Telethon Speech & Hearing is a member of First Voice, an international alliance of member organisations whose primary focus is the provision of listening and spoken language for children who are deaf or have a hearing loss.
Established in 2010, First Voice plays a leadership role in shaping public policy and funding decision-making relating to hearing impaired children. First Voice evolved from the former Alliance for Deaf Children, which was established in 2003. There are five founding members of First Voice, with an affiliated organisation in New Zealand. Despite limited resources, First Voice has emerged as a strong, active and influential organisation within the early intervention sector. Its lobbying efforts were instrumental in securing recurrent federal government funding for early intervention services for not only hearing impaired children, but across a range of other disability areas.