The family was determined to embark on a mission to ensure that all of her children felt loved, supported, and celebrated for who they are, hearing or not hearing. By Ashley Jones, California H&V with Sara Kennedy, Editor People in…
A Family Celebrates Disability and Possibility
By Ashley Jones, California H&V with Sara Kennedy, Editor People in this world often struggle to understand and accept differences. The Jones family is on a mission to change that in their circle of influence. “When one child is hard…
D/HH Infusion: Seeing Through Change
By Brittany Comegna, California H&V In 2019, I submitted an article to CA HV entitled “What I Wish I Knew When I was Sixteen Going Through the College Search Process.” And, now, I sit here attempting to amend this original…
Interview with Rachel Zemach, Author
In my determination to do something about what I saw in education, and my own experience as a Deaf teacher, I wrote a book about it called The Butterfly Cage. Rachel Zemach, Author Interview by Johanna Wonderly, California H&V Please…
Change is Inevitable
by Cora Shahid, California H&V Life is full of transitions (and that can be scary at times). Johanna Wonderly recently announced she is stepping aside as the ASTra Coordinator in California, serving from the start of the program until February…
#TogetherThursday
#TogetherThursday is a weekly resource blog that was created by CA Hands & Voices Advisory Board Member Leslie Manjarrez out of the early shelter in place period.
This blog is tailored to highlight free resources and topics to parents of Deaf/Hard of Hearing children through videos, articles, links to further reading, activities and more. #TogetherThursday has grown to feature monthly themes that have included Deaf Awareness, School Readiness, Deaf LGBTQ+, and Seasonal DHH supports.
Please reach out to suggest future topics, resources and individuals to feature! Contact us: IG/FB or email.
Ms. Leslie looks forward to hearing from you!
Stories of DHH Adults
Stories are powerful. If done well, stories not only entertain but they also teach us. This form of storytelling is called “narrative”. We are all wired for narrative; it is what connects us to one another.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) individuals with diverse languages, modes of communication, ages, education, and life experiences play an important role in the journey for families with children who are DHH. Knowing the tremendous value of narrative, California Hands & Voices conducted written interviews with DHH adults for families to explore each unique journey and benefit from the wealth of knowledge told through their stories.
You may find while reading these narratives, your thoughts take you in a direction different from the rest of the story. We may suggest that you stay with that thought, for it is that part of the story that will teach you something new about yourself. This is the power of story.
A note of appreciation. This important resource would not be available if it were not for Deaf and Hard of Hearing adults who agreed to share their experiences. Thank you for making a positive impact on the life of every family who will read your story. The interviews give families access to the wide range of opportunities available for their child. We thank you.
Hands & Voices FL3 DHH Adults Hands & Voices Blog
“Follow your instincts. That’s where true wisdom manifests itself.”
Oprah Winfrey
Working Families Need Different Supports
By Kasey Cain, California H&V Nothing went according to plan with my oldest son’s birth. He was sunny-side up and his heart rate dropped seven times in labor. After many attempts to reposition, I finally had a C-section. He didn’t…
Living with TCS
Alysa was born with TCS, and bilateral Microtia-Atresia. Treacher Collins Syndrome is a rare genetic condition that affects the way the face develops; it is estimated that it occurs in approximately 1 in 50,000 live births. Microtia is a birth defect that occurs 1 in 10,000 live births, and Atresia is absence or underdevelopment of the ear canal and middle ear structures. She has had over 9 surgeries, years of orthodontics, and speech therapy in school. She has moderate to severe hearing loss and wears bilateral bone-anchored hearing aids.
Bringing ASL Home for Families
Razi M. Zarchy, MS, CCC-SLP and Leah C. Geer, PhD
Our names are Razi Zarchy and Leah Geer. Razi is a hearing speech-language pathologist (SLP) with over 10 years of experience in deaf education. Leah is a deaf Associate Professor of Deaf Studies at California State University, Sacramento. She has 10 years of experience teaching American Sign Language (ASL). Together, we wrote the innovative, family-centered curriculum called ASL at Home. This is our story.