PORTLAND – Northeast Hearing & Speech, a Portland-based non-profit hearing and speech center, kicked off its 100th year with a celebration at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine last week. Clients, families, staff, and community partners gathered at the Museum to recognize the milestone and share stories of the organization’s history.
“Not only are we celebrating 100 years of serving the communities of Southern Maine, but we’re also hoping to raise awareness about communication disorders during the month of May, which is National Speech-Language-Hearing Month,” said Laurie Mack, executive director of Northeast Hearing & Speech. “Throughout our history, we’ve seen firsthand how many families are affected by these circumstances, and we want it to be more widely known that there is support available.”
Northeast Hearing & Speech is excited to launch several new programs during their anniversary year that will be open to the public and free of charge, including:
Hear University – A series of workshops beginning in July to support those with hearing loss and their families, touching on topics such as connecting hearing aids to phones; questions about over-the-counter devices; and strategies for communicating with a person who is hard of hearing.
P.I.N.E. (Parents Interested in Neurodiversity Empowerment) – A support group for parents and families of autistic children, launching June 4th in person and June 28th online.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication Training for preschool teachers, launching in developmental preschools in Greater Portland.
Northeast Hearing & Speech has plans to expand these offerings over the next 12 months, continuing to introduce new programming and offer hearing and speech resources throughout the community. More information about the above programming and any upcoming events will be featured on the center’s Facebook page as well as online at nehearingandspeech.org.
Additionally, the organization has a goal of providing 1,200 speech-language and/or hearing screenings or evaluations during the year to identify children ages birth – 8 who need support in these areas. These will be accomplished through community partnerships, including:
Free screenings in childcare programs. Currently a partnership with Head Start programs in greater Portland, NHS hopes to expand to other programs in their service area this year.
Free weekly hearing screenings for children aged 3-6 through Child Development Services through May 21.
Northeast Hearing & Speech is a Portland-based non-profit hearing and speech center that has been serving the communities of Southern Maine since 1924. Clinicians offer a complete range of audiology and speech-language pathology services to help people of all ages hear, speak, and communicate. More information can be found at nehearingandspeech.org.
