AG Bell is excited to share the news and celebrate the launch of Hearing First, an educational endeavor of the Oberkotter Foundation. Hearing First is built on the premise that hearing is a foundational building block for children who are deaf and hard of hearing to learn to listen and talk, become healthy readers, and do well in school. As such, it is critical to know the status of a baby's hearing as soon as possible so that parents can access the services they need to achieve their goals for their child.
Hearing First recognizes that families and professionals are partners when it comes to seeking to improve outcomes for children, and Hearing First will serve as a digital connection point to link families who have chosen listening and spoken language (LSL) and the professionals who work with them with the resources, information, tools, community and learning experiences they need to ensure the children in their lives succeed.
As mission partners of Hearing First, AG Bell and the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management at Utah State University share the belief that children who are deaf and hard of hearing must have early access to the tools, resources, services and professionals that will give them opportunities to reach their full potential. We look forward to working with Hearing First to make our vision reality.
"AG Bell is excited to be a mission partner for Hearing First," said AG Bell CEO, Emilio Alonso-Mendoza, J.D., CFRE. "For many years AG Bell has shared the vision that children who are deaf and hard of hearing today have a world of opportunities available to them through listening and spoken language. We fully support this important outreach initiative to empower families and to educate professionals."
AG Bell expresses its wholehearted congratulations and looks forward to ongoing collaboration with Hearing First to improve outcomes for children.
