MISSION STATEMENT
The mission
of Memphis Oral School for the Deaf is to develop the independent speaking and
listening capabilities of hearing-impaired children. The objective is the
integration of our children, with the necessary self-confidence and positive
image, into their neighborhood schools. Our goal is to enable our students to
become a part of, rather than apart from the world of sound.
(Click
Here for MOSD Web Site)
The Memphis Oral School for the Deaf (MOSD), a nonprofit, nationally recognized
program, has been serving deaf and hearing-impaired children in Memphis and the
Mid-South since 1959. The School is accredited by the Tennessee State
Department of Education. It is affiliated with the Alexander Graham Bell
Association for the Deaf, Washington, D.C. and OPTION, an international
organization of auditory-oral schools. It is the only day school program for
deaf and severely hearing- impaired children in the Mid-South where the emphasis
is on listening (learning to use residual hearing) in the development of speech.
MOSD offers eight comprehensive training programs: Parent
Training,
Day School for Hearing-Impaired Children 2 thru 6 years of
age, Speech Therapy,
Cochlear Implant Mapping and Monitoring, Cochlear Implant
Therapy, Before and after School Childcare,
Consultation to School districts in the Mid-South, Hearing Conservation Program
(presented to students in public, private, and parochial schools in Memphis and
Shelby County), Training and Observation Site (for medical students, pediatric
residents, audiologists, speech pathologists, educators and other professionals.
It is
known that 95% of all deaf children have some degree of residual (or usable)
hearing. Through early identification, amplification, and intervention, MOSD is
able to teach these children to listen and speak. For the 5% of deaf
children who have no evidence of residual hearing, there now exists a surgical
procedure known as the cochlear implant—bringing sound to many of these deaf
children for the first time in their lives.
MOSD graduates most often attend regular schools. Through specialized
training and improved technology (hearing aids, FM systems and/or cochlear
implants), these children have learned how to use their residual hearing
effectively to develop speech communication skills. They are beginning
their journey into a world of sound.
