Programs » Center For Early Intervention on Deafness
Center for Early Intervention on Deafness (CEID) began San Francisco in 1980, in the basement of a church. What deaf children faced then in the United States was very similar to what deaf children in India are facing today. It was referred to as the 'invisible handicap. Young children are eager to learn and socialize with friends and family, but when they don't hear normally, their interactions and abilities can be compromised. Even children with a slight hearing loss, or hearing loss on only one side, often fail a grade in elementary school with a long-lasting cost to the child. By identifying a loss early, and providing teachers and parents with information and support, we can reverse those trends.
CEID is now located in Berkeley, and has the reputation for excellence. Since 1981 they have become the 'best practice site for the State of California, and has pioneered a radical approach to solving the problems of deafness.
Prior to their approach, regardless of a family's education or financial situation, people not aware of how important it was to test an infant early, nor were medical providers. Since and a model 'best practice site' for the State of California since 1981, CEID has pioneered a radical approach to solving the problems of deafness.
Oftentimes, when parents suspected a hearing loss, they were told to "wait" until their child was old enough to test or until the problem resolved over time. If the family was poor, testing was virtually unheard of, and much of what Ellis and her team focused on was increasing physician awareness, promoting early referrals, and providing equal access to quality and comprehensive services for all families in San Francisco, regardless of the family's income.
In early 2010, CEID joined forces with the Ardash School, part of the Indian Pingalwara Trust and created the Sister City Project, a six day seminar that was incredibly rewarding. The audience included nearly 100 key physicians, nurses and teachers, each anxious to learn more.
HOH's Goals
The Sister City Project, partially funded by the Home of Hope, Inc., is to share cultural perspectives about deafness and educational opportunities for children who are deaf and hard of hearing.
- Introduce early identification and intervention to the teachers at Pingalwara and the community
- Introduce CEID's early intervention model to the medical providers in India, including video tapes of auditory training, speech therapy, parent education and creative classroom activities
- Arrange meetings with key stakeholders at Pingalwara and provide recommendations for teacher training, curriculum enhancement, improved classroom learning environments
- Initiate a Newborn Hearing Screening program and parent education program
There are another three ideas to maintain the energy of the Sister City Project. Creating a Tele-Conferencing Training Program, developing a Tele-Therapy Training Program for both the parents and the children, and a 'shadow idea' is being discussed. This will be for key executives from IPT to visit with the staff at CEID, watching how they interact with the children and parents and spent time with the local hospitals.
HOH's Contribution
- In 2008, Home of Hope funded the Sunshine School at CEID, where deaf, nearly deaf and normally hearing children are cared for during the day, providing a socially integrative atmosphere that benefits all children
- Seeing first hand how these children accept each other, is a powerful advantage for the families, teachers and the culture overall
- Because India does not have federal requirements such as those we have in the U.S. to create an "individual education plan" for each student, teachers at Pingalwara will require a more structured approach that helps them keep track of each child's progress, and a program for future consulting and training needs
