Jeanine Gleba spearheaded a grassroots advocacy campaign in order to ensure that the children of New Jersey could have better access to the hearing devices they need.

Her own daughter, Grace, was diagnosed with hearing difficulties as a result of her newborn hearing screening and was first fitted with hearing devices when she was three months old.

According to the Center for Disease Control, 1.4 per 1,000 babies screened is diagnosed with some type of hearing difficulty.

Jeanine and her husband worked very hard in order to provide their daughter with the hearing devices she needed, and Grace has flourished. But for some families, the cost can be a barrier. Wanting to help enable other parents to offer their hard-of-hearing children the technology they need, Jeanine set out to create change.

On December 30, 2008, Grace’s Law, which mandates hearing aid insurance coverage for children 15 and younger, was signed into law in New Jersey.

Called the “Warrior Mom,” Jeanine continues to advocate for those with hearing difficulties and is currently working on creating federal change for hearing aid insurance coverage nationwide.

In recognition of her efforts, Jeanine has been awarded:

• 2013 National Alexander Graham Bell Award of Distinction
• 2009 NJ Speech Language Hearing Association Presidential Award
• Honorary Chair of the 2009 Gala for the Babies at Lakedrive
• 2008 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Certificate of Appreciation
• 2007 Brian C. Shomo Parent Leadership Award
• 2004 Alexander Graham Bell Parent Section’s “Parent Recognition” Award (NJ Chapter)