LapCI ry was founded in 1999 by a group of parents. The aim is to support children with cochlear implants (CI) and their families throughout Finland. All the action starts from the parents and the children themselves. Currently, the LapCI board consist of parents of cochlear implanted children living all around Finland. LapCI ry has four employees (2024). LapCI ry as an association does not take any position on communication choices of families. LapCI ry is a not-for-profit organisation.
LapCI ry’s Most Important Objectives
- To empower children with cochlear implants and their families by creating a nationwide network
- To share effective information and knowledge-based experiences about cochlear implantation of children. To share experiences about life with a CI in different stages after the operation.
- To share experiences, wishes, expectations and drawbacks of life with a CI
- Active lobbying in the development of children’s daycare and school options
- To support those families who are considering CI-operation by sharing information and connecting them to families who already have the experience.
About membership
The first year of membership is free for families. After the first year of membership there will be a small fee. In 2019 one year’s membership is 25 € per family! Fill the membership form. You can also become a support member.
What do we do?
CIsupaja – Empowerment Workshops
LapCI ry’s project CIsupaja organises empowerment workshops for cochlear implanted children and their families. The aim is to provide opportunities for children with cochlear implant to meet each other and practice challenging subjects especially in those areas of life where CI-users might feel challenged compared to their normal hearing peers. These subjects include:
- Music (singing, playing in a band, musical self-expression)
- Languages (mother tongue, foreign languages, communication methods, self-expression in languages)
- Survival in the world of the hearing peers, self-expression (courage, learning to cope alone and in groups)
- Senses and development of the person as a whole (self-esteem and trust for the future)
Events
CIsupaja project organizes peer support events with different themes and target groups. There are whole-family-weekends, summer camps, club activities and one day events. Volunteers can participate by organizing one day events called CIsupajanen. If you are interested in organizing a small gathering, don’t hesitate to contact us at info(at)lapci.fi, we will help you make it happen!
Some of the events are organized in collaboration with other associations in the same or neighboring fields of expertise. Most LapCI events are free of charge. There is usually a participation fee for events that last overnight. Families are welcome to ask for a fee exemption for social/economic reasons.
CIsumusa – Goal-oriented hearing rehabilitation with music
CIsumusa project has two modes of operation. One is called Puhemuskari (”Speech Music Group”) and other one is Kuulomuskari (”Hearing Music Group”).
Puhemuskari (Speech Music Group)
Speech Music Group is aimed for children with hearing loss aged 0 to 6 years. The intervention period lasts 10 weeks per season and we have two seasons per year. The group is co-directed by a speech therapist and music educator. The groups are organized both in person (currently in Helsinki and Tampere), remotely via Zoom, and in hybrid form (with both remote and in-person access available).
Some families have also taken part in the MULAPAPU study (”How music intervention and singing improves the speech of children with hearing loss”). MULAPAPU looks at the effects of intervention in the musical and linguistic development of children with hearing loss. The parents of the children involved in the study have been interviewed before and after the intervention. Based on the metrics of the study we can gather information about the hearing and speech development of these children during the intervention period.
Kuulomuskari (Hearing Music Group)
Hearing music group is lead by a music educator. LapCI educates the leaders about hearing aids and how to consider hearing loss in musical activities. The Hearing Music Groups are currently running in both Helsinki and Tampere. There are 5 to 7 children in each group. During the music lesson children will learn about rhythm and pitch variation, they get to try out different instruments and play in band.
Contacts
info(at)lapci.fi
Janet Grundström, Managing Director
janet.grundstrom(at)lapci.fi
tel. +358400 914 583
LapCI ry
Valkea Talo
Ilkantie 4, 00400 Helsinki
Facts and figures
Statistics on CI
In Finland, circa 200 cochlear implants are fitted every year. At the end of September 2019 there were 1801 people who have been given the implant. Out of this number 547 had been 0-18 years old at the time of the operation.
About Funding
In Finland there is a unique model to fund associations which work for social and healthcare issues. Funding Centre for Social Welfare and Health Organisations (STEA) offers entertaining games at many locations, Casino Helsinki and online. The profits from games are channelled to associations in the social and healthcare sectors. These associations are hundreds in number, and they employ tens of thousands of people. The fund allocation is guided by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.