Join us for our upcoming Webinar!
This webinar is a part of the O.U.R. Children Project (O=Observe, U=Understand, R=Respond)
Presenters Harold A. Johnson and Sara Kennedy will outline strategies to ensure personal safety for young children who are deaf and hard of hearing. You will gain awareness of why children with language and support needs are at a higher risk and learn preventive measures and tools for their safety. When we know more, we can do more!
This webinar is open to parents of deaf/hard of hearing children birth to 5 and the early intervention professionals who support them. ASL Interpreters and captioning provided.
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
Harold Johnson is an educator with 40 plus years of experience in the field of Deaf Education. He has worked as a teacher, then as a program administrator, and then finally as a university professor (Kent State University & Michigan State University) preparing individuals to become teachers of students who are deaf/hard of hearing (d/hh). Much of his career focused upon the use of Web based technologies and resources to enhance education, reduce isolation, facilitate collaboration and recognize excellence (e.g., www.deafed.net). In 2006 his work expanded to include an emphasis upon understanding and preventing the maltreatment of children with disabilities. This work resulted in the establishment of the “O.U.R. Children Project” (O = Observe; U = Understand: & R = Respond). The project, carried out in collaboration with “Hands & Voices,” represents a major effort to reduce the incidence and impact of child maltreatment via awareness, understanding, and proactive engagement. This work is generating knowledge, skills, and resources that serve to not only keep children safe, but also help insure their academic success as they progress from early intervention, to school, and to adulthood.
Sara Kennedy is a mom of four children, including a middle school-aged daughter who is profoundly deaf. An occupational therapist by training, Sara has worked with Hands & Voices since 2000 and currently serves as the Director for the Colorado chapter. At the national level, she serves as an editor of the quarterly newspaper, The Hands & Voices Communicator. Sara has a special interest in hearing screening in the homebirth community. She was a coauthor for the manual Bridge to Preschool: Navigating a Successful Transition as well as many articles on educational and self-advocacy, safety and prevention of abuse, why families move, and the decision process regarding cochlear implants and other topics. Presentations include the GBYS training, understanding the laws and advocacy in the birth to three and Part B system, and a memorable presentation on teaching our deaf/hh children about sex that Sara and Susan Elliott created. She finds parenting teens to be an even bigger challenge. She lives and hikes (and skis when she can) with her family in Colorado Springs.
Download our flyer here: OUR Project Flyer 4.19.2021
