FALL 2017 NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS CAPSTONE PROJECTS SPOTLIGHT ON ITF ALUMNI MEET THE ITF DIRECTORS ITF NEWSLETTER

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1 NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS MEET THE ITF DIRECTORS CAPSTONE PROJECTS SPOTLIGHT ON ITF ALUMNI ITF NEWSLETTER Co-Directors Welcome: As co-directors of the ITF program for the academic year, we want to extend to you a warm welcome. We hope you will learn more about our hopes for this program as well as share our excitement in our alumni and faculty accomplishments through this newsletter. The ITF program owes all of where it is today to Drs. Beth Benedict and Marilyn Sass-Lehrer. Their hard work, passion, and commitment to early intervention with deaf and hard of hearing toddlers, infants, and their families nurtured this program and supported it into its present form. We recognize their leadership and invaluable contributions to this program and feel honored to carry it onward.

2 THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING INFANTS, TODDLERS, AND THEIR FAMILIES: COLLABORATION AND LEADERSHIP PROGRA The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Infants, Toddlers, and their Families: Collaboration and Leadership Program is an 18- credit hybrid program of mainly online instruction with 6 days of on- campus instruction. ITF candidates have a 3- day on-campus introduction to the program that begins in May every year. This year s program began on-campus from May The program continues fully online. Students will return to campus in June of the following year for the final 3-day seminar and program wrap up. The ITF program provides professionals who have different disciplinary backgrounds with current evidence-based knowledge and skills for working with families and their very young children who are deaf or hard of hearing. The Certificate program is offered for either Graduate or Professional Studies credits. This interdisciplinary program provides an overview of professional and ethical practices, communication and language(s), families, and developmental assessment and programming. Candidates will acquire leadership, advocacy and collaboration skills that promote age and developmentally appropriate outcomes for infants and toddlers. For continuing studies, see this link: For graduate credits, see this link: Summer I ITF 700/PST 660: Socio-Cultural & Political Contexts for DHH Infants, Toddlers, and Their Families ITF 701/PST 661: Communication, Language & Cognitive Development: DHH Infants and Toddlers Fall I ITF 702/PST 662: Leadership Perspectives on Families with DHH Infants and Toddlers: Their Cultures and Communication ITF 705/PST 665: DHH Infants, Toddlers, and Their Families: Capstone Project Part I (1) Spring I ITF 703/PST 663: Strategies for Developing Communication, Language, & Cognition For DHH Infants and Toddlers ITF 706/PST 665: DHH Infants, Toddlers, and Their Families: Capstone Project Part II (2) Summer II ITF 704/PST 664: A Developmental Approach to Programming for Infants/Toddlers and Their Families Evidence of professional program, certificate, or license held or in process of obtaining OR evidence of current or prospective employment related to deaf and hard of hearing infants, toddlers and families. In lieu of the goal statements, applicants must attach a one page written essay (or 10 minute) signed video) to their application that discusses why they are interested in obtaining a certificate focused on deaf and hard of hearing infants, toddlers and their families. One letter of recommendation For more information about the program, contact us at: ITF@gallaudet.edu Applications Due: February 1, 2018

3 C0-Program Directors Dr. Linda Risser Lytle Dr. Linda Risser Lytle is a professor in the Department of Counseling and the director of the Summers and Online School Counseling Program. Dr. Lytle has a Master s in school psychology and a PhD in counseling from The Catholic University of America. She is co-author of Turning the Tide: Making Life Better for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Schoolchildren (Gallaudet University Press) as well as the recently published VL2 Research Brief Raising the Whole Child: Social-Emotional Development in Deaf Children. Dr. Julie Mitchiner Julie Mitchiner, PhD, associate professor in the Education Department at Gallaudet University focuses primarily on Early Childhood Education. 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 PhD in Education at George Mason University with a specialization in Early Childhood Ed. and a secondary concentration in multicultural/multilingual education. Dr. 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. Selected Faculty Stacy Abrams, MA Coordinator of Training Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, Gallaudet University Jodee S. Crace, MA Indiana s Deaf Mentor Program Consultant, Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education. She is also certified as the SKI-HI Parent Advisor State Trainer. Tawny Holmes, MA, Ed, Esq. Associate Professor of ASL and Deaf Studies, Gallaudet University Education Policy Counsel for the National Association of the Deaf Petra Teel, MA, CED, LSLS Cert. Deaf and Hard of Hearing consultant for Oklahoma s Early Intervention program Dr. Marilyn Sass-Lehrer Former co-director of the ITF program and professor emeritus of education in the Graduate School at Gallaudet University Amy Szarkowski, PhD Psychologist - Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program, Boston Children's Hospital & Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School Danelle Gournaris, MA, MS Coordinator of Deaf Mentor Family Program at Lifetrack in St. Paul, Minnesota Marla Hatrak, MA Language acquisition researcher and policy developer for the Language Equality and Acquisition for Deaf Kids campaign

