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10/09/2015  |   3:00 PM - 4:15 PM   |  Andrew Foster Auditorium

Essential Programs to Coach and Empower Parents of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children

This presentation presents a unique parent education approach developed by Partners for A Greater Voice (PVG) which addresses ways to effectively coach and empower parents. The program prioritizes their well-being in order to maximize their capacity to lead their child's development, not only in areas of hearing and language, but also social-emotional growth. Attention to educating the parent is a priority throughout the world, yet effectively coaching parents is challenging in many countries due to limited parent education programs and professional training that address parent empowerment. With specific regard to children with hearing loss, training for parents has limitations in many parts of the world, especially in low resource communities. The complexity of the global hearing health and habilitation industry and the predicament of most parents seeking refuge and support to raise children with hearing loss imply a traditional approach to parent education must change. PGV has developed a unique curriculum for caregivers that is based on eighteen years of qualitative experience and quantitative analysis from recent parent surveys. The program presents content in hearing health and habilitation while addressing specific needs parents have to be emotionally healthy and prepared in their journey to raise children with hearing loss. Data collected from three parent surveys administered by PGV in 2014 supports the conclusion that there is a specific need for targeted parent education. PGV’s parent program addresses that need by weaving together content in hearing health and positive psychology to more effectively foster parent participation and promote sustainable outcomes regardless of income and economic status. The implication of this new approach to parent education has to do with effective parent intervention and essential topics most relevant to parent needs. This interactive workshop series coaches parents, with the additional goal of promoting sustainable outcomes for aural deaf and hard of hearing children.

  • Participants will learn ways to help parents engage in positive parenting, leadership and advocacy.
  • Participants will learn about six modules that empower caregivers and engage them in sustainable hearing health and habilitation.

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Joanne Travers (Primary Presenter), Partners for A Greater Voice, greatervoice@comcast.net;
Joanne is founder and director of Partners for A Greater Voice (PGV). The organization has provided training and education to hundreds of practitioners and over a thousand parents in the Dominican Republic, India, and Honduras. Currently, PGV provides support to practitioners, focusing on caregiver well-being; training programs empower and engage caregivers in their potential and their responsiveness to children's hearing and learning. Joanne has counseled parents since 1995. She is inspired by her two adult children who were born with Ushers syndrome. She has served as a director of the board of the Coalition for Global Hearing Health from its inception until 2014. She has a Masters degree in International Management and is certified in positive psychology. Joanne published a book called Coaching and Empowering Caregivers of Children with Hearing loss, an approach to foster well-being. Free copies will be available to qualified practitioners traveling from low-resource countries.

      ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial - No relevant financial relationship exist.

Nonfinancial - No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.


      AAA DISCLOSURE:

Financial -