Boston Guild for the Hard of Hearing
The Boston Guild for the Hard of Hearing (BGHH) began in 1916 as the Speech Reader’s Guild. It was started by Mildred Kennedy, Anna L. Staples, and Clara M. Ziegler, three teachers at the Mueller-Walle School of Lip Reading in Boston. BGHH grew to be the largest nonprofit in New England dedicated to helping people with hearing loss. It closed in 2003, but Northeastern University’s Speech Audiology Department continues its mission.
Claire K. Kennedy served as Executive Director for thirty years, starting in 1951. Under her leadership, BGHH pioneered several innovations:
- a pilot program to train trainers for hard-of-hearing people
- televised lip-reading classes
- mobile screening units for community mass screenings
- help with hearing conservation programs in noisy workplaces
- the Infrared Listening System
- a 40-hour volunteer-led lip-reading course for seniors in remote areas
BGHH’s records are kept at the Northeastern University Archive, with a finding aid for the collection. Research from BGHH showed that 3–5% of public school children have early signs of deafness, and thousands more go undetected. This can lead to more deaf adults and economic problems for the community.
The group aimed to build a fellowship among the hard of hearing, provide a center to discuss and solve deafness problems, prevent deafness, conserve hearing, and raise public awareness.
Membership was open to adults who were not deaf from birth or before learning speech. There were three classes:
- Regular (for people with significant hearing loss)
- Associate (for people with normal hearing who want to help the mission)
- Honorary (for those honored for distinguished service by unanimous Board vote)
Joining involved an election process by the Board of Directors.
Northeastern University now continues the mission through outreach programs. The Hearing Instrument Outreach Program, run by Bouve College of Health Sciences, helps provide affordable new or refurbished hearing aids and assistive listening devices. To qualify, applicants must have a hearing loss that can benefit from aids and must not be eligible for aids through medical insurance or state programs. They must apply, obtain medical clearance, and show financial need.
Services include an initial hearing aid consult at the Speech-Language and Hearing Center, ear impressions and molds, a hearing test if needed, and a hearing aid orientation. There is a trial period of at least 30 days with follow-up visits.
Aural rehabilitation and speech-reading classes offer new skills and updates to help people communicate better. A hearing aid alone cannot solve all challenges.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 21:10 (CET).