BC Hands & Voices

Parents Coffee Night

Jennifer Towers — Fri, 04 May 2012 04:38:18 +0000

Are you wanting to get to know other parents with kids with hearing loss?
Do you want to share ideas on how to support your children with hearing loss?
Do you want to get out and meet some new people?
or do you just want to come out and have some coffee and treats in the evening?

….Well then we are the group for you.

We have now met 4 times (November, January, March and April). We have enjoyed coffee/tea and homemade baking. We have had several great conversations about transitions, building self – esteem, literacy and how to tell others about our child’s hearing loss. But – we still have room for you….

Time: 7-9pm at Victory Hill: 4334 Victory St., Burnaby BC - house #3. We will have balloons out to mark the spot.

The dates:

May 21st (Victoria Day) - How to advocate for your child and yet encourage independence
June 18th – Back by popular demand – Transitions to Kindergarten

Please RSVP at least 2 days before each meeting to ensure we have enough coffee/tea and snacks.

Link: www.bchandsandvoices.com

Contact info: Jennifer at jtowers900@gmail.com

Contract Position Available: Administrative Support for BC Hands & Voices

Teresa Kazemir — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 02:48:13 +0000

Seeking responsible, self-motivated adult to assist with administrative tasks for non-profit society. Tasks may include promotion, correspondence, and assisting with various projects and events. Hours are flexible (approximately 1-2 hours per week, as determined by needs of the organization). Contractor hourly rate to be discussed.

Requirements:

Interest in and/or knowledge of BC Hands & Voices; willingness to embrace the Hands & Voices philosophy and maintain membership in BC Hands & Voices
Excellent time management & written communication skills
Strong computer skills (Excel, Word, Facebook)
Familiarity with Mailchimp and WordPress an asset
Access to computer with high speed internet
Must live in the Lower Mainland and be available to attend evening board meetings as required

Preference will be given to a deaf/hoh individual or the parent or relative of a deaf/hoh child.

Interested persons should submit a resume (including references) and a letter outlining their interest and experience to info@bchandsandvoices.com. Applications must be received no later than May 1^st, 2012.

BC Hands & Voices is a parent-driven non-profit organization dedicated to supporting families with young children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

For more information about BC Hands & Voices or the application process, please contact us at info@bchandsandvoices.com or call 604 552-2254.

2011 Fall Parent Workshop

Anja Rosenke — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 02:05:49 +0000

On October 22, 2011, BC Hands & Voices held its 3^rd annual Fall Workshop at BC Family Hearing Resource Society in Surrey. It was an honour to have Angela Clancy, Executive Director of the Family Support Institute, lead the workshop. The focus this year was on the brothers and sisters of our children with hearing loss. Parents listened to a presentation and took part in discussions on how to build healthy sibling relationships within their families and meet each child’s own unique needs.

Angela shared with the group some valuable insights into sibling dynamics and offered practical tips to employ at home. She included endearing personal anecdotes about her own experiences, growing up with a brother who has special needs. Two “seasoned” parents, April Cowley and Anja Rosenke, were each invited to speak of their journey in raising their children when one is deaf or hard of hearing. Throughout the day, attendees joined in the dialogue by sharing their own colourful stories with the group, which complimented the subject material presented by Angela. The opportunity to learn from Angela Clancy as well as from other parents that day proved to be an empowering combination for all.

Setting the stage for the day’s discussions, Angela began with the idea of becoming travellers to each other’s worlds and to utilize this perspective in communicating. For example, I must be sensitive not to impose “my world” when I’m visiting “your world”. There will be time to visit “my world” afterwards. It was a strong message and a positive one, establishing how important it is to honour and respect each person’s viewpoint and ideas. Upon this premise we can teach our children to tell their stories and talk about their feelings, thus opening up the channels of communication and strengthening relationships.

Along those same lines, the concept of active listening was a common thread throughout the day’s talks, as listening is the first step to establishing communication. Clancy spoke of being “physically present”, demonstrating body language that is open and accepting, being attentive and hearing the person out. As parents, it is important not only to model this ourselves, but to teach our children these important social skills as well.

Helping our children become proficient communicators first means teaching them to hear each other, and naturally age appropriate approaches need to be considered. One parent suggested the “Bug and Wand” technique whereby the children face each other and take turns telling the other “It bugs me when (you do such and such)”, followed by “I wish (you would…)”. A simple and visually strong technique, I have already found success in prompting my 4- and 6-year-old children to use it at home!

Angela also touched upon some of the concerns that brothers and sisters may internalize as siblings to a child with a disability, such as embarrassment, a sense of isolation, resentment, an obligation to care-give and worry about the future. Again, the idea of building strong open lines of communication with the siblings to address and work through such feelings is imperative.

