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You're Invited To The Miracle Gala 2014!

Experience The Miracle Gala 2014 by AGBMS-AEHI...

Honoring The Breakthroughs For Deaf Students Through Cued Speech  

It's America's best-kept secret... but not for long.

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With the ongoing breakthroughs in educational achievement for deaf students through Cued Speech, A. G. Bell Montessori-AEHI is excited to honor three special guests at their upcoming Miracle Gala 2014 on April 27th, 4-8:00 pm, in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Avenue.  The public is invited to attend.

The honorees are the Illinois School for the Deaf (ISD) for incorporating Cued Speech at their residential school; deaf alumni and college scholarship student Drake Darrah; and David Rabkin, the creator of Montessori RX, for providing and helping implement his high-quality progress student tracking program for all AGBMS students.

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Since the creation of Cued Speech by Dr. R. Orin Cornett in 1965-66, the lip-reading system of Cued Speech has benefited thousands of deaf students worldwide.  The use of eight hand shapes and four positions around the mouth to represent all consonants and vowels makes any language visible. Ultimately, Cued Speech clarifies lip-reading.  Deaf students have access to the same vocabulary, sentence structure and grammar as their hearing peers.

The outcome of Cued Speech is impressive.  Those with hearing loss are able to acquire age-appropriate literacy skills, so they can communicate effectively with the hearing world.

Superintendent Dr. Janice Smith-Warshaw said, "What I'd like to see as the future for ISD students is fluency in ASL communication, as well as using Cued Speech to understand and have full access to English, reading and writing.  Cued Speech in a bilingual environment provides educational justice for all students."



For 18-year-old AGBMS alum and honoree Drake Darrah, being deaf never stopped his passion to excel.  As a Presidential scholar at Grace College. Drake plays violin, takes Spanish and Mandarin classes, travels abroad to serve impoverished areas, and has a deep concern for the travesty of human trafficking.  Drake plans to pursue a law degree to address these problems.

Guardian Angel sponsor for the 2014 Miracle Gala is Board Member Dr. Elaine Dunn Engel, former faculty member at Northwestern University and past student of Dr. Cornett, the creator of Cued Speech. Thanks to Dr. Engel's recommendation of Cued Speech to the Lachman family, AGBMS-AEHI was eventually founded.  Though Dr. Engel retired in 1994, she continues supporting Cued Speech and the A.G. Bell Montessori School.

The Miracle Gala 2014 seeks the public's support to continue helping deaf children excel.  To attend, make a donation, take out an ad in the program book, or offer an item for the silent auction, visit:  www.miraclegala.com.

Thank you!




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