2027 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 22-24, 2027 • Bellevue, WA
3/17/2026 | 10:10 AM - 10:40 AM | Innovation, Resources, and Collaboration: Building Blocks for Increased Capacity in Teaching Young Children who are Deafblind | City Terrace 6
Innovation, Resources, and Collaboration: Building Blocks for Increased Capacity in Teaching Young Children who are Deafblind
Early intervention providers need high-quality training and professional development (PD). The National Center on Deafblindness will share resources and strategies that can be embedded in existing PD and teacher training systems that build capacity to increase the learning outcomes for infants and toddlers who are deafblind. Attendees will leave with resources that can be immediately embedded into existing training platforms or offered to teacher candidates, educators, and families through communities of practice and statewide training. Examples of states including North Carolina who have collaborated with early intervention Teachers of the Blind and Visually Impaired, Teachers of the Deaf/hh, and special educators to identify innovative solutions on how to increase language and learning outcomes for all children, including those who have complex needs and combined vision and hearing differences, will be shared. This addresses a critical need as many professional development opportunities do not include information on strategies for teaching infants and toddlers with complex needs including deafblindness.
- Participants will identify the unique needs of infants and toddlers with complex needs including deafblindness.
- Participants will increase their knowledge of resources available that address the learning needs of all children, including those with complex needs that are available to be embedded into existing preservice training and professional development systems.
- Participants will develop one action step toward increasing their teacher candidates’ or educators’ knowledge in the area of teaching all children, including those with complex needs.
Presentation:
View Presentation File
Handouts:
View Handout File
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Neena Malosky
(Co-Presenter), NC Department of Public Instruction, neena.malosky@dpi.nc.gov;
Neena Malosky is an IDEA Consultant for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in North Carolina and a member of the NC DeafBlind Project core team. A Teacher of the Deaf with over 20 years of experience, she works alongside families and teams to support children who are Deaf Plus, including those with DeafBlindness and those who use AAC. Her experience includes public schools and early intervention through the NC Early Learning Sensory Support Program.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Emma Fricke
(Primary Presenter), National Center on Deafblindness, efricke@helenkeller.org;
Emma Fricke is the Identification & Referral Lead at the National Center on Deafblindness (NCDB), a Technical Assistance and Dissemination grant through the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. Prior to joining NCDB in 2018, she spent eight years working for state deafblind projects in Vermont and New York. Emma was an early childhood special educator before joining the Deafblind Technical Assistance Network.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment from Helen Keller National Center/National Center on Deafblindness.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with Helen Keller National Center/National Center on Deafblindness.
Nature: Employment- federal OSEP DOE Grant.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.