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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Yes, I understand this is a major concern.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> CapChapOhio <capchapohio-bounces@nfbnet.org> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Eric Duffy via CapChapOhio<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, February 20, 2026 2:37 PM<br><b>To:</b> capchapohio@nfbnet.org<br><b>Cc:</b> Eric Duffy <peduffy63@gmail.com><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [CapChapOhio] Fwd: Article on Columbus Speech and Hearing<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Well, as we all know, it is a challenge to get organizations to keep their Webb sites up-to-date. It is even more of a challenge to get an organization. They closed its door on Friday to update their website so this information is very out of date.<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>Sent from my iPhone<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><br><br><o:p></o:p></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>On Feb 20, 2026, at 12:55<span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>\u202f</span>PM, rchpay7--- via CapChapOhio <<a href="mailto:capchapohio@nfbnet.org">capchapohio@nfbnet.org</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></blockquote></div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'>\ufeff</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>When I go to the web page this is what is listed We are no longer providing Speech Therapy Services. The Audiology Department, ASL Instruction, and Support Service Provider program remain open.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> CapChapOhio <<a href="mailto:capchapohio-bounces@nfbnet.org">capchapohio-bounces@nfbnet.org</a>> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Todd Elzey via CapChapOhio<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, February 18, 2026 9:44 AM<br><b>To:</b> Capital Chapter (Columbus, Ohio) Mailing List <<a href="mailto:capchapohio@nfbnet.org">capchapohio@nfbnet.org</a>><br><b>Cc:</b> Todd Elzey <<a href="mailto:toddelzey@gmail.com">toddelzey@gmail.com</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> [CapChapOhio] Fwd: Article on Columbus Speech and Hearing</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>Good morning, Capital Chapter family. As many of you know, in addition to my blindness, I have a moderate to severe hearing loss. I don't hear anything out of one ear and I wear a hearing aid in the other so that I can hear enough to communicate. I have worn a hearing aid since the 2nd grade at OSSB. Hard to admit, but that was over 50 years ago. Anyway, because of the hearing aid, I rely heavily on audiology services. Since relocating to Columbus, I have used Columbus Speech & Hearing for my hearing aid services. They have been the best audiologists I have ever had. But last Friday, they suddenly closed their doors for good. Apparently, the staff was told of the closure on Friday, and customers still have not been told about the closure. As you may recall, last year we had a presentation about the SSP (Support Services Provider) program for the deaf-blind. Columbus Speech & Hearing administered the SSP program through a contract with the State. With the closure of Columbus Speech & Hearing SSP clients do not have access to the SSP program. In fact, it appears that the SSP clients have simply been left hanging in limbo with no information about what happened or what will happen to their services that the legislature authorized money. The Dispatch published an article about the closure. Below is an email I sent to the reporter who wrote that article. I am encouraging everyone in the chapter to write this reporter and encourage her to continue researching and reporting on the closure until Columbus Speech and Hearing clients have answers about what happened and, more importantly, until something is done to quickly reinstate SSP services. The reporter's name is Samantha Hendrickson, and her email is <a href="mailto:shendrickson@dispatch.com">shendrickson@dispatch.com</a>. I hope all of you will share this information with friends and family, particularly those impacted by the closure. I also hope that all of you will take a few minutes out of your day to email Ms. Hendrickson to ask the Dispatch to dig deeper into this issue. Thanks, and please let me know if you have any questions.<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>Todd Elzey<o:p></o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>---------- Forwarded message ---------<br>From: <strong><span style='font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif'>Todd Elzey</span></strong> <<a href="mailto:toddelzey@gmail.com">toddelzey@gmail.com</a>><br>Date: Tue, Feb 17, 2026 at 12:06<span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>\u202f</span>PM<br>Subject: Article on Columbus Speech and Hearing<br>To: <<a href="mailto:shendrickson@dispatch.com">shendrickson@dispatch.com</a>><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>Ms. Hendrickson:<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Good morning! I just read your article about the closure of Columbus Speech and Hearing at <a href="https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/healthcare/2026/02/16/columbus-speech-and-hearing-shutdown/88709331007/?tbref=hp%5C" target="_blank">https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/healthcare/2026/02/16/columbus-speech-and-hearing-shutdown/88709331007/?tbref=hp\</a> This was a good starting point on the subject, but there is so much more that should be reported on with this issue than was mentioned in the article. At the outset, I hope you will delve much deeper into the issue than is done in your most recent article.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>First, in the article, you posed the issue of whether clients have been notified of the closure. I can say with certainty that, no, clients have not received any type of notification from the organization of their closure. I have a moderate to severe hearing loss, in which I do not hear anything at all in my left ear, and I wear a hearing aid in my right ear. Since I relocated back to Columbus in 2022, I have used Columbus Speech and Hearing as my Audiology provider. As of this morning, despite being a client for over 4 years, I have not received any notification from the organization of their closure. In fact, the only semi-official word I received of the closure was via your article. Even their website still says that Audiology, ASL, and the Support Services (SSP) programs are still open.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I have worn hearing aids for nearly 60 years. As such, I have worked with audiologists much of my life. Over the last 4 years, the audiology department at Columbus Speech and Hearing has been the best group of audiologists I have ever worked with. In fact, this was the first time in my life that I didn't have to stress about how audiology appointments would go because they had awesome customer service and new what they were doing. But despite that, the way the Board has handled this closing by not giving advance notice to employees and not giving any notification to customers who, like me, are going to be left in the lurch trying to replace these superb services in an industry that is not known for its customer service, has been absolutely disgusting and completely unprofessional. Customers deserved better. Customers and the community also deserve an explanation of why this was allowed to happen, rather than having the CEO hideout and not face questions about the closure. After all, they are a non-profit that took donors' money to run their services, not a private business. The non-profit status should impose a higher standard of responsibility for the Board to be upfront with both customers and staff about what led to the closure and why customers weren't notified. As someone who has worked for non-profits and government entities for a good portion of my career, I am left to wonder what they are hiding with their silence on the closure.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>This also involves taxpayer dollars. Columbus Speech and Hearing ran at least one program, the Support Service Provider (SSP) for deaf-blind individuals, that was at least partially funded by the State Legislature. In fact, because of the severe need for the services provided by this program, the Legislature increased the funding to Columbus Speech and Hearing for this program in the last budget. So what will happen to this money? And even more importantly, what will happen to Ohio's Deaf-Blind population, who depend on SSP services to navigate their everyday lives. From what I can tell, right now they don't appear to have access to these services, and that's simply unacceptable. So I particularly hope you will report on this issue in-depth.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I hope you will continue to report on this story until the full story comes out about why and how Columbus Speech and Hearing has left thousands of people in the lurch with their closure, no notification of the closure, and no assistance in locating alternative services. I, for one, would call on the CEO and the Board to hold a public forum where they would have to explain to the public what happened and why the closure was handled so poorly and so abruptly.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Thank you, and please let me know if you have any questions.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Todd Elzey<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>611 Blenheim Rd.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Columbus, OH 43214<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>315-879-1746<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div></div><p class=MsoNormal>_______________________________________________<br>CapChapOhio mailing list<br><a href="mailto:CapChapOhio@nfbnet.org">CapChapOhio@nfbnet.org</a><br><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/capchapohio_nfbnet.org">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/capchapohio_nfbnet.org</a><br>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for CapChapOhio:<br><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/capchapohio_nfbnet.org/peduffy63%40gmail.com">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/capchapohio_nfbnet.org/peduffy63%40gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></p></div></blockquote></div></body></html>