the Ears For Years Vision
The Director, Grace O'Brien, became passionate about helping the deaf community after volunteering with children who had varying degrees of hearing loss. She watched as the children gained self-confidence in themselves as they developed listening and speaking skills needed to assimilate with their peers, and be successful in school and life. The transformations were miraculous!
Access to cutting-edge hearing technology is a problem in developing and developed nations alike. Even in the U.S., many families and children are still faced with the barriers connected with prohibitively expensive hearing aids, and no medical insurance coverage or means to pay for them. These children inspired Grace and Kate to establish the 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization Ears for Years, Inc. whose mission is to supply environmentally friendly solar powered hearing aids to underprivileged deaf children in developing areas around the world. The organization does fittings, while connecting students to schools to foster their continued development.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are 278 million people with hearing loss in the world and two-thirds of these people live in developing countries and most would benefit from hearing aids. WHO estimates that more than 30 million hearing aids are needed annually in those nations, together with services and staff to fit them, but current annual provision is less than 1 million. Ears for Years aims to solve this problem through sustainable, affordable intervention. That is why Ears for Years works with Solar Ear hearing aids to provide low-cost solar-powered hearing devices (solarear.org).
Access to cutting-edge hearing technology is a problem in developing and developed nations alike. Even in the U.S., many families and children are still faced with the barriers connected with prohibitively expensive hearing aids, and no medical insurance coverage or means to pay for them. These children inspired Grace and Kate to establish the 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization Ears for Years, Inc. whose mission is to supply environmentally friendly solar powered hearing aids to underprivileged deaf children in developing areas around the world. The organization does fittings, while connecting students to schools to foster their continued development.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are 278 million people with hearing loss in the world and two-thirds of these people live in developing countries and most would benefit from hearing aids. WHO estimates that more than 30 million hearing aids are needed annually in those nations, together with services and staff to fit them, but current annual provision is less than 1 million. Ears for Years aims to solve this problem through sustainable, affordable intervention. That is why Ears for Years works with Solar Ear hearing aids to provide low-cost solar-powered hearing devices (solarear.org).
GRACE O'BRIENDIRECTOR & STANFORD STUDENT
|
KATE O'BRIENOPERATIONS & GEORGETOWN STUDENT
|