2026 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 15-17, 2026 • Jacksonville, FL
3/11/2025 | 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM | FCEI-DHH Support Principles: A “how to” presentation for EI Providers & Systems Leaders | 304/305
FCEI-DHH Support Principles: A “how to” presentation for EI Providers & Systems Leaders
With the publications of the special issue, comprising nine articles on Family-Centered Early Intervention (FCEI) for families and children who are deaf/hard of hearing (DHH), or FCEI-DHH, EI Providers and systems leaders are being tasked to adjusting their services to align with current understanding of “best practices.” This presentation will delve into one of papers in that series that emphasizes the supports provided to families and young children who are DHH, FCEI-DHH: Support Principles (Szarkowski & Moeller et al., 2024).
This will be presented by a lead author of the FCEI-DHH special issue, an EI Provider with extensive experience in working with DHH young children and their families from diverse backgrounds, an EI/Early Childhood professional who has facilitated parent-infant programs and taught DHH toddler classes and parent education, and an administrator working to align provision of EI supports for DHH children and families with the FCEI-DHH special issue recommendations.
This presentation will not be an introduction to the FCEI-DHH Support Principles. (Participants are encouraged to have read and digested its contents, which are freely available: https://academic.oup.com/jdsde/article/29/SI/SI64/7616220). Rather, this session is intended to address “next level” questions and concerns among practitioners about how to implement the recommendations offered in this work. We welcome professionals ready to “roll up their sleeves” and dive in to gain ideas about how to upskill their service provision in alignment with best practices.
- 1. Describe at least two ways that the recommendations for EI Providers and for Families in the FCEI-DHH are complimentary.
- 2. Identify a minimum of two strategies for updating their own practices to align with the FCEI-DHH Support Principles recommendations in the areas of both Family Support (Principle 3) and Child Well-Being (Principle 4).
- 3. Critically assess and identify at least two ways that, either at the Systems level or at the Provider level, improvements could be made to help align current practices with best practices to support Family Decision-Making (Principle 6).
Presentation:
3545975_18263EmilyWojahn Small.pdf
Handouts:
3545975_18263EmilyWojahn Small_2.pdf
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Emily Wojahn Small
(Co-Presenter), Gallaudet University, emily.wojahn@gallaudet.edu;
Emily (Wojahn) Small, a hearing teacher of the deaf by training, has been a classroom teacher, early intervention provider, and regional hearing resource coordinator in Hawaii and Colorado. Emily is currently the program coordinator for DC's EHDI Program while pursuing her PhD in deaf education with a specialization in early intervention at Gallaudet University. Having spent most of her career and higher education in Deaf-centric spaces, Emily is fluent in American Sign Language and an advocate for deaf rights and language access.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with .
Nature: .
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Jennifer Clark
(Co-Presenter), University of Hawaii's Comprehensive Service Center, Jennifer.Clark.dhh@gmail.com;
Jennifer Clark received her Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Disorders and Deaf Studies: Sign Language Interpreting, from California State University, Fresno and her Master’s Degree from Gallaudet University in Deaf Education: Family Centered Early Education. Since 2010, Jennifer has been working an Early Childhood D/HH/DB Specialist in the state of Hawaii.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Nicole Hutchinson
(Co-Presenter), Maryland/DC Hands & Voices, nbhutchinson@gmail.com;
Nicole Hutchinson is a teacher of the deaf with a focus on early intervention. She has a BA in Linguistics: American Sign Language from the University of California, San Diego and a MA in Deaf Education: Family-Centered Early Education from Gallaudet University.
Nicole’s passion is family support programs for Deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) children and their families. She is an advocate for early language access and providing unbiased information to families to support them as they make decisions for their D/HH child.
Nicole has worked with DHH infants, toddlers and their families for 15 years. She was formerly at The River School in Washington DC, where she coordinated the Parent-Infant Program for D/HH infants, toddlers & their families, and taught preschool for 12 years.
Nicole currently works at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School in Washington, DC in the Parent-Infant Program. She also serves as a board member of the Maryland/DC Hands & Voices chapter and volunteers with the Washington DC EHDI stakeholders group.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Amy Szarkowski
(POC,Primary Presenter), University of Massachusetts Boston, Amy.Szarkowski@gmail.com;
Dr. Szarkowski is a psychologist who specializes in supporting children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families. She was on the Writing Team for the FCEI-DHH special issue.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary,Grants for Employment,Teaching and speaking from University of Massachusetts Boston.
Nonfinancial -
• Has a Professional
(Advisory Board)
relationship for Board membership.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with University of Massachusetts Boston
Boston Children's Hospital
.
Nature: Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) training grants
Hands & Voices FL3 Center Advisory Board.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.