Columbus Speech & Hearing

Thank you to everyone who showed up for our DeafBlind Zoo Fun Day at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium!

In case you missed it, here are some of the many highlights from the event:

— We met 34 DeafBlind individuals, with some people traveling from Akron, Cincinnati, Dayton, Cleveland, Kentucky, and even New York!

— We had 74 American Sign Language (ASL) volunteers, including donations of professional interpreting services from Heritage Interpreting and Access 2 Interpreters, LLC.

— We did over 100 DeafBlind and Blind simulation activities, increasing public awareness of these lived experiences.

— We collaborated with many different organizations on activity stations, including Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults, Ohio En-Compass, Deaf Services Center, and Good Sign Coffee Co.

— NBC 4, ABC 6, and News 10 were there to film. Here is a video of the Channel 4 interview with one of our DeafBlind clients, Shirley Rybarski, and one of our very own SSP employees, Danny Lucero: https://buff.ly/3KET2NB!

Our DeafBlind Zoo event was a day of fun and awareness for the community. Thank you again to our partners, volunteers, and attendees for making this event so amazing!

If you attended and would like to give feedback, please fill out our survey here: https://buff.ly/4aZnfBQ

🐆🦧🐘

(Photo credit: Grahm S. Jones, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium)

🏳️‍🌈 Columbus Speech & Hearing wishes you a Happy Pride Month! 🏳️‍⚧️

Whether you're a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, have a child or relative who identifies as Q***r, or are an ally, we welcome you this month and every month.

An important message to take away from Pride Month is to always be yourself and embrace diversity. No matter how you identify or the ways in which you communicate, CSH accepts you as you are!

How do YOU show your ? Comment below! ⬇️

🌈 ***r

⛳ Thank you to our sponsors, donors, and volunteers who helped make our 17th annual golf fundraiser possible! This year, we raised $99,445 for those with speech, hearing, and communication needs.

Whether you sponsored the event, golfed, volunteered, or purchased or donated an item, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us raise money to support the 8,000 kids & adults we serve yearly.

See all event photos here: https://buff.ly/4bOmfBe

Join Columbus Speech & Hearing and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium for this special event! Blind, Deaf, and DeafBlind Accessibility Day will take place on Sunday, June 9th, from 9 A.M. to 6 P.M.

To learn more, visit https://www.columbuszoo.org/events/blind-deaf-and-deafblind-accessibility-day

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is thrilled to announce our first-ever Blind, Deaf, and DeafBlind Accessibility Day, in partnership with Columbus Speech & Hearing! Join us on Sunday, June 9, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for a day filled with exploration, education, and fun. The event increases access for individuals who are Blind, Deaf, and DeafBlind.

The Blind, Deaf, and DeafBlind communities helped plan this special event! It features inclusive experiences and engaging educational opportunities for all. Highlights include hands-on activities, safe items to explore, and informative booths in the Zoo’s Conservation Courtyard. Our partners include Columbus Speech & Hearing, Deaf Services Center, Good Sign Coffee Co. (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087432762430), Helen Keller Services, and Ohio En-Compass iCANCONNECT Program.

Don’t miss our fascinating Keeper Talks, presented by Fifth Third Bank, with ASL interpreters available at each session:

🐅 9:45 a.m. Tigers (Asia Quest region)
🦁 10:30 a.m. Lions (Heart of Africa region)
🐻 11:15 a.m. Bears (North America/Polar Frontier region)
🐨 1 p.m. Koalas (Australia and the Islands region)
🦧 1:45 p.m. Orangutans (Australia and the Islands region)
🐧 2:30 p.m. Penguins (Shores and Aquarium region)

"We are excited to partner with local community organizations to provide inclusive experiences for our guests at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Together, we can ensure that everyone, regardless of their abilities, enjoys and learns more about the world’s incredible wildlife. Our commitment to accessibility and inclusivity is at the heart of our work and our mission of ‘Empowering People. Saving Wildlife.’ We are proud to offer events that embody those values,” said Becky Nellis, Director of Curriculum and Partnerships at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

“We are increasing access to communication and providing opportunities to enhance the lives of these underserved communities. That is the foundation of our work at Columbus Speech & Hearing,” said Julia Felts, Program Manager of DeafBlind programs at Columbus Speech & Hearing. “The organizations who serve these individuals made this day possible. This accessibility event brings everyone together to learn about the Zoo and the Blind, Deaf, and DeafBlind communities.”

Mark your calendars and join us at the Columbus Zoo! https://www.columbuszoo.org/events/blind-deaf-and-deafblind-accessibility-day 🌍🐾

It's National Stuttering Awareness Week ‼️

Despite how common stuttering is, it remains largely misunderstood. Here are some harmful myths about stuttering, debunked.

