PAST INCLUSIVE STORY TIMES WE'VE CO-HOSTED
Inclusive story time events expand access to engaging early literacy experiences for all children, including children who are D/deaf and Hard of Hearing, while building meaningful partnerships with libraries and community organizations. We are grateful to the families who attended our inclusive story time events and to the partners who helped make these events possible.
Inclusive Story Time event with The Meriden Public Library
A big thank you to everyone who came out to our Inclusive Storytime on Saturday, March 21st 2026, and a special thank you to the Meriden Public Library for providing the wonderful space! We hope families had fun reading the book 𝐼 𝐷𝐸𝐴𝐹-𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝐶𝑎𝑛 with our wonderful readers and doing crafts with us! We hope to see you at our next exciting events!
Inclusive Story Time event with The Westport Public Library CT
A big thank you to everyone who came out to our Inclusive Storytime on Saturday, January 17th 2026, and a special thank you to The Westport Library for providing the wonderful space! We hope families had fun reading the book 𝐼 𝐷𝐸𝐴𝐹-𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝐶𝑎𝑛 with our wonderful readers and doing crafts with us! We hope to see you at our next exciting events!
Inclusive Story Time event with Hands and Voices of New York
Families had a lovely time at the ASL inclusive reading of the fan favorite book "I DEAF-initely Can" on Saturday, December 13th 2025 at the Mamaroneck Public Library in Westchester. This Hands & Voices of NY event was sponsored by NY EHDI. Many thanks to parent organizers who collaborated with the HELLO Lab to put on this awesome event.
Inclusive Story Time event with the Wallingford Public Library CT
Thank you to everyone who made our Inclusive Book Reading on Saturday, October 25th 2025 a success! We’re so grateful to the Wallingford Public Library for hosting us and to the book Mighty Mila for inspiring us all. It was wonderful seeing so many families join — we can’t wait to see you at our next events!
Inclusive Story Time event with The Mansfield Public Library CT
Thank you to the families who attended our Inclusive Story Time events on Saturday, August 9th 2025. A heartfelt thank you to the Mansfield Public Library and the Friends of Mansfield Library for generously providing the space and books, and to the inspiring Mighty Mila book during the reading — thank you to the Mighty Mila team for making this story available! See you at our next Inclusive Story Time events!
Book Buddies Day with Bridgeport Public Library
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for Book Buddies Day on Saturday, March 29th 2025, and a special shoutout to the Bridgeport Public Library Beardsley Branch for providing a wonderful space! We hope you had as much fun reading "I’ll Follow The Moon" with our Mystery Readers and crafting your own terracotta turtles. We can’t wait to see you at our next exciting events!
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
The HELLO Lab is passionate about collaborating with educators, parents, and communities to bring about positive changes in language learning opportunities and outcomes for all children.
Events with Community Groups
We donate and run various crafts and activities for events that local community groups run. In addition to enriching the event, we get to meet families who might want to know about research.
In the past, we've donated art supplies and a student volunteer to make terracotta turtles with CT Hands & Voices, we've joined apple picking with a handout on how to turn making apple sauce into a language activity with NY Hands & Voices, and we've coordinated a scavenger hunt at a Hartford Yard Goats game (which came in extra handy during a rain delay!) with our local AG Bell chapter.
Resource Generation
Just give us a topic area and we will take it from there! Students in our lab create all of our handouts and infographics. The materials are reviewed at three levels: by our research scientist, by a subject matter expert, and then finally by our principal investigator. Check out our current resources!
Celebration of the Four Seasons
The HELLO Lab invites families — including those with children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing — to join us for our annual community celebration that we host and organize with various community organizations from across Connecticut. This year’s Celebration of the Four Seasons brought together families to enjoy seasonal crafts, themed activities, and valuable resource sharing. It’s a joyful event that builds connections, supports families, and celebrates the beauty of all four seasons. Stay tuned for our next yearly event!
Play & Learn
For groups that interact directly with families, we can discuss what topic you think would be the most valuable to learn about. While families learn from subject matter experts, the children can play with a sensory-engaging craft nearby.
COLLABORATIONS
NECHEAR
We work closely with NECHEAR. We help them manage their clinical database and they share information to families about the work we do in the lab!
Language First
We are proud to partner with Language First with the goal of educating and raising awareness about American Sign Language (ASL)/English bilingualism and the importance of a strong first language foundation for Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children. Language First, in particular, offers resources, handouts, events, and intervention activities to help make family-centered work as evidence-based as possible.
Connecticut Hands & Voices
We value our collaboration with CT Hands & Voices, a parent-driven nonprofit that supports Connecticut families of children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. We partner with them to participate in and table at their annual Family Beach Day. CT Hands & Voices provide peer support, resources, advocacy, and work closely with schools and professionals to help children reach their full potential.
Alexander Graham Bell
We are honored to join forces with the Connecticut Chapter of AG Bell in supporting students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing. This year, we were excited to host a College Visit Day for six high school AG Bell members who are exploring their path to higher education. AG Bell is committed to connecting local families through social events and educational workshops, creating opportunities to engage with both professionals and peers.
Hear To Help Connecticut
We are excited to collaborate with Hear To Help CT. They offer consultation and support services for families of infants and children who are D/deaf or Hard of Hearing, direct services and tutoring, and offer family Sign Language classes. Visit their website to get your first FREE virtual consult.
ORGANIZATIONS WE WORK WITH
Yale New Haven Children's Hospital
We value our partnership with Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital in bridging research and clinical care for children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Our collaboration supports evidence-based practices that directly benefit families in clinical settings. Through this collaboration, we hope to improve the everyday communication experiences of children and their families.
Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA)
We are grateful to collaborate with the Hearing Loss Association of America through our participation and tabling at the 2025 Walk4Hearing events in Westchester, NY, and Hartford, CT.HLAA offers programs, events and a nationwide community of support that give people the tools to thrive with hearing loss. They meet people with hearing loss in their communities through more than 120 chapters and Walk4Hearing events in 21 cities.
Connecticut Association of the Deaf (CAD)
We work alongside the Connecticut Association of the Deaf to support the language, learning, and communication needs of families with children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. CAD is a statewide nonprofit committed to advancing the rights and well-being of individuals who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing living in Connecticut. CAD proudly promotes, protects, and preserves the quality of life for its members through advocacy, education, and community outreach.
