How pandemic affects crucial training for deaf children

It’s hard for the deaf and hard of hearing students to see a teacher’s mouth moving through a mask, so they’re finding creative ways around that.

They need to – that’s how important this training is to the kids.

LAST TIME WE CAUGHT UP WITHOHIO VALLEY VOICES -- THESCHOOL THAT TEACHES CHILDRENWHO ARE DEAF AND HARD OFHEARING HOW TO LISTEN ANDTALK-- ITS TEACHERS ANDSTUDENTS WERE JUMPING INTO THEWORLD OF VIRTUAL LEARNINGBECAUSE OF THE CORONAVIRUSPANDEMIC..

BUT LAST WEEK --THE KIDS ACTUALLY WENT BACK TOIN-PERSON SCHOOL.

HOW THEY'REMAKING THAT WORK SAFELY-- áANDWHYá -- ARE THE FOCUS OFTONIGHT'S POSITIVELYCINCINNATI.What time is it...what timeis it?THIS BACK AND FORTHMIGHT NOT SEEM LIKE A BIG DEALTO YOU...BUT IT REALLYIS.FOUR YEAR OLD BROOKLYN HADPROFOUND HEARLING LOSS AFTERBIRTH.A COCHLEAR IMPLANT --YOU SEE ITS GREEN BLINKINGLIGHT UNDER HER HAIR --BROUGHT SOUND BACK TOHER...It's not your ears that hear -it's your brain.

So we haveto train their brain how tointerpret the sound they'rereceiving through cochlearimplaint or hearing aid sothey can learn totalk.Time is of the essence...oneto three is the bestwindow.cmon...cmon THAT'S THE SWEETSPOT AGE RANGE.AFTER THAT SHESAYS THE CHILD'S BRAIN STARTSREASSIGNING SPACE.SO WHENCOVID HIT --March, March.

April, April.May, may.

June, June...TAKINGTHE THE LITTLE ONES OUT OFSCHOOL AS THE CLOCK TICKED --IT CERTAINLY THREATENED THEIRLEARNINGCURVE.we knew we had to keep themabovewater"no looking"and so we did virutallearning...but we also knew itwas just as critical to getthem back in the rooms...backat ohio valleyvoices.WHERE TECHNOLOGY BLIPS CAN'TGET IN THE WAY OF SOUNDINTEGRITY -- CRUCIAL FOR THESEKIDS AND THEIRPROGRESS.And just the attention spanof preschoolers -- you can'tdo it remotely like you can inperson...SO FOR MISSION "BRING THEMBACK" -- THEY DIVIDED THEBUILDING INTO FOUR COMMUNITYPODS BY AGE GROUPS.

STUDENTSIN EACH HAVE THEIR OWNENTRANCE...THEY HAVE THEIR OWN COLORCODED LANE WHEN THEY HAVE TOWALK THE HALLWAY -- THEIROWN CLASSROOM AREA THAT'SCLEARLY SECTIONED OFF FORSMALLER GROUPS -- AND THEIROWN BATHROOM RIGHT IN THATSPACE.THE GOAL IS NO EXPOSURE TOanyone OUTSIDE THe POD -- BUTLOTS OF LANGUAGE WORK WITH INIT.LIKE CHAT TIME ABOUT A PETRABBITNEAR AND DEAR TOBROOKLYN'SHEART.He has big ears...bigearsHow crucial is it that youhave that one on one we justsaw with her...oh it makes allthe difference in theworld...there's so much theygleen from yourface.In our pandemic world, they'reeven coming up with ways toprotect themselves butvisually teach.

(she saysOhio Valley Voices) See -you could see her lips move.That's so important for thekidseducationherewhy is this positivelycincinnati?

Because we'redoingit...and I thought it seemedoverwhelming, scary...but wedidit.This is really giving themtheirworld.YesIt is therest of their lives and itmakes all the difference forthem.

And it changes theirwhole life.IT HELPS THEM BECOME LISTENERSAND SPEAKERS IN OURCONVERSATIONAL WORLD.LEADERSAT OHIO VALLEY VOICES SAYTHEY CAN'T ALLOW THE PANDEMICTO GET IN THE WAY OF THAT LIFELONG GIFT.