To build and support positive and valuable extracurricular activities for children with disabilities their families and siblings, designed to develop peer and mentoring relationships. 
With today’s complicated public education system and rise in the drop-out rates, school violence, teen suicide, depression and more, we recognize first hand and have listened to our families and agree that everyone wants to work and earn money. Getting a job and keeping a job is not always easy. Education at every level is vital so that everyone can find a job and live independently. In working with children with disabilities, this is a complex problem that goes beyond public education and the burdens of the family. For many youth, getting a job and living independently can be very challenging, especially when you throw a disability into the mix. The good news is that despite many of today’s youth having been passed by the system, as the system in many respects has failed, Hear Me can fill the void.
For those who have followed the goals and vision of the Hear Me Foundation since 1999, you are well aware of our philosophies and beliefs toward early intervening services, education, medical outreach, training, mentoring and public awareness. It is important that we provide all necessary support from the very young to those who will soon be entering into independent living.
We must cover our basis and begin collaborating with the other disability groups whereby, we can reinforce goals to leave each client, each assignment and each school community better through the results of Hear Me’s collaborative relationships. It is our future and ongoing vision to provide training working towards positive and long lasting change, high expectations and independent.
Looking beyond Hear Me's year round events, we continue to work one-on-one with families by providing training and advocacy support insofar as education in America today presents as many opportunities as it does challenges. We in Texas face problems within our educational system. As many of you are aware, the educational system is broken and in order to bring about change we cannot wait for the support of the state and federal government to pick up the pieces. Our state is already supported by our own state agency that relies on the blueprints of state-wide assessments as our state report card. Yet, in 2006 Texas had an overall grade of C-, with failing grades in science.
This overall grade, embraces all students in our state in comparison to the National average. We hope to provide help and guidance through collaboration, training and resources dedicated to serving children, their families and the future educators who teach them. The ultimate goal to bring learning success within reach of ALL children through:
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Management of our programs, budget, goals and vision;
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Implementing a strong recruitment and orientation program through the United Way for our Board of Directors; and Advisory Committee to support Hear Me’s system changes that are lasting and meaningful;
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Establishing a “team” of educated parents and professionals who are able to work with the large number of families and children and need; including educational support services that will benefit a child’s education and growth and independence into adulthood:Special Education Training. Through Hear Me Extracurricular (Spring and Fall Festivals and Camp Hear Me 2008); Fast ForWord; Interactive Metronome; and year round Advocacy and Training with other Organizations; including collaboration of resources...
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Scholarships: This Christmas season (2007), the Hear Me Foundation collaborated with Hearing Aid Express to provide the necessary medical support, testing and fitting for hearing aids of a 7 year old boy whose family could not afford hearing aids. This child, though identified, lived in a silent world simply because his parents could not afford hearing aids. This family had no guidance of available services that could be provided to their son either through the school district, state programs and services. Collaboratively, with the help of the Hear Me Foundation and Hearing Aid Express we provided sound through necessary amplification via hearing aids just in time to ring in the New Year. Often times, though technology similar to hearing aids, assistive listening devices and cochlear implants may be available to a recipient, yet families cannot afford the habilitation and rehabilitation. In the past, Hear Me has offered families scholarships in training directly with the Hear Me Foundation and receiving services from Texas Children’s Hospital, The Center for Hearing and Speech and the Houston Ear Research Foundation.
In keeping with our theme of 2008 we must review the transition process while weighing all intervening services and needs to reach the ultimate transition goal and planning. What is transition? Transition is change, whether it is: Early childhood, elementary, middle, high school, college and the work force. What will change? Schools, teachers, support providers, job, more education, different friends, living on your own or with your family. We must prepare our families who in turn can prepare our children who some day will have families of their own.
Having a disability does not mean you cannot be successful. A disability only limits you if you let it! In order to understand you must reflect on those who came before us: To name just a few: Dr. Stephen Hawking one of the world’s foremost experts on “Black Holes”, and a professor of mathematics at Cambridge University. He is an Author of several books on the nature of the universe. Magic Johnson, led his basketball teams to the NCAA championship and five NBA championships. Since retiring from the game he has become a successful businessman and has set up a foundation to help inner-city communities across the country. He has a learning disability. Walt Disney struggled in school and had a learning disability (dyslexia) and went on to become a successful movie producer, director, screen writer, animator and theme park developer. He funded one of the larges media and entertainment corporations in the world. Terry Bradshaw, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback won 4 Super Bowls and is currently a football analyst on TV had ADHD. Whoopi Goldberg, an award-winning actress, comedian, singer and now on the VIEW has a learning disability. Thomas Edison had a disability and struggled in school. He went on to become the most prolific American inventor, holding over 1000 patents. Frank Gore, had a reading problem so severe it almost kept him out of college, despite being one of the most highly regarded high school football players in 2000. He had a successful college career and went on to the NFL. Chuck Roberts became the first person with multiple disabilities to graduate from Norman High, despite opinions of professionals, to earn his bachelor’s in special education from the University of Oklahoma. He is an active member of his community and is professionally involved in a variety of disability advocacy areas in Oklahoma and nationally. Sherri Kelly had severe cerebral palsy graduated from high school with a 4th grade education. She now holds a 3.2 GPA, working on a degree in computer and information technology at Rose State College. She also holds down 2 jobs, owns her own business and is the reigning Ms. Wheelchair Oklahoma.
Hear Me’s goal is to ensure that under No Child Left Behind and IDEA, schools are in fact, intensifying their efforts to assure that all students succeed in school and are ready to step into adulthood and the opportunities and challenges that all Americans now face in an ever-changing and competitive world.