The Omaha Hearing School for Children began in 1952 in a small apartment over a garage. It was started by four Omaha Ear, Nose and Throat doctors and their wives, Dr. & Mrs. Allan Davis, Dr. & Mrs. W.A. Cassidy, Dr. & Mrs. Frank Klabenes, and Dr. & Mrs. Robert Lovgren. These eight pioneers are responsible for developing an educational alternative in this area that would assist deaf and hard of hearing children in learning oral communication skills. The children at the Omaha Hearing School have hearing losses that affect their ability to communicate the way most people do. These hearing losses would have lifelong impact if no help were available to these young children and their families. But deaf and hard of hearing children can work to overcome the language and auditory difficulties caused by hearing loss or deafness. They can share in the mainstream--if given the chance--and with the proper help. Our mission is to serve children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, their families and the community by providing auditory oral education. Auditory oral education teaches children to listen and talk, so as they grow, choices will be available to them in our talking and hearing world.

About the School Contact Information Directions Environs Mission Statement Educational Philosophy Our Staff Educational Programs Parent / Infant Preschool Kindergarten Mainstream Clinical Services Speech and Language Assessment Additional Programs Summer Sessions The Family Place Professional Outreach Graduate Training News and Information Event Calendar In the News Guild Council Fundraising Getting In Admission Tuition Financial Aid

About the School

contact information

The Omaha Hearing School for Children, Inc.
Karen Rossi
1110 North 66th Street
Omaha, Nebraska 68132

View this location and get directions from Yahoo! Maps

(402) 558-1546 (Voice and TTY)
(402) 558-1017 (Fax)

Email: ohs@hearingschool.org

directions

From the Airport

• Coming from the Omaha Eppley Airport
• Drive west on Dodge St. until you reach Happy Hollow Boulevard.
• Turn right (north) on Happy Hollow and drive until you reach Underwood Ave.
• Turn left (west) on Underwood Ave. until you reach 66th St.
• Turn right (north) on 66th St. and go to the corner of 66th St. and Glenwood.
• You will see the school on the left side of 66th St.

By Car, from the Interstate System

• Take I-680 north to the Dodge St. exit (east).
• Drive east on Dodge St. until you reach 72nd St.
• Turn left (north) on 72nd St. and go to Cass.
• Turn right (east) and follow Cass (which becomes Underwood Ave as it curves around to the left) until reaching 66th St.
• Turn left (north) on 66th St. and go to the corner of 66th and Glenwood.
• You will see the school on the left side of 66th.

environs

Ground was broken for an addition and renovation in June 2001 and construction was completed in June 2002. A Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was held in September, 2002. OHS now has over 13,000 square feet in the newly expanded and remodeled school. We now have a family educator center, a large state-of-the-art conference room, an expanded kids' kitchen, and children's library. The design of all instructional areas includes acoustical treatment to allow for an optimal listening environment.

The new building addition marks a turning point for the Omaha Hearing School that started in 1952, when four ear-nose-throat doctors started classes in an upstairs garage apartment. In 1958, the Omaha Hearing School moved into a building on the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus, and in 1971, it moved to its current location near 66th and Western. The entire project was completed in the spring of 2002, the Omaha Hearing School's 50th anniversary year! Happy Birthday, OHS!

mission statement

Our mission is to serve children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, their families and the community by providing auditory oral education. Auditory oral education teaches children to listen and talk, so as they grow, choices will be available to them in our talking and hearing world.

educational philosophy

Our overall educational philosophy is to provide a language-rich environment where children can explore and develop. At the core of the instructional process are natural, hands-on experiences that give children many opportunities to develop in different ways: language, physical skills, math and logical thinking, visual skills, music, intrapersonal skills, and social skills.

