June 30, 2008

The 48th Biennial Convention of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) in Milwaukee, Wis, hosted approximately 1,500 attendees from 44 states and 14 countries who came together to celebrate spoken language for children and adults who are deaf or hard
of hearing.

AG Bell's 2008 convention ran June 27 through June 30 and featured more than 75 educational program sessions, 58 exhibitors and 200 presenters. Attendees included children who wre deaf or hard of hearing who use spoken language and their parents; professionals in the hearing health and deaf education fields, including teachers of the deaf, listening and spoken language specialists, pediatricians, and researchers in the field of hearing health; and adults who are deaf or hard of hearing and use spoken language to communicate.

"This convention is unique in that nowhere else will you find such a diverse gathering of families, adults who are deaf or hard of hearing and professionals," said Karen Youdelman, EdD, president of AG Bell. "There has truly been no better time to celebrate spoken language."

Convention activities ranged from a child and teen program with field trips to local attractions to a cutting-edge research symposium funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

The event also featured an exhibition hall with representatives from oral deaf schools nationwide, Advanced Bionics, Gallaudet University, Children's Hearing Foundation of Taiwan, Mel-El Corporation, Oticon, Sprint Relay, University of Chicago Medical Center, Medical College of Wisconsin Koss Cochlear Implant Program, leading cochlear implant and hearing aid manufacturers, and Wisconsin
Organizations for the Deaf, among others.

Source: AG Bell