2009 Voice Conference in Pictures The Growth of AV in Ontario ... · dation of the VOICE Teen Leadership Workshop. This year’s Teen Workshop sur-passed our expectations with over

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We Needto Talk AboutMusic

2009 Voice Conference in PicturesThe Growth of AV in OntarioDeveloping IdentityThe Farmer in the DellThe Weather NetworkSuccessful Soiree

www.voicefordeafkids.com 3SOUND MATTERS

executive director’s reportNorah-Lynn McIntyre

Musician Richard Reed, the VOICE Conference 2009 keynotespeaker literally set the tone for what many have described asa “fantastic” overall conference. Richard’s presentation was bothentertaining and informative, as he described through his key-boarding skills, the affect of having lost and regained his abili-ty to appreciate music with the benefit of cochlear implanttechnology following his sudden loss of hearing in adulthood.

Thank you to all of the wonderful speakers, generous spon-sors and engaged exhibitors and to the tremendous VOICE vol-unteers and staff who supported this year’s conference. Weknow from the feedback from many of the over250 conference delegates that your effortswere truly appreciated. Thanks also tothe Ontario Barber-shoppers for theirengaging lunchtime entertainmentand for the support by theHarmonize for Speech Foun-dation of the VOICE TeenLeadership Workshop. Thisyear’s Teen Workshop sur-passed our expectations withover 20 participants! Save thedate May 8 for VOICEConference 2010.

An increased demand for theAuditory-Verbal option due to theprovincial infant hearing program andcochlear implants and a shortage of profes-sionals who are qualified in delivering theAuditory-Verbal option to children with

hearing losses has resulted in a demand for professional train-ing. VOICE is delighted with the increased support of theVOICE Mentorship Program through a training and mentor-ship grant from the Ontario Ministry of Education – learn moreabout this “music to our ears” in a feature article by VOICE’sDirector of Therapy and Training Programs, Anita Bernstein.Anita was honoured at this year’s pre-conference reception inrecognition of her 15 years of service with VOICE for HearingImpaired Children. I know her colleagues and the families ofVOICE join with me in thanking Anita for her long-time pro-

fessional dedication as a Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist.

The 2009/10 year will feature a number of “musi-cal” awareness raising events. Among them is the

Cocktail Music Soiree held during May Speechand Hearing Month. Thank you to all the plan-ning committee members and participants

who contributed to its overwhelming suc-cess! (See our photos found on pages 24and 25 of this issue!)

A life without music is hard tofathom. How grateful we are thattoday, children born with hearingloss, can hear the music too. I invite

you to celebrate with us this year. Yourparticipation by attending our events,

contributing through volunteerism orthrough your generous financial giv-

ing will help VOICE assure thatchildren with hearing loss canhear the music for life!

Music to My Ears

Music to My Ears was a fitting theme for the 2009 Conference. We have cause for

celebration! First and foremost we can celebrate the fact that for the first time in

history, Deaf children born with severe and profound hearing losses are appre-

ciating listening to and playing music as a result of the tremendous advancements in hear-

ing technology.

JUNE 2009

Official publication of VOICE

MANAGING EDITOR

Scott [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORS

Jill Baden | Anita Bernstein

Bonnie Davidson | Norah-Lynn McIntyre

Paula McLellan | Richard Reed

Larry Williamson | Bailey Wilson

Gail Wright

ART D IRECTOR

Binda [email protected]

SALES AND CIRCULATION COORDINATOR

Brenda [email protected]

ACCOUNTING

Susan McClung

GROUP PUBL ISHER

John D. [email protected]

_______________________________________________________

Sound Matters is published yearly by Andrew John PublishingInc. with offices at 115 King Street West, Dundas, On, Canada L9H 1V1.

We welcome editorial submissions but cannot assume respon-sibility or commitment for unsolicited material. Any editorialmaterial, including photographs that are accepted from anunsolicited contributor, will become the property of AndrewJohn Publishing Inc.

F E E D B A C K

We welcome your views and comments. Please send them toAndrew John Publishing Inc., 115 King Street West, Dundas, On,Canada L9H 1V1. Copyright 2009 by Andrew John Publishing Inc. All rights reserved.Reprinting in part or in whole is forbidden without express writtenconsent from the publisher.

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Sound Matters

4 SOUND MATTERS

3 Executive Director’s ReportBY NORAH-LYNN MCINTYRE

7 VOICE Chapters and ContactInformation

8 2009 VOICE Conference in Pictures

27 Donor Acknowledgements

12 We Need to Talk about Music

BY RICHARD REED, 2009 CONFERENCE

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

13 Developing Identity and Advocacy Skills

with the Mainstreamed Deaf Student

BY GAIL WRIGHT

17 TOP TEN Strategies for Parents

BY JILL BADER, MA

18 VOICE and the Weather Network

21 The “Farmer in the Dell” Makes a

Comeback!

BY BONNIE DAVISON

22 The Growth of AV in Ontario: We Have

Indeed Come a Long Way!

BY ANITA BERNSTEIN

24 Successful Soiree

The VOICE Cocktail Musical Soiree

25 Quebec to Launch Universal Newborn

Hearing Screening Program!

30 Cochlear Implants Offer Kids A Gift

Beyond Hearing

FEATURES

contents


contact information

Calgary (Associate Chapter)Tel: 403-652-4991Contact: Kathy [email protected]

Halton/Hamilton/Niagara& PeelTel: 905-335-1069Contact: Bill [email protected]

Edmonton (Associate Chapter)Contact: Marilyn [email protected]

Kawartha/DurhamTel: 905-837-1851Contact: Paula [email protected]

Kingston & DistrictTel: 613-536-5586Contact: Anne [email protected]

LondonTel: 519-659-4111Contact: Anne [email protected]

Montreal (Associate Chapter)Tel: 514-364-5947Contact: Anna [email protected]

Near North (formerly North Bay)Tel: 705-523-3489Contact: Monica [email protected]

Newfoundland (AssociateChapter)Tel: 709-834-0868Contact: Kim [email protected]

OttawaTel 613-746-8683Contact: Josée [email protected] Audrey [email protected]

SarniaTel: 519-542-3851Contact: Alicia [email protected]

Simcoe CountyTel: 705- 458-8261Contact: Ruth [email protected]

Thunder BayTel: 807-345-4157Contact: Rosemary [email protected]

TorontoContact: VOICE NationalOffice [email protected]

Waterloo/WellingtonTel: 519-821-4586Contact: Stacey [email protected]

Windsor & Essex CountyTel: 519-250-5388Contact: Sabrina East [email protected]

Winnipeg (Associate Chapter)Tel: 204-831-0475Contact: Rémi [email protected]

York RegionTel: 905-508-1172Contact: Shawna [email protected]

BOARD OF DIRECTORSDr. Paul Sostar – ChairMark Halpren – TreasurerSteve Duke – Vice-ChairJohn Pepper – Past Vice/Acting ChairNancy Greenwald-HoodRobert PalterBill QuesnelSabrina EastSol NaymanJohn HumphreysPaul CrossJohn BergenAlan MarksRonnie BanerjeaAlan BirdJames BorerAlice Eriks-Brophy

THERAPISTS

Halton/Hamilton/Niagara & PeelAnita Bernstein, Cert AVTYvonne Oliveira, Cert AVTLisa Mansell, AVT Intern

LondonVickie Hlady-MacDonald, Cert AVTJanet Henry, Cert AVTMargaret Louwerse, Cert AVT

