National Association of the Deaf

On June 25, 2011, NAD hosted a panel at the American Society of Deaf Children (ASDC) conference at the Maryland School for the Deaf in Frederick, MD. NAD Policy Attorney, Andrew Phillips, moderated the panel on “Keys to Success: Parental Involvement in Language Acquisition.” NAD had five wonderful panelists which included two hearing parents, two Deaf parents, and a Family Education and Childhood teacher: Roberta Mather Brown, Tami Hossler, Valerie Miller, Mary Ann Richmond, and Janet Weinstock. They provided experiences and tips in promoting language development in young deaf children.

Some highlights:

• Stories about moving across the state to live closer to schools for the deaf where their deaf or hard of hearing children could receive a better education.
• Debunking the myth that deaf or hard of hearing parents already know how to raise deaf children and parenting tips such as how to sign a book to your child.
• Rich resources that some states and schools for the deaf have available to support deaf and hard of hearing children and their families, such as home visits, language specialists, and programs that include hearing siblings.
• The importance of getting early intervention services for deaf and hard of hearing infants/toddlers from schools for the deaf.
• The need for exposure to American Sign Language (ASL) at a young age regardless of the level of hearing loss since ASL is an easily accessible language for deaf and hard of hearing people.
• The value of communication in ASL with both family members and those outside of the family.
• The importance of reading for deaf children.

This panel drew a full house and received many questions from the audience. Some members in the audience were moved to tears by heartwarming stories from these wonderful parents/teachers. The NAD deeply appreciates these panelists volunteering their time to share their expertise and experiences.