Clarke continues to demonstrate leadership in Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) education through the international work of team members like Sherri Fickenscher, MS, LSLS Cert. AVEd, Education Support Specialist at Clarke Pennsylvania. Sherri, who has been with Clarke for over 20 years, has been invited several times by the Global Foundation For Children With Hearing Loss to join its volunteer professional team helping to train local providers and families across multiple low resource countries since 2015.
Global Foundation For Children With Hearing Loss
The mission of the Global Foundation For Children With Hearing Loss (GFCHL) is to help government and other partners in low resource countries establish the early identification and early intervention support and expertise that babies and young children zero to five years of age need to listen, speak and thrive.
Started by Paige Stringer, MA, MPH, Founder and Executive Director—who has hearing loss, received early intervention, and uses LSL to communicate—the organization works to establish the entire continuum of care in the countries where it works. From early identification to timely fitting of hearing technology and access to habilitation expertise, GFCHL provides LSL opportunities to children who are deaf or hard of hearing worldwide.
As part of its model, the GFCHL uses a comprehensive “Train the Trainer” approach that develops local capacity in pediatric audiology and LSL in low resource countries where such specialized knowledge for babies and young children is often limited or not available. The GFCHL invites professionals from the field, like Sherri, to join its volunteer team and collaborate with Paige to adapt the GFCHL’s multi-year training curriculum to meet the needs and skill level of the participants, while accounting for local language and customs.
The GFCHL finances its volunteer team to travel to the countries where it works to teach the material to the same cohort of participants over a period of years. Those who are trained are prepared to provide direct service to the children and families and to share their new knowledge with others in the country to make the benefits exponential and sustainable.
"Training the Trainer" to Support Children and Families
Sherri has participated in GFCHL’s professional training programs in multiple countries, including Vietnam, Ecuador, Mongolia and Kenya.
These programs involve a multi-year training process with the same cohort of participants. “When we go and train, it’s not new people, it’s the same people that you’re going back to train,” Sherri explains. “It’s a continuation for them of building on the skills that they learned in the last training workshop and moving them forward over time.”
Each of the training workshops typically lasts two weeks. The first week focuses on introducing new concepts and building upon previous knowledge, while the second week provides hands-on practice with families. During the practical portion, Sherri coaches local professionals on developing appropriate lesson plans, selecting suitable goals, and making their approach caregiver-friendly.
Making an Impact in Kenya
The most recent program began in Kenya in June 2024, with Sherri joining the GFCHL training team in November. Unlike previous experiences in other countries, the Kenya program offers a unique advantage — shared language. Most professionals in Kenya speak English, eliminating the need for interpreters.
“It was special for me, connecting with the professionals in Kenya because we could speak the same language!” says Sherri. This simplified the coaching process, allowing for immediate feedback during therapy sessions without disrupting the flow with translation.
As in all GFCHL training programs internationally, the professionals selected for training in Kenya came from throughout the country, not just Nairobi, allowing for broad impact. According to Sherri, the dedication of these professionals was remarkable: “You feel like in these two weeks that you’re there, they’re actually going to change their entire country. These people are so passionate and driven to make a difference.”
Obstacles to Obtaining Hearing Technology
Children in Kenya face specific challenges related to hearing technology. Many families must fund hearing technology independently without insurance coverage or government subsidies. There is also stigma, misdiagnosis and lack of awareness about the impact of hearing loss on child development. As a result, there are often significant delays between identification and interventions. Bilateral cochlear implants are extremely rare, with most children who have implants having only one. To help address this, the GFCHL provides outreach and family education seminars in addition to training professionals.
The GFCHL professional training programs help to maximize outcomes for children using whatever technology is available. Part of this includes showing videos of successful outcomes from Clarke students, helping to demonstrate the long-term potential of LSL approaches.
Benefits of Multilingualism in Children who Are Deaf of Hard of Hearing
An important aspect of the training addresses language acquisition for children who grow up in multilingual environments. In Kenya, many children learn three languages from birth: English, Swahili and the language of their family’s background.
Research demonstrates that learning multiple languages does not slow development for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. In fact, studies suggest the opposite—that being multilingual can provide cognitive advantages as children access different areas of their brain. The key factor is ensuring the language used is meaningful and purposeful for the child, with quality interactions between caregivers and children.
Professional Growth Through International Collaboration
Sherri’s international work has enriched her professional practice at Clarke. “The GFCHL professional volunteer training team features people who are very well established in the field, and it gives me an opportunity to collaborate with them, to learn new things myself and to learn how other programs do things,” she explains.
This exchange of knowledge works both ways, allowing her to share Clarke’s approaches with international colleagues. “Everyone’s so open to learning,” she adds. “I always come back having learned something different and new.”
A Global Impact
Through staff involvement in international training initiatives, Clarke extends its impact far beyond its physical locations. This global outreach demonstrates Clarke’s position as a leader in LSL education worldwide and reflects the organization’s commitment to ensuring all children who are deaf or hard of hearing have access to quality services regardless of where they live.
1 Comment
Wonderful to learn about the international outreach and collaborative learning that Clarke Pennsylvania has been involved with and benefited from through Sherri’s work.