The specific focus for our deaf and hard of hearing children is on the development of the progression of auditory (listening) skills and the development of understanding and expression of spoken language. The goal of our auditory and language instruction is to provide the children with the appropriate language stimulation and practice so the gap will continually close between their chronological age and their language age. Our hope is that the children will learn to communicate effectively with their families, their classmates, their hearing peers, and to develop strategies for accessing information to learn in a regular classroom.

our staff

The school's highly experienced teaching staff prides itself on its flexibility in creating and modifying the basic curriculum and class structure to meet the ever-changing needs of individual children and families. A knowledge of natural language development, accompanied by proven teaching techniques yields a high level of student language growth each year.

Teachers for the deaf and hard of hearing hold bachelors and/or masters degrees in education of the deaf and are specifically trained to teach auditory-oral education. All teachers of the deaf are certified by the Nebraska Department of Education with specialization in hearing impairment, and some have earned national certification by the Council on Education of the Deaf. The Speech-Language Pathologists are licensed by the State of Nebraska. Teachers for the Early Childhood Programs (preschool and pre-K) hold degrees in elementary education with an early childhood endorsement and are certified by the Nebraska Department of Education.

The Omaha Hearing School is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. The Board serves in an advisory capacity to the Director, and as the fundraising arm of the school. Teaching hearing-impaired children requires highly specialized equipment and experienced personnel. The rewards are great, but so are the expenses. Tuition covers less than 60 percent of the school's operating and facility expenses. The school must rely on the generosity of individuals, businesses, and other organizations to assure high quality service and to underwrite vital improvements.

Founders

Dr. and Mrs. W.A. Cassidy
Dr. and Mrs. Allan Davis
Dr. and Mrs. Frank Klabenes
Dr. and Mrs. Robert Lovgren

Omaha Hearing School is approved by the Nebraska Department of Education as an independent school, preschool through sixth grade. Omaha Hearing School is a member of OPTION schools – an international council of private auditory oral schools.

Staff

Board of Directors 2007-2008

Guild Members for 2007-2008

Educational Programs

parent / infant programs

Parent Guidance Program, Birth to Three

Parents play a key role in the education of their deaf or hard of hearing child. At the Omaha Hearing School the Parent Guidance Program for parents of infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing is as much a learning process for parents as it is for the child. Parents learn to communicate together.

Hearing loss affects the entire family, not just one child, so it is important to include the entire family in the educational process. Parents can choose to involve others in the program, such as grandparents, brothers and sisters, babysitters, and other people important in the life of their child.

Current research tells us that the earlier and more specific the intervention, the more successful the outcome for the family and child. With Nebraska Newborn Hearing Screening at birth, families can enter the Omaha Hearing School Parent Guidance Program as soon as the diagnosis of hearing loss is confirmed. Through year-round, weekly, in-home visits from an orally trained teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing, the parents learn skills to guide their infant or toddler in the development of listening and spoken language skills using the normal routines of their everyday life.

preschool programs

Ages 3-5

The Omaha Hearing School's Preschool Program offers children who are deaf or hard of hearing the highest quality of education by addressing each individual child's needs. Children learn oral language skills through language experiences, planned opportunities for auditory learning throughout the day, individual tutoring taught by orally trained teachers of the deaf, and speech practice with a speech language pathologist. The desired teacher/child ratio of 1/7 provides the extra attention needed to plan for success.

Children participate in meaningful and appropriate learning experiences, helping them to become strong listeners and speakers and are thus better able to interact in the hearing world. Opportunities for mainstreaming with their hearing peers are available in our popular, on-site Neighborhood Preschool Program.

Research shows that early auditory experiences and listening to spoken language are critical to the future academic success of children with hearing loss. The oral deaf education option provides that strong foundation by specifically focusing on spoken language as the key to reading and overall academic success. Acoustically designed classrooms reduce the background noise that is so prevalent in open-area classrooms, to maximize a child's ability to listen.

The Omaha Hearing School's Preschool Program is but one step along the way in the child's educational career. Our goal is to help prepare the child for transition to their neighborhood school so the child can successfully participate both academically and socially with hearing peers.

kindergarten

The goal of the kindergarten class at the Omaha Hearing School is to provide focused language instruction in an effort to narrow the gap between each child's chronological and language age while expanding his or her academic skills. In this Kindergarten class, reading and math instruction is based on the same or similar textbooks used in area public school kindergarten classrooms.

