HEARING AIDS AND SPEECH THERAPY COMPLIANCE AND QUALITY ASSURANCE CONSULTANT (HCQAC)

Organization and Project Background

The World Rehabilitation Fund, Inc. (WRF) is an international humanitarian non-profit organization headquartered in New York with a mission “To enable individuals around the world with functional limitations and participation restrictions achieve community and social integration through physical and socio-economic rehabilitation and advocacy and to prevent disability and reduce disadvantage.”

In Lebanon, the programs of WRF started in the early 1980s with the provision of training and material and technical assistance to concerned national (governmental and non-governmental) organizations, academic institutions, professional groups, and community-based rehabilitation institutions.

WRF/Lebanon is implementing a Project titled “Filling Assistance Gaps in Basic Rehabilitation Services for Refugees from Syria With Disabilities and Their Peers in Host Communities in Lebanon”.

Main Role:

The Hearing Aids and Speech Therapy Compliance and Quality Assurance Consultant (HCQAC) will supervise and ensure quality and compliance of the Hearing Aids fitting process, parental guidance and auditory training, and initiation to speech therapy sessions targeting persons with hearing impairments, who will be fitted with hearing aids, and their caregivers.

Purpose:

Providing guidance and consultation on Audiology and Speech Therapy to ensure appropriate fitting, quality of fitted hearing aids, appropriate parental guidance an auditory training, and expected outcome.

Within this context, it is expected from one or more professional consultants to:

− Develop, in partnership with the Project team, a plan of action, standards and guidelines, selection criteria, evaluation tools, implementation approaches…

− Provide as needed counseling, parental guidance and auditory training for persons with hearing impairments and/or their caregivers (before and throughout the process of assessment and fitting) to: (i) advise about hearing impairments, hearing aids and importance of speech therapy (if needed); (ii) assess needs and agree on the fitting process and types, specifications, and maintenance of different devices; and (iii) ensure quality of service and beneficiary’s satisfaction.

Based on experience, each beneficiary will need:

(i) a (need assessment and service verification) visit/consultation to agree on need, device quality and specifications, and fitting process;

(ii) a second (service delivery verification) visit/consultation upon delivery to verify device and ensure effective fitting, and agree on speech therapy need, if any; and

(iii) a (follow-up) visit/consultation for quality assurance and outcome evaluation few weeks after fitting to verify the quality and appropriateness of the provided service.

Consultations/visits should be face-to-face. WhatsApp, Skype and other Video means can be used based on need and circumstances.

Should there be need to engage more than one consultant; the “group” will be managed by a “lead” consultant.

At least 375 beneficiaries are expected to be targeted during the project cycle (September 2020 – August 2021). The consultant is expected to handle on average 15 beneficiaries in each field-day visit (individually and/or in groups). Thus, the total number of person-days required for service verification and quality assurance field visits for 375 beneficiaries is 75 person-days throughout the project cycle. 5 additional days are required for counseling and training of concerned staff, and for reporting. Thus, a total of 80 person-days. Should there be need for more than one consultant and for a “lead” consultant to manage the process (note above) the consultation days will be distributed accordingly.

Scheduling field visits depends on the number and geographic distribution of identified potential beneficiaries, selection, and grouping.

WRF will provide support in coordinating with community partners, managing referrals, identifying persons in need, facilitating consultation logistics, and other assistance that is essential for the achievement of the Project targets and deliverables.