Waterloo/WellingtonMargaret Louwerse, Cert AVT

Near NorthDarlene Laferriere, Cert AVT

STAFFNorah-Lynn McIntyreExecutive Director

Anita BernsteinDirector of Therapy & TrainingPrograms

Paula McLellanFund Development Manager

Cécile EdelmanFinance Manager

Eileen BoxallOffice Manager

Maribel MartinezAdministrative Assistant

VOICE CHAPTERS

VOICE HAMILTON OFFICE

361 Jackson St. W., Hamilton, ON L8P 1N2Tel: 905-522-6800Fax: 905-522-7033

VOICE NATIONAL OFFICE

161 Eglinton Ave East, #701Toronto, ON, M4P 1J5Tel: 416-487-7719Fax: 416-487-7423info@voicefordeafkids.comwww.voicefordeafkids.comCharitable Registration #12360 9364 RR0001

Simcoe CountyRhonda Burke-Juraszik, Cert AVT

Windsor & SarniaMarie Novak, Cert AVT

Toronto/York RegionSue Barr, Cert AVTDana Cohen, Cert AVTDebbie Gray, Cert AVTRobyn MacLellan, Cert AVTKaren McIver-Lux, Cert AVTNicole Nayman, Cert AVTRiza Razack, Cert AVT

DurhamSue Porter, Cert AVT

8 SOUND MATTERS JUNE 2009

2009 VOICE conferencein pictures. Photos courtesy Larry Williamson

2009 VOICE ConferenceAt the 2009 Pre-ConferenceReception parents and profes-sionals shared in congratulatingand thanking Anita Bernstein forher 15 years of services toVOICE. “My work with VOICEhas been very rewarding and Ihave a special place in my heartfor all the children and their par-ents.” She was quoted as saying.

Shawna Akerman was honoured with a Volunteer RecognitionAward for her many years as a dedicated VOICE volunteer.Congratulations from everyone at VOICE and thank youShawna!

VOICE Alumna, Matthew Wren, is a volunteer extraordinaire!

We celebrated the shared May 1st birthday of Board Member,John Bergen (who also catered the event on behalf of the spon-soring Kitchener Waterloo chapter), VOICE Therapist DanaCohen, and Anita Bernstein’s husband, Adrian Jaspan.

Special thanks to Tania Samson for her support of the VOICETeen Leadership Program again this year. This year the teenworkshop had over 20 participants!


2009 VOICE conference

Advanced Bionics was one of the sponsorsand exhibitors

The Ontario Barbershoppers entertained over the lunch hour and were simply charming!

Bonnie Davison travelled from the West coastto speak at our Conference and was joined byher newborn baby girl, Abby.

Canadian Hearing Society was one of theexhibitors.

The Widex exhibit. Exhibitors Hearing Ear Dogs.

Thanks to Hushhups for donating a classroomset to the raffle again this year!”

University of Guelph Office for Students withDisabilities exhibited and led a TeenLeadership Workshop session this year.


Hristina Belevski is one of the over 20 teen participants whoenjoyed a “private” session with keynote speaker Richard Reed.

Piano keyboard was symbolic of the theme “Music to My Ears.”

A record turnout for this year’s TeenLeadership Workshop – thanks to all thepresenters and participants!

The Oticon booth. Richard Reed’s topic “Hearing Music &Hearing Loss” was inspiring.

Discovery Toys were one of the exhibitors.

VOICE thanks Paul Toner of SupportiveHearing Systems, for the use of his micro-phone again this year!

Cochlear were sponsors, exhibitors and pre-senters at this year’s conference.

2009 VOICE conferencein pictures


2009 VOICE conference

VOICE extended congratulations to teen participant, LaurenNayman, winner of the Optimist Club International PublicSpeaking Competition.

Speaker Gail Wright.Enthusiastic VOICE Staff and Volunteers at Registration – Ourthanks to all for their tremendous efforts!

VOICE staffers Cecile Edelman and EileenBoxall.

The Phonak booth.

The Harmonize for Speech Foundation onceagain sponsored the VOICE Teen LeadershipConference – are pictured accepting an awardof appreciation from Norah-Lynn McIntyre,Executive Director, VOICE for HearingImpaired Children

Engaged conference delegates.

Peter Stelmacovitch of Phonak, major sponsor of VOICEConference 2009, participated as both an exhibitor, speaker,and is seen here enjoying keynote speaker, Richard Reed’spresentation, with some of the teen participants.


Hearing loss can feel like a lonesome corner in a dark roomfull of strangers. And music – the source of joy and solace forso many biologic-eared humans – can make that crowdedroom feel even spookier for being noisy. And so, when it comesto hearing music with a hearing loss, we definitely need to talk.

On May 2, I had the privilege of discussing my experiencesas a late-deafened musician and cochlear implant user atVOICE’s “Music to My Ears” conference in Guelph, ON. It’salways great to shares tales and tunes with fun smart peopletrying to improve (or just normalize) HOH children’s lives. Thefriendly attendees arrived on time and full of hope (and coffee).

Most of my slide projections show a written phrase or twoalong with an occasional drawing. The words and cartoonsprovide context while not giving away the whole story.Sometimes written cues will trigger an improvised yarn ormusical phrase. I try to keep the spoken parts like the musicalparts – slightly wacky but heartfelt – and slip advice and tipsbetween the lines and riffs. The “winging it” factor keeps me onmy toes. When a technical glitch caused the real-time captionprojector to go blank, attendees were nice when I just keptgoing. It seemed as if even the Hard of Hearing (HOH) folkscould still follow the narrative, assisted by the “feel” of thepiano licks, and some of the goofier cartoon slides. And it wasreassuring to realize that, no matter what goes wrong during amusic lecture, no one ever shouts out requests for “Free Bird”or “Mustang Sally.”

Music is “controlled noise,” and improving music appreci-ation can help acclimate hearing aid (HA) and cochlear implant(CI) users to noisy environments. That’s easier written thandone. HOH kids will always have to augment verbal cues withspeech reading when the band starts playing (and these days,who doesn’t?). If kids can begin to recognize individual instru-ments and songs – no matter how weird or noisy it sounds –they’ll get better at ignoring music and background noise whilefocusing on speech. When sounds are less mysterious (That’s atrumpet? Okay), they become easier to contextualize. Nevermind timing: for HOH persons, context is everything.

Figures of speech, irony, sarcasm, rhetorical questions,

deadpan humour, etc., use tones and/or phrasings that aremusical to some degree. Improving our understanding ofmusic can help us decipher the context and subtext of conver-sations. Increasing a child’s understanding of music can helpthem better hear, feel and fall into the rhythms of everyday life.

Technology for hearing loss is amazing now. The hard partis how we – along with parents, teachers, therapists and men-tors – stretch what’s between our ears. That’s a LOT easier saidthan done. I didn’t use the phrase “neural plasticity,” but did tryto demonstrate how just five or six piano notes sounded “lessbad” than others after CI activation day. Those few buzzingbarely-in-tune tones helped me regain a sense of pitch with myCI. Over weeks and months, I was able to start recognizingoctaves of those notes, then some intervals. The fidelity of thenotes greatly improved along with my perception.

The lousier music sounds to HA and CI users, the morethey need to try learning to play an instrument. The connec-tion between notes-on-the-page and our hands on the horn,keyboard, neck, or gizmo, helps our brain start to make moresense of what we’re hearing through our electric ears. There’s alot of helpful tactile stuff going on when we play, too.

Watching someone describe practicing scales might be theonly thing more boring than actually practicing; but again, thenice VOICE folks hung in there. I showed them what simplescales and songs sounded like to my ears with varying degreesof hearing loss, and post-CI activation. I then demonstratedhow simple riffs could slowly lead to more complex melodicand rhythmic parts, regardless of timbre. And when Abby, asix-week-old baby, suddenly voiced an opinion, she couldn’thave timed it better. It went something like this:

Me: “And then there’s this sound …

Abby: “WAAaaah!”

