2024 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 17-19, 2024 • Denver, CO
Award Winners 2024
Michelle John
Michelle John is the "mama" of three beautiful children and her oldest child Tyson is DeafBlind + (Plus). Through the years, Michelle has advocated for her child as well as supported many families in challenging times when they didn’t know where to turn or what to do. She is invested in improving opportunities for children who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind and their families. Michelle holds dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in psychology and sociology from Hofstra University, and her Master’s of Science degree in community counseling and psychology with a specialization in addictions counseling from Springfield College. She also earned her certification as an End-of-Life Doula through the University of Vermont. Currently, she is in the final portfolio stage of becoming a certified DeafBlind Intervener.
Additionally, Michelle has presented at a wide variety of conferences including the EHDI Annual Meeting, Hands and Voices National Meeting, The CARE Project, APHL Newborn Screening Symposium and Expecting Health. Her presentations are filled with loving happy experiences, with humor as well as heartbreaking difficult and challenging situations and encounters. Michelle delivers her talks with confidence and instilling in all of us the value of family-to-family support, advocacy, doing what is right, and the importance of providers truly listening and understanding the impact they have on the children and the families they serve. During the last couple of years Michelle was instrumental along with the VT Hands & Voices Board of Directors in starting the Vermont NASDSE Coalition, developing an infographic on the Ten Guiding Principles of NASDSE and providing four virtual informational sessions presented by Cheryl DeConde Johnson on Optimizing Outcomes for Students Who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing (NASDSE). She is passionate about inclusion of choices, D/HH/Plus adult infusion, all volunteer-organizations, NASDSE Guidelines, parents as paid caregivers to medically complex children, DeafBlind Plus needs, and siblings of D/d/HH/Plus individuals, as well as the vastly differing needs of families in rural living.
Michelle is dedicated to enriching and improving the lives of children and families. This is just a sample of how she makes a difference every day:
- President, Vermont Hands & Voices
- Chair, Vermont Coalition for D/HH NASDSE Guidelines
- Regional Coordinator, Hands & Voices National, Regions, 1, 2, and 3
- Newborn Screening Ambassador, Expecting Health
- Board Member, Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council
- Board Member, VTDDC Executive Committee
- Board Member, VTDDC Policy Committee
- Board Member, VTDDC Membership Committee
- Board Member, Disability Rights Vermont
- Board Member, DRVT Recruitment and Nomination Committee
- Member, Hearing Loss Association of America, Vermont Chapter
- Member (Family representative), AAP/EHDI ECHO
- Member, New England Consortium on Deafblindness Advisory Council
- Member, Division for Early Childhood
- Member, Council on Exceptional Children
- Member, Vermont DHHDB Advisory Council
- Member, Vermont DHHDB Advisory Council Emergency Management/Technology Subcommittee
- Member, Vermont Family Network Advisory and Policy Committee
- Parent Mentor, Vermont Family Network Parent Match Program
- Member, EHDI Parent to Parent (P2P) work group
- Member, Hands & Voices National, Observe, Understand, Respond (O.U.R.) Child Safety Program
- Co-Facilitator, National Center on Deafblindness, Family to Family Connections (F2FC), Families with Children with DeafBlindness and Complex Medical Needs
- Member, Association of Public Health Laboratories, Family and Self-Advocate Inclusion
- Family Ambassador, National Family Association for Deafblind
- Joy Ambassador, Hands & Voices National Fostering Joy Project
- Member, Annual EHDI Website Evaluation Team
- Member, Early Childhood Personnel Center (ECPC) Family Advisory
In her middle of the night "spare time", she enjoys reading autobiographies, creating wild goals that sometimes seem unattainable, watching reality television and "American Greed", and pretending to get some sleep.