Saturday November 14th 2:00pm-3:00pm
Storytime in English & ASL – Connect with other families – Meet two of our Deaf/Hard of Hearing Guides!
Have your little one show us a fall craft they have made. We like some of the ideas listed here: https://busytoddler.com/2016/09/fall-activities-fortoddlers/
Please RSVP to catherine@bchandsandvoices.com to receive the zoom link. ASL interpreter and captioning will be provided.
Download flyer here: BCHV Fall Harvest Storytime
Parent Connect Coffee Night on Zoom- Microtia/Atresia
WHO: BC Hands & Voices & Guide By Your Side
WHAT: Join us for a special parent night about Microtia/Atresia hosted by Jesse Kazemir, an Engineer and musician with bilateral microtia/atresia who wears BAHS (Bone Anchored Hearing Systems), and Catherine Kalchbrenner, a Parent Guide and mom of a child with right-sided microtia/atresia. Grab a beverage and join us from your favourite spot at home! Ask questions & share experiences with other parents. ASL Interpreter will be available if requested by Oct. 26th.
WHEN: Thursday October 29th, 2020 7:00pm-8:30pm
CONTACT/INFO: please RSVP to catherine@bchandsandvoices.com
Download our flyer here: Microtia Coffee Night 10.29
Connect with other families and share ideas about how to support our children. Whether you are looking for emotional support, a place to vent or share the joys…join us! Grab a beverage and join from your favourite spot at home! ASL Interpreter will be available if requested by Sept. 18th 2020
Tuesday June 22nd 2020 7:00pm-8:00pm
Please RSVP to catherine@bchandsandvoices.com to receive the Zoom link for the event.
Please download the flyer here: Parent Connect Evening 9.22.2020
The Children’s Craniofacial Association is an American organization that our family has followed since our child was born with facial differences. Their mission is to empower and give hope to individuals and families affected by facial differences. You can check out more of their amazing programs and wealth of information here: https://ccakids.org/
One of the programs/events they host is an annual family retreat and educational symposium. Much like Hands & Voices, they believe that bringing together families with extraordinary children builds incredible bonds and fosters camaraderie and helps all families feel empowered by those connections.
We’ve never been able to attend a retreat in person for a myriad of reasons but this year COVID handed us a silver lining when CCA decided to cancel their in person retreat and host a virtual retreat instead. The two full day schedule was jam packed with interesting and relevant topics for our family, but I’d like to share some notes I made from one of the most useful workshops I attended, the Parent Panel – IEP focus. For those of you who still have young children your child may not yet have an IEP (Individual Education Plan).
An IEP is a document that is built in collaboration with the school, those that work with your child and you. It contains goals and strategies to help your child learn, services and resources that your child needs to succeed in school, and ways to track progress.
The workshop was hosted by 3 veteran parents who shared their tips for parents new to IEP collaboration meetings.
There was an amazing amount of information shared in the workshop and it was an overwhelmingly positive experience. I felt better informed and ready to take on my child’s next IEP meeting. COVID-19 has brought uncertain times and perhaps an even greater need for cooperation between parents and professionals. Our children’s IEPs are going to be very important for this upcoming school year. I hope this information will be helpful and give you some more tools for advocacy.
More information on IEPs can also be found here:
BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils https://bccpac.bc.ca/index.php/resources/39-inclusive-education/45-individual-education-plans-a-guide-for-parents
INSOURCE Special Education Parent Support (US based)
http://insource.org/resources/iep-meetings/
This website has a wealth of great information for any and all topics about IEPs including how to improve your child’s existing IEP and talking points to advocate for your child: http://insource.org/resources/iep-meetings/endrew-f-worksheet-for-improving-your-childs-iep/
By Rabab Elbaharia
Since my daughter was identified as hard of hearing, our family has decided to take every possible opportunity to be part of the Deaf and hard of hearing community. We have always found this connection valuable throughout the journey.
With the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic situation, many aspects of life have become more difficult as we’ve been asked to adjust to a new reality. As adults, we’re able to read and understand the facts of what’s happening, but a lot of us have struggled to explain to our children why things changed suddenly and so dramatically. Fortunately, one of the things that has helped our children to adjust is to stay connected via technology.
As a mother of a hard of hearing 6-year-old kindergartener, I feel extremely grateful for technology (although I know we have all suffer Zoom fatigue at some point). It has kept my daughter connected to her community and to the professionals who work with her. She has found great relief in this connection during this difficult time.
