First Bite #182 – April 27, 2022

IPP for Better Beginnings for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children

(.1 ASHA and AOTA CEUs) For more info, click here.

Course Description

In this episode, Michelle is joined by Cara Smithwick, B.S., NBCT, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Beginnings SC, and Mary Reaves, MRC, Co-Founder and Director of Programs with Beginnings SC, to discuss all things collaboration for advocacy and education with deaf/hard of hearing children and their caregivers. Cara and Mary, who founded Beginnings SC as a labor of love for improved education and empowerment of parents/caregivers of deaf/hard of hearing children, start the hour outlining the steps that were taken to create a life changing non-profit. If you have ever wondered how to improve your role as the SLP on the team for a deaf/hard of hearing child, then join Cara and Mary as they inspire us all with the functional support systems/strategies they have created for the thousands of lives they serve and impact… and most importantly what steps we can take to improve our interprofessional practice for these little ones. Also…be sure to grab your favorite dancing shoes as the ladies share all the details on their annual fundraiser that will be held the following Saturday!

Objective

By the end of this PodCourse, participants will be able to identify and describe:

  • The process of founding a non-profit to support deaf/hard of hearing children and their caregivers.
  • 2 support systems that Beginning SC has in place for deaf/hard of hearing children and their caregivers.
  • 2 interprofessional practice recommendations for an SLP to engage in when collaborating with caregivers of deaf/hard of hearing children.

Co-Presenter

Cara Smithwick, MLIS, BS

Cara Smithwick, B.S., NBCT is the co-founder and Executive Director of Beginnings SC, a nonprofit focusing on proactive intervention and parent education and empowerment. She taught students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing for 20 years in a variety of educational settings and now teaches parents and professionals.

Co-Presenter

Mary Reaves, MRC

Mary Reaves, MRC, spent ten years providing individual and family therapy, serving Deaf and Hard of Hearing children and adults with the South Carolina Department of Mental Health.  She has extensive training in deafness, deaf culture, counseling issues with deaf/hard of hearing, hearing loss and its impact on family systems. Mary co-founded Beginnings SC to focus on proactive intervention and parent education and empowerment.