2024 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 17-19, 2024 • Denver, CO
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2/26/2017 | 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM | The Common Ground Project: A Framework for Collaboration | Hanover C
The Common Ground Project: A Framework for Collaboration
The Common Ground Project is made up of national leaders in Deaf Education who have come together to develop tools and strategies to work collaboratively in local and state systems throughout the United States. The Common Ground Project members have developed 12 shared understandings that are the basis of dialogue and deep conversation addressing common areas professionals in the field can discuss to open deeper dialogue for system alignment and change. These areas of agreement identify needed services, supports and systems to meet the needs of D/HH children and families. Each area has associated policy implications, which need to be addressed at the state and national level. The goal of this project is to work together to accomplish change at the national, state and local level, as well as to demonstrate a model of collaboration that may be replicated by other constituents in the diverse field of Deaf Education. By capitalizing on our shared beliefs, we can accomplish more for D/HH children and their families. Additionally, the group has identified seven goals to guide our discussions and create a model to promote family education and empowerment, support existing programs and seek additional partners in this collaborative effort to have a positive impact on programs across the country who serve all children who are D/HH and their families.
Common Ground members work together to create a learning environment to assist participants in identifying strategies and tools that will help state and local stakeholders open conversation and begin the process of moving toward common ground in service delivery models, being fully respectful of professional beliefs and language or modality choice. Key discussion will be around developing relationships, developing trust among stakeholders, addressing the tough conversations and providing tools to open honest dialogue to create a climate allowing positive change.
- Identify key stakeholders
- Establish one post-conference collaboration goal
- Establish one six-twelve month goal
Presentation:
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Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Maura Berndsen
(Co-Presenter), Listen and Talk, maurab@listentalk.org;
Maura Berndsen (MA, CED, LSLS Cert. AVT) holds her BA in Deaf Education from Fontbonne University and her MA in Early Childhood Education from the UT, San Antonio. Maura is the Educational Director at Listen and Talk in Seattle, WA. She provides mentoring and supervision at Listen and Talk, as well as being a LSL Consultant on the WA State Center for Childhood Deafness and Hearing Loss Statewide Outreach Team.
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Barbara Hecht
(Co-Presenter), John Tracy Clinic, bhecht@jtc.org;
Jill Muhs, M.S.ED, Director, Parent/ Infant Services, received her undergraduate degree and California Multiple Subjects credential from California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo and master’s degree from University of Southern California (USC). Her master’s degree is in special education with specialization in Deaf and Hard of Hearing. She currently is the John Tracy Clinic Director of Parent Infant Services, works with individual families, and is an instructor for the University of San Diego’s masters degree teacher preparation program. She mentored Kapiolani Medical Center’s Auditory-Oral Team in Honolulu Hawaii and is currently working with a beginning parent support program, N-Courage-Mint, in Las Vegas Nevada. Mrs. Muhs is a long standing AGBell member and has presented at many local, state, and national conferences on how to work with parents and their children who have a hearing loss.
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Barbara Raimondo
(Co-Presenter), Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf, nationaloffice@ceasd.org;
Barbara is a long-time advocate for the rights of deaf and hard of hearing individuals and their families. She has worked as a government relations liaison, director of advocacy, parent consultant, attorney, and now, executive director of the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf. She has presented and written about numerous topics including early hearing detection and intervention, education, test equity, civil rights, family support, deaf-hearing partnerships, parent and deaf community involvement, and others. She has served on the board of the American Society for Deaf Children, which presented her with its Lee Katz Award for her
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David Geeslin
(Co-Presenter), Indiana School for the Deaf, dgeeslin@isd.k12.in.us;
Dr. Geeslin is an alumni of the Indiana School for the Deaf, where he currently holds the position of CEO/Superintendent. He has experienced, both as a student and as a professional, oral education, mainstreaming with a Sign Language interpreter, Deaf residential schools, self-contained classrooms and public schools. He works closely with educators, speech-language pathologists and audiologists. David is President-elect of the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools & Programs for the Deaf (CEASD).
