Fred Schott, left, is the outreach and education coordinator at the Deaf Service Center of Palm Beach County, Inc. based in Delray Beach. He exhibits a phone designed for hearing loss with Kathlyn Maguire, founder of Empowerment Through Hearing. Together they plan to raise awareness of preventing hearing loss in school-age children.

Kathlyn Maguire used her own money to fund the start of Empowerment Through Hearing in 2004, and she just recently partnered with the Delray Beach-based Deaf Service Center of Palm Beach County, Inc. to publish the educational and amusing book, “Listen Up!,” which is included in the curriculum of all Palm Beach County schools. A veteran of the public relations business in New York City, Maguire, now retired from a storied career, focuses on hearing loss issues, most importantly creating awareness for parents to get proactive with their schools about hearing loss. Her organization increases awareness about hearing loss, relying only on her own funds. In 2009, her book launched nationwide, but her focus after that endeavor is back to Palm Beach County students.

“Today, because of the excessive noise our children are exposed to in cranked-up iPods, car radios, at concerts and sports events, one in eight students between the ages of 6 and 19 has some degree of hearing loss,” Maguire said.

ETH has implemented a Sound Advice informational column about back-to-school hearing screenings. They asked for the communities in Palm Beach County help in alerting students, parents and teachers, to the detailed causes and the dangers of hearing loss.

Her Delray Beach ties started 14 years ago when Maguire met Fred Schott, the Deaf Service Center outreach and education coordinator.

“We need to create awareness and education on noise induced hearing loss and then get those students involved in programs or devices that will build confidence and well-being. A student who can’t hear misses consonants and vowels,” Schott said.

The two met due to Maguire’s hearing loss and her search for advancements in hearing loss devices and prevention of losing more hearing. Now, they’re focused on schoolchildren's hearing loss.

“Right now because of the HIPAA laws, the only thing that’s done is that a letter goes home. Half of those letters go unresponded,” Schott said.