Instructor training is currently planned for six Canadian cities, including Winnipeg.
Canadian Hard of Hearing Association Press Release:
Ottawa – March 10, 2014 – The Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA) is embarking on a national program designed to help Canadians with hearing loss to improve their communication skills. This project is funded by the Government of Canada, and CHHA has received project funding for the ‘National Speechreading Program’, a three-year initiative that will train instructors to deliver communication strategy programs in communities across the country.
“The number of people with hearing loss is rapidly rising and so is the need for quality, standardized aural rehabilitation programs”, says Robert Corbeil, CHHA’s National Executive Director. “Beyond getting hearing aids, most people do not receive the additional training that’s crucial to helping them successfully adapt to the emotional and physical challenges of permanent hearing loss. And while many organizations and individuals deliver informal speechreading instruction, there are no guidelines for either the programs or the instructors. As a result, there is a lack of consistency across programs and service providers to ensure the value of these services,” added Mr. Corbeil.
CHHA and its partners will work together to create not only national guidelines, but also a state-of-the art communication strategies program that will include standardization of CHHA’s training program and development of qualified instructors and a multi-week program that includes speechreading, knowledge of hearing technology and other strategies that provides support to people living with hearing loss.
The Steering Committee includes experienced speechreading instructors from CHHA, including representatives from the Canadian Academy of Audiology and the Audiology Department of The Ottawa Hospital, as well as academic advisors from the University of Montreal and the University of Toronto. This group will oversee the development and implementation of the program that will include training manuals, workshops and an online interactive tool to train potential distance-learning instructors in remote communities.
“We are very excited at the opportunity to reach out to Canadians who are struggling with hearing loss,” says Myrtle Barrett, President of CHHA. “The program will train approximately 50 instructors in six Canadian cities who will offer the program to people with hearing loss in their home communities. We aim to eventually offer this life-changing program to between 12,000 and 20,000 end users with hearing loss each year.”
For more information about the National Speechreading Program and other programs offered by CHHA, contact us at 1-800-263-8068, or http://www.chha.ca
The Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA) is a consumer-based organization formed by and for hard of hearing Canadians. We work cooperatively with professionals, service providers and government bodies to provide information that will help Canadians live successfully with their hearing
loss.