Asking the Money Question

Workshop description

In this session, we will delve into the multifaceted challenges faced by parents and families impacted by money stress, whether from low socio economics or other financial factors. We will shed light on the critical intersections between financial constraints, access to resources, and the overall well-being of D/HH children and their families through lived experiences and a shared informal survey among parents. As noted in the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), children with special health care needs experience more food insufficiency, housing hardship and medical hardship than children without special needs. We will show overall data and Minnesota data from a survey in 2025 on this topic. Through that survey, we'll share valuable insights for family support providers and healthcare professionals on the critical importance of asking questions, active listening, and addressing socioeconomic disparities where possible in supporting the holistic development, well-being and resilience of D/HH children and their families, amplifying the experience of a group of parents not often shared in EHDI systems.

Presented by Sara Kennedy and Jodi Roberts.

Sara Kennedy

Sara Kennedy was an OT when her third child was born at home and was not offered a hearing screen. She began volunteering with Colorado Hands & Voices and H&V HQ in 2001, and eventually became a parent guide, an educational advocate and trainer, and worked her way toward the director position at Colorado H&V from 2011-2022 along with part-time work at Hands & Voices HQ. Since then, she has served as the technical assistance advisor for selected states and territories, is a core member of the O.U.R. Children’s Safety Project, remains an educational advocacy trainer, and a co-chair of the EHDI Parent to Parent Committee. Her favorite role since 2002 might be editor of the Hands & Voices Communicator. She has presented or written on hearing aid legislation, low-income and rural families, and supporting families of late-identified children, navigating the educational system, grant writing, safety from abuse and neglect, progressive loss, and pragmatic language. She helped coordinate the Virtual Waiting Room and the genetics webpage for Hands & Voices. She loves mentoring parent leaders in the L2L program. While she prefers one-on-one discussions, presenting is necessary, even for an introvert.

Jodi Roberts

Jodi Roberts, MS, PHIT, is a PhD student at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. Her research on health equity focuses on informing policy changes in healthcare and social services. The goal is to ensure all children thrive, regardless of location or complexity of needs. This research focus is a culmination of Jodi's professional and lived experience working with children and families who have complex medical needs. Raising her own children with hearing loss and rare disease in rural Minnesota transformed her understanding of the systemic challenges families face, such as living in an area without specialized medical or educational services. Jodi started her career working in rural school systems as a Physical Therapist Assistant for students ages 3 to 26. She earned her Master's Degree, while simultaneously starting an adaptive cross-country ski program. Jodi then transitioned to the public health sector. She is an alumnus of the University of Minnesota Project REACH (Rural Experts Advancing Community Health) Program, a yearlong health policy program through the Rural Health Research Center. Jodi has served as a contractor and family representative for the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention program through the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Commission on the Deaf, Deaf Blind and Hard of Hearing. In her free time, Jodi enjoys playing and reading with her kids, and biking along the shores of Lake Superior.