A child's wooden play set, with slide and climbing wall, stands in the corner of a large room. The walls of the room extend from the corner on either side of the play set. The walls are painted with a mural of a lush green, grassy field extending to the horizon. The sky is blue, with a few white, puffy clouds.

The “backyard” at Katie’s House can be used for occupational therapy activities.

Katie’s House, located at the Hearing Speech + Deaf Center’s Clifton location, is an innovative and nurturing space where we offer speech and occupational therapy.

The concept of Katie’s House began as a shared dream of the Hearing Speech + Deaf Center and the Katie Haumesser Foundation, who was looking for a way to permanently honor Katie Haumesser. Katie was a speech-language pathologist who was tragically killed at age 27 by a drunk driver. She had a remarkable passion for children and knew first-hand the profound difference that speech therapy could make in a young child’s life. In 2014, Katie’s House opened.

On the third floor of the building, the elevator opens to what resembles the outside of a ranch-style home. Once inside, the therapeutic rooms are designed to look and feel like home. The living room serves as a waiting area for families, a home theater allows parents to observe their children during therapy, and speech therapy rooms are designed to resemble a playroom, sunroom, home office and library. There is even an occupational therapy gym resembling a backyard.

Our organization is tremendously honored to have partnered with the Katie Haumesser Foundation to make this dream come true.

Click here to learn more about the Katie Haumesser Foundation.