Co-Founder And Director
CurrentUma Soman is an educator of students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) and a certified Listening and Spoken Language Specialist Auditory-Verbal Educator (LSLS Cert AVEd). She has been working with children who are DHH, their families, and professionals for 20 years in a variety of settings. She is our co-founder and directs our Parent Empowerment, Professional Development, and Public Awareness programs. She also serves as the treasurer on the board.Uma provides listening and spoken language intervention to children and families in the USA and India. She also provides mainstream support for children who are DHH and their families, and is available to consult with the mainstream school staff. Uma develops and teaches online courses in English, Hindi, and Marathi on various topics related to development of listening and spoken language in children who are deaf or hard of hearing. She also mentors teachers and therapists pursuing Listening and Spoken Language Specialist Certification in India and USA. Uma presents on a wide range of topics at national and international conferences. Uma received her Masters in Deaf Education from the Clarke School / Smith College program and earned her Doctorate in Hearing and Speech Sciences from Vanderbilt University in 2017. Uma was the recipient of the National Leadership Consortium in Sensory Disabilities Fellowship (NLCSD, 2010-2014). She serves on the board of AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language and was the co-chair the Global Matters Committee from 2017-2022.
