John Tracy Center (John Tracy Clinic dba John Tracy Center) is a private,

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

education center for

infant An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...

s and

preschool A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school ...

children with

hearing loss Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to Hearing, hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to Language ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. It was founded by Louise Treadwell Tracy, wife of actor

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two cons ...

, in 1942. The center provides parent-centered services worldwide. The organization has provided education and support for children with hearing loss and their families for over 70 years, with expertise in spoken language, called

oralism Oralism is the education of deaf students through oral language by using lip reading, speech, and mimicking the mouth shapes and breathing patterns of speech.Through Deaf Eyes. Diane Garey, Lawrence R. Hott. DVD, PBS (Direct), 2007. Oralism cam ...

. It is located at 2160 West Adams Boulevard. The center offers worldwide family services, local family services, professional education, preschool,

hearing testing A hearing test provides an evaluation of the sensitivity of a person's sense of hearing and is most often performed by an audiologist using an audiometer. An audiometer is used to determine a person's hearing sensitivity at different frequencies. ...

, and more. __TOC__

History

Louise and

's son, John, was diagnosed with

nerve deafness Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a type of hearing loss in which the root cause lies in the inner ear or sensory organ (cochlea and associated structures) or the vestibulocochlear nerve ( cranial nerve VIII). SNHL accounts for about 90% of r ...

in 1925; the cause of his deafness was

Usher syndrome Usher syndrome, also known as Hallgren syndrome, Usher–Hallgren syndrome, retinitis pigmentosa–dysacusis syndrome or dystrophia retinae dysacusis syndrome, is a rare genetic disorder caused by a mutation in any one of at least 11 genes result ...

, which rendered him blind as an adult. His family never signed with him, when he went blind they traced letters into his hand instead of using the

manual alphabet Fingerspelling (or dactylology) is the representation of the letters of a writing system, and sometimes numeral systems, using only the hands. These manual alphabets (also known as finger alphabets or hand alphabets) have often been used in deaf ...

. They were initially told that nothing could be done to help it, but they continued looking for help. A specialist in New York told them John could live a “normal” life if he learned to

lip read The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...

and talk. She then started an oralist daycare in 1942, next to the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

. The business incorporated into John Tracy Clinic the following year, with

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

as one of the first board members alongside Spencer. Over the years it grew, developing a

correspondence course Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

in addition to on-site services to reach those who couldn't travel to them. In 1952 the clinic moved to more modern facilities. Since its founding, JTC has helped more than 250,000 children develop speech, language and listening abilities. Today, JTC serves more than 3,400 children and families worldwide each year. The organization is recognized as the leader in early childhood listening and spoken language education, as one of the top three centers for pediatric

audiology Audiology (from Latin , "to hear"; and from Greek , ''-logia'') is a branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders. Audiologists treat those with hearing loss and proactively prevent related damage. By employing various ...

in the Los Angeles area, and as the world’s largest private provider of services to young children with, or at risk of, hearing loss. JTC’s mission is to provide parent-centered services locally and globally to young children with hearing loss, offering families hope, guidance, and encouragement.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Medical research institutes in California Deafness organizations in the United States