Nebraska Resources for Families of Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Kelcey Buck Author

12/09/2021 Added

26 Plays

Description

This video is geared toward families in Nebraska with children who are deaf or hard of hearing, and professionals who work with these families. It provides a summary of services available from several statewide agencies and organizations.

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[00:00:00.633]Hello,
[00:00:01.501]and thank you for viewing this video.
[00:00:03.870]This video is geared
[00:00:05.572]toward families in Nebraska
[00:00:07.741]with children who are deaf
[00:00:09.743]or hard of hearing,
[00:00:11.177]and professionals
[00:00:12.345]who work with these families.
[00:00:14.614]The goal is to provide a summary
[00:00:16.616]of services available
[00:00:19.119]from several statewide agencies
[00:00:21.287]and organizations.
[00:00:23.423]We will begin with Brenda Coufal,
[00:00:25.525]coordinator of the Nebraska
[00:00:27.293]Early Hearing Detection
[00:00:28.895]and Intervention Program.
[00:00:30.830]Following Brenda,
[00:00:32.232]each representative will
[00:00:33.433]introduce themselves
[00:00:35.301]as we move through this presentation.
[00:00:38.471]The Nebraska Early Hearing Detection
[00:00:39.973]and Intervention Program,
[00:00:41.541]also known as Nebraska EHDI
[00:00:43.576]or the Newborn Hearing
[00:00:44.611]Screening Program,
[00:00:46.012]works with many external partners
[00:00:47.847]to meet the state
[00:00:48.748]and national 1-3-6 goals
[00:00:50.884]established by the Joint Committee
[00:00:52.552]on Infant Hearing,
[00:00:53.853]also known as JCIH.
[00:00:56.523]All infants
[00:00:57.257]should receive a hearing screening
[00:00:58.558]by one month of age.
[00:01:00.427]All infants who refer,
[00:01:01.728]which means they didn't pass
[00:01:03.096]an inpatient
[00:01:04.064]or outpatient hearing screening,
[00:01:05.899]should receive
[00:01:06.566]a diagnostic evaluation
[00:01:08.301]by 3 months of age.
[00:01:10.136]All infants who are identified
[00:01:11.504]as deaf or hard of hearing
[00:01:12.972]should be enrolled
[00:01:13.673]in early intervention services
[00:01:15.708]by 6 months of age.
[00:01:18.078]Nebraska EHDI oversees
[00:01:19.079]the Newborn Hearing Screening process
[00:01:21.081]for all birthing facilities
[00:01:22.415]in Nebraska.
[00:01:23.850]We follow up with families,
[00:01:25.618]primary healthcare providers,
[00:01:27.320]audiologists,
[00:01:28.455]and other medical specialists,
[00:01:29.856]as needed,
[00:01:30.757]when infants don't pass
[00:01:32.125]their newborn hearing screening.
[00:01:34.561]Nebraska EHDI also assists families
[00:01:36.696]so they can be connected to the
[00:01:37.897]many resources available in the state
[00:01:40.266]and ensure infants
[00:01:40.967]who have been identified
[00:01:42.168]as deaf or hard of hearing
[00:01:43.703]have been referred
[00:01:44.471]to the Early Development Network
[00:01:46.272]for early intervention services.
[00:01:48.775]When an infant is identified
[00:01:50.076]as deaf or hard of hearing,
[00:01:51.578]parents receive the
[00:01:52.479]Parent Resource Guide
[00:01:53.546]from the audiologist
[00:01:54.914]and a notification letter is sent
[00:01:56.616]to the primary healthcare provider.
[00:01:59.085]Hands and Voices Guide By Your Side
[00:02:00.653]parent guides
[00:02:01.588]also discuss the
[00:02:02.522]Parent Resource Guide
[00:02:03.389]with families
[00:02:04.424]to provide support
[00:02:05.792]and stress the importance
[00:02:06.493]of starting
[00:02:07.327]early intervention as soon as possible.
[00:02:10.063]The Parent Resource Guide
[00:02:11.331]provides a wide variety of resources.
[00:02:13.933]It was developed by Nebraska EHDI,
[00:02:15.935]with the collaboration of many partners,
[00:02:18.004]and is available in print
[00:02:19.572]or can be accessed
[00:02:20.673]on the Nebraska EHDI website,
[00:02:22.609]the link showing here.
