Uma Soman is an educator of students who are deaf or hard of hearing and Listening and Spoken Language Specialist, Certified Auditory Verbal Educator. She is Co-Founder and Director of Professional Development at Listening Together.
How did you get into this field?
When I was 8 years old, my younger sister was diagnosed with bilateral profound hearing loss. As a child I participated in my sister’s therapy sessions, and watched my mother get her diploma in deaf education. Those experiences inspired me to become a teacher for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
What excites you about working with children who are DHH and their families?
Early in the process of diagnosis and intervention, parents need coaching and support to help their child use hearing technology to learn to listen and speak. This process of parent empowerment and helping children develop strong communication, literacy, and social skills so they can achieve their full potential is very rewarding and exciting to me.
You are presenting about “what it takes to support listening and spoken language development”. Why is this topic important to you?
Many families want their children to learn to listen and speak, but achieving that goal depends on many different factors. Understanding what it takes, the important components of this process, provides a road map to work towards this goal. I have seen that when parents and professionals work together, towards the same objective in a systematic manner, you see positive outcomes for the children.
Ahladhini Dugar is an educator of students who are deaf or hard of hearing and currently pursuing her certification as auditory-verbal therapist. She is Co-Founder and Director of Parent Empowerment at Listening Together.
How did you get into this field?
I was introduced to the world of hearing loss through my maternal aunt Lata who had a moderate loss. Aunt Lata was an artist and taught art at two schools for the deaf in Chennai, India. During my summer vacations from school I accompanied her to work and help out as an aide in her classroom. While many children had limited spoken language, there was joy and excitement on the children’s faces, their eagerness to learn new things, the love my aunt had towards her students and her resolve to teach them something new every day! That feeling of connectedness between teacher and student has stayed with me and served as a source of inspiration and motivated me to choose and pursue a career in deaf education.
What excited you about working with children who are DHH and their families?
Meeting families where they are in their journey with their child, having an opportunity to actively listen to their needs and the desired outcomes and responding with appropriate support through coaching and mentoring to help parents empower themselves to meet their child’s needs.
You are presenting about “what it takes to support listening and spoken language development”. Why is this topic important to you?
Having worked closely with several families who have struggled to get information and professional support I have seen the frustration in families when they have chosen listening and spoken language as the desired communication option for their child but feel lost without a clear understanding of what it takes and how to help their child.