A FORUM FOR PARENTS WITH YOUNG DEAF KIDS
Welcome to Parent Connection, a place for parents/guardians with young deaf children to share resources and discuss their experiences. Check out what's available on the Resources page or continue to the Forum for the discussion boards. If you have ideas for additional resources, feel free to reach out and let me know!
CONTACT US
About Me
I'm a hearing linguist specializing in sign languages and language acquisition. I'm not a parent (the cute kid in the picture is my nephew) but I've worked with kids my whole life, and I've spent the last 10 years researching how children acquire language. Many thanks to all the parents in my life who have shared their time (and children) with me.
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I've also been very lucky to have spent most of my adult life working with the Deaf community. I started learning American Sign Language 25 years ago, and since then, I have taught in DHH classrooms, as an instructor at the college level, and worked as a certified hearing interpreter. I got my MA in Linguistics from Gallaudet University in 2012 and returned to the Department of Linguistics for my PhD (2023). My research looks at how deaf infants perceive language. If you'd like to know more, my research website is https://deafbabies.weebly.com/.
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During my time at Gallaudet, many wonderful Deaf and hearing colleagues have shared their knowledge with me. Now I am working to pass along that knowledge and contribute to what we know about deaf babies and their early development.
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-Shane Blau