CCHAT Shaped Leah’s Career Path 16 Years Ago - and She Hasn’t Looked Back Since

Leah Lind has been a deaf and hard of hearing teacher for 16 years and was first introduced to CCHAT through her friend’s mother. She immediately fell in love with CCHAT and even got inspired to go back to school to obtain her teaching credentials and Masters of Arts in Special Education. 

“I started working at CCHAT as an instructional aide 16 years ago... and I never left!”

Leah has an education specialist credential with an emphasis on children who are deaf and hard of hearing. She is also certified through AG Bell Association as an Auditory-Verbal Educator - Listening and Spoken Language Specialist.

Leah’s Favorite Part About Working With CCHAT

To Leah, working at the CCHAT Center is more than just a school or a place of learning. It gives families, teachers and children a place to grow and connect. Everybody is there to support each other and guide one another through their hearing loss journey. 

“CCHAT is a special place to work because it is more than a school. It is a community of families and professionals working collaboratively to give deaf and hard of hearing children a voice.”

Leah’s Greatest Success

Leah considers her greatest success to be one of her students (from her 1st kindergarten class) coming back to work in CCHAT as an instructional aide while she pursues her degree in early education. 

Leah’s Advice To Other Students, Parents & Friends

Leah wants parents to know that the best thing you can do to help your child with hearing loss is to start helping them develop their advocacy skills as early as possible. These skills will be essential in their future as they move through school and into the working environment.

“One of the most important tips I can offer to families of children with hearing loss is to start helping your child develop his/her advocacy skills as early as possible.”

For the past couple of years, Leah has worked as an itinerant teacher for students who are deaf and hard of hearing in the surrounding school districts. This opportunity provided her with a unique perspective on the challenges students with hearing loss had to face in a mainstream setting. 

Leah says that it’s really helped her understand the importance of self-advocacy and self-help skills. It’s important for students to learn how to troubleshoot their amplification if it’s not working and have the confidence to speak up if they need information repeated or clarified. This can often be a daunting and scary task for a child. 

At the CCHAT Center, the foundation the students receive has self-advocacy and self-help skills worked in daily. Meaning when students leave CCHAT and go into the mainstream, they already have strong advocacy skills to help them thrive.