As parents, we need to provide a safe environment for siblings to open up about negative feelings or to ask tough questions about their brother or sister’s disability. In other words, if the sibling feels embarrassed and “wishes their little brother wasn’t deaf”, our role is integral to expelling the guilt or fear from these thoughts and make it ok for siblings to air their feelings.

Clancy stressed that families should keep having conversations so resentment doesn’t build. Having said that, she also pointed out that we should explain to our children that while it’s ok to be mad at your brother/sister, it’s not ok to say mean things or to blame the disability. That is something that he/she cannot change. It’s a non-negotiable and teaching respect between siblings is key.

Another issue that came up was the role that brothers and sisters often play in translating for their Deaf/HoH sibling. Sometimes they do it out of necessity, but in other cases the sibling instinctively takes on this responsibility. Angela spoke from personal experience when she added that this can be a lot of pressure for a child to assume. She suggested that families “bring others into the circle” by teaching those who interact with your Deaf/HoH child – even extended family members – some of the main signs your child uses, and if speech isn’t intelligible, what certain sounds or phrases represent. Clancy recommended we give the sibling a choice in how much and in what fashion they want to participate, but not to impose expectations. This too is an ongoing conversation to have.

Some of the other take-away ideas Angela presented centered around conflict resolution and problem-solving between siblings – topics relevant to any familial household on any given day. These included reminders for parents to set clear expectations surrounding acceptable behaviour, to give consequences and ensure follow-through. Involving your children in the process of setting ‘house rules’ or assigning chores can be powerful (what do you think is fair?). And finding solutions together means that children will not only feel involved, but also be accountable.

Of course with any household decision-making or settling of disputes, parents should ensure that the Deaf/HoH child is included in the conversation. Sometimes, this calls for restructuring the environment so that information is accessible to that child. First and foremost, have them be present. Take steps to provide the information at their level of understanding. Employing visual aids like a calendar, a flow chart with pictures or an experience book about `Yes/No Behaviour’ can be highly effective.

When children face disagreement, Clancy cautioned against stepping in too soon and stressed the value in allowing children to learn to work through their differences independently. Several times throughout the day, talks came back to the idea of treating the child with the disability ‘just like the others’; that is, levelling the playing field between siblings. Within reason of course, parents should try to suppress the impulse to protect or shelter the child with the disability at times and let them work it out for themselves.

Studies have shown that siblings of children with disability often develop strong qualities of tolerance and compassion. They may be more certain about their own future goals – both personal and vocational. Children who grow up with a brother or sister who has special needs are often more aware of the consequences of prejudice and orient themselves towards humanitarian interests as adults. Certainly, they develop an increased understanding of others.

And it all starts at home. Adopting an attitude of acceptance and pursuing it through open communication is clearly a foundation for building strong, trustful and positive relationships between siblings within the family. As parents, the task is ours – the opportunity is ours – to shape our home environment and guide our familial interactions to that end. A final thought to contemplate is a term that Angela mentioned that day: DIVERSABILITY over DISABILITY. We are more alike than different after all.

Thank you to all the attendees, volunteers and board members who helped to make the day such a success.

BC Hands & Voices also wishes to extend a big thank you to Angela Clancy for helping us navigate this part of our journey in raising our children.

We’d like to express our gratitude to the following organizations for their financial and/or in-kind support:

Preferred Interpreting
BC Family Hearing Resource Society
BC Early Hearing Program
BC Children’s Hospital Family Support Groups/ Networks Funding Committee
Gwyn Morgan & Patricia Trottier Foundation
Family Support Institute

Want to learn more about The Family Support Institute, BC Hands & Voices or sibling relationships? Please check out the following links:

A Whole New World

Felicia D'Amato — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 01:37:54 +0000

When I was two years old I was diagnosed with a severe to profound hearing loss. I was the first deaf person my parents had ever met. Decisions had to be made, and my parents made the best decisions they knew how for me at the time: they fitted me with hearing aids, enrolled me in speech therapy, and chose to mainstream me. My main mode of communication with my world was through speech, and through lip-reading.

Growing up, I never really complained much about my hearing loss. Truth is, I didn’t spend much time thinking that I had one. I lip-read fairly well, and save for an FM-System and my hearing aids, as well as hearing resource teachers, I didn’t really see myself as any different than my peers. I really wanted to fit in with the world I was in, which was the hearing world and the only world I knew of at the time. There were times when I would be assertive, like if I was to watch a movie, I knew to ask for closed captions, and I knew to explain to people that I was lip-reading them. (The lip-reading part got me friends in school, especially when people realized it was an extremely useful tool in eavesdropping, but one I tried not to participate in too much – people deserved their privacy.)

