Northern Virginia Cued Speech Association Mission Statement

Advocacy, Education, and Support

The Northern Virginia Cued Speech Association (NVCSA) provides "Advocacy", "Education" and "Support" for families and professionals who choose to use Cued Speech with deaf or hard of hearing children.

The mission of "Advocacy" is two-fold. First, the NVCSA advocates the use of Cued Speech as a viable tool for teaching the spoken language of the home to children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Second, the NVCSA helps families advocate for Cued Speech within the framework of the child's individualized education plan (IEP) by providing the information and research findings to validate the parents' choice.

The NVCSA also views the "Education" mission as multifaceted. First, the NVCSA conducts free classes to teach the Cued Speech system to families who have chosen to cue. Second, the NVCSA provides guest lecturers to present information of interest to both parents and professionals, particularly in the area of research results on the use of Cued Speech and its correlation to the literacy of deaf children. Third, the NVCSA seeks to educate professionals in the fields of deafness and deaf education on the existence of Cued Speech and its viability as a tool to educate deaf and hard of hearing children. Professionals who deal with parents facing the early diagnosis of a child's hearing loss should have a working knowledge of all the options so that they can effectively advise parents facing choices.

The NVCSA provides moral and emotional "Support" and encouragement to families who have chosen Cued Speech. It provides opportunities for social interaction with other cueing families, as well as a network of members who are on the same journey and understand the challenges and frustrations that newer parents are facing. The NVCSA provides support for professionals by helping with Cued Speech instruction, expressing appreciation for the efforts of school professionals, and also funding annual contributions to the Cued Speech Library.