2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference
March 13 - 15, 2022
THE ANTONIA BRANCIA MAXON AWARD FOR EHDI EXCELLENCE
Karen Hopkins
I am thrilled to nominate Karen Hopkins for the Antonia Brancia Maxon Award.
Karen has worked her whole adult life helping families with deaf or hard of hearing children obtain the services they need during the newborn hearing screening process, into early intervention and beyond! She has a passion for making sure they receive what they need to acquire language, no matter what language a family chooses. She also understands the importance of deaf and hard of hearing children meeting other children who are deaf or hard of hearing so they do not feel they are alone and also meeting deaf and hard of hearing adults so they have positive role models to look up to. She truly believes in giving families the most unbiased, up-to-date information so they can make the best choices for their families, which leads to families becoming strong advocates for their children.
Karen has carried this passion into every position she has held in Maine, from working as an early interventionist to now being the Executive Director of the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. She works tirelessly to ensure that her staff understands the importance of creating an atmosphere where families can learn and grow in their advocacy of their children at their own pace and with whatever works for their families.
Karen understands the importance of early hearing detection and intervention and has been the driving force behind MECDHH's support of Maine's EHDI program, first by contracting with two positions in our EHDI program when Maine had a hiring freeze and then by applying for the HRSA grant to ensure our state received crucial funding for this work when our EHDI program was not in a position to apply. Because of this, we have been able to continue to provide support to families and professionals to help us reach our EHDI goals.
Karen works tirelessly networking with other professionals and parents throughout the country on a regular basis so she stays up to date on what others are doing to be sure our programs here in Maine set the bar high for our children. She realizes there are many perspectives to be considered when programs need to be changed because of betterment of the process or budgeting and she is the first to suggest that we bring all parties involved together to have a face-to-face discussion about everyone's concerns to reach an agreement that works for everyone. She has empathy for others' opinions but will not compromise when she knows it will affect deaf/hard of hearing children negatively. Karen gives 110% in every aspect of her job and I am not sure she truly ever stops working; there is always some plan she is mulling over in her head. She is constantly thinking of trainings that will be important for staff and wondering where else we can add the parent voice at the table.
Karen is a perfect example of what this award represents!