Category: News

Illustration of lips followed by text: "Can you read my lips?" Here's what you should know before you ask.

“Can You Read My Lips?” Ten Things to Know Before You Ask

Posted on | by Court Cox

Lip reading is a communication technique in which a person who does not have full access to sound closely watches the mouth of a speaker to understand speech. It is a skill which requires practice and, sometimes, formal training.  

In an essay, “Seeing at the Speed of Sound,” Rachel Kolb describes lip reading as “a skill of trying to grasp with one sense the information that was intended for another,” calling it “inherently tenuous.” View the visual adaptation of the essay here. 

Not every d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing person is able to and willing to read lips, but if you find yourself in conversation with a person who is reading yours, here are ten things you should know: 

  1. Only about 40% of sounds in the English language can be read on the lips. Lip reading is a communication technique that works best when combined with residual hearing or another communication tool such as cued speech or assistive hearing devices. On its own, lip reading does not give full language access–even to the world’s best lip readers. 
  1. The following sounds are visually indistinguishable from each other, meaning a lip reader cannot tell the difference by sight alone: 
  • B and P
  • M, N, and NG 
  • W and R 
  • TH and T 
  • CH and J 
  1. Lip readers rely heavily on context. A native English speaker anticipates common word pairings, filling in missed words and non-lip readable speech. 
  • For example, although “barks” and “parks” may look the same on the lips, if the conversation is about a dog, a lip reader might assume that the dog does not park; the dog barks, and likewise, the dog’s tail is wagging, not ragging. And still, the larger context matters, because what if we are talking about the dog park? 
  • Anticipated word groups are another form of context. When you run into someone you know, even if a lip reader does not catch every lip movement, if one word from “how are you?” is read on the lips, it may be possible to fill in the blanks with situational context.  
  1. Don’t try to emphasize your mouth movements. Individuals who lip read will likely have learned to do so by observing natural speech. You are likely to make lip reading more difficult by deviating from your natural speech patterns. 
  1. Likewise, keep to a natural pace–don’t slow your speech, and don’t rush your speech. Consider asking the person you are speaking to if your pace is okay. 
  1. Lip reading is easier and more accurate in well-lit rooms, without background noise, and with the speaker close to and facing toward the person who is lip reading. Be mindful that lip reading may be more difficult on a small screen, such as in a Zoom call. 
  1. Beards and mustaches hinder lip reading, sometimes rendering it impossible. If you keep facial hair, work to identify other communication methods you can use with a person who reads lips. A good place to start is by offering pen and paper. The communication preferences are highly individualized, so do not assume that one d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing person’s preference will be the same as another. 
  1. Lip reading is tiring. It requires great mental energy to piece together fragments and context to follow a conversation. Never assume a person is willing to lip read, even if they have done so in the past. If you have regular contact with a person who relies on lip reading, check in with them. Ask if they need breaks, if there is a different communication method they would prefer, and if there is anything you can do to make yourself easier to understand. 
  1. In important and jargon-intensive settings such as medical appointments and legal proceedings, a more reliable communication system must be arranged, personalized to the individual’s needs (unless the person reading lips has explicitly stated they do not want alternative arrangements). A person with a fragmented understanding of what they have been told cannot give medical or legal consent. 
  1. d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals–especially those who use sign language as a primary communication method–accommodate the world around them by reading lips. You should work to avoid expressing frustration if someone does not understand you or needs you to repeat yourself multiple times. Do not take the effort and the concentration required to read your lips for granted. If you communicate often with a person who prefers to sign, consider learning sign language so that your conversations are not limited to the 40% of sounds that can be seen on your lips.  

Sources 

Hearing Link: How to Lip Read

CDC: Parent’s Guide to Hearing Loss

A group of wooden blocks in various shapes and colors

Child Care Aware of Kentucky Block Project

Posted on | by Glen Jennings

It might be surprising to learn that one of the most powerful tools for teaching children during early development is the humble building block. And yet, according to Cynthia Willmarth, Early Education Quality Coach for Child Care Aware (CCA) of Kentucky at the University of Kentucky Human Development Institute (HDI), they can have a profound impact on children in their earliest years.

“If you look at an early childhood curriculum, we talk about cognitive development, which is language, science, math, and all those things. We talk about social/emotional development, which includes learning to take turns, cooperate, being part of a social group, and physical development, which is both large motor and small motor,” Willmarth said. According to Willmarth, blocks can help young children learn every one of these concepts. She compared blocks, which allow for endless creativity to something like a puzzle, which only has one solution.