I did okay in school – I excelled at reading, writing and social studies, but in math and science I fell behind. I was an okay student, and I did what I had to do to get by. I did love school, but I never looked forward to it, simply because it was both frustrating and exhausting in terms of how much work it was to keep up to hear.

My frustration was at an all-time high when in high school, my hearing loss took a turn for the worse and I was no longer getting by on my own: my hearing that I had couldn’t support me anymore. It was at that point an interpreter was assigned to me. Having a sign language interpreter there was the first time I really accessed everything I had been missing out on – PA announcements, movies that weren’t captioned, what students were saying in the back of the room. Although at the time I was not fluent in sign language, I understood everything my sign language interpreter was saying (she signed a mixture of ASL and English); I really believe that people who are hard of hearing or deaf are amazing adapters and that our brains autonomously adjust to things we know will help us communicate.

After high school, I enrolled at the Youth in Transition Program provided by the Provincial Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, where I met other deaf youth who signed and had a counsellor who supported me in my educational pursuits. It was then that I learned about Gallaudet University – the world’s only school for the deaf and hard of hearing teaching exclusively in American Sign Language (ASL). It is thanks to my hearing resource teacher in my final years of high school and the Deaf community in Vancouver who supported and encouraged me in my pursuit of immersing myself in ASL that I drew the courage to transfer to Gallaudet University.

Gallaudet isn’t like any other place I’ve ever gone to. For me, it encapsulates everything that Aladdin and Jasmine were singing about in their movie, about a whole new world. Especially the part about no one to tell us “no”, because at Gallaudet, everything is completely accessible, on a level I never knew was possible. Gone are the days of PA announcements being inaccessible – they’re done on a TV screen in sign language. Everything is taught in Sign Language directly, and the class discussions that were always hard for me to be a part of suddenly become engaging and entertaining, everyone signing.

One of my fondest memories of Gallaudet is one of the first days of classes when I transferred in and the teacher had announced we were watching a movie. I unconsciously raised my hand to ask the question I had been asking my entire life: is the movie closed captioned? After I asked, I caught myself in a smile as everyone around me looked at me and laughed with me: of course it was. This was a school where everyone was like me. Where we weren’t “hard of hearing” or “deaf” or “disabled”, we were students having our dreams come true, within a world that wasn’t stopping us. Teachers actually know you by name, and the biggest class size I’ve had was with 20 people. I’ve become a better public speaker because so many of our classes require presentations where we receive feedback and support from both teachers and peers.

It’s been said that an education isn’t worth a great deal if it teaches you how to make a living, but not how to make a life (unknown). At Gallaudet, I find this has come to be true. Gallaudet’s teaching doesn’t end when classes are over, it stretches on, to the cafeteria lunches and dinners where you can engage with your peers in accessible communication and sometimes out -of- this-world debates. The typical late night college study sessions consist of music – songs are signed in ASL combining both worlds into one. Fire alarms that consist of flashing lights instead of sound, proving you don’t always need to hear in an emergency.

Before Gallaudet, I was an average student, never really putting the time into school to excel. At Gallaudet, however, that all changed. I’ve joined a sorority. I’ve taken amazing classes like the BioPsychoSocial Aspect of HIV/AIDS. I have been on the Dean’s List for several semesters and have won several scholarships. I even got to participate in a federal internship.

I care about my education now, because it’s accessible to me and I have people around me who challenge me daily without a language barrier. I met one of my best friends through the Honours Program at Gallaudet, and we continuously push each other to become better scholars as well as people; she’s now pursuing her doctorate degree, and every time I’m not sure I can do it or I start to doubt myself, I remind myself that she has set the bar higher and that I should too.

I have met some of the most incredible people at Gallaudet. They have taught me patience, kindness and resilience. When I have doubted myself, they were there, picking me up, encouraging me in a way that I have never had before, because they know what it’s like to both hear, and to not. Sometimes, no explanation is necessary, because they’ve been in my exact shoes before. And they inspire me, because for the first time in a long time, I know that I’m not alone.

My time at Gallaudet is coming to an end, but I won’t forget the lessons I’ve learned and I cherish every moment I have spent there. I don’t simply feel like I’m leaving a college, I feel like I’m leaving a home. Gallaudet has instilled in me a pride for being deaf and hard of hearing. I take comfort in knowing that I have been to a whole new world, one that is filled with beautiful hands and beautiful dreams, and the knowledge that nothing is impossible if you know how to make a life and not just a living.

Crash Crawly’s Family Fun Day

Chris Mallinson — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:02:15 +0000

BC Hands & Voices is organizing a Family Fun Day at Crash Crawly’s Adventure Playground in Coquitlam on Sunday, March 4th, from 10am to 1pm. This event is for families with hard of hearing ordeal children and teens and CODAs (children of deaf adults), along with their parents.

