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No Limits for Deaf Children and Families was established in Culver City, CA twenty years ago.
Every day 33 babies are born with a permanent hearing loss, making it the most frequently occurring birth defect in the nation. Only 54% of babies afflicted actually receive the recommended hearing evaluation and services; the remaining 46% are "lost to the system". (Joint Committee on Infant Hearing, 2007). A hearing device is just the first step for a deaf child learning to speak. The No Limits program teaches deaf children the skills to succeed in school and in life through its national theater group and educational centers regardless of their economic status. The program requires active involvement and education of parents in the process to ensure the success of their children.
Though the undiagnosed children desperately need evaluation and intervention, most families are unable to pay for private therapy, ranging from $150 to $200 per hour. Given school budget cuts and scarcity of resources in public schools, most only provide 30 minutes a week of group therapy, averaging 2 minutes per child. These children suffer not only in language development, but also academically. Over 78% of deaf children in California graduate from high school "functionally illiterate", unable to read or write above a fourth-grade level. By the time they enroll at No Limits, they are already two-three grade levels behind.
No Limits changes the course of these low-income children's lives by addressing the gap and providing the additional services required to succeed. The goal is to have each deaf child mainstreamed with their hearing peers. As of today, 100% of students at No Limits are either enrolled in college or are college graduates.
The gift of sound is a life-changing experience, yet hearing devices are just the first step. Children with hearing loss must be taught the meaning of the sounds they now hear through intensive therapy. Without it, they hear little more than white noise. No Limits frequently meets children at age 5 with no connection to the world around them. They do not know their names or how old they are or what "I love you" means. No Limits provides the tools a deaf child with little to no language needs to fully communicate and connect using technology.
The grant will allow No Limits to provide free comprehensive educational services to 350 low-income impoverished deaf children and families not available anywhere else. The demographic breakdown is as follows: 90% Latino, 5% Asian, 2% African-American, and 3% White. Ninety-five percent of No Limits families lives in poverty.
The grant will provide the following:
1. 3,125 hours of individual auditory, speech, and language therapy allowing deaf children to communicate ($50,000)
2. 3,125 hours of literacy classes in small groups ($20,000)
3. Weekly two-hour parent classes ($10,000)
4. Year-round sibling support, based on need ($5,000)
5. 24 Leadership and Mentoring Academy for Teens ($5,000)
No Limits is a 501c3 organization based in the United States. The No Limits agenda is not political or religious.
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