Presenter Bios

Valerie James Abbott is an award-winning author, a parent-champion for early hearing detection and intervention and co-founder of Late Onset Hearing Loss Awareness Week. She serves as a 1-3-6 family educator...Valerie James Abbott is an award-winning author, a parent-champion for early hearing detection and intervention and co-founder of Late Onset Hearing Loss Awareness Week. She serves as a 1-3-6 family educator at the Center for Family Involvement at the Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), supporting families of children recently identified with hearing loss and leading projects aimed at reducing loss to follow up for the Virginia... Read More >

Victoria Lennon is a senior communications specialist at the American Institutes for Research, where she provides communications and marketing support to a range of Federal and non-Federal clients. She leads teams...Victoria Lennon is a senior communications specialist at the American Institutes for Research, where she provides communications and marketing support to a range of Federal and non-Federal clients. She leads teams of integrated communications and research and evaluation staff to best understand target audience behavior to inform communication strategies, content development and digital outreach. Read More >

Two years after starting piano lessons at age 7, Wendy was diagnosed with a significant bilateral hearing loss. She is a passionate amateur musician who wears bilateral cochlear implants and...Two years after starting piano lessons at age 7, Wendy was diagnosed with a significant bilateral hearing loss. She is a passionate amateur musician who wears bilateral cochlear implants and plays viola, piano and handbells. She has also directed a handbell choir at the federal agency where she works and led handchime workshops during HLAA conventions whenever possible. Read More >