By Jen Gow, British Columbia Hands & Voices
Our most recent Annual Parent Workshop on Educational Excellence marked a first for us. Instead of flying solo, British Columbia (BC) Hands & Voices teamed up with partners to co-host the event (Canadian Hard of Hearing Association BC Chapter and Family Network for Deaf Children). The benefits of this were twofold. First, it was a wonderful chance to bring many families together under one roof. Second, it was an opportunity to strengthen relationships with our fellow parent organizations, and further identify our common purpose of supporting and educating families of deaf/hard of hearing children. And, excitingly, it also meant we were able to host not one but two international speakers!
Having just read his most recent book ‘Madness in the Mainstream’, I was excited to learn more from Mark Drolsbaugh. He didn’t disappoint, discussing the idea of finding the least restrictive environment in educational settings for our deaf/hard of hearing children. He spoke about how this will vary not only between people, but also throughout an individual’s education. A fluid perspective on education can accommodate adaptations as a child’s communication strategies change, and/or their social and cultural identity associated with their hearing status develops. I took home the importance of considering my whole child’s needs, not just what her report card might tell me.
Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts
We were also thrilled to host our very own Janet DesGeorges, co-founder and Executive Director of Hands & Voices. She encouraged us to strive for the best education for our children. Janet’s presentation stressed the importance of supporting our kids’ growth, development and education at school and at home.
We need to think about optimizing accessibility throughout their entire day, not just in the classroom. For example, are our children readily able to communicate on the school bus, when they are lining up for school, during library story time, at recess, at soccer practice? What really stuck with me though was the need to also instill confidence in our children. We need to teach them to be empowered self-advocates so that they can burst through those glass ceilings when they’re reaching for the sky.
An overarching theme of the workshop was to recognize that while the educational needs of children who are deaf/hard of hearing vary greatly, there is also much that unites them. It was this commonality that brought us together with our co- hosts, despite the different age groups that we primarily serve. We along with Guide By Your Side serve children aged five and under, and their families; the other two organizations focus on school-aged children and youth, and their families.
The main speaker presentations addressed our entire audience, but two afternoon breakout sessions honored our diversity to focus on particular groups. This gave a balance between presentations on broad themes that connect us and discussion time on topics applicable to specific groups. Another great source of discussion and information came from our deaf/hard of hearing youth and adult role models, who were on hand during our café style buffet lunch to meet with families.
Very few of us from BC Hands & Voices get the opportunity to attend the annual Hands & Voices Leadership Conference so this was an inspiring way for our members to learn first hand from some highly respected speakers from the US. It was also a great way for us to connect with HQ through Janet, and many of us left feeling better connected.
