Listen and Talk

Dear GlobalGiving Community, 

Listen and Talk is currently serving 92 families in early intervention! With the support of generous donors, Listen and Talk interventionists are able to reach this record number of families. Approximately 20% of families are now served through Virtual Home Visits. Interventionists and families are already seeing the benefit of Virtual Home Visits. Some practical benefits have included:

• the ability to provide service to a family who traveled out of the region for a period of time, preventing an interruption in services;
• the ability to provide services at a time of day that enabled both parents to participate in the session, which would have not been possible otherwise;
• the ability of a vehicle-free family to participate in a family-group meeting held at Listen and Talk’s Seattle facility. 
• ease of scheduling consistent and skilled interpreters who virtually participate in the sessions;
• improved opportunities for collaboration with other service providers serving families, which are typically very difficult to coordinate due to travel time.  

With Virtual Home Visits, Listen and Talk can help a greater number of children with hearing loss communicate and learn through listening and spoken language. The more equipment we are able to secure through the generosity of our donors, the more children we can help on the path to reaching their full potential. 

Thank you for your support. 

Listen and Talk has launched a new telehealth model of service delivery in order to support families who want their child with hearing loss to learn how to communicate through spoken language. Hearing loss is the most common birth defect in the US. With the aid of technology, committed families, and early intervention provided by Listen and Talk professionals, almost all children with hearing loss can learn to listen to and use spoken language, allowing them to fully participate in a hearing world. Listen and Talk’s telehealth model --- Virtual Home Visit (VHV), can provide early intervention services regardless of where a family lives. 

Funds raised through our recent GlobalGiving campaign supported the purchase of some of the necessary VHV equipment for providers and for the first enrolled families. Listen and Talk has engaged a technical media educator to train providers and create materials for families utilizing the equipment. In addition, Listen and Talk is collaborating with other similar centers across the country to study outcomes for families and children using  this service delivery model.

With the support of the generous donors to the GlobalGiving campaign, Listen and Talk is able help more children than ever before reach their language and learning potential. Thank you.