4 2017 Graduating Class Capstone Projects ITF students self-designed their culminating capstone projects as part of their program completion, Capstone projects can range from providing services and information to families with deaf and hard of hearing children and professionals to collaborating with families and professionals. Below are examples of previous capstone projects. Esther Hoffman & Audra McCorkle compiled and compared a list of EI resources in 20 states. Amy Blades created a Buzzfeed video to educate parents on the need for early language acquisition supporting both ASL and LSM (Mexican Sign Language). Leona Jennison developed a socialemotional unit for preschoolers at the Mississippi School for the Deaf. Lori Ann Dugan created videos for caregivers on the topics on mealtimes, family times, and bath time, giving vocabulary, phrases, and deaf culture tips in both English and Spanish. Dana Stewart Kline produced an hour long video for parents of DeafBlind babies with additional disabilities, focusing on literacy. Jennifer Buck hosted a Family Day Event for EI families at her school in Chicago. Charlotte Bachman created a video for hearing, Spanish speaking parents to explain the roles of EI team members. Emily Wojahn collected and analyzed Parent Infant Programs around the nation. Larissa Clapp developed a brochure for parents and EI professionals for the California Deaf Education Resource Center, focusing on parent support. Andrea Aquilino created an ASL story book video for parents and children using Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? Alessandra Marchetta created an online tool kit of info for parents and parent advisors and developed a FaceBook page for her school Parent Infant Program at Florida School for the Deaf and Blind.

5 FALL 2017 Interviewed by Karen Quinones, ITF graduate assistant Emily Wojahn graduated in Summer 2017 from the ITF program while working at Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind as a kindergarten-2nd grade teacher. She also holds a master s degree in Advanced Studies in Deaf Education, which she received in 2013 from Gallaudet University. A CHAT WITH ITF ALUMNI: EMILY WOJAHN, LATRICE L. DOWTIN, AND JESÚS JAY O. BARRETO ABRAMS LaTrice L. Dowtin graduated from the ITF program in Summer 2015 while working as a contract school psychologist and an adjunct professor at a community college. She received her master s degree in Psychology in 2015 from Gallaudet University and is currently a doctoral candidate in Clinical Psychology also at Gallaudet. What in your background stimulated your interest in early intervention services? Jesús Jay O. Barreto Abrams will graduate in Summer 2018 from the ITF program. He is also a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology, a certified sign language interpreter, and an adjunct instructor in the psychology department at Gallaudet University. Emily: When I was teaching in Hawaii as a preschool and kindergarten teacher, I started working with an early intervention provider for the state of Hawaii. I attended events for parents who have children who are deaf and hard of hearing and saw how important early intervention was to supporting not only children who are DHH but also their families. When I attended Gallaudet University for my MA in Deaf Ed, Advanced Studies, I took an ITF class, worked as the graduate assistant for the ITF program, and attended the EHDI meeting that year. These all cemented my interest in early intervention and the power that working with families of 0-3 year olds can have on the future of that child. Since that time, I have also worked as a

