The 2027 Language First conference will be in-person at the Hyatt Place St. Augustine / Vilano Beach at 117 Vilano Road, St. Augustine, FL on April 27-29, 2027. It will be from 12:00 - 5:00 pm on Tuesday, April 27, and 8:00 am - 5:00 pm on Wednesday, April 28 and Thursday, April 29.
Full schedule and session descriptions coming soon.
ADVERTISEMENT & SPONSORSHIP
Want to exhibit in-person or advertise your business in our conference booklet? Or perhaps you’d like to support us by becoming a conference sponsor? Find out more here.
GROUP DISCOUNTS
Does your school have a group of professionals who would like to attend the conference together? Take a look at our group discounts. Email info@language1st.org for more information.
GETTING THERE
We recommend flying into Jacksonville International Airport (JAX).
SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE
Tuesday, April 27
8-12 | Registration check-in and vendor set-up
12-12:30 | 10th annual conference welcome and video, “The Story of Language First”
12:30-1:30 | Julie Kessluk & Kaycee Rebello, Beyond the Running Record: Rethinking Reading Assessment for ASL Users.
*lunch provided
1:45-2:45 pm | Dr. Deborah Chen Pichler & Dr. Diane Lilll-Martin, How Effective is Early ASL Input if it’s not “Fluent” Input?
3-4 pm | William Fertman, Read to Your Deaf Kid Because No One Else Will (with Some Exceptions)
4-5 pm | Book signing, closing, giveaways
Wednesday, April 28
8:15-9:15 | Dr. Elaine Gale & Dr. Shane Blau, Making Early Language Work: Learning from Deaf Adults’ Visual Strategies
9:30-10:30 | Dr. Jamila Hubbard, ASL Linguistics in the Classroom: From Language Knowledge to Teaching Practice
11-12 | Rhys McGovern, Embedding Culture: Deaf Mentoring in the Mainstream Classroom
12-2 | Lunch on own
2-3 | Dr. Emily Jo Noschese, Using Bilingual Grammar Curriculum Assessment Data to Inform ASL-English Bilingual Instruction
3:15-4:15 | Dr. Brittany Lee & Dr. Kristen Secora, Social Determinants of Language Access
4:15-4:30 | Closing, giveaways
Thursday, April 29
8:15-11:15 | Vyron Kinson, Is BASL fo' Real?
11:30-12 | Ariel Baeseman-O'Donnell, Instructor Perceptions of Neurodivergence in ASL Classrooms
12-2 | Lunch on own
2-3 | Eliza Porter & Geoffrey Porter, Alternative Augmentative Communication for Hearing Parents
3:15-4:15 | Marissa Chappell, Reforming Outcomes Measurement for Deaf Children in Early Intervention
4:15-4:30 | Closing, giveaways
This is a digital purchase only; no physical ticket is provided. A form will populate for you to complete your registration and then your purchase will be added to your cart in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Please email info@language1st.org with any questions.
The 2027 Language First conference will be in-person at the Hyatt Place St. Augustine / Vilano Beach at 117 Vilano Road, St. Augustine, FL on April 27-29, 2027. It will be from 12:00 - 5:00 pm on Tuesday, April 27, and 8:00 am - 5:00 pm on Wednesday, April 28 and Thursday, April 29.
Full schedule and session descriptions coming soon.
ADVERTISEMENT & SPONSORSHIP
Want to exhibit in-person or advertise your business in our conference booklet? Or perhaps you’d like to support us by becoming a conference sponsor? Find out more here.
GROUP DISCOUNTS
Does your school have a group of professionals who would like to attend the conference together? Take a look at our group discounts. Email info@language1st.org for more information.
GETTING THERE
We recommend flying into Jacksonville International Airport (JAX).
SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE
Tuesday, April 27
8-12 | Registration check-in and vendor set-up
12-12:30 | 10th annual conference welcome and video, “The Story of Language First”
12:30-1:30 | Julie Kessluk & Kaycee Rebello, Beyond the Running Record: Rethinking Reading Assessment for ASL Users.
*lunch provided
1:45-2:45 pm | Dr. Deborah Chen Pichler & Dr. Diane Lilll-Martin, How Effective is Early ASL Input if it’s not “Fluent” Input?
3-4 pm | William Fertman, Read to Your Deaf Kid Because No One Else Will (with Some Exceptions)
4-5 pm | Book signing, closing, giveaways
Wednesday, April 28
8:15-9:15 | Dr. Elaine Gale & Dr. Shane Blau, Making Early Language Work: Learning from Deaf Adults’ Visual Strategies
9:30-10:30 | Dr. Jamila Hubbard, ASL Linguistics in the Classroom: From Language Knowledge to Teaching Practice
11-12 | Rhys McGovern, Embedding Culture: Deaf Mentoring in the Mainstream Classroom
12-2 | Lunch on own
2-3 | Dr. Emily Jo Noschese, Using Bilingual Grammar Curriculum Assessment Data to Inform ASL-English Bilingual Instruction
3:15-4:15 | Dr. Brittany Lee & Dr. Kristen Secora, Social Determinants of Language Access
4:15-4:30 | Closing, giveaways
Thursday, April 29
8:15-11:15 | Vyron Kinson, Is BASL fo' Real?
11:30-12 | Ariel Baeseman-O'Donnell, Instructor Perceptions of Neurodivergence in ASL Classrooms
12-2 | Lunch on own
2-3 | Eliza Porter & Geoffrey Porter, Alternative Augmentative Communication for Hearing Parents
3:15-4:15 | Marissa Chappell, Reforming Outcomes Measurement for Deaf Children in Early Intervention
4:15-4:30 | Closing, giveaways
This is a digital purchase only; no physical ticket is provided. A form will populate for you to complete your registration and then your purchase will be added to your cart in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Please email info@language1st.org with any questions.
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