TinyEARS.ca Fair Access For All Canadian Babies


TORONTO, May 04, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Regardless of where a baby is born in Canada, they should have access to the same resources and help, if needed. At the moment, infant hearing and screening programs vary widely across the country.

May is Speech and Hearing Awareness Month, and The Hearing Foundation of Canada (THFC) is launching a new national campaign: www.TinyEARS.ca. The campaign is calling on the Canadian government to create a national strategy for infant hearing screening and intervention. So that no child is left behind.

TinyEARS.ca will unite Canadian voices on behalf of babies, in the belief that every child in Canada has a right to an equal chance at reaching their full potential.

“Imagine that you can't hear your mother's voice, and you have no way of telling her. Hearing loss in babies is invisible, but if detected and addressed early, we give babies the best chance for success. We need to do this right across the country. This program already exists in the United States and other countries. Canada is falling behind.”

- Steven J. Aiken, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Human Communication Disorders Departments of Surgery and Psychology & Neuroscience, Dalhousie University

The Canadian government needs to demonstrate national leadership and take infant hearing seriously. TinyEARS.ca calls for children to have:

  • An equal opportunity to gain the best start in life
  • Access to a coordinated healthcare team for early hearing detection and intervention
  • The ability to communicate, in whichever way the family and healthcare team identify is best for baby’s development

For parents to have:

  • Access to family support
  • The ability to interact with their baby and stimulate their communication development

And for Canadians to:

  • Know that new generations are given the best start in life
  • Save millions of dollars in taxpayer money

“We are calling on Canadians and the hearing health community to rally behind this petition and to speak up for babies who can’t. It is time for leadership. It is time to get results.”

- John Pepperell, Board Chair, The Hearing Foundation of Canada

The campaign involves a hard-copy petition, available for signature by contacting THFC, and a supporting online petition, available at TinyEARS.ca. This petition will be formally presented to the House of Commons at the earliest possible date. 

About The Hearing Foundation of Canada

The Hearing Foundation of Canada is a national charitable organization committed to improving hearing health by fostering safe listening habits and hearing loss detection from an early age, raising awareness about the consequences of hearing loss, and supporting medical research that improves diagnosis and treatment.


            

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