My first heckler! Abby provided a big laugh, which wasmusic to all ears. Will I demonstrate an obnoxious flair for theobvious if I mention that not taking oneself too seriously (whileseriously studying and practicing) seems helpful, too? I fin-ished up the presentation with two recorded songs: warped

featureBy Richard Reed, Keynote SpeakerVOICE Conference 2009

We Need to Talk … About Music

By Richard Reed

“Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.”-Frank Zappa (1940-1993)


feature – identity and advocacy

Gail Wright

we need to talk...about musicRichard Reed

arrangements of “Twinkle Twinkle” and “Fur Elise,” with open-captioned lyrics and an animated blues guitar solo in the for-mer, and descriptions of tonal variations between instrumentsin the latter. Folks listened, and asked good questions. No onehas all the answers for every individual. That VOICE devotedan entire conference to discussions of hearing loss and “musicloss” is a wonderfully proactive approach to finding solutions.Other presentations I attended were by turns informative,scholarly, entertaining and/or all three at once. If you weren’tthere, you missed something special. You probably know thatHOH clients are clamouring (nicely) for improved access tomusic. It’s great to see (and hear) that manufacturers, teachers,and therapists are responding.

In the afternoon we held a teen music workshop. It wasscary initially because I didn’t know if they’d be as sullen agroup of wise guys as my friends and I were at that age. But itwas fantastic: those kids were genuinely funny and intellectu-ally curious. They were so polite – without being phony – I’dalmost be willing to suggest all teenagers be raised with hear-ing loss in Ontario, but I’m afraid too many parents mightemail to say “Take mine there until they’re thirty, PLEASE!”

Maybe what I should say is that the parents and profession-als of the VOICE program seem to be doing something right. Ilove it when that happens.

After the introductions, I asked the kids about theirfavourite music. Their answers revealed a wide range of stylesand tastes, including classical, The Beatles, jazz, pop, rock, hiphop, AC/DC and “What she said.” And if “What she said” isn’tthe name of a band, it should be.

We talked a bit about songwriting, about lyrics, rhymes,and melodies, how a pop song can be like a little aural moviesqueezed into three or four minutes. I quickly realized thatthese kids knew this stuff. It must be on TV! A more wistfulmemory: two of the kids said they didn’t have any favourites,didn’t really get music. I made sure to get them all up pound-ing on the piano and drums (huge thanks to Marc and his dadfor bringing the drum kit) during the second half of the work-shop. Even if we’re not playing actual melodies or following aset pattern, just flailing away for a few minutes on any instru-ment is a completely cool and freeing feeling. Some of the kidsdidn’t have to flail at all: they really knew how to play. Everyonewho tried the drums showed enthusiasm, musical potential,and a willingness to risk embarrassing themselves in front oftheir peers. That’s kind of amazing in a roomful of teenagers.Most of the VOICE workshop teens didn’t seem to identify as“HOH kids,” but as a normal bunch of (preternaturally respect-ful) young men and women with “HOH” much more paren-thetical than when I went deaf nearly 20 years ago. Their socialskills are the result of years of hard work and real progress. Icame away from the VOICE conference knowing that there’s alot more work to be done before “hearing-in-melodic-noise”becomes a more enjoyable experience for HA and CI users ofall ages; but it’s happening as we speak … about music.

DevelopingIdentity andAdvocacy

Skills with theMainstreamedDeaf Student

Summary: Students develop a better

sense of identity when they classify

themselves using two key compo-

nents; who they are “audiologically” versus

“functionally.” Also, when they have an

understanding of barriers to clear commu-

nication the student develops the lifelong

skill of being their own best self-advocate.

The speed of technological developments benefits the deaf andhard of hearing child tremendously. During my 21 years ofteaching, I have seen students who in November are told thereis not a hearing aid that could help them. By February, a newmodel hits the market and suddenly the child had access toauditory information! When a child suddenly has auditoryinformation a whole new set of educational challenges devel-ops for their teacher(s).

My undergraduate work focused on the Deaf students whouse total communication. We helped students gain a “DeafIdentity.” I repeatedly attended conferences and learned aboutDeaf Culture. I was not taught about the Oral Deaf World. Myfirst teaching position was with a self-contained program forDeaf and Hard of Hearing Students. Five years later with ourenrolment declining I changed positions to that of itinerantteacher. (An itinerant teacher is a teacher who supports stu-dents who attend their neighbourhood school.) This suddenchange was the best thing that ever happened to me.

For the first time I was meeting Deaf students who did notsign nor relate to Deaf Culture. Contrary to what I had beenlead to believe I found these students were happy, well adjust-


ed, and had a strong sense of self. What a learning experienceit was for me as I gained an understanding of how to teachthese mainstreamed students classified as “Deaf” that could“hear” and communicate without sign language! While com-pleting my master’s research I continued working with main-stream students. It became clear that the kids did not identifythemselves as Deaf or hearing. There was no language to eas-ily classify them as to how they identify themselves with theworld. I had students who described themselves as “a brokenhearing person.”

With the continued development of technology, research,and experience I have found some new language and under-standing to use with my students. Cochlear implants and dig-ital hearing aids enable students, who have a profound hear-ing loss, to “function” as hearing or hard of hearing students.These technological developments help my students under-stand the difference between their unaided audiogram andhow they truly function. For example; I work with a fantasticyoung lady who is a 6th grader (13 years old). She receivedher cochlear implant when she was 1. She is completely oraland earns A’s and B’s academically. If you were unfamiliar withcochlear implants and met her for the first time, you wouldmost likely assume the pink jewels tucked into her curls werejust part of a fancy barrette. Speaking with her in a quiet room,you would never know that the jewels are actually a cover forher processor.

Working with this student gave way to an “a-ha” momentand a new way of thinking regarding how best to help thesekids develop a sense of identity and classify themselves. Theyhave two key components; who they are audiologically, theirlevel of hearing, versus “functionally” what is their identity.This student clearly and proudly states: audiologically, I’mdeaf. Functionally in a quiet room, I’m hearing. When there’sbackground noise in the room or I’m far away from the speak-er, I function more like a hard of hearing person.” My studentsnow understand when they are asked about their hearing loss

that their best answer likely consist of two parts; what theiraudiogram says and what their functionality is. For most of mystudents this is two different answers and gives a more com-plete understanding of who they are and their abilities.

In addition to helping students understand what they canhear in different environments, a secondary focus is that ofcommunication breakdown. Clear communication is thenumber one challenge that students with hearing loss face ona daily basis. (Note: My teenagers also seem to have a commu-nication breakdown when I ask them to clean up their rooms!)Communication breakdown can be categorized into threeareas: listener, speaker, and environmental. Students love totalk about different challenges that they face. We then placethat communication breakdown into one of the three cate-gories. Once they identify the type of challenge the solutionbecomes quite clear!

By teaching students about their hearing loss and howthey function in different situations they are prepared to beself-advocates.

It is understandable that students and educators want oneanswer to solve the various reasons for communication break-down. That is as unrealistic as anticipating the return of thewoolly mammoth. This is why I empower the students withas many tools and solutions as possible. They are their best atself-advocacy when they are armed with solution tools, astrong understanding of who they are, and the ability to clear-ly define who they are to others. I think my friend Paul Jacobssaid it best when he said, “When someone describes me I wantthem to say; “Paul is a writer, an academic, a great cricket play-er, a super friend. Oh yeah, he is deaf too.” Students need toidentify themselves as a complete person and not solely bytheir audiogram.

Gail Wright is an educational hearing specialist and can bereached at [email protected].

developing identity and advocacy skills with the mainstreamed deaf student


accelerating strategies into their

everyday lives.

The TOP TEN Strategies are easy-to-learn,and easy-to-use. They should be taught toparents one at a time in weekly therapy ses-sions. Guiding parents to use the TOP TENwithin the context of their home environ-ment greatly enhances the likelihood of par-ents effectively interacting with their childrenin non-therapy time.

The TOP TEN training video and ParentManual can be used in therapy sessions totrain parents. The TOP TEN video shows astrategy being taught to a parent and thenthat parent being coached as they practiseusing that strategy with their child. The chil-dren on the video are all hearing impairedand range in age from 6 to 36 months.Parents are professionally coached whileplanting a garden, putting away toys or play-ing in the sandbox.

