Ellen Quinn, Pediatric Audiologist for Rainbows’ Infant/Toddler Services (ITS), provides audiological services for children enrolled in Rainbows’ ITS program for infants and toddlers ages 0-3 years old, living in Butler, Sedgwick and Sumner counties.
Ellen earned her Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Radford University and Master of Science in Audiology from Gallaudet University. Her decades of experience are mostly in the areas of educational and pediatric audiology, working with school aged children and young adults ages 3 to 21. She has also worked in private practice Ear Nose and Throat clinics serving both children and adults.
Relationships are Ellen’s favorite part of her job, and with 34 years in the field of Audiology, she’s developed many relationships. “I spent the past 24 years working for a large school system in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas,” said Ellen. “Since I was there for so long, I had the opportunity work with many families with children with special needs from the time their children entered the school district until they graduated. There are very few jobs that allow one to develop long term relationships like that. Seeing children with special needs make progress, often surpassing initial expectations, is one of the most rewarding parts of being a pediatric audiologist. Over the years, I have had the good fortune to work with some amazing families, all of whom taught me important life lessons along the way.”
In her personal time, Ellen can be found crafting, reading or walking. She is a native of the great state of Virginia, so history books line her bookshelf. She recently discovered alcohol inks and paint pouring and is looking forward to experimenting more with both mediums. In addition to helping children, animal welfare is Ellen’s passion. Prior to moving to Kansas, she was involved in cat and dog rescue for over 25 years and frequently fostered for rescue groups. “One of my favorite stories to tell is about a feral kitten that climbed up a very tall oak tree on a very windy day and got stuck, overnight,” she said. “The next morning, I drove to the neighborhood fire station and asked if the firemen could help. After a brief discussion, they agreed. A few minutes later, the big truck with the big ladder pulled up, four firemen got out and saved a very scared 6-week-old kitten. True story.”
Ellen currently lives in the Wichita area with her two dogs, Fly and Miss Marple, both former rescues that found their forever home with her.
