The Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center

What The Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center does

The Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center (CHSC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1921 and recognized as the nation's oldest hearing and speech center. Headquartered at 6001 Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, the organization operates four core service lines: (1) Speech-Language & Literacy Services, including adult and pediatric therapy, contract services to schools and preschools, and the Project ELLA public-health early-language program; (2) Hearing Services, covering evaluations, hearing aids, early intervention, and educational audiology; (3) Language Interpreting Services, providing American Sign Language and spoken-language interpreting on a 24/7 basis; and (4) the Community Center for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing (CCDHH), a regional full-service center offering vocational rehabilitation, behavioral health, ASL classes, and advocacy. Service delivery spans five physical locations across Northeast Ohio (Cleveland, Broadview Heights, Lyndhurst, Westlake, and Parma Heights) and a telepractice channel for remote clients.

The underlying technology stack is light: a telepractice video platform enables remote speech-language and interpreting services, augmented by standard productivity hardware (laptops, iPads, Zoom accounts) funded through grants. The organization holds six consecutive 3-Year CARF accreditations and operates as a Medicare/Medicaid provider, underwriting clinical services on a sliding scale that ensures access regardless of ability to pay. CHSC is governed by an independent Board of Directors and managed by President & CEO Dr. Jennell Vick, effective June 2024.

Revenue is generated through a diversified nonprofit model: clinical service fees reimbursed by Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance; individual donations, corporate philanthropy, and major fundraising events including the annual Big Wheel Relay; foundation grants from funders such as the Elisabeth Severance Prentiss, Cleveland Foundation, and Kelvin and Eleanor Smith foundations; and a planned-giving program anchored by a Heritage Society and substantial bequests (notably a $332,000 gift from the Mary Jane Davis Hartwell Trust in 2017). The customer base is fragmented across consumer-facing clinical clients, institutional partners (schools, healthcare providers, government agencies), and interpreting-services enterprise buyers — yielding low customer concentration risk.

Name

The Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center

Legal name

Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center

Website

https://chsc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1921, operating the nation's oldest hearing and speech center across five Northeast Ohio locations and providing speech-language, audiology, interpreting, and deaf services to children, adults, and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hearing and Speech Healthcare Services

NAICS

Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (621340), Offices of Other Health Practitioners (6213), Ambulatory Health Care Services (621)

SIC

Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Outpatient Rehabilitation & Physical/Occupational/Speech Therapy Centers (HLAFABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Audiology & Hearing Diagnostic Centers (HLAFAKAH), Audiology & Hearing Services (ENT-Affiliated) (HLAKAMAI), Speech Sound Disorders (Articulation/Phonology) Intervention (EDAKAEAD), Voice and Resonance Services (School-Age) (EDAKAEAH)

Keywords

• Speech-language pathology
• Audiology services
• ASL interpreting
• Deaf and hard of hearing
• Communication disorders

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Clinical Service Fees: Revenue from speech-language pathology, audiology, and interpreting services provided to clients. Services covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, corporate sponsorships, memorial/tribute gifts, and major fundraising events including Big Wheel Relay. Includes monthly giving program (Keyholders) and planned giving options.
3. Foundation and Government Grants: Grants from foundations including Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation, Cleveland Foundation, Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation, and government sources for specific programs.
4. Planned Giving and Bequests: Estate gifts and bequests including $332,000 from Mary Jane Davis Hartwell Trust. Heritage Society recognizes individuals who have included CHSC in estate plans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides speech-language pathology, audiology, and language interpreting services to children and adults, plus a full-service Community Center for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing. Services are delivered in person at five Northeast Ohio locations and remotely via a telepractice platform, and include hearing evaluations, hearing aids, early intervention, educational audiology, ASL and spoken-language interpreting, vocational rehabilitation, behavioral health, and ASL classes. The organization bills Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance and provides care on a sliding scale regardless of ability to pay.

Product overview

Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center (CHSC) operates as a nonprofit healthcare and social services organization providing a comprehensive suite of communication-access services. The organization offers four core service lines: (1) Speech-Language & Literacy Services — including speech-language pathology for adults and children, contract services, and the award-winning Project ELLA early language program; (2) Hearing Services — encompassing hearing evaluations and testing, hearing aids, early intervention, and educational audiology; (3) Language Interpreting Services — providing both American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting and spoken language interpreting for individuals, businesses, and organizations; and (4) the Community Center for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing (CCDHH) — a full-service regional center offering vocational rehabilitation, behavioral health (DBHC), ASL classes, Signs of Growth programming, and advocacy. CHSC's services are delivered across five physical locations in Northeast Ohio and are supported by fundraising, corporate partnerships, and planned giving programs. The organization is the nation's oldest hearing and speech center, founded in 1921.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Community Center for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing (CCDHH): The region's only full-service center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, providing interpreting services, case management, vocational rehabilitation, support services, advocacy, ASL classes, and behavioral health services.
• Project ELLA

