Gallaudet University

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Infants, Toddlers and Families: Collaboration and Leadership Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate
ITF Program Enters Second Year
The Infants, Toddlers and their Families certificate program welcomed 18 new members of the second cohort of certificate candidates to campus on May 18-20. This 18-credit program is hybrid, with both online and on-campus instruction. The three-day introduction to the program in May brings students and instructors together prior to the online portion of the program. The program provides professionals from a wide range of disciplines with current evidence-based knowledge and skills for working with families and their very young children who are deaf or hard of hearing. The Certificate program is offered for either Graduate or Professional Studies Credit.

September 2012 Volume 2, Issue 1

The second cohort of candidates in the ITF program are together on campus for the initial class.

See the following websites for more information about the ITF program Applications for 2013-2014 are due February 1, 2013
http://www.gallaudet.edu/BLI/Deaf_and_Hard_of_Hearing_Infants_Toddlers_and_FamiliesCollaboration_and_Leadership_Program.html http://gradschool.gallaudet.edu/programs/c-itf

Certificate Candidates 2012-2013

Contents
Program Enters 2nd Year Certificate Candidates Program Highlights Program Faculty Meet the Co-Directors Graduates Comments 1 1 2 2 3 4

The second class of the ITF Certificate program includes candidates who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Hearing from around the world. The class is comprised of professionals and graduate students from many different fields including Program Administration, Audiology, Counseling, Education, Interpreting, Social Work, and Speech- Language Pathology.

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ITF Program

Program Highlights: Graduating Students

Our first cohort of candidates met on campus for their final seminar of the program June 22 - 24. Some of the highlights included the candidates presentations of their capstone projects, an in-depth look at the SKI-HI curriculum, and role plays to develop skills for working with families during home visits. Selected 2012 Capstone Projects: Survey of home visiting in early childhood programs Proposal for providing access to hearing screening in rural areas Workshops on what it means to be Deaf/deaf for families and professionals Development of a state-wide Deaf mentoring program Presentation on the role of counselors in early intervention Development and dissemination of a brochure on early intervention services statewide

Program Faculty 2013-2014

Beth Betman, MSW, LICSW has worked at Gallaudet since 1979. She was a School Social Worker at Model Secondary School for the Deaf and Kendall Demonstration Elementary School on Gallaudets campus. In 2006 she joined the Social Work Department as the Coordinator of the School Social Work Specialization. She also teaches the School Social Work Policy and Practice Courses, and Play Therapy. She is a Ph.D. candidate at Catholic University currently working on her dissertation. Her special areas of interest include clinical social work practice, sandtray therapy, and how to prevent issues that put deaf children at risk. Jodee Crace, M.A. has 12 years experience providing home visits as a direct service provider in collaboration with the Part C agency and Outreach Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children in Indiana and their families. Jodee utilizes her counseling degree and experiences to provide resources and support in the family's journey of empowerment and joy in raising their deaf and hard of hearing child. Jodee also serves on several committees and boards that promote healthy family systems. She is currently the President of the American Society for Deaf Children.

Maribel Grate, Ph.D. is currently a faculty member in the Department of Education at Gallaudet University. From 2001 to 2005 she was a lead mentor trainer for the Star Schools Project established by the Center for ASL/English Bilingual Education and Research. In addition, she has conducted trainings and made presentations on topics related to Bilingual Deaf Education, English as a Second Language instruction for Deaf children, literacy instruction, integrated curriculum, and ASL Linguistics to teachers, staff, and school administrators both nationally and internationally. Brenda Seal, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow, is a Professor in the Department of Hearing, Speech, and Language Sciences at Gallaudet University. Dr. Seal is also Professor Emerita at James Madison University where she taught for 28 years. Prior to that she was a speech-language pathologist at the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind in Staunton. Her research interests are in pediatric sign language acquisition, cochlear implant outcomes, fingerspelling and educational interpreting. Amy Szarkowski, Ph.D., earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Gallaudet University's Clinical Psychology program and is pleased to return to Gallaudet as an adjuct instructor. Currently, Dr. Szarkowski holds a joint appointment as a Psychologist with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program at Boston Children's Hospital and as an Instructor of Psychology, Division of Psychiatry, at Harvard Medical School. Her areas of interest include examining the influence of a child's hearing loss on the family system and quality of life issues for Deaf and hard of hearing children.