The Block Project aims to help early childhood educators harness the power of that tool. Funded by the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood through the 0-5 Early Childhood Regional Collaborative with support from CCA Coaches, this effort is a model for partnership and teamwork. Mary Howard, HDI’s Division Director for Early Childhood, says, “This was a wonderful collaboration that built on our community partnerships in the region. A great opportunity for our CCA coaches to expand the knowledge of child care providers while also modeling locally and nationally a way to build strong partnerships that benefit all”.

Child Care Aware coaches developed a curriculum around blocks, shared ways to make an effective block center, identified the kind of materials that go in block centers and discussed the teacher’s role. “But it’s not so simple as putting a bunch of wooden blocks on the floor and letting kids do what they will. You need the proper equipment and the proper training. To get a set of unit blocks or a set of hollow blocks with the necessary shelves for proper organization and storage, you’re looking at probably $1,000…if you have ten classrooms, that’s $10,000,” Willmarth said.

There are many times that a federal program will provide a quality set of blocks and everything you need to make them work…but not the training to understand how to unlock their full potential. According to Linda Fowles, an Early Education Safety Coach with Child Care Aware, that training is essential too. “I don’t think they do understand the potential of the materials,” Fowles said.

This is a big part of what makes the Block Project special – most trainings do not provide the materials, and often when schools receive funding for blocks, the training to use them correctly doesn’t come with it. The Block Project provides both. “I think that’s why this project left such an impression,” Fowles said. “That was another very important component of this training, to share simple information and simple concepts with them. Not only did they receive these expensive materials…the teachers also learned these very simple concepts.”

The results, Fowles said, spoke for themselves. “They were stunned at how much the children enjoyed playing in the blocks,” she said. “They were so impressed with it that they talked to their school administrators about ordering more sets of blocks for other classrooms. Until they were exposed to this project, they didn’t realize the importance of these materials.”
Almost 20 different programs have participated in the Block Project, each receiving at least $1,000 worth of materials.

Learn more about early childhood education in Kentucky at the following websites.

Child Care Aware of Kentucky at childcareawareky.org.

Kentucky Governor’s Office of Early Childhood and Regional Collaboratives at kyecac.ky.gov

HDI Celebrates Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month 2023 with Amanda Stahl

HDI Celebrates Developmental Disability Awareness Month

Posted on | by Glen Jennings

This month (March), HDI celebrates Developmental Disability Awareness Month. For some people, that may lead to questions about what defines a developmental disability. Developmental disabilities are conditions that begin during development and usually last throughout a person’s life.

For Amanda Stahl, LCSW, it’s a wide spectrum. 

“It’s a disability that happens before the age of 18,” Stahl said. “A disability that affects your daily life skills. It affects your development, how you become who you are as a person.” 

But at the same time, Stahl stresses that there is a human being behind every label and every diagnosis. 

“In my work, I don’t focus only on definitions. I focus on people’s stories,” she said. 

As part of her work with Merge, an HDI project focused on improving mental health access for individuals with mental health conditions and developmental disabilities, she’s helping ensure those stories are told. 

Merge seeks to improve the mental health systems that support people with co-occurring mental health conditions, and intellectual and developmental disabilities. Stahl is one of the researchers interviewing people with lived experience for Merge. 

“Some of the work that I’m doing is going around Louisville and going around to different parts of the state and collecting people’s stories around their experiences with mental health and disability,” she said. “What were the good experiences they had, what were the negative experiences they’ve had, what would they want to recommend to other direct support professionals and providers?” 

Stahl thinks that isolation, loneliness, and societal expectations placed onto some people with disabilities can have a tremendous negative impact on the mental health of individuals with disabilities. 

“It’s not done on purpose,” she said, adding that some have difficulty find more positive ways to think about themselves until they find ways of building community and experiencing inclusion. “People with disabilities may be isolated from other people with disabilities, including older people with disabilities,”

She also noted that she sees patterns in the interviews she’s completed. For example, she finds that even experienced mental health providers can have difficulty working with people with developmental disabilities, especially those who are in more controlled environments. Sometimes individuals, she says, may not feel like they have the space to feel or process their emotions. Another thing that she noted is that a lot of individuals with lived experience feel like outsiders. 

