2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH
3/09/2015 | 11:05 AM - 11:35 AM | Family Language Policy & Planning: How Does it Fit in Your Family? | Nunn | 7
Family Language Policy & Planning: How Does it Fit in Your Family?
The purpose of this presentation is to introduce 1) concepts of family language policy to examine families’ language practices, language beliefs and attitudes, and language management with their young children and 2) to understand its implications on children's language outcomes. Families with young deaf and hard of hearing children often experience challenges in their decision-making process for their child especially on deciding what communication approach is appropriate for their child (Young, 2010). Their perspectives, attitudes, and beliefs about being deaf and language have a great impact on how deaf children develop and acquire language. Understanding how families come to have these beliefs and perspectives can help professionals better understand the possible influences on their perspectives and the decisions they make. With that, families and professionals can work collaboratively to develop a successful family language policy and develop appropriate plans for providing services for their child and family. Parents and caregivers are the key participants who create policies on their language practices within their families (Spolsky, 2004; 2012). Their decisions rely on various factors including their own experiences, information received from others and from societal forces (King, Fogle & Logan-Terry, 2009). The presenters will guide the participants in a discussion of the possible factors impacting families’ decisions about language choices and use with their deaf and hard of hearing children and propose specific strategies and approaches to promote successful family language policy and planning for their children who are deaf and hard of hearing.
- Participants will learn about theories and existing research on family language policy and planning.
- Participants will actively participate in a discussion about the implications of family language planning on young deaf and hard of hearing children’s language outcomes.
- Participants will become familiarized with current resources, approaches and tools to support families for a successful family language policy and planning with their deaf/hoh children.
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Presenters/Authors
Julie Mitchiner
(Co-Presenter,POC), Gallaudet University, julie.mitchiner@gallaudet.edu;
Julie Mitchiner, a professor in the Education Department at Gallaudet University, focuses primarily on Early Childhood Education. She directs the Master's program in Deaf Education. Mitchiner taught at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School at the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center in the bilingual ASL/English Early Childhood Program for six years. She received her BA in Early Childhood Education and MA in Deaf Education with a specialization in Family Centered Early Education at Gallaudet University. She received her Ph.D. in Education at George Mason University with a specialization in Early Childhood Education and a secondary concentration in multicultural/multilingual education. Her research interests include bilingual education in ASL and English and using the Reggio Emilia approach in teaching deaf and hard of hearing children. Mitchiner has presented at many national and international conferences and made several publications related to deaf families with children who have cochlear implants and on family language planning and policy with deaf and hard-of-hearing children.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Christi Batamula
(Co-Presenter), Gallaudet University, christi.batamula@gallaudet.edu;
Christi Batamula has been working at Gallaudet University since 2005, first as an early childhood educator at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School and then as an assistant professor in the Department of Education. She has earned a Bachelor's degree from Geneva College and a Master's degree in Deaf Education from Gallaudet University. And a Ph.D. from George Mason University with a specialization in International Education and a secondary, interdisciplinary focus on Early Childhood Education and Teacher Education. Her dissertation focused on family engagement among immigrant families with young deaf children. Her area of research interest is working with culturally and linguistically diverse Deaf young children and their families. She has presented her research and knowledge at various national and international conferences. She also has published based on her research and work teaching deaf and hard-of-hearing children and their families.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Bobbie Jo Kite
(Co-Presenter), Gallaudet University- Dept of Education, bobbie.kite@gallaudet.edu;
Originally from Pennsylvania, Bobbie Jo received her B.A. in Early Childhood Education in 2004 and her M.A. in Deaf Education in 2005 from Gallaudet University. She has taught Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School for 5 years and Kindergarten-First grade at New Mexico School for the Deaf for a year. She received her Ph.D. from George Mason University, specializing in Early Childhood Education and Multilingual/Multicultural Education, in 2017. Her dissertation examined Family Language Planning in American Sign Language and English Families. Currently, Bobbie Jo directs the Bachelor’s program in Undergraduate Education at Gallaudet University. In addition, Bobbie Jo provides consulting services to ASL & English bimodal bilingual programs nationwide.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Cara Keith
(Co-Presenter), Gallaudet University, cara.keith@gallaudet.edu;
Cara Keith is a west coast transplant, she was born in raised in California and moved to Washington, DC in 2006 to pursue her graduate degree from Gallaudet University. She holds a Bachelor's degree from California State University Northridge in Deaf Studies, a second Bachelor's degree from Gallaudet in Elementary Education and a Master's degree in ASL/English Bilingual Education also from Gallaudet. She taught young children in kindergarten and pre-kindergarten at Maryland School for the Deaf in Frederick, Maryland for most of her teaching experience. Currently she is a second year PhD student at Gallaudet University in their Critical Studies in the Education of Deaf Learners program. Her research interests are on language and cultural capital for the empowerment of educators and families of young Deaf and hard of hearing children.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -