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Photo of a young man holding a drum brush in the air. His face is illuminated and shows his light hair and skin. There is a drum under the drum brush with a light underside that shows. There is light purple sky showing in the background behind a dark outline of an evergreen tree.

Alumni Spotlight: Kai

Photo of a young man holding a drum brush in the air. His face is illuminated and shows his light hair and skin. There is a drum under the drum brush with a light underside that shows. There is light purple sky showing in the background behind a dark outline of an evergreen tree.
Kai is an alumnus of Listen and Talk.

Kai Wendorf

Kai was diagnosed with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss when he was just four months old. At six months, he began working with the Listen and Talk program all the way through the Blended Classroom PreK, which played an important role in helping him develop the communication skills he relies on today.

A Rare Discovery

Photo of a child with blonde hair on the right and a woman with dark brown curly hair on the left. The woman is wearing glasses and is holding the boys hand as if to show him something.
Kai received services from Star Leonard-Fleckman, the founder of Listen and Talk.

When Kai was 12, our family learned the underlying cause of his hearing loss is a GATA3 gene disorder called Barakat Syndrome or HDR, a rare genetic condition characterized by a classic triad: Hypoparathyroidism, sensorineural Deafness, and Renal disease.

Embracing New Activities

Photo of a young boy with blonde hair and blue eyes smiling. He is wearing a black t-shirt that says "The Beatles" in white writing. He is wearing bright green rain boots and sitting on a wooden bench.
Kai received Birth to Blended Classroom Preschool services from Listen and Talk.

Kai has always met challenges head-on. He has been fearless by nature, always willing to try something new, jumping into opportunities that would make many people hesitate. He participated in almost every sport growing up but it was his love of the performing arts that led him to study improv and perform in several stage productions, including two starring roles as the lead actor. Along the way, he also taught himself to play both drums and guitar.

Pursuing Dreams with Confidence

Kai graduated from Renton High School in June 2024 and moved to California. Today, Kai is living in Los Angeles and pursuing his goal of building a career in the arts. Kai says, “Listen and Talk showed me that in a world where it feels like there aren’t many people like me, I am not alone. Even if it feels like no one else is going through what I go through, I take comfort knowing that there are others successfully pursuing their dreams too. I know they are always rooting for me!!

Grateful to Listen and Talk

Kai’s parents’ say: “Watching him grow into someone who continues to take risks, follow his interests, and create his own opportunities has been one of the great privileges of being his parent. We are forever grateful for Listen and Talk and the role they played in developing his grounded sense of self, and the skills with which he advocates and communicates in a hearing world.”

 

Donate Now to Our Alumni Family Campaign

Give back to Listen and Talk by participating in our Alumni Family Giving Campaign. Your support can help us continue to provide life-changing services and support to these children and their families. Thank you for contributing to the lives of deaf and hard of hearing children and their families to reach our vision that “no child is limited by hearing loss.”

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Kristin Hill

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