Millridge Audiologist Named Regional Hearing Professional of the Year

Lori Ausperk said she didn't know she was a Rayovac 2011 Hearing Professional of the Year award winner until she was notified by email.

"I thought, 'Is this spam email?' I didn't know I had been nominated," said the educational audiologist at .

One of six winners nationally, Ausperk was nominated by a parent, Frank Gagyi, whose son, Frank Jr., is in fourth grade and has worked with Ausperk since he was in preschool.

"A parent nominated me, which makes it all the more special," Ausperk said.

Ausperk has been with the Mayfield City School District for eight years and works with 84 students from preschool to high school.

"I came from a clinical setting at Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital," she said. "This is completely different. There, I would see children two times a year. Here, I see them almost every day and see how they're progressing."

Last year, eight students she's worked with graduated and went on to attend college or trade schools.

"I'm really proud of that group and what they've accomplished," Ausperk said.

She said the goal of the program for impaired hearing students is to have them go back to their home districts – students come from Lake, Geauga and eastern Cuyahoga counties – or into the general population if they're from the Mayfield district.

Ausperk said improved technology, particularly cochlear implants, have made it possible for many students to enter the general classroom earlier. However, technology has its costs and some parents can't afford new ear molds, which is why she designated the $500 prize she won from Rayovac to go to the Millridge Center PTG Hearing Aid Fund.

For the last three years, she has chaired an annual fundraiser for the hearing aid fund. Ausperk said that effort was probably part of the reason she was chosen for the Rayovac award.

Ausperk said she hopes the recognition she's received will draw more attention to Millridge Center and its program.

"This is a great building. It's a small building and the people here are like a family," she said. "I'm happy to win because it sheds some light on the program for the hearing impaired. We're very proud of it."