[00:02:24.511]Nebraska EHDI's website
[00:02:25.945]also provides
[00:02:26.746]many resources for families,
[00:02:28.648]including the EHDI Family Support page.
[00:02:31.351]These can be found
[00:02:32.085]on a link showing here.
[00:02:34.220]There are many important partners
[00:02:35.488]in the EHDI process.
[00:02:36.990]These include parents,
[00:02:38.758]birthing facilities,
[00:02:40.260]Hands & Voices
[00:02:41.060]Guide By Your Side program,
[00:02:42.862]the Parent Training
[00:02:43.630]Information Nebraska,
[00:02:45.231]also known as PTI-Nebraska,
[00:02:48.001]UNL HearU Nebraska,
[00:02:50.370]the deaf and hard of hearing community,
[00:02:52.505]the Nebraska Commission
[00:02:53.606]for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing,
[00:02:55.542]the Nebraska Association of the Deaf,
[00:02:58.044]audiologists,
[00:02:59.345]primary healthcare providers,
[00:03:01.047]medical specialists,
[00:03:02.649]Early Development Network
[00:03:04.083](EDN)
[00:03:04.817]Part C Early Intervention,
[00:03:07.020]the regional programs and schools,
[00:03:08.955]which include deaf educators,
[00:03:11.191]speech-language pathologists,
[00:03:12.992]and Early Head Start,
[00:03:14.394]and also the Medically Handicapped
[00:03:16.029]Children's Program.
[00:03:17.997]All of these partners help families
[00:03:19.766]so children who are identified
[00:03:21.134]as deaf or hard of hearing
[00:03:22.635]can reach their full potential.
[00:03:24.804]Nebraska EHDI is an unbiased program.
[00:03:27.440]We inform parents
[00:03:28.174]of the resources available
[00:03:29.709]so they can utilize
[00:03:30.677]what is best for their family.
[00:03:32.845]Hi, my name is Shelli,
[00:03:33.846]and I'm here to talk about
[00:03:35.114]the Nebraska Hands & Voices program.
[00:03:38.551]Nebraska Hands & Voices is a non-profit
[00:03:40.853]that covers the state of Nebraska.
[00:03:43.056]We started a chapter in Nebraska
[00:03:44.557]in 2007,
[00:03:46.192]and then in 2012, we started
[00:03:48.494]the Nebraska Hands & Voices
[00:03:50.129]Guide By Your Side program.
[00:03:52.031]I am the program coordinator,
[00:03:54.467]and this is, um, done
[00:03:57.337]um, with thanks to the Nebraska
[00:03:59.138]Department of Education
[00:04:00.340]for granting us, um, money
[00:04:02.642]to do this program.
[00:04:04.410]There's myself and 14 parent guides
[00:04:06.379]that cover the state of Nebraska.
[00:04:08.248]And we all have children
[00:04:10.316]with various hearing differences,
[00:04:12.852]and from various parts of the state.
[00:04:14.487]And our goal
[00:04:15.255]is just to connect with parents
[00:04:17.023]and provide them
[00:04:17.991]unbiased information and support.
[00:04:20.460]Sometimes it's just nice to
[00:04:21.728]talk with another parent that gets it.
[00:04:24.130]Uh, we make
[00:04:25.965]phone calls with families,
[00:04:26.933]we do home visits.
[00:04:28.601]Sometimes we meet at a doctor's office,
[00:04:30.670]um, to try to help families
[00:04:32.305]understand and digest the information.
[00:04:34.907]There's been times where I'll go to
[00:04:36.376]a doctor's appointment with a family,
[00:04:39.045]um, a mom or a dad,
[00:04:40.680]and then later that evening,
[00:04:42.015]I'll email them
[00:04:43.116]the information that was discussed.
[00:04:45.151]I think sometimes it's just a lot
[00:04:46.619]for a parent to take in.
[00:04:48.187]Uh, we provide families
[00:04:49.255]with information about
[00:04:50.223]various financial supports
[00:04:51.357]that are available
[00:04:52.925]when looking into therapies
[00:04:54.327]or equipment.
