Built by a leading expert. Driven by life experience.
SparkMinds is created by Dr. Uma Soman, a globally recognized leader in family-centered listening and spoken language intervention.
Uma Gokhale Soman
M.E.D., Ph.D., LSLS Cert. AVEd. · Founder & CEO
Uma holds a PhD in deaf education from Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN), earned as a National Leadership Consortium in Sensory Disabilities Fellow. She earned a Masters in Deaf Education from Smith College (Northampton, MA) funded by the Leelavathy Patrick Fellowship from the Oberkotter Foundation. Uma is a certified Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLS Cert. AVEd.) since 2008.
Uma has taught over 100 DHH children (birth-16 years) since 2001 in the US and India. Since 2009, Uma has taught Listening and Spoken Language Intervention to graduate students at universities across the US. In 2017 she co-founded the nonprofit Listening Together, which utilizes an innovative, tele-education based train-the-trainer model and has reached over 250 professionals across 11 countries. A sought after speaker, Uma is invited to present at conferences worldwide.
Uma has served on the board of AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language and OPTION schools. She currently serves on the Hands & Voices FL3 Advisory Board, continuing to shape the field of DHH education through advocacy, leadership, and professional development.
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Uma was seven years old when her younger sister was diagnosed with bilateral profound hearing loss. For the next fifteen years, Uma watched her mother turn every meal, every errand, every story into an intentional language learning activity. It became their way of life. And it shaped Uma's life trajectory.
Today, Uma's sister is a thriving, independent adult who speaks, works, and is raising a family of her own. That outcome wasn't guaranteed. It was earned, one day, one conversation at a time, made possible because by luck her family found the right support at the right moment.
For far too many of the million children born with hearing loss each year, effective support is still a matter of luck. SparkMinds exists to change that.
SparkMinds is built to deliver science-based daily guidance tailored to each child's learning profile and each family's life. It meets parents where they already are: in the kitchen, on the school run, at bedtime. SparkMinds turns these everyday moments into opportunities to build language.
SparkMinds is the culmination of Uma's life's work. For 25 years, she has worked, in every way possible, to help DHH children reach their full potential: as an educator of deaf children–in person and online with families around the world; as a consultant to general education teachers, and as a professor at five leading US universities. Uma is also a founder of the global nonprofit Listening Together and is building professional capacity through online courses, across 11 countries, from India and USA to South Africa, UAE, and UK, while also mentoring professionals in USA and India toward LSLS certification, the highest credential in listening and spoken language. With SparkMinds, this expertise can reach every parent, wherever they are, whenever they need it, not only those who can connect with the right professional.
SparkMinds is here for the days when language learning is at its peak, the days you can't afford to miss. Not as a matter of luck. As a matter of course.
Guided by experience, expertise, and excellence.
We've assembled a group of highly qualified advisors to help us build SparkMinds.
Jenna Voss
PhD, CED, LSLS Cert. AVEd.
Directs Butler University's MA in Deaf Education. A compassionate educator, author, and international presenter, she mentors professionals to advance equitable, family-centered, listening and spoken language practices.
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Jenna Voss, PhD, CED, LSLS Cert. AVEd., is Program Director for the Master of Arts in Deaf Education at Butler University. An experienced faculty member and compassionate educator of deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students, Dr. Voss finds joy in supporting the professional growth of future and practicing educators of the deaf and speech-language pathologists. With a warm and collaborative spirit, she mentors professionals to enhance family-centered early intervention practices—always promoting interprofessional connection and shared celebration of progress.
For more than two decades, her scholarly priorities have centered on promoting equity and inclusion, strengthening family-centered approaches, and cultivating effective, joyful strategies in personnel preparation. Dr. Voss shares her passion internationally and is co-author of two texts: Small Talk: Bringing Listening and Spoken Language to Your Young Child With Hearing Loss and Case Studies in Deaf Education: Inquiry, Application, and Resources. She currently serves on the Council on Education of the Deaf Board of Directors.
As a seasoned presenter and engaging learning facilitator, Dr. Voss offers workshops, mentoring, coaching, consulting, and listening and spoken language teleintervention. Connect at www.jennavoss.com
Shahida Mogar
M.Ed (HI), LSLS Cert. AVT
Coordinator of Professional Development at the global nonprofit Listening Together. A Certified LSLS Auditory-Verbal Therapist based in Mumbai, she helps families turn evidence-based strategies into simple daily routines, with multilingual support worldwide.
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Shahida Mogar, M.Ed (HI), LSLS Cert. AVT, is an experienced educator and Certified Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLS) Auditory-Verbal Therapist with extensive expertise in supporting students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) and their families. She holds a Master of Education in Hearing Impairment and is dedicated to using evidence-based, intentional practices to support children and families.
Shahida specializes in transforming the educational journeys of young DHH children through strong partnerships with families. She focuses on guiding families through the intervention process, turning professional strategies into simple, actionable steps that fit naturally into a child's daily routine. Based in Mumbai, Shahida provides multilingual support, ensuring that high-quality intervention is accessible to diverse families both locally and internationally. Shahida is the Coordinator of Professional Development at Listening Together, a global nonprofit organization.
Stay tuned - we will be announcing a few more advisors soon.
Working with DHH families?
We're building relationships with professionals and parent leaders that work with families and DHH children. If you'd like to learn more, share feedback, or explore how SparkMinds fits alongside your work, we'd love to hear from you.