Osmond sibling set for
hearing program
The LIU presents “Hear Now and Forever,” a conference on hearing impairment.
By
Mark Guydish
mguydish@timesleader.com
Education Reporter
WILKES-BARRE – The sounds of silence – or the struggles of those who live in silence – will fill Genetti Hotel and Convention Center Tuesday when the Luzerne Intermediate Unit presents, “Hear Now and Forever,” a conference on hearing impairment. The keynote speaker is Justin Osmond of the singing family that recently celebrated 50 years as a singing group.
Justin is the son of Merrill Osmond, lead singer for many of the pop group’s most successful songs. Born with severe hearing impairment, Justin has spent a good deal of time working with the Starkey Hearing Foundation, which provides free hearing aids to the needy worldwide.
“I met Justin in Pittsburgh,” said Sue Zerfoss, the hearing-impairment program coordinator at the LIU, “I started working with him, trying to arrange his appearance here, before Christmas. He gives a wonderful presentation about his history, his life growing up in a musical family and the Starkey Foundation.”
Zerfoss put Monday’s conference together primarily for professionals and parents who work with the hearing-impaired, but a two-hour stretch will be devoted to students from four area middle schools. They’ll learn to measure sound and make models of their own ears, all in an effort to get them to protect their hearing by turning down the volume.
A deaf firefighter from the state Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Harrisburg will train a small group of emergency responders on how to communicate with the hearing-impaired during an emergency. There will be other work sessions for professionals, as well as exhibits from local colleges and hearing-related industries. But Justin’s keynote speech after a luncheon is the official highlight of the day.
The conference is being funded primarily through sponsors, exhibitors and registration fees, Zerfoss said. About 145 people have registered, and 60 or more middle school students are expected to take part in the hearing conservation program.
For more information, call the LIU at 287-9681 extension 177.
Mark Guydish, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7161