2024 Institute for Parents of Preschool Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
A free program providing support and information for families of young children with hearing loss
The Institute for Parents of Preschool Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing is a four-day program for parents of children ages 6 and under who have significant hearing loss. It takes place on the campus of the Illinois School for the Deaf in Jacksonville from June 13-16, 2024.
The Institute focuses on helping families find answers, build connections and access resources all in one place.
Participating parents and caregivers will attend daily lectures by experts in the field to learn about raising a child with hearing loss. Lecture topics include:
- Child development
- Types of hearing loss
- Language development
- Communication choices
- Hearing aids and cochlear implants
- Deaf culture
- Parent rights
- School programming
During the Institute, children attend classrooms with experienced teachers of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. They will have the opportunity to receive hearing, vision, psychological, speech, language and educational evaluations. They can also play with other children who have hearing loss.
Siblings are also welcome to attend. They can stay with their families in the dorms and go to recreational activities. There is no cost for families to participate.
UIC’s Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) supports the Institute along with other sponsors.
See the 2024 Institute brochure for more details. (The brochure is also available in Spanish.)
You can also learn about the Institute’s “life-changing” impact on the families who attended in 2023 in this powerful recap video:
More videos about the Institute experience, including its impact on siblings and individual families, are on our Institute YouTube playlist.
To sign up or find out more, contact us at (800) 322-3722 or dsccinstitute@uic.edu.