2026 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 15-17, 2026 • Jacksonville, FL
3/10/2025 | 11:25 AM - 11:55 AM | A Multipronged Approach to Ensure Access to Audiological Care in the State of Maine | 301
A Multipronged Approach to Ensure Access to Audiological Care in the State of Maine
In the state of Maine, like many states with a large rural population, access to audiological care is limited for those living outside of the largest population centers. This presentation focuses on a variety of approaches taken simultaneously to improve access to care across the state. These approaches include collaborations across various groups of stakeholders (audiologists, community action programs, early intervention providers, midwives) and the use of technologies to creatively support our goal of increasing access to pediatric audiology services in the state. This presentation will include descriptions of each approach and the expected and/or measured outcomes thus far.
- Participants will be able to list possible methods of increasing access to audiological care through non-traditional means.
- Participants will be able to describe how technology can be used to improve access to care in a rural area.
- Participants will be able to outline how they can apply these methods in their own state.
Presentation:
3545975_18148KatherineDuncan.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Katherine Duncan
(Primary Presenter), Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, katherine.duncan@mecdhh.org;
Katherine Duncan obtained her doctorate of audiology (Au.D.) from The Ohio State University. She is currently in her eleventh year as an educational audiologist at the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Falmouth, Maine. She supports outreach programs for both the birth to five and K-12 populations. Katherine is the Audiology Consultant for the Maine Newborn Hearing Program. She is also the coordinator of the hearing assistive technology program for Child Development Services, Maine's early intervention system.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment from Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
• Receives Other financial benefit for Consulting from Maine Newborn Hearing Program.
Nonfinancial -
• Has a Professional
(Audiology Consultant to the Maine Newborn Hearing Program)
relationship for Other volunteer activities.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with Maine Educational Center for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Maine Newborn Hearing Program.
Nature: Employed by Maine Educational Center for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Consultant for the Maine Newborn Hearing Program; MNHP pays percentage of my salary to MECDHH.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Amy Spencer
(Co-Presenter), Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, amy.spencer@mecdhh.org;
Amy is the early intervention and family services coordinator at MECDHH/GBSD. She is a certified SLP and Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. She serves on Maine’s EHDI Team as a member of the Earliest Interactions Maine/HRSA grant team under the Maine Newborn Hearing program. Additionally she is part of the Maine Interagency Coordinating Council that ensures collaboration between partners in the state serving children 0-3 and their families. As part of her Infant Toddler Family Leadership and Collaboration Certificate Program from Gallaudet, Amy began her work on the Exploring Language and Communication Opportunities process and it has continued to evolve throughout the last ten years. Amy lives in southern Maine exploring both the ocean and mountains regularly with her husband and two young daughters.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment from MECDHH.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with MECDHH.
Nature: Paid employee.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.