[00:04:55.528]We also do
[00:04:56.529]different events around the state.
[00:04:59.232]My favorite event of the year
[00:05:00.233]is Moms Night Inn.
[00:05:02.001]This is an event that we
[00:05:03.736]tend to do
[00:05:04.570]in November
[00:05:05.371]in the central and western
[00:05:06.706]part of the state.
[00:05:08.107]And we do it in February
[00:05:09.676]in the Lincoln area.
[00:05:11.444]This is a time where
[00:05:12.345]parents can learn about
[00:05:14.347]various information and resources
[00:05:16.549]pertaining to
[00:05:17.550]raising a child
[00:05:18.351]who is deaf or hard of hearing.
[00:05:20.320]And it also provides
[00:05:22.722]opportunities to just talk with
[00:05:24.791]one another
[00:05:25.858]to kind of find out
[00:05:26.659]how different people are coping and
[00:05:28.494]maybe learning from
[00:05:29.495]other people's mistakes.
[00:05:31.431]That on, um,
[00:05:32.432]this is an overnight event,
[00:05:33.499]on Sunday we have
[00:05:34.667]a deaf and hard of hearing panel,
[00:05:36.235]which is my favorite.
[00:05:37.370]It's just really nice
[00:05:38.237]to get the perspective of these kids
[00:05:41.174]that are living
[00:05:42.575]in the world of deafness.
[00:05:44.277]Um, anything that can help parents
[00:05:46.346]feel a little bit more confident
[00:05:47.513]about raising a child that's
[00:05:48.548]deaf or hard of hearing is our main goal.
[00:05:51.884]We do other events,
[00:05:53.486]um, there are
[00:05:55.488]our Dads Night events.
[00:05:57.156]We have book signing events.
[00:05:59.425]We have, um,
[00:06:01.227]just other kind of trainings
[00:06:02.628]that might help support, um,
[00:06:04.464]extended family.
[00:06:06.065]So, um,
[00:06:07.700]I think it's a really great program and
[00:06:10.536]I am very happy that it's
[00:06:12.372]well respected within our state
[00:06:13.840]so if you have any questions,
[00:06:15.174]please feel free to
[00:06:15.808]give me a call.
[00:06:17.143]My name is Stacie Ray,
[00:06:18.611]professor of practice in audiology
[00:06:20.947]at the University of Nebraska
[00:06:22.815]in Lincoln.
[00:06:24.717]I am going to discuss
[00:06:26.152]accessibility to hearing healthcare
[00:06:29.689]for families
[00:06:30.690]of children
[00:06:31.691]who are deaf and hard of hearing.
[00:06:34.460]So, there's a few key facts.
[00:06:36.829]It is well known
[00:06:38.364]and documented throughout literature
[00:06:41.467]that early access to language is vital
[00:06:44.604]in order to improve outcomes of children
[00:06:47.273]who are deaf and hard of hearing.
[00:06:49.509]For many children, this access is obtained
[00:06:52.378]through amplification,
[00:06:54.347]or cochlear implantation.
[00:06:57.316]There are many resources available
[00:06:59.419]for families across Nebraska.
[00:07:02.855]One directory that is very helpful
[00:07:05.925]is EHDI-PALS.
[00:07:08.394]This is a web-based directory
[00:07:11.330]that provides information
[00:07:13.699]about pediatric audiology sites
[00:07:17.036]throughout the state.
[00:07:20.373]You will be able to access information
[00:07:23.509]about audiologists
[00:07:25.178]who can provide assistance to your child
[00:07:28.514]to do hearing testing,
[00:07:30.883]to provide hearing aid services,
[00:07:33.319]and cochlear implantation.
[00:07:36.989]Another resource
[00:07:39.125]is the Children of Nebraska
[00:07:41.461]Hearing Aid Act,
[00:07:43.196]known as LB15,
[00:07:46.065]which passed
[00:07:46.833]through Nebraska legislation
[00:07:49.902]January 1, 2020.
[00:07:52.905]This legislation
[00:07:54.073]requires private insurers
[00:07:56.042]in the state of Nebraska
[00:07:57.577]to provide hearing aid coverage
[00:07:59.345]for children
[00:08:00.379]age 18 and under.