Fun Activities for the Whole Family

Soft Play: Climb, crawl, and slide for way through our maze – do you dare conquer the black slide?

Toddler Area: “Comfy Land Area” for children three and under.

Ball Pits, Train, Jeeps

Laser Tag: An updated Egyptian theme “Valley of the Kings” feature two stories, a mirror maze, bridges, lookout points and more! Great for teens.

Ballocity: Two floors with six ball blasters, a ball dump, a ball volcano, and a ball vacuum.

RSVP Required

Register by Sunday, February 26th. Online registration at chhaparents.bc.ca or register by calling or texting 604-684-1860.

Cost is only $3.00 per person, and that includes all Crash Crawly’s activities. Drinks and snacks are available for purchase at the concession.

ASL interpreters will be provided.

Crash Crawly’s Flyer – 2012
Crash Crawly’s Flyer – 2012 – Chinese Version

BC Hands & Voices Coffee Night

Teresa Kazemir — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:06:37 +0000

Please come and meet other parents who have kids with hearing loss. We would like to have a focus for our discussion – if you are interested in coming to the parent’s night, please email back with your top discussion choice:

navigating social events with your child
access to extra curricular events for your child
finding support within your extended family
any other ideas?.

This is an opportunity for parents to get out for the evening and socialize – no childcare is provided on site.

BC Hands & Voices events are for families of deaf/hard of hearing children aged 0-5.

Date: Monday, November 28th, 2011 from 7:00 pm-9:00 pm.

Location: House #3, Provincial Services for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing
4334 Victory St., Burnaby BC (click address for map)

Contact info: info@bchandsandvoices.com

Join Us For Our 2011 Fall Workshop

Chris Mallinson — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 01:02:09 +0000

Hosted by BC Hands & Voices and Guide By Your Side

Presented by: Angela Clancy, Executive Director of the Family Support Institute

English Printable Flyer
Chinese Printable Flyer

Meeting the needs of everyone in the family can be a challenge – especiallywhen one or more of the children are deaf or hard of hearing. This interactive workshop will focus on identifying common issues that arise with siblings, as well as strategies, ideas, and resources to help deal with them. Topics will include:

The needs of all children
Sibling relationships
Parenting strategies (active listening and overall effective communication)
Dealing with conflict
The benefits of growing up with a brother or sister who is deaf or hard of hearing

There will also be time throughout the day for families to socialize and share information with one another informally.

Saturday, October 22nd, 2011 from 10:00 am-3:00 pm.
BC Family Hearing Resource Centre
15220 – 92nd Ave., Surrey (click for map)

Childcare will be provided at no cost – children must be pre-registered.

ASL interpreting will be provided.

Language interpreting may be available for families who do not speak English. Resources are limited, so please contact us ASAP if you know of a family that requires interpreting.

Fun in the Sun! End-of-Summer Informal Get-Together

Teresa Kazemir — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:50:40 +0000

A great chance to socialize and catch up! Wading pool and playground – bring a picnic lunch and blanket. Cancelled if it rains. Grimston Park in New Westminster – 19th St. at 7th Ave. Look for the orange and blue … Continue reading →

Spring Picnic at Clayton Community Hall

Chris Mallinson — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 05:56:11 +0000

Our third Annual Spring Picnic will be another opportunity to meet other families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing, ages 0-5.

Saturday, May 28th11:00 am to 2:00 pm

Clayton Community Hall (on 70^th Avenue near 184^th Street in Surrey)

(click for map)

Meet at the shelter near the playground – look for the blue & orange balloons!
Bring the whole family and a potluck dish to share (beverages will be provided).
Don’t forget your blankets & lawn chairs. We will move into the hall in case of rain.
Fun for the kids! Face painting, crafts, parachute games, races & playground.

Please RSVP by Wednesday, May 25^th to info@bchandsandvoices.com or phone us at 604-552-2254. Please include your names, the age(s) of your child/children, and what you would like to bring.

For those that live outside the Lower Mainland, We have a grant from BC Children’s Hospital to help pay your travel expenses to come to our event! It will not cover flights, but would certainly help with ferry fares, gas, etc. Please contact us to find out more details.

Download a printable version of this announcement

Family Fun at Crash Crawly’s!!

Teresa Kazemir — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 20:53:39 +0000

Come join us at Crash Crawly’s on Sunday March 13th from 10am to 1pm! It will be a wonderful opportunity to meet other families with children of all ages who are deaf or hard of hearing.

This event is jointly hosted by BC Hands & Voices, CHHA-BC Parents’ Branch, and Family Network for Deaf Children.

Crash Crawlys invitation & registration