U of A Speech and Hearing Clinic Hosts Children with Hearing Loss at Holiday Event

Colored icing, sprinkles and candies make cookie-decorating fun.

A boy makes a reindeer out of popsicle sticks in the craft room.

Making a funny face on a paper bag is another option.

A girl decorates an ornament to take home.

U of A students serve as Santa's helpers.

Santa takes requests from well-behaved children.

U of A students pose with some of the children who attended the event.

Heidi Wells

Children use cutout shapes, sprinkles and stickers to customize a frame mat.

The University of Arkansas collaborated with Arkansas Hands & Voices, an organization that supports families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing at a holiday event Dec. 3 on campus. Both undergraduate and graduate students majoring in communication disorders provided festive fun with crafts, treats and a visit with Santa.

Hands and Voices is a national nonprofit, parent-driven, organization that supports families who have children who are deaf and hard of hearing. The group supports all communication modalities including American Sign Language, Signed Exact English, cued speech, spoken language, and total communication (sign language + spoken language). The members provide resources and events for families to meet and discuss their journey several  times each. The Arkansas Chapter hosted its annual “Candy Cane Christmas” event at the U of A Speech and Hearing Clinic in the Epley Center for Health Professions and two other locations in Arkansas.

The children decorated sugar cookies, played games, decorated ornaments and picture frame mats, and made reindeer and puppets while listening to holiday music.

The U of A chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association helped coordinate the activities. The event provided opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to gain experience with children who use sign language and spoken language.