[00:08:04.083]There is a benefit
[00:08:05.585]of $3,000
[00:08:07.620]every 48 months,
[00:08:09.789]or four years.
[00:08:12.525]This benefit can be applied
[00:08:14.560]toward hearing evaluations
[00:08:16.629]with audiologists,
[00:08:18.397]appointments with
[00:08:19.332]ear, nose and throat physicians,
[00:08:21.767]hearing aid fittings,
[00:08:23.169]programming,
[00:08:24.170]ear molds, repairs,
[00:08:25.605]and aural rehabilitation.
[00:08:28.140]It is important to note
[00:08:30.243]that this is subject
[00:08:32.378]to your health insurance
[00:08:34.347]plan's deductibles,
[00:08:36.482]co-payments, and co-insurance.
[00:08:39.285]So, you would need to reach out
[00:08:41.153]to your
[00:08:42.488]healthcare insurer's plan
[00:08:45.525]in order to find out what your benefits are.
[00:08:49.829]Also, small businesses
[00:08:52.598]of 2 to 50 employees
[00:08:55.134]are exempt.
[00:08:58.004]Another resource is HearU Nebraska.
[00:09:00.740]This is a statewide program
[00:09:02.575]offering amplification
[00:09:04.510]for uninsured or under insured
[00:09:07.113]children age 0 to 18.
[00:09:10.416]HearU serves as a resource for children,
[00:09:14.186]and families,
[00:09:15.187]and professionals
[00:09:17.023]who are assisting these families
[00:09:20.026]during their quest to obtain amplification.
[00:09:24.130]HearU does have a more relaxed
[00:09:27.133]income guideline, as compared to
[00:09:30.469]our state Medicaid.
[00:09:33.105]So, this could be a potential resource
[00:09:35.374]for families
[00:09:36.309]who do not have the financial
[00:09:37.376]resources to meet
[00:09:39.245]high out-of-pocket costs
[00:09:42.281]and maybe
[00:09:43.049]will not qualify, or do not qualify,
[00:09:45.585]for Nebraska Medicaid.
[00:09:48.721]I have included a link
[00:09:51.424]to the website
[00:09:52.725]where you can get more information
[00:09:54.860]and access the application.
[00:09:59.432]If you would like to reach out
[00:10:00.967]to HearU Nebraska,
[00:10:02.635]here is some
[00:10:03.202]contact information
[00:10:04.370]to do so.
[00:10:06.872]Additional resources in our state
[00:10:09.475]do include Nebraska Medicaid.
[00:10:13.145]If your child qualifies,
[00:10:15.715]Medicaid will typically
[00:10:17.083]cover the cost of hearing aids
[00:10:18.985]and related services.
[00:10:21.220]If you're unsure
[00:10:23.155]I encourage you to apply
[00:10:24.790]through ACCESSNebraska.gov
[00:10:28.194]or call the number listed here.
[00:10:33.199]Another potential resource is
[00:10:35.468]the Medically Handicapped
[00:10:36.936]Children's Program.
[00:10:39.305]This program allows individuals,
[00:10:42.642]parents,
[00:10:43.909]guardians,
[00:10:44.777]agencies and physicians
[00:10:47.079]to be able to refer
[00:10:49.615]a child to this program.
[00:10:52.418]You can request an application
[00:10:54.720]from any Department
[00:10:56.155]of Health and Human Services
[00:10:58.090]local office.
[00:11:01.227]Families may also want to
[00:11:03.629]reach out to any of your local
[00:11:06.298]Lion's Clubs or Sertoma Clubs
[00:11:09.935]as sometimes these clubs
[00:11:11.771]are willing to assist
[00:11:14.106]with costs associated
[00:11:16.075]with amplification for children.
[00:11:19.779]There's numerous additional funding
[00:11:22.548]options,
[00:11:24.116]so we have included on this slide
[00:11:26.852]a funding toolkit
[00:11:29.155]that I would encourage you to look at.
[00:11:33.426]Hello, I'm Cole Johnson
[00:11:34.694]with the Department of Education
[00:11:35.728]and I work for
[00:11:36.629]the Early Development Network.
