INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Department of Health’s Center for Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has launched a mobile unit to better reach Hoosier children who are deaf or hard of hearing in need of services and support.
The center continues to break down barriers and ensure that members of Indiana’s deaf and hard of hearing community can access resources that may not have been readily available in their community, the commissioner told state health, Kris Box, MD, FACOG. By visiting school districts directly, center staff can collaborate with existing school staff and resources and come together to help students get the support they need.
The center is currently piloting a program in which the mobile unit visits school districts across the state that are in need of their staff and deaf and hard of hearing students. Services may include hearing screening follow-up assistance, ongoing educational audiology services, and professional development training for speech-language pathologists.
The needs of the community and the school determine the specialized professionals of the centers who equip the mobile unit on each trip. Staff may include an Adaptation Specialist, Audiologist, Early Intervention Specialist, School Psychologist, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher, and Speech Language Pathologist.
The wheelchair accessible vehicle is equipped with a full sound booth and appropriate equipment to test children of all ages, as well as hearing aid testing equipment to fit and assess amplification, including including assistive hearing technology. There is also a consultation area to advise families and professionals and facilitate the completion of communication and academic assessments. You can take a virtual tour of the unit at https://www.in.gov/isdh/28727.htm.
For more information about the center, visit https://www.in.gov/isdh/25883.htm. Visit the State Department of Health website at health.in.gov for important health and safety information or follow the department on Twitter at @StateHealthIN and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/StateHealthIN.
