Welcome Letter

Welcome and thank you for visiting our community and support groups. Our community and support groups offer a warm and supportive environment for loved ones who have or know someone with Microtia, Atresia, Craniofacial Microsomia (CFM), Treacher Collins, Goldenhar Syndrome or various degrees of hearing loss. The intent for our community and support group is to provide you with valuable information, helpful resources, and options along with a chance to connect with other families and individuals in the same situation. The exciting thing about our community and support group is that much of the research has been done for you (although we always suggest that everyone do their own research in addition). Our community and support groups will help you learn more about self advocacy, parent advocacy, and patient advocacy. You will learn about the options you have from birth through adulthood. You will learn about “bone conduction hearing devices,” hearing loss, surgical options, and how to be more confident as an individual. You will also find information on school IEP and 504 Plans including Early Intervention programs. Most importantly, you will learn that you are not alone.

Members of our community and support groups in addition to the children, teens, and adults with Microtia, Atresia, HFM, Treacher Collins, Goldenhar Syndrome and a hearing loss include: plastic surgeons, Ear Nose and Throat Specialists, pediatricians, anaplastologists, nurses, physical, occupational and speech therapists, teachers of the D/HH, audiologists and audiology students, hospital administrators, health department personnel, family counselors, and various healthcare medical professionals.

Our community and support groups are global as we have family members who have found us from around the world and medical professionals who embrace our organization and website as a helpful learning resource.

Below is a list of some of some the organizations that embrace our community and support groups:
Hearing Loss Association of America
List Serve Agencies
Infancy Programs
Parent 2 Parent Organizations
Outbound/Outreach Coordinator Services
Early Years Programs such as Child Find and Birth to Three
Parent Guides
The Hands & Voices Organization
Universities offering Audiology Programs and Degrees
Schools for the Deaf and Blind
Children’s Hospitals
The House Research Institute
Audiology Online
Continued.com
American Academy of Audiology (AAA)
Educational Audiology Association (EAA)
Early Hearing Detection Intervention (EHDI)
Cochlear Americas
Medtronic/Sophono
Med-EL
Oticon Medical
Phonak
Stryker CMF

Although our community and support groups may provide helpful information, this information should never be taken as medical advice. This information is not meant to be taken as the place of medical appointments with medical professionals.

Ear Community is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.  Ear Community was founded by a family after their youngest daughter was born with Microtia and Atresia of her right ear.  Our organization is trying to make a difference by helping promote education, awareness, and advocacy about Microtia and Atresia.  If you like what we are doing, please consider making a small donation so that we can continue our mission to help children and adults who have Microtia and Atresia.

Thank you again for being a part of our community and our support groups on Facebook and we look forward to connecting with you. Welcome!

You will find us at the following support groups:
The Microtia and Atresia Support Group on Facebook
Microtia and More! by Ear Community on Facebook
Ear Community Microtia and Atresia Pen Pals on Facebook
Ear Community Gently Used Bone Conduction Hearing Devices on Facebook

Melissa Tumblin
Founder – Executive Director
Ear Community

• Founder of the Microtia and Atresia Support Group on Facebook, since May 20, 2010
• Parent Advocate, volunteer, and proud mom to two very happy little girls.
• Actively involved with many advisory boards, advocacy councils,and research including various grants for UHL research and genetic research on Microtia and Atresia, member of the NIDCR, AADR, and past board member of Hands&Voices and the Family Advisory Council at Children’s Hospital Colorado.