About

Buffalo Cochlear Implant Group is a member-run 501(c)3 nonprofit organization providing support and education to cochlear implant users, candidates, D/deaf, hard of hearing, and their families.

Our hope is that the implant users, their support people, and the professionals involved in the communication disorders fields will greatly benefit from the sharing of experiences and ideas.

Come join us and share your experiences with the Buffalo Implant Group. 

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Who We Are

Members of the Buffalo Implant Group include individuals of all ages with hearing loss, family/friends, and related professionals such as Speech-Language Pathologist, Audiologists and Teachers of the Deaf.

Those with hearing loss are typically actively utilizing or considering some form of amplification or combination (hearing aid(s), cochlear implant(s) and/or bone anchored solution(s) to improve their access to sound and quality of communication and interactions.

Board members volunteer their time and meet regularly to facilitate general meetings and social opportunities, plan a yearly summer picnic, coordinate fundraising efforts, and offer scholarships to college bound high school graduates. If you are ​interested in learning more, see scholarship info here! 

What We Do

We host quarterly meetings throughout the year which consists of social and informative meetings. Of the four meetings, one is consist of our Annual Summer Picnic at Bowen Road Grove in Lancaster, NY.  The Summer Picnic is a great way to meet and greet those who have cochlear implants and their families.

With the help and assistance of our members and non-members alike, we are able to share personal stories of their hearing loss journey leading up to the big decision to finally get a cochlear implant.  It doesn’t stop there, we also provide ongoing support.

Our members are more than open to share their experiences with you.  Some have even gone as far as helping other members with urgent needs and have formed lasting friendships.

We are here to offer our support for those who are seeking more information about cochlear implant technology as well as BAHA.

Founders

Officers

Board Members

BIG Officer Duties Download

Leadership

When B.I.G first began Craig Carpenter was the first and only president of the group except for the two years the now late Ed Bastian was president. 

In 1998, Gail Cronin and Craig Carpenter shared the duties of keeping the group going and doing the newsletters.

In 2003, we elected Peter O’Hara, who served us well.

In the Spring of 2006, we elected Winnie Morrison.

In the Winter of 2007, we elected Joe Kolis who was the only president who did not have a cochlear implant but he served us well and was a tireless worker and donor to B.I.G.

In the spring of 2011, we elected our current president Sue Wantuck, who we admire for her organizational skills and tireless efforts to help grow and expand the group in the Buffalo communities.

A Renewal Period

In 1998 when Dr. Andrew Marlowe came on the scene doing implants at Buffalo General, B.I.G tried to begin meeting again.  The older members couldn’t make the meetings as the idea of traveling was too much for them.  So B.I.G decided to focus on the new recipients and being available for one-on-one chats for prospective recipients.  At that time Gail Cronin, our former newsletter editor, was putting together a CI rehab program along with Joann Hammer, Au. D at Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center.  Not too long after, Dr. Marlowe left us soon after he had a taste of Buffalo’s harsh winters and he relocated to Sarasota, Florida.  Dr. Marlowe is no longer associated with CIs.  Hence, we were blessed with the presence of Dr. Ernesto Diaz-Ordaz soon afterward and he has since performed CI surgeries with regularity in the Buffalo area.  Dr. Ernesto Diaz-Ordaz is still in practice but in limited capacity as he will be retiring soon.

We will let you all know the about newest ENT doctor, who recently joined WNY ENT!

The Beginning

The journey of B.I.G begins with Craig Carpenter and Howard Tagg in 1984.  They were the first two individuals to be selected for implantation by Dr. Irwin Ginsberg of the Buffalo Otological Group (B.O.G) in the Northeast region with experimental devices.  Given the unknowns, they thought it would be a good idea to stick together, share their ideas, fears, and hopes as they went through the pre-op testing and evaluations; the surgery itself to the healing and finally activation to give a full feedback on their individual experiences. Since this was a relatively new procedure at that time, they had no one to contact or to reach out to, to get information on the implant.  The choice of what type of implant to use was left to the doctors.  Only one was approved by the FDA at that time, the House Ear Institute device manufactured by 3M.

When the group was founded on January 15, 1985, our founders had no knowledge of any other implant group.  They also did not have any knowledge of the personal stories that accompany such undertaking.  In February of 1986, Craig Carpenter discovered a newly formed Cochlear Implant Club International (CICI) operating out of Nashville, Tennessee. B.I.G became the first affiliated Chapter of CICI, which later went on to become known as the Cochlear Implant Association, Inc.  Unfortunately, Cochlear Implant Association Inc. is no longer active and was absorbed by HLAA during the summer of 2003. 

The group’s first meeting was held at the home of Craig Carpenter with seven people in attendance including three candidates, their support team and the audiologist from the ENT center.  At that time the group would hold monthly meetings in which they would discuss over their new hearing and the effects that it had on their lives and those around them.  Since this was a new type of sound that was hard to describe, they tried ways to better understand what they were hearing while giving some insight to problems to help those in the group along with the CI team understand how to improve upon what they have gained.

As time went on, the Buffalo Otological Group ceased doing implants in 1992.  B.I.G began meeting quarterly and then annually for the summer picnic.