The Omaha Hearing School kindergarten class is a small, self-contained classroom taught by a teacher of the deaf who provides specific language and academic learning.

Kindergarteners also have the opportunity to be mainstreamed in a program with their hearing peers. This provides the deaf or hard of hearing child with meaningful social and language encounters with typically developing children while in a larger group. The OHS Kindergarten prepares deaf or hard of hearing children with the skills they need to enter their neighborhood schools and mainstream classes.

Kindergarten-Aged Classroom

For those children who are of school age but do not yet have the necessary language and listening skills to benefit from formal reading and math instruction, the Omaha Hearing School provides a self-contained classroom taught by a teacher of the deaf. In this Kindergarten classroom, the focus continues to be the acquisition of more complex language and vocabulary skills. In order to meet the success level of each child, the teacher of the deaf also provides beginning literacy and academic instruction when the child demonstrates readiness for these skills.

academic programs

Elementary Program, Grades 1-3

The Elementary Program is located directly across the street from the Omaha Hearing School (OHS) in Western Hills, an Omaha Public Schools elementary building. This classroom has proven to be a valuable addition to the school's programs for the past seven years. The ability to provide continued services to a child who is deaf or hard of hearing in his/her early elementary years is critical. The OHS program employs strategies and accommodations that help children prepare for successful mainstreaming.

An OHS teacher of the deaf, a reading specialist, a speech language pathologist and Western Hills general education teachers work together in order to meet the needs of each individual child. This team seeks to build reading, math and study skills as the foundation for future academic success.

Mainstream opportunities are chosen based on each child's specific language level and socialization needs. The hearing impaired child must have the language necessary to access the information in the general education curriculum before successful mainstreaming can take place.

Once a child has developed the prerequisite skills necessary for successful academic and social mainstreaming, the child's neighborhood school staff is involved in the decision-making process for placement. The Omaha Hearing School continues to provide training and support for students as they return to their neighborhood schools. OHS is but one stop along the way for a child with hearing loss and the ultimate goal is to assure that the child has a seamless transition to his or her neighborhood school.

mainstream program

The Omaha Hearing School building houses two separate, but closely related programs: our mainstream preschool and pre-kindergarten programs and our programs for deaf and hard of hearing children.

Located on site in the Omaha Hearing School building, the Neighborhood Preschool and Begindergarten programs provide developmentally-appropriate, early childhood education for normally hearing children ages three to five, as well as mainstream opportunities for both deaf and hard of hearing children. The bright and inviting classroom is equipped with the same specialized acoustical treatment found in the rest of the school, thereby enhancing the listening experience. As with all of the school's classrooms an adjacent observation room is available so parents can watch their children work and play without disturbing the classroom routine. Neighborhood preschool programs are taught by certified teachers with early childhood endorsements.

The Neighborhood Preschool and Begindergarten programs were developed because of the desire to create a hands-on, language-rich preschool environment for young children, and to help deaf and heard of hearing children share in the mainstream experience. Inclusion is encouraged as soon as a deaf or hard of hearing child's language is sufficient for him or her to successfully converse with his or her hearing peers. Children with hear loss have meaningful encounters with children who have typically developing language, speech and social skills. Hearing children benefit both from the high quality of these language-rich programs, and from the opportunity to experience and appreciate diversity.

The Neighborhood Preschool's philosophy rests on research-based principles of child development that value play as the foundation for social, emotional, cognitive, and physical learning. Children are encouraged to ask questions, generate and test ideas, be creative, and solve problems. Both child-initiated and teach-facilitated activities will be language-rich, meaningful to children, challenging yet not frustrating, allow for choice and decision making, and respectful to the individual needs and differences of children. Teachers encourage the students to take risks, be persistent, and explore their environment.

