Fostering Inclusion for Every Child
This website aims to provide supportive occupational-therapy resources and educational modules designed to enhance social engagement and foster a truly inclusive environment for D/deaf and hard-of-hearing children.
What is the purpose of this site?
Dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment where every child, regardless of hearing ability, can thrive. Parents and caregivers of D/deaf and hard-of-hearing children were surveyed to identify the occupational therapy resources their children may benefit from. Common themes were identified to structure this website. Occupational therapy resources, activities, and information were compiled to help address caregivers' concerns.
ENVIRONMENT • COMMUNICATION • DEVICES • SOCIAL SKILLS • SERVICES• REGULATION • RESOURCES
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapists use a holistic approach to address an individual's skills, needs, and independence in performing activities of daily living. Occupational therapists work with people of all ages, from infancy to older adults.
For children, their "occupations" often include play, socialization, growth and development, participation in school, sports, and extracurricular activities, and the development of personal care skills. Children who are D/deaf or hard-of-hearing may face challenges fully participating in these activities. Occupational therapists utilize evidence-based interventions, environmental modifications, assistive technology, and more to help facilitate full participation for all children.
Why this program was created
This website was created as the deliverable for a doctoral capstone project for a graduate occupational therapy student. This project aims to better understand the experiences, needs, and perspectives of parents of D/deaf and hard-of-hearing children to support more effective and inclusive services, with a particular focus on social engagement strategies. To support D/deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children by educating and providing resources to the stakeholders in their lives to increase opportunities for social engagement and participation. This capstone provides an open-access program for caregivers and families of children with hearing loss to address social engagement and participation in home, school, and extracurricular environments. This capstone aims to reduce social isolation and foster functional communication for children aged 3-7 years.
Feedback
This program is ongoing and continuously improving. At the end of each module, a survey will appear at the bottom of any page to collect any feedback you may have about the program materials. Participants are encouraged to view all website materials and then share their thoughts. All responses are voluntary and anonymous. Feedback will be utilized for educational opportunities and continual improvement of program materials.