Activating Awareness

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Many factors impact outcomes for children who are deaf and hard of hearing learning to listen and talk. At the foundation, families’ and students’ sense of belonging; feeling both respected and heard, has the power to impact outcomes significantly. Professionals in the field of deaf education have historically lacked linguistic and cultural diversity, yet the students and families we serve represent a broad range of cultures, ethnicity, genders and socio-economic status. We first must recognize this diversity and our responsibility to support cultural and linguistic sensitivity and equity. Through awareness, we begin the work of creating a sense of belonging for students and families. Through reflection, we begin the work of asking hard questions and providing a safe place to hold uncomfortable conversations. Through collaboration, we begin identifying resources to support professionals working with diverse populations.

As a result of this activity, participants will be able to:

1. Demonstrate awareness of cultural and linguistic sensitivity and diversity specific to the field of listening and spoken language.

2. Describe strategies to support a sense of belonging for parents, caregivers and students in a listening and spoken language program.

3. Describe strategies to educate, support and train school professionals working with culturally and linguistically diverse students and families.