A model of success: Hands and Voices

This organization prides itself on showing the positive sides of how communication choices are supported and the wide ranging support to parents of deaf and hard of hearing kids. A safe place to explore options and not get involved with emotional or biased confrontations when you contact the organization.

"Who are we? We are parents of ASL signers, cued speech users.... parents of kids with cochlear implants or total communicators... we are people who have common interests connected through the community of deafness. Hands & Voices is a safe place to explore options, get unemotional support (although we can be emotional about it!), learn from one another and share what we have in common. We value diversity and honor the role of parents and family as the single greatest factor in raising a WASK, (our favorite acronym: W ell- A djusted S uccessful K id) "There is room in the community of deafness for an organization like Hands & Voices, and in fact, I think parents, and even many professionals, have been crying out for a group like this," says Leeanne Seaver, Executive Director. "Somehow parents connecting to other parents provides an element of credibility; there's a level of 'knowing & feeling' that only a parent experiences. And parents, especially parents of babies newly identified with deafness or hearing loss, need a way to connect like this without being wary of a sponsoring agenda from a service provider."


Hands & Voices is a non-profit, parent-driven national organization dedicated to supporting families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. We are non-biased about communication methodologies and believe that families can make the best choices for their child if they have access to good information and support. Our membership includes families who communicate manually and/or orally. From American Sign Language to cochlear implants, our organization represents people from all different approaches to, and experiences with, deafness or hearing loss. We have local chapters comprised mainly of parents along with professionals.

So how did Hands and Voices began? Well, it's a familiar story about poor representation.

In the early-1990s, the Smithsonian Institute in Washington , D.C. , was preparing an exhibit called "Silent America." It was intended to raise positive awareness of the Deaf Community, highlighting cultural and linguistic (American Sign Language) aspects of the Deaf experience. Meanwhile, a number of people who were deaf or hard of hearing, but who were not living with those aspects of the Deaf experience, had a problem with the exhibit. From their perspective, it did not represent who they were-specifically, listening/oral communicators. They resented what they perceived to be the exclusionary nature of Silent America's point of view. Controversy roiled across the land. Both camps fired off angry letters towards each other, and at the Smithsonian exhibit planners. In the end, the Smithsonian scrapped the whole project.

And thus born the idea of coming up with a parental support organization version now called "Hands
and Voices" that began 17 years ago in 1993 in the state of Colorado. What you don't see are leaders who give out marching orders to go out and protest against certain deaf/hh organizations. But instead you have marching orders to embrace all kinds of communication modalities and offer parental support to those who need it. No need to create new words to describe specific oppression. No need to create a new word that describes the concept of idenity, discovery and journey. No need to create phoney hit counts on a website just to look appear authentic. Instead this is about a simple need that all parents and kids with hearing loss want and that is a support mechanism in place for them to help make an informed decision without politics and pettiness getting in the way.

The goal of Hands and voices? See an improved educational and social outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. And because of the organization's philosopy and support mechanism built in they continue to grow not only in the United States but elsewhere. Today there are chapters in 19 states and one chapter in British Columbia. There are 6 more states underway in getting chapters as well as one in Italy.

So, what are the qualifications in setting up a chapter in your state as a representative of Hands and

 

•Parent as director
•State Department of Education (DOE) representative of Deaf/Hard of Hearing programs as Advisory Board VIP
•Adults who are deaf and hard of hearing
•Members who can effectively advocate for all communication choices, regardless of whatever choice they've made for their own child.
•Teacher(s) of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing
•Educational audiologist
•Representative(s) from Institutions of Higher Education (universities, colleges)
•Parents of children who are deaf
•Parents of children who are hard of hearing
•Parents of children with unilateral or conductive hearing loss
•Parents of preschoolers, elementary-aged, & high school students
•Individuals who represent Deaf culture & community
•Individuals who have expertise with oral communication methodologies.
•Individuals who have expertise with manual communication methodologies.
•Professionals from Part C/infants & toddlers

It's not just parents but people with hearing loss can contribute to this organization as well and the opportunity to provide support they can give to parents looking for help and answers. This is what every parents want. Information about hearing loss while preserving  their parental rights to make informed decisons for their deaf/hh child.

Remember, 90 percent of all babies born with hearing loss are born to hearing parents. That's a big population of parents with deaf/hh children who seek support and answers every day. Not the negative politiking.

And lastly, the Hands and Voices' rallying cry:

If you or your child/student talk or sign... if you talk and sign, or cue, or care, we need you. If you are directly, indirectly, or potentially involved with children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families, we need you. We need to be united by our hands and our voices . We are parents, professionals, adult mentors, consumers, and others who are in so many ways connected to a cause and to each other through the community of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. We are card-carrying members of the National Association of the Deaf, the Alexander Graham Bell Society, the American Society for Deaf Children, and Auditory Verbal International. We are Hands & Voices.

Visit your nearest Hands and Voices chapter if you have questions or are curious.