About NGO:

I Hear Foundation runs various programs:

1. Naad, its early intervention centre is committed to teaching hearing impaired babies to listen, learn and talk so that they can be placed in regular schools and be a part of mainstream life. It offers a comprehensive service in therapy, audiology and counselling. It also conducts parent workshops. These guide and empower, and help build confidence in them as parents and bring fathers in as equal partners in raising children. Naad also has an extensive library which has resulted in improved and expanded language stimulation for the child and his siblings.
2. IHF's infant hearing screening programme, screens babies below 6 months of age to identify those that are at risk for hearing loss. This program is going to be the focus for IHF's expansion in the year September 2011 - September 2012
3. IHF commenced the 1st of its 1 year training course (April 2011) in Auditory-Verbal Therapy for teachers of the deaf and speech & language pathologists. IHF's course has been certified by the AG Bell Academy, the first and only such AVT course in India and the only one to ever receive such accreditation.
4. IHF will publish 'Sound Beginnings', (October 2011) a set of 2 manuals and 1 DVD for parents whose children have a hearing loss but cannot immediately avail of early intervention services on a regular basis.

Fund Usage:

IHF's main focus in 2011-2012 is going to be raising awareness of hearing loss and the need for infant hearing screening. It will approach this from different angles:

1. Raising awareness among professionals: Collaborating with the Indian Council of
Paediatricians schedule of clinical meetings and conferences. Presentations will be made giving them the rationale for early screening and encouraging them to begin offering the service in their clinics/hospitals.
2. Raising awareness among parents: Collaborate with Cochlear (world leader of cochlear implants) to speak at camps for parents.
3. Professional Training in infant screening: Training existing personnel in the correct
procedures for infant hearing screening. Approximately 50 personnel and technicians working in hospital and clinic settings will attend 3 day sessions to learn best practices.
4. Awareness of preventable hearing loss: Community Awareness for infant hearing screening will begin in October 2011. One program will be held every other month (6 per year) and will be attended by 200 - 300 people
5. IHF's audiologists will begin screening at chosen clinics/hospitals.

Impact:

In a first, Naad began working with Divyesh Indulkar in the first year of his life. He is born of deaf parents and is cochlear implanted. His grandparents and maternal aunt have taken the onus of providing Divyesh with an enriched language environment, while his parents also form an integral part of his sessions in therapy and audiology.

Today, aged 4, Divyesh is mainstreamed and attends regular school with his hearing peers. Language testing (using tests like the PLS 4, developed for children with normal hearing) shows his language and speech skills to be ahead of children in his age group. He is an avid reader and participates in activities in school.

This has been made possible due to early identification, early intervention (in therapy, audiology & counselling), appropriate amplification and correct guidance in all of the above areas.

Page Url :
http://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/ngo149_ihf.htm

Founded Year: 2003

Cause category: Education