2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference
March 13 - 15, 2022
Laying the Foundation for the New Jersey Deaf Mentor Program (NJDMP)
The SPAN Parent Advocacy Network, in collaboration with the NJ EHDI Program, established NJ’s first Deaf Mentor Program (DMP) in 2019 through federal (HRSA) and NJ State funding. Services include ASL Deaf Mentors (ASLDMs) and Snapshots DMs (SDMs) trained with the SKI-HI curriculum. While both Deaf Mentors interact with families of children with hearing loss, ASLDMs are culturally Deaf adults, trained to provide ASL instruction and introduce families to Deaf Culture and the Deaf Community over the course of 15 sessions. SDMs are a culturally-diverse group of adults presenting with a range of hearing losses and communication modalities who meet with families over 6 sessions to share their first-hand experiences.
Appropriate candidates hired as ASLDMs and SDMs successfully completed the SKI-HI training, making NJ the first state to offer both mentor services. An in-person kick-off event in a family friendly, language rich venue was held to introduce the DM program. Families were immediately matched to mentors to begin home visits, however, initial barriers were discovered for families that did not live in close proximity to an available DM and in matching DMs to non-English speaking families. Offering virtual sessions with families and implementing the use of a trilingual interpreter successfully addressed these challenges. The transition to virtual visits was further hastened by the COVID-19 pandemic though it took more time to put the pieces in place to begin services for Spanish families.
Information and resources are provided to families in English/Spanish/ASL through videos (a promotional video, testimonial video, and individual Mentor introductions), a Facebook Group, quarterly newsletters, and supplemental online lessons. The NJDMP’s journey evolved from NJ’s first DM program to one that has grown to meet the needs of NJ’s culturally diverse families of children with hearing loss through implementation of creative strategies for family access.
- Familiarize EHDI stakeholders with New Jersey’s first and only Deaf Mentor Program
- Illustrate the services/roles of ASL Deaf Mentors versus Snapshots Deaf Mentors
- Describe New Jersey’s Deaf Mentor Program initiatives in meeting the challenging accessibility needs of families
Poster:
3353554_15000PamelaAasen.pdf
Presenter: Pamela Aasen
Pamela Aasen is a graduate of the University of New Brunswick in Canada with Undergraduate degrees in Early Childhood and Special Education and a Master's degree in Special Education. She brings a wealth of experience professionally and as a parent leader in the deaf/hard of hearing and visually impaired communities. Pam has 25 years experience in special education working with diverse communities in the U.S., Canada and the Dominican Republic. She is currently the Project Director and Family Resource Specialist for SPAN's Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program’s (EHDI) Mentoring and Family Engagement Project and a Parent-Leader for the New Jersey Center on Deafblindness.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Alyssa Buchholz is the Deaf Mentor Program Coordinator for the SPAN Parent Advocacy Network. She was part of the first SKI HI Deaf Mentor training in New Jersey. She matches Deaf mentors with families who have a DHH child, provides training, creates resources, and manages project objectives. She also works as Insurance and Billing Manager for National Deaf Therapy, a nation-wide private practice that provides virtual therapy services in American Sign Language for the Deaf community. Alyssa lives in Princeton, NJ with her husband and three young daughters.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Nancy G. Schneider, M.A., CCC-A, FAAA, has served as the sole audiologist at the New Jersey EHDI program since its establishment at the New Jersey Department of Health. She received her M.A. degree in Audiology from the University of Maryland; her B.A. degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Montclair State College (now Montclair State University) and completed a Certificate Program in American Sign Language Studies at Union County College where she later served as an Adjunct Faculty Instructor. Miss Schneider is a licensed audiologist and hearing aid dispenser in New Jersey and received a gubernatorial appointment to serve on the Audiology and Speech Language Pathology Advisory Committee at the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (2004 to the present). Prior to joining NJ EHDI, Miss Schneider was the Senior Clinical Audiologist at The University Hospital - The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.