Dear Ohio Valley Voices Friends and Family,
We did it! The building is complete, and laughter is filling our hallways once again. We started this year with the largest toddler program in our history. Families from all over are scheduling tours and we can’t wait to welcome them to the OVV family.
The expansion project has been a journey and I would like to thank everyone who had a part in the completion. As some of you may know, we had a waitlist for our programs and with the importance of early implantation, increased wear time, and therapy, this was not an option. Now, our new building allows us to eliminate this waitlist. Once the new space was finished, it was important to reduce any unnecessary noise, or reverberation for our children to confidently listen and speak.
How do we do this? Simply put, we have acoustic panels covered in fabric to absorb sound.
Rooms typically have both hard and smooth surfaces. Sound waves bounce off hard surfaces, increasing reverberation, making it difficult to hear. “Reverberation noise interferes with speech recognition by muddling the speech that reaches students’ ears” (Clarus). For children who are deaf and hard of hearing, it is difficult to filter sounds, so we want to eliminate as much background noise as possible. “Acoustic panels are most effective in managing reverberation noise. They also help reduce airborne noise (external noise originating outside the classroom) and impact noise (the sound caused by two structures impacting one another, such as a desk moving against the floor)” (Clarus). Acoustic panels are just one way we modify our classrooms to best suit our children.
If you want to see our new classrooms and building, join us at the Grand Opening on October 19, 2023. Or schedule a tour by contacting development@ohiovalleyvoices.org.
Warmly,
Maria
Clarus. (2021, March 30). Benefits of acoustic panels in the classroom. Clarus. https://www.clarus.com/blog/benefits-of-acoustic-panels-in-the-classroom/#:~:text=Acoustic%20panels%20are%20most%20effective,desk%20moving%20against%20the%20floor).
National Deaf Children’s Society. (2020, February 10). Improving listening conditions: Reducing background noise. National Deaf Children’s Society. https://www.ndcs.org.uk/information-and-support/education-and-learning/creating-good-listening-conditions/