About this Event
5th Rehabilitation Conference in Hearing Difference and Deafness
Date and Time: November 26, 2026 at 9:00 AM (GMT)
Venue: Kath Locke Centre
This conference is designed for professionals working with children who have hearing loss, including Teachers of the Deaf, Speech & Language Therapists, and Psychologists. It addresses the increasingly complex caseloads where many children face additional challenges beyond their hearing loss.
Key topics include working with refugee families, exploring treatment options for children with Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder (ANSD), and leveraging artificial intelligence to improve efficiency in professional practice. Working with older children and teenagers. Adapting intervention in Special schools
The event aims to provide practical support and advice to help professionals better assist these children in their development and wellbeing.
Agenda
🕑: 09:00 AM - 09:10 AM
Welcome and Introduction
🕑: 09:10 AM - 09:55 AM
Adapting Intervention to meet the needs of an increasingly complex caseload
Host: Joanne Zellweger Manchester Sensory Spport Service
Info: Joanne is the Service Lead for Deaf and Hearing Needs and the Early Years Lead in Manchester. She has worked as a Teacher of the Deaf for 18 years and has a profoundly deaf son. As a teacher she has worked with all age groups however the majority of her time was spent in early language and communication development.
🕑: 09:55 AM - 10:15 AM
Cochlear Implant Manufacturer Presentation
🕑: 10:15 AM - 10:35 AM
Morning Coffee Break and Exhibition
🕑: 10:35 AM - 11:20 AM
Using AI to Improve Clinical Efficiency
🕑: 11:20 AM - 12:05 PM
Rehabilitation Strategies with Children Implanted at an Older Age
Host: Christine Melling , Manchester Cochlear Implant Servic
Info: Christine has worked as a Speech and Language Therapist for 30 years, over 25 of those with the Manchester Cochlear implant Team. Christine has worked across the paediatric , adolescent and adult teams. She leads the Adolescent Cochlear implant team supporting young people through the assessment process to the decision to have cochlear implants and after surgery to get the most out of their new hearing devices.
🕑: 12:05 PM - 12:25 PM
Cochlear Implant Manufacturer Presentation
Host: Medel
🕑: 12:25 PM - 01:25 PM
Lunch and Exhibition
🕑: 01:25 PM - 02:10 PM
Treating ANSD with CI or ABI
Host: Lise Henderson
Info: Lise has worked in the NHS for 40 years as a Speech & Language Therapist. She qualified as a Cert AVT in 2003 when she also became the Coordinator of the Manchester Paediatric Cochlear Implant Programme until she retired at the end of 2025
🕑: 02:10 PM - 02:30 PM
Cochlear Implant Manufacturer Presentation
🕑: 02:30 PM - 02:50 PM
Afternoon Coffee Break and Exhibition
🕑: 02:50 PM - 03:55 PM
Trauma Informed Support for International New Arrival Families
Host: Dr Paula Muir
Info: Paula has over 20 years educational psychology experience, with a specialism in social, emotional and mental health. She works as a senior educational psychologist at Catalyst Psychology CIC based in Manchester. Paula recently co-developed the Belonging Matters Chartermark; a government funded trauma informed framework to support the needs of refugee families in the education system
🕑: 03:55 PM - 04:15 PM
Closing Remarks
Event venue & nearby stays
Kath Locke Centre, 123 Moss Lane East, Manchester, United Kingdom
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