The Ear Community Organization’s Board Members are an invaluable resource when it comes to microtia, atresia and craniofacial microsomia! At Ear Community, we are all on the same journey and are willing to help others who are in the same situation in our community!Ear Community’s Board members either have microtia, atresia or craniofacial microsomia, are a parent of a child born with our rare cause or are a medical professional or educator.
For the past 15 years, Ear Community has had incredible Board members who are amazing parent or family advocates, pediatricians, audiologists, Teachers of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and therapists. Our organization recognizes that it is also a home and a safe place for our Board as well, being there for them and giving them the opportunity to help make a difference in our community for other microtia and atresia kids and adults and their families. Our Board, is honored to have invaluable role models and mentors that can help serve our community. We can help answer questions, share our experience about surgeries (ear reconstruction, jaw surgery, cholesteatomas, atresiaplasty and canalplasty, therapy and IEP and 504Plans in the school classroom), hearing devices or help you embrace being yourself just the way you are and of course share our stories because we are all on the same journey – and it is always great to compare notes! Many of our Board members found our organization because they were looking for a home – a safe place or to learn about their options, while others are happy to help educate and advocate, sharing the knowledge they already have from experience. Ear Community has always prided itself on everything we do to help give back to the microtia and atresia community, including our loving Board members who help in so many ways!
Whether you are looking for guidance or help or just someone to talk to who is in the same situation when it comes to microtia, aural atresia and craniofacial microsomia, Ear Community’s Board Members are happy to help provide guidance and information that can help you find what you are looking for! Some of our Board members wear bone conduction hearing device systems, some have had outer ear reconstructive surgery (Medpor, OmniPore, Supor) or rib graft, some wear prosthetic ears, some have overcome the struggles that come along with our rare cause and are happy to be a listening ear to others who are also struggling and some have embraced their little and missing ears and are happy with themselves just the way they are! Our Board is made up of AMAZING individuals!
We look forward to seeing everyone at our organization’s summer picnic events each year! We also look forward to making a difference for our community, together, through all of Ear Community’s meaningful programs that help give back to our community directly, including donating hearing devices, awarding college scholarships, championing genetic research, educating and informing about options, connecting families through our priceless events, providing eyewear for microtia kids and helping audiologists give the gift of hearing through Pax’s Funds within Ear Community, advocating for Federal legislation known as Ally’s Act and so much more! Ear Community also has an incredible Advisory Board with some of the world’s most influential leaders embracing the work we do! Our organization loves what we do and we are happy to help!
Melissa Tumblin, Founder of the Ear Community Organization, is proud to be a presenter at this year’s American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association Meeting taking place in Palm Springs, CA along with the CARE Study Team, a research team Ear Community has proudly been collaborating with for the past five years!