Luckily our daughter is enrolled in a kindergarten run by one of the three early intervention agencies, which we are truly grateful for. When school transitioned to an online format, her teachers were nothing but supportive. Online learning brought about daily videos of morning circles and story time that allowed Salma to continue her daily routine and keep her learning on track. Moreover, Friday dance parties gave her true joy when she spent some afternoon time dancing and having fun with her classmates and teachers.
This unusual situation also made Salma’s 6th birthday quite unique. Graciously, her teacher arranged an online party to celebrate her, and her classmates and their families sent her their best wishes, even sharing a virtual birthday gift.
One of the additional perks that came with transitioning towards more online learning was the sibling ASL and conversational ASL courses we were able to access, which gave us a chance as a family to refresh our ASL skills.
Salma’s speech language pathologist put enormous effort into modifying her sessions with Salma to make them online compatible. Not only has she helped Salma with her speech but she also provided Salma with much needed reinforcement to keep her hearing aid on. Thanks to technology our amazing audiologist was also able to keep checking on us and helped me trouble-shoot many issues that arose with Salma’s equipment during the lockdown period.
As well, I found comfort when parents of Deaf and Hard of Hearing kids reached out to each other not only through virtual parent meetings but also by arranging for virtual playdates for the kids. These playdates have been such a delight for Salma to be a part of.
In addition, Salma took part in a series of online camps (camp in a box), hosted by the Family Network for Deaf Children and their summer program, Deaf Youth Today. The camp was full of surprises and managed to keep Salma thrilled and excited, with the promise of new interesting activities every day.
Clearly, although we are all physically apart, technology is helping to ensure that we are connected more than ever in different ways. It has allowed us to take part in most of our usual festivities, despite the unfortunate circumstances. It is these difficult times that bring people together by not only nurturing our personal connections, but also by encouraging us to come up with new ways to stay connected.
Note- this article was originally published on Vancouver Is Awesome on May 29,2020 and is being reproduced here with permission from the author and Vancouver Is Awesome.
——————————————————————————————————–
Our first and only child, Iliyan, was 6 weeks old when we learned that he had bilateral severe-to-profound hearing loss, meaning that he was born deaf.
This came as a shock to us and, as with the majority of parents of deaf children, he was the first deaf person we had ever met.
As new parents we were already filled with worry and anxiety about the usual things like, is he eating enough? Is he sleeping enough? (Will we ever sleep again!?)
Now with the added layer of having to learn how to parent a deaf child, it was safe to say we were overwhelmed at the very least.
Within hours of Iliyan’s identification as a deaf child we received a call from the BC Early Hearing Program checking in on us, how we as parents were feeling. Our coordinator also provided some information and assured us that we would have access to information, speech-language pathologists, other experts and, most importantly, other parents, since we had some important choices ahead of us as we learned how to parent a deaf child.
We chose to obtain our early intervention services from the BC Family Hearing Resource Centre, which we felt was a good fit for us, though all three provincial agencies provide exceptional services. We decided early on that for our family, communication was critical, regardless of whether it was in American Sign Language (ASL) or in spoken English, and with the support of the BC Family Hearing Resource Centre we began to learn ASL, as well as prepared for our son to receive cochlear implants if and when he was eligible.
Iliyan took to signing right away. In fact, he signed his first word at 9 months. To our dismay, his first word was neither “mum” nor “dad” but “light.” We decided as a family that it would be important for Iliyan to meet as many Deaf and hard of hearing children and adults, who choose to communicate in a number of ways, in order to normalize his deafness and hearing equipment, as well as for us to connect with more people and families.
We had the good fortune of meeting Nigel Howard a few years ago, when Iliyan had recently received his cochlear implants and was communicating using both sign and spoken English. Iliyan adored meeting him, and still remembers one of the signs that Nigel taught him – the sign for “boot.”
Fast forward to the last few months, Ilyan is now four and a half and seeing Nigel signing alongside Dr. Bonnie Henry has made him so proud to be deaf. When we purchased a few “Listen to Nigel” posters, Iliyan immediately asked that we hang one in his room, and post one outside our house.
Having Nigel – and his poster – has given Iliyan a real life superhero that he looks up to and can identify with, especially in a world where we don’t often get to see Deaf people in prominent positions in media, using ASL.
– Zen Tharani and Shazia Karmali
Partial proceeds from V.I.A.’s “Listen to Nigel” posters are being donated to the Deaf Children’s Society of B.C.. You can order them HERE.
Connect with other families with dhh children and have some time to share!
Whether you’re looking for emotional support, a place to vent, or simply to share the joys… we are here for you! ASL interpreter will be available if requested. (please let us know by June 8th)
Thursday June 11th 7:15pm-8:15pm
Please RSVP to kshauer@cw.bc.ca to receive the Zoom link for the event.
