Did you know...
- Children who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) can talk within normal limits – provided they have early access to sound and early intervention.
- In the Greater Cincinnati area, 60% of children who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) are not receiving any early intervention services due to a capacity constraint at Ohio Valley Voices. OVV is the only school of its kind in the Tri-State area.
Ohio Valley Voices knows how critical it is for young children who are D/HH to receive quality early services for positive lifelong outcomes. We capitalize on a young child’s brain plasticity and teach them to talk, beginning as young at eight weeks old. Children enrolled in our program receive intensive auditory training and speech and language therapy. Each child has an individualized learning plan and is taught by our highly qualified Listening and Spoken Language Providers.
Who We Are
Ohio Valley Voices (OVV) was founded in 1999 by three families whose children are deaf. They partnered with the Moog Center for Deaf Education in St. Louis and OVV’s executive director, Maria Sentelik, to create a research-backed, data-driven program to teach children who are deaf and hard of hearing how to listen and talk.
For over twenty years, OVV has help hundreds of children and their families, setting the gold standard of early intervention for children who are D/HH.
Audie’s OVV Journey
Like all new parents, Kayla and Noah Cox had big dreams for their first child, Audie.
Audie had passed his newborn hearing screening and was, by all appearances, a happy and healthy boy. But soon after returning home from the hospital, Kayla sensed that something was wrong.
“I noticed that Audie didn’t startle when our dog barked,” she says. “I remember telling my mother, ‘I don’t think Audie can hear.’ Audie seemed delayed in his ability to balance himself too.”
Then, at twelve months old, Audie bumped his head, and in an instant the Cox’s dreams for their son were shattered. “He couldn’t balance himself and was like a rag doll,” Kayla recounts. “We were terrified.”
At the hospital, Audie received many evaluations and the audiologist confirmed that Audie was profoundly deaf. “I sobbed for hours,” Kayla says. “I remember thinking, ‘We are not going to make it!’”
Determined to provide a bright future for their son, Kayla and Noah began looking for help. Their doctor, Dr. Greinwald, recommended Ohio Valley Voices (OVV). They contacted OVV to learned more about OVV's programs.
Today, thanks to Ohio Valley Voices, Audie is flourishing. A bright, playful two-year-old, he is currently enrolled in OVV’s Toddler Program, where he is on track to speak as well as his hearing peers and attend a mainstream school.
Silence to Speech Campaign
Ohio Valley Voices has a bold vision to serve ALL children who are deaf or hard of hearing in the Greater Cincinnati area. OVV has launched the Silence to Speech Campaign. With your help, we will raise the remaining $2.3 million toward the renovation of our Loveland facility and the creation of an endowment to serve future generations of OVV learners.
Our Goal
To date, OVV has secured $3.2. million of our $5.5 million fundraising total. We hope to raise an additional $2.3 million. Will you help us get there?
Ways to Support
By donating to “Silence to Speech,” you will be contributing to the success of our program and transforming the lives of current and future OVV students.
Be a part of the Silence to Speech campaign and help support children for years to come. By donating you are securing the future of Ohio Valley Voices students.
For...
$100,000 provides Auditorium/Multi-purpose Room
$30,000 provides a Toddler Center Room
$30,000 provides a Parent Educational Center
$30,000 provides a Academic Center Room
$20,000 provides a Listening and Spoken Language Room
$15,000 provides an Individual Therapy Room
$10,000 provides an Office Room
...for 10 years
Ohio Valley Voices thrives because of you!
Here are just a few of the amazing things we have accomplished with your generous support…
- We have provided over $400,000 in tuition assistance to families over the past two years.
- We have served hundreds of children and their families in the Greater Cincinnati area and from around the world.
- We built a state-of-the-art audiology clinic to ensure our children have the best access to sound.
