WSU students provide free hearing health care to community

Samantha Kesteloot is a second year Au.D. student at WSU and the president of WSU's SAA chapter. "We have a fantastic board with a lot of ideas," says Kesteloot, "everyone is very involved and engaged."

SAA is an organization that benefits undergraduate students in the communication sciences and disorders program, as well as graduate students in the audiology program. The organization also benefits the surrounding community.

SAA hosts several hearing screenings each month in the Detroit area. Partnering with Unify Detroit, SAA students go to health fairs where they provide hearing screenings, information about hearing loss and information about the WSU audiology clinic; all free of charge. "The screenings provide physical practice for us manipulating the equipment but we also get to experience connecting with patients," says Kesteloot.

Being hearing impaired herself led Kesteloot to the audiology track. She says she felt isolated and alone growing up and is now aiming to be who she needed during her teenage years. "At the screenings or at our clinic, it's awesome to be able to educate people and hear their experiences," she says. "To be able to provide a resource, to give back, to help people have access to hearing health care, it's great."

SAA holds fundraisers to provide families with money for ear tube surgeries and other hearing health care necessities, as well as annual clothing and toiletry item drives. The organization also adopts families during the holiday season.

The WSU audiology clinic is overseen by a Henry Ford audiologist and offers free hearing screenings and makes customized hearing protection devices.

SAA has roughly 30 members and hopes to continue to grow in the future. For more information regarding the WSU audiology clinic, visit their website.

Written by Alexandra Leroux, Marketing and Communications Associate