Growing Up Deaf Summit Sponsorship packages
September 17 to 20, 2026

Get in front of hearing parents raising deaf and hard-of-hearing children

A free 4-day online summit reaching families in the window where they are making the biggest decisions of their child's life.

What the summit's all about

Four days built for the parents nobody prepared

The Growing Up Deaf Summit is a free 4-day online event for hearing parents of deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

Most parents get a diagnosis, a stack of pamphlets, and a referral. What they don't get is Deaf adults, experienced parents, and educators telling them what actually helps. That's the gap this summit fills.

Over four days, 20+ presenters share what no one told these families at diagnosis, so parents can navigate their child's deaf journey with clarity and confidence.

Here's how it'll run:

Every single presentation is ASL interpreted, captioned, and transcribed. Accessibility isn't a feature we added. It's the foundation the whole event is built on.

See the full summit details Password: summit2026

About our audience

Who you'll be reaching

Hearing parents of deaf and hard-of-hearing children

Mostly parents of kids under 5, in the first few years after diagnosis.

Making decisions right now

Hearing aids, cochlear implants, ASL, school placement, therapy. They are choosing, and they are choosing fast.

Overwhelmed and actively looking

They've been handed conflicting advice from audiologists, early intervention, and the internet. They are searching for something that makes sense.

Global, English-speaking

Primarily Canada, US, UK, and Australia. Skews women, ages 25 to 45.

Ready to spend on their child

This is a family that will buy the book, the app, the course, the class, and the toy if it helps their kid communicate.

Loyal once they trust you

This is a small, tight-knit, word-of-mouth community. One good recommendation travels far.

Why this matters

An audience that's hard to reach anywhere else

Over 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents who have no prior connection to Deaf culture or sign language.

Those parents are not sitting in Deaf community spaces. They aren't in the ASL groups yet. They are in audiology waiting rooms, early intervention appointments, and late-night search results.

The summit runs the four days leading straight into International Week of the Deaf, September 21 to 27. Your brand reaches these families right as the wider Deaf community is at its most visible, and right as parents are starting to look outward for the first time.

What we're projecting for year one:

  • Goal of 1,500 free registrations
  • 22 confirmed presenters, each committed to promoting the summit to their own audience
  • A private online summit community that stays open after the event

The presenters your brand will sit alongside:

Beth Leipholtz
Beth Leipholtz
@beth_and_coop
Michelle Hu
Michelle Hu
@mama.hu.hears
Chrissy Marshall
Chrissy Marshall
@chrissymarshall_
Rachel Burton
Rachel Burton
@suchalovelyred
Karlie Waldrip
Karlie Waldrip
@rhett_the_heeler
Karen Putz@thepassionmentor
Kellina Powell@deafqueenboss
Jojo Savea@jojosavea
Alexandria Sims@asl.alexandria
Anakristen Scurti@heartofhearing_
Julie Rems-Smario@jrsmario
Tristan Kong@tzkong
Leah Riddell@signablevi5ion
Brittany Gillies@brittany.gillies
Germaine Graham@deafinitelycommunicating
Aleksandra Stanojevic-Russo@rawtalkwithaleks
Celena Ponce@handsunitedor
Andrea Zackary@defeventsbeyond
Ryan Duchoeny@ryanduch9
Callie Foster@thelacouple
Jill Lestina@lorajill
Janice Drake 
2026 is the first Growing Up Deaf Summit, so these are goals rather than history. We won't promise numbers we can't back up. What we can promise is a highly specific, highly motivated audience and a host who has spent years inside it.
Kris Daria

Kris Daria, host

Hearing mom raising her Deaf son bilingually in ASL and English, Co-Chair of the Parent Council at Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf, certified group facilitator, digital marketer and email strategist who knows how to actually promote an event.

Sponsorship packages

Pick your level

Every package is customizable. Tell us how you like to reach new audiences and how your offers convert best, and we'll build around it.