The TOP TEN Parent Manual includes adescription of each of the TOP TENStrategies. Each strategy has companionNotes to Parents written in very simple par-ent-friendly language. The manual is mosthelpful when used in conjunction with thevideo. The TOP TEN materials can beordered from [email protected] forvery minimal costs.

The first TOP TEN Strategy for Parents isMake Your Point, which helps parents learnto draw their child’s attention to sound.When a sound occurs, parents are taught topoint to their ear, name the sound they hear,and then, imitate the sound. So, when thedoorbell rings, parents would point to theirear and say “I hear the doorbell. Ding dong.”

The second TOP TEN Strategy forParents is Yardstick, which helps parentsestablish good signal-to-noise ratio. Childrenhear best when they are within three feet or a“yardstick” distance from a sound. Parents aretaught to stay in close proximity to their childwhen speaking by imagining that there is nomore than a yardstick distance between theirmouth and their child’s hearing aid orimplant. Parents may move closer than threefeet, but closer than six inches is not recom-mended because sound can then become dis-torted.

The third TOP TEN Strategy for Parentsis Yardstick Level. It is easiest for a younglistener to hear sound that is not only close(within a “yardstick”) but is also on the samelevel with microphone on their hearing aid orimplant. A step stool is an inexpensive valuedaddition to your home. When your toddlerclimbs up to wash their hands or help youcook at the kitchen counter, they will bemoving themselves into perfect listeningposition with your mouth level with their ear.This lessens the demand on you for lifting,bending and squatting.

The fourth TOP TEN Strategy for Parentsis Where You Lead I Will Follow. This strat-egy helps parents talk about the object oftheir child’s attention. Too often parents aretalking about one thing and their child islooking at or thinking about something else.This mismatches language to thought. If aparent is talking to their child about the pret-ty butterfly, but the child is focused on a boo-boo on their finger, then the words beingheard by the child do not match thoughts ofthe boo-boo. Parents need to follow theirchild’s lead and talk about the boo-boo.

The fifth TOP TEN Strategy is RadioCommentator. Language learning acceler-

ates when a child has an adult who provideswords to describe what their child is touch-ing, tasting, hearing, seeing, and doing all daylong. Much like a commentator on the radiodescribes the sights and sounds of an athleticevent for his listening audience, parents mustradio commentate the events in their child’sday.

The sixth TOP TEN Strategy is CheapHotel. When we go to a cheap hotel wherethe walls are paper thin, you may be able totell if the people in the adjacent room arefighting or laughing, or hurrying out thedoor, even if you can’t hear the actual wordsbeing used. Why? Because words come fastwhen people are in a hurry and words getloud when people are fighting. In the sameway, children gain a lot of information fromthese vocal clues of pace, pitch, tone, andtiming of adult’s words, long before theyunderstand the actual words their parents areusing. These vocal clues are called supraseg-mentals. The Cheap Hotel strategy helpsparents maximize the use of expressions richin these clues. The greater the contrast inexpressions commonly used, the quicker thechild will learn them. For example, a childwill learn the difference between open andclose, if a parent says “Ooooopen” and “Closethe door!” This is because open is said longand slow and the other is said short andquick.

The seventh TOP TEN Strategy is 1-2-3.Parents can check their child’s language com-prehension and accelerate language growthby the use of 1-2-3.

When giving your child a command, #1Say “Get your coat” without touching, look-ing or pointing at the coat. If your child getstheir coat with none of these visual clues, youknow they understand that language. If not,

featureBy Jill L. Bader, MA

TOP TEN Strategies for Parents

By Jill L. Bader MA

The TOP TEN Strategies for Parents were developed over a decade of parent-infant intervention

at the HEAR AT HOME Demonstration Center in Denver, Colorado. These strategies help par-

ents of newly diagnosed infants and toddlers immediately employ language and listening


two ears are better than one

go to #2 and say “Get your coat” then look atthe coat. If the child still doesn’t get the coat,go to #3 and say “Get your coat,” look at thecoat and point to the coat.

Repeat this every time your child needs toget their coat until the child gets their coatonly after #1.

The eighth TOP TEN Strategy is ThreeRing Circus which trains parents to diminishand control interfering background noise.Our homes are full of a million sounds: door-bells ringing, TV blaring, dishwasherwhirring, telephone ringing. Parents need toget rid of the three ring sound circus in theirhomes so their unsophisticated new little lis-tener has only one sound at a time to master.A child will come to understand the words inthe bedtime story quicker if it is read with theTV and dishwasher off.

The ninth TOP TEN Strategy is Bore Meto Death. This is a strategy designed to max-imize the use of repetition. Parents are

encouraged to radio commentate daily repet-itive events each time they occur. For exam-ple, if a parent commentates every time theyopen things all day (Oooopen the door,Oooopen the closet, Oooopen the car,Ooooopen the sack, Ooooopen the drawer.),that child will comprehend the language ofopen very quickly, even though the parentmay be bored to death!

The tenth TOP TEN Strategy is TheBrass Ring. The first nine strategies areabout your child listening. The tenth one isabout your child speaking. It simply trains aparent to delay gratification of their child’swants until the child attempts a verbalrequest. Children have to learn that talking ispowerful. Talking gets children what theywant. If children get what they want withouttalking, the motivation to talk is diminished.If, however, children get what they wantquickly only when they talk, language learn-ing is motivated and thereby accelerated.

These TOP TEN Strategies soon becomea way of life. In the beginning it is hard toconcentrate on pointing to your ear at everysound, moving within a yardstick distance ofyour child before you speak, commentate onyour child’s experiences, and, and, and! Butwith time and practise, as you learn eachstrategy one at a time, it all comes togetherand becomes automatic.

These strategies will be used even whenyour child is grown. People who use hearingaids or implants will always be able to hearbetter without the three ring circus of back-ground noise and when sounds are within ayardstick rather than farther away. Languagethat is repeated can be learned quicker and isnever boring to the person learning it. TOPTEN Strategies will serve you and your childwell once your child has appropriate amplifi-cation. The quicker parents learn to use TOPTEN, the quicker their child will learn to lis-ten and speak.

VOICE and the Weather Network

Severe weather can be dangerous. It’s important for every family to be prepared in case

of emergency. As Kelly Noseworthy of the Weather Network found out, there are

some people who need to be more aware of their surroundings during a bad storm.

VOICE members, Jonathan and Tania Samson, together with their two children, and

VOICE Executive Director Norah-Lynn McIntyre, were featured on the Weather Network

throughout the month of May for Hearing Awareness Month.

Tania and Jonathan shared how in their house they haveflashing lights that interact with the doorbell, the fire alarm andthe smoke detector. These “flashing lights” are placed strategi-cally throughout their home … including all the bedrooms.This strobe light is bright enough to wake them up. Whiletechnology has come a long way … it isn’t perfect. For exam-ple, if bad weather were to cause a power outage, people withhearing loss may not be able to use things like the closed cap-tioned reports on television for help. Instead, they’d rely on

persons with hearing to help them during an emergency.Children with hearing loss might be vulnerable because theymay be in a situation where they don’t have a parent or a care-giver with them. That’s where the school systems and thehealth systems have to have people that have been appointedto ensure that if there is an emergency situation, that child hassomeone they can go to for support. Parents, in preparing theiremergency preparedness kits are reminded to include extrabatteries and a dry aid kit.


featureBy Bonnie Davison

The Farmer in the DellMakes a Comeback!

One of the most amazing features of the human brain is the way in which it remem-

bers the songs and rhythms we learned in our early childhood. The ability that

even non-musical adults have to remember the words of songs like “The Farmer

in the Dell” is not just happenstance. The “Farmer in the Dell” has stuck in our memory

since childhood because, just like so many other traditional folk songs, it hold the struc-

ture of our English language and therefore makes connections in our memory to language

that we hear on a daily basis.