You can also download the pdf flyer here: Parent Evenings 6.112020
By Gina Cooper
It happened in a safe place. With a deeply caring, experienced psychologist named Mary Beth Goring at the John Tracy Clinic Summer Session in Los Angeles.
Grief decided she had been pushed inside for too long and wanted a voice.
Grief imploded me and I experienced a slight psychotic break. No, I did not start shooting people or throwing things or shouting random obscenities. Rather, I began shaking and sobbing and pouring out my worries to a highly trained professional who had heeded her calling as a psychologist. This psychologist understood how nerve wracking preparing a child with hearing loss for the school system can be.
Raising a child with a special need, especially during the early years, can be so taxing on your nervous system that it makes me extremely grateful for organizations like Hands & Voices and the John Tracy Clinic.
I cannot imagine doing this job alone. The choices you need to make as a parent before your child can voice her own thoughts and desires can be overwhelming. The thought of making a mistake was unbearable for me at that time. I took the responsibility for a tender young life to heart, literally… anxiety and panic accumulated into a knot and simmered slowly underneath the joy, adventure and ongoing feelings of being a mother of a deaf child.
I never wanted Sara to see me in any way but happy. I desperately wanted her hearing journey to be adventurous and full of blissful memories to draw upon when older.
Grief is an integral part of our being and will rise to be heard when it needs to. Grief also has the compassion to wait until you’re in a safe place with a support network to catch you if you fall.
The John Tracy Clinic provided me with a group of experienced professionals and families walking a similar path. During a morning parent support group session, I gave a spontaneous speech about feeling alone, being blamed by a family member for my daughter’s deaf diagnosis, feeling overwhelmed by people’s opinions on cochlear implants and sign language, second guessing myself with regard to my choice of mainstream Kindergarten, feeling somewhat unwelcome at certain playgroups, not knowing who your real friends are, and child comparison. I spoke my truth and unburdened my heart of sadness, disappointment, anger and disillusionment. My brave front gave way to vulnerability and an individual yearning for society at large to comprehend what I did~that a child with a special need is still a child with potential, not a societal or personal burden, not a pity case, not a candidate for a lifetime of disability insurance or somehow not as intelligent. I cried not only for my daughter but for so many children and families who are sometimes marginalized by society. It is not right nor helpful to decide the fate of deaf/hard of hearing children without trying all means of therapy to enable them to achieve success in life.
My heart broke for every disadvantaged, impoverished child on earth. I knew not what to do with my feelings so I gave them voice in my parent support group and personal counselling sessions. To my grief I gave a platform during this 3 week intensive Summer Session of 2014 with accepting parents, unbiased professionals and a worry free environment.
Families come together globally to gain professional evaluation of their child’s readiness for the school system, to update their hearing loss knowledge, receive new training, and effectively prepare for the transition to Kindergarten.
What I received at the 2014 John Tracy Clinic Summer Session were qualified opinions from people who cared enough about you and your child to help steer you in a positive and effective direction. A direction which would set up your child for success.
Sara, my sweet and smart tomboy is now a senior at her elementary school – the big Grade 5 at Pinecrest Elementary School in Campbell River, British Columbia on Vancouver Island! She reads at an advanced level, enjoyed gymnastics, bike riding, swimming and art with hearing kids, and has a group of friends that accept her and her cochlear she without question.
Sara did attend monthly ASL classes with a group of other deaf and hard of hearing children in the community. I wanted to expose her to the hearing loss community and be receptive to her feedback about living with a “special need”. She decided this year that she did not want to draw attention to her cochlears or to talk about being a special needs kid. This was her choice and this choice may change down the road. I respect that. It’s what the Hands & Voices motto is all about…”What works for your child is what makes the choice right.”
I highly recommend the John Tracy Clinic Summer Session, if you choose to attend. I was given an evaluation that the therapy method of Total Communication was working for Sara. Sara was given an evaluation of above average speaking and listening skills, which shouldn’t have surprised me but did a little. The worry, hard work and massive effort had paid off but not without a price…a psychotic break is a signal for emotional attention, a signal for self care, a cry for validation, and a plea for people to understand that your reality is important. A psychotic break is by no means a sign of mental weakness. It is a signal of overwhelm just like any physical illness symptom and should be treated with dignity and compassion. In the name of love, we parents often climb mountains for our children…sometimes we ask for help repelling.
We returned to Campbell River feeling more confident, enlightened and educated and more prepared to enter the school system.
Yes, I was still feeling nervous. But in an excited kind of way.😀
Tuesday, April 7th, 2020 7:00 – 9:00pm
Location Update: Connect from your home only: by phone or computer/smart phone. This is a special evening specifically for parents of children who are unilaterally deaf or hard of hearing.
