By Emily Burke, DHH Infusion Co-Coordinator, Hands & Voices June 21, 2023 The author, age 17, with her Nana who came by for a surprise camp visit as a Lions Club member Growing up, my favorite movie is the 1960s version of The Parent Trap. Why? That movie took place at a summer camp. Remember when Sharon and Susan (both roles performed by Hayley Mills) met for the first time, it was in the dining hall at Camp Inch? Certainly, you can also refer to the Lindsay Lohan version if you prefer. Anyway, let’s chat about camps for the Deaf/HH children here! I was only a puny six-year-old kid with a ..read more

By Sara Kennedy, Hands & Voices HQ A unanimous ruling by Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in the Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools allows a deaf student to sue under the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) law for financial damages after accepting a settlement offered in his IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) case. The court held that a procedural requirement for the student to exhaust all remedies did not apply because the IDEA could not grant financial remedies for the student and family’s claim that appropriate services, such as a qualified sign language interpr ..read more

By Emilee Foster and Lisa Audi, New York H&V   New Yorkers should know about a new organization that recently partnered with the New York Chapter. Bring on the Spectrum (BOTS) welcomed the Capital Region chapter of Hands and Voices of New York last March for an event just for our kids. We were thrilled to have 32 children and 23 parents attend to meet each other, connect and have fun. BOTS is a 6,000 square foot Community Space & Sensory Gym, enhancing the lives of neurodiverse children, young adults and adults in the greater Capital Region and is a registered nonprofit.   Se ..read more

The Best Gift of the Season? Inclusion for our Deaf/HH Child Written by Brooke Montgomery & Sara Kennedy, Hands & Voices  As parents of children who are deaf, one of our main concerns has always been inclusion. Will he feel left out? Would she want to avoid large family gatherings? The last thing we want is for a child to wish the holiday is over quickly.  We have taken to heart the stories from deaf and hard of hearing (d/hh) adults about feeling like a stranger in the holiday celebrations. Visions of any child retreating to a corner at a holiday gathering to avoid awk ..read more

I first learned about Cued Speech when I met with Amy Crumrine when she was working in Rochester, NY and we were living there at that time.  She shared information with me on Cued Speech/cued English.  I had that in my head for a while.  I am Deaf myself and use ASL, and so my daughter’s home and first language was ASL.  My daughter, Molly, first started attending a D/HH program in Minnesota in first grade after first attending kindergarten at a day program which uses ASL.  I had first visited the program where it was explained how Cued English using Cued Speech, as we ..read more

I have spent a lifetime trying to figure out where I fit in as a hard of hearing person in a hearing world. I grew up in a family with a strong history of hearing loss but without the richness of language or culture; that seemed reserved for only those who were truly “deaf.” I didn’t know “Deaf” as compared to “deaf”. I didn’t know about the world beyond mine which had a full and complete language and was as beautiful as it was intricate and complex. I didn’t know anything, until I became the mother of a Deaf child. By the time my third child came along, I felt seasoned in my parenting. I fed ..read more

Bring on the Spectrum (BOTS) was proud to welcome the Capital Region chapter of Hands and Voices of New York on Saturday, March 26.  BOTS is a 6,000 square foot Community Space & Sensory Gym, enhancing the lives of neurodiverse children, young adults and adults in the greater Capital Region.  They are a 501 c 3.  Sensory Gym:            The sensory gym is unique.  For children, there are sensory swings, a Climb & Slide, a jumparoo and tactile interactives.  For teens, young adults and adults, the focus is s ..read more

Blessed. That’s the short and sweet answer to when people ask me to describe my life. Now, please don’t misunderstand me and interpret the last statement as things came easy-peasy. They didn’t. There was an immeasurable amount of sweat, endurance, pain, grace, hurt, joy, frustration, triumph, obstacles, accomplishments, and a whole lot of tears, both sad and happy. Blessed. God placed SO many powerful, encouraging, challenging, and inspirational contributors pouring into my life to help me become the woman I am today. My 25, almost 26, years of life have been amazing, wild, hectic, thrilling ..read more

I was diagnosed with a severe-to-profound hearing loss and fitted with hearing aids at a year old. My parents, Feisal and Suhad Keblawi, immediately started searching for an educational program for deaf children. First, they placed me in an oral program because they were encouraged by one teacher’s success in that program. Nabeel with his Vietnamese wife, Hang. They both reside in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Unfortunately for me, the oral program did not help me learn the necessary language skills to communicate with my parents, siblings, extended family members, and friends. At home my parents ..read more

Hello, My name is Justin Ruger. I am the author and illustrator of a new children’s book titled Henry Meets a Honey Bee. Before I talk about my book, I would like to give a little background on myself. I was diagnosed as hard of hearing at birth–when I had nerve damage caused during birth. I was told that there is a chance that I will go completely deaf in my lifetime. My hearing has progressively gotten worse, but I am still able to make out high pitches. Low pitches are lost to me. When I was a child, others thought I was rude and disobedient because I would not follow commands or pay atte ..read more