Mission & History

​Spokane Hearing Oral Program of Excellence (HOPE) believes all children who are deaf or hard of hearing have the right to reach their full potential, pursue their dreams, and thrive in school, their community, and life.  We achieve this vision by teaching and supporting children who are deaf or hard of hearing from birth to age 5 so they can listen, speak, learn, and thrive.

Founded in 2004 on the premise that all children with hearing loss should have the opportunity to maximize their listening and speaking skills, Spokane HOPE School attracted a dedicated group of individuals with considerable tenure in their professional fields to make this educational dream a reality for local families with deaf or hard-of-hearing children. 

Spokane HOPE continues to be the ONLY deaf and hard of hearing birth to three service provider and preschool listening and spoken language (LSL) provider in our community with certificated teachers who hold graduate degrees in teaching deaf and hard of hearing children with an emphasis in LSL strategies.


Janet Johnston, the speech language pathologist who began working with deaf children after they received cochlear implants, knew that even though the children were able to hear, they needed to learn to make sense of these new sounds and learn how to speak. Her dream was to have a daily language development program for these children so that they would be ready to enter kindergarten in their neighborhood school, sitting alongside their hearing peers.

Keep her dream alive. Donate now to the Janet Johnston Scholarship Fund to support families with tuition needs.