2025 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 9-11, 2025 • Pittsburgh, PA
DAVID L. LAWRENCE CONVENTION CENTER
| Personnel Preparation: Past, Present, and Future
Personnel Preparation: Past, Present, and Future
Fontbonne University has been preparing teachers to work with students who are DHH since 1960. In response to the implementation of the Walsh Act, calling for newborn hearing screening, Fontbonne designed a graduate program in Early Intervention in Deaf Education (EIDE) and enrolled the first cohort of students in 2001. Focus groups consisting of parents and professionals at partner organizations in early intervention and early childhood deaf education identified competencies most needed by teachers and service providers. The program was designed so that students would develop these competencies through course work and field experiences. The competencies needed by professionals working in early intervention with infants and toddlers are very different than the knowledge and skills needed by professionals in school-aged deaf education (Compton, Niemeyer, & Michael, 2004; Proctor, Niemeyer, & Compton, 2005; Rice & Lenihan, 2005, Moeller et al, 2024). The emphasis on family-centered services and the unique needs of infants and toddlers who are DHH require a different professional skill set than traditional K-12 deaf education. Like all early intervention service providers, these professionals must be competent in providing family-centered intervention, but in addition to these skills they must also be knowledgeable and skilled in meeting the needs related to hearing loss and communication development. As Fontbonne University has announced its closure, faculty aim to extend the legacy of the Deaf Education Program through the work of our graduates around the globe.
- examine how personnel preparation programs ensure a workforce qualified to deliver family-centered early intervention
- review outcomes of a successful personnel preparation program over the past 60 years
- celebrate the impact of program graduates and brainstorm future priorities in personnel preparation
Presentation:
3545975_18051JennaVoss.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Jenna Voss
(Primary Presenter), Fontbonne University, jvoss@fontbonne.edu;
Jenna Voss, PhD, CED, LSLS Cert AVEd, is an Associate Professor at Fontbonne University. She received her undergraduate degree in Deaf Education, and her master’s degree in Early Intervention in Deaf Education from Fontbonne University. She completed her PhD in Speech and Hearing Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. She holds teaching certification in Missouri in Deaf Education and Early Childhood Special Education. Her research interests include: health disparity among children and families living in poverty, primary prevention of abuse and neglect for children with disabilities, provider use of strategies and techniques in family-centered practice, and the application of research in cognitive psychology to the field of deaf education to improve pre-service instruction. Voss is co-author of two texts: Small Talk: Bringing Listening and Spoken Language to Your Young Child With Hearing Loss & Case Studies in Deaf Education: Inquiry, Application and Resources.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment from Fontbonne University.
Nonfinancial -
• Has a Professional
(board member)
relationship for Board membership.
• Has a Professional
(Representative of AG Bell)
relationship for Board membership.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) 325K Grantee.
Nature: Personnel preparation grant funding for university graduate programs.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.