About the CampaignHearing loss affects 12,000 infants born in the United States each year – or 33 babies a day – making it the most common birth defect. The World Health Organization estimates that there are 123 million people who are deaf worldwide, and 60 percent of these people live in the developing world where only 10 percent of children with hearing loss receive any education at all. Thanks to recent medical and technological advances in infant hearing screening, hearing technology and early intervention, most children with hearing loss can learn to listen and talk as well as their hearing peers.
Despite these remarkable advances, the shocking truth is that nearly 70 percent of parents in a recent survey conducted for AG Bell said they had not been given sufficient information about spoken language as an option for addressing childhood hearing loss. Even more surprising is that an estimated 95 percent of children with hearing loss have at least one parent with normal hearing, making spoken language an attractive option for many families.
AG Bell recognizes that the opportunity is now to dramatically increase the number of children with hearing loss who learn to listen and talk by letting parents know that spoken language can open a world of opportunities for their children.
The campaign will have three significant components:
Awareness and Education Initiative
Designed to build awareness about the fact that children who are deaf or hard of hearing can learn to listen and talk, this campaign’s community-based approach is designed to engage people in real-life discussions about hearing loss within their communities. AG Bell members, working through local chapters, will bring the message to life by making the personal connections that are so critical to truly raising awareness.
Professional Preparation and Educational Programs
AG Bell offers continuing education and training for professionals to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills needed to serve the children with hearing loss who use spoken language and their families. These programs, offered through the AG Bell Center for Professional Excellence, include the FIRST YEARS distance education program in auditory learning, the Cochlear Implant Fellowship Award program and a series of online seminars.
Professional Certification and Standards of Excellence
The AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language® will support the growing demand for professionals by setting standards of excellence and developing new certifications focused on advancing opportunities for people with hearing loss to listen and use spoken language via proven technologies and with guidance from qualified professionals.
Why the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
For over 100 years, AG Bell has been a lifelong resource, support network and advocate for listening, learning, talking and living independently with hearing loss. Through publications, advocacy, training, scholarships and financial aid, AG Bell promotes the use of spoken language and hearing technology. Headquartered in Washington, D.C. with chapters located in the United States and Canada and a network of international affiliates, AG Bell's global presence provides its members and the public with the support they need—close to home. With over a century of service, AG Bell supports its mission: Advocating Independence through Listening and Talking!
In February 2004, the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) hosted a Summit on Deafness in Washington, D.C. Leaders from the fields of hearing health and education exchanged ideas and strategies on a variety of topics including hearing technology, literacy, policy making, personnel preparation, genetics and medicine, auditory physiology, auditory diagnosis, and spoken language. Research priorities and recommendations for both immediate and long-term action were identified including:
>> Ensure that Universal Newborn Hearing Screening is reauthorized as current research outcomes clearly
demonstrate its positive impact on children with hearing loss.
>> Provide early, intensive, specialized services for children birth-to-three and their families that are
focused on developing spoken language. These services must address the unique needs of infants and
toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
