Hearing and Speech Agency of Baltimore

HASA is a social benefit 501(c)(3) organization located in Baltimore, Maryland that specializes in facilitating communication. Established in 1926,[1] the organization provides special education services through Gateway School,[2] audiology and speech-language services through its Clinical Services Department,[3] and interpreting services for the deaf through its CIRS Interpreting Department.[4]

History and mission

Established in 1926 as the Speech Reader's League of Baltimore by Dr. Olive A. Whildin, the League began as a community center for the hard of hearing.[1] In 1930 the League was renamed the Baltimore League for the Hard of Hearing, then the Baltimore Hearing Society in 1948, and finally the Hearing and Speech Agency of Metropolitan Baltimore in 1966.[1] HASA legitimized itself over time with connections to state and national organizations. In 1927, the League was inducted into the American Federation of Organizations for the Hard of Hearing.[5] Though initially rejected from the Community Fund (now United Way) in 1936,[6] the League was granted membership upon re-application in 1940.[7]

For the next twenty years, the League (known as the Society starting in 1948) continued with its audiology services until 1960 with the inauguration of its speech-language clinical program.[8] Three years prior, Gateway School was started as a pilot program by the Association for Children with Communicative Disorders (which was merely the board of directors at the Society). With some success, Gateway became an independent partner program of the Society in 1960 in conjunction with the Society's new speech clinic.[9] However, the two programs had limited success separately,[9] and based on the 1965 recommendations of the Health and Welfare Council of Baltimore, Gateway School and the Baltimore Hearing Society merged in 1966 to create The Hearing and Speech Agency of Metropolitan Baltimore.[1] The organization continued to provide just audiology and speech-language services to children and adults until 1986 with the inauguration of the Centralized Interpreter Referral Service (CIRS).[10] From that point on, HASA began offering American Sign Language services to the Deaf community, promoting a manual language program in addition to its spoken language program. With expanded programs and a solidified mission, HASA moved to its permanent address at 5900 Metro Drive in Seton Business Park in 2003 where it continues to serve the community.[11]

Services provided

Audiology

HASA's audiology team serves almost 1000 clients per year,[12] providing hearing tests, hearing aid evaluations, custom hearing protection, auditory processing evaluations, and more for pediatric and adult patients.[13] HASA's audiology department was the founding one for the organization in 1926 when it was the Speech Readers' League. At that time, the League was offering hearing aid demonstrations and coordinating hearing aid distribution in the hard-of-hearing community in Baltimore. Since then the organization has expanded its efforts to include a full range of services.[1]

Speech-language services

The speech-language pathology program at HASA also serves nearly 1000 patients per year, with over 7,300 hours of therapeutic sessions.[12] In addition to its speech-language pathology program, HASA hosts the Center for Fluency Enhancement complete with therapy, support groups, family education, and advocacy for individuals who stutter.[14] With the inauguration of the speech therapy program in 1960, HASA's original focus was to provide speech-language services to primarily pediatric patients. However, as services expanded the program moved to include the adult population in Baltimore.[1]

Education

Having been established as a section of HASA in 1966 with the uniting of the two organizations,[1] Gateway School continues to serve children ages 2–12 with communication challenges related to autism, speech-language disability, developmental delay, medical complications, or children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.[15] Though Gateway School is offered as an 11-month non-public special education school, HASA's educational services go beyond those with communication challenges:[16] in 2016, HASA introduced its new Child Care Program for children ages 2–5 with and without communication difficulties[12]

ASL interpreting

CIRS Interpreting at HASA provides American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters for the deaf and hard-of-hearing all across Maryland. CIRS offers both on-site and remote video interpreting services, as well as American Sign Language classes both on-site and off-site, Deaf awareness workshops, and internships for students of Deaf studies and Interpreting. HASA's CIRS Interpreting services include:[10]

Conditions treated

References
  1. Machen, Mary Gresham (1968). The Baltimore Hearing Society - A Survey of the Past – via The Internet Archive.
  2. Freedman, Allie (August 14, 2014). "New and Notable in Baltimore". Baltimore Jewish Times.
  3. Rotatori, Anthony F.; Obiakor, Festus E.; Bakken, Jeffrey B., eds. (2011). Advances in Special Education. 21. Emerald Group Publishing.
  4. "Interpreting & Communication Access Services". Governors Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
  5. Dorsett, Anne L (November 1927). "The President's Report". League News: Speech Reader's League of Baltimore 1. p. 2. In June our League was made a member of the A.F.O.H.H. and two representatives were sent to the annual Federation Conference held at Chatauqua, New York.
  6. Ward, Anne D. (July 1936). "Committee on Membership". The Baltimore Council of Social Agencies. p. 16. The Board of the Council of Social Agencies recommends to the Community Fund that admission of the League to membership in the Community Fund be deferred for the present...
  7. Ward, Anne D. (May 1936). "Committee on Membership". The Baltimore Council of Social Agencies. p. 16. [I]t is the Council's opinion that from the point of view of the field of work in which the League operates as well as from the point of view of its present standards of performance the League is qualified for membership in the Community Fund...
  8. "Hearing Society Opens New Speech Clinic". The Evening Sun. Baltimore. August 11, 1960 – via The Internet Archive.
  9. "Hearing and Speech Services: A study of services and activities in response to the communicative disorders". Health & Welfare Council of Baltimore Area, Inc. October 27, 1965 – via The Internet Archive.
  10. "New Program to Offer Remote Access for ASL and Foreign Language Interp". PRWeb (Press release). November 16, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  11. "State of Maryland 2006 Bond Bill Fact Sheet" (PDF). State of Maryland. 2006.
  12. "2016 HASA Annual Report to the Community" (PDF). The Hearing and Speech Agency. 2016.
  13. "The Hearing and Speech Agency Hearing Aid Clinic in Baltimore, Maryland". HearingTracker.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  14. Cohn, Meredith (January 26, 2017). "There are therapies when children don't outgrow stuttering". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  15. "Tips for hosting guests with sensory sensitivities". WMAR. December 12, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  16. "Gateway School". The Maryland Association of Nonpublic Special Education Facilities. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
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