IHear - a teletherapy program by St Joseph Institute

It's bright, it's pretty, it's incredible! Our new website is up! Check it out...

Home : St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf Imagine your child hearing you whisper "I love you." Picture her talking with friends at school. And think about having a whole community of parents and educators to support you on this journey. That's what St. Joseph Institute can make a reality.

Come learn with us this fall! Our very own Bailey Clay, M.S. CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, is hosting collaborative sessions focusing on LSL and terrific strategies for providers. All that *plus* you pick up a cool 4 hrs of CEUs from AG Bell. Check it out...

Event Calendar : Calendar : St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf This online course explores the critical stages of speech sound development and effective interventions for auditory verbal therapists. Topics include the audiogram's relationship to speech acquisition, early vocal development, phonological processes, the diagnostic use of the Ling 6 Sound test, spe...

Here's another incredible story about what is possible with a Listening and Spoken Language education. Many thanks to Alex who visited with our students and read a book. https://thebuzzmagazines.com/articles/2024/07/resounding-resilience

Congrats to all the kids featured in this article!

Resounding Resilience By nature, preschoolers squiggle and giggle. They’re little balls of energy, limbs constantly moving as if pulled by invisible strings. But this day, at the Melinda Webb School – the Texas Hearing Institute’s preschool for children with hearing loss – they’re laser-focused on the classroom...

ARE YOU READY FOR IT?
Club Cochlea, that awesome dance party that raises money for kids, kicks off next Saturday at 9am CST. Our DJs are prepping and the playlists are being finalized. Make your plans, gather your friends, and plan your day around the best 12 musical hours all summer. Wanna see a sneak peek of the menu? Click here https://sjid.org/club-cochlea

"Can my child swim with their listening devices?" Our friends at Hearing First have created a quick video with great tips for summertime fun. Get out there and enjoy!

Quick Tips for Swimming with Hearing Devices Nervous about your child’s hearing technology and swimming? Here’s the good news - you don’t have to avoid the beach or the pool! You just need a plan for ke...

Want to learn more about the leading non-genetic cause of hearing loss.

Register today!

It's National Volunteer Week! A great big shout out to our dedicated volunteer board members. We are grateful for your support, guidance, and wisdom. Your effort helps ensure our mission continues to serve the children and families who rely on us.

Where in the world is our staff? Take a look…

It’s time for “The Educator Sez’, an occasional post designed to help increase Listening and Spoken Language through everyday activities. Today’s post is from Theresa Bartoni, MS and Early Childhood Special Educator.

“Everyday interactions with your child are simple moments in your day that can help increase language,” she assures. “These activities seem really simple but can provide building blocks for children to increase their listening and spoken language.”Click the link for the full article

Educator Sez: It's Playtime! - St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf Educator Sez: It’s Playtime! by St. Joseph Institute | Mar 4, 2024 | Educator Sez It’s time for “The Educator Sez’, an occasional post designed to help increase Listening and Spoken Language through everyday activities. Today’s post is from Theresa Bartoni, MS and Early Childhood Special E...

How it began in 1982.....and how it's going today. 😀

Today is and we want to give kudos to all the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Louis Province, ENTs, Otolaryngologists, LSL providers, audiologists, CEDs, SLPs, and of course, dedicated families creating so many joyful listening moments. We are proud to be part of the solution!

From Fontbonne University - Communication Disorders & Deaf Education new grad to Deaf Educator extraordinaire, our very own Barb Meyers, MA, CED has impacted thousands of children, their families, and many young teachers. Her work began before cochlear implants and continues in an era of BAHAs, advanced techniques, and more possibility for children than any other time in history.

Today she begins her 43rd year with us. Thank you, Barb, for your bright smile, deep passion for this field, and all those homemade books.

We look forward to 2024 filled with listening, speaking, and endless possibilities for our littles and their families all around the world. Thank you for being a part of our journey and our SJI community no matter where you are! ❤

The holidays are here and baking is a marvelous tradition for many families! This can be a wonderful opportunity to incorporate many skills with your child such as vocabulary, sequencing, using the 5 senses, fine motor, math, and reading. Baking can also get a little messy, especially with younger children, but that is part of the process and can be fun too!

Click this link to see age-specific activities https://sjid.org/holiday-baking-and-speech-skills/

Tomorrow's the day! Help your little practice their jokes with some wise words from our very own iHear Therapist Barb Meyers, MA, CED.

Humor - Essential for All Human Communication? by Barb Meyers, MA, CED - St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf The air is crisp, the trees are changing colors, and Halloween is just around the corner! Trick or Treating brings back pleasant childhood memories of dressing up in a homemade costume, grabbing my favorite pillowcase and walking for blocks and blocks with my older brothers and bringing home a bagfu...

Our very own ED Michelle Graham,MS, CED, LSLS Cert AVEd, visited the Ozark Heritage Festival today with our SJI booth. She handed out ducks, greeted SJI alumni, and made lots of new friends. We’ll be back!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SJI!!

186 years ago, our beloved CSJs landed in Carondelet on the banks of the Mississippi River, moved into the tiny log cabin, and began to serve the community. Since that day, we've helped thousands of children with hearing loss learn to listen and develop spoken language. Through two world wars, a pandemic, two recessions, the Great Depression, and the invention of cars, electricity, computers, the internet, iPhones, cochlear implants, BAHAs, and more, our love for families and passion to serve children with hearing loss has never wavered. Who knew the early teaching days would lead to the one of the first tele therapy programs in America?

