2024 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 17-19, 2024 • Denver, CO
3/18/2024 | 10:35 AM - 11:00 AM | Rural Families in EHDI: What’s a Parent/Professional to Do? | Capitol 5
Rural Families in EHDI: What’s a Parent/Professional to Do?
What do you do when your program gets a referral for a new family who lives far from services? We recognize that some families may live in a rural area due to their family, work, or financial circumstances. Some families choose to live in rural areas to enjoy the strong sense of community, a slower and less stressful pace of life, and easy access to nature. Whatever the reason, your Deaf, DeafBlind, hard of hearing, or DHH Plus child has the right to quality service providers and proactive family support ready to address the gifts and challenges involved in rural living.
We convened a working group of more than 30 parents and providers including Deaf/hard of hearing leaders with lived rural experience from across six time zones who represent diverse cultures and backgrounds. With the goal of tapping into the lived experience of rural families and the providers who serve them, the EHDI Parent to Parent Committee developed a resource for rural families new to the journey of raising a deaf/hard of hearing child. The Committee developed a common list of issues, practical strategies and resources for further explanation over a period of 12 months.
This project focused on the support needed by families new to the journey, with the goal of empowering and educating parents when living rural. The resource also includes Pro Tips from rural families to providers.
Parents and professionals can use this shared work to further their own understanding of common challenges and useful strategies faced living in rural settings. In this session, two members of the committee will share from their lived experience highlighting elements of the document and inviting ideas for implementation in EHDI systems and beyond.
- To understand the challenges and barriers families raising deaf/hard of hearing children experience in the medical and educational systems.
- To identify two strategies and two resources regarding accessing qualified providers, distance and transportation costs, social isolation and technology access.
- Identify methods to engage rural families in EHDI systems to better represent underserved communities.
Presentation:
3478265_16264TeriUrban.pdf
Handouts:
3478265_16264SaraKennedy.pdf
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Sara Kennedy
(Co-Presenter), Hands & Voices, Sara@handsandvoices.org;
Sara is a mom of four children, including a daughter born at home and later-identified as deaf after a progressive loss. An occupational therapist by training, Sara has served at Hands & Voices since 2001 as the editor for the quarterly newspaper, the Communicator, and a trainer for the educational advocacy program, ASTra. Sara has a particular interest in advocating for hearing screening in the homebirth community. She was a coauthor for the Virtual Waiting Room web presence at Hands & Voices, the handbook Bridge to Preschool: Navigating a Successful Transition as well as articles and presentations on topics ranging from children's safety, promoting self-advocacy, the decision process around cochlear implants, and supporting fathers and rural families. Sara transitioned out of her role as Director of Colorado Hands & Voices (2011-2022). She finds her new consulting role with young adult children rewarding and challenging.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Teri Urban
(Primary Presenter), Virginia Hands & Voices, vahandsandvoices@gmail.com;
Terese ‘Teri’ Urban lives with her husband and their three children in Montpelier, Virginia. Her oldest child (13 years old) was identified at birth with bilateral sensorineural non-syndromic hearing loss, commonly known as Connexin 26. Her daughter’s loss was progressive, and she now utilizes bilateral cochlear implants and American Sign Language to understand the world around her. Teri’s passion for bringing deaf and hard of hearing children together and providing resources for families began in Vermont when she successfully resurrected Vermont Hands & Voices. After relocating to Virginia in 2016, she has continued her leadership efforts as Chair for Virginia Hands & Voices. She joined the team at Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss in 2022 as Vice President of Advocacy and Parent Outreach to help build a bridge between educators and families and the resources used. Teri is a member of the Virginia EHDI Advisory Committee and sits on the board for numerous local and national committees that focus on the overall success of deaf and hard of hearing children. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, exploring the outdoors, and spending time with loved ones.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.