Student Spotlight — Meili Swain – November 2020

Meili Swain is a bright little girl who loves being the center of attention in her family. She is open and outgoing and loves her sister and two brothers. Meili was adopted from China when she was three years old and became part of the Swain family. 

Her mother, Julie, says she found about Ohio Valley Voices from an Audiologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. “OVV has done wonders to help Meili listen and speak,” says Julie. “I wish I would have known about them sooner.”

Meili was diagnosed with a gap at the back of her throat and required pharyngeal flap surgery to correct her throat’s airflow. Her parents thought her speech was affected by this and not because Meili was also hard of hearing. Now six, Meili has worn hearing aids since she was 3-1/2 years old.

“OVV is uniquely positioned to give deaf and hard of hearing children the intensive speech therapy and support to help them communicate more clearly, states Julie. “Meili is 100 percent our social butterfly — her whole world is being around people. I want her to be able to more fully articulate her feelings to others.”

Julie says OVV’s individualized education plans for her daughter have made the difference in her ability to be understood. “Without OVV, Meili would be a guarded and insecure little girl. The teachers and staff at Ohio Valley Voices are helping her be the joyful, confident child she is.”

Meili’s family lives in Centerville, Ohio, near Dayton. The Centerville Schools district provides daily transportation to Ohio Valley Voices. “We knew from the moment we took a virtual tour of OVV, they would be able to help our daughter and give her the confidence to continue to progress. Meili’s ability to speak is such a gift to our family.”

From the left, Meili, Selah, Bryson and Lincoln Swain

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