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Learning as a family: Parents advocate for deaf children | The Asbury Park Press | APP.com
Yvonne Olsen Catt knows how it feels to raise a child whose primary language is not her own, how some relatives ignore children with communication differences, and how to advocate for deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the family and community.
But probably unlike most parents who attended the recent New Jersey Family Learning Conference for Families with Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Catt was born deaf and her children, hearing.
Still, the perspective and parenting strategies match those of people on the other side of the deaf/hearing equation, she said.
“Whether your children are hearing or deaf, treat them the same, and make sure the deaf child always feels part of the family; include them always,” Catt, through a voice interpreter, told parents during her presentation on family dynamics at the conference, which took place April 16 at CentraState Medical Center in Freehold Township.
Catt, a student support specialist at Model Secondary School for the Deaf at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., is the youngest of three sisters, all deaf, with deaf parents.
She said as a child, she thought everyone used sign language — until a store employee didn't respond to her signs.
“That's when I realized I was different. But that was OK because I still played with my neighborhood friends, using makeshift signs,” she said.
She attended a school for the deaf in Wisconsin, then Gallaudet University, and married a deaf man, “so I still had my normal communication — sign language.” Her husband's parents, however, knew only a few signs.
“We would have 15-minute conversations; that would be it,” she said. “It was like I didn't exist. I never felt so alone in my life.”
During holiday visits, Catt would end up sitting by herself, reading.
When she became pregnant, she assumed her child would be deaf. He was hearing, and she worried they wouldn't be able to communicate.
Through research and networking, she learned to encourage her son's speech with radio and TV and then was equipped to repeat the process when the couple's next two sons also were born hearing.
“So like your parents of a deaf child, I was scared and had to learn how to work things out,” said Catt, whose sons are now 30, 26 and 20.
Among the issues the family dealt with were reactions of relatives to her children: Catt's deaf parents spent more time with her sister's children, who are deaf, than her hearing children.
“Every family has traditions, but the dynamics change when you have a deaf child or adult,” Catt said.
Teaching parents to become advocates
Last month’s conference was aimed at sharing information and enabling parents to network with each other and learn to advocate for their children, said event chairman Ira Hock.
“Whenever there's a need for accommodation, it's often a struggle to get equal access in medical and school settings,” he said. “Not many things are accessible for people with hearing loss. You have to fight for it, call ahead of time and request accommodations.”
Forty-five families from throughout the state signed up for this year's conference, including 89 adults and 77 children , ranging in age from 6 months to 18 years. Three rooms of activities and child care were provided, as was a special workshop for teens, with captioned movies, assistive-listening devices and sign language interpreters.
Sign language interpreters, Spanish interpreters, CART (real-time captioning), and assistive listening devices also were available at parent workshops.
Somorin and Abi Coker of Freehold, parents of 17-year-old Olu, who has been hearing impaired since birth, said the deaf education program their son attends in Neptune has supported and guided him throughout his school years, from Summerfield Elementary School to Neptune High School, where he is a senior.
“Neptune High School has been great; they provide all the services,” Abi said. “They are very savvy.”
Olu attended the conference, too, and participated in a teen panel discussion.
The Neptune Township Regional Deaf Education Program, established in 1971, was among the conference exhibitors. It's also planning a Deaf Awareness Day May 24 at Summerfield Elementary School.
While it was the first for the Shore area, the event was the fourth family learning conference jointly sponsored by the state Department of Human Services Division of Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN), and the state Department of Health and Senior Services Early Hearing Detection and Intervention program.
“We're always looking for ways to get resources out to families,” said David Alexander, director of the state Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. “There's lots of resources for professionals. We know this is a big need for families, so the purpose of this conference is to get information to parents and be sure their child is integrated as a part of family life and beyond.”
Yvonne Olsen Catt knows how it feels to raise a child whose primary language is not her own, how some relatives ignore children with communication differences, and how to advocate for deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the family and community.
But probably unlike most parents who attended the recent New Jersey Family Learning Conference for Families with Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Catt was born deaf and her children, hearing.
Still, the perspective and parenting strategies match those of people on the other side of the deaf/hearing equation, she said.
“Whether your children are hearing or deaf, treat them the same, and make sure the deaf child always feels part of the family; include them always,” Catt, through a voice interpreter, told parents during her presentation on family dynamics at the conference, which took place April 16 at CentraState Medical Center in Freehold Township.
Catt, a student support specialist at Model Secondary School for the Deaf at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., is the youngest of three sisters, all deaf, with deaf parents.
She said as a child, she thought everyone used sign language — until a store employee didn't respond to her signs.
“That's when I realized I was different. But that was OK because I still played with my neighborhood friends, using makeshift signs,” she said.
She attended a school for the deaf in Wisconsin, then Gallaudet University, and married a deaf man, “so I still had my normal communication — sign language.” Her husband's parents, however, knew only a few signs.
“We would have 15-minute conversations; that would be it,” she said. “It was like I didn't exist. I never felt so alone in my life.”
During holiday visits, Catt would end up sitting by herself, reading.
When she became pregnant, she assumed her child would be deaf. He was hearing, and she worried they wouldn't be able to communicate.
Through research and networking, she learned to encourage her son's speech with radio and TV and then was equipped to repeat the process when the couple's next two sons also were born hearing.
“So like your parents of a deaf child, I was scared and had to learn how to work things out,” said Catt, whose sons are now 30, 26 and 20.
Among the issues the family dealt with were reactions of relatives to her children: Catt's deaf parents spent more time with her sister's children, who are deaf, than her hearing children.
“Every family has traditions, but the dynamics change when you have a deaf child or adult,” Catt said.
Teaching parents to become advocates
Last month’s conference was aimed at sharing information and enabling parents to network with each other and learn to advocate for their children, said event chairman Ira Hock.
“Whenever there's a need for accommodation, it's often a struggle to get equal access in medical and school settings,” he said. “Not many things are accessible for people with hearing loss. You have to fight for it, call ahead of time and request accommodations.”
Forty-five families from throughout the state signed up for this year's conference, including 89 adults and 77 children , ranging in age from 6 months to 18 years. Three rooms of activities and child care were provided, as was a special workshop for teens, with captioned movies, assistive-listening devices and sign language interpreters.
Sign language interpreters, Spanish interpreters, CART (real-time captioning), and assistive listening devices also were available at parent workshops.
Somorin and Abi Coker of Freehold, parents of 17-year-old Olu, who has been hearing impaired since birth, said the deaf education program their son attends in Neptune has supported and guided him throughout his school years, from Summerfield Elementary School to Neptune High School, where he is a senior.
“Neptune High School has been great; they provide all the services,” Abi said. “They are very savvy.”
Olu attended the conference, too, and participated in a teen panel discussion.
The Neptune Township Regional Deaf Education Program, established in 1971, was among the conference exhibitors. It's also planning a Deaf Awareness Day May 24 at Summerfield Elementary School.
While it was the first for the Shore area, the event was the fourth family learning conference jointly sponsored by the state Department of Human Services Division of Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN), and the state Department of Health and Senior Services Early Hearing Detection and Intervention program.
“We're always looking for ways to get resources out to families,” said David Alexander, director of the state Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. “There's lots of resources for professionals. We know this is a big need for families, so the purpose of this conference is to get information to parents and be sure their child is integrated as a part of family life and beyond.”