Mikah's Story
My son, Mikah, began attending Presbyterian Ear Institute when he was 20 months old. He was born with a mild to moderate, bi-lateral hearing impairment. We were devastated to hear this diagnosis for our newborn baby. I did not know what to do or where to begin, until I got a call from PEI telling me about the Parent Infant Program. We scheduled a time for Mikah and I to visit and from there he started attending speech therapy several times a week. Amy at PEI was amazing! She really helped me navigate through everything, including my emotions. She explained what PEI was and that Mikah would be able to start at PEI’s Oral School after he turned 18 months old.
PEI has been a gift to our family. Two years after Mikah was born, my husband and I decided that it would be best for our family if I quit my job so that I could be there for all of our kids and the needs of our family. At that time, we had 3 children going to 3 different schools on opposite ends of the city. This would not have been an option for us if we did not have tuition assistance from PEI. In addition to allowing us the flexibility to be there to meet Mikah’s needs as well as the needs of our other children, tuition assistance from PEI allowed Mikah to receive early intervention and schooling that will forever affect his life for the better. PEI gave him the chance to learn and grow with other children with similar diagnoses and to work with teachers and speech therapists that specialize in teaching deaf and hard of hearing children so they are prepared for mainstream school. We are now a family of 6. Had we not received the assistance that we did, I have no doubt that we would not have been able to afford to send Mikah to PEI, and he would not be able to listen and speak with the clarity and confidence that he does now. Mikah will be moving on to 1st grade at a mainstream school this year. - Jacqueline, Mikah's Mom
“Because of PEI and the tuition assistance we received over the past few years, he is ready and we are grateful.”
