Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing , also known as AG Bell , is a support network and advocate for hearing, learning, speaking, and living independently with the hearing impaired . It is one of the oldest and best-known organizations that supports the needs of the hard of hearing , the deaf and their families.
history
The association was founded in 1890 with the help of the deaf-mute teacher and inventor Alexander Graham Bell as the American Association to Promote the Teaching of Speech to the Deaf (AAPTSD) . Graham Bell was its first president. In 1908 it merged with Alexander Graham Bell's Volta Laboratory and Bureau , which was founded in 1887 to promote and disseminate knowledge about deafness. In 1956 it was renamed the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf , at the suggestion of a mother whose deaf son, with the help of the association, managed to graduate from a university after attending a normal school. In 1999 the association finally became the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing .
organization
The headquarters are in Washington, DC There are branches (state chapters) in 30 US states and a network of over 40 international partner groups (affiliates). The association is divided into three sections, the hearing impaired section for adults and children, a parents' section, which offers new parents the first year free of charge, and the international organization for training the hearing impaired.
target
The association aims to promote independence through listening and speaking. Since its inception, it has focused on Alexander Graham Bell's belief that all deaf or hard of hearing, if given the opportunity to learn to use their residual hearing and hearing aid technology , communicate by speaking.
activity
Since it was founded, AG Bell has promoted the use of spoken language for the deaf and hard of hearing through information, training and research and a checklist for parents. It promotes hearing aid technology for children with hearing loss through publications, partisanship, education, scholarships, and financial support from parents and children. The AG Bell College Scholarship Awards Program enables full-time deaf and hard-of-hearing students around the world to study with a bachelor's or diploma degree.
AG Bell Academy
The AG Bell Academy ( AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language , formerly Auditory-Verbal-International AVI ) was founded in 2005 as a non-profit organization and promotes listening and speaking with the training of experts at a high level of performance (standards of excellence ) and an internationally recognized diploma. It trains audiologists , speech therapists and deaf educators who already work with the hearing impaired, mainly in instruction for practical work.
Every year over 600 internationally recognized diplomas (around 70% of them in the USA) are issued as Listening and Spoken Language Specialists (LSLS ™) : 70% of them as therapists (Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist LSLS Cert. AVT ™) and 30% as Educators (Certified Auditory-Verbal Educator LSLS Cert. AVEd ™). Since 2012, the exams can also be taken outside the USA (in Brisbane , Australia and Ontario , Canada).
Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center
In 2012, AG Bell opened the Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center , an internet platform for parents of deaf children, deaf people and professionals. It is intended to guide parents of deaf children during their development and contains tips and strategies, checklists and information about deafness and spoken language as well as videos and letters of support from other parents. The center is a legacy of Helen Beebe (1909–1989), who was a board member of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and the first female president of the Auditory-Verbal International AVI (the predecessor of the AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language ).
Publications
The two oldest publications are the Volta Review and the Volta Voices . The Volta Review CEUs (continuing education units) offers its readers regular training units (CEUs) for self-study of the Volta Review.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Volta Bureau ( Memento of the original dated November 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ AG Bell: Longstanding lawyer for the deaf and hard of hearing
