Valerie James Abbott

Valerie James Abbott is the parent of a child with late-onset hearing loss. As a parent-advocate and leader, she worked for the Center for Family Involvement at the Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University, supporting families of children recently diagnosed with hearing loss. She served as the first parent ever elected chair of the Virginia Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program Advisory Committee, and she led the nonprofit Hands & Voices' return to Virginia. Today, she stands alongside some of our country's leading experts, calling for better outcomes for deaf and hard-of-hearing children by educating the public about early childhood hearing loss, promoting more frequent, effective hearing health screening between birth and school enrollment, and creating platforms for families like hers to share their experiences and find each other.