“Knowing my own story, a lot of their stories are very similar,” Stahl said. “I felt like I was the only one until I met this one person.” 

Stahl hopes soon to do more research on individuals in day programs to get an even wider view on what the community’s needs are. From there, the information will be used to develop training that will be designed for individuals and providers around the state. 

“I’m trying to get stories from the most impacted people,” she said. Ms. Stahl stressed that people often underestimate others due to disability – something she says is a mistake. 

“There may be limitations to what someone can do,” she said. “But always assume people can do more than you think they can.”

Amanda Stahl, LCSW, is a Disability and LGBTQ+ Activist from Louisville, Kentucky. Amanda is the lead organizer and director of a non-profit organization called the Independence Seekers Project (ISP), organized and developed by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Blue graphic with PEER MENTORING in bold white letters

The University of Kentucky Human Development Institute (HDI) Completes Certification in Inclusive Mentoring Practices through the National Disability Mentoring Coalition (NDMC)

Posted on | by Beth Potter

The University of Kentucky Human Development Institute (HDI) has successfully completed a four-month-long certification program on how to create mentoring programs, activities, and events that are inclusive to youth, volunteers, and staff with disabilities.

This certification was run by the National Disability Mentoring Coalition (NDMC) – an initiative of Partners for Youth with Disabilities (PYD) – in collaboration with MENTOR. The Fall 2022 cohort was the third time this certification has been offered, and it featured participants from 16 unique mentoring organizations across 10 different U.S. states and 1 international organization.

“We are thrilled to recognize the accomplishments of our certification cohort,” said Kristin Humphrey, the NDMC Director and one of the lead facilitators of the certification. “Each participating organization created a detailed Inclusion Action Plan, and they have all made huge strides in making their mentoring program more inclusive of people with disabilities. This certification is an important step for the mentoring field to take to become more inclusive and accessible.”

To complete their certification, staff completed over 20 hours of online coursework, contributed to weekly discussion posts, and attended live webinars and cohort convenings, while also creating a plan to improve the disability inclusion practices in their organization. HDI was one of 16 organizations that completed their full certification.

HDI staff received training in a wide range of topics: the various models and definitions of disability; ableism and inclusion; disability rights and the ADA; Universal Design; inclusive language and communication; inclusive marketing and outreach practices; and more.

To learn more about the Disability Mentoring Certification or enroll in an upcoming cohort, visit www.disabilitymentors.org.

About the NATIONAL DISABILITY MENTORING COALITION: The mission of the National Disability Mentoring Coalition is to increase the awareness, quality and impact of mentoring for individuals with disabilities across the nation. The NDMC has over 340 members from over 170 non-profit organizations, academic institutions, government agencies, foundations, and corporate entities.

About MENTOR: MENTOR is the unifying champion for quality youth mentoring in the United States. Our mission is to expand the quality and quantity of mentoring relationships nationwide. Potential is equally distributed; opportunity is not. A major driver of healthy development and opportunity is who you know and who’s in your corner. 30 years ago, MENTOR was created to expand that opportunity for young people by building a youth mentoring field and movement.

About PARTNERS FOR YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES: PYD’s mission is to create a world where young people with disabilities will be able to live with dignity and pride in who they are, and to lead self-determined lives filled with purpose. To make this happen, we build the skills and abilities of young people with disabilities, and increase the inclusivity of workplaces, organizations, and communities.

HDI Podcast Logo

State of HDI Podcast Episode 5 on the KY LEND Program

Posted on | by Beth Potter

LEND stands for Leadership in Education for Neurodevelopmental and other related Disabilities. Listen as Caroline Gooden and Stephanie Battistini describe why this program is essential for a team approach to providing care to people with developmental disabilities.

State of HDI Podcast Episode 5 on the KY LEND Program Transcript

State of HDI Episode 5: KY LEND Program

The Human Development Institute hosts the State of HDI Podcast. The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and may not reflect the views of the University of Kentucky. A downloadable transcript is available in the description. Thank you for listening!

Patti Singleton

Hello and thank you for tuning in to the state of HDI, a University of Kentucky Human Development Institute podcast. This is Patti Singleton. With me in the studio are Caroline Gooden, and Stephanie Battistini. Caroline is the training director at HDI and Stephanie is a developmental behavioral pediatrician at the University of Louisville. Welcome to you both. So Caroline, tell me what the LEND is. 

