2022 Maryland Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Virtual Conference

Join us for the 2022 Maryland Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Virtual Conference.  Three dates one great conference.

December 1, 2022  - 1:00 - 3:00 pm Eastern Time

State of the State - Maryland EHDI Program. 

Presenter:  Stacy Taylor, JD

During this session participants will gain an awareness and understanding of the priorities for the MD EHDI system, learn about current MD EHDI Program statistical data and learn ways in which they can engage with and participate in the MD EHDI system.    

Language Deprivation:  Old Concept, New Word. 

Presenter:  Dr. Wyatte Hall 

 This presentation will include discussion of brain development and the “critical period of language acquisition.” Dr. Hall will describe the current context of deaf children in terms of several different aspects of their development. Historical context will also be provided in terms of the “controversy” around using sign language with deaf children. He will also discuss current sign language research both with and without cochlear implants.   

December 8, 2022 - 1:00 - 3:00 pm Eastern Time

December 15, 2022 - 1:00 - 3:00 pm Eastern Time

 Transforming Deaf Education through Critical Self-Reflection.

Presenter:  Andrea Sonnier, EdS

Based on community narratives and research centering the experiences of members of marginalized communities such as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, schools for the deaf have a long history of employing deficit approaches that perpetuate harm and trauma on BIPOC Deaf youth of all ages. However, research shows that change is possible. A deep understanding of our own beliefs, values, and behaviors as members of the Deaf Education community is a necessary prerequisite to transforming the experiences of racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse children for the better. This workshop session will provide participants an opportunity to practice critical consciousness, a self-reflective process in which we: 1) examine the ways we reinforce - intentionally or unintentionally - deficit and harmful approaches in our professions, community work, and parenting, 2) question the source of our behaviors, and 3) identify and engage in community-based, transformative action for the purpose of minimizing harm and promoting liberation in the school and work experiences of BIPOC Deaf youth.

Meet the 2022 MD EHDI Conference Presenters 

Dr. Wyatte Hall

Dr. Wyatte Hall is an Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He is a proud alumni of Rochester Institute of Technology (B.S. ’08) and Gallaudet University (M.A. ’11 and Ph.D. ’14). His clinical psychology training included the Gallaudet University Mental Health Center, the URMC Deaf Wellness Center, and a clinical fellowship at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. After seeing the strong impact of early childhood language experiences on deaf mental health in his clinical work, Dr. Hall did a three-year research fellowship at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He currently explores the impact of early childhood language experiences on health and life outcomes across the lifespan in the deaf population with a particular focus on the phenomenon of language deprivation. He also is a faculty fellow in the Institutional Office of Equity and Inclusion.

Eliot Shearer, MD PhD

Eliot Shearer, MD PhD, is a Pediatric Otolaryngologist at Boston Children’s Hospital whose clinical practice focuses on evaluation and treatment of children with hearing loss including cochlear implant surgery. He is also a scientist and leads the Translational Hearing Genomics Research Laboratory. His research focuses on genetic hearing loss in children including new genetic diagnostic tools, hearing loss gene discovery, and using genetics to understand cochlear implant outcomes in children.

 Andrea Sonnier, EdS

Andrea Sonnier, EdS, is the founder of Critical Consciousness School, a program designed to guide critical self- reflection that unlocks participants' fullest potential in promoting healing, transformation, and freedom in their classroom, school, or community. She earned her education specialist degree in deaf education from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Previously, Sonnier taught English to middle school and high school deaf and hard of hearing students in La., D.C., and Md. She has presented at local, regional, and national conferences on critical consciousness, the experiences of Black Deaf families, protecting deaf children of color, and the principles of social justice among other topics. Learn more about Critical Consciousness School at www.andreasonnierbabin.com.