‼️ Columbus Speech & Hearing is currently seeking for our upcoming Golf Tournament Fundraiser! ⛳

Your participation can help make a significant impact on the lives of those who use our speech & hearing services. Together, we can raise funds for children & adults with communication needs. Sign up to volunteer now at buff.ly/3UCE14Y.

It's . 🔊
Repeated exposure to high levels of noise can lead to hearing loss, but many people don't realize they're experiencing hearing loss until years after their symptoms appear.

Here are 4 of the many signs someone may need to get their hearing tested.

If you or your loved ones have noticed any changes in your hearing, the experienced and compassionate audiology team at Columbus Speech & Hearing is here to help. Take our free hearing test online today at https://columbusspeech.org/online-hearing-test/.

Today’s therapy share is from Leslie Terrell, CSH assistant director of speech services. 🦈🪸🌊

One way to engage children in speech therapy activities is through sensory exercises. Children love hands-on activities, and this one also introduces several vocabulary words as well.

Using a bin filled with water and ocean animals, our little ones can practice saying words like
- Open/close
- In/out
- Stir/shake/swim/splash

This activity also allows children to make autonomous choices when deciding which animal to put in the water and practice exclamatory words like ‘wow’ and ‘whoa’ or description words like wet, cold, colors and sizes.

April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day!

CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network estimates 1 in every 36 children has autism spectrum disorder (ASD). With no developed medical tests to identify ASD, giving a diagnosis can be hard and early intervention is recommended to ensure everyone reaches their full potential.

At we are committed to shining light on the seriousness of ASD to ensure we are helping people improve communication for life.

Learn about early characteristics of autism here: https://columbusspeech.org/early-characteristics-of-autism/

Wishing all those who celebrate a Happy Easter!

It’s with great pleasure that we celebrate Susan Dabo for 15 years at Columbus Speech and Hearing!

Susan joined in 2009 as a Speech Language Pathologist and quickly became a vital part of our team. While Susan is an experienced SLP working with both adults and children, her true passion is in working hands on with children helping them improve communication for life.

Thank you, Susan, for your constant dedication to our team and willingness to jump right in and leave a lasting impression on all who come through our facilities!

Did some ‘bunny’ say Easter? Hop into some of ’s favorite Easter-themed books for children of all ages.

Easter books for our little learners:
- “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Chick!” by Lucille Colandro (perfect for practicing sequencing and repetition with little ones)
- “How to Catch the Easter Bunny” by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton (perfect for practicing problem solving and comprehension with younger school age children)
- “Too Many Carrots” by Katy Hudson (perfect for expanding vocabulary in school age learners)

We’re looking for passionate, driven and dedicated individuals to join the Columbus Speech & Hearing team!

If you’re committed to diversity and inclusion and looking to make a meaningful impact in the lives of others, our team is waiting for you.

Click to learn more about our available positions and apply today!

Culture and Careers | Columbus Speech and Hearing (614) 263-5151 | Join Our Growing Team For 100 years, Columbus Speech & Hearing has offered exceptional service to clients across Ohio. By remaining focused on our mission to help all people improve communication, we raise awareness of speech and hearing challenges throughout the Columbus community....

Join on May 13 for our 17th Annual Great Communicators Golf Classic!

Bring along a friend for a fun round of golf at Heritage Golf Club () and help support our mission to help individuals with communication challenges reach their full potential at all stages of life.

For more information about this event and how to get involved, click here: https://givebutter.com/c/17thGCGC

Our March Talk Tips to Go article is all about articulation! Articulation therapy is really teaching new motor patterns for your mouth. To establish a new motor pattern, you need daily practice. Spending 5-10 minutes every day practicing those motor patterns can significantly increase progress in therapy.

Get ideas to work on your child’s speech skills here:

Talk Tips To Go: Tips to Practice Articulation at Home | Columbus Speech and Hearing | Blog (614) 263-5151 | By: Melissa Friend, M.A., CCC-SLP Practice articulation with crafts! Are you looking for easy and fun ways to practice articulation at home? Articulation therapy is really teaching new motor patterns for your mouth. To establish a new motor pattern, you need daily practice! Spending...

March 19 is International Read to Me Day – a day that recognizes the importance of reading books to children in promoting literacy. Simply spending 10 minutes a day reading to your child positively benefits their knowledge, imagination skills and ability to read on their own.

Get additional tips for improving your child’s reading skills here: https://columbusspeech.org/help-improve-your-childs-reading-skills/

Happy St. Patrick’s Day🍀 It’s your lucky day, because we’re sending you and your little friends on a St. Patty’s Day scavenger hunt!

