WELCOME ME

Welcome to Williamsburg and the 2023 ASDC Annual Family Conference! This annual event is an amazing opportunity for families and professionals from across the country to come together to learn from and connect with each other

CHERI DOWLING Executive Director

We're excited to be here with you! We've designed a fully immersive conference that provides communication and language access for all Our activities, presentations, and time together will provide us with additional tools and resources that will enhance our parenting and communication skills and provide family experiences that are fun, engaging, empowering, and fully supported by interpreters and Deaf guides.

Language is what makes us human. It is how people communicate. Learning a language means mastering a complex system of words, structure, and grammar to share effectively with others - especially our kids who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing.

"Language Starts With Me" is a call to action for all families to unite while transcending language diversity and communication barriers for our Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing kids: first within our families, second within our communities, and third within our shared learning experiences.

Early language development is crucial to a child's school and life success. Humans learn to talk or communicate at slightly different times, and observing when a child starts to use language, whether ASL or English, can indicate how well they are developing. This applies to every child's development and learning experiences beginning at day one

Language development matters And it starts with us

I look forward to meeting each of you during the conference. Thank you for joining us!

Cheri Dowling (she/her) American Society for Deaf Children Executive Director