2024 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 17-19, 2024 • Denver, CO
3/19/2024 | 11:30 AM - 11:55 AM | Building Strengths Within Culturally Diverse Families | Mineral Hall D/E
Building Strengths Within Culturally Diverse Families
As Early Intervention providers we understand that both research and best practice have identified that family engagement is key to children's long-term success in life. When professionals serve culturally diverse families, building family engagement presents an additional set of challenges that can create disparities in the ability of these children to reach their potential and have positive outcomes.
This presentation will focus on bridging the cultural gap through a strength-based perspective. We will examine 3 different cultures, each culture’s strengths, and demonstrate how to use this cultural wealth in order to help children who are deaf or hard of hearing achieve their potential. The goal is to build trust, support, collaboration, and positive results which will improve the family’s ability to become equal team members throughout their Early Intervention program and beyond. We will review and provide a tool for the participants to apply within their practice. This tool is designed to explore and identify cultural strengths within each family.
Our overall goal is to create a culture of change through caring, integrity, respect, conviction, leadership, excellence, and embracing cultural humility. Culturally diverse families require individualized support mindful of culture, beliefs, values, emotions, and family dynamics.
- Participants will identify and promote strengths within culturally diverse families.
- Participants will determine a variety of strategies to build trust and relationships within diverse communities.
- Participants will assess articles and implement best practices when adapting early intervention services to culturally diverse families.
Presentation:
3478265_16320BarbaraMeyers.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
3478265_16320BarbaraMeyers.docx
Presenters/Authors
Barbara Meyers
(Primary Presenter), St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf, bmeyers@sjid.org;
Barb Meyers is a listening and spoken language therapist for St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf. Barb sees families in their homes in the state of Missouri, as well as, coaches caregivers, professionals, paraprofessionals, and school age students via the iHear Internet Therapy program. Barb has licensures in Missouri, Indiana, Nebraska, and Kansas. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Special Education and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Deaf Education from Fontbonne University in St. Louis, Missouri. Barb has been teaching deaf and hard of hearing children for over 50 years. Her previous experience has been teaching 3–9-year-old students with St. Louis County Special School District and 3-4-year-old students in the preschool program at SJI. Barb has supervised undergraduate and graduate students from Fontbonne University and Washington University and has been a mentor to fellow staff members.
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.
Mariana Barquet
(Co-Presenter,Co-Author), Indiana Hands & Voices, mbarquet@health.in.gov;
Mariana Barquet was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico. She moved to the US in 2004 and married an Indiana native in 2005. She started working as the Hispanic Parent Guide in Indiana in 2015 and has served in that position since. She spearheaded the efforts to start the Educational Advocacy Program under Hands & Voices, ASTra (Advocacy, Support and Training) and became the ASTra Program Coordinator in April 2019, when the Program officially started to operate. Shortly after, she took over the position of the Guide By Your Side Program coordinator as the previous coordinator stepped down. As the Programs Coordinator she oversees all operations of the ASTra and GBYS Programs that provide Parent to Parent support for all families of newly identified children with hearing differences all the way to exit of High School.
She was awarded the National Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Family Leadership Award for improving the involvement of the Hispanic families with children with hearing difference in the Early Intervention Program by 11% over this population growth in the State of Indiana through the last 4 years grant period under CDC requirements. She has served in the Hands & Voices Latino Council since 2016 and has presented in the EHDI National Conference, Hands & Voices Leadership Conference, and several state conferences in Indiana.
She has a deep passion for supporting families through the different stages of the educational process that often require the parents to become skilled advocates.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with .
Nature: .
Nonfinancial -
Non-Financial relationship with .
Nature: .
Megan Perria
(Co-Presenter,Co-Author), St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf, mperria@sjid.org;
Megan Perria earned a bachelor's degree in deaf education from Eastern Michigan University with a minor in early childhood education. She also holds a master's degree in deaf education from San Diego University in conjunction with the John Tracy Clinic in Los Angeles, California. She is certified as a Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLS Cert AVEd). She started her career at St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf in Indianapolis, Indiana as a preschool classroom teacher for new listeners. After 6 years in the classroom she changed roles to join the early intervention department. For the past 10 years she has served culturally diverse families in Indianapolis and the surrounding area who have children with hearing loss that are pursuing listening and spoken language through Indiana’s early intervention program.
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.