By Sarah Francescutti
Talking about safety for our deaf/hard of hearing (dhh) children can feel uncomfortable and even something we may unintentionally avoid. So it’s important that we talk about it more, not less.
The safety of our children grows through shared awareness and knowledge. The belief is simple and powerful: when we talk openly about safety for our dhh children, discomfort decreases, understanding increases, and we can work together to normalize safe approaches that help reduce negative experiences.
This article is meant to support that dialogue by offering practical, easy-to-apply ideas that families and educators can use right away to strengthen safety and connection.
On 13 January 2026, in collaboration with the Hands & Voices O.U.R. Children’s Safety Project, Kristin Grender, a renowned educator, adjunct professor in Special Education, and Bright Spots through the Council for Exceptional Children shared “A Teacher’s Role in Keeping Kids Safe,” offering practical, trauma-informed guidance for supporting dhh, deafblind, and disabled students.
Why This Conversation Matters
Children who are dhh, deafblind, and/or have disabilities face a significantly higher risk of maltreatment, bullying, and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). This elevated risk is not caused by disability itself, but by communication barriers, social isolation, and limited access to safe disclosure pathways.
One key insight from the session was the impact of loneliness. Some dhh children, particularly those who feel isolated at school, may tolerate inappropriate or unsafe behavior simply to maintain friendship or connection. When belonging feels fragile, children may prioritize connection over safety, often without the words or confidence to speak up.
Another important factor discussed was the frequency of one‑to‑one interactions dhh children often have with adults (e.g., speech therapy, listening and spoken language sessions, interpreting support, academic support). While these sessions are essential, they can increase vulnerability when they occur in isolated spaces or without clear safeguards. This makes it especially important to:
- Keep one‑to‑one sessions visible and transparent as possible while ensuring backgound noise and distractions are minimized. (e.g. doors open, windows unobstructed)
- Clearly explain the purpose and structure of sessions to students
- Reinforce that students can stop, pause, or ask for another adult at any time
- Ensure children know who to tell if something feels uncomfortable
Proactive planning helps ensure necessary supports do not unintentionally increase risk.
The Parent’s Voice
While the focus of the session was on educators, an important takeaway was the essential role parents play as advocates. Parents are often the ones who can encourage these conversations to be included intentionally in daycare or school planning.
Parents can support safety by raising topics such as communication access, boundaries, consent, and trusted adults and other school conversations. When safety is named explicitly, it is more likely to be addressed consistently.
Teachers can support this by creating communication-accessible environments, teaching safety and boundaries directly, watching for subtle changes in behavior, and ensuring students know who they can talk to and how.
Building Protective Factors: What This Looks Like in Practice for DHH children
Using a disability- and trauma-informed lens, the session emphasized that protective factors must be intentional and observable, not assumed. For dhh children, safety increases when adults take specific, everyday actions.
Protective factors in practice include:
- Ensuring consistent communication access: verifying that students can fully understand classroom discussions, instructions, and peer interactions in their preferred language or modality and checking in when access breaks down.
- Naming trusted adults explicitly: helping students identify specific people at daycare/school (by name and role) they can go to if something feels wrong, and practicing how to approach them.
- Teaching body autonomy and consent directly: modeling consent in daily interactions (e.g., before touching hearing technology or personal space) and reinforcing that students can say no, even to adults.
- Reducing isolation and supporting peer connection: intentionally creating opportunities for dhh students to connect with peers, rather than assuming friendships will form naturally.
- Providing clear ways to disclose concerns: using visual check-ins, private signals, or structured opportunities for one-on-one conversations so students do not have to initiate disclosure on their own.
- Reinforcing self-advocacy skills: teaching and practicing how to ask for clarification, request support, and speak up when something feels uncomfortable.
Safety is not a one-time lesson — it is a culture built through consistent actions, relationships, and follow-through.
Moving Forward Together
Talking about child safety can feel uncomfortable, but silence carries greater risk. It is important that parents and teachers openly share their concerns regarding individual safety, noise, and communicate about the ideals and reality, and together reach a consensus so they can work confidently together on a child’s behalf. By working together as parents, educators, and communities, we can strengthen safety nets and ensure dhh children are properly protected, connected, and heard.
A recording of this session will be available to watch at the link below once it has been uploaded.
Here is the link for the OUR Place recordings, as of 19 Jan the new Jan 2026 recording isn’t up yet: https://handsandvoices.org/resources/OUR/index.htm#past
We at Hands & Voices wanted to share the news that parents and professionals can help our growing kids be safe in the world. This Parent Safety Toolkit shares resources to help parents, kids, and the community to understand specific skills, knowledge and practices that can keep our kids safe and independent.
[ Download the OUR Parent Safety Toolkit ]
