All About Bluetooth Hearing Aids
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Hearing loss and Humanitarianism
Do you know a child with hearing loss? Seeing them receive treatment and education is amazing, knowing that they will be able to achieve their full potential. But what about children in developing countries? Millions of children around the world are hard of hearing, and don’t have access to affordable treatment or education. These children have a bleak future. One woman, Paige Stringer, is out to change that.
Who is Paige Stringer?
Stringer is the founder and executive director of the Global Foundation for Children with Hearing Loss, and she gives the rundown of her Foundation in an interview available here.
Stringer herself is profoundly deaf in both ears since birth. She was screened as a baby, fitted with hearing aids, received early education, and was able to study in integrated classrooms. She went on to earn a Master’s degree at the University of San Francisco, and have a successful marketing career.
In 2008, Stringer had the opportunity to travel to Southern Vietnam and work with deaf and hard of hearing children in one of only a handful of schools for the deaf in Vietnam. She spent some time at the Thuan An Center for Disabled Children, where 300 school children participate in auditory-oral programs, and sign-language instruction. These children receive only an 8th grade education, meaning hard of hearing children in Vietnam are disadvantaged in employment opportunities.
Stringer had a huge impact on the center, serving as a model for what early intervention and proper treatment can achieve, showcasing to both teachers and students than anything is possible. Given the right opportunities, deaf children can learn to sign and speak, and have successful careers.
The Global Foundation for Children with Hearing Loss
Seeing the needs of the children at the center, and the eagerness of the teachers, gave Stringer the push she needed to start the Global Foundation for Children with Hearing Loss. The Foundation targets teachers, providing better training on how to best educate children with hearing disabilities. They put in place a multiyear teacher training program that involves teachers from many schools for the deaf, providing training and sending them back to their schools with effective teaching methods.
The other, equally important goal of the Foundation is to provide children with hearing aids. With the help of audiologists and early intervention specialists, the Foundation gives children the resources they need to be successful. Donations from Oticon and Phonak provided hearing aids, and a grant from Kopernik allowed for the purchase of Solar-powered hearing aids.
The Deaf Education Program is a collaboration between the Foundation, the Thuan An Center, and the Ho Chi Minh City University in Vietnam. With teacher training, mobile missions to the deaf schools, and hearing aid distributions, this program is the backbone of the Foundation’s work in Vietnam.
In 2009, 13 professionals taught audiology, speech pathology, early intervention, and auditory-verbal education to teachers from 35 deaf schools throughout Vietnam. Follow-up visits to these teachers in their schools provided further education and hands-on help. Since then, the Foundation continues to run training programs, distribute hearing aids, educate communities, and carry out research.
How You Can Get Involved
There are 180,000 children with hearing loss in Vietnam, and many thousands more throughout Asia. Audiology is still a developing field in South East Asia, so these children need our help. The Global Foundation for Children with Hearing Loss is an NGO that is making a real difference by empowering teachers, medical professionals, and families, and giving children the opportunity to live a full life. They accept donations to help deaf children in need. For example, $100 can buy hearing aids for a child who cannot afford them, and $200 trains a teacher in how to work effectively with a hard of hearing student. Volunteers are also welcome. They donate their time and expertise in speech pathology, audiology, education and auditory-verbal therapy to make a difference for the deaf children of Vietnam. For more information about the Foundation, visit their website.
