2024 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 17-19, 2024 • Denver, CO
3/14/2022 | 1:15 PM - 1:45 PM | Representation in Children's Literature: Why It Matters | Room 8
Representation in Children's Literature: Why It Matters
In addition to language and literacy, a child’s social, emotional and mental health is formed and influenced by what they observe and absorb from picture books. When it comes to children’s literature, the demand for diverse characters, cultures and customs has grown over the last 20 years, and this has resulted in more books featuring children who are D/deaf and hard of hearing. In this presentation, parent-authors Valerie James Abbott and Katie Petruzziello, and Teacher of the Deaf - author Ashley Machovec, will explore different examples of D/HH representation from stories published over the last 5-7 years, including those that include characters that use hearing technology and/or sign language. Ms. Machovec will describe ways in which parents and professionals can observe how children connect with inclusive books and expand their learning opportunities. Mrs. Petruzziello and Mrs. Abbott will also discuss how illustrations can impact a child’s comprehension and interpretation of the text, and how these images serve as both a mirror and a window for current and future generations of young readers.
- Describe how and why illustrations impact a child’s understanding and interpretation of a story
- Identify recently published books that include or feature characters who are deaf or hard of hearing
- Explain the benefits of using inclusive literature when children are acquiring language, building comprehension skills, and developing self awareness.
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Presenters/Authors
Ashley Machovec
(Primary Presenter,Co-Presenter,Author,Co-Author), Listening Partners Inc, ashleymachovec@gmail.com;
Ashley Machovec is an itinerant teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing in Purchase, NY. She received her Master's Degree from Teacher's College at Columbia Univ., where her interest in working with families and children with hearing loss grew into a true passion. When she noticed a lack of representation in children's books for the hearing loss community she wrote and published Mila Gets Her Super Ears in 2020.
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Valerie Abbott
(Co-Presenter,Author,Co-Author), Center for Family Involvement at VCU; Late Onset Hearing Loss Awareness Campaign, valeriejamesabbott@gmail.com;
Valerie James Abbott is a parent-advocate, an award-winning author, and an EHDI-champion who serves as co-chair of the Virginia EHDI Advisory Committee. She works at the Center for Family Involvement at Virginia Commonwealth University, supporting the needs of families of children who are deaf and hard of hearing and leading projects that support the goals and objectives of Virginia EHDI. She has served on the board of Virginia Hands & Voices and in 2021 she founded the National Late Onset Hearing Loss Awareness Campaign with Justin Osmond, CEO of the Olive Osmond Hearing Fund. Valerie has published several articles online and in print about raising a child with a disability that have gained nationwide attention. Her children’s book Padapillo won (bronze) in the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award and is based on the true story of how her family discovered and came to terms with their daughter's late onset hearing loss.
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Katie Petruzziello
(Co-Presenter,Co-Author), Mighty Books, LLC, mightymilabook@gmail.com;
Katie is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Project Management Professional (PMP) who lives in New York with her husband and three wonderful (and very feisty!) children. She received her bachelors degree from Villanova University. She is an advocate for deaf and hard of hearing children and spends most nights devoted to further her mission of providing representation and awareness of children with hearing loss, like her strong unstoppable daughter, Mila. She wrote and published Mighty Mila in 2021.
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