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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Kids’ faces tell story of hearing aid project

Bill Austin, founder of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, fits Savannah Andersen, 3, with a new hearing aid at the Washington School for the Deaf on Tuesday.  (Associated Press)
Howard Buck (Vancouver, Wash.) Columbian

VANCOUVER, Wash. – The smiles said it all.

Savannah Andersen, 3, beamed a 500-watt glow as she had her devices fitted.

Colt Franklin, 6, began to mouth some words and mimic a few new sounds.

The look that spread like sweet syrup down the face of Ashantay Truong, 9, as realization set in?

Priceless.

New, digital hearing aids were fitted Monday and Tuesday on more than 100 Washington School for the Deaf students, plus many brothers, sisters, parents, school alumni and faculty and staff members.

Cost of the state-of-the-art models, a vast improvement over older, analog aids, can reach $5,000 each.

Meaning the 425 personally tailored devices, sorted in sealed plastic bags after all recipients were carefully screened in October, are worth a cool $1 million, at least.

Here’s the kicker: They came absolutely free as Vancouver was rewarded with the globetrotting work of the Minneapolis-based Starkey Hearing Foundation.

“Which is amazing,” said WSD audiologist Jane Tabor, who helped arrange the giveaway.

The aids enable some users to clearly distinguish speech from ambient noise. Volume automatically adjusts to input, with all other settings customized. The models also are more comfortable.

For Savannah, Colt and many others, they could hear sounds for the first time.

Whether the patter of rainfall, a door squeak, simple footsteps or conversation, the world took on new wonder for recipients, young and old.

“It’s so far beyond what they’ve had in the past,” said Jane Mulholland, WSD superintendent. So many students have exclaimed since Monday, “I can hear myself!” she said.

Even so, the devices won’t replace American Sign Language or deaf-specific instruction. The goal at WSD remains a bilingual education, Mulholland explained. New technology gives a huge boost in additional information, “as much a (helpful) tool as is possible,” she said.

Spun off from hearing device giant Starkey Laboratories Inc., the foundation since 2000 has spread the gift of better hearing to hundreds of thousands of people on six continents. Foundation founder Bill Austin was glad to lend an early Christmas spirit to the state school.

“I just feel very blessed to do this work,” said Austin, 69, early pioneer in the Starkey business in the 1960s.

Annual sales now exceed 1 million hearing aids; the privately backed foundation hands out another 100,000 each year.

“It’s 10 percent, so it’s like tithing. We can do that,” Austin said. He’s been able to leverage connections with philanthropic and celebrity and volunteer help to launch a jaw-dropping, worldwide effort.

“It’s my gift. If I can’t share that, it’s not fun,” he said.

With the deep recession, Austin and his team have spent more time in the U.S.

“In these tough economic times, a lot of parents can’t pay for (aids),” Tabor said. Often, students have damaged or outdated equipment, she said. Most insurance plans don’t cover their cost. Deafness, of course, tends to run in families, and out-of-pocket costs can quickly soar beyond their means.

No wonder individuals eagerly converged at WSD from across Washington to obtain some of the world’s best equipment. All but nine of 120 students at the residential campus were able to benefit, officials said.