NAD to Advocate for Deaf Babies’ Right to ASL at EHDI Conference

On March 5-6, 2012, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) will attend the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. At the conference, we will continue to advocate for the rights of deaf and hard of hearing children to have full access to an education that ensures optimal acquisition of and fluency in American Sign Language and English. We expect to share our message with various stakeholders of early invention programs from all over the country, including local and federal EHDI professionals, deaf educators, advocates, audiologists, and parents. 

The NAD will be involved in four presentations. The first presentation will explore the legal rights parents have regarding the education of and full range of services available to their deaf children. The NAD will then follow with a presentation discussing the rights of deaf and hard of hearing individuals and their parents for situations occurring outside the school – such as access to medical services, movie theaters, after school activities and clubs, museums, and other areas. 

In its third presentation, the NAD will encourage parents with tips that will effectively stimulate their children's language acquisition. In its fourth workshop, the NAD will promote deaf mentor programs within the EHDI system so that parents can be introduced to the deaf experience and to cultivate the bond between parents and their deaf children. 

The NAD maintains that EHDI programs must ensure that parents of newly identified deaf or hard of hearing infants receive accurate information about the benefits of acquiring and developing proficiency in both ASL and English.

Click here to view “EHDI Programs and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community: Working Together” which includes descriptions of each initiative listed above. [2]

Early language advocates should share this document with EHDI professionals in their states.