When I visited GSD (Georgia School for the Deaf) on Tuesday, I met a woman from Gallaudet University, a professor who is spending her time helping the faculty and students at GSD become a bilingual school (ASL and written English). We got to talking about Georgia Pathway and professional development, and she mentioned the ITF program at Gallaudet (which can be taken online if you aren’t from D.C.). We believe in the power of Early Intervention at Georgia Pathway, so, needless to say, I was thrilled to hear that there was a program to certify professionals who serve the deaf and hard of hearing community.
Here’s a video that will give you a little bit of information on the program (and you may just recognize the woman on the right – Dr. Beth Benedict!)…
“The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Infants, Toddlers and their Families: Collaboration and Leadership Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate Program is a hybrid program (online and on-campus instruction) that 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 content and teaching of the program is interdisciplinary and provides an overview of professional and ethical practices, communication and language(s), families, and developmental assessment and programming. Candidates will acquire leadership, advocacy and collaboration skills that promote age and developmentally appropriate outcomes for infants and toddlers. All coursework and experiences reflect principles of diversity including understanding and appreciation of language diversity (ASL and English, as well as other home languages). This 7-course graduate certificate can be taken in conjunction with another graduate program at Gallaudet or another university, or as a post graduate program for professionals who have current or prospective employment in a program for deaf and hard of hearing infants, toddlers and their families.
The program focuses on the acquisition of knowledge and skills in four broad content areas. These areas include: 1) Professional and Ethical Practices, 2) Communication and Language, 3) Families, Cultures and Communities, and 4) Development, Assessment and Programming. Units of instruction are developed and taught by professionals with expertise in working with infants, toddlers and their families from a wide array of disciplinary backgrounds including, ASL and Deaf studies, communication studies, counseling, education, linguistics, psychology, speech-language-hearing, and social work. Bilingual (ASL – English) principles and philosophical perspectives are infused into the curriculum content and delivery of coursework and experiences. Each course will be offered for graduate or professional studies credits and will be co-taught by faculty from different disciplines. Units of instruction are developed and taught by professionals with expertise in working with infants, toddlers and their families from a wide array of disciplinary backgrounds including, ASL and Deaf studies, communication studies, counseling, education, linguistics, psychology, speech-language-hearing, and social work. Bilingual (ASL – English) principles and philosophical perspectives are infused into the curriculum content and delivery of coursework and experiences. Each course will be offered for graduate or professional studies credits and will be co-taught by faculty from different disciplines.
The program consists of 18 credit hours. The first course is a hybrid summer course of three-days on campus followed by online coursework. The second course is also during the first summer and is completely online. The next four courses are online during the fall and spring semesters. The seventh and final course begins with an online portion and concludes with a three-day on-campus seminar. The program includes an individually designed capstone project. The capstone project must be completed before the awarding of the certificate.
Online courses provide access to information through American Sign Language and English (e.g., presentations will be available through American Sign Language and spoken English or English captions).”
If you’re interested in learning more about Georgia Pathway to Language & Literacy, please visit our website at www.georgialiteracy.org or email us at gapathway@gmail.com.
She’s an expert in her field of Deaf Education and will be sharing her expertise this Thursday.
LIVE. In ASL. With live voice interpretation. And real-time captioning.
This Thursday, March 14th, from 4-5:30 pm EST, Dr. Benedict will be giving a live webcast presentation on Early Intervention, “How Early Intervention Can Make a Difference: Research and Trends.”
Beth Benedict is a Professor in the Department of Communication Studies [at Gallaudet University]. Her work has focused on family involvement in schools with deaf and hard of hearing children, early childhood education, advocacy, early communication and partnerships between deaf and hearing professionals. Her teaching includes courses on Family Communication, Non Verbal Communication, Public Speaking, Group Discussion, and other relevant topics.
Dr. Benedict is currently a member of the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing, representing the Council of Education of the Deaf, which just finished writing a 2007 Position Statement. 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 currently the president of the American Society for Deaf Children.
Dr. Benedict has made numerous presentations at national and international conferences, schools and for family organizations. Published works include articles and chapters in numerous 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 participants in research projects that investigate the development of communication and literacy.
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