Non-judgmental PARENT TO PARENT support that honorS each family’s unique journey
If you told my mother 30 years ago that her daughter would graduate high school and college with honors, she actually might have had some doubts. This is because, thirty years ago, when the doctors confirmed my hearing loss, they also told her that I would likely not go beyond a 3rd grade reading level.
All parents intuitively want to be good advocates for their child but in the beginning, we might not know exactly how to do that. Here are some steps that you can take to help you be effective while becoming more experienced. Know your child’s strengths and weaknesses, the law and how it relates to your child, be courteous and respectful while standing up for your child’s rights, stay organized, keep track of conversations and be prepared for meetings.
Have you ever wondered what enables our deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) child to attend/focus and perform in a certain way? One process which helps them is called “sensory integration”, which is the neurologic ability of our brain to organize information we receive through our senses and make appropriate motor and behavioral responses. It is essential for developing attention, body awareness, balance, fine and gross motor coordination, social/emotional growth, as well as academic skills. Without good sensory integration, learning is difficult and the child often feels uncomfortable about him/her self. This can lead to difficulty coping with ordinary demands and stress.
I have always been attracted to the caring, compassionate, and purposeful work of health services. I spent 5 years working as an Administrative Medical Assistant in and worked in Healthcare Administration for several years with a focus on Patient Relations and Quality Improvement. Working with physicians and specialists providing health and human services, I thought I knew all there was to know about caring for people and helping families.
However, on September 30, 2010 my family received a diagnosis that would change the course of our lives. Our healthy and active 3½ year-old son Michael was diagnosed with Pre-lingual Moderate-Severe Bilateral Conductive Hearing Loss.
If you asked me whether being mainstreamed with interpreters or attending to a residential school for the deaf was better, I would not have an answer. My experiences shaped me into who I am. If I had graduated from a public high school, I would have not grown as much socially, nor would I have had opportunities to be thoroughly involved with my school. On the other hand, if I had grown up in a residential school for the deaf, I would not have learned how to adapt to various situations, how to stand up for myself, and how to ensure that I got what I needed to be successful.
Having confines set on you by other people is incredibly frustrating, especially when you and those close to you understand that you are completely capable of anything but hearing like everyone else. Anyone who has grown up deaf or hard-of-hearing understands exactly what I mean. It is also frustrating when, after years of learning to accept that it is okay to ask for help and accommodations, you are rejected.
My husband and I live in a rural northern California town with our two sons, Jordan and Chrystian. In 2009, at the age of 13, Jordan asked to enroll at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont. Even though the idea of being apart from him tore our hearts, we put our emotions aside as his parents and focused solely on the needs of our son. We followed his lead.
As cliché as it sounds, life really is full of some amazing and powerful lessons. We never know what obstacles lie around each corner or how we will be shaped though the management of each of these challenges, but through all of them, a part of us is often fundamentally changed. For both my wife and me, it all began when our son Ryland was diagnosed as deaf.
Learn, Experience, Thrive . . . the motto of California School for the Deaf, Fremont. As I reflect on this motto, especially in how it relates to my daughter’s new chapter in life as a student at CSDF, I marvel at how it accurately captures this new stage in life for our family.
The decision to send my daughter, Courtney, to CSDF was not an easy one. We are a very close family, and my Deaf husband and I always thought we would raise our daughter here with our support and involvement with the local Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community.
Can you please share a little about you, your family and any hobbies you have?
My name is Zina Jawadi, and I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. I was diagnosed with hearing loss when I was 3.5 years old. Predicting that I would never speak normally, ear doctors suggested speech therapy and special education schooling. Although I did undergo eight years of speech therapy, I have been mainstreamed my entire life. In fact, I took all honors courses at one of the most difficult schools besides speech therapy, classical piano, public speaking tournaments, and other extracurricular activities.