Begindergarten provides each child the opportunity to grow in language, cognitive, social, motor, art and music skills in a safe, fun, child-centered environment. Children in Begindergarten receive individual attention due to the small class size of twelve students, one teacher, and one classroom assistant.

The Begindergarten format provides exposure to school readiness skills through more structured and teacher-directed activities. Begindergarten prepares the four or five-year-old child (with previous preschool experience) for successful participation in kindergarten.

In Neighborhood Preschool and Begindergarten, normally hearing and deaf or hard of hearing children work side-by side. They talk, play, pretend, and problem solve - together.

Clinical Services

speech and language

Establishing and building on a good language base is the number one goal of the entire staff of the Omaha Hearing School. In addition to working on this goal, the speech pathologists work toward making that language intelligible. This is the basis for effective communication in school and in the community.

Hearing loss can have significant effects on spoken communication. Listening skills are emphasized to improve performance in a mainstream setting. Visual and kinesthetic feedback become primary reinforcers. Once a child has mastered a specific sound system through articulation therapy, speech services continue in order to maintain these systems.

The number and length of sessions assigned to each child reflects the extent of the child's need for speech services. The majority of the children are seen individually so their specific needs can be addressed. Groups are formed when peer interaction is advantageous.

Learning about sounds and their position in words serves the children at the Omaha Hearing School well when they are learning to read. The ground work has been laid for associating sounds and letters.

Speech Pathologists work closely with the classroom teachers to ensure consistency of expectations for speech production. Our primary goal is for deaf and hard of hearing children to develop speech and listening skills that will enable them to speak intelligibly and be effective communicators in the day-to-day situations they encounter.

audiologist

Omaha Hearing School is pleased to have a certified educational audiologist on staff. We are dedicated to providing the most current technology to optimize listening in the classroom. Through the use of state-of-the-art hearing aids, and cochlear implants coupled to FM systems, our students can make maximal use of their residual hearing to develop listening and spoken language.

Our audiologist meets with families to help them understand their child’s hearing loss and the impact it has on learning in the classroom and at home. The audiologist also acts as a liaison as students transition back to their neighborhood schools.

In addition, we are a referral source for newborn hearing screenings in the state of Nebraska.

Services provided:

• Complete audiological evaluations
• Tympanometry to monitor middle ear status
• Otoacoustic emission testing and screening
• Earmold impressions for hearing aids
• Fit and maintenance of FM systems for students’ hearing aids and cochlear implants
• Provision of loaner hearing aids
• Monitoring and evaluation of hearing aids
• Parent inservice and consultation regarding hearing loss, amplification, and technology

assessment

The children enrolled in our program are evaluated annually by an independent agency. Standardized test measures are used in the areas of receptive and expressive language, speech development, auditory skill development, and academic skills. Through the use of such measures, the children can be tracked for their progress over time as well as their progress when measured against their hearing peers. Additionally each child's spontaneous language is monitored through the use of Language Samples taken at regular intervals (at least quarterly), and analyzed through the use of a computer program.

hearing screening

For over fifty years Omaha Hearing School has prided itself in serving children and their families. Through a partnership with Children’s Hospital and the College of Education at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, OHS began providing hearing screenings free to the children in the greater Omaha metropolitan community in January 2005. We have known for a long time that it is important to have a child’s vision periodically checked. Through research, we now know that it is important to check a child’s hearing as well.

Trained staff travel to area childcare facilities, preschools, Head Start programs, and health fairs. As the Campaign approaches it’s three-year anniversary OHS is proud to have provided screenings for nearly 5,000 young children, with many children being referred for medical management and audiological follow-up.

For more information about hearing screenings please contact: Jennifer Hadenfeldt, Coordinator 402/558-1546 x217

Additional Programs

summer sessions

Each summer a three to four week summer session is offered for Omaha Hearing School students. The classes follow a similar format, and the same educational philosophy as the school year classes. Weekly themes are incorporated into every aspect of the daily schedule and curriculum.

the family place

Located in our newly remodeled building, this state of the art area was designed to look and feel much like a home. The kitchen, bathroom, sitting area, and small bedroom allow the staff to fully interact with families and help them learn to incorporate language throughout their daily routines from mealtime to bath time to bedtime and beyond.

