9th annual Language First Conference

The 2026 Language First conference will be in-person at the Crowne Plaza Knoxville Downtown in Knoxville, TN.

 

What is the Language First Conference?

The Language First Conference is a chance for speech-language pathologists (SLPs), teachers of the deaf (TODs), educational interpreters, educational audiologists, ASL specialists, and any other professionals who utilize an ASL-English bilingual approach to gather and learn best practices for working with Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children. You do not have to be fluent in ASL to attend, as ASL-English interpreters will be provided throughout the conference.

 

Schedule

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

8-11:30 | Registration check-in and vendor set-up

11:30-12:30 | Leah Geer, American Sign Language Articulation Test (ASL-AT) training

1-4 pm | Kimberly Wolbers, Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) training

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

8:15-9:15 | Leala Holcomb, Applying Evidence-Based Instructional Strategies to ASL/English Literacy Instruction

9:30-10:30 | Bobbie Jo Kite & Christi Batamula, The FLP Tool: Strategies for Multilingual Language Use in Families with D/HH Children

11-12 | Cara Barnett, Examining Signed Language Challenges of Early and Late Exposed ASL Signing Deaf Children

12-2 | Lunch 

2-3 | Leah Geer & Razi Zarchy, Breaking Barriers and Building Skills: Family ASL Classes on Campus

3:15-4:15 | Deb Cates & Stacey Morgan, Deaf Language Coach: A Novel Intervention for Supporting ASL Acquisition

4:15-4:30 | Closing, giveaways

Thursday, April 16, 2026

8:15-9:15 | Cecily Whitworth & Caitlin Stueve, Best Practice Anywhere: Remote Coaching for Deaf/HH Families

9:30-10:30 | Kandice Hunt & Steve Farmer, Felt-Safety: The Foundation for Language Development

11-12 | Janaee Cobbs, Navigating Intersectionality: Bilingual Education for Deaf Students in Diverse Classrooms

12-2 | Lunch

2-3 | Elizabeth Martinez, Deaf Adults Learning ASL Later in Life: Implications for Early Language Foundations

3:15-4:15 | Judi Ann Pate & John McMahon, Signacy Before Literacy: Building Bilingual Foundations

4:15-4:30 | Closing, giveaways

 

This conference is offered for 1.4 ASHA CEUs and 1.4 RID CEUs.

 

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Past conferences:

2025 - Tacoma, WA

2024 - Virtual

2023 - Natick, MA

2022 - Baton Rouge, LA

2021 - Virtual

2020 - Virtual

2019 - Trenton, NJ

2018 - West Hartford, CT

 

Future conferences:

2027 - St. Augustine, FL