Products and services

• Speech-Language & Literacy Services Speech-language pathology services helping children and adults develop or regain effective speaking, language, listening, reading, and writing skills, including services for adults, services for children, contract services, and Project ELLA.
• Hearing Services Comprehensive hearing testing and individualized treatment for people of all ages, including hearing evaluations and testing, hearing aids, early intervention service, and educational audiology.
• Language Interpreting Services Quality language interpreting services including American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting and spoken language interpreting for individuals, businesses, and organizations in Northeast Ohio.
• Community Center for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing (CCDHH) The region's only full-service center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, offering vocational rehabilitation services, support services and advocacy, Deaf Behavioral Health Collaborative, ASL classes, and the Signs of Growth program.
• Project ELLA (Early Language and Literacy for All) A public health approach to improving language development in children in every neighborhood of Cleveland with simple messaging and community health workers, recognized with the 2024 Early Childhood Team Innovation Award by Invest in Children.
• Preschool Language and Literacy Classrooms (PLLC) Program A program funded by The Thomas H. White Foundation where certified Speech-Language Pathologists collaborate with and provide resources to local educators of young children through shared book-reading activities to reinforce language and literacy skills.
• Deaf Behavioral Health Collaborative (DBHC) Mental health and behavioral health services specifically designed for deaf and hard of hearing individuals, provided in collaboration with partner organizations.
• American Sign Language (ASL) Classes American Sign Language classes offered through the Community Center for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing for hearing and deaf individuals.
• Vocational Rehabilitation Services Vocational rehabilitation services helping deaf and hard of hearing individuals prepare for, secure, and retain employment.
• Signs of Growth A program under the Community Center for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing focused on growth and development for deaf and hard of hearing individuals.
• SignStage An educational program of the Community Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing that incorporates American Sign Language and spoken English to educate students and adults about greater communication accessibility and self-expression, including deaf theatre productions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Aphasia patients can rebuild functional communication with speech-language pathologist support
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Neighborhood Family PracticecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2021Partnership to provide COVID-19 vaccines specifically to deaf and hard of hearing individuals with special communication needs. CHSC's Community Center for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing hosted vaccine clinics. Organizations collaborated on educational video production featuring sign language interpreters.
• Deaf Services Center, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenting mental health training for clinicians on culturally affirmative care for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Training offered 6.5 FREE CEUs to psychologists, social workers and counselors. Made possible by Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services grant.
• Case Western Reserve UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHSC planned to relocate from University Circle location with agreement for CWRU to acquire the 48,000-square-foot building. CWRU plans $300 million research facility on the site. CHSC opened new MidTown headquarters in September 2024.
• ADA ClevelandminorOthersCHSC is a member of ADA Cleveland, a coalition of disability-related organizations celebrating, leading, and engaging around the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• United Way of Greater ClevelandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCHSC is affiliated with United Way of Greater Cleveland as a member agency, supporting fundraising and community outreach.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hearts for Hearing: Oklahoma City-based nonprofit providing audiology, hearing aids, speech-language, and early intervention for children and adults with hearing loss. Closely comparable as a nonprofit hearing-and-speech center delivering the same integrated audiology + SLP + early intervention service model as CHSC.
• Atlanta Speech School: Nonprofit in Atlanta providing speech-language, literacy, and hearing services to children and adults through multiple programs and locations. Directly comparable mission and service portfolio to CHSC, including school-based contract services and pediatric language intervention.
• The Center for Hearing and Communication: NYC-based nonprofit offering audiology, hearing aids, speech-language, and deaf services with a historic community-center orientation. Closely comparable to CHSC's combination of clinical audiology/SLP with a community center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
• Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech: Nonprofit organization providing listening and spoken language services, audiology, and educational programs for children with hearing loss across multiple U.S. sites. Comparable to CHSC's pediatric hearing and early intervention focus and CARF-accredited service delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Cleveland Clinic: Major regional health system headquartered in Cleveland that operates audiology and speech-language pathology services across its network. Comparable as a competing provider of the same clinical services in CHSC's primary geographic market, though as part of a much broader portfolio.
• University Hospitals Cleveland: Large Cleveland-area health system offering audiology, speech-language pathology, and cochlear implant services. Direct overlap with CHSC service lines in the same Northeast Ohio geography, providing system-based competition for referrals and clinician recruitment.
• Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center: Pediatric academic medical center with a Division of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology serving children with communication disorders. Comparable to CHSC's pediatric SLP, hearing services, and early intervention offerings as part of a broader pediatric specialty portfolio.

Emerging players

• Gallaudet University: National university for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, operating the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center and federally funded research programs. Comparable to CHSC's CCDHH in serving the Deaf community, and a research partner, though Gallaudet's primary mission is education rather than clinical service delivery.

Others

• Hearing Loss Association of America: National consumer advocacy organization for people with hearing loss, providing education, support, and policy advocacy. Comparable to CHSC's CCDHH advocacy function rather than its clinical services; relevant as a national peer shaping the operating environment for CHSC's hearing services.
• National Association of the Deaf: National civil rights organization of, by, and for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, focused on advocacy, legal rights, and access. Thematically aligned with CHSC's CCDHH advocacy work and ADA Cleveland coalition membership, though NAD is policy/advocacy-only and does not deliver clinical services.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/clevehearspeech
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/chscdevelopment
• Facebookfacebook.com/clevelandhearingandspeechcenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cleveland-hearing-&-speech-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center