Introduction of Family Support/ Role of Families in the EHDI System
Presented by: Janet DesGeorges
When: July 23rd, 2020
Description
If you've thought about this at all, you might think 'of course I consider families in the EHDI system, they are the end user of the system!' This introductory, brief webinar will expand an understanding of, and explore the concept of where families get the support they need to start on the successful path of raising a deaf/hard of hearing child. The ways in which families are engaged in the formation, implementation, and evaluation of how well the system is doing will also be explored– from the end user point of view!
Learning Objectives
- Understand recent data regarding families' needs and desires in navigating the 1-3-6 system.
- Describe the five areas of support that families should have available to them as they move through the 1-3-6 system.
- Utilize strategies in incorporating family engagement at three levels: for themselves, for one another, and partnering with professionals in implementation.
Presenter
Janet DesGeorges lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband Joe and is mom to three daughters, including Sara, who is deaf/hard of hearing. She is a co-founder and Executive Director of Hands & Voices Headquarters, a parent support and advocacy organization for families who have children who are hard of hearing/deaf. Janet serves as the Principal Investigator of the HRSA funded Family Leadership in Language and Learning Center (FL3), focusing on the development of family engagement in the EHDI systems of care.
Ms. DesGeorges is the author on the chapter for Family Support in the NCHAM e-Book, the co-author of the book Educational Advocacy for Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing: The Hands & Voices Guidebook, and many other publications. Ms. DesGeorges received a program certificate from the MCH Public Health Leadership Institute in 2011 at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.
As an EHDI systems advocate, Janet believes in the principles and guiding philosophies of Hands & Voices towards a parent-driven, professionally-collaborative approach when supporting families and working towards systemic improvements.
