Drs. Kristen Guynes and Michelle Torres-Chavarro had the opportunity to present at the Florida Educators of Students who are Deaf & Hard of Hearing (FEDHH) conference in Gainesville, Florida, which occurred November 7-8, 2025. The faculty were accompanied by undergraduate student Sydney Simon.

Guynes was part of two presentations, one with Torres-Chavarro and co-presenter Sydney Simon about their work on the Morphological Analysis Pathways to Reading (MAP-R).

In their collaborative presentation on the MAP-R project, Torres-Chavarro described how the project evolved from their commitment to promote equitable access to quality literary instruction for students.

“The MAP-R project is designed to improve morphological knowledge, academic vocabulary, and reading comprehension for students who are at risk for literacy-related challenges. We focused particularly on the accessibility features of the e-learning platform used to deliver instruction to d/DHH students,” Torres-Chavarro said.

Guynes also led a separate presentation, Evolving Roles and Responsibilities of Educational Sign Language Interpreters, on the roles and responsibilities of language interpreters (EIs).

“I am advocating for a paradigm shift in which EIs are trained more comprehensively to serve as accessibility experts,” Guynes said. “Not that they should ‘be the teacher,’ but that they should have foundational knowledge to implement educational strategies during their interpretation and to advocate for additional services for the child when needed.”

The presentation was part of her overarching research goal to provide more comprehensive support to deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students and children who are in consistent proximity to EIs.

The FEDHH conference represents an opportunity for educators to expand on their teaching strategies and how they work with students who are DHH. FEDHH creates a space for difficult but necessary conversations that aim to improve access and outcomes for DHH individuals.

“I left the conference feeling both inspired and humbled. Hearing from educators and community members gave me a deeper understanding of how access, language, and identity are intertwined for DHH students,” Simon said.

All three individuals highlighted their tremendous gratitude for their experience and their passion for finding ways to progress in the industry and create a community that feels collaborative.

“[The conference] reminded me why I care so deeply about this work and encouraged me to continue learning, stay open-minded, and continue to collaborate with others in the DHH community,” Simon said.