In its most basic explanation, the Warren Center Voices to be Heard program teaches deaf and hard of hearing individuals how to listen - and speak. Children and adults who are part of this program are taught by a speech-language pathologist who is specially trained to help the hearing impaired or deaf make the most of their residual hearing or cochlear implant for oral communication.

Those in the Voices program may be profoundly deaf, using a cochlear implant to hear, or they may use amplification such as hearing aids or an FM system. As such, this program is often closely linked with services of an audiologist, who assists in making the most of residual hearing in those with hearing loss.

The Warren Center's Voices program offers those who are hard of hearing a life of full interaction and communication with the hearing world. Besides hosting the only such program in Central, Eastern and Northern Maine, the Warren Center also is the area's only cochlear implant programming/mapping facility and one of three in New England. The others are located in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

To contact Amy Bragg regarding the Voices program, please e-mail abragg@warrencenter.org with "Voices" included in the subject line or call the Warren Center at 941-2850.