To explain this concept of traditional songs mimicking thestructure of our language, one just has to look at the phrasessung in the “Farmer in the Dell.” How many syllables does thephrase “the farmer” have and where does the stress land? Thisphrase follows the pattern of three syllables with the stress onthe middle syllable. There are numerous common phrases inthe English language that follow this pattern of syllables andstresses such as “How are you?” “I want some.” “Tomorrow.”“Eleven.” or “It’s my turn.” The same explanation can be givenfor the phrase “in the dell” which parallels such phrases andwords as “Can I go?” and “Twenty-One.”

So many of the traditional folk songs that we rememberfrom childhood reflect the structure of our English languageand for this reason music is a powerful literacy tool thatshould not be reserved for the music teacher. Not only can itbe effectively used within formal and informal educationprograms it is useful for all types of skill instruction. Thebest part of using simple songs and rhythms like “TheFarmer in the Dell” is that one does not have to be a musicexpert. Just start singing and students will start reaping thebenefits.

Movement and games are excellent brain-based activitiesthat can easily accompany any song. As founder of BrainGym, Paul Dennison says, “Movement is the door to learn-ing.” The movement or game that goes along with the songprovides a fun and interactive structure or process to helpchildren internalize the songs, remember the sequence, keeptheir attention focused and really enjoy the activity.

The added bonus to using song-games as part of a literacyand language lesson is the social interactions that occur. Song-games provide a happy environment for children to practiceappropriate social interactions. When playing song-games,children of all abilities feel included. The ones that feel com-fortable singing, sing. The ones who like to observe may chosenot to sing at first and instead, watch and learn from their peersuntil they are comfortable participating. When students areinteracting during a song-game, there is a sense of inclusion.This sense of inclusion is not always felt in typical reading orwriting lessons, which are often structured for individual seatwork and when differences in skill level are sometimes moreobvious.

Once students have internalized a song-game, the structureof the song can be used as the impetus for pencil and paperactivities. Using songs as a gateway to reading and writingactivities that explore the structure of the English language ismotivating and creative, and it works because it connects priorknowledge with emerging skills. For more information, onhow to combine music and literacy check out www.singin-genglish.com. In the meantime, start singing the songs youremember as a child! Not only will you discover a new way toenjoy teaching children to read and write but your studentswill love it too!

Bonnie Davison is a music therapist, learning resource teacher,and founder of Singing English Education. To find out where

Singing English workshops are being held, and to watch a free les-son video visit www.singingenglish.com.

AV in OntarioA reflection by Anita BernsteinDirector of Therapy andTraining Programs

During this period I witnessed the steady evolution of supportsand services for children with hearing loss who are learning tolisten and speak. The result of consistent and focused efforts ofthe VOICE organization can be seen throughout Ontario withthe increased visibility and access to auditory-verbal (AV) inter-vention. Ontario is one of the provinces which leads the way inearly identification of hearing loss, immediate audiologicalservices, access to state-of-the-art hearing technology, fundedauditory-verbal therapy for preschoolers, and the largest con-centration of trained and certified professionals who are skilledin the delivery of auditory-verbal intervention.

Fifteen years ago, children with hearing loss were beingidentified at the average age of 2.5 years and parents stumbledover the auditory-verbal approach. Today AV is a funded com-munication option which families may choose for their babieswhen they are identified with a hearing loss through Ontario’suniversal infant hearing screening program in operation since2001.

In the past 15 years there have been monumental advancesin hearing technology which have included sophisticated digi-tal hearing aids, miniaturized FM systems and cochlearimplants. Fifteen years ago the Ontario government allowed forfewer than 12 cochlear implants per year in each of the threepediatric implant centres. Now the Hospital for Sick Children,alone, receives well over 80 per year. The other centres’ num-bers have increased as well, partly due to bilateral implanta-tion. The technology has undergone tremendous developmentof both internal and external components, processing capacity,and a widening of the group of individuals with hearing losswho can benefit from cochlear implants. No longer areimplants cumbersome body-worn systems but are now smallenough to be worn behind the ears of a one year old baby. The

auditory-verbal approach has gained greater recognition as it isthe recommended intervention for children who becomecochlear implant recipients, and for most children it is one ofthe criteria examined prior to the candidacy decision.

Over the past decade, as greater numbers of children whoare deaf or hard of hearing learn to listen and speak enter andsucceed in their neighbourhood schools, VOICE advocacyefforts has intensely impacted school boards and the ministryof education and the terms “auditory-verbal approach” and“auditory-verbal therapy” have materializing in special educa-tion documentation (such as references to auditory-verbal ther-apists as paraprofessional resource staff in The SpecialEducation Plan Standards document.)

In the past 15 years, The VOICE AV program has continu-ally expanded to keep pace with the changing Ontario land-scape and the needs of the growing numbers of children withhearing losses who are learning to listen and speak. Since 1994,when I joined the VOICE team, the therapy program hasgrown from AV intervention provided to 25 families by fourtherapists to its current caseload of over 100 children receivingservices province-wide from 18 VOICE Auditory-Verbal thera-pists.

The shortage of skilled and certified AV professionals hasbeen of great concern to VOICE and the AV Training andMentoring program was developed in an effort to amelioratethis situation. In the early 90s the focus of the program was toensure that every VOICE chapter had access to local AV thera-py by a certified professional. Now 15 years later, the ministryof education has recognized the outstanding outcomes of chil-dren who have learned to listen and speak through an AVapproach and VOICE’s expertise in training such professionals.As a consequence, the ministry has provided VOICE with


The Growth of AV inOntario: We Have Indeed

Come a Long Way!

This year, 2009, marks the 15th year of my association with the VOICE organization.

It has indeed been a stimulating and rewarding journey as I have had the opportu-

nity to work alongside dedicated professionals, determined parents, and inspiring

young people with hearing loss. Upon reflection, I am keenly aware of how much I have

learned from VOICE children and their families and the impact they have had on me as a

professional. I am definitely a better therapist today!


funding to train teachers of the deaf, towards certification asauditory-verbal educators, in 13 school boards throughoutOntario.

VOICE has worked closely with York University to ensurethat AV courses were entrenched in the curriculum of theTeacher of the Deaf Program. VOICE therapists have providedcontinuing education courses for teachers of the deaf and hardof hearing who were interested in developing their AV skills.Over the last 15 years more than 60 professionals have attend-ed these additional qualification courses and at least 15 of themare now certified AV therapists teaching in Ontario schoolboards.

Children with hearing losses require the collaboration of adedicated team to help them realize their potential to learn tolisten and speak. In Ontario, VOICE families and professionalshave developed a strong coalition over the years which has laidthe foundation for the development of highly regarded AVintervention and training programs. Ontario is the onlyprovince with such rich programs and we serve as a model forother provinces as well as for other countries.

In spite of the obvious benefits of AV therapy, we face acontinuous battle to demonstrate its benefits to funding bodies.Government ministers come and go. Bureaucrats at all levelsare often indifferent to programs affecting less than 5% of thepopulation. Delisting of audiological services for school-agechildren, underfunding of the provincial infant hearing pro-gram and school services for deaf and hard of hearing students,the closing of clinical AV programs at the Credit Valley Hospitaland the Learning to Listen Foundation at the North YorkHospital demonstrate that the battle is not won and the chal-lenges remain.

Ontario would be a very different province today, if VOICEwere not here to ensure that services are in place to supportchildren with hearing loss who are learning to listen and speak.I look forward to continuing my work with the dedicatedVOICE team in developing programs and services which givedeaf children a voice for life.

The Growth of AV in Ontario: We Have Indeed Come a Long Way!


In celebration of May Speech and Hearing Month and

as part of the VOICE 2009 “Music to My Ears”

campaign to raise awareness that deaf and hard of

hearing children CAN learn to listen and speak AND enjoy

music, the SHAMBA foundation in downtown Toronto

sponsored the VOICE Cocktail Musical Soiree.

