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For Immediate Release: May 9, 2007
Sutton Announces Grant for University of Akron
Congresswoman Betty Sutton announces a four year grant to train speech-language pathology specialists to provide quality services to children who are
Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Betty Sutton announced the
awarding of a $172,264 grant to the University of Akron by the
Department of Education. The initial funding would cover the year
beginning June 1, 2007, but the grant will last for a total of four
years. The grant, selectively awarded under the Combined Priority for
Personnel Preparation Program, will address the growing national crisis
over the lack of early intervention services for infants and toddlers
with hearing loss and their families as they learn how to use advanced
technologies. The grant will fund pre-service training of
Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) in a combined specialist-training
program conducted by the University of Akron (UA) and Kent State
University (KSU).
"I am absolutely thrilled to announce the University of Akron will
receive funding for this very worthy program," Sutton said. "The
University of Akron's work helping deaf and hearing-impaired children
is truly inspiring. The Department of Education clearly recognizes the
contributions the University of Akron and Kent State are making, and
this grant will enable their talented faculty and staff to continue
providing invaluable leadership in this very important field."
The grant will support special coursework for 24 trainees, 12 from UA
and 12 from KSU, over four years to assist them in the completion of
their professional training. UA and KSU will recruit applicants to the
program, including trainees from underrepresented populations and
person with disabilities. The project will also attempt to show other
universities the possibility of modifying their two-year SLP programs
to help meet the national need for highly qualified SLPs.
The training will focus on advanced technologies, such as modern
hearing aids and cochlear implants, small, electronic devices that can
help provide the sense of sound to people who are profoundly deaf or
severely hard of hearing, helping children with hearing loss to learn
to listen and speak. It will also focus on the special training needs
of treating newborns. Newborn hearing screening now requires special
training for SLPs in principles and management in the context of
family-centered services. UA Professor of Speech-Language Pathology
Denise Wray will be the Project Director for this grant.
"As an alumna of both the University of Akron and Kent State
University, I am proud to see these two fine academic institutions
collaborating for advancement in this field. Their leadership and
commitment to helping infants and toddlers learn to listen and speak is
not only a service to these children and their families, it is a
service to the community. I commend the universities for their hard
work in these fields and the positive impact they have on all of us."
Contact: Ian Mandel at 202-225-3401
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