Speech and Hearing Center offers free classes to the public

NEW PALTZ — The Speech and Hearing Center in the Communication Disorders Department at the State University of New York at New Paltz now offers aural rehabilitation classes free to the public. Provided in a three-session format, the classes include information about hearing loss, hearing aids, assistive devices and speech reading.

The Communication Disorders Department has provided clinical services to the community for more than 30 years. The Speech and Hearing Center, located in the Humanities Building, provides hearing, speech and language diagnostic and therapeutic services for all ages.

“Even though our center has been here more than 30 years, we always have fresh and exciting ways to achieve our goals,” said Stella Turk, director of the Speech and Hearing Center and coordinator of audiology. “We have the benefit of experience which allows us to offer new programs that will help us focus on our students, as well as provide our clients the best possible care.”

Staffed by audiologists and speech-language pathologists, communication disorders majors and graduate students receive state-of-the-art training while clients receive state-of-the-art care. The Speech and Hearing Center is open year round, even during intersession.

Services include hearing evaluations, hearing aid fitting and dispensing, speech-language evaluations, therapy for voice, articulation, language, fluency, swallowing disorders and dialect reduction.

Although the department has a very active Speech and Hearing Center, the primary focus is on academics. It offers an undergraduate major in speech and hearing leading to a Bachelor of Arts and a combined B.A./ M.S. for teachers of students with speech and language disabilities. The graduate majors include speech and language pathology leading to a Master of Science as well as Master of Science for teachers of students with speech and language disabilities leading to a professional certificate.

For more information on services, or how to sign up for the aural rehabilitation classes, call the center for an appointment at (845) 257-3600, or e-mail the department secretary at vayos@newpaltz.edu. No special referral is required.