 Welcome to the May EHDItion of the new COEHDI In Sync bulletin! We’ll use this monthly platform to help keep the COEHDI community a bit more in sync. After reading this first bulletin, please send us requests and feedback!
The COEHDI team is growing! Here’s proof in a photo from a May COEHDI team meeting. At the end of the bulletin, you will see another version of this photo. Congratulations to anyone who can figure out why Katie Cue, our COEHDI Director, requested that we create this alternate version of the team photo for this bulletin.
 COEHDI team members from top to bottom and left to right are: Beth Langer, COEHDI Coordinator; Katie Cue, Deputy Executive Director of the Colorado Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind/COEHDI Director; Heather Abraham, COEHDI Consultant; Jennifer Schryer, COEHDI Audiologist; and Neal Tucker, Program Manager.
This week’s bulletin features:
- Ascent Program: ready for requests!
- Hearing Screening Training Video
- Hearing Screener Scripts
- Family Participation Survey & Collaboration of Family Organizations
- Work Group Corner
- Job Opportunities
 Ascent Program: Ready for Requests
The Ascent Program is now accepting new requests! This free program connects Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind (DHHDB) adults—known as Ascent Advisors—with DHHDB children and students (up to age 21) and their families. Whether meeting in person or virtually at homes, schools, or community events, Advisors offer valuable support, resources, and the unique perspective of shared lived experiences.
(Note: While the Colorado Shared Reading Project (CSRP) focuses on teaching parents to share books in ASL for early literacy, Ascent provides broader, life-encompassing mentorship.)
How You Can Get Involved:
Free, Colorado-Specific, Hearing Screening Training Video!
Thanks to a collaboration between Tammy Fredrickson and Chloe Tierney (as part of the LEND program with JFK Partners) and Jami Fries (from Colorado Hands & Voices), and with funding support from COEHDI, Colorado now has a new, free, 30-minute Colorado-specific Newborn Hearing Screening Training video (Youtube). The hope is that along with this video serving as a best-practice resource for training screeners, widespread use of it could also help to streamline hearing screening practices across the state. This video couples detailed technical information while also featuring real stories from Colorado families.
Although the team clarifies that this video only covers the basics (they recommend going to the NCHAM training videos for more in-depth information), this video includes lots of critical information, such as:
- Basics of the hearing mechanism
- Importance of early hearing screening
- 1-3-6 benchmarks
- Introduction to OAE and ABR screenings
- Special considerations related to the NICU and cCMV
- Troubleshooting and calibration
- Best practices for sharing results and next steps with parents
Scripts for Hearing Screeners
Thanks to the help of many COEHDI partners, including Colorado Hands & Voices, the LEND program, and the COEHDI Alliance and its task forces, helpful, user-friendly, clear hearing screener scripts are now available in English and in Spanish. These scripts cover:
- What to say and not to say to families about the screening
- Resources to share with families
- How to share a pass result
- How to share a did not pass result
- Statements to avoid
- How to explain next steps to parents
 Family Participation Survey & Collaboration of Family Organizations
A recent survey of participation in organizations that support the families of children from birth to 3 years of age who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind across Colorado shows an overall increase in family participation this year as compared to last year. Results (thanks to Colorado Hands & Voices):
- April 2024-March 2025: 141 participating families
- April 2025-March 2026: 268 participating families
Since December of 2025, Colorado Hands & Voices, Marion Downs Center, Listen Foundation, A.G. Bell, CSDB, and RMDS have been meeting every other month to collaborate in support of the families of DHHDB children and to discuss and address shared challenges. They have set up a combined calendar so families can easily see all events in one place. Keep an eye out for their new collaborative events!
 Work Group Corner
A huge thank you to our work group members!
This section will include updates about the new COEHDI Alliance work groups - one focused on screening and one focused on referrals. In both cases these groups are focused on specific issues related to these topics. These work groups are the new version of what used to be called “task forces.” Each month the COEHDI Coordinator will highlight the work of one of these work groups.
May Highlight
The Screening Work Group would like to thank Jody Berg, Early Intervention (EI) Evaluation Administrator from EI Colorado in the Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), for coming to our May meeting to discuss hearing screening procedures throughout the state. EI Colorado contracts with Local EI Programs and Evaluation Entities to conduct evaluations for Colorado children under 3 years of age. The work group requested this interagency discussion to explore what might be done to increase and streamline best practices in hearing screening across Colorado. Work group members include advocates for the EHDI system, audiologists, CHIP Coordinators, parents of children who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind (DHHDB), and professionals working in early intervention with DHHDB children. After a productive discussion, Jody summarized a variety of ways COEHDI can collaborate with CDEC.
EHDI-related Job Opportunities
Upcoming Meetings & Events
- Referral work group meeting - May 26 at 10 AM
- Screening work group meeting - June 9 at 1 PM
- COEHDI Alliance meeting - July 17 at 10 AM (Note: Due to Juneteenth falling on our usual meeting day, our next Alliance meeting will be in July)
Congratulations to anyone who can figure out why Katie Cue, our COEHDI Director, requested that we create this alternate version of the team photo for this bulletin.
 Zoom names aside, COEHDI team members from top to bottom and left to right are: Beth Langer, COEHDI Coordinator; Katie Cue, Deputy Executive Director of the Colorado Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind/COEHDI Director; Heather Abraham, COEHDI Consultant; Jennifer Schryer, COEHDI Audiologist; and Neal Tucker, Program Manager.
Note
Spanish translations for this bulletin will be made available upon request by contacting office.cddhhdb@state.co.us or 720-457-3679.
|
