Meet Karen Putz, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Advocate

Karen Putz wears many hats and underneath them all is a remarkable woman, mom, writer and deaf and hard of hearing advocate. She is a deaf mom of three deaf and hard of hearing children and her husband is deaf too. She kindly shared her post The Last IEP Meeting with us. First, meet Karen and then share her joy as she tells us about her son’s journey through school in my next post.

Karen works full-time as a Video Solutions Manager for Zvrs and a National Manager, VCO. She gets to travel the country and improve the lives of deaf and hard of hearing customers through videophone access.
Also she provides Deaf Mentor services to families with deaf and hard of hearing children from birth to three years of age.


She is a board member of Hands & Voices  and she founded the Illinois chapter. Hands & Voices, as their mission states, is a parent-driven, non-profit organization providing families with the resources, networks, and information they need to improve communication access and educational outcomes for their children. Their outreach activities, parent/professional collaboration, and advocacy efforts are focused on enabling Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children to reach their highest potential.

A couple of years ago, Karen decided to pursue writing. She started freelancing for a writing company. She has been blogging at “A Deaf Mom Shares Her World” since July, 2006. Her blog writing also opened up some opportunities for her as well and she has written for Disaboom, Parenting Squad , Chicago Moms Blog and a couple of other places. Karen has been syndicated in several newspapers around the U.S. She has been published in Midwifery Today, and in four books: On the Fence, Don’t Cut Me Again, The Book of Choice, and Discovering Deaf Identitites.


Karen is currently a contributing columnist for the Chicago Tribune Trib Local and you can find her on ChicagoNow at Barefoot in the ‘Burbs.


This prolific writer also runs a blog about Jobs, Careers and Callings  for deaf and hard of hearing people. That blog was born because she realized she wanted her kids to know about deaf and hard of hearing people in the work place– something she didn’t have while growing up.

You can read more about Karen Putz by checking these links. Read her guest post here.

Blog: http://deafmomworld.com/

Twitter: DeafMom

Kid Companions Chewelry Listed Among Favorite Pediatric Therapy Products

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Kid Companions Chewelry Listed Among Favorite Pediatric Therapy Products

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Dec. 8, 2010 – PIDA IMP Ltd., designers of a unique sensory tool for children who fidget, chew and bite, recently earned formal recognition for its wearable Kid Companions chewable fidgets.

The Kid Companions line was listed in the top three items of the Favorite Oral Motor Product category on the Your Therapy Source website http://yourtherapysource.com/2010awards.html

Based out of New York, Your Therapy Source is a popular online resource for parents and teachers of special needs children and for pediatric therapy professionals.

“This recognition is a wonderful boost for our chewable fidgets, and tremendous encouragement for our team,” said Pierrette d’Entremont, product designer and principal owner of PIDA. "Official accolades from professionals are a great addition to the positive and heartfelt feedback we get everyday from ordinary parents of special needs children."

The honor came after Your Therapy Source conducted a three-month survey on favorite resources for pediatric occupational therapists, pediatric physical therapist, and parents.

“This is a remarkable way to end our first year exporting our chewelry to the United States,” said Lorna d’Entremont, co-owner of PIDA. The Canadian-based company is also increasing sales in Europe, as well as Australia and New Zealand.

Kid Companions is a chewable and wearable fidget that is safe, stylish, colorful and effective. It is an ideal alternative to fidgets and chewys that are less discreet.

The chewelry is recommended for children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), Autism, or ADD/ADHD and others who need oral sensory stimulation or a fidget to focus.

The Kid Companions innovation was designed to North American safety standards. All components are safe, non-toxic and sourced in North America. A CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act) 3rd party testing certificate is sent with each order and is available on the company's website.

For information, contact:

Pierrette d'Entremont
+1 902.762.0186
info@chewelry.ca
http://www.chewelry.ca/
http://twitter.com/chewelry
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Kid-Companions-Chewelry/282403565744