggerated pitch, rhythm, and duration of the speech signal. Research shows that normal-hearing infants typically prefer this type of speech over adult directed speech.Over 130 people welcomed spring this week at The Hearing and Speech Foundation’s Swing into Spring Fashion show and Luncheon. This third annual fundraiser took place March 23 at R.T. Lodge in Maryville, Tenn.
Guests started out the afternoon with a taste of Chef Rick Mace’s culinary vision, which celebrates the bounty of East Tennessee and simple reverence of county cooking. A simple spring salad of wild greens and shaved radishes was followed by Spring Mountain Farms chicken served with carrots, chickpeas and scallion. The meal came to a close with a Cruze Dairy buttermilk panna cotta and rhubarb compote. During lunch, guests had the opportunity to win door prizes ranging from dish mats and cutting boards to Martini glasses and concert tickets.
The Hearing and Speech Foundation currently serves over 600 patients in 26 East Tennessee counties and depends on grants and civic contributions to help support our Hearing Aid Assistance Program. In 2009, donations from these civic supporters totaled $28,824.88, which helped purchase over 100 new hearing aids for patients.
The largest civic contribution came from the Monroe County Government and totaled $10,500. This grant helped us provide 21 Monroe County residents with the gift of sound in 2009. Currently, the Foundation has 55 Monroe County patients, which total nine percent of our total patient load.
