January 20, 2014/in News /by Greater Voice

Over 70 volunteer teachers, parents and audiologists have partnered with Greater Voice since 2002. From introductory workshops on hearing health and oral deaf education to specific professional development initiatives in listening and spoken language development, early identification, classroom acoustics, audiology services, hearing aid donations, cochlear implants, literacy development, mainstream inclusion, parent education and empowerment, and whole child development Greater Voice has inspired parents, communities, teachers and schools for the deaf across the Dominican Republic.

Education and training involved a range of support needed by constituents we partnered with in country. Successfully offered by PGV board of directors and volunteer partners, PGV charitable missions included United States based training for Dominicans, teacher immersion in literacy training, and need based education missions. Training missions provided breadth and depth of knowledge to primarily 32 teachers at Instituto de Ayuda al Sordo Santa Rosa and CASSA, and to hundreds of other teachers in the country. Teachers have successfully integrated PGV’s training into the classroom, in private therapy, and to families. The needs of children with cochlear implants and hearing aids is greatly needed in this county, and over 15 years PGV has seen tremendous progress. Their first visit recognized only 1 audiologist in the country (2002), and today there are a dozen hearing health centers. Several teachers went on to work for the Ministry of Education, Department of Deaf Education, and have shared their knowledge to engage teachers of the deaf throughout the country. Teachers have also established private therapy to serve families of children with cochlear implants.

Places PGV primarily supported include: Santo Domingo, San Andres, Boca Chica, La Romana, Mocca, Santiago, Los Alcarrizos.  Special thanks and gratitude is given to our major in-country partner Sra. Onelia Aybar at Instituto de Ayuda al Sordo Santa Rosa, during her tenure as director of this school.

Comments from Partners for A Greater Voice, RE: CASSA

Centro Asistencia para Sordos San Andres (CASSA) emerged as one of many projects in the Dominican Republic and was supported for over nine years. It began in 2002 when Joanne met with 13 families in Boca Chica, working closely with local resident Estebania Concepcion. A parent group called Padres Unidos was started by Estebania and this eventually evolved into a school she registered in the name of Centro Asistencia para Sordos San Andres (CASSA) in 2005. Estebania collaborated with Diorka Nolasco, a parent of a child with profound hearing loss, after a Partners’ USA training program in 2003 and before Diorka took full control of the CASSA program in 2005.

In September of 2011 CASSA had enrolled more than 50 students ages 3 to 20. A morning oral program and an afternoon sign based/vocational program emerged to meet the needs of students. Over recent years, CASSA has sourced funds granted from within the country, and they now operating independently.  Partners for A Greater Voice had over 14 teacher training missions to CASSA, and had their last of 5 audiology mission in September of 2011. Transfer of hearing health services to in-country audiology took place thereafter.

Partners is proud to have worked with CASSA over the years to see it to its current sustainable status. There were 23 visits to this community that occurred between 2002 and 2011, and which supported parents and teachers helping young children learn to listen and talk with hearing devices that Partners donated. Over 18 volunteers joined Partners in projects at CASSA that fostered CASSA’s independence and education for oral deaf children.

Grant money from the International Foundation, Quota International and Lions Club of Ipswich had significantly added value to Partners’ projects designated for CASSA and which totaled over $42,000. This did not include all the donations and volunteer contributions received between fiscal years 2004 and 2011. With limited funding, Partners fro A Greater Voice established CASSA and supported a healthy environment for families and children with hearing loss. Over the years, we provided counsel to staff, parent support, hearing and assistive technology, books and school supplies, teacher and parent education, training in auditory development, hearing health education, literacy training, lesson plan development, audiological services, and university scholarships to several teachers.

Partners for A Grater Voice encourages sustainability of al their projects, and recommends to CASSA the following actions:

1. establishing CASSA as an official corporation and recognized by the Ministry of Education for establishing support;
2. collaborating with both aural and sign language specialists to support a two separate programs (afternoon and morning);
3. improving classroom lessons and teacher education;
4. collaborating with other schools in the Dominican Republic to foster education for students, administration, and operations;
5. shifting mindset of CASSA staff to be receptive to parent partnerships;
6. encouraging on going parent meetings that inform, support, and value parent needs;
7. inviting humanitarian audiologists whenever possible.

The school considers itself sustainable through the country’s Ministry of Education. The teachers and Parent Consultants PGV trained at CASSA and in San Andres will always be welcomed at Partners for A Greater Voice workshops.