Our CSJs did. They never stopped improving services, streamlining their teaching styles, teaching other teachers how to help a child. Today, we give a great big shout out to our founders, as we begin our 187th year of service. Thank you, CSJs for entrusting us to continue your first mission and always moving towards the more!

P.S. You're invited to our 186th birthday bash! Click here https://sjid.org/anniversary

51 years ago today, Barb Meyers, CED, entered the field of Deaf Education.

She began teaching children with hearing loss before cochlear implants, digital hearing aids, rechargeable batteries, Early Intervention, iHear tele therapy, laptop computers, hybrid cars, and any Apple products were even invented. I chatted with her about those early days.

"The listening technology in the late 60’s-early 70’s was quite antiquated", she recalled. "There was no newborn hearing screening, so most of the children were profoundly deaf. They wore body hearing aids and learned to talk/lipread. When working in a group, they all wore cumbersome headphones which were hooked up to an amplifier, and the teacher spoke into a microphone.

I went to college with a manual typewriter. When someone said "try iHear!" I was baffled," she smiles. "Would I have the same relationship with a family? Would I feel as close to the parents as when I taught their child, day in and day out? I'm so pleased to report the relationship is even stronger than I ever imagined. You are sitting there when a parent celebrates the success of a new sound....or when they sob through a new diagnosis. When I taught, they may have received that news days before but in iHear, they have received it minutes before. And you are so present in that moment. All the joy and pain and tears and laughter.

After 51 years in this field, working so closely with my students and their families has been a gift to me. Working so closely with our SJI staff, (past and present) who are like family, is priceless!"

Happy 51, Mrs Barb. Thank you for serving our families so faithfully!

Where is our staff this afternoon? At the Motherhouse ❤️

A great, big “happy anniversary” to our very own Michelle Graham, MS, CED, LSLS Cert AVEd, Executive Director of MO and iHear. Today marks the completion of her 22nd year in and her 16th year at SJI.

She received her Masters in Speech and Hearing from and her first job was at Desert voices in Phoenix, AZ. “I loved Phoenix,” she smiles. “I taught there for one year but I moved back home to St. Louis to be with my soon-to-be-husband”. Michelle has been an exemplary teacher in the field of deaf education for 22 years including classroom teacher, resource teacher, iHear therapist, and Lead Early Interventionist. In her role as Executive Director, she is clearly dedicated to the quality-of-service provision SJI and the iHear program provides. She mentors , new teachers in the field, and of course, candidates. “I’m now in my 17th year at SJI and my 23rd year in the field”, she says. “I feel empowered to provide excellent services with integrity and compassion for children and their families. I took this position because I knew I could make a lasting difference for the mission and the families we serve daily.”

Happy anniversary and thank you for your incredible work at SJI!

How did our iHear staff prepare for a brand new academic year? Read on.....

GET READY, MUSIC FANS!

Our DJs have released their playlists for our music event occurring this Saturday. 12 hours of dance-all-day-dance-all-night tunes to make your weekend the best ever. Share with your friends or your family (or your neighbors via the awesome beat).....

Wanna donate? Click here https://sjid.org/club-cochlea/

12 hours of music, coming your way in just seven days! Improvements this year include tuning into Youtube to make your listening experience easier and faster.

Our DJs are finishing the musical line-up! Support here https://sjid.org/club-cochlea/

What are you doing 7-22-23? Listening to mad DJ tunes at Club Cochlea? Stay tuned for full music lists. Click here to support https://sjid.org/club-cochlea/

IT'S BAAAAAACK!!

Club Cochlea begins on Saturday 7-22-23. Follow us to get the full music line up when the DJ's choose their tunes. Wanna support? Click here https://sjid.org/club-cochlea/

Look up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No it’s our Finance Dept, making our agency strong and fiscally solvent to serve families for another day.

Where in the world is Mrs Michelle? Read on....

We're hiring! Looking for an experienced professional to join our team. Don't delay! Deadline for applications is May 1st.

We have an exciting new opportunity for an experienced professional in Listening and Spoken Language! Go to sjid.org/careers for more information.

We love our Board members! Thank you for all you do for our mission.

We’ll shout it from the rooftops! We’ve got some of the best around. Thank you for your passion, dedication, and your deep love of our mission.

Where in the world did Mrs Michelle and Ms Allie go? Read below!

We have an exciting new opportunity for an experienced professional in Listening and Spoken Language! Go to sjid.org/careers for more information.

We have an exciting new opportunity for an experienced professional in Listening and Spoken Language! Go to sjid.org/careers for more information.

Our Executive Directors Michelle Graham, M.S., CED, LSLS Cert AVEd and Lindy Powell, M.Ed, LSLS Cert AVEd, were featured on the podcast 3C Digital Media Network, LLC Their topic of telepractice and serving families via IHear was insightful, informative, and fabulous!

Give it a listen (Michelle and Lindy begin at 10.26m in podcast)! https://www.3cdigitalmedianetwork.com/telepractice-today-podcast