Address
St Andrews Road, Parktown, 2000, South Africa
PO Box
Private Bag 3 Wits Johannesburg 2050
0715071400
About US
1
ABOUT US
HI HOPES is the community outreach arm of the Centre for Deaf Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Led by Professor Claudine Storbeck, a world specialist in Deaf Education, supported by a team of highly qualified professionals, the ground-breaking HI HOPESprogramme is the only one of its kind in South Africa.
Based on the Ski-Hi model of Early Intervention – a programme that has been in existence for 35 years, and is well accepted and used throughout the USA, Canada, Guam and Taipan – HI HOPES offers family-centred, home-based support and information aimed at ensuring the holistic development of the infant or young child with a hearing loss.
Our objective is simple: to give Deaf and hard of hearing babies and children every opportunity to develop normally and enjoy the same opportunities as their hearing peers.
The long-term goal is the establishment of national screening programme for infants that will ensure hearing loss is identified early – by the age of 3 months – so that appropriate intervention and support can be put in place by the age of 6 months.
We invite you to share our vision – by joining our circle of supporters and making your contribution online now. Thank you for reaching out to Deaf children.
What We Do
At the core of the HI HOPES programme are our Parent Advisors and Deaf Mentors, who provide personal, face-to-face support for families as they learn to deal with the unique challenges of raising a Deaf or hard of hearing child.
We do not advocate a specific method of communication; rather we build relationships with the families to explore solutions that are in the best interest of the child's overall development and the family's circumstances and specific needs.
The Parent Advisor visits the family on a regular basis during the first three years of the child's life, to assist with:
acceptance of the child's disability;
language assessment;
communication options: Spoken language, Signed Language and SimmComm (signing and speaking);
hearing aids;
listening skills;
daily routines to maximise language acquisition;
cochlear implants;
play and concept development;
speech therapy;
literacy.
Equally important are our Deaf Mentors – who are themselves Deaf and who act as role models, answering questions and sharing their experiences with families who want to meet happy and successful Deaf adults.
Parents derive great comfort from meeting these people – as well as gaining valuable insight into the language, culture and experience of the Deaf world.
Our services are offered at no cost to the family until the child turns three. For children identified after the age of three, a short term intervention is provided.
We rely on donations from the corporate sector and caring individuals to fund this vital service. Join our circle of supporters now by making your contribution online from anywhere in the world.
Address :-St Andrews Road, Parktown, 2000, South Africa Micro Category :N/A Language Spoken :N/A Hotal Stars :N/A Latitude :N/A Longitude :N/A
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