Arizona Hands & Voices-Guide By Your Side
Home Visits (Direct Parent-to-Parent Activities)
• Meet with a new family within 2 weeks of initial contact.
• Provide direct emotional support to families in order to empower them to make decisions in the best interest of their child, based on their families’ values, goals, and desires, which includes providing unbiased information regarding communication options for their child.
• Create opportunities in region for Newly Identified Families to gather, receive information, and connect with one another
• Provide parents with the opportunity to establish a supportive relationship with another parent of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing.
• Provide parents with an understanding of the unique needs of infants and toddlers who are deaf/hard of hearing.
• Link parents to family support resources available locally, regionally, statewide and nationally.
• Provide up to six hours of home/phone visitation or contact
Events-
• Collaborate with state level Hands & Voices to organize regional educational workshops
• Organize monthly/periodic meetings for parents
• Plan and host two events for families annually in their region: picnics, potluck dinners, playgroups, swim parties, etc
Community Outreach-
• Share expertise as a parent of a deaf or hard of hearing child with professionals in your area through one-on- one contact, presentations, and attendance at committee meetings.
• Advocate for parent decision making and meaningful participation in the issues regarding hearing loss in the community, in education, and health.
• Attend Hands & Voices Board/Consultant meetings.
• Contribute articles and information to Hands & Voices quarterly newsletter., specifically for geographical region
• Contribute articles and information to Hands & Voices website.
• Represent issues/constituents from Geographical area.
• Participate in Parent Leadership Training Opportunities
Resource and information gathering-.
• Collect information and resources in the region. (locations and directors of preschool programs, sign language classes, community and religious institutions which provide access for people who are deaf)
• Gather and update resources on specific topics for the creation of an Arizona Resource Guide for Families of Children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Other type of work- On as needed basis, to be determined by the Parent Guide and Program Coordinator.
Pay
Parent Guides will be paid $15.00 per hour for up to 6 hours of contact time per family in addition to transportation time portal to portal, and for all work on Events, Community Outreach and Resources.
Skills/Qualifications
• Parent Guides must be the parent of a child who is deaf, hard of hearing or deafblind.
• Parent Guides must be able to discuss communication opportunities for families in an unbiased manner.
• Parent Guides must be able to support families regardless of the educational and/or communication mode they select.
• Parent Guides must have an understanding of the unique needs of children who are deaf and hard of hearing.
• Parent Guides must have an understanding of the Birth to Three Early Intervention system in Arizona (AzEIP)
• Parent Guides must be able to support parents through the emotions associated with learning of their child’s hearing loss.
• Parent Guides must be willing to attend ongoing trainings.
• Parent Guides must have organizational skills that allows them to use the knowledge gained from trainings
Expectations
• Parent Guides will provide their own transportation.
• Once the Parent Guide has been provided with the family name and contact information by the GBYS Coordinator, the Parent Guide will meet with a new family within 2 weeks of initial contact.
• Parent Guides will complete all necessary paperwork as outlined in the GBYS Program Protocol.
• Parent Guides will maintain regular contact with the GBYS Coordinators, as outlined in the GBYS Program Protocol.
• Parent Guides will have access to the Internet.
• Parent Guides will be members in good standing of Arizona Hands & Voices.
• Parent Guides will attend the Parent Guide Trainings as often as possible. If a training is missed, alternate arrangements must be made with the GBYS Program Coordinator to get course content. Missing more than one training in one year is grounds for termination.
• Parent Guides will maintain standards of confidentiality, as outlined in the GBYS Program Protocol.