Did you know that hearing loss is one of the most common birth defects? In the state of Indiana, a baby is diagnosed with hearing loss every 48 hours.

Newborns can be fitted with hearing aids, and children as young as one may receive a cochlear implant. With today’s technology, most deaf children can learn to listen and speak.

We know that if deaf babies receive appropriate early intervention by six months of age, they have an excellent chance of achieving age-appropriate language skills by the time they enter mainstream kindergarten. 

Please email us at info@hearindiana.org if you want to join us for future committee meetings.

In 2006, HEAR INDIANA was chosen as a pilot chapter to launch the “Hear from the Start, Talk for a Lifetime” Campaign in the State of Indiana.

The goals of this Campaign are to:

1. raise awareness that hearing loss is one of the most common birth defects,
2. make sure that all parents who choose spoken language have access to appropriately trained providers, and
3.  increase the number of providers in the field of aural rehabilitation and oral deaf education. 

 For more information:

• About this National Campaign

• Campaign Goals

• Campaign Facts

• Hearing Loss Facts

• AG Bell Research Results

YOUR RIGHT TO MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE
"Parents deserve to receive complete, unbiased information about all communication options in order to make the best choice for their child and their family. But how much of a 'choice' is it, really, if we say, 'Well, you can have X, Y, or Z, but the only thing you can really get easily, and for free, in this area of the country is X?' That doesn't sound like too much of a choice to me," says Elizabeth Anne Boschini on www.cochlearimplantonline.com.

Here are some resources for parents and professionals:

• Article 3.1- the law that pertains to Early Intervention in Indiana (i.e., First Steps).
• The Procedural Rights and Safeguards for First Steps. The complaint process is explained in the Appendix, and a sample complaint letter can be found on page 28.
• AG Bell’s Children’s Legal Advocacy Program (CLA Program) supports families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing by providing assistance to families who need help obtaining appropriate services in their communities. CLA represents children and families in select cases where there is the opportunity to set precedent that will benefit others. Through the CLA Program, AG Bell also seeks to raise public awareness that children with hearing loss should have the opportunity to learn to listen and talk, and that both the early intervention and education systems should support families’ choices.
• Beginnings, a nonprofit which presents unbiased information about communication options, has just released new video samples of all communication methodologies and they want YOUR feedback. Click here to view the video clips.

Click here to get more information on the campaign.

The EI committee is further divided into three sub-committees:

1. Family Support (during screening, diagnosis, and initial referral to intervention)
2. Public Relations and Awareness
3. Legislative Issues

Please email info@hearindiana.org or call 317-828-0211 if you have questions.

Support provided by:

Hilton Garden Inn Carmel

Hot Box Pizza

Lilly Endowment Inc.

Thanks to generous financial support from Lilly Endowment Inc.,

Hear Indiana will provide financial assistance to parents and professionals

who desire to further their knowledge of spoken language development in children with hearing loss.