Channel your inner leprechaun and try finding these five gems around or near your home and then complete the challenge once found!
🍀A green book: Read at least a few pages.
🍀A gold coin: Listen to how the sound changes when dropped on different surfaces.
🍀A live plant: Describe different attributes such as dry vs. wet or tall vs. short.
🍀A rainbow: Look at the changing colors and discuss your favorite.
🍀And something you wear that’s green: Compare the different shades of green with your scavenger hunt buddy.

Be sure to tag in all your fun pictures!

With so many fun holidays and observances around the corner, what better way to celebrate than with our new signs of the month – “St. Patrick’s Day”, “Easter” and “National Deaf History Month”!

As we approach these observances, there are many ways to incorporate new signs into our vocabulary.

Signs of the Month March 2024 Signs of the Month – MARCHSt. Patrick’s Day – March 17thEaster – March 31stNational Deaf History Month – March 13th to April 15th

Raising a child to overcome a communication disorder can be lonely. That's why we want to connect our client families with each other. Columbus Speech and Hearing will be hosting free, fun meetups for families to make new friends and relax in a safe environment.

Our first meetup is Sunday, March 24 at 1p at the Park of Roses, 3901 N. High Street, 43201 in the Clintonville neighborhood of Columbus. Enjoy exploring their new playset with new friends! RSVP here: https://givebutter.com/CSHfamilyfundays

Meet our amazing audiology & speech-language client, Noor Faour! In 2022, Noor came to to learn more about hearing aids and speech therapy.

Noor shares, “Since coming to Columbus Speech & Hearing, I’ve seen so many different changes, including my speech and the way I talk. I can also hear everything clearly. It has changed my life a lot.”

Listen to her story here.

Noor's Story Noor Faour shares how Columbus Speech & Hearing services changed her life. ...

We’re hiring! At Columbus Speech and Hearing, we’re on a mission to help all people improve communication while making a positive impact in our community.

As a nonprofit, we provide services to everyone regardless of their ability to pay while offering crucial access to families in need of speech and language services. Check out our careers page to learn more about working at CSH and to view open positions.

https://columbusspeech.org/culture-and-careers/

Happy Employee Appreciation Day! While every day we appreciate the hard work of our dedicated team, today we recognize the ones who make everything possible. It is our team’s evident passion for the world of speech and audiology that allows us to help people improve communication for life, and we can’t thank you all enough!

⏰📆Imagine our calendar as a big clock ticking away the days. Most years, it goes tick-tock, one day at a time. However, every four years, we add a special day, which is called Leap Day. It's like a bonus day that helps us keep everything in sync.

Here's the cool part: Earth takes about 365 and a quarter days to orbit the sun. So, every four years, we gather those extra quarters and add a whole extra day to our calendar. That's what we call a "leap year."

On Leap Day, it's like time takes a little leap forward to keep our calendars in tune with how Earth dances around the sun.☀️🌎

🗣️👶 Kids' speech evolves as they grow! Some sounds might be off the mark in young children, but when should we expect them to catch up? Let's explore articulation and phonological patterns tied to developmental milestones! 🗣️👦

https://columbusspeech.org/speech-sound-development/

February 24th is Cochlear Implant Day! Cochlear implants are electronic devices that provide a sense of sound to people who are profoundly deaf or severely hard-of-hearing. The device has two parts - one is located behind the ear, and the other is implanted under the skin through a surgical procedure.

We have a great story to share. Thanks to the care and expertise of his CSH audiologist, one of our clients discovered a whole new world of sound on his own terms. It's moments like these that make us proud of what we do! 🌟👂

https://columbusspeech.org/over-30-years-of-trust-and-support/

We are now partnering with Good Sign Coffee for an ongoing fundraising effort to support both missions. Help us to spread the word!

Good Sign Coffee is a Deaf-operated retail coffee brand focused on employing and creating awareness for the Deaf through coffee, merchandise and overall job opportunities. Good Sign is committed to lessening the employment gap and celebrating the Deaf community.

This partnership will be an ongoing fundraising opportunity for our mission. Columbus Speech and Hearing will earn 20% back on every bag of coffee sold. The current bagged coffee is price at $18.

To buy: bit.ly/4bDVXm7

❤️ February is Heart Health Month! ❤️

Routine hearing checks by an audiologist are extremely important for individuals with cardiovascular problems. To learn more about the correlation between heart disease and hearing loss, read the latest post on CSH's website.
https://columbusspeech.org/hearing-loss-heart-disease/

🎉We are currently looking for sponsors, golf enthusiasts, and contributions for the silent auction for our 17th Annual Great Communicators Golf Classic. Your support can make a significant impact on this popular event and help CSH reach our goals! If you're interested in participating or learning more, please visit our website at https://givebutter.com/c/17thGCGC ⛳️⛳️