2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH
3/10/2020 | 9:40 AM - 10:40 AM | Family Leadership Training in MA | New York B
Family Leadership Training in MA
Family engagement, at all levels, can better EHDI state programs and improve outcomes for deaf and hard of hearing children. While it is recognized that parents are important change makers, we need to consider opportunities to support parents in developing the skills required to effectively collaborate with stakeholders and policy makers. For seven years, MA has offered a unique training program to parents of children and youth with special health care needs. The Family Leadership Training Institute was created for families who want to and are ready to learn leadership skills that will assist them in making enhancements and changes across the system of care. The program has changed in scope and delivery based on continuous improvement measures, funding and needs of parents and families. The institute teaches about the history of the disability movement including the role Gallaudet played in the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, teamwork strategies, conflict resolution, legislative process and how to use this to make change happen, among other topics. A number of parents of children who are deaf and hard of hearing have participated in this training program and have gone on to impact EHDI, Early Intervention and parent support and education in the state of MA. This presentation will outline the evolution of past and present versions of this training program, provide important considerations for determining participation and curriculum content, and help parents to consider their own strengths, needs and capacity for learning about larger systems and the competencies useful in promoting positive and needed change.
- Participants will gain an understanding of how state level training programs offered to parents of children and youth with special health care needs could benefit and improve state based EHDI services.
- Parent/family attendees will be able to identify areas in which they can enhance their skill set and knowledge base in order to develop effective stakeholder partnerships and promote next level change.
- Program leaders will be able to identify impactful curriculum content and participant selection strategies that will enhance the abilities of parents in their states to work toward systems improvement on a decision making and policy changing level.
Presentation:
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Handouts:
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Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Jennifer Fleming
(), MA DPH, jennifer.fleming@state.ma.us;
Jennifer Fleming is the special projects coordinator for the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program. In her former career, she was an engineer working in the medical device industry. She now has two children including a 13-year-old son who is deaf. Her new passion is to serve and support deaf and hard of hearing children and their families. She is a member of the state's Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Advisory Committee. She recently completed her fellowship with the Shriver Center’s Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Disabilities Program (LEND) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Kathryn Manfield
(), Tufts Medical Center , kamanfield@charter.net;
Kathy is a clinical social worker in the Tufts Medical Center Cochlear Implant and Hearing Loss Program. She also serves as Co-Director of the Specialty Program for Children Who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing at Minuteman Arc Early Intervention Program. She is a trainer with the MA Department of Public Health Early intervention training center. In addition to her work supporting families she is also a mother of three children, the youngest of whom is deaf and listens with cochlear implants.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.