About Us
One-Year-Old Aarush Engages in Audio-Visual Therapy with His Grandma (Dadi)
Our Founder’s Story
My name is Aarush Joshi, and I was born deaf in both ears. Because newborn hearing screening is mandatory in the United States, that hearing loss was detected on the first day of my life. And when I was a year old, I received a Cochlear implant, and began working with an amazing speech therapist. My parents tell me that they were warned I may never develop normal speech due to my early hearing challenges. But the combination of early detection, implantation, and speech therapy worked wonders. With some effort on my part, and the unwavering support of my family, I learned to listen and speak at the same level as my peers who could hear by the time I joined kindergarten.
I speak to you now as a senior in high school, as a former Stanford intern, founder of multiple clubs, and scholar who took some of the most challenging courses available, and someone in the 99th percentile for the SAT. I know that these things couldn’t have been achieved if I spent my life struggling to understand people as a deaf child in a world of hearing. If I hadn’t been diagnosed and treated, everything would be so much harder for me to do. I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity I was given to prove myself, but it sobers me to think that there children out there in a different situation just because of where they were born.
Far too many kids even today are not diagnosed until later ages, and they miss critical developmental windows for language and speech. I want every child to have the same benefits I did—so my mission is to advocate for universal newborn screening. With greater public awareness and and by influencing policy change, we can ensure every baby’s health is tested right after birth. This allows for immediate follow-up and treatment when it’s needed. My goal is a future where every child, regardless of where they live or their family’s income, receives potentially life-changing tests and care in their first days of life. I believe every child deserves the chance to hear, speak, succeed, and pursue their dreams—just as I have. This is to be my life’s work, and I can’t wait to get started.