U of A takes part in student outreach for hard-of-hearing children

Children from local organization enjoy activities with U of A students.
Children from local organization enjoy activities with U of A students. | Courtesy of news.uark.edu
The University of Arkansas (U of A) took part in the Arkansas Hands & Voices nonprofit organization on Dec. 3.

The event was organized by the U of A chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association, in which undergraduate and graduate students were able to interact with children who are either deaf or hard of hearing. The event was especially helpful for students who are majoring in communication disorders, as it gave them an opportunity to interact with the auditory-impaired children through a number of activities.

For the activities, children decorated cookies, holiday ornaments and frames, in addition to playing a variety of games and making puppets. Throughout the event, the students listened to holiday tunes, and a special visit from Santa rounded out the day's activities.

Arkansas Hands & Voices provides aid to families whose children are deaf. The organization is able to help children and families through a number of communication approaches, including American Sign Language, Signed Exact English, spoken language and more. 

The U of A chapter has taken part in this outreach yearly; the "Candy Cane Christmas" event was housed at the Speech and Hearing Clinic at the Epley Center for Health Professions.