Colorado Womens Hall Of Fame

Pollack Chosen As Historical Inductee Into The Colorado Women’s Hall Of Fame

Groundbreaking work teaching children who are deaf and hard of hearing to listen and talk

Doreen Pollack was one of 10 inductees comprising the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame Class of 2018. This group of extraordinary contemporary and historical women with significant ties to Colorado, have made enduring and exemplary contributions to their fields, inspired and elevated the status of women, and helped open new frontiers for women and society.

“Extraordinary is the operative word,” said Beth Barela, chair of the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame. “These women are unsung heroes who have endured with superlative strength, beauty and love. They deserve to have their stories told and to be honored as shining examples of the potential of all women.”

The induction ceremony took place on March 28 at the Denver Hilton City Center and Anne Trujillo was the evening’s emcee. As Pollack is a historical inductee, her children, Doug Pollack and Naomi Cohen accepted the award on her behalf.

The impact of Pollack’s method for teaching children who are deaf to listen and talk has literally been “heard” around the world. She was a true pioneer in the field of speech pathology and audiology at a time when the medical community did not believe anything could be done for the profoundly deaf child. Her intellect, dedication and tenacity changed the way we look at, address and treat children with hearing loss both in Colorado and internationally. Pollack immigrated to the United States in 1948 after graduating from London University, moved to Denver in 1951, and lived in Colorado for the remainder of her life teaching children who were deaf and hard of hearing spoken language through listening.

In 1969, a group of parents of children that benefitted by Pollack’s method formed the non-profit Listen Foundation in Denver, which continues to support families and children who use her methods today. The Listen Foundation was the first organization in the world to advocate Listening and Spoken Language therapy, and remains Colorado’s only parent-centered, auditory-based communication approach for teaching children who are deaf and hard of hearing spoken language through listening.

Following is the video that was shown at the induction ceremony.

There have been many times when she has announced how thankful she is that she can hear and speak. She truly appreciates the gift.

–Becky, Mother of a Listen Graduate

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