6 parent education team leader for the Family- Centered Early Education Department at CSDB, providing monthly parent education events on campus and supporting the Family ASL classes provided to families with children who are 0-8 years old. LaTrice: I worked in the field of Early Childhood Development for 10 years. First, as an assistant teacher then I transitioned to more demanding positions: as a teacher and eventually as a Center Director, working directly and indirectly with children ages 6-weeks through 5-years-old and their families. I also served as a college adjunct professor within an early childhood teacher education program. I hold an associate's degree in early childhood development/education, a bachelor's degree in developmental psychology, and a specialist level degree in school psychology. Through these experiences, I have worked with infants and toddlers, as well as with parents and teachers who had developmental, behavioral, and social-emotional concerns regarding their children. I implemented direct interventions for children as young as 6-weeks old. Jesus: I owe a lot to the Deaf Puerto Rican community. I was first exposed to American Sign Language/Puerto Rican Sign Language during the summer of my Junior year in high school in Puerto Rico. I worked at a summer camp in my high school and we had a youngster who was Deaf. She could not communicate with any of us because we did not know sign language. My cousin is a Speech- Language Pathologist, fluent in sign language and involved in the Deaf community, so I had the opportunity to learn much from her. She discussed how resources were limited for families and professionals, especially for those that lived in rural areas like the one my cousin and I grew up in. This was something that always stuck to me. You all have fascinating capstone projects. Emily, your capstone project proposes an oncampus parent-infant program for Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind. LaTrice, your project is part of a larger project that aims to create a nonverbal scale that will be normed on deaf and hard of hearing children. Jesus, you researched parents and professionals perspectives regarding EI services in Puerto Rico. Can you tell me more about your projects? Emily: We have services for 0-3 year olds in the home through the Colorado Home Intervention Program, but our school saw a need for bringing families together on campus to support their child, utilizing the resources we have on campus. We know the success of other parent-infant programs in filling the gap between what an early intervention provider can do and what the families need. My project involved contacting schools and center based programs across the country to learn more about their programs: structure, curriculum, assessments, resources, etc. I asked them for recommendations for our program and for lists of things they would like to do in the future. Their answers, along with information I gathered from the state of Colorado, became my proposal. I am so thankful for the opportunities I had to learn more about programs utilizing a variety of communication modalities, in many different states and the professional network I expanded through this project. I felt every person I interviewed and worked with valued the opportunity to collaborate and share their experiences to better serve the children in another state. LaTrice: Many of the assessment tools that currently exist for young children have been developed and normed on hearing children and therefore, are often not culturally sensitive to deaf and hard-of-hearing children. I wanted to see if I could be involved in the process of revising a measure that would help parents, caregivers, toddler teachers, and others have a better understanding of their deaf child's cognitive and problem-solving performance. I worked on developing at new index to be included in the overall performance scale of a cognitive measure. With the guidance of the professors and students in the ITF program, I worked on the rationale and introduction to those subtests and I also developed some materials. The index consists of three memory scales that can later be used in

7 independent research projects. This should be helpful for the field in developing a better understanding of memory development in deaf and hard-of-hearing toddlers. Jesus: The most salient finding of my research is that parents and professionals in the island are very supportive of signed languages. This struck me because in the United States we often talk about what research suggests versus the ideologies many professionals and families hold and how at times it can be contradictory. When talking to parents, they all normalize sign language as a language. It is interesting to say the least! Perhaps it has to do with Puerto Rico having two official languages Spanish and English- and viewing bilingualism as common. One of the parents in my study even hosted weekly ASL classes for other parents who had deaf children. Additionally, all the professionals I interviewed knew sign language and were active in the Deaf community. The professionals included a therapist, an audiologist, and a teacher. It is important to note that the sample does not generalize to all Puerto Rican families or professionals, but it is a good start for future research. Another finding was the lack of resources for professionals and parents. A few parents revealed that the only school for the Deaf is inaccessible to them even though transportation is provided for the children. Some claimed it is too far. Other parents claimed that the government allegedly makes it difficult for the children. It is important to note that this school is a not-for profit private school that operates on donations and federal funds. Parents state that the services provided in general as EI are not specific to Deaf individuals and the professionals are not trained to work with Deaf-specific issues. Parents also claimed that those with Deaf expertise in EI are fully booked, are working in other fields such as teaching at the college level, or are working with older children due to not getting referrals. One of the parents stated that she developed a support group to parents due to her negative experiences of being told that her daughter will not be able to be mainstreamed due to her hearing difference. Professionals generally stated that the government limits funding. They all reported that the government has closed most Deaf and hard-of- hearing inclusion programs. Instead, all the deaf children are mixed in an inclusion program with children with other special education (SPED) needs. One of the professionals stated that many children who need EI services are placed with students in SPED, and that the goals for both groups are completely different. They stated that most of the professionals in EI require more training in working with families with a deaf child. As students, you have all made fantastic contributions to the EI field. What do you hope to do in the future as you become more seasoned professionals? Emily: My goal is to support families with young children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing by providing them with unbiased information on all the communication opportunities their child and family may have. I also hope to be able to support families as they go through the early intervention journey from identification to transitioning out of services. LaTrice: First, I hope to become a licensed psychologist with an Infant Mental Health (IMH) endorsement (a certification that is available in 26 states for professionals who have specialized experience and training in IMH and EI). I hope that my co-authored assessment is just the beginning. I would like to start giving presentations on IMH/EI with a focus on supporting culturally and linguistically diverse infants, toddlers and their families. I work a great deal with this population and with underserved communities who have experienced trauma. My goal is to inform, train, and support the growth of professionals and the community on the impact of trauma and the importance of EI with young children. Jesus: I would love to continue doing research in EI and to contribute more to the multicultural area of early intervention. The United States is a multicultural country, and I think it is important for us to reflect that in our studies. During this study, I had the pleasure to meet some individuals that asked me to go back to the island and host workshops for parents or professionals. Part of my contribution to positive change is to go back to Puerto Rico and teach some workshops in this field.

