Family Voices

This year's theme is: Helping Children Lead Healthy Lives. Under a Joint Resolution of Congress, the President of the United States has proclaimed National Child Health Day every year since 1928. Monday will be the 83rd annual celebration of Child Health Day!  

Family Voices, as the Family-to-Family Health Information Center in Tennessee, is highlighted this year for the work they do for children and youth with special health care needs/ disabilities.

Click the image below to see a video about the work of Family-to-Family Health Information Centers. 

The bilingual (Spanish) position is a part-time, 20-hour per week position geographically located in Middle Tennessee and will be filled by parent/family member related to a child with a diagnosis of deafness, hard-of-hearing, and/or other hearing-related condition.  The position is focused on increasing awareness in the Hispanic Community of newborn hearing screening, the need for hearing follow-up, location of sites to access hearing professionals, and the availability of early intervention and parent support programs. Supervision is provided by the Family Voices (FV) of Tennessee Director at the Tennessee Disability Coalition in collaboration with the State Newborn Hearing Screening Program Coordinator. 

PLEASE NOTE: this position MUST be filled by a bilingual parent/family member related to a child with a diagnosis of deafness, hard-of-hearing, and/or other hearing-related condition.

1. Consult with families in the Hispanic Community - Conduct outreach through family and provider networks to connect with families of children with hearing impairments including travel within the designated region of the state to accomplish outreach activities.
• Provide consultation, support, and advocacy assistance to families affected by hearing impairments in children and related concerns.  This entails facilitating connections among participating families of children with hearing impairments with other affected families in a manner that respects family confidentiality and privacy concerns.
• Provide training to families of children with hearing impairments and professionals.
• Disseminate information and resources (i.e., the parent/family manual, Family-to-Family Health Information Center materials) to families of children identified with a hearing loss.
2. Work in consultation with the FV Family Resource Specialists (FRS) in the Family Voices Family-to-Family Health Information Center (F2FHIC) in providing technical assistance to families to facilitate and nurture family support groups, related family-driven activities, and events to strengthen new and existing family networks and resources for individuals with hearing impairments and their families.
3. Disseminate materials to be used to inform health care providers and other professionals regarding family expectations, needs, and preferences.
4. Participate in required training and meetings (including Coalition staff training, the national newborn hearing grant training meeting, parent support training, and training/calls conducted or recommended by Center for Disease Control, Family Voices, the State newborn hearing-screening programs).
5. Participate on committees, task forces and boards as requested (including Newborn Hearing Screening Task Force, Genetics/ Metabolic/Hearing Screening Program, Children’s Special Services Program).
6. As requested, travel in-state as part of the State Newborn Hearing Screening team.
7. Assist the State in the development of teaching and educational tools and brochures for families and professionals on the importance of newborn hearing screening, early assessment of hearing loss, communication methods available, and early intervention services.
8. Coordinate and collaborate with state, regional, and local agency personnel (i.e., the State Newborn Hearing Screening Program and Task Force, Newborn Genetics/Metabolic Screening Program, Childrens Special Services, State Department of Education, Special Education, Tennessee Early Intervention System, family support/advocacy programs, and organizations for people who are deaf or hard of hearing).
9. Enter data on contacts with families in the database and update information at least weekly.
10. Submit required reports in a timely manner.
11. Contribute articles/tips/miscellaneous information to newsletter, listserv, and website.
12. Accompany project staff as requested to meet with funders and other community groups or service providers.
    

Job Type: Part-time
Job Category:Social Services

Contact Information and Procedure:
We are committed to guaranteeing that everyone: employees, applicants for employment, volunteers, and those seeking our services, will be treated equally and in a dignified and respectful manner. No person will be discriminated against because of race, religion, creed, color, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, veteran status, disability, or Limited English Proficiency (LEP). Each person will be judged on her/his own merit in determining employment and advancement opportunities. We are a drug-free workplace.

Email resume to:
coalition@tndisability.org
or fax it to: (615) 383-1176

Qualified candidates will be contacted and interviews will be scheduled.

Sharon E. McCurry
955 Woodland Street
Nashville, TN 37206

Email: coalition@tndisability.org
Website: www.tndisability.org
Phone: (615) 383-9442
Fax: (615) 383-1176

Please join us in welcoming to Belinda Hotchkiss to the Tennessee Disability Coalition as the Family Voices Program Coordinator.  Belinda is the mother of two young children, one of whom was born 3 months premature and resided in the Vanderbilt NICU for 2 months.  Her son participated in services provided by TEIS and currently, Belinda and her children are participating in the Better Birth Outcome study, through the Vanderbilt’s Nurses for Newborns Foundation. 

She will be working out of the Coalition’s Nashville office.  Her contact information is email: belinda_h@tndisability.org; phone: 615-383-9442 or toll-free at 1-888-643-7811.