Save the Date! April 28

Landmark legislation has created an unprecedented opportunity to improve services for deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind youth in Washington. There is a forum scheduled for April 28 for parents and other constituents to share input and ideas, and help make a real difference in the lives of hundreds of children across the state!

The Center for Childhood Deafness and Hearing Loss, Washington sensory Disabilities Services, and the Washington School for the Deaf are gathering data from parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing, and educational audiologists, educators, and other related professionals who work with these children.

This information will be used to respond to the legislature in a report required by House Bill 1879 which mandates that all children who are deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing are served, no matter where they live or communication modality they use. It is vital to the process that a wide range of constituents are represented.

The next Seattle-area forum is scheduled for Wednesday April 28 at St Catherine's School (8524 8th Ave NE) Choose one of the following five sessions to attend depending on which best describes you:

• Administrators 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
• Staff 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm (Teachers of the Deaf, related service providers, educational interpreters, early intervention providers, family resource coordinators, general and special ed teachers, etc)
• Middle School and High School Students 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
• Parents 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
• Community, Agency and Professional Providers 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm (Deaf community members, social workers, audiologists, SLPs, child advocates, adult service centers, etc)

This is a great opportunity to share YOUR thoughts and ideas about what is working and what could be improved in supporting our children. We hope you can all join us and lend a voice!

Please contact Suzanne Quigley or Paige Stringer at Listen and Talk for more information at 206-985-6646.

Hearts of Love breakfast

4th Annual “Hearts of Love” breakfast
Date: Tuesday, February 23rd
Time: 7:45-9:30am
Location: Renaissance Hotel, Seattle
Cost: $50/person

Listen and Talk invites you to join us for the 4th Annual “Hearts of Love” breakfast. Our biggest fundraiser of the year, the event begins with a silent auction that includes such fun auction items as a Nintendo Wii, a private tour of Theo Chocolate, a week at a condo on Maui, a wine tasting, and more! In addition to a delicious sit-down breakfast, the program will feature singing by our preschool students, touching testimonials from two of our parents, and a special performance from one our alumni students. The Hearts of Love breakfast is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about our programs and the lives that they touch, and we hope that you will be able to join us. Click here to download a registration form.

CDHL Meeting- Make Your Voice Heard!

The first set of Stakeholder meetings is happening in the new year and your input is vital as we seek to ensure that all voices are heard ---including voices from advocates, family members, providers, teachers, and individuals who utilize listening and spoken language. If you have any questions, or would like additional information, please email suzanneq@listentalk.org.

For clarification on the January stakeholder meetings…January 12th Edmonds and Mount Vernon meetings will happen simultaneously – and January 13th Fife and Renton meetings will happen at the same time. Please attend a meeting that is convenient for you.

We hope that you can attend one of these events. Here is a summary of the January meetings and attached you will find additional detail about other meetings in the coming months across the State:

January 12, 2009
Edmonds Community College (Triton Union Bldg)- 20000 68th Ave W, Lynnwood WA
7:00-8:30pm (Parent Group Meeting)

January 12, 2009
Mount Vernon High School (Cafeteria)- 314 North 9th St, Mount Vernon WA
7:00-8:30pm (Parent Group Meeting)

January 13, 2009
Renton Technical College (room H102-105)- 3000 NE 4th St, Renton WA
7:00-8:30pm (Parent Group Meeting)

January 13, 2009
Fife School District (Board Room)- 5802 20th St E, Fife WA
7:00-8:30pm (Parent Group Meeting)

LA Times Article

The Los Angeles Times ran an interesting article today titled "Cochlear implants open deaf kids' ears to the world". The article provides great exposure to the use of cochlear implants and the auditory-oral education technique. Click here to read the complete story.

L&T Family Featured on King 5

One of our Listen and Talk families was recently featured in a segment on King 5 news. Here is a link to their story- http://www.king5.com/video/childrenshealthlink-index.html?nvid=372765.

End of the Year Review

As the school year comes to a close, we wanted to take this opportunity to recap all the things that have happened over the course of the year---
In the fall we launched a new Fine Arts program providing weekly music, art and movement classes for our preschool and pre-kindergarten students. We also launched our new L&T website that features videos, online donation capabilities and of course, the new blog.
This winter we opened a new morning preschool class to accommodate growing demand and hired a new SLP to provide Parent Infant and therapy services. We also hosted our 3rd Annual Hearts of Love breakfast, raising $40,000 for our programs.
In the spring, we held two fundraising events- a team at the Kirkland Half Marathon and a Document Shredding event, which combined grossed nearly $2500. As in the spring, Legislation was passed that reorganizes state services to children with hearing loss.
More recently, Listen and Talk announced that Audiological services will be offered starting in the fall. And last week, two new raised garden beds were installed, so the preschool and pre-k students will have the opportunity to grow flowers and vegetables.
It has been a great year full of exciting changes and growth and we thank all our families and donors for their support.

Audiological Services Coming to Listen and Talk

Listen and Talk is proud to announce that audiological services will be offered to our families within the next 6-9 months!
Children who are developing listening and spoken language skills must hear as optimally as possible. Their cochlear implants, hearing aids and FM systems must be in good working order and any change in hearing must be immediately addressed. Currently, when a change in hearing is suspected or if a problem occurs with a child’s equipment, the family has to seek assistance from their clinical audiologist. Often these appointments are not available for days or sometimes weeks. In the interim, precious time is lost as the child is not hearing optimally. The provision of audiological services will allow Listen and Talk staff to immediately assess the child’s ability to hear and if a problem is identified, address any problems that arise with the child’s devices so that they can return to the listening and spoken language lessons of the day.
A donated soundbooth was installed as the first step in a process to provide this essential support for our families. We are currently seeking financial support from local foundations, corporations and individuals to purchase the necessary audiological equipment. If you would like to make a donation to support the new Audiology booth, please call Barbara Bandoli at 206-985-6646.
We are thrilled that we will be able to provide this new service to our families and thank all the organizations and individuals who are helping to make it possible.