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Meredith Berger
(Co-Presenter), Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech, mberger@clarkeschools.org;
Meredith Berger, MS became the director of Clarke Schools for Hearing & Speech/New York, an Early Intervention and Preschool listening spoken language program, in 2008. Prior to that, she was the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Educational Specialist at New York Eye and Ear’s Ear Institute/Cochlear Implant Center. She received a B.S. in Education from SUNY at Buffalo State College and master’s degrees in Deaf Education and in Educational Leadership from Canisius College. In addition to presenting on the educational needs of children with hearing loss, she has also co-authored pieces on the Clinic-School relationship. Meredith is on the Executive Board of Option Schools as a Director at Large and is member of the Children's Hearing Institute Medical and Educational Advisory Board. In 2017, Meredith began her doctoral studies at Teachers College, Columbia University to find answers to her own questions on the needs/outcomes of children who are deaf or hard of hearing, particularly those with microtia/atresia, and their families.
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• Receives Salary for Employment from Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech.
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• Has a Professional (NYS EHDI Advisory Board Member)
relationship for Volunteer membership on advisory committee or review panels.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
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Financial relationship with Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech.
Nature: Employed by Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech.
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No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Richard Hauan
(Primary Presenter), Washington State Center for Childhood Deafness and Hearing Loss, rick.hauan@cdhl.wa.gov;
Rick Hauan is currently Executive Director of the Washington State Center for Childhood Deafness & Hearing Loss (CDHL). CDHL is a state agency committed to serving deaf and hard of hearing students throughout the state of Washington, regardless of their communication modality. CDHL also oversees the day and residential services of the Washington School for the Deaf (WSD) in Vancouver. In the past Rick served as Superintendent at the Washington School for the Deaf until his appointment as Director of CDHL in 2009. Rick began his career in Special Education in 1992 at Oak Harbor High School. Over the years he has served as Director of Special Education in both the Oak Harbor and Anacortes, WA School Districts. Rick joined the staff at the Washington School for the Deaf as Assistant Superintendent in 2004 and was appointed Superintendent by Governor Gregoire in 2007.
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Jane Mulholland
(Co-Presenter), Washington State Center for Childhood Deafness & Hearing Loss, jane.mulholland@cdhl.wa.gov;
Former Superintendent of the Washington School for the Deaf (WSD) in Vancouver, WA. WSD is part of the Washington State Center for Childhood Deafness and Hearing Loss (CDHL). Jane has been in the field of Deaf Education since 1974, serving as Superintendent and other educational leadership positions at the Oregon School for the Deaf, the Oregon Department of Education, and the Arizona Schools for the Deaf and Blind in addition to WSD. She is the founder of an educational consulting business, Planning for Student Success.
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Joe Finnegan
(Co-Presenter), CEASD, Joef@stfrancisinn.com;
Joseph P. Finnegan, Jr., has been involved in the education of deaf children for over 40 years having served as a dorm counselor, classroom teacher, supervisor, principal and CEO of two special schools (total of 20 years) for the deaf. He is a graduate of the Leadership Training Program (LTP) at CSUN and had the opportunity to be mentored by some of the giants in our profession. He and his wife Margaret, who is the coordinator of the deaf education teacher training program at Flagler College, live in St. Augustine, FL. They have two adopted children, one of whom, Elizabeth, is deaf. Relationship building is one of Joe’s passions, both as an administrator of a special school and as a business man (owner of the St. Francis Inn) in St. Augustine.
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Jay Wyant
(Co-Presenter), Common Ground Project, jwyant@bitstream.net;
Jay's congenital deafness was not diagnosed until age 2. He was promptly fitted with hearing aids and enrolled in 3 programs: a school for the deaf, the John Tracy Clinic correspondence school, and a laboratory preschool. After mainstreaming beginning in first grade, Jay went on to college and then a variety of careers, including high school teacher, instructional design, product marketing and digital accessibility. He is currently Chief Information Accessibility Officer for he State of Minnesota. Jay has also served on the boards of numerous non-profits at both the local and national level.
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