BC H&V board members Rabab Elbaharia (a parent of a child with unilateral hearing) and
Lisa Cable (an adult with unilateral hearing) will team up to lead our evening and share experiences. This is a great opportunity to learn from other parents of children who are deaf/ hard of hearing in one ear.
You will have the opportunity to ask questions and share information – a virtual event now only.
Please RSVP to Catherine at ckalchbrenner@cw.bc.ca
RSVP by April 2 and to receive connectivity information (teleconference & link to webcast)
Download the flyer here: 4.2020 UHL virtual Parent Evening
By Lee Johnston
The transition to kindergarten can be an exciting and stressful time under any circumstances, for both children and their parents or guardians. But planning for the kindergarten transition for a D/deaf or hard of hearing child (DHH) includes its own special considerations. For myself and my partner, thinking about kindergarten, and the years of education to follow, was a very stressful process. This was due in part to the fact that we were open to considering all options—our local mainstream school, the BC School for the Deaf, Children’s Hearing and Speech Centre’s primary school, and more. We also recognize that being in the position to even be able to consider several options was a privileged one, in that we are centrally located in the lower mainland and geography did not pose a huge barrier for us. Still, it was stressful, and we did a considerable amount of work in making our decision. In this article I reflect on some of the lessons we learned along the way, and the resources we tapped into to provide us with the information we needed to make our decision. I hope it’s helpful for those of you thinking about kindergarten, and beyond!
Get (and stay!) involved with the DHH community
We often talk about the importance of incidental learning for children – the unstructured learning that occurs when kids pick up cues and information from their surrounding environments. I believe another kind of essential incidental learning takes place for hearing parents or guardians when they can spend time with other DHH families. This learning helped us understand the different ways of being D/deaf and hard of hearing in the world, which in turn helped us think about education options in a more informed way. You can learn so much from other parents and their children by going to local events hosted by service or parent support organizations, joining Facebook groups and forging relationships with other parents and DHH adults.
No one can speak to the experience of being a DHH student better than a DHH individual
As I just noted, parents are a wonderful resource, and we talked to many of them. However, no one can speak to the experience of going through school (and life) as DHH better than DHH individuals. Young adults are a particularly helpful resource as they’ve recently exited the school system and have had some time to reflect on this experience. And they have had such a diverse range of experiences—positive and negative—in all sorts of settings, and often evolving in their choice of language and identity over time. There are many ways to access the diverse range of experiences offered by DHH young adults—local intervention programs present panels, BC Hands & Voices presents online opportunities to talk to Deaf and hard of hearing adults and ask them about their experiences, and there are many books and online resources available to parents if you look for them.
This decision may not be permanent, and will be the first of many
One of the most helpful things a parent pointed out to us was that, while we were putting so much weight on this decision, we would be putting the work in every year—to evaluate our daughter’s education setting, educate new teachers (particularly in mainstream settings) regarding her hearing loss and required adaptations, and conversing with our daughter to determine if this setting was still the best fit for her, and what her other options might be. In a way that was a huge relief, and took some of the weight off.
Go through the intake process for all of the schools you’re considering
I’m a person who worries about wasting other people’s time. As such, I thought it would make sense if we decided which school we would attend first, and then go through one intake process. Our early interventionist encouraged us to go through the full intake process for the two schools we narrowed in on—our local mainstream school and BC School for the Deaf (BCSD). I’m so glad we did, as it gave us a much more complete picture of what each school could realistically offer in the way of supports. Meeting the teams at each school will also be helpful if we (or our daughter) decide to switch paths in the future.
Don’t forget to celebrate this milestone!
At one point during a meeting with one of our potential school placements, a principal asked us what our daughter was excited about for attending kindergarten. It struck me that we didn’t know, because we had been avoiding talking to her about it beyond telling her we were considering the two schools, which would offer really different experiences. It was much easier to get excited about kindergarten once we made our decision. And it is an exciting time!
In the end, we chose to enroll our daughter in the BC School for the Deaf. We were worried—our daughter identifies as hard of hearing and our primary language is spoken English. We were trying to learn American Sign Language, but not doing so consistently. But we decided that kindergarten was a good time to try it out, and thought of it as something akin to French immersion. Being involved with the local DHH community, and seeking out the experiences of a diverse range of DHH young adults paved the way for us to understand our options, and make what we felt was the best choice for our family at the time. The transition wasn’t always easy, but knowing—as a family—that we were open to changing direction and adapting to our daughter’s needs as we moved forward helped us all feel better in the end. We’re happy to say that our daughter now loves school. We hope your little one(s) will too!
