Bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHAs) changed Elise Schiller’s life. In third grade, the BAHAs put her hearing in the normal range, and she was able to attend her neighborhood school. But Elise was an active little girl. Her hearing aids fell off at Six Flags and City Museum, among other places. At $7,000 each, this was serious business.
Special Education Foundation gives more that $30,000 in high-tech hearing aids to children who are deaf or hard of hearing. This is life-changing technology, but it’s hard to replace.
Elise’s mom credits the audiology department at Litzsinger School for troubleshooting Elise’s BAHAs. They always had a loaner when one of hers was in the shop. Her BAHAs were instrumental in helping her complete her education. At Kirkwood High School, Elise was a member of National Honor Society and won national writing awards. She wrote for the KHS yearbook and received a Rosemary Zander Self-Esteem Award in 2017. She interned with Cochlear American in Denver, which gave her a college scholarship.
Elise enjoys life to the fullest and has set lofty educational and career goals. She is majoring in psychology at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, and plans to get her doctorate in either clinical psychology or research. She wants to help kids with special needs. We call that paying it forward!
Help support programs like Adaptive Equipment today by making a donation to the Special Education Foundation.