The AG Bell Academy for
Listening and Spoken Language

The AG Bell Academy exists to ensure that children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families have access to listening and spoken language services from knowledgeable, skilled, credentialed providers. The Academy works to make this a reality for families through its mission, to advance listening and talking through standards of excellence and certification of professionals.

The AG Bell Academy works to increase the number of certified auditory-verbal practitioners (denoted as LSLS Cert. AVT® and LSLS Cert. AVEd®) so that children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families will have access to qualified professionals in their immediate geographic area. The AG Bell Academy is an independently governed, subsidiary corporation of The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing headquartered in Washington D.C.

Certification
Become a certified LSL Specialist

Mentoring
Guide the next generation of LSL Specialists through mentorship.

Continuing Education
Earn continuing education units towards certification or recertification.

Certification Renewal
Find all the details you need for certification renewal

Academy News and Announcements

AG Bell Academy Board Passes Resolution for New Certification Designations for Retired Professionals

In a board meeting last summer, the AG Bell Academy Board passed a resolution to add two new designations for retired professionals: LSLS Cert. AVT® Emeritus and LSLS Cert. AVEd® Emeritus.

Effective January 1, 2024, professionals may transition their certification to Emeritus status. Professionals who are eligible for LSLS Cert. AVT® or LSLS Cert. AVEd® Emeritus status must meet all three (3) of the following requirements:

  • Have held LSLS certification (LSLS Cert. AVT or LSLS Cert. AVEd) for a minimum of 10 years prior to applying for LSLS Emeritus status.
  • Have ceased to provide direct services to children with hearing loss and their families.
  • Have ceased to provide mentoring services to LSLS candidates.

Emeritus professionals will pay a one-time fee equal to the annual recertification fee at the time they desire to switch to LSLS-Emeritus status.
View the resolution

If you have questions about transitioning to Emeritus status, please contact the AG Bell Academy at academy@agbell.org.

Exciting News! LSLS CEU Providers Can Submit Applications through the LSL Registry!

The AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language will be accepting CEU provider applications online through the LSL Registry effective January 2023. New CEU provider applications for courses that are to occur in 2023 are not being accepted until the Academy officially transitions to the online CEU provider application. This exciting and important work is wrapping up in the next few weeks.

An email with a CEU Provider link to the online CEU application will be shared with the AG Bell community once the module is ready to receive applications. The new CEU module will be almost identical to the current paper form. Please know that applications submitted for January 2023 courses will be prioritized and expedited.

LSL Registry

The Academy for Listening and Spoken Language has launched its Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) Registry. Yes, the certification process is now digital! Click here to learn more!

Notice to Professionals Who Began Pursuing LSLS Certification Prior to March 2020

For reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic, some professionals have found it difficult to fulfill requirements as planned related to pursuing LSLS certification. A number of professionals have expressed concern that they will not be able to complete their certification (as intended) within the 3-to-5 year timeframe due to issues created by the pandemic.

For this reason, effective May 2021, a professional who began working towards certification prior to March 2020 can have up to 6 years to complete their certification requirements IF the reason or reasons for the extension of one year (to six years in total) was created due to hardship caused by the pandemic. An eligible professional will simply need to add a short of letter of explanation to their certification application materials at the time of application. That letter should briefly outline the impact of the pandemic on their pursuit of certification (e.g., My caseload was reduced in 2020) and the need for extended time.