The Hearing and Speech Center Complete!
The Hearing and Speech Center Complete!
Partners for A Greater Voice (PGV) and Centro Cristiano de Servicios Médicos (CCSM) have been collaborating since 2011. In memory of Joanne’s parents, Don and Marie Senecal, contributions made it possible to construct an acoustically modified speech therapy room adjacent to the hospital’s audiology clinic. Equipped with donations and therapy materials for developing listening and spoken language, The Hearing and Speech Center opened in the Spring of 2013.
Aural habilitation services, hearing aids, and education programs in listening and spoken language for the deaf and hard of hearing are scarce in the Dominican Republic. For the first time, CCSM can offer aural habilitation at The Hearing and Speech Center. Maria Estella Rivera, who has participated in PGV’s teacher training programs since 2008, began providing children listening and spoken language therapy. Therapy sessions involve learning to listen, language development, literacy development, and parent education for deaf and hard of hearing children.
Partners for A Greater Voice continues to consult, educate and support CCSM. Our Give the Gift of Hearing continues to help families in need, as do annual trips to support Estella’s continued education. Often, PGV provides workshops to deepen knowledge in aural habilitation, parent education, listening and spoken language, literacy, and a variety of hearing health topics. While hundreds of hearing aids parts and devices have been donated to the audiology clinic, PGV collaborates with CCSM staff to foster their understanding of aural habilitation and its importance, as well as meaningful parent meetings that can coach, engage, and educate caregivers.
