Anixter Center president and CEO Stuart G. Ferst honored with Distinguished Contributions Award by Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association

CHICAGO (February 27, 2003) — Anixter Center President and CEO Stuart G. Ferst was honored by the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association with its Distinguished Contributions Award at its annual luncheon in Arlington Heights, Ill., on February 22. For 20 years, Ferst has guided Anixter Center, a Chicago-based nonprofit agency which provides flexible and innovative speech-language services through its array of services for people with disabilities.

With more than 40 years of experience in the rehabilitation field, Ferst has been instrumental in expanding speech-language services for people with disabilities in the Chicago area. Anixter Center has been committed to speech and language services since 1958. For many years, Anixter Center was the only rehabilitation agency in the area providing speech-language services for adults with disabilities. Following Anixter Center ’s lead, other local agencies began offering speech-language services to adults in the 1980s.

Under Ferst’s leadership, Anixter Center, reflecting its inclusive approach, now provides speech-language services to its most profoundly disabled clients — medically fragile and nonverbal students in its day training and residential programs. Anixter Center evaluates clients’ Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC) needs and purchases the necessary communications equipment and educates staff and clients on how to implement the technology. The goal is for the AAC equipment to be used consistently in all settings to fulfill the communication needs of residents.

“Anixter Center has been very supportive of the Communication Services staff,” says Manager of Ancillary Services Corinne Lee, who has seen speech-language services blossom in her 40-plus years at Anixter Center, “By creating and leading group sessions with other therapeutic staff members, social workers, movement therapists, occupational therapists and physical therapists, Anixter Center displays its commitment to assisting people with communication and hearing disorders.”

Ferst is a founding member (and now president) of the Metro Chicago Human Services Coalition. In 2000, he received the New City YMCA LEED Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities honored him with the Don Burke Award for Executive Excellence in 1996. Anixter Center and its three divisions — CALOR, Chicago Hearing Society and the National Lekotek Center — annually serve more than 4,000 people with disabilities throughout Greater Chicago.

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The mission of the Lester and Rosalie Anixter Center is to assist people with disabilities to live and work successfully in the community. Anixter Center is a leading provider of high-quality vocational, residential and educational options, substance abuse prevention and treatment, and health care. Anixter Center is an advocate for the rights of people with disabilities to be full and equal members of the community.