The Leadership Opportunities for Teens is a program dedicated to shaping and transforming the lives of deaf and hard of hearing teens by teaching them valuable skills. Among these skills are self-advocacy, self-confidence, leadership, and communication. They also learn to work closely with other people in a way they may not have been able to do before.

Part of what makes Alexander Graham Bell's LOFT program so important to these teens is the everlasting bond they establish with their peers. The teens come to the program for five days and make friends for life. The 2018 edition of LOFT will be held in Washington, D.C., and only 40 teens from across the U.S. are selected for this opportunity based on their submitted applications.

Armed with strong letters of support from Rachel Glade and Ellen Shirley of the UA Speech and Hearing Clinic, Chelsey Pedersen was selected to attend the A.G. Bell LOFT program this summer.

Chelsey is a high school student at Pea Ridge High School in Pea Ridge. She just happens to have bilateral, profound hearing loss. She has overcome significant odds to ultimately be successful in her mainstream classroom setting. She received her first Advanced Bionics cochlear implant at the age of 2 and her second Advanced Bionics cochlear implant at the age of 2.5 years old. Initially, she primarily used sign language to communicate; however, Chelsey now primarily uses spoken language to communicate and her speech skills fall well within the average range for her chronological age. In 2014, Chelsey was selected as a Hear Strong Champion. She continues to be on her honor roll at school and is looking forward to making decisions about going to college soon.

Glade reported, "I worked with Chelsey as her auditory-verbal therapist from 2010 through 2015. She and her parents were committed to working hard from the beginning. Their hard work is paying off." Chelsey reported, "I loved the University Clinic. Dr. Glade, my speech therapist, made learning so much fun. She made me want to succeed." 

The staff of the Speech and Hearing Clinic have no doubt that Chelsey's future is bright. Congratulations to Chelsey for her acceptance to the A.G. Bell LOFT Summer program.