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ITF Program Co-Directors

Marilyn Sass-Lehrer
Marilyn Sass-Lehrer is a professor of education in the Graduate School at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. She specializes in preparing professionals to work with young children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families. She received her master's degree in Deaf Education from New York University and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in Early Childhood Education and Curriculum and Instruction. Dr. SassLehrer has worked as a teacher and early intervention specialist in a variety of educational settings. Her research and writing address teacher competencies and guidelines for best practice, diversity, family-school partnerships, early intervention, and family support and involvement. Dr. SassLehrer is a co-author of Parents and their Deaf Children: The Early Years (Gallaudet Press, 2003), and co-editor of The Young Deaf or Hard of Hearing Child: A FamilyCentered Approach to Early Education (Brookes Publishing, 2003). Dr. Sass-Lehrer has authored chapters and articles and given presentations and training workshops for professionals. She is actively involved in professional organizations that advocate for effective policies and practices for children who are deaf and hard of hearing and their families. Dr. Sass-Lehrer can be reached by email marilyn.sass-lehrer@gallaudet.edu, videophone 202-250-2106, or voice phone 202-651-5530.

Beth Benedict
Beth Sonnenstrahl Benedict is a professor in the Department of Communication Studies. Her work focuses on family involvement in schools with children who are deaf and hard of hearing, early childhood education, advocacy, early communication and partnerships between deaf and hearing professionals. She received her MA at New York University and her PhD from Gallaudet University. Her teaching includes courses on Family Communication, Non Verbal Communication, Public Speaking, Group Discussion, and other topics. Dr. Benedict is currently a member of the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing, representing the Council on Education of the Deaf. She was also a member of the Health and Human Services Constituent Expert Working Group on Effective Interventions for Infants and Young Children with Hearing Loss, coordinated by the U.S. Office on Disability. She has served on the Maryland Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Advisory Council and is the past president of the American Society for Deaf Children. Dr. Benedict has made numerous presentations at national and international conferences, schools and organizations for families with deaf children. Published works include articles and chapters in books related to early communication development. Dr. Benedict is the mother of two deaf daughters (Rachel and Lauren), and is married to A. Dwight Benedict. Her family often participates in research projects that investigate the development of communication and literacy. Dr. Benedict can be reached by email beth.benedict@gallaudet.edu or videophone 202-651-5420.

Gallaudet University
What Our Graduates Are Saying
How would you rate the overall quality of the ITF certificate program?
o
Gallaudet University 800 Florida Avenue NE Washington, DC 20002

The programs outstanding quality is a direct result of the professors teaching the classes. Everyone was knowledgeable, helpful and truly interested in what we were doing. I learned so much and am more motivated than ever to continue my work in this area. Thank you!!!!

Contact us at: ITF@gallaudet.edu

CaCo

What was most helpful (about the program)?

o o o The quality and experience of the instructors was top notch. The perspective and experience of the highly qualified instructors. Their knowledge, experience and passion were evident and appreciated. The face-to-face classes were most helpful. I feel as though these classes were used to not only gain knowledge and information about the content, but also to support, collaborate, and share ideas with one another. I also felt the resources to use in the field were very helpfulit is almost a toolbox of resources that I will be able to use in the future. Capstone Project-this was hands on and helped me analyze what I would like to do in this area and a better idea of where to start.

Check us out on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/ GallaudetITFProgram

Anything you want to share (regarding the program)?

o Thank you for the opportunity to learn from and experience your world of early childhood education. I am motivated, challenged and committed to improve services in my state because of your hard work and passion. I will recommend the program highly to anyone who might be interested. Thank you!! This program meets a critical need. The country is really focusing on early intervention (EI) right now. Team-based models are best practices for EI, so it must be best practice to learn in an interdisciplinary environment. Kudos to Gallaudet for being on the cutting edge once again. I love this program! Im so glad I decided to do this. Thank you!

o o

Gallaudet University Graduate Certificate Program Deaf and Hard of Hearing Infants, Toddlers and Families: Collaboration and Leadership
For more information, find us on the web at: http://www.gallaudet.edu/BLI/Deaf_and_Hard_of_Hearing_Infants_Toddlers_and_FamiliesCollaboration_and_Leadership_Program.html http://gradschool.gallaudet.edu/programs/c-itf

*Support for this program comes from: A. G. Bummy Burstein Leadership Institute*