19th ANNUAL EARLY HEARING DETECTION & INTERVENTION MEETING
March 8-10, 2020 • Kansas City, MO

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3/09/2020  |   2:00 PM - 3:00 PM   |  Developing Parent-Leaders: Where Do Professionals Fit In?   |  Chouteau A

Developing Parent-Leaders: Where Do Professionals Fit In?

Parent leaders are integral to successful early hearing detection and intervention programs.The international consensus statement on family-centered early intervention best practices explicitly calls for early intervention systems to incorporate parent leadership into the strategic development and operational function of early hearing detection and intervention programs. However, early intervention providers and other professionals who work with families can be unsure about how they can effectively support the development parent leaders without inadvertently derailing the process. Recognizing that parents play a vital role in local, state, and national programs and initiatives is important, having the knowledge and skills to effectively develop parent leaders is another issue.This session will provide information and strategies aimed at strengthening professionals’ abilities to recognize leadership behaviors in parents/caregivers, how professionals can support parent leaders in informal ways, and strategies to encourage parent-professional collaboration to on-board parents into leadership roles. This session is presented by parent-professional teams from Ohio and Maine.

  • Participants will be able to identify qualities in parents/caregivers that indicate they are ready to take on leadership roles.
  • Participants will be able to identify formal and informal ways to support parent leaders.
  • Participants will be able to identify strategies that encourages collaboration between parent leaders and professionals to on-board parents/caregivers into leadership roles.

Presentation:
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Handouts:
Handout is not Available

Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference


Presenters/Authors

Karen Hopkins (), The Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing/Governor Baxter School for the Deaf, karen.hopkins@mecdhh.org;
Karen Hopkins is the Executive Director of The Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing/Governor Baxter School for the Deaf and the principal investigator of Maine's HRSA grant. She brings over 30 years of experience as a collaborative teacher of the deaf, special educator, early interventionist and educational administrator to her work with Deaf and hard of hearing children. Her work with families, coupled with her own personal experience as a Deaf adult and parent of a daughter who is hard of hearing have inspired her to create systems that empower families. Karen oversees early intervention and statewide educational programming for children who are Deaf or hard of hearing birth to age 22 throughout the state of Maine. She is active in many organizations and boards in Maine, the Hands & Voices HQ Board of Directors and is involved with international FCEI programming including the Deaf Leadership International Alliance. Karen is the Board President of Hands & Voices Headquarters. Karen's current research as she finalizes her doctoral journey is focused on perspectives of family empowerment in early intervention systems for Deaf and hard of hearing children.


ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.

Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.

Carrie Davenport (), The Ohio State University College of Medicine, carrietdavenport@gmail.com;
Carrie Davenport, Ph.D., is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Otolaryngology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Carrie is a teacher of the deaf by training with a Master's degree in Family-Centered Early Education from Gallaudet University. She earned her doctorate in special education at OSU in 2017. Prior to entering the PhD program at OSU, she was the Early Childhood Consultant for the Center for Outreach Services at the Ohio School for the Deaf. Carrie is a founding Board member of Ohio Hands & Voices. Her research interests include parental self-efficacy, parent-to-parent support, and parent-infant interaction. She is especially interested in building academic-community partnerships with families with deaf/hard-of-hearing children and other stakeholders.


ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.

Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.

Tabitha Belhorn (), Ohio Hands & Voices, tbelhorn@gmail.com;
Tabitha Belhorn is a parent of Deaf child. She has worked with families for 13 years, providing resources, guidance, and support to families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. She has experience supporting families of children who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, and deaf plus additional disabilities. She is the Executive Director of Ohio Hands & Voices and Ohio ASTra Coordinator. She serves as the Regional Coordinator. Tabitha has presented on a variety of topics such as special education law, educational advocacy, preschool transition, and family support and is a co-author of the Communication Planning Guide for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.


ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.

Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.

Darlene Freeman (), Maine Hands & Voices, darlsfree13@gmail.com;
Darlene Freeman is on the board and the treasurer of the Maine Hands & Voices chapter and a Parent Guide with Maine Hands & Voices. She is also the Quality Improvement Specialist for Maine's HRSA Grant. She is the parent of her 28-year-old daughter, Deaven, who is deaf. Darlene enjoys working with families to help them understand the newborn hearing screening process into early intervention and beyond to encourage them to become strong advocates for their children who are deaf or hard of hearing.


ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.

Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.