CI Circle: Connecting Parents of Children with Cochlear Implants
CI Circle – the international cochlear implant network for parents.
In 1998 Naomi Higgs (Australia) and Karen Biernat (USA) co-founded CI Circle. CI Circle arose from the need for parents to gain accurate and non-judgmental information about pediatric cochlear implants. The original group started with just 8 members and has now grown to over 2000 members internationally.
In the life of each child, different professionals may come in and out, but it is the child’s parents who are there for the long haul, and who are the one constant committed to the child’s success. As a result, parents become the keepers of a great depth of knowledge, some of it acquired from reading or attending seminars, but most of it based on direct, real-life experience. The information provided by this group has provided enormous support to parents and professionals alike.