Goodie Bag
$500
5 spots available

The entry point for sponsors who want their free offer in front of a highly relevant audience without a bigger commitment.

  • Placement in the summit goodie bag, above the standard presenter freebies, so you can collect email leads throughout the event
  • Included in the goodie bag roundup email and post sent to all attendees
  • Added to the daily summit schedule
  • Joint sponsor spotlight post in the summit community
  • Your logo on the summit registration page, linked to your offer
  • Free All-Access Pass (value $97)
Premier
$3,000
3 spots available

The most visible way to get in front of our audience, with multiple shares and a live session for the warmest leads.

  • Everything in the Goodie Bag tier
  • Host a live session for all attendees: live training, Q&A, interview, or workshop, your choice of format
  • Pre-recorded presentation slot, first of the day
  • Included in the summit opening and closing emails
  • Exclusive solo email about your offer to the full summit list
  • Second placement in the All-Access Pass bundle
  • Half page sponsor ad in the All-Access Pass workbook
  • Contest prize for the most engaged attendee in the summit community
  • Dedicated sponsor spotlight post in the summit community
Presenting Sponsor
$6,000
1 spot available

Your name on the event.

  • Everything in the Premier tier
  • Event name includes "sponsored by [your company]"
  • Your logo on all marketing materials
  • Featured in every summit email throughout the event with a linked call to action
  • Live demo or session about your offer inside the attendee community
  • Full page sponsor ad in the All-Access Pass workbook
  • Top placement in the All-Access Pass bundle
  • Category and app exclusivity
Looking for something else?

Build your own package

Every package can be customized. Here's the full menu of activations to mix and match.

Email summit@krisdaria.com and let's build the version that gets you the biggest return.

Who we partner with

A quick note on fit

This summit is built on a simple belief: being deaf or hard of hearing is not a loss to be fixed. It's a Deaf gain.

We partner with brands that support connection over correction, that treat ASL and Deaf culture as assets rather than fallbacks, and that reflect Deaf leadership in how they operate.

If that's your company, we would love to work together.

More info

Questions sponsors ask

What does the Premier live session involve?
You'll host a live session during summit week for all attendees. Live training, a Q&A, an interview, or a workshop, whatever format works best for your offer. We handle the tech, the promotion, the interpreting, and the captioning. You show up and deliver.
How many leads or clicks can I expect?
We cannot guarantee any results, and we won't pretend otherwise. This is the first Growing Up Deaf Summit, so we have no past sponsor data to point to. What we can tell you is exactly what you're getting: placement in front of a goal of 1,500 targeted registrations, with paid All-Access Pass holders keeping their access forever, which means your placements keep working long after the event ends. The single biggest factor is alignment. Choose an offer that's directly useful to a hearing parent raising a deaf child in the first years after diagnosis.
How does the goodie bag work?
Every attendee gets access to a goodie bag of free offers from presenters and sponsors. Sponsor offers sit above the presenter freebies and get their own roundup email and community post. You provide a link to your own opt-in page, so anyone who claims it joins your list directly.
Is everything accessible?
Yes. Every presentation is ASL interpreted, captioned, and transcribed. Live sessions are interpreted too. If you're hosting a live session as a sponsor, we'll cover interpreting and captioning for it.
How are you promoting the event?
Presenter promotion across 20+ audiences, Kris's email list and social channels, the Sir James Whitney parent network, partner organizations across the Deaf and parent communities, and paid promotion.
When do you need my info and materials?
Payment is due within 7 days of an accepted application. Your sponsor info form, logo, offer link, and any assets are due August 24, 2026, before summit promotion begins. After that date we can't include you, and no refunds can be issued.
Are there payment plans?
Yes, on request for Premier and Presenting tiers. Email summit@krisdaria.com and we'll sort it out.
I have other questions
Email summit@krisdaria.com and Kris will get back to you.
Interested in sponsoring?

Tell us a bit about you

Whether you're ready to go or just want to know more before deciding, fill in the form below and I'll be in touch.

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