2024 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 17-19, 2024 • Denver, CO
3/18/2024 | 1:55 PM - 2:20 PM | Hands & Voices Family Support Activities Guide; Aligning with the CYSHCN Blueprint for Change | Mineral Hall B/C
Hands & Voices Family Support Activities Guide; Aligning with the CYSHCN Blueprint for Change
This presentation highlights the significance, advantages and enhancements to the Hands & Voices Family Support Activities Guide, a resource designed to assist families with children who are deaf/hard of hearing (D/HH). Offering a comprehensive range of family support activities that empower families, helping them navigate challenges effectively.
The Family Support Activities Guide provides supporting activities aligning with the four critical areas included in the MCHB HRSA CYSHCN Blueprint for Change (health equity, quality of life/well-being, access to services, financing of services). Included in the Guide are potential family learning activities to assist families with reaching desired developmental outcomes for their children, including language and literacy.
Language and Literacy Support: Recognizing the importance of this topic, the guide highlights activities that support Language & Literacy understanding and development.
Inclusivity: The guide highlights and incorporates resources available in various spoken languages. Ensuring that families from diverse backgrounds can access and benefit from the support activities offered.
Empowerment: The Family Support Activities Guide empowers families to take an active role in their child's development journey. It offers practical, easy-to-follow activities and resources that equip families with the tools they need to support their child's needs effectively.
Comprehension: The guide begins each construct with the related questions created by the IFSE (Impact of Family Support and Engagement) Learning Community that measure the impact of family-to-family support for families with children who are D/HH based on the learning outcomes of that construct.
The Family Support Activities Guide is a valuable resource for EHDI stakeholders and FBOs. It not only aligns with the Blueprint for Change but also prioritizes language and literacy support while embracing diversity. By utilizing this guide, families can navigate the challenges they are experiencing with improved well-being leading to confidence and competence in raising their children who are D/HH.
- Participants can explain the significance of the family support activities supporting the Children and Youth with Special Healthcare Needs (CYSHCN) Blueprint for Change goals and how the activities can be applied so that families of children who are D/HH receive comprehensive and evidence-based support.
- Participants will be able to identify how the Family Support Activities Guide provides resources and activities that foster family engagement in language and literacy skills for their children who are D/HH.
- Participants will recognize ways in which they can use this guide to support the diverse needs of the families in their state/territory.
Presentation:
3478265_16242Carrie Balian.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
3478265_16242Carrie Balian.pdf
Presenters/Authors
Carrie Balian
(Co-Presenter), Illinois Hands & Voices Guide By Your Side, cbalian6@outlook.com;
Carrie Balian is the mother of five children. Her oldest child, Jack, was born deaf. Carrie and her husband, Andre, have been married for over 25 years and reside in Island Lake, IL. She has been the Coordinator of her state Parent to Parent support program, IL Hands & Voices Guide By Your Side (GBYS) for over 13 years. In continuing her ventures of representing families of children that are deaf and hard of hearing, Carrie has presented to groups nationwide and co-authored several publications including the NCHAM e-book. Carrie is currently serving as a board member on the Illinois Universal Newborn Screening Advisory Council and Illinois Hands & Voices. She is also an editor for JEHDI (Journal of Early Hearing Detection & Intervention) publications, participated on the Illinois Universal Newborn Hearing & Screening Advisory Board and Illinois Deaf Task Force. She has also participated as a parent professional on the NICHQ (National Institute for Children’s Healthcare Quality) national and statewide learning collaborative teams. In 2021, Carrie graduated from the Hands & Voices L2L (Leadership to Leadership) development cohort and in 2022 was awarded the EHDI Family Leadership Award. Carrie had the pleasure of participating in two national projects: FEHDI (Family EHDI) to help determine data points and definitions for family-based organizations for grant reporting purposes and VSV/Virtual Site Visit team that created materials and information to help support families before and after newborn hearing screening and the hospital teams that carry out newborn hearing screening. Carrie has also been recognized and awarded both nationally and locally for her support, commitment, and leadership in the field. Her educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management.
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.
Lisa Kovacs
(Primary Presenter,Co-Presenter), Hands & Voices , lisakovacs@handsandvoices.org ;
Lisa Kovacs is the Director of Programs for Hands & Voices Headquarters and the Director of the Family Leadership in Language and Learning (FL3) Center. She and her husband Brian have four young adult children including her son who is hard of hearing/deaf. Lisa was the 2019 Antonio Brancia Maxon Award for EHDI Excellence recipient. Her professional interest include; Parent Advocacy; Implementation of parent participation and engagement in systems building; Parent to Parent support; Deaf Education Reform; IDEA, ESSA, Part C and Part B Training to Parents, and Parent Leadership Training and Development.
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.