CTV journalist, and event emcee, Paula Todd, welcomed supporters who contributed

to raising funds for the VOICE Cochlear Implant Rehabilitation Program. Over 45

school-aged children from across Ontario currently on the VOICE case load do not

receive funding for their pre- and post-implant therapy. VOICE is charging the gov-

ernment of Ontario with providing a hearing health care standard of care. MPP Jim

Brownell and MPP Sophie Aggelonitis attended the event. VOICE is grateful to them,

on behalf of all our families, that they have heard our concerns and have agreed to

champion in the Ontario legislature the need for health and education standards and

for dedicated funding to support children with hearing loss.

VOICE wishes to thank special guest, Federal NDP Leader, Jack Layton, for con-

tributing his time and energy as the event’s live auctioneer. Our thanks also to Paula

Todd, our many guests, the team of tremendous VOICE volunteers, including VOICE

Board Member, Paul Cross and Fund Development Manager Paula McLellan, for their

tireless efforts in assuring the event was an overwhelming success!

Sincere appreciation to our sponsors, the SHAMBA foundation, PHONAK

Canada, Charton Hobbs, Long & McQuade, Two Docs & Three Friends Jazz

Ensemble and to John Bergen’s City Café Bakery.

VOICE Cocktail Musical SoireePhotos courtesy Bailey Wilson

VOICE board member, Sol Nayman, and Queenie Nayman– tremendous grandparents and VOICE supporters!

Committee member, Laurie Monsebratten, with GaryForshaw and event MC Paula Todd

Volunteers Megan Clements andKristin Bird – service with a smile!

Jack Layton, Jessica Lankshear and Norah-Lynn McIntyre

Soiree guests enjoying the skyline Shamba Foundationvenue.

VOICE Chairman of the Board Paul Sostar, and StephanieSostar, enjoyed the auction!

Successful Soirée!


VOICE cocktail music soiree

Quebec to LaunchUniversal NewbornHearing Screening

Program!

Dr. Yves Bolduc, the Quebec Minister of Health and

Social Services announced in May that the

Government of Quebec will launch a Universal

Newborn Hearing Screening Program (UNHS).

“We were thrilled to hear the news,” says Mr. Claudio Bussandri, chair and Dr.Hema Patel, co-chair of the Coalition and pediatrician at The Montreal Children’sHospital of the MUHC. “On behalf of the coalition, we want to publicly thank Dr.Bolduc for announcing that his government will establish a universal newborn hear-ing screening program. This cost-effective program will have a profound impact forbabies with hearing loss. It will literally change their lives. A universal programmeans that all Quebec newborns will soon benefit from hearing screening.”

VOICE wishes to congratulate all the members of the Quebec Coalition forUNHS and especially thank Dr. Hema Patel and Montreal VOICE Chapter membersfor their participation in this important initiative.

Hearing loss is the most common birth defect affecting 1 to 3 of every 1,000 new-borns. Newborn hearing screening is essential. It is a simple, inexpensive test that isable to detect hearing problems in newborns. This allows these children to be treat-ed early enabling them to reach their full potential.

Most provinces in Canada now have a universal infant hearing screening pro-gram with the exception of the Prairie Provinces. Almost all developed nations in theworld have established successful UNHS programs. Even Poland, Estonia, Nigeria,Mexico and Brazil have UNHS. VOICE for Hearing Impaired Children wants toassure that all Canadian families have access to universal infant hearing screeningand consistent with our Mission, access to the supports and services that will enablethem to learn to listen and to speak.

When identified early and given access to hearing technology and Auditory-Verbal Therapy the majority of children born with hearing loss today will learn to lis-ten and speak.

Strong political leadership is needed to mandate universal infant hearing screen-ing in our Canadian health system supporting this very small but vulnerable popu-lation of deaf and hard of hearing children. The cost to society of failing to screenchildren for hearing loss at birth is significant. Screening children in infancy givesthem the potential for a lifetime of listening; a lifetime of opportunities in a hearingsociety – a VOICE for life!

Merci au ministre Yves Bolduc!

new universal newborn hearing

screening program

“Two Docs and Three Friends” were Music To Our Ears!

Paula McLellan, VOICE Development Manager – a jobwell done!

Seen here the culinary team with special thanks to JohnBergen, City Café, and the KW VOICE Chapter for thegastronomic delights!

We are grateful to boardmember, Paul Cross, forchampioning this event!

With thanks to Inga Skayaon behalf of the ShambaFoundation


donor acknowledgements

Major Sponsors($10,000 – $25,000)Cochlear Canada Inc.Elks & Royal Purple Fund for

ChildrenHarold Crabtree FoundationMasonic Foundation of OntarioOticon, People FirstPhonak Canada LtdTD Bank Financial Group

Silver Sponsors($5,000 – $9,999)F. K. Morrow FoundationAnna & Edward Churchill

FoundationBryan Adams FoundationCatherine and Maxwell Meighen

FoundationIBM Employees’ Charitable FundOntario Elks AssociationRBC Foundation

Ron Joyce FoundationShoppers Drug Mart Life

Foundation

Bronze Sponsors($2,500 – $4,999)Alice and Murray Maitland

FoundationBMO Guardian FundsHanson BrickHarmonize for Speech FundJulie-Jiggs FoundationKing Solomon’s Lodge No. #22

G.R.C.Linwood Veterinary ServicesMalloch FoundationMarc Santi Foundation

Benefactors($1,250 – $2,499)Astral Media Inc.COSTCO Wholesale Canada Ltd.

F.E.D. Construction ManagementLtd.

Helix Hearing Care of AmericaCorp

John D. Rogers and AssociatesInc

London Audiology ConsultantsM.A.M. Group Inc.Nu-Brick Inc.ScotiaMcLeod Scarborough

BranchSpectrum Realty Services Inc.Unitron Hearing Canada

Friends ($100 – $249)Durham Audiometric Services

Ltd.Armour Valve Ltd.Markham Hearing CentreUpper Canada Hearing & Speech

CentreShaw FestivalSherritt International Corp

Guardian Group of Funds Ltd.Manulife FinancialScotia CapitalUnion Hearing Centre Ltd.Viewmark HomesWidex Canada Ltd.

Supporters($500 – $999)BMO Nesbitt BurnsEar GearGreenpark HomesMasonry Contractors’ Association

of TorontoTDS Technologies Ontario Inc.Van Veen Farms Ltd.

Contributors($250 – $499)Aecon IndustrialCanadian Hearing SocietyEnCana Cares FoundationEpicor, Incorporated

Donor AcknowledgementCorporations, Foundations, Service Clubs,

Associations, Individual Donors

VOICE for Hearing Impaired Children places a high value on our relationship with you, our

donors. Without your support we would not be able to achieve our mission “To ensure that

all hearing impaired children have the right to develop their abilities to listen and speak and

have access to services which will enable them to listen and speak.”

We thank you for your commitment to us.