Teaching a deaf or hard of hearing child to listen and talk is a family affair. We provide programs that benefit all family members, including mothers, fathers, siblings, grandparents, and even extended family members and caregivers.

Working together staff and families develop a program that benefits their unique individual needs. We invite the whole family to join us in helping each student become successful members of the speaking community in which we live.

professional outreach

Through our partnership with the University if Nebraska at Omaha we offer student teaching and practicum placements for deaf education students, as well as observation opportunities for speech pathology students.

In addition, workshops for teachers, speech pathologists, and other professionals working with deaf and hard of hearing children are provided at the school and throughout Nebraska and across the United States.

Inservice programs are provided on a regular basis for teachers throughout the school year.

graduate training

After many months of planning, in cooperation with the University of Nebraska at Omaha, we have moved forward with our longtime dream of establishing a Graduate Teacher Education Program specializing in early childhood auditory/oral education. During the fall of 2003 the first semester began.

This graduate level program of study focuses on the preparation of teachers to utiliz auditory/oral techniques in early childhood education of the deaf and hard of hearing, from birth through age eight years of age. It is designed to bring new teachers into the professional; therefore, it is for individuals who already hold elementary or special education teacher certification. The courses are to be taken in sequence, and it is to begin in the fall and continue for six consecutive semesters. Courses during the academic year are scheduled in the late afternoon and evening to accomodate those who may be continuing with their teaching positions. The program culminates in a full semester of stuednt teaching in the early intervention/early childhood setting serving families and children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Graduates of the program will be eligible for a P-3 teaching endorsement in deaf/hard-of-hearing from the Nebraska Department of Education.

Contact us or the University of Nebraska at Omaha program director for more information:

David F. Conway, Ed.D. Program Director
University of Nebraska at Omaha
6001 Dodge Street
Omaha, NE 68132
(402) 554-2719
dconway@mail.unomaha.edu

News and Information

event calendar

2007 – 2008 School Calendar

• August 15th – 21st – Planning-Inservice/Teacher Word Days
• August 22nd – First Day of Kindergarten
• August 27th – First Day of Preschool
• September 3rd – NO SCHOOL – Labor Day
• September 28th – NO SCHOOL – Teacher Work Day
• October 1st – NO SCHOOL – Curriculum Day
• October 23rd – First Quarter Ends
• October 25th & 26th – NO SCHOOL – Parent/Teacher Conferences
• November 21st, 22nd, & 23rd – NO SCHOOL – Thanksgiving Recess
• December 24th – January 4th – NO SCHOOL – Winter Recess
• January 10th – Second Quarter Ends
• January 11th – NO SCHOOL – Semester Break/Teacher Work Day
• January 21st – NO SCHOOL – Martin Luther King Day
• February 15th – NO SCHOOL – Teacher Work Day
• February 18th – NO SCHOOL – Presidents’ Day
• March 14th – Third Quarter Ends
• March 27th & 28th – NO SCHOOL – Teacher Work Days
• April 7th – 11th – NO SCHOOL – Spring Recess
• April 18th – NO SCHOOL – Teacher Work Day
• May 5th – NO SCHOOL – Teacher Work Day
• May 23rd – Fourth Quarter Ends/Last Day of School
• May 27th – 29th – Planning-Inservice/Teacher Work Days
• June 4th - Summer School Begins

in the news

Author-Explorer Robert Ballard

Author-explorer Robert Ballard will be featured at the Omaha Hearing School for Children's annual author event-fundraiser on October 16, 2008. The event will take place At the Joslyn Art Museum, Witherspoon Concert Hall. Event information in Detail is below:

Walking for Talking

The second annual Walking for Talking family walk celebrated the start of the 2007-2008 school year on Saturday, September 8th. In attendance were Board, Guild, students, former students and their families who walked for the benefit of the Omaha Hearing School.

