AG Bell Association for the deaf and hard-of-hearing opens first global headquarters

This is the first-ever expansion of the 126-year-old nonprofit organization, reports Markets Insider.

AG Bell recently acquired Spanish organizations CLAVE and Fundación Oír Es Clave (The Hearing is Key Foundation), which now make up Alexander Graham Bell International. Dr. Bell, best known for inventing the telephone, launched the original nonprofit organization back in the 1890s to provide assistance to people with hearing loss.

AG Bell Chief Executive Officer Emilio Alonso-Mendoza travelled to Spain to meet new staff and to launch AG Bell International. “We are very pleased to launch AG Bell International in Spain and look forward to a new future as we work to improve the lives of children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing so that they can live a life without limits,” said Alonso-Mendoza.

“For nearly ten years, CLAVE has followed AG Bell’s vision and model throughout Spain and Latin America very effectively. We see this acquisition as the perfect opportunity to reach Spanish speakers with hearing loss and the professionals who serve them, not only in Spain but throughout all Spanish-speaking populations, including those in the United States,” he added.

The organization advocates on behalf of people with hearing loss and the speech and hearing professionals who serve them. It is also a resource for families with children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, provides scholarships to children with hearing loss, and certifies listening and spoken language professionals through its academy.

Source: Markets Insider