Platinum ($1,000 +)Alex GellmanJohn Grant

Gold ($500 – $999)Hamad ChalyaSol NaymanJoan NegusBarbara PalterRobert PoveyVicki RobinsonMichael SieloffJill Worthington

Silver ($250 – $499)Julie BurdonSheldon FinkelsteinCarol GrantCheryl GreenPatti GunterAndrea HumphreysLydia KreukBill O’BrienSmita PatilRebecca RycroftJonathan SamsonPaul SostarRoberta Spence HirschbergIsmael WaisKathryn Wilson

Bronze ($100 – $249)Shawna AkermanMaggie AtanasovSylvie AugerMax BaconJohn and Sharon BergenWillona Blanche

Dorothy BoothroydJames and Julie BorerDavid BrindleChristine ChevalierMelissa ClydeLouise CrawfordPaul CrossNaresh DamaSarah DanialStan DesmansdonLee FerrierTeresa FitzpatrickRobert GoldbergerNancy Greenwald-HoodPhil and Charlotte HabberjamMark HalprenVivek JaitlyJulian KellerScott and Kimberly KempMorrie KirshenblattWalter and Marie LibbyNadia MamerJames T. MarshJune McMathDebbie McMullenLaurie MonsebraatenNicole NaymanElizabeth NormanBill PapageorgeJohn and Lorri ParonHarvey PorterLynne Powell McCurdyRhonda QuesnelPaul SadownickHeide SchulteDavid ShindlerElizabeth SzenkowskiTriumph DesignShoshana Urman

Friends ($<$99)Leo AchtereekteVelda AmbroseErika AndersonDeb BiceJillian BirnieBrian and Linda BlamireElaine BrownMary BuckleyEva CabacaSandra ColborneHeather ConradSaundra CostantiniJosie CramarosoKenna DanyliwDonna DewarRon DiamondSusan DowdSabrina EastSarah EdmondsMary EthierJoyce FarnhamZoey FinkGlenn FischerVivian GiesKarran GladishDebbie GrayHalton Region, Housing DivisionStephen HanetDonald HealeAli HirsiMahjouba HussainAnne KearneyAnn LovettCatherine LuetkeNada Rajah MahendranDiana MasseyAnton Maystruk

Tony MazzagattiAmy McCaughanAudrey and Doug McNeillMarilyn MinakerCatherine MooreKrista MurphyCraig ParadisiNorah Quast and Gregory ParkerBill QuesnelSarah & Jamie RaeSusan RandallIda RapalloMaegan ReinhartAngela RendaRaffaella RomeoNick RosatiRonald & Margaret SandelliSteven SantiaCathy ScattergoodRuth SchembriJohn and Dorothy ScottJudy SimserIona SkinnerJanise SmithSuzanne SteadStacey StevensYaqing SunBernard ToewsMichelle ValiquetteEdith VilleneuveMelda WalesMary WeedonRoger WelhamDiane WestgateDacy ZachariasDebbie ZelicBo Zou

INDIVIDUAL DONORS

IN HONOUR

In honour of…

Andrea Maenpaa Christina MaenpaaAnita Bernstein, Nancy Greenwald-Hood, Norman Blustein Nicole Nayman

Audrie Koegler Eric KoeglerDanya Blustein Min GrossmanForbes Family DianeForbesGeorge & Shirley Forler-50th Wedding Anniversary Robert Povey, MarthaWagnerGlen Williams Public School Patti GunterKeeford Cross Lisa-May TaylorKim Koegler Eric Koegler

Landers Gordon Michael ChaplinMichael Vaughan Peter TurnerPaula Povey (65th Birthday) Len WeedenPhilip Nicoletti Andy Coxford, Cynthia Thorburn,

Eva Kowalski-Langford, Aden Wineberg, Scott Blackwell, Scott Cronin, Raquel Cader Simone Lumsden

Randy Edge Worth Faye HetzRhys Nicholson Wayne & Louise NicholsonSteve Duke, Carolyn Duke, Ian Duke Sheila Duke


IN MEMORY

In memory of:Alexander Lawrie Barbara Jean and

David DouglasArchie Marcus Robin KezwerBarbara Ronan Barry and Betty

TaylerBelarmino Moniz John LentzBetty Jenner Burton Huehn,

Janet Weech, Pauline Heal, Carl & Helen Dahmer, Gord Grose, Christine Emrich, Terry Menchenton, David & Joyce Jones, Jean Barclay, Pam Del Maestro, Judy Wyatt, Retired Women Teachers of Ontario K-W Branch, Nancy Aston

Bill Pitt Dale ChamberlainBruce Snider Robert Povey, Barry

and Linda HillCarmen McGlashan Vicki RobinsonClifford Villeneuve Dale ChamberlainDennis and

Joyce Ogle Sue PorterDr. Steve Buttrum Jean StaleyErnest Thompson Walter and Marie

LibbyFlorence

Cane-Libby Walter and Marie Libby

Gwen Durocher Michelle ValiquetteHelen Penfold Maxine Scale,

Neil Cameron, Don & Nancy Scale, Joseph Desmasdon, Shear Perfection, Lenny Nickelo

James S. Lang Walter and Marie Libby

Jimmy Smith Erin KwolekJohn Douglas

McIntosh Alison DicksonJohn Lambie Walter and Marie

LibbyJulie Dobos Walter and Marie

LibbyMary Hasse Willona BlancheMichael Zabluda Norah-Lynn McIntyreStanley Kolesnik Walter and Marie

LibbyWilma Wiley Diane Daoust

Halton/Hamilton/Niagara/Peel ChapterBill and Lorraine Quesnel, Burlington Men’sSlow-Pitch League, Chris Dow, ChrisRaiskums, Dave Strathern, David Sauve,Emmanuel O’Quinn, Gary Gunter, Hassan &Rania Barqawi, James Hall, John Paron, KellyKippen, Luis Arruda, Maureen Vanderlaan,Mike Pereira, Nick Rosati, Peter Sweet,Raymond Phillips, Robert Rose, Ron Oliver,Saundra Costantini, Sharon Boule, TedHeller, Wayne Amirault, Wayne Vanderlaan

London ChapterVan Veen Farms

Near North ChapterDenise Point, Paul Karosas, Darius Tignanelli,Mike Carr, Tyler Karosas, Maddison Mann,Shayla Muriwske, Brett Campbell

Ottawa ChapterBrian O’Brian, Mahieu Joly, Lianna Cousins,Pierre Gagnon, BMP Consulting Inc., HeleneHenry, Wilson, Young & Associates Inc.,Jinny & Jerry Kopan, Marie-France Ricard,Rene Roy, Andrew Lumsden, Josee Mondoux,Jerry Kopan, Martin Burns, Keith & BonnieFulford, Ian Garland, Duke, Eligin & SheilaElgin Duke, Bryan Blanshar, Hill &Knowlton, Chris William, Melanie LePage,DiAnne Lafreniere, Chris Lesperence, AlexMiles, Advanced Bionics, Nicholas Varty,Mike Levasseur, Andre Blais, RobertWaldeck, Steve Cumbaa, Bob Saikaley, FrankVan Gool, Cafe Deluxe, Graham Carlow, JudySimser, Morgan Hare, Ron Ryan, Cherri &Rob Stanley, West Carleton Physiotherapy,Philippe Bergeron, Marc Lemoine, EdithVezina, Midnight Mechanical, Akehurst,Elizabeth, Vic McBride, Diana Harvie, GinetteTremblay, Muriel Mischook, Dave Adamson,Gary Greenberg, Jeff Fulford, Paul LafreniereSR, Joly, Mathieu, Jennifer Lockyer, ChristinePugh, Law Office of Owen- Lafrance, Hear AtLast Inc., Dave Farrell, Dave Pfeiffer, HowardDunn, Terry Warner, Somers, Greg, AliceZou, Jacques & Celine Noel, Gordon HBourgard, Madden Hearing Centre, BeauceCarnaval, Rideau Park United ChurchWomen, Neville Smart, Alan Phillips,Andrew Alexander, Eileen Corry, JohnSmyth, Susan McKellar, Daisy Patrick,William Fyfe, Archie & Sharon Robertson,Patricia Lalonde, Susan Brassard, Dr HilarySearles, Patricia Fleury, Judy Simser.Sarnia ChapterVictor and Beverly Jewiss, Vivian Bowman,Jason Palmer, Steve Cardiff, Julie Cardiff,