8 ITF Cohort UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS 7 TH NATIONAL SUMMIT ON QUALITY IN HOME VISITING PROGRAMS IN WASHINGTON, D.C. JANUARY 31 FEBRUARY 2, 2017 EHDI ANNUAL MEETING IN DENVER, CO MARCH 18 20, 2018 CAL-ED CONFERENCE IN SACRAMENTO, CA MARCH 23 25, 2018 NATIONAL ASL AND BILINGUAL ECE SUMMIT IN WASHINGTON, D.C. APRIL 5 7, 2018 AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR DEAF CHILDREN CONFERENCE IN SALT LAKE CITY, UT JUNE 21 23, RD NATIONAL DEAF EDUCATION CONFERENCE IN HARTFORD, CT JULY 5 7, 2018

9 WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO THIS YEAR? Since the last issue of our newsletter, Linda has spoken on social emotional issues of deaf and hard of hearing students at educator conferences in both Minnesota and Virginia and had the pleasure of meeting ITF alumni in both states. She also co-wrote a chapter on the same theme for the edited book, Diversity in Deaf Education (Oxford University Press, 2016). Julie was interviewed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) as a part of NAEYC s advocacy and policy work, America for Early Education. During the interview, Julie shared her viewpoints towards investments in high-quality early childhood education and the early childhood workforce. The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) gives monthly #NADHandwaves to recognize exemplary people and the work they do in our community. We are delighted to congratulate ITF adjunct faculty, Jodee Crace (top) and Marla Hatrak (bottom), for their recent #NADHandwave recognitions for their years of dedication to deaf education and deaf youth. Jodee is heavily involved with SKI-HI Deaf Mentor Training and Consulting. Jodee is also on the Gallaudet University Summers and Online School Counseling Program Advisory Board, Indiana Deaf- Blind Project Advisory Council, and Joint Commission on Infant Hearing Advisory Committee. Marla is one of the core leaders of the national Language Equality and Acquisition for Deaf Kids (LEAD-K) campaign team. Marla serves as Vice President of the California Association of the Deaf (CAD) and cochair of CAD s Public Policy committee, which focuses on deaf babies and early childhood education. She is working as the Lab Director and a research assistant at the Mayberry Lab at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), where she is pursuing a doctoral degree in Educational Policy, Leadership, and Management.

10 FALL 2017 ITF adjunct faculty, Tawny Holmes, shares exciting news! The Senate and House of Representatives have passed the amended Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) bill, thanks to all of you who contacted Congress and let them know you supported the amendments proposed by NAD. Congress representatives contacted NAD to find out more about the amendments and as a result, they recognized that language acquisition is important for deaf babies. The amendments passed include three changes that will improve the system for our deaf children: requirements for language acquisition assessments; requirements for families to receive services in both oral and visual modalities; and requirements for provision of Deaf mentors to families. Stacy Abrams, also an ITF adjunct faculty, is a trailblazer with the #WhyISign campaign. Stacy originated the social awareness campaign in hopes of inspiring families to sign by seeing other families and individuals share their reasons for signing. Stacy grew up with hearing parents who recognized the importance of access to deaf adults in early intervention to support their family as well as other families. Her mom pushed for a Parent Infant Program (PIP) at Arkansas School for the Deaf and Stacy was the first child in the program. Stacy went on to become the Deaf Mentor Program Coordinator at both New Mexico School for the Deaf and Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind for 10 years. She currently works as the Coordinator of Training at the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University. To this day, #WhyISign has over 16 thousand followers on Instagram.