2026 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 15-17, 2026 • Jacksonville, FL
3/10/2025 | 11:25 AM - 11:55 AM | I Was Born Deaf and My Native Language is English: How? | 308
I Was Born Deaf and My Native Language is English: How?
A Deaf adult who was born with a profound sensorineural hearing loss and who currently works as a technical writer will recount her experiences with communication and English language development. She will convey the importance of phonological awareness and clear access to the language of the home regardless of the amount of hearing and auditory processing ability.
This thought-provoking presentation will cover one Deaf adult's journey, with humor, research tidbits, and anecdotes sprinkled throughout. Come learn about English language development and communication access from someone who lived the experience.
Since its development, Cued American English has long been misunderstood, and thought to be a threat to Listening and Spoken Language and to American Sign Language; the reality is that cueing can be used either independently or in combination with LSL and/or ASL in order to achieve fluent language outcomes.
- Participants will identify key factors for English language development.
- Participants will describe the importance of a phonological foundation to language development.
- Participants will describe what cueing is and how it connects to language development.
Presentation:
3545975_18180HilaryFranklin.pdf
Handouts:
3545975_18180HilaryFranklin.pdf
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Hilary Franklin
(Primary Presenter), National Cued Speech Association, hfranklin@cuedspeech.org;
Hilary Franklin is a Deaf native cuer and fluent signer who currently works for the Department of Defense. She grew up attending Montgomery County, MD, public schools, home to a three-track deaf and hard-of-hearing program that included cueing, LSL, and ASL, and received educational access through the use of cued language transliterators (CLTs). She earned her B.A. in Public Policy Analysis from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her M.A. in Teaching American Sign Language as a Foreign Language from Teachers College (Columbia University). In 2005, Hilary became the first Deaf certified instructor of Cued American English, and currently serves on the NCSA Board of Directors.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
• Has a Other relationship
(Board membership)
relationship for Board membership.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with National Cued Speech Association.
Nature: Member of the Board of Directors.
Nonfinancial -
Non-Financial relationship with National Cued Speech Association.
Nature: Member of the Board of Directors.