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Congratulations to ASDC President Dr. Beth Benedict for winning the Antonia Brancia Maxon Award for Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Excellence.
This award honors the career achievements of Dr. Antonia Brancia Maxon to promote effective EHDI programs for all newborns, infants and young children. Dr. Maxon was a visionary in EHDI programs. She was one of the first to recognize the feasibility and value of universal newborn hearing screening and was a tireless advocate for connecting screening programs with timely and appropriate diagnosis and early intervention. In memory of her contributions, an Award for EHDI Excellence is presented at the annual EHDI Conference to honor an individual or group of people who have made a noteworthy accomplishment that contributed to achieving excellence in EHDI programs nationally or in a particular state or region of the country.
The 2010 Award Recipient was Dr. Beth Benedict. Dr. Benedict's nomination letter stated:
"Beth's passion is to ensure that all families with deaf and hard of hearing children are informed and empowered and that deaf and hard of hearing children have access to quality services and programs that promote success in language, literacy, and life. Beth exemplifies the best in collaboration and partnerships through her work with deaf and hearing communities.
For more than twenty years she has been a mentor to families with newly identified children. She currently serves as the president of the American Society for Deaf Children, founded in 1967 by parents, educators, and deaf individuals. She is a professor at Gallaudet University.
Beth has participated in many projects that move EHDI systems forward. She has been a key figure on EHDI conference planning and proposal review committees. She regularly presents at the EHDI conference and has successfully advocated for the inclusion of a more diverse agenda that includes the perspectives of deaf and hard of hearing adults. She has influenced EHDI systems to recognize and acknowledge the range of communication opportunities available to children and families.
She has served as a Council on Education of the Deaf (CED) representative to the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing, contributing to the 2007 Position Statement. She currently participates on the JCIH committee developing an Early Intervention Position Statement. She has been a member of the Maryland Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Advisory Council and a consultant on early intervention and family involvement.
She has authored a book based on her disseratation on family involvement, and numerous book chapters and articles. She has presented widely nationally and internationally. Beth is a popular keynote presenter at many statewide early intervention professional development workshops.
Beth has co-developed and taught courses in early education for professionals working with deaf and hard of hearing children and their families through the Gallaudet Leadership Institute (GLI), including:
Socio-Cultural and Political Contexts of Early Education for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children; A System Approach To Language and Communication Planning for Young Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and Their Families; Leadership Perspectives on Families with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children their Cultures and Communities; A Systematic Approach to Assessment, Planning and Outcomes in Early Education.
These courses have been taken by more than 20 professionals over the past three years. They are particularly noteworthy in light of the dearth of professional training focused on deaf and hard of hearing children and their families.
Beth's involvement in EHDI systems improvement spans topic areas, type of audience, and venue. Her respect for and sensitivity to various points of view has earned her the esteem of colleagues across the field. As the parent of two deaf children, a member of the deaf community, and a professional in academia, her experience is broad and deep. Beth is unique in her contributions to EHDI and is highly deserving of the recognition this award will bring."
Congratulations again to Dr. Beth Benedict. |
