2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH
3/09/2020 | 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM | The “I” in EHDI: Colorado’s Multi-Agency Collaborative Model | Chicago B
The “I” in EHDI: Colorado’s Multi-Agency Collaborative Model
The multi-agency Colorado Home Intervention Program (CHIP) has a long history of serving families with newly identified infants and toddlers who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH). A key component of the unique Colorado system that makes the collaboration between agencies successful is the relationship between the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind (CSDB) Colorado Regional Hearing Resource Coordinator (CO-Hear) and the Community Centered Board (CCB) CHIP Parent Facilitator. The CO-Hear coordinator has expertise in early intervention for infants and toddlers who are DHH and in-depth knowledge of community resources while CHIP Parent Facilitators provide ongoing intervention in the natural environment.
The 2004 amendments to IDEA emphasize family participation in all aspects of early intervention programming (Sass-Lehrer, Porter and Wu, 2016). From the initial contact with families, CO-Hears share knowledge about specialized services for infants and toddlers who are DHH in the community and the state and encourage family participation in a variety of activities. Participants can expect to learn how the CO-Hear works collaboratively with the CHIP Facilitator and families to ensure intervention services remain family-centered, comply with state and federal legislation, and offer comprehensive information about all communication opportunities so parents can make informed decisions.
The Joint Committee on Infant Hearing Position Statement (2007) emphasizes the importance of professionals knowledgeable about childhood hearing loss and programs partnering with families to acknowledge strengths, traditions and cultural beliefs, while supporting informed decision making. New learning opportunities and high impact professional education are a necessary part of developing skills across the varied competencies required of an early intervention provider (Nevins and Sass-Lehrer, 2016). This presentation will highlight the ongoing mentorship and training opportunities for the CHIP Parent Facilitators provided by the CO-Hears encourage continued professional development related to best practice in serving these families.
- Participants will identify and describe roles of specialized professionals unique to the Colorado EHDI system including CO-Hear coordinators, employed by the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind (CSDB) and CHIP parent facilitators, employed/contracted by the local Community Centered Boards (CCB).
- Participants will gain an in-depth understanding of collaboration between CSDB and the local CCBs, highlighting mentoring support through ongoing cross disciplinary training.
- Participants will obtain critical knowledge of these interagency partnerships to support the creation of similar models in their states.
Presentation:
21060_12762AshleyRenslow.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Annette Landes
(), Wyoming Families for Hands & Voices, annette@wyhandsandvoices.org;
Annette is the Wyoming Early Intervention Initiative (WEII) Plus Coordinator. Her role as coordinator is to support families who have infants and toddlers who are deaf/hard of hearing. Through this support, families are offered resources, technical assistance, and guidance as they begin their journey through early intervention. Through Annette’s experience as a speech/language pathologist and hearing coordinator in Colorado for 20 years, she understands the importance of providing complete and unbiased information to families to support them as they make decisions for their child related to their needs and hearing abilities. In addition, she mentors and guides the early interventionists who provide the specialized services for infants and toddlers who are deaf/hard of hearing. With the implementation of the WEII Plus Program, families in Wyoming have access to a comprehensive curriculum that will support the development of their infant or toddler who is deaf/hard of hearing.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Emily Wojahn Small
(), Gallaudet University, emily.wojahn@gallaudet.edu;
Emily (Wojahn) Small, M.A, is a teacher of the deaf, with a focus on early intervention. She has experience teaching preschool and kindergarten in Hawaii and Colorado using a bilingual (ASL/English) approach and was most recently a Colorado Regional Hearing Resource Coordinator (CO-HEAR) for the Colorado Home Intervention Program (CHIP) in southeastern Colorado. Emily has completed the Infants, Toddlers and Families (ITF) interdisciplinary certificate program at Gallaudet and has returned as a first year PhD candidate there. Emily’s passions include helping families make informed decisions around communication with and education for their child and promoting a love of reading among all children.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Ashley Renslow
(), Colorado EHDI, Arenslow@csdb.org;
Ashley Renslow is the Early Education Coordinator with Outreach Programs at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind. In her role, she coordinates the Colorado Hearing Resource Coordinator (CO-Hear) and Colorado Home Intervention Programs (CHIP) and the Colorado Shared Reading Project (CSRP). She also programmatically oversees the Early Literacy Events. A speech language pathologist by background, she has worked in Deaf residential Schools for 10+ years in varying roles, and has served local families as a CHIP facilitator (0-3 early interventionist). Outside of work, when she's not chasing her preschooler and toddler, Ashley enjoys being outside, traveling, and lounging with a good book.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.