Articles & Documents

One of the best things I've learned serving the   Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing   is how precious communication is and how many different forms it can take. Although I've always had the benefit of being bilingual, I've now learned that there are multiple layers to communicating, and by being open to the wonder of words, we can discover so many new things not just in our world, but in ourselves.

During September, nearly all of us – at least in the U.S. – think back on our memories of the start of the school year. Returning to school is an exciting time and is no different for children with or without hearing loss. Once mainstreamed, they eagerly look forward to seeing their friends once again.

As I write this, I am saddened to hear of Inez Janger’s passing. She was a tremendous inspiration to those who had the pleasure of working with her, including to us here at AG Bell. Her extraordinary resume as a past president includes founding the AG Bell New York chapter, revolutionizing our membership as well as chapter operations, developing AG Bell’s Parent Advocacy Training (P.A.T.) program and managing the Auditory-Verbal international merger (known today as the AG Bell Academy for Liste...

AG Bell events bring the Listening and Spoken Language community together in a common dialogue. As a lover of history, I saw a historical parallel at the convention with hundreds of people flocking toward a southwestern state to discover the latest in listening and spoken language.

The 2018 AG Bell Convention ignited innovation in all of our attendees, presenters, awardees and advocates engaging industry experts, families and educators. Each day gave us the chance to create priceless memories, build on long-lasting relationships and continue our work to change lives.

We are in the final stages of preparing for the Convention. As you can see from the staff photo below of us at the conference table in the Volta Bureau, we are hard at work ensuring the Convention is informative for the whole family! I look forward to seeing you all there.

Since May was Better Hearing and Speech Month (BHSM), we conducted an extraordinarily successful digital marketing campaign to raise awareness about the potential of individuals with hearing loss. It is no coincidence BHSM ends on “National Save Your Hearing Day.” While an origin of the celebration was not found, its mission nevertheless remains pertinent since one-in-six babies out of 1,000 nationwide are born deaf or hard of hearing.

AG Bell is privileged once again to join the world in celebrating and highlighting important news to identify the causes and solutions accessible to individuals with hearing loss. This year, AG Bell launched an awareness  campaign  energizing the deaf and hard of hearing community to share stories and unique life experiences with hearing loss.

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, and as it approaches, I turn my eye towards all mothers especially those unsung heroes who dedicate countless hours on their child’s journey towards achieving listening and spoken language. As Robert Lowell wrote in  Returning  (1973), “no one like one’s mother ever lived.”

Closing out April is more awareness – this time, highlighting the young and talented individuals whose efforts keep the office humming. Internships are great opportunities to teach and share information with someone ready to start their career as well as provide employment training and strengthen “soft skills” critical to success in the modern world. For this National Internship Awareness Week, organized by the Career Edge Organization, I want to spotlight the outstanding efforts of our intern...