Olivia Williams Receives Award from the RI Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Lincoln School senior and Johnston resident Olivia Williams received an award from the Rhode Island Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (RI CDHH) at the 6th Annual Hearing Loss Expo in Providence on May 15, 2014. Olivia, who knows what it is like to succeed and thrive with hearing loss, has been a member of the planning team (the “Dream Team”) at the Dare to Dream Leadership Conference at the University of Rhode Island for the past two years. This year’s Dare to Dream conference will be held on May 21, 2014 (http://www.ripin.org/daretodream2014.html), and this year’s theme will be making connections and inspiring others. Olivia lives with her family in Johnston, Rhode Island, and she will be attending Stonehill College in the fall. 

The Rhode Island Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (RICDHH) has proclaimed that it will observe the Hearing Loss Awareness and Better Hearing and Speech Month in May 2014, and the Expo is a part of this awareness effort. Hearing Loss Awareness Month is to promote and recognize the resources that are available to people who have different levels of hearing and to enhance their quality of life through education, technology, and advocacy. Over 90,000 people living in Rhode Island are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Late-Deafened and Deaf-Blind and the majority of this population is made up of hard of hearing and late-deafened people.