Last Tuesday, we spent the morning at The John Tracy Clinic in Los Angeles. This clinic was founded by Spencer and Louise Tracy in 1942.

Their son, John, had been born profoundly deaf. Rather than accept the doctor’s advice to institutionalize John so that he would learn sign language, Louise found a correspondence program to teach him to talk and lip read. She had such success with John that she and her husband founded a program to help other families.

Years later, this amazing clinic helps families all over the world, using the latest technology combined with the correspondence program. The services are provided free to families. Much of what the JTC does is to help educate and support the parents of deaf children. They have classes for the preschoolers, classes for the parents, and support groups, too.

90,000+ children have been helped around the world, in over 100 countries.

I featured the JTC in my first book, Copper Star. We passed by a case and there it was!

These are archives of the first correspondence letters written between a parent and Louise Tracy. She used to type the letters to each family herself.

One comment made by a JTC staff member has stuck in my mind: “While the technology has changed over the years and the correspondence program has been updated, one thing hasn’t changed–the questions and concerns of the mothers.”

It was a memorable morning for us–so interesting to see the beautiful facilities of the Clinic, meet the impressive and caring staff, and see what has come out of Louise Tracy’s dream.

And much more fun than going college hunting.