Hearing First Earns Two Prestigious Awards from the Web Marketing Association

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hearing First, a nonprofit dedicated to providing resources, support, and stories of hope for families with a child who is deaf or hard of hearing and seeking a Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) outcome, has received two prestigious 2021 WebAwards from the Web Marketing Association.

Starts Hear, a national public health awareness campaign and website created in partnership with FiveStone, reaches expectant parents across the U.S. with messages about the Newborn Hearing Screening (NHS), the importance of hearing for brain development, and to follow-up urgently should their baby fail the NHS. The campaign website StartsHear.org won the 2021 WebAwards Best Advocacy Website award. 

Hearing First's website, Hearingfirst.org, was updated earlier this year in partnership with Modern Climate to provide families with the information and resources needed to navigate a hearing loss diagnosis and the journey that follows. The website educates families about what's possible, empowers them to choose LSL for their child, and equips them with the tools they need to teach their child to listen and talk. The Web Marketing Association recognized the website with an Outstanding Website award. 

The annual WebAward Competition is the longest-running annual website award competition, naming the best websites in 96 industries and setting the standard of excellence for all website development. Both websites were judged based on overall design, ease of use, copywriting, interactivity, use of technology, navigation, and innovation.

"We're honored that the Web Marketing Association has recognized Hearing First with these awards and encouraged to know that our efforts are making an impact in the lives of families of children with hearing loss," said Dr. Teresa Caraway, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, CEO of Hearing First. "We're extremely grateful for the opportunity to work alongside our partners and colleagues to empower families by providing them with accurate information and helpful resources so that they can choose the path and reach the outcome that best fits their family and the dreams they share for their child." 

Hearing First provides free resources and materials for families of children with hearing loss and the professionals who serve them through its websites, online communities, and free learning opportunities. The Family Support Community and private families-only Facebook group helps families connect in a free, safe space to find support from others on this journey as they ask questions, share difficulties, and celebrate wins. The Professional Learning Community is a dedicated space for more than 6,000 professionals to connect with other colleagues from across the globe, and Hearing First's year-round learning experiences give professionals the chance to earn free CEUs to stay on the forefront of best practices. Hearing First is dedicated to helping ensure that all children born in the United States benefit from the availability of a newborn hearing screening, the advances in technology, and the early learning services in their communities to power their potential.

About Hearing First
Hearing First helps caring adults provide infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing with the same listening, spoken language, and literacy opportunities as their hearing peers through Listening and Spoken Language (LSL). Hearing First offers free educational resources and online learning experiences for families of children with hearing loss and professionals who seek to advance their LSL knowledge and understanding. With two free online communities, the Family Support Community and Professional Learning Community, Hearing First also helps members connect with other adults who share their same experience. Hearing First is a subsidiary of the Oberkotter Foundation, a private foundation supporting opportunities for children who are deaf or hard of hearing to learn to listen and talk for over 35 years.

To learn more about Hearing First, LSL, and how children who are deaf or hard of hearing are learning to listen and talk, visit hearingfirst.org.  

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SOURCE Hearing First