May is Better Hearing and Speech Month; New School Curriculum Teaches Children About the Deaf and Deaf Culture

From: U.S. Newswire (press release), DC - May 6, 2004

To: State Desk

Contact: Jamie Lee of Montana Relay, 406-444-4208

HELENA, Mont., May 6 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Montana Relay is commemorating the 77th annual Better Hearing and Speech Month (BHSM) by advocating the new Kids Keeping in Touch elementary school curriculum, which aims to educate children about the deaf and deaf culture.

Montana Relay is the free telecommunications service for the deaf, hard of hearing, Deaf/Blind, and speech-impaired. The Montana Telecommunications Access Program (MTAP), a division of Montana Relay, provides assistive telephone equipment for people who have difficulty using a standard phone. The service is free for those who qualify.

-- Relay Educates Elementary School Students About Hearing Loss and Deaf Culture --

Montana Relay recently introduced a statewide initiative to educate elementary school students about hearing loss, deafness and Deaf culture. Through the school curriculum Kids Keeping In Touch, Relay is laying the groundwork for children to learn about their classmates, friends, and neighbors who may be deaf or have a hearing loss. The kit includes four different subjects: The Human Body; Society & Culture; Technology & Communication; and Students to Students.

"By using Kids Keeping in Touch, teachers are laying the groundwork by educating children about deaf culture," says Kryss Kuntz, director of Montana Relay. "We're using Better Hearing and Speech Month as an opportunity to highlight this great educational tool. It's our hope that teachers throughout the state will soon make Kids Keeping in Touch a regular part of their teaching plan."

Montana Relay hopes to raise awareness of the deaf, hard of hearing and speech impaired through the curriculum. Educated children will become educated adults with greater knowledge and understanding of Deaf culture.

For more information on resources available to the deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired, please call Montana Relay at 1- 866-RELAY-MT, or visit our Web site, http://www.montanarelay.org. To make a Montana Relay call, just dial 7-1-1.

To interview a Montana Relay representative, or to receive a Kids Keeping in Touch kit, please call Jamie Lee at 406-444-4208.

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/© 2004 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/