Caroline Gooden

I would be glad to tell you about the LEND. LEND stands for Leadership in Education for Neurodevelopmental and other related Disorders. It’s an exciting training program. It includes nine trainees or students and interdisciplinary faculty team and professionals across the state. Each year we have nine trainees including a self-advocate with a disability, a family member of a person with a disability and seven graduate students. The students attend college at UK, University of Louisville, and Eastern Kentucky University. Their areas of study are intentionally varied to produce an interdisciplinary learning setting. Their fields thus far have included medicine, education, psychology, special education, physical therapy, speech and language therapy, kinesiology and health, music therapy, educational leadership, and social work. Our faculty members are from the same areas, as well as Rehabilitation Science and Early Childhood.

Patti Singleton

That’s fantastic. And Stephanie, as a LEND trainee and Kentucky transplant, tell me what the program was like for you.

Stephanie Battistini

Well, Patti, the program for me was fantastic, especially as a Kentucky transplant, it allowed me to learn more about the Kentucky landscape as far as what the community that I am serving as a developmentalist; like what their struggles are, what their strengths are, and how to best approach them. And you can imagine the LEND classes being more like a discussion, and even a brainstorming session discussing various topics as well as dilemmas that many families and patients face throughout Kentucky.

Patti Singleton

That’s great. And Caroline, you listed the majors, but can you tell us a little bit about the trainees that have participated in the LEND? 

Caroline Gooden

I would be delighted to tell you about our trainees, we are delighted to have Stephanie with us today who was our – in our first cohort last year has definitely brought a great medical and a really humanistic perspective to our program. So, our trainees are a really diverse group each year. They include students in physical and speech therapies, who are completing rigorous clinical programs, social work students who will work with persons with disabilities, health promotions researchers, clinical psychologists – who will be evaluating and treating persons with disabilities – community organizers, family members, and advocates. Each one is special to us, as we are able to watch their amazing growth over the course of the year. They begin as students; they leave us as leaders in their fields. They form a close collaborative group with their fellow trainees and join a national group of highly respected lead trainees. Several of our LEND faculty are former LEND trainees. Steph is an outstanding example of a trainee with partnerships in Kentucky as a result of her LEND work. Her partnerships include University of Louisville and UK Healthcare, with the Kentucky Department for Aging and Independent Living, as well as continued connections with her LEND cohort.

Patti Singleton

And so, to continue that, Stephanie, can you tell us how the LEND has prepared you for the work that you do?

Stephanie Battistini

Oh, that is such a big question for me, because when truly opened my eyes to many of the resources that Kentucky has available for families and the many patients that I serve, it also allowed me to really build connections across multiple specialties and disciplines. In my practice, I lean a lot on other professionals to help my families and patients learn, obtain skills, and really get what they need from the community to live the most fulfilling life that they can. I think one of the big things that LEND really taught me was the importance of working with a dedicated team to really serve the community of Kentucky the best way that we can.

Patti Singleton

And so, Caroline, tell us what is the reach of the LEND program? 

Caroline Gooden

Patti, that’s also a great question. The LEND faculty and partners are present across many universities, state agencies, and community groups in Kentucky. In addition to our three partnering universities, one of our students Direct Services for Students with Disabilities at Hazard Community College this year. Some of our participating state partners include the Department for Public Health, the Department for Behavioral Health, Protection and Advocacy, The Centers for Independent Living, the Office for Children with Special Healthcare needs, the Kentucky Autism Center, many Human Development Institute state and national projects – including the National Center for Prenatal and Postnatal Resources, Innovative Supports for Autistic Workers, and HDI Center for Assistive Technology. So, you can see that we have a broad reach across partners across the state. Our partnering community agencies include UK’s Early Childhood Laboratory, the Child Development Center of the Bluegrass, the Allegro Dance Project, and more agencies participating each year. We have students placed in each of these settings each year. Stephanie, can you tell us one of the connections you have made and sustained since your time in the LEND?

Stephanie Battistini

Oh, yes. I think one of my favorite connections that I made while participating in LEND was the one with the Office for children with Special Healthcare Needs, as I had the opportunity to not only work with one of my mentors, Dr. Gail Williams, but I also got to work with the wonderful staff associated with the office. As well as with Dr. Mary Beth Bundy, one of – an amazing, licensed psychologist. And it was an eye opening experience as they did their evaluations via Telehealth. And I was able to observe them and observe the ways that they approached these families who live in rural parts of Kentucky, and what sort of resources and anticipatory guidance they gave these families to ensure that their child had the best resources and therapies available for them.

