Causes

Human services Education Youth development

Posted by

Caty B.

Director of Operations

Our mission

HEAR Wisconsin is a nonprofit that helps infants, children, and adults with hearing loss by eliminating communication and language barriers through personalized services, technology, and education.

What we do

HEAR Wisconsin is the state's only nonprofit organization that offers comprehensive programs for babies, children, adults and seniors who are deaf or have hearing loss. This vulnerable and disadvantaged population requires specialized services to meet their needs which is not adequately provided by the federal, state and local resources. As an invaluable Wisconsin resource for the past 95 years, our wide-ranging services today include early intervention, therapy and education services for children and their families, audiology evaluations and hearing aid fittings, assistive technology consultation, adult day services and sign language/Spanish interpreting services.

HEAR Wisconsin has five main program areas:

Kellogg Child & Family Program: Listening and spoken language specialists, speech-language pathologists and educators provide services in the child's natural environment, usually in the home or at a daycare. Parents learn how to encourage their child's development of language, cognitive, auditory, speech and social skills. Toddler Communication Groups are held at the facility to encourage further communication and social skills in preparation for kindergarten. Sign language instruction for families are offered.

Kay Eckstein Speech & Hearing Center: The center provides hearing healthcare for clients needing audiology services and assistive technology consultation services for equipment used at home, work, or other environments. The team includes two Audiologists and 4 technology experts who determine what works best for the clients based on their communication needs. Clients hail from all corners of Wisconsin - serving 3,500 to 5,000 individuals a year.



Mobile Audiology Clinic: Beginning in 2021, HEAR Wisconsin will launch the Mobile Audiology Clinic to serve even more people in the community. The clinic will promote hearing health care and wellness through hearing loss detection, conservation, prevention and education, as part of a community outreach initiative. The Mobile Audiology Clinic will help address hearing health disparities among Southeastern Wisconsin's most vulnerable, including children, the low income, homeless, uninsured and underemployed population. Annually, the Mobile Audiology Clinic has the potential to screen thousands of children and adults who may otherwise not have an opportunity to be screened.

Commlink Interpreting Services: Commlink offers high quality interpreting services through licensed sign language interpreters as well as Spanish interpreters for medical appointments, business meetings, legal proceedings, emergencies and everyday events. Normally, per week, Commlink provides 35-45 jobs and averaged 125-150 hours of interpreting services.

Adult Day Services - Community Access for the Deaf: This program addresses the special needs of adults with developmental disabilities who are deaf. The Program Coordinator, fluent in American Sign Language, works with clients in the areas of daily living skills, literacy, communication skills and job coaching. The program, in existence for 14 years, is the only one in the state that specifically works with this population. For many of the clients, HEAR Wisconsin is their main or only contact with the outside world.