2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference
March 13 - 15, 2022
Family Engagement with d/Dhh Multilingual families
Families are becoming increasingly diverse, are multilingual, and represent a multitude of international cultures. Today more culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families are recognizing the value of maintaining their home language and culture while learning a new language (English) and adjusting to and navigating a new culture. The expectations of families of children who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing (d/Dhh) are no different, and this presents a complexity that professionals working with the families with d/Dhh Multilingual Learners (DML) must understand in order to provide appropriate services. Therefore, it is essential to consider how professionals support families to become more involved in their child’s development and intervention. Traditional definitions of parent involvement provide a limited view of engagement and may not honor differing perspectives from CLD families, creating barriers for involvement and egagement. By examining these barriers, early intervention programs can begin to develop solutions for gaining support and trust. According to Grant and Ray (2016), the culturally responsive family engagement approach involves practices that respect and acknowledge the cultural uniqueness, life experiences, and viewpoints of families and draw on those experiences to enrich and energize activities, leading to respectful partnerships.
This presentation will focus on providing culturally responsive, family-centered services to families with children who are d/Dhh multilinguals in order to promote family engagement in early intervention. Current research is summarized, barriers are addressed and considerations of ways to forge strong family and professional partnerships and improved services are presented.
- Examine research in family engagement for d/Dhh multilinguals in early intervention
- Identify barriers and possible solutions to enhance family engagement for d/Dhh multilingual children
- Learn ways to help parents provide activities in early intervention that support children’s bilingual and multilingual language acquisition.
Poster:
3353554_14883SandyBowen.pdf
Presenter: Sandy Bowen
Sandy Bowen, Ph.D., is a Professor in the area of the education of students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Dr. Bowen has worked with infants, children and youth who are deaf/hard of hearing in Utah, Texas, Arizona and Colorado for 30 years. Dr. Bowen received a Ph.D. in Language, Literacy and Culture from the University of Arizona. She has a Masters degree in Deaf Education and a Bachelor degree in Elementary Education. Dr. Bowen’s research interests include: early intervention, teacher preparation, literacy development, early intervention, co-enrolled classrooms, deafblind, Hispanic deaf/hard of hearing students and families, and multicultural issues in deafness. In addition to her university assignments, Dr. Bowen is an early interventionist in the Colorado Early Intervention Program. She works with infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families. She currently works with families from Mexico, Central American and Somalia.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.