Patti Singleton

Stephanie, the role of an advocate looks different across the specialties participating in the LEND, how has your experience change your perspective of advocacy and leadership?

Stephanie Battistini

So, the biggest thing that I took away from LEND as far as the role of being an advocate and a leader for children with special health care needs is that it truly takes a team or a village to really help their families and the patient to make sure that they are obtaining the right therapies and the right services, and in appropriate timing. So, I think it’s really important that the future LEND cohorts have a passion for advocacy, as not only will you advocate for these patients in your work or professional role, but many times I play an advocate for these children in the school system, or within different therapy programs to ensure that they are getting the right resources or accommodations that they have the right to. In addition, I think it’s really important that as an advocate, you really understand the landscape. You know, unfortunately, with the COVID pandemic, there is a strain on the system. And many programs unfortunately have a waitlist. And I think it’s important that as a developmentalist that I advocate for these patients, and that I try to be as creative as possible in making sure that they understand that they can place themselves on multiple waitlists, and that they should keep me up to date if they continue to have difficulties as time is really important when it comes to early intervention, for example. And lastly, you know, one of my biggest passion is education. And, you know, I and I thoroughly enjoy educating not only my parents, of my patients, but I also enjoy educating our future pediatricians. And I think it’s really important that any learner from any sort of specialty or interdisciplinary profession that works with children with different neurodevelopmental disorders, that they understand how they can advocate, how they can reach out to leaders that can make a change, and how they can get involved in the community.

Patti Singleton

That’s so great, Stephanie, thank you for that. And Caroline, will you tell us what the measure of success for the LEND will be?

Caroline Gooden

I am glad to talk about the measures of success for the LEND. The success of the LEND will be the production of leaders who are trained and ready to improve services with persons with neurodevelopmental disabilities, as Stephanie indicated, across all fields of service. We will also see the success of led by the creation of increased diagnostic and treatment settings, an increased collaboration by professionals across agencies. Woven throughout all these improvements must be the voices of self-advocates, informing the best course of action by persons with lived experience.

Patti Singleton

That’s fantastic. And how can someone apply to participate in the LEND? 

Caroline Gooden

We encourage applications even as we speak, the application deadline closes on March 13th. So, to apply, go to hdi.uky.edu/kylend and scroll down to apply to be a 2023-2024 trainee, and follow the instructions there. Just a simple Qualtrics form that you will use. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. And again, applications close on March 13th.

Patti Singleton 

That’s great, Caroline. And we’ll make sure that the contact information and that link to the application are included in the show notes. So, Stephanie, and Caroline, do you have any last thoughts that you would like to share before we sign off?

Stephanie Battistini

I just want to say that LEND was an amazing experience. And I hope that LEND in Kentucky is something that continues for many, many years. In my short time here in Kentucky, I can tell you that we need more professionals who have a passion who want to advocate for our children with neurodevelopmental disorders. And LEND is just one of the many ways that not only professionals but families and self-advocates can get involved with. 

Caroline Gooden

Thank you, Stephanie, I agree with what you’ve said. And I would just add that LEND is a unique opportunity for our graduate students, for our self-advocates, for our family members across Kentucky to improve services for children and adults in Kentucky who have disabilities. That really is the goal of our project. And it happens through a unique combination of a mix of wonderfully trained folks whose goal really is to improve services for children and adults across Kentucky. We are a close group of professionals and family members. And we do hope that LEND will be here for years to come to improve the services in Kentucky.

Patti Singleton

Well, thanks to you both for your work and dedication to enhancing the lives of people with disabilities. We’ll make sure that all of the links that we’ve mentioned will be included on the show notes. And thank you for listening.

https://hdiuky.podbean.com/e/state-of-hdi-episode-5-ky-lend/

Relevant Links

Find more information about the KY LEND here! hdi.uky.edu/kylend

Application Survey: uky.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cJeRRQzFDEfWZwy

You may be asked to have an interview as part of the application process. If you have questions or need help in applying, call Caroline Gooden at 859.582.5134 or email cjgood2@uky.edu

The State of HDI podcast explores the initiatives and projects at the University of Kentucky Human Development Institute (HDI). This podcast is part of our ongoing work to bring together the efforts of HDI projects and staff and the ever changing state and national landscape of important issues. Contact patti.naber@uky.edu for more information.