On September 23, 2026, Dr. Torri Ann Woodruff-Gautherin, a research scientist with the Hearing Experience and Language Learning Outcomes (HELLO) Lab at the University of Connecticut, and her superb service dog, Minerva, paid a visit to the Read to Grow warehouse to provide our staff and volunteers with an important training on creating more inclusive storytime experiences for children who are D/deaf and hard of hearing.
The training explored how the experiences and needs of children who are D/deaf and hard of hearing can affect language development and access. Dr. Woodruff-Gautherin highlighted some of the barriers educators, readers, and program providers may encounter when working with these children and, most importantly, provided clear, actionable strategies for making storytimes more accessible and centering the experiences of children with different communication needs.
Based within the University of Connecticut’s Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, the HELLO Lab focuses its work around three pillars of equity: exploring, bridging gaps, and collaborating. The lab explores how early auditory experiences and parent-child interactions shape the foundations of spoken language learning, works to bridge the gap between research and practical application, and collaborates with educators, families, and communities to create more equitable language-learning opportunities for children.
Our training at Read to Grow was a perfect example of that collaborative approach. By partnering with early literacy organizations like Read to Grow, the HELLO Lab can work directly with organizations that provide important literacy touchpoints for children and families throughout Connecticut.
For Read to Grow, the training also prompted us to think about accessibility across each of our programs—from the books and resources we provide through Books for Babies and Books for Kids, to visits from our Bookmobile, to the shared reading experiences we create through Popcorn & PJs.
Throughout the training, Dr. Woodruff-Gautherin emphasized that inclusive storytimes do not necessarily require completely redesigning the experience. Thoughtful decisions can make a meaningful difference. Selecting books that positively represent children who are D/deaf or hard of hearing, prioritizing authors and illustrators with lived experience, ensuring children have clear sightlines during a reading, reducing competing background noise, incorporating visual supports, providing captions during virtual events, and considering access to ASL interpretation are all ways to help more children participate fully.
The training also reinforced something central to Read to Grow’s work: there is no single way for a child to experience a story. Children and families may engage with language through spoken English, American Sign Language, other spoken languages, visual cues, assistive technology, or a combination of approaches. Making room for those different experiences helps ensure that shared reading can truly be shared.
Dr. Woodruff-Gautherin also emphasized the importance of recognizing that being D/deaf or hard of hearing is not simply a matter of accessibility—it can also be an important part of a child’s identity and the way they experience and interact with the world around them. Creating inclusive spaces means acknowledging those differences rather than treating them as something that needs to be overlooked or minimized.
When adults, educators, and program providers recognize and respect a child’s communication needs and experiences, they are also affirming that child as an individual. Seeing their language, hearing experience, and identity reflected and respected in the books they read, the people leading activities, and the environments where they learn can reinforce a child’s sense of belonging. That affirmation can help create the supportive relationships and environments children need as they develop their language skills, confidence, and connections with others.
As Read to Grow continues working to make books a part of every child’s life from birth, trainings like this help us examine what “every child” means in practice. Accessibility and inclusion are not simply additions to literacy programming—they are part of creating environments where children and families can participate, connect, and experience the joy of reading together.
We are grateful to Dr. Woodruff-Gautherin, Minerva, and the entire HELLO Lab team for sharing their expertise with us and helping our staff continue learning how we can make Read to Grow’s programs more welcoming and accessible to families across Connecticut.
