Mothers of Deaf Children Want Insurance Companies To Pay For Hearing Aids

Jacksonville.com - Mothers of Deaf children want insurance companies to pay for hearing aids.



ATLANTA - A handful of mothers with Deaf children urged legislators Tuesday to require health insurance companies to provide hearing aids.



The women estimated there are fewer than 400 children needing the devices which can run as much as $6,000 for a pair every five years. Medicaid, the state’s insurance for the poor, already provides them, but most private insurance companies don’t because, unlike devices such as pacemakers, they aren’t necessary for survival.



The mothers, who formed LetGeorgiaHear.org, argue that spending $40,000 on hearing aids during a child’s youth avoids tenfold costs for special education.



“It’s going to be hard. It’s not a very popular concept,” admits Kelly Jenkins, one of the group’s co-founders and the mother of 3-year-old Sloane who was fitted with hearing aids before she could walk.



Comer Yates, executive director of the Atlanta Speech School, said 90 percent of Deaf children are born to hearing parents, so they are unlikely to learn sign language from their parents at an age when other children are developing their vocabulary.



“Early exposure to language determines a child’s pathway in life,” he said.



Rep. Ed Lindsey, R-Atlanta, is the sponsor of House Bill 74 that would mandate hearing-aid coverage for children. ...READ MORE: http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2013-03-12/story/mothers-deaf-children-want-insurance-companies-pay-hearing-aids

Companies, Colleges Hold Conferences to Improve Online Education

Online degree programs are continuing to grow in popularity with the help of open-minded employers who recognize their worth as credible sources of education and training. Wholly online universities that cater to the busy schedules of working adults with professional or family commitments are also becoming commonplace.

To stay competitive, more brick-and-mortar institutions are increasing their online course offerings or adding electronic aspects to classroom-based curricula.

Online Education

As a result, distance education companies and schools alike are collaborating with one another to instill regulations to foster and preserve the opportunities offered by online learning.

Earlier this month, Excelsior College used a ,500 grant it received from the Lumina Foundation for Education to convene a session of the President's Forum, a collaboration of distance education proponents from across the country. The council, which includes college presidents, campus leaders, more than 150 colleges, organizations and policymakers met in Washington DC to discuss options for multi-state regulation of distance learning and online degree programs.

John F. Ebersole, president of Excelsior College, said the conference was called to address "an increase in concern for protecting the public interest from illegitimate programs" and foster "the growth of online learning" through accredited schools.

The Sloan Consortium, an organization that aims to integrate online education initiatives into the mainstream of higher education, has also announced it will hold a conference intended to improve communication between online course providers and promoters.

The Sloan-C International Conference on Learning, which was held between October 23 and 28 in Orlando, featured programs and speeches on the latest trends, research, technology and practices in partially or completely online coursework.

Craig Pines, CEO and president of Deltak - an online learning consulting company that will present at the conference - said the event provides "a wonderful opportunity to meet faculty and administrators" and show them how online education can "help their institution[s] achieve a high return with minimal financial investment."

Researchers, educational administrators, instructors, faculty developers, librarians and students from the higher and secondary education, business, government, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors were all expected to attend.

Such efforts to improve the quality of online education and improve communication between schools, lawmakers, companies and students may ensure online degree programs offer working adults convenient and credible means to enhance their qualifications.

Companies, Colleges Hold Conferences to Improve Online Education

Education Online A Better option for companies in the business of executive MBA programs

Many companies offer business-related programs Online Executive MBA program for its top executives through an affiliation with a traditional university. Although these programs are aimed at those who do not want to take a break from their careers and enroll full time, they certainly are not unique to its purpose. With the popularity of Distance learning MBA programs is increasing, it seems only a matter of time before the Online MBA programs will see a decrease in the number.

The main advantage of an Online executive MBA program is that adults can use work experience prior to his business degree. While online programs that are traditionally not allowed past experiences as a credit for the termination are some exceptions. At one point, the Distance learning MBA programs are the only way of working executives can get an MBA without full-time enrollment. The company offers many more options presented to those in this particular situation, in recent years.

While the end result of one or anotOnline MBA her option is probably a good education for graduate students, offers online are a better choice for businesses. When companies partner with universities to offer Online MBA program, you are essentially guaranteeing that executives with the exact learning experiences, plus selected

concentrations. Since companies are better served with a multitude of independent executives with experience can bring to the table in front of a collective consciousness that data methods of instruction institutions, many companies are opting to allow employees to enroll in the Online MBA program online. Their own immediate benefit is obvious that companies can use a variety of approaches applicable to the marketing, problem solving, or simply carry out the affairs of the company. From a different curriculum and instruction may vary widely from one institution to the next in line, there is a better chance that the interaction between the executive will result in the best possible solutions and policy ideas. In addition, distance learning mba programs pay executives the ability to interact with other students from diverse backgrounds both socially and in the labor market as well.

The executives have to rely on their counterparts in line for group projects instead of their coworkers, which is often the case in the E-MBA programs. After interactions with different students have different levels of experience and perspective can provide family enrichment and understanding that remain within a closely knit group simply can not. Companies value employees well rounded would do well to note.