EARLY HEARING DETECTION AND INTERVENTION VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
MARCH 2-5, 2021
(Virtually the same conference, without elevators, airplane tickets, or hotel room keys)
3/04/2019 | 2:50 PM - 3:15 PM | Strategizing and Partnering with Venues in Providing Language Access and Social Opportunities for Families | Heathrow A/B
Strategizing and Partnering with Venues in Providing Language Access and Social Opportunities for Families
In order to maximize development for deaf and hard of hearing children between ages 0-5, it is important to provide early language access and social opportunities, especially for children in primarily mainstreamed environments, and their families.
Through our outreach services, we provide familial support through several avenues: setting up family-focused events in natural settings and collaborating with venues such as museums, science and nature-related organizations, and educational institutions in creating family-friendly programs specifically for families of deaf and hard of hearing children at their sites. Effective collaborations lead to community awareness, a framework for continued support of services, and improved accessibility within these venues, such as captioning, assistive technologies, and visual access.
Throughout the years, by maximizing early access to language and social opportunities for children through our collaborations with museums, conservation programs and sightseeing venues, families have remarked how it has helped their child (as well as the child’s siblings) become more confident upon entering school, helped them develop friendships with families of deaf and hard of hearing children, and attend events at these venues with full access for their child, reducing concerns and barriers when on a family outing. It has led to improved accessibility at these locations, which has spurred organizations to take initiative in conscientiously providing access because of better understanding how to do so. The children and their families benefit.
Throughout the presentation, I will expand how families and/or professionals involved with outreach efforts can effectively build relationships and collaborations with family-friendly venues, identify factors that made efforts with venues successful, and how it helped children thrive more than if no efforts were made. We will also discuss what the breakout session participants can do to increase community awareness and partnerships in their respective areas.
- Gain ideas on how to develop successful programs or events with private and public venues for deaf and hard of hearing children and their families
- Learn how to strategize with venues working towards inclusion
- Learn from others’ efforts with community partnerships and programs in order to benefit families with language exposure and social opportunities
Presentation:
18878_10511KatiePrins McCarthy.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
18878_10511KatiePrinsMcCarthy.docx
Presenters/Authors
Katie Prins McCarthy
(), Boston Children's Hospital, katie.mccarthy@childrens.harvard.edu;
Katie McCarthy is the Coordinator of Outreach and Support Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program at Boston Children's Hospital. She oversees family-centered events, educational training needs, parent workshops and program development needs. Katie has been involved in the non-profit sector for more than seventeen years, first in marketing and management and now in outreach. Katie has a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota and a Bachelors in English - Creative Writing from California State University, Northridge.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment from Boston Children's Hospital.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.