Facilitation-Addressing Language Deprivation Using Deaf Community Models

PRESENTER BIOS

Kandice Hunt, M.Ed  is a triple certified teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Head of Operations at Carter Hears!. She has a Bachelor’s in Deaf Education and a Master’s in Education in Educational Leadership. As a sibling of a Deaf adult, Kandice always had a heart for teaching and for working with Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals. Her passion for early language development, supporting parents, and creating change is evident in her work. She especially enjoys watching her students grow with success over the years. She is experienced in working with students who communicate through listening and speaking, multiple modalities, and American Sign Language within itinerant and resource educational models. She also has extensive training in and works with various hearing technologies—hearing aids, cochlear implants, and FM systems.  In addition to leading operations for the Carter Hears! team, Kandice coaches Teachers of the Deaf and Language Facilitators by working collaboratively with school districts to develop cohesive programming and develop their continuum of service design. While at Carter Hears!, Kandice has worked alongside team members to develop a structured, researched, and evidence based language facilitator model and has been invited to speak at regional and national conferences.  

Rylina Dey, EIPA 3.7, joined Carter Hears! as a language facilitator in 2022. She currently serves as a bimodal facilitator and as the Carter Hears! Director of Communications. She has a B.A. in Communications from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. As a Child of Deaf Adults (CODA), she has two deaf parents and has grown up bilingual with American Sign Language as her first language. Growing up interpreting for her parents and peers when needed, she has developed the natural ability to recognize when additional support is needed for communication. This experience has contributed to her developmental approach, which has been a huge benefit in her role of Sign Language Facilitator.

Susie Z. Spainhour, M.Ed. has been in the field of interpreting for over 20 years. During Susie’s career, she has served on the NAIE Board and South Carolina RID Board of Directors. She is an Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) Proctor for BoysTown Research Hospital, an interpreter, a presenter, and a mentor. She provides mentoring independently and for ASL OWL and Carter Hears. Susie believes that educating interpreters on how to do their job better can increase their quality of interpreting; simultaneously, she believes that increasing their confidence in themselves can help motivate them to improve their skills. Susie is a Nationally Certified Interpreter and holds an EIPA 4.3. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Education: Interpreter Training Program, and a Master’s Degree in Special Education: Divergent Learners from Columbia College in Columbia, SC.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Please email secretary@southcarolinarid.org to request any accommodations. This workshop will be presented bimodal in English and ASL with interpretation.