Caroline Guardino

Caroline Guardino

Professor, University of North Florida

[email protected]

Lessons Learned

• Children with disabilities are at a far greater risk for maltreatment than those without disabilities
• Sometimes teachers are unaware that they must go to the authorities (i.e., the police, calling a child abuse and neglect hotline, calling child protective services). Instead, they think reporting the incident to a principal or supervisor is sufficient. 
• Pre-service teachers are uncomfortable when talking about this subject but feel empowered that they have the ability to help children suffering from child abuse and/or neglect. 

Resources Developed

• Deaf Ed Chapter with Dr. G. Lomas
• CAN presentation to Hands and Voices (2017)
• CAN presentation adapted for intro classes (2011)
• Dwayne Case Study from our book published by GUP (2018)

Suggested Resources

• Abuse Hotline: https://www.myflfamilies.com/services/abuse#:~:text=The%20Florida%20Abu…;
• Described and Captioned Media (DCMP) – Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention: https://dcmp.org/learn/430-child-abuse-and-neglect-prevention
• Hands & Voices: OUR Children/s Safety – Deaf / HH Children at Risk: https://handsandvoices.org/articles/OUR/V13-1_deafhhatrisk.htm

Collaborative Areas of Interest

• Help finding resources
• Help understanding mandatory reporting requirements
• Speaking at national or local professional conferences, in-services, panel discussions, etc.