Guide By Your Side

Guide By Your Side™ is a program from Hands & Voices that provides emotional support and unbiased information from trained Parent Guides to families of newly identified children who are deaf or hard of hearing and to the systems that serve them.
Key Elements of the Program:

Provide early support to parents after confirmation of hearing loss
Offer unbiased resource dissemination about hearing loss
Emotional support from another parent who “understands”
Creation of a Guided Family Notebook
Ensure smooth entrance into Early Intervention and services
Opportunity for continued support through Hands & Voices Chapter

Benefits of the Program:

Early, local, and unconditional family support by a trained Parent Guide
Statewide parent contacts
Parents will be assured that information is shared in a timely and unbiased manner and is accessible to all
Families will experience a smooth entrance into Early Intervention
Support to help families identify their options and goals for their child
Help for families to discover their strengths and their child’s strengths
Creation of a Guided Family Notebook of resources and information specific to their child

What are Families Saying that Supports the need for the GBYS Program:

Parents are begging for timely information – Parent Guides will be available for families immediately after diagnosis.
Parents are being “bogged down” with biased information – All Parent Guides will be trained through Supporting Families Without Bias.
Parents are reporting feeling overwhelmed – Parent Guides will assist parents with developing the skills they need to feel empowered and confident.
Parents are reporting that their Audiology appointments are feeling rushed – GBYS will utilize the Regional Consultants through the EHDI program for help in supporting the family’s additional Audiology questions. Parent Guides will also work with the families to train them on how to prepare for a visit and how to better work the professionals that are now in their child’s life.

For more information about Guide By Your Side or to refer a family, please contact Mariana Barquet Guide By Your Side™ Program Coordinator at: 317-233-7686, or Email: gbys@inhandsandvoices.org.

CONTACT THE GBYS PROGRAM COORDINATOR

If you wish to find out more about our Guide By Your Side program, please email the GBYS Program Coordinator Mariana Barquet at gbys@inhandsandvoices.org or call 317-431-3991.

IN Hands & Voices GBYS Team:

Featured

Mariana Barquet

Mariana was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico. She is the mother of two children, her youngest was born profoundly deaf. She serves as the Guide By Your Side Program Coordinator and the ASTra Program Coordinator in Indiana. Her biggest passion is to ensure that every child with hearing loss in Indiana has access to and receives qualified services to meet their needs and achieve successful outcomes. She has a deep passion for supporting families through the different stages of the educational process that often require the parents to become skilled advocates.

Jenny Scheiderer

Jenny is the mother of 2 children, 1 of which was born with a hearing loss. She has been a Parent Guide since 2010. She and her family love traveling, playing board games & camping.

Victoria Wright

Victoria treasures being a homeschool mother to her two daughters and cherishes married life. Her oldest daughter is deaf. She loves spending time with her family, staying active, learning new things and doing anything fun. She also plans to get back to her career as a registered nurse in the future.

Sarah Ellis

Sarah is the mother of two young boys. Her youngest was born profoundly deaf. Sarah has a Public Health degree from Indiana University. She enjoys reading, trying new recipes with her husband, music, and exercising.

Jana Bartels

Jana is a wife and mother of three. Her middle child was diagnosed with profound hearing loss at age 5 and their family has been navigating the journey with hearing aids and cochlear implants ever since. She hopes to support other families of D/HH kiddos along the way. Jana also teaches fitness classes and enjoys reading, volunteering, and spending time outside with her family.

Courtney Kuelbs

Courtney is a mother of three, the youngest of whom was diagnosed at birth with hearing loss from microtia and atresia. Courtney has a law degree from the University of Notre Dame. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and reading.

Amanda Kosik

Amanda is the mother of 4 young children. Her oldest son and third son were born profoundly deaf. She is excited to be working with families through the Guide by Your Side Program to provide resources and activities to best support their D/HH children. Amanda is an elementary teacher by profession, but she is currently enjoying her time at home spent with family. She enjoys crafting, decorating, home remodels, and spending time with family and friends!

Maghan Keller

Maghan is the mother of 3 boys, 2 of whom were born with a hearing loss. Maghan currently works in the Westfield Washington Schools supporting children with Individualized Education Plan's. Maghan wants to support and share her knowledge with families on this amazing journey. In her spare time she loves to ride bikes, go on walks and enjoy the outdoors.