[00:11:38.898]The Early Development Network
[00:11:40.032]provides early intervention services
[00:11:41.634]to families with children birth to age three
[00:11:44.036]with developmental delays
[00:11:45.237]and/or healthcare needs.
[00:11:47.106]EDN additionally connects families
[00:11:49.075]to other needed services.
[00:11:51.143]If you or anyone you know
[00:11:52.111]has concerns about
[00:11:53.112]your child's development,
[00:11:54.780]please make a referral by calling
[00:11:56.749]888-806-6287
[00:12:00.619]or by visiting our website,
[00:12:02.388]edn.ne.gov.
[00:12:05.391]Hi, my name is Lindsey Hinzmann,
[00:12:07.393]and I am the coordinator
[00:12:08.828]for the Southeast Nebraska
[00:12:10.029]Regional Program
[00:12:11.097]for students who are deaf
[00:12:12.298]or hard of hearing.
[00:12:14.266]The Nebraska Regional Programs
[00:12:16.001]were established by
[00:12:16.836]the Nebraska Department of Education
[00:12:19.205]to enhance the educational programs
[00:12:21.540]children who are deaf and hard of hearing
[00:12:23.576]receive through their school districts.
[00:12:26.946]The Nebraska Regional Programs,
[00:12:28.614]or sometimes referred to as NRP,
[00:12:31.417]are divided into four regions,
[00:12:33.352]which are shown on this map.
[00:12:35.821]The Central Western Partnership,
[00:12:37.823]also known as CWNP,
[00:12:39.625]is shown in yellow.
[00:12:41.527]The Northeast Regional Program,
[00:12:44.196]or NERP,
[00:12:45.631]is the blue area on the map.
[00:12:48.601]The Southeast Regional Program,
[00:12:50.469]or SNRP,
[00:12:52.138]is shown in red.
[00:12:53.806]And the Metro Regional Program,
[00:12:55.541]or MRP, is shown in green.
[00:12:59.044]On the map, you will see the names
[00:13:01.080]of each of the coordinators
[00:13:02.414]for the specific regional program.
[00:13:05.951]The Nebraska Regional Program
[00:13:07.453]supports students who are deaf
[00:13:09.121]or hard of hearing
[00:13:10.322]by providing access to materials
[00:13:12.491]and equipment.
[00:13:14.627]The regional programs
[00:13:15.628]also provide enrichment
[00:13:17.630]and social opportunities for students
[00:13:19.598]throughout the year,
[00:13:20.833]which allow students to meet
[00:13:22.368]and interact with
[00:13:23.636]deaf and hard of hearing peers,
[00:13:25.905]as well as
[00:13:27.239]deaf and hard of hearing role models.
[00:13:30.609]Each regional program
[00:13:31.844]also supports students
[00:13:33.746]as they transition through school
[00:13:35.881]and into career and adult life.
[00:13:39.251]In addition,
[00:13:39.785]the Nebraska Regional Programs
[00:13:41.353]also support families
[00:13:42.988]by providing informational workshops
[00:13:45.024]and trainings
[00:13:46.125]geared specifically for families,
[00:13:48.928]and provide access
[00:13:50.029]to a wealth of resources
[00:13:51.597]within their lending library.
[00:13:54.333]The Nebraska Regional Programs
[00:13:55.901]also support and provides resources
[00:13:58.537]to families
[00:13:59.171]about communication modes
[00:14:01.006]and strategies for their child,
[00:14:02.942]including sign language.
[00:14:05.811]Through these opportunities,
[00:14:07.580]the regional programs
[00:14:08.614]encourage family involvement
[00:14:10.416]and networking with other families.
[00:14:13.853]The Nebraska Regional Programs
[00:14:15.387]also consults
[00:14:16.722]and collaborates with professionals
[00:14:18.591]in school districts
[00:14:19.592]who work with students
[00:14:20.593]who are deaf and hard of hearing.
[00:14:22.728]Professional development opportunities
[00:14:24.930]are also provided
[00:14:26.465]by the regional programs,
[00:14:28.167]as well as information about equipment,
[00:14:30.436]materials,
[00:14:31.403]and evidence-based practices.
[00:14:34.940]The Nebraska Regional Programs
[00:14:36.575]also collaborate with
[00:14:37.810]other community agencies
[00:14:39.311]and organizations
[00:14:40.980]to support students
[00:14:41.981]who are deaf or hard of hearing.