When walkers returned to school, clowns were there to make balloon animals, a police officer talked about “stranger danger,” and the Scholastic Book Fair was open for shoppers. Additionally, a pancake breakfast was enjoyed by all. Many thanks to sponsors Holmes-Murphy, SunCo, Rossi Clothiers, Deep Rock Water, for a successful event to help raise over $2,300 for the school.

Henry Winkler

Actor and author Henry Winkler was the featured speaker at a guild fundraiser supporting the Omaha Hearing School for Children held on September 28th at the Scott Conference Center. Over 200 people had an opportunity to listen as Mr. Winkler, almost universally known for creating the ‘Fonzie’ character on the 70’s TV series ‘Happy Days’, described the philosophy he has used to deal with adversity and to succeed despite his dyslexia. While maintaining an active Hollywood career, Henry Winkler (with co-author Lin Oliver) is the best selling author of the ‘Hank Zipzer’ series of children’s books.

Henry Winkler kicked off the event by acting as auctioneer for a 1952 model Seeburg Jukebox like the one featured in ‘Happy Days’. He autographed his books and other items throughout the evening. The evening was highlighted by a short film, produced by the Hearing School, which featured two hearing impaired friends as they learned to listen and talk.

This event raised over $58,000 for the Omaha Hearing School and helped to generate community awareness of the services the Omaha Hearing School for Children continues to provide.

Alums Attend Reception for Miss America

On Sunday, December 7, 2003 many young men and women and their parents attended a reception for "graduates" of the school to welcome Heather Whitestone McCallum. Whitestone gave an inspiring talk to the graduates, outlining her S.T.A.R.S Program (Success Through Action and Realization of your dreams) that became her platform as Miss America, 1995. These five stars speak volumes to all:

• Have a positive attitude,
• Believe in your dreams,
• Be willing to work hard,
• Face your obstacles, and
• Build your support team.

Whitestone spoke individually with each alum and/or family and posed for pictures with alums who ranged in age from first graders to college students.

Following the reception, Whitestone was the featured guest at Hear for the Holidays, a benefit dinner and silent auction attended by 280 guests. Whitestone's presence helped raise nearly $50,000, all of which will make it possible for children to learn to listen and talk.

Mayor Fahey Presents Miss America with Key to the City

Heather Whitestone McCallum, Miss America 1995, visited Omaha Hearing School on Monday, December 8, 2003. She was welcomed to Omaha by Mayor Mike Fahey and was given the key to the City. Whitestone was deafened as a toddler by meningitis, but didn't allow her deafness to keep her from learning to listen and talk, and reach her dreams.

In his welcome speech, Mayor Fahey said: "Whereas, Heather is an inspiration for all hearing impaired children; and Whereas, I thank Heather for her personal support of the Omaha Hearing School for Children, who each day help Omaha's hearing impaired youth grow to be contributing citizens of our community; and Whereas, for all her work on behalf of the hearing impaired, Heather Whitestone McCallum is today and will always be a honored guest in Omaha, Nebraska."

After graciously thanking Mayor Fahey, Whitestone visited with the students and took a moment to pose for pictures. The children were thrilled to try on Miss America's crown.

Award-Winning Program

Over 140 people attended the Omaha Chapter of the American Marketing Association's awards banquet at Joslyn Art Museum on April 22nd when 12 Pinnacle awards for excellence in marketing were presented. The annual competition recognizes companies and individuals in the Omaha metropolitan area and the surrounding region. Lovgren Marketing Group was presented with a Pinnacle award for their work on the development and design of the Learn to Talk Around the Clock program conceived and written by Karen Rossi, Director of the Omaha Hearing School. Rossi said, "It was gratifying to be recognized by an organization outside of the field of education. I wanted this not only to be helpful for professionals, but appealing, flexible, and well organized. I am grateful to Lovgren Marketing for their continued involvement in this project."

