2026 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 15-17, 2026 • Jacksonville, FL
3/19/2024 | 2:15 PM - 2:40 PM | Social Media & EHDI: Examining social media’s influence toward early intervention | Capitol 3
Social Media & EHDI: Examining social media’s influence toward early intervention
As soon as the deaf child is born, early intervention immediately becomes very important yet complex. All parents need to be provided with accurate information that is comprehensive and unbiased about different communication modes and the services and programs available to meet the needs of deaf children. Critical decisions such as language development, educational goals, affiliation with certain organizations for resources/support, and accessing certain data often include media as a source of affirmation and determination toward early intervention that can have long lasting implications; however, little research has been done to examine closely on the ways that media creates meaning about deafness and the type of strategies necessary for our roles to be effective in EHDI work. Media are often one of the earliest sources of information toward early intervention strategies for the deaf baby; at the same time, media impacts the understanding of deafness that are shaping future parents of deaf/hard of hearing children and influences ideas on how to promote a positive early intervention framework for deaf babies. This presentation draws from different media sources that provide varying perspectives toward early intervention and how to effectively screen/filter key data to supplement early intervention strategies. Data collected from parents on how social media has influenced their decisions on early intervention for their baby wll be examined including prior beliefs about deafness before having a deaf/hard of hearing child. Finally, this session will showcase how to leverage media as a tool toward effective early and healthy intervention.
- Participants will be able to understand the role of social media toward the complexities of EHDI efforts
- Participants will be able to identify key social media resources available to parents of deaf children
- Participants will be able to learn strategies to use social media as a positive lever toward EHDI work
Presentation:
3478265_16356ThomasHorejes.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
3478265_16356ThomasHorejes.docx
Presenters/Authors
Tommy Horejes
(Primary Presenter), The Access Foundation, Thorejes@gmail.com;
Thomas “Tommy” Horejes, Ph.D. has decades of academic and professional experience in legal policy & advocacy. His training in both the academic and professional canon is a multi/inter/trans disciplinary focus on law, advocacy, social justice & impact, policy studies, communication accessibility, and public administration. He takes great passion doing research & development on law, data, policy trends, education, consumer service, and innovation with the denominating factor in making a positive social impact to and for all.
Academically, Dr. Horejes has 15+ years of teaching disability policy, law, and sociology in higher education, 13+ peer-reviewed published articles including (Re)conceptualizing Disability Policy Frameworks for the Journal of Policy Practice, and presented 70+ scholarly works on legal policy, accessibility, education, and justice studies for industry conferences, including the International Sociological Association and the American Educational Research Association.
Professionally, he is current Chief Advocacy Officer for SignWow and former Director of Policy & Advocacy for Telecommunications for the Deaf/HH (TDI) as a national leader in policy advocacy, education, and innovation to foster full accessibility, equity, and inclusion in Information and Communications Technology. Prior to SignWow, Thomas was Associate Provost for Gallaudet University; and Executive Director of Deaf Empowerment Awareness Foundation (DEAF, Inc.), a non-profit organization dedicated to empower, raise Awareness, and bridge a sustainable Foundation of advocacy, communication and accessibility for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, and the Hearing communities. He was also a former advocate for the Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness (GLAD), the largest deaf-run non-profit organization that provided legal advocacy and empowerment to deaf and hard of hearing consumers.
Tommy currently serves on the Board for State of Maryland’s Hands & Voices, Deaf Youth Sports Foundation (dysf.org) and member of Maryland Department of Health’s Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Advisory Council. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri where he attended Central Institute for the Deaf (CID), he?? currently lives in rural Maryland with his wife and blended family of very active children. When he is not busy with legal policy advocacy work, he enjoys watching his kids play baseball, soccer, basketball, and volleyball along with road biking, cooking, and tending to his small farm and animals.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with VTEHDI Program is supported by HRSA funding.
Nature: Salary and Fringe from HRSA funding for the VTEHDI Program.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Bettie Petersen
(Co-Presenter), New Mexico School for the Deaf, bettie.petersen@nmsd.k12.nm.us;
Bettie got her M.Ed in Deaf Education Early Intervention from Utah State University in 2006. She has been working for the New Mexico School for the Deaf for 16 years in Early Intervention. She recently completed her PhD in Educational Linguistics at the University of New Mexico. Her passion is supporting parents and their children and helping them realize their potential. She hopes to use her new-found knowledge to do research that gives voice to more families and improves our EHDI programming. She just finished a Post Doc at the University of Connecticut - working on the Family ASL Project.
She is also a wife and mother of two. She believes strongly in the power of family.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment from New Mexico School for the Deaf.
• Receives Salary for Employment from University of Connecticut.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with New Mexico School for the Deaf
University of Connecticut.
Nature: .
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.