[00:14:45.251]In addition to the coordinators
[00:14:46.785]for each of the regional programs,
[00:14:48.587]Teresa Coonts from the
[00:14:49.922]Nebraska Department of Education,
[00:14:52.258]and Sue Czaplewski,
[00:14:53.759]liaison to the
[00:14:54.493]Nebraska Department of Education,
[00:14:56.762]support the work of the
[00:14:57.897]Nebraska Regional Programs.
[00:15:00.366]You can find more information
[00:15:01.934]on the Nebraska Regional Programs
[00:15:03.569]website,
[00:15:04.503]as well as links
[00:15:05.504]to each of the individual
[00:15:06.939]regional program websites.
[00:15:09.341]Hello.
[00:15:10.042]My name is Kelsey Cruz,
[00:15:11.410]and I am representing
[00:15:12.378]the Nebraska Commission
[00:15:13.379]for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
[00:15:15.447]We are a state agency
[00:15:16.815]dedicated to provide
[00:15:17.783]support and advocacy
[00:15:19.118]to Nebraskans who are
[00:15:20.686]deaf,
[00:15:21.220]deaf-blind,
[00:15:22.054]and hard of hearing.
[00:15:23.555]We stay connected within our community,
[00:15:25.624]private businesses,
[00:15:26.759]hospitals,
[00:15:27.760]service providers,
[00:15:28.761]and education leaders in Nebraska
[00:15:30.696]to provide support,
[00:15:32.164]information,
[00:15:33.265]quality services,
[00:15:34.433]and resources to our clients.
[00:15:36.869]The Commission can help families
[00:15:38.137]with children who are
[00:15:39.004]deaf and hard of hearing
[00:15:39.872]by insuring that your child
[00:15:41.240]is getting the services they need
[00:15:43.142]to help with their language development
[00:15:44.877]and communication access.
[00:15:46.912]The biggest age range
[00:15:47.947]for language acquisition is
[00:15:49.515]zero to five,
[00:15:50.482]and it is important that families have
[00:15:51.984]the resources
[00:15:52.918]and the support during this time.
[00:15:56.088]We provide technology for families,
[00:15:57.990]such as
[00:15:58.991]bed shakers,
[00:16:00.125]alarms,
[00:16:01.393]doorbell alerts
[00:16:02.628]that can help with inclusion
[00:16:03.996]in their household.
[00:16:05.698]The Commission has
[00:16:06.565]a Behavioral Health Services
[00:16:08.267]and a Behavioral Health Coordinator,
[00:16:10.636]as well as an education advocate,
[00:16:12.338]available for parents
[00:16:13.806]who would like to support,
[00:16:15.808]who would like support during this time.
[00:16:17.743]This is a very emotional journey.
[00:16:19.278]It can be difficult.
[00:16:20.245]And we are here
[00:16:21.246]to provide that advocacy and support
[00:16:23.148]for you and your family.
[00:16:25.651]More information on how we can help,
[00:16:27.886]on how we can help you
[00:16:29.121]is at
[00:16:30.289]www.ncdhh.nebraska.gov.
[00:16:36.929]In closing,
[00:16:38.097]we hope that this presentation
[00:16:40.099]has provided you with some
[00:16:41.500]valuable information.
[00:16:43.736]Although we represent a number of
[00:16:45.537]organizations working in collaboration
[00:16:48.340]to support families
[00:16:50.009]with deaf and hard of hearing children,
[00:16:52.044]we're fortunate to live in a state
[00:16:54.580]where many additional resources
[00:16:56.181]are available.
[00:16:57.683]Therefore, we have included a link
[00:16:59.785]on this last slide
[00:17:01.086]to a resource page
[00:17:02.788]where you can find contact information
[00:17:05.290]for the organizations
[00:17:06.725]that you heard from throughout this video,
[00:17:09.228]along with additional resources.
[00:17:12.164]Again, thank you for viewing this video
[00:17:15.467]and know
[00:17:16.268]that we are all here to support you
[00:17:19.071]and your family
[00:17:20.205]throughout your journey.

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Nebraska Resources for Families of Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

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