Linda Lovegren, owner of Lovgren Marketing group, is a former Board Member and daughter-in-law of Dr. Robert Lovgren, one of the founders of the Omaha Hearing School. Linda's knowledge and understanding of oral deaf education made her involvement a "natural".

OHS Director Speaks in Como, Italy

The Alexander Graham Bell Association sponsored the 2004 International Conference, "Focus on the Family, Promoting Listening & Talking." The conference was organized to provide information about spoken language options to families of children with hearing loss from fifteen different countries, link families to professionals in the field of deafness, and provide a forum for families and professionals to hear world-renowned leaders in the field. Karen Rossi's topic, "Learn to Talk Around the Clock and Around the World," presented proven techniques for parents to use with their babies to enhance the development of listening and talking.

Playing with Fire!

Free blues concerts hit the Lewis and Clark Landing on the Omaha riverfront. The series of five free blues concerts, "Playing with Fire, " is growing with only three concerts left to go. The Omaha Hearing School for Children was given the opportunity to sell food during the concerts as a fundraiser for the school. Through the planning and organization provided by OHS's Amber Miller, Board members, staff, parents, and friends spend the evening flipping burgers and hotdogs, listening to music, and giving of their time and grilling experience to help the school.

Jeff Davis, event sponsor and coordinator for the "Playing with Fire" concert series said that nationally known blues-rock musicians are headlining the free concerts. Come out, sing the blues and support the Omaha Hearing School!

OHS Teacher on Nebraska ECHO Team

Nebraska was chosen as one of three states to participate in the continuation of a national project to model strategies for enhancing the capacities of Early, Migrant, and American Indian Head Start grantees to conduct hearing screenings on all children birth to three years of age. Furthermore, the project wants to ensure that appropriate follow-up, diagnostic, and intervention services are provided for those not passing hearing screening.

Omaha Hearing School teacher, Jennifer Rossi, was named a member of the seven-person Nebraska Early Childhood Hearing Outreach (ECHO) Team. The Nebraska ECHO team has been traveling to rural communities to train designated Head Start staff to conduct OAE screenings every six months. The Hearing Head Start ECHO Project is conducted by the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM) at Utah State University with fundraising by the Administration for Children and Families, Head Start Bureau.

NCHAM's hope is that every child born with a hearing loss is identified by three months of age and receives appropriate intervention by six months of age. This goal is significant when one considers that language acquisition begins at birth and progresses very rapidly during the first three years of life. When children are unable to hear the sound of Mom and Dad's voices during this critical time, most of them will experience delays in language, social-emotional, cognitive and academic development.

The Pride of the Omaha Hearing School

On November 30, 2004 Curtis Pride strolled into Omaha Hearing School's annual fundraiser, and into the hearts of all who met him. In his quiet, unassuming manner, Curtis demonstrated how he reached such incredible levels of success in his professional baseball career and in his personal life. Never allowing his profound deafness to be used as an excuse, Curtis Pride is certainly a remarkable young man and a role model for all.

Pride spoke about reaching his dream of becoming a professional baseball player to the 250 guests in attendance at the Hear for the Holidays event. Supporters of the school established a new record for giving. As guests watched a video of Curtis' 2003 homerun in Yankee Stadium during the World Series they heard the announcer say, "A long fly ball to center field, going back deep, and still back! He's on the track! He's on the wall! See ya!" Yes, Cutis, with hard work and determination, "Anything is possible!"

OHS Teacher, Lisa Burton, Publishes Article

Lisa Burton, Omaha Hearing School teacher, recently coauthored an article published in the Journal of Communication Disorders. Along with principal investigator Dr. Susan Nittrourer, currently of Utah State University, Burton examined the role that early language experience plays in the development of speech perception and phonological processing abilities. "...the current study extends our understanding of what it means to say that a child learn language through hearing. Speaker/listeners of different language make use of different perceptual strategies to derive phonetic structure from the acoustic signal: The strategies emerge for the young child only through intensive listening (and probably speaking) experiences."