Sarah Syer, Ken Christie, Tom Jackson,Marianne Jackson, Hsiu-Yan Chan, AmyVeysey, Mark Veysey, Jim Park, Chris Coyle,Peter Lefebvre, Elizabeth Campbell, PatriciaRobinson, Judy Listhaeghe, Steve McGrail,Dave Conkey, Mike Burr, Jessica St. Pierre,Brenda Flatley, Alison Banks, Wayne Sanders,Susan McCormick, Brenda Smith, NancyGould, Len Erikson, Rob Cairns, GlenCrawford, Leslie Levesgue, Scott Hall, BrianRacher, Marguerite Smith, Pam Beni,Mackenzie Black Fabricating Co., Di CoccoContractors Ltd., Barnes Oil Co., WendyMcLean, Derek Van Leerzem, Mathew Krall,Phil Audette, Paul Cashera, W.V. GeorgijevInsurance Co., David Courtney, David Maw,Valerie Thomson, Willy Janelle, KerriJackson, Tony Gabriele, Peter Van Haaren,Walter Bucci, Franco Fusco Jr., Adrian Tote,Dan Van Huizen, Dominic D’Alessandro,Olindo DeSena Jr., Nick Vario, VozzaPlumbing & Mechanical, Keskritt HoldingsInc., MHM Drafting Inc., Robert Sunderland,Innovative Coatings Inc., Ironworkers Local700, Mckay-Cocker Construction, UnitedRentals of Canada, GCI Glasscell Isofab Inc.,Teresa Lopetrone, Russel Metals Inc.,Bluewater Power Distribution Corp., SanRocco Society, Int’l Ass. Of Bridge StructuralOrnamental, Lambton Metal Service.

Thunder Bay ChapterExpert Hearing Solutions, SuperiorAudiology, Rosemary Kristjanson

Waterloo/Wellington ChapterK-W Region Elks Lodge N. 578, Ruth andRobert Garbutt, Howard Bast, McNeilConsumer Healthcare, Arlene Groh, Ernstand Karla Rauter, Helene Mathies, Victor andMary Reimer, Mrs. A Maria Meyer, Edmundand Joan Pries, Mrs. Brenda McCormickMathies, Catherine MacLeod, Glenn Fretz,Edgar and Jo-Anne Harder, Donna Mathies,Gordon and Anni Saunders, David andVictoria Mathies, Lorna Sawatsky, BarbaraMathies, Roger A. Baer, Eleanor and RonaldHarder, Dr. Robert N. Gosselink, LoisBrubacher, Richard and Jeanette Charron,Paul G. Tiessen, Peter Dick, Robert G.Janzen, Dr. Jocelyn Schaffenburg, DavidBergen, Susan D. Milne, John H. Enns, EkkeWigboldus, Paula C. Donahue, ElizabethJanzen, Neufeld Learning Systems Inc.,Daniel and Kim McMullen, Erika Kennedyand Richard Anderson, Dr. Juliane C. Shantz,

VOICE CHAPTER DONORS


Henry and Irene Schmidt, Gerald and JudithForler, Marcus and Lisa Shantz, AnitaLoepp, Carol A. Francom, Sue Barker,Marinko Cvjeticanin, Juanita Staker, LisaStaker, Kathy Krupa, Betty Maralle, PeterEnns, Sue McEwen, Ed Wachta, UrieBender, Edmund and Joan Pries, Alan K.and Donna L. Daniel, Arnold Snyder, TheSinger’s Theatre, Henry and Nancy Pauls,Don Steinmann, Henry and LeonoraPaetkau, Margaret Hull, Barbara Carter, Pauland Hertha Enns, Brent Ferguson, KathyWaltner-Toews, Janet W. Henry, JacquesBoudreau, W. Wayne Bradley, AdenaHoldings Inc., Nancy Dykstra, Mary JanePatterson, Deborah Forbes, Gerry Steingartand Elizabeth Klassen, Paul G. Tiessen,Dennis and Lori Roth, Walter and BeverlyHuber, Catherine Blackbourn, Scott G.Brubaker-Zehr, Marie-Anne Le Doare andDaniel Enns, Mervin and Florence Little,Krista Steinmann, Barbara Cook, BeverlySuderman-Gladwell, Susan Enns, Glennisand Mark Yantzi, Monforte Dairy CompanyLtd., Dr. Richard D. Christy, Susan Shantz,Gary J. Gravelle, Virginia Reimer and PeterDick, Nancy Stocks, Doreen Janzen, TannyS. Adkins, Paul and Rita Lefebvre, Betti Erb.

NEW MAJORSPONSORSHIPPROGRAMVOICE has created a MajorSponsorship Program which provides aseries of corporate recognition opportu-nities throughout the year at variousVOICE events, online as well as inVOICE publications. We are pleased towelcome inaugural Major Sponsors:Cochlear Canada, Oticon Canada,Phonak Canada, and TD Canada Trustto the program and thank them fortheir support. Becoming a VOICEMajor Sponsor is an ideal means todemonstrate your organization’s sup-port and commitment to deaf and hardof hearing children. Please contactPaula McLellan, Development Manager,[email protected] tolearn more.

devices linked to improved quality

of life

For years, hearing scientists have known thatcochlear implants improve the communica-tion of children who receive them. What theydidn’t know was whether the children andtheir parents perceived an improvement intheir overall quality of life.

Now a study by researchers at the UTDallas Callier Center for CommunicationDisorders and their colleagues with the DallasCochlear Implant Program (DCIP) is reveal-ing interesting differences among youngerand older children with cochlear implants ontheir quality of life.

In the study, “Health-Related Quality ofLife in Pediatric Cochlear Implant Users,” theresearchers identified, recruited and inter-viewed about 150 children ranging in agefrom 4 to 16 years. Their parents and a con-trol group of children who were the same agebut without hearing loss also participated inthe study.

The research focused on three agegroups: ages 4 to 7 years; 8 to 11 years; and12 to 16 years.

The children in the 4-to-7 age grouprated their physical, social and emotionalquality of life higher than their parents didand at the same level as same-age childrenwithout hearing loss.

“What is very interesting about thisgroup,” said Dr. Andrea Warner-Czyz,research associate in the School of Behavioraland Brain Sciences, “is that the childrenwould have a puzzled look on their facewhen we asked questions about theircochlear implant. They don’t call the device acochlear implant. Instead, the parents andchildren refer to it as their ‘ears.’”

The 8-to-12 age group also reported apositive quality of life. “Most of them havehad their cochlear implants longer than theyounger age-group, and we have found thatthe duration of implant use has a positive

effect on a child’s perceived quality of life,”said Dr. Betty Loy, special assistant to theDCIP board of directors, who initiated thequality-of-life study because she wanted tolearn how the children felt about themselvesand how the parents thought their childrenfelt about themselves.

For the 12-to-16 age group, a significantdifference between the parents and childrenwith hearing loss was that the parents viewedtheir child’s quality of life – when at school –as being better than the child perceived it.

“The parents are excellent reporters ofhow their children feel when they are aroundthem,” said Loy. “But when the kids are bythemselves at school, they don’t feel as goodabout themselves as the parents thought. Wecan only speculate why this occurs.”

The researchers have presented the dataat conferences in Colorado, California, NorthCarolina and Australia and at the AmericanAcademy of Audiology convention in Dallasin April.

Research participants are currently beingrecruited for step two of the study. Theresearchers are developing a quality-of-lifequestionnaire that will focus solely oncochlear implants.

The authors of the paper are Loy;Warner-Czyz; Dr. Peter Roland, chair in oto-laryngology with UT Southwestern MedicalCenter; and Dr. Emily Tobey, professor in theSchool of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.

The Callier Center is a participant of theDallas Cochlear Implant Program. The pro-gram is a collaborative enterprise of UTDallas, the UT Southwestern Medical Centerand Children’s Medical Center.

Reprinted from the University of Texas at Dallas

News.

Cochlear ImplantsOffer Kids A GiftBeyond Hearing

UT Dallas Study Links Devices With an Overall Improved

Quality of Life



Documents

2009 Voice Conference in Pictures The Growth of AV in Ontario ... · dation of the VOICE Teen Leadership Workshop. This year’s Teen Workshop sur-passed our expectations with over