By Nicole Eich
Parents and caregivers of d/Deaf and hard of hearing (d/DHH) children are likely to be introduced to a number of professional experts over the years. Audiologists, speech-language pathologists, ASL instructors, ENTs – the list goes on and varies depending on your child’s needs.
But one of the most important groups of experts that families can learn from are d/DHH individuals themselves. While we shouldn’t presume that d/DHH folks are necessarily interested in educating hearing parents, I’ve found that many who I’ve come to know are happy to share their experiences of growing up, going to school and navigating different environments. Our d/DHH friends are also wonderful role models for my daughter and can relate to her on a level that we, as hearing parents, cannot.
Families who have never met any d/DHH people may have the fortune of meeting d/DHH role models through programs like Hands & Voices Guide By Your Side, or by meeting d/DHH professionals working in our local system. Social media also presents a wonderful and immediately accessible opportunity to learn from d/DHH individuals and experts from a variety of perspectives. Instagram is a great platform for learning from Deaf advocates and artists and hard of hearing influencers who speak openly about the challenges of living between deaf and hearing worlds. I’ve included a brief list of some of my favorite Instagram follows below. If you’re on social media I encourage you to check some of them out even if they don’t seem particularly relevant right now, and then explore others. One of the most interesting and important things I’ve learned from d/DHH young people and adults is how diverse their relationship to their d/Deafness or hearing differences can be, and how it can shift depending on context. Having an awareness of the breadth of d/Deaf and hard of hearing experiences can only help you and your child, and can provide a sense of community when meeting in person isn’t possible.
In addition, the broader d/DHH community provides an opportunity to connect with d/DHH role models and make friends. It can be intimidating to make those connections, but networking with other families on platforms like Facebook can provide some entry points and let you know about local events your family can attend to meet d/DHH families. The local page BC Parents of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children Aged 0-5 is one place to start: [https://www.facebook.com/groups/853918531357842].
Links:
Adventures in Deaf Ed: Deaf Educator Sara Miller advocates for the Deaf community, accessibility, inclusion, & equity
https://www.instagram.com/adventuresindeafed/
Sign with Amar: Vancouver local Amar models ASL vocabulary
https://www.instagram.com/signwithamar/
mama.hu.hears: Michelle Hu is a hard of hearing pediatric audiologist, offering education and understanding for parents of hard of hearing children
https://www.instagram.com/mama.hu.hears/
Hard of Hearing Mama: Janna documents her experiences as a hard of hearing adult and those of raising two hard of hearing kids
https://www.instagram.com/hardofhearingmama/
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