Inaugural Showcase from the Oberkotter Foundation to Feature Literacy Efforts in Georgia

The Oberkotter Foundation Showcase Series shares impactful work reducing barriers, improving access to care and resources, and helping children with hearing loss reach age-appropriate listening, talking, and reading milestones.

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 14, 2025, the Oberkotter Foundation will host its inaugural Showcase Series event, which features impactful work that is advancing opportunities for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. The first showcase event – Georgia: Struggle. Common Ground. Progress. – will feature a powerful story of how the state of Georgia is introducing initiatives to improve literacy outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing through collaborative efforts of nonprofits, advocates, and policymakers. The event will take place online at 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. Registration is now open at www.oberkotterfoundation.org/events.

For 40 years, the Oberkotter Foundation has collaborated with organizations, parents, professionals, educators, and more to drive initiatives that help children who are deaf or hard of hearing have opportunities to reach their full potential through Listening and Spoken Language (LSL). The Showcase Series will serve as a platform to amplify the work of those who are driving progress by sharing insights from their efforts with a goal of inspiring new ideas to improve outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

"There is so much work being done to reduce barriers, raise awareness, increase access to care, and create new opportunities for children who are deaf or hard of hearing," says Teresa Caraway, PhD, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, CEO, Oberkotter Foundation. "The Showcase Series aims to break down the silos and create a knowledge exchange between the committed individuals and organizations doing this work. By creating a platform to share the efforts, impact, and insights of others, the Foundation hopes to inspire new and innovative thinking, helping every child with hearing loss access the care and resources they need to listen, talk, and thrive."

At the Showcase event on October 14, Kelly Jenkins, Program Manager of the Access to Language Program out of the Atlanta Speech School, will share how the state of Georgia is leveraging parent navigator programs, mobile audiology services, and data-driven advocacy to help children with hearing loss be identified sooner, supported faster, and set on a path to reach third-grade-reading levels by the time they reach third grade.

Spearheaded by the Atlanta Speech School and supported by funding from the Oberkotter Foundation, the Access to Language program in Georgia has brought together collaborative partnerships to foster meaningful, lasting changes and successfully help more children who are deaf or hard of hearing meet age-appropriate learning and literacy benchmarks.

"The progress we have made reflects years of collaboration and a shared commitment to helping children with hearing loss reach their full potential," explains Kelly Jenkins. "Together, we have connected groups across the state of Georgia to create a sustainable system that will ensure children who are deaf or hard of hearing are included in efforts to improve literacy outcomes. That means they are identified earlier, supported sooner, and set on a path to lifelong learning."

To learn more about the progress being made in Georgia and the Oberkotter Foundation Showcase Series visit oberkotterfoundation.org/events.

About the Oberkotter Foundation

The Oberkotter Foundation helps families ensure their children who are deaf or hard of hearing have opportunities to reach their full potential through Listening and Spoken Language (LSL). 

The Foundation is committed to advancing science and innovation that will improve access to quality audiological and LSL services for children with hearing loss so that they develop age-appropriate listening, talking, and literacy skills. Since 1985, the Foundation has provided over $500 million in funding to improve listening, spoken language, and literacy outcomes for children with hearing loss and their families.

Read more about the Oberkotter Foundation.

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SOURCE Oberkotter Foundation