"One, two three... Cut the Ribbon!"

The Omaha Hearing School for Children, Nebraska's only oral school for children who are deaf or hard of hearing, celebrated the completion of a $1.5 million expansion and renovation project at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, September 30, at 1:00 pm in front of the school. The 7,400 square-foot addition and modernizing renovation began in June 2001.

On the count of three, excited students cut the long red ribbon allowing visitors to enter the building and tour the facility. Later that evening, families and friends attended an ice cream social on the new patio. It was a wonderful day and it is estimated that around three hundred people attended the ribbon cutting events.

guild council

One Great Move!

The newly formed Omaha Hearing School Guild made one great move with their first author luncheon on September 23, 2004. Alex Kava, a nationally recognized, local mystery author spoke at the luncheon and her comments featured her latest novel, One False Move, released in August, 2004. It was a fun and unique event with characters from the novel running amuck among the guests!

The mission of the Guild Council is to raise community awareness of the services the Omaha Hearing School provides to deaf and hard of hearing children and their families. As part of its mission, the Guild will sponsor annual events to help support the school. Their next event will be "Sushi at Sunset" in the spring, 2005.

The Guild Executive Council includes:
Amber Miller, President
Kelly Thedinger, President-Elect
Joan Gray, Secretary
Linda Goslee, Treasurer
Shelly Schack, VP Membership

If you would like to join the Guild as a contributing or active Guild Council Member, please call (402) 558-1546 to receive a membership brochure.

fundraising

Listen and Talk Scholarship Fund

The founders of the Omaha Hearing School had as one of their guiding principles, a desire never to turn away a child because his or her parents were unable to pay for tuition. In tight economic times, this becomes increasingly difficult. It costs an average of $17,000 per year to educate one deaf child. Income from tuition covers only about 35%-40% of those expenses, with the rest covered by fundraising events, individual contributions and foundation grants.

The Listen and Talk Scholarship Fund insures that there will always be money for tuition assistance. You can make a contribution in any amount. Just write "scholarship" in the memo line of your check and mail it to Omaha Hearing School, 1110 North 66th Street Omaha, Nebraska 68132. The children at the Omaha Hearing School and their families thank you very much!

Getting In

admission procedures

Enrollment is open to any deaf or hard of hearing child who could benefit from an auditory-oral preschool/elementary program. Hearing losses of Omaha Hearing School children range from mild to profound. Children with cochlear implants are also enrolled. All children in need of the variety of services offered by the Omaha Hearing School are welcomed to the program without regard to race, religion, color, national or ethnic origin.

The Omaha Hearing School annually applies to the Nebraska Department of Education for an allowable rate that determines the tuition for the different program options. Many deaf and hard of hearing children who attend the Omaha Hearing School are placed here by their Local School District. Under those circumstances, the contracting School District pays for the child's tuition and transportation.

tuition

The following is an estimation of a yearly tuition rate schedule for a deaf or hard of hearing child (rates are subject to change from year to year):

The following is the tuition rate schedule for the school year for our preschool and pre-kindergarten programs:

These are private programs for neighborhood children. Enrollment for the following year's classes begins in January. Enrolment is first open to current students and their siblings and then to others. The options and rates are as follows:

Please call (402) 558-1546 for registration forms and materials.

financial aid

Occasionally, parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing may prefer an option that is different from the option provided by their school district and may choose to enroll their child in the Omaha Hearing School on a private basis. In those cases, the Omaha Hearing School Board of Directors has instituted a sliding-fee scale for parents who wish to apply. No child is denied admission on the basis of inability to pay.

Site Map Want to link to this site? Read the Link Instructions Questions? Send us Email Copyright © 1998-2008 Oberkotter Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Site design by Two Rivers

For more information about oral deaf education, auditory devices like hearing aids and cochlear implants, advocacy for the deaf, financial aid, award-winning public school programs, therapists, and other organizations that help deaf children learn to listen and speak visit the: Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing