Student Spotlight – Jace Clayton

To Jace Clayton and his mother Savannah, Ohio Valley Voices is much more than a place that helps children who are deaf and hard of hearing learn how to listen and speak. It is a tight-knit community and a springboard to a bright future.

Jace was four months old when he was diagnosed profoundly deaf in both ears. “Hearing this news was very sad for everyone,” Savannah recalls. “I wasn’t sure whether to teach him sign language or look for an alternative. But we are a family of faith, so we hoped and prayed for God to give some direction. I knew in some way, shape, or form Jace was going to hear me say, ‘I love you.’”

A break came when Savannah heard about Ohio Valley Voices through Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Kentucky’s early intervention program First Steps. Savannah vividly recounts her family’s serendipitous path to OVV: “One day a friend of mine handed me a business card and on the back it said ‘OVV for Savannah.’ She had a friend whose little boy went to OVV and gave her that card to give to me. I knew that was the next step for us. I found an apartment and job near OVV and we started our OVV adventure!”

Jace is now four years old and enrolled in the Discovery Center 1 program, where he focuses on speech, listening skills, sentence structure, and expanding his vocabulary with the help of Ms. Julie and Ms. Melissa. Just two months shy of graduation, he has loved his time at OVV, and everyone is blown away by his progress. “The staff is so sweet and has made the learning experience so fun and enjoyable,” Savannah says.

Jace Clayton

As Savannah is quick to point out, though, Ohio Valley Voices’ talented, caring staff don’t only serve the children enrolled in their program; they offer much-needed support and resources to family members and caretakers too. “They have always been so helpful with any questions I have had and were a great support system through that difficult news,” she explains.

The support and communication skills Jace receives at OVV allow him to pursue his countless interests. Savannah admits she has trouble keeping track of all his hobbies. “He loves helping people, being outside at the park, riding ATVs, playing games, fishing, making arts and crafts, doing puzzles, building forts, dressing up as characters—all kinds of things!” In short, OVV has unlocked Jace’s boyish energy and boundless potential.

When asked how Jace would sum up his personality, Savannah responds, “He would say he is Spiderman or Buzz Lightyear, but to us, he is one amazing, special little guy!”

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