Name of your business:
Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech
Your name and position:
Bill Corwin, President
What inspired you to start your business? How did your business get started? Clarke’s founding in 1867 was driven by a parent who firmly believed that his daughter, who was deaf, could speak and learn just like other children. Clarke’s mission has always been to help children with hearing loss learn to listen, talk, and succeed.
My daughters were both born with hearing loss and received services from Clarke. As president, I continue to see the passion, professionalism, and dedication of our staff that first impressed me as a parent. Every day Clarke transforms the lives of children and families. Clarke opens up the world for children and helps them truly fulfill their potential. There is no work more important than that.
Tell us a little bit about your business: At Clarke, we help children who are deaf or hard of hearing learn to listen and talk. Children served by Clarke use advanced technologies such as cochlear implants and hearing aids to maximize their access to sound. We work with children and their families from infancy through their teen years, and our teachers of the deaf, audiologists, and speech pathologists have the background, training, and experience to prepare them academically and socially for a world of limitless possibilities. We have broadened the scope of our services in recent years and are serving more children than ever before, more than 1,200 in the 2014-2015 academic year, and through Internet-based services we are now able to reach children, families and professionals all over the world. Many of the children we serve are ready to attend their neighborhood mainstream schools by kindergarten.
What is your favorite thing to do in your business?
Our work changes lives, and it’s a privilege to be a part of that process. It is especially rewarding to interact with the families we serve, hear their stories, and see first-hand the positive effects of our services. Knowing we have made a lifelong impact, and seeing the joy of the parents and children we serve, is the best aspect of our work.
If nothing else, what is the one piece of information you want someone to know about your business?
That the future has never been brighter for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Over the last two decades, universal newborn hearing screening and advanced technologies like cochlear implants have changed our field tremendously. With the right technology and educational support, many children who are deaf or hard of hearing now learn to listen and talk on par with their hearing peers.
What is the one piece of business advice you would like to share? Whether you’re a non-profit or a for-profit organization, it is important to foster a culture where change is embraced as an opportunity to evolve and better meet your mission. Keeping your staff engaged in the process of strategic analysis is critical to creating that kind of culture.