Wisconsin’s Innovative Parent Support Activities

1. Wisconsin’s Innovative Parent Support Activities • The Power of Parents • “My daughter is eight years old and for the first time I don’t feel alone.” • “I have learned the power that parents can have when they come together. I feel like we have become the collective backbone for our children and together we can make great differences in WI.”

2. Underlying Values for Parent Support Activities • Parents know what they need • Parents know their child best • Professionals have a valuable perspective, but parents need to have ownership and leadership • Parent connections are priceless • More heads are better than one • Parent participation in all aspects of programming

3. Research that supports the importance of parents • Essential Role Models • studies suggest that parent-to-parent support encourages parents and provides parents with role models as they discover their capabilities as parents and families with a deaf/ hard of hearing child. (Eleweke & Rodda, 2000; Jackson, Becker, & Schmitendorf, 2002). • Social Acceptance • The results indicated that parents who had contact with other parents of children who were deaf showed greater emotional bonds with their child, better acceptance of their child, and improved responsiveness during interactions. (Gregory, Bishop, & Shelton, 1995; Seligman & Darling, 1997)

4. Research that supports the importance of parents • Parenting Competency and Efficacy • Parent mentors are uniquely suited to provide peer support because they are peers—not professionals. This in turn increases families feelings of competency parenting a deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind child. (Bodner-Johnson, 2001)

5. Impetus: Parent SummitJanuary 17, 2003 • Parent to Parent Network Summit • Invitational conference 3-5 families of children 0-8 years per DHFS region • Provided a forum for families with young deaf and hard of hearing children to make recommendations that has provided the foundation for a statewide parent network plan

6. Summit Recommendations • Parent Conference • Unbiased information in one place available early after diagnosis • Direct Parent to Parent Support • Parent Connections At the same time, a new program (WESPDHH Outreach) was being established. Summit recommendations were carried forth, because personnel and financial resources were in place.

7. Parent Conference • 5 tremendously successful years! • Conference is FOR parents and is planned BY parents • Parent friendships and networks are visibly established! • Deaf and hard of hearing adult role models • Mentoring between older and younger deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind kids • Variety of childcare activities • Entertainment for the whole family • Advanced and beginning level workshops for parents with children of all ages • Vendors, exhibits and hands-on technology room • Spanish-speaking family outreach efforts • Deafblind/deafplus workshops

8. Parent Conference FUN

9. Parent Conference Entertainment

10. Unbiased information in one place early after diagnosis Parent Notebook • Celebrating your Child • Supporting your Family • Knowing the Information • Exploring the Possibilities • Keeping Track • Looking Ahead

11. Guide-By-Your-Side Program Direct Parent to Parent Support – available to any family with a child who has been newly diagnosed with a hearing loss. Free of charge. GOALS 1. To provide an understanding of the unique needs of young children who are deaf or hard of hearing 2. To provide unbiased information regarding communication options and link families to resources available locally, regionally, and statewide 3. To provide parents with the opportunity to establish asupportive relationship with an experienced parent 4. To ensure that families are linkedto their county Birth to 3 Program or local school district 5. To ensure that families are connected to other parent to parent resources

12. GBYS Follow-Through Program

13. Parent Connections • Wisconsin Families for Hands and Voices • Co-sponsorship of Distant Pals • Trainings in “A is for Access” • Parent Scholarships for Parent Conference • Wisconsin Chapter – A.G. Bell • Statewide Listserve • http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DeafHHChildParentNetworkWI/

14. Deaf Mentor Project • Provides a Deaf Mentor to any family with a child who is deaf or hard of hearing and under the age of 6 within the home setting to: • Teach the family American Sign Language • Model interactions with the child • Share aspects of Deaf Culture

15. Parent Leadership Opportunities • Parent Liaison, WESPDHH-Outreach • Coordination of Guide-By-Your-Side Program • Oversight of Statewide Parent Conference • Coordination of Distant Pals Program • Parent Conference – Planning Committee participation • Representation-Governor’s Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing • Representation-State Superintendent’s Deaf/ • Hard of Hearing Advisory Council • Co-Chair of CDC Parent to Parent Committee • EHDI Planning Committee Parent Rep.

16. Distant Pals Program • A pen-pal program that connects children who are deaf/hard of hearing throughout the state of WI and provides them with peer relationships and healthy role models • School to school program where teachers sign their students up • Home to home program where parents and kids sign up

17. Future plans… • Coffee clutches for families with newly diagnosed kids so they can meet other families • 2008 Parent Conference planning committee • Spanish/Hmong/American Indian Parent Guide Recruitment • In-home programming to support families with an auditory/oral approach • Increased opportunities for parents to meet adult deaf and hard of hearing role models through the Guide-By-Your-Side Program

18. Collaborations…. • Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction (DPI) • Wisconsin Dept. of Health and Family Services • WI Sound Beginnings (EHDI program) • WI Birth to 3 Program • Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing • Regional Centers for Children with Special Health Care Needs • Wisconsin Families for Hands & Voices • WI Personnel Development Project (University of WI) • Community Physicians, Audiologists, etc. • Stakeholders

19. Questions?

20. For more information, please contact: Laurie Nelson, Parent Liaison Wisconsin Educational Services Program for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing – Outreach 125 S. Webster Street P.O. Box 7841 Madison, WI 53707-7841 608-266-6438 laurie.nelson@wesp-dhh.wi.gov