This webinar will be hosted via Zoom for national and international attendees on Monday, September 21, 2026 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm ET.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial disclosures: Kym, Carey, and Jeanne are receiving honorariums from Language First for presenting. Kym receives a salary from Worcester State University and consulting fees through Kym Meyer PhD Consulting. Carey and Jeanne are employed by the ASL Education Center.
Nonfinancial disclosures: Kym is a MA State Representative for the Educational Audiology Association and serves on the American Board of DHH Specialists. Carey and Jeanne have no relevant nonfinancial disclosures.
Course Description:
When making placement decisions for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) children, there are often critical misunderstandings about the definition of Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). In 2019, a group of frustrated Massachusetts Deaf educators, working in both bilingual ASL/English and spoken language programs, collaborated to summarize the federal policy guidance, research, and best practice guidelines for identifying the LRE for each deaf child. The original summary document, published in 2022, was developed for parents and special education directors in our state, and included a list of resources available in Massachusetts. After publishing, we discovered that professionals across the U.S. were finding the publication equally useful and relevant. However, special education directors in other states -seemingly unaware that Federal guidance applies to every state in the country!- thought these guidelines applied only to Massachusetts, and often refused to consider or apply the findings in their decision-making. Upon learning this, our team went back to the drawing board to rewrite and update the publication with relevant court cases nationwide. In the end, we thought it would be more helpful to create two documents - one designed to be used throughout the U.S., and a second version for our state, which was identical other than the addition of Massachusetts resources. The updated documents were published in 2025, and we are thrilled that they are being used by, and shared with, schools and programs across the country..
Agenda
6:00-6:10: Survey & discuss results
6:10-6:20: Unmasking Deaf Education documentary clip
6:20-6:35: What Does the Guidance Say?
6:35-6:55: Summarize the Document
6:55-7:25: Assessment
7:25-7:45: Resources
7:45-8:00: Q&A
Learner Outcomes:
Participants will be able to:
Describe key characteristics of the Least Restrictive Environment for a DHH student.
Identify practical tools and resources to support a team decision for appropriate placement.
Identify appropriate assessment tools for evaluating ASL language development.
Registration information:
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. You will receive an email with instructions on how to participate as well as a Google Calendar invite with the Zoom link one week prior to the event. Registration ends one day prior to the webinar. All registrants will receive a copy of the presenter’s PowerPoint and the presentation recording. Please email info@language1st.org with any questions.
This webinar will be hosted via Zoom for national and international attendees on Monday, September 21, 2026 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm ET.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial disclosures: Kym, Carey, and Jeanne are receiving honorariums from Language First for presenting. Kym receives a salary from Worcester State University and consulting fees through Kym Meyer PhD Consulting. Carey and Jeanne are employed by the ASL Education Center.
Nonfinancial disclosures: Kym is a MA State Representative for the Educational Audiology Association and serves on the American Board of DHH Specialists. Carey and Jeanne have no relevant nonfinancial disclosures.
Course Description:
When making placement decisions for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) children, there are often critical misunderstandings about the definition of Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). In 2019, a group of frustrated Massachusetts Deaf educators, working in both bilingual ASL/English and spoken language programs, collaborated to summarize the federal policy guidance, research, and best practice guidelines for identifying the LRE for each deaf child. The original summary document, published in 2022, was developed for parents and special education directors in our state, and included a list of resources available in Massachusetts. After publishing, we discovered that professionals across the U.S. were finding the publication equally useful and relevant. However, special education directors in other states -seemingly unaware that Federal guidance applies to every state in the country!- thought these guidelines applied only to Massachusetts, and often refused to consider or apply the findings in their decision-making. Upon learning this, our team went back to the drawing board to rewrite and update the publication with relevant court cases nationwide. In the end, we thought it would be more helpful to create two documents - one designed to be used throughout the U.S., and a second version for our state, which was identical other than the addition of Massachusetts resources. The updated documents were published in 2025, and we are thrilled that they are being used by, and shared with, schools and programs across the country..
Agenda
6:00-6:10: Survey & discuss results
6:10-6:20: Unmasking Deaf Education documentary clip
6:20-6:35: What Does the Guidance Say?
6:35-6:55: Summarize the Document
6:55-7:25: Assessment
7:25-7:45: Resources
7:45-8:00: Q&A
Learner Outcomes:
Participants will be able to:
Describe key characteristics of the Least Restrictive Environment for a DHH student.
Identify practical tools and resources to support a team decision for appropriate placement.
Identify appropriate assessment tools for evaluating ASL language development.
Registration information:
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. You will receive an email with instructions on how to participate as well as a Google Calendar invite with the Zoom link one week prior to the event. Registration ends one day prior to the webinar. All registrants will receive a copy of the presenter’s PowerPoint and the presentation recording. Please email info@language1st.org with any questions.
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