2024 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 17-19, 2024 • Denver, CO
Opening Plenary--These Roots Run Deep Presented by Apryl Chauhan
SANKOFA- Presentation
Sankofa (pronounced SAHN-koh-fah)
“Going forward - fetching back”
The “Sankofa” is a metaphorical symbol used by the Akan people of Ghana, generally depicted as a bird with its head turned backward taking an egg from its back. It expresses the importance of reaching back to knowledge gained in the past and bringing it into the present in order to make positive progress.
This presentation will take the audience on a personal journey of ancestry, family history and lessons learned as a Black woman in America and how I apply this knowledge to the journey of raising a Deaf, multicultural, transgender child. In other words, any child. Through the process of being open and vulnerable about my own journey it becomes evident that the roots of strong families and successful parenting begin with the culture of the family. Yet as parents and providers we often struggle with how to support our deaf and hard of hearing children of color and their unique needs. There are treasures of resilience, empowerment and strength to be found in our own history and I will touch on ways that parents, educators, service providers and support organizations can work with families to encourage the gift of sankofa.
- Participants will explore the benefit of personal journeys.
- Participants will discover new parenting approaches.
- Participants will identify ways in which they can incorporate culture and family history into their work.
Presenter: Apryl Chauhan
Apryl Chauhan is a dedicated American Sign Language Interpreter, Parent Advocate for Deaf Children, and an outspoken supporter of LGBTQ children. With a passion for advocacy and a dynamic career that spans various domains, she has spent the past twenty years deeply embedded in the Deaf community, family support, and community activism. In addition to serving two terms as President of California’s Hands & Voices, she and her family were featured in Andrew Solomon’s best-selling novel “Far From The Tree”, California Department of Education‘s “Through Your Child’s Eyes“, and Disney World’s national commercial “There’s A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow”. Apryl Chauhan continues to set an example of how a multicultural family navigates deafness, gender/identity, race, and culture in our current times.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.