A Life of Service for Others

“Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow and then for ourselves.” (Helen Keller)

Dan Ling liked helping other people succeed. That made him happy. This “life of service for others” energized the charismatic Dan we loved. Jim and I were completely captivated by Dan's spirit, his rapture for life. His pursuit of excellence attracted us. We were honored and humbled that he believed in our efforts.

In early August, a parent asked how I got involved in Auditory-Verbal Therapy. She said; “Jim is related to A.G.Bell, but what about you?” I told her; “It’s all because of Dan Ling!” We met Dan in 1976 after; Speech and the Hearing Impaired Child was published. As a speech pathologist, I knew the book. Jim and I attended commemorative lectures celebrating Alexander Graham Bell’s centennial of the telephone. We heard about Dan from many people that year. We had no idea how meeting Dan would open up a whole new world for us. 

Call it “fate” or “the Hand of God”. Dan suggested that Jim study at McGill University for a Master’s Degree in Aural Habilitation and that I work at the Montreal Oral School. We listened to Dan and that is how we got started.

Dan admired Auditory-Verbal Pioneer, Helen H. Beebe and sent McGill graduate students to work with her for their practicum. Jim saw that Beebe was carrying out the Auditory-Verbal theory that Dan was teaching. Dan encouraged us to learn all we could from Beebe when she offered us both jobs at the Beebe Center.

Jim called Dan at McGill in 1980. We wanted to move home to Massachusetts, specifically Gloucester. Jim asked; "What do you think the chances are for starting a program in Gloucester, MA?" Dan answered; "I think they're pretty good! I have two families from Gloucester in my office right now who want a McGill graduate to start a program for their children." That was the beginning of our two programs, the Auditory-Verbal Inclusion Program in the Gloucester Public School System and the Auditory-Verbal Communication Center (AVCC).

After he spoke at the Auditory-Verbal International, Inc ® Boston 1998 conference, Dan spent a day at AVCC. Dan played with the babies and counseled the parents sharing his wonderful wealth of ideas and solutions. Dan reminded me to make sure the parents understand their role as the primary teachers in AVT and expect spoken language to be taught and learned through HEARING.

We are fortunate to have Dan’s achievements in writing, teaching, research, and mentoring. Many people are following in his footsteps. Thanks to Dan, we continue to learn, teach, and develop the Auditory-Verbal Philosophy for people who are deaf and hard of hearing. Dan’s legacy lives on in the happy lives of those his life inspires to “think, feel, and do” for others.