The Center for Early Intervention of Deafness (CEID), located in Berkeley, California, and the Ardash School at the India Pingalwara Trust in Amritsar, worked as a Team this past February. Jill Ellis, the Co-Founder of CEID and R.P. Singh, who has been working with deaf children for the past eleven years, are developing a plan to change the way deaf children are treated in India. "Deafness has often been referred to as the 'invisible handicap," says Ellis. "Young children are eager to learn and socialize with friends and family, but because they don't hear normally, their interactions and abilities can be compromised. Even children with slight hearing loss in one ear, often fail a grade in elementary school resulting in a long lasting set back to the child. Early diagnosis and quality support for teachers and parents can help kids recover from otherwise devastating setbacks. Jill Ellis of CEID made a presentation to an audience of nearly 100 physicians, nurses and teachers. Kim Burke-Giusti, A CEID Toddler Teacher and staff member for nearly 25 years, and I were overwhelmed by the enthusiasm we saw both in the professionals and the children! There is a small, but growing movement in India to provide special learning opportunities for special children who are deaf and hard of hearing. This could not have happened without R.P. Singh. He is very focused on not only opening the doors for these children but keeping them open as well! Goals for the next 9 to 12 months are to introduce early diagnosis and intervention skills to the teachers at Pingalwara and the surrounding community. Specifically, administrators wish to introduce CEID's early intervention model to the medical providers in India. This program consists of video tapes of auditory training, speech therapy, and parent education. Additionally this program provides recommendations for teacher training and initiates a Newborn Hearing Screening Program. "At this point, we will also explore the idea of creating a Tele-Conferencing Training Program for staff, and Therapy Training Program for both the parents and children. Unlike the US where there are federal requirements to create an individual education plan for each special child, India does not. Teachers at Pingalwara will require a more structured approach that helps them keep track of each child's progress in addition to a program for future consulting and training. PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE 2ND ANNUAL SEVATHON! On Sunday, July 18, the India Community Center in Milpitas, CA will launch their 2nd Annual Sevathon. There will be a Walk; a 5K and10K Run; and A Half Marathon. Registration for the Half Marathon is $40. For all other events the fee is $25. Beverages and delicious Indian food snacks are included. Talk with your family and friends, and create your own Team! You can design your own webpage to organize your fund-raising efforts, The dollars you raise will help Home of Hope support the thousands of children benefiting from our programs. We are offering a special collection of prizes and gifts to acknowledge and thank those who help us raise the most money! Register online at www.indiacc.org/sevathon. If you cannot be there, but would like to help with a donation, go to www.active.com/donate/hohinc Location of the 2010 Sevaton is planned for the Shoreline Park in Mountain View. If more than 1,000 people sign up for the Half Marathon, the event will be moved to the Bayland's Park in Sunnyvale. We will keep you posted! Now you can make online donations. You can also mail your donation checks to: Home of Hope Inc. 190 Tobin Clark Drive Hillsborough, CA 94010 For more information on Home of Hope and our current projects and how you can help, please visit us at www.hohinc.org. Your support is very important to the success of our mission. You can also write to us at info@hohinc.org Home of Hope is a Non Profit Charitable Organization Tax ID#94-3342348 sec 501 (c)3