Miss-Delectable
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washingtonpost.com
In 2005, Rockville residents Steve Scher and Grace Consacro learned their twin daughters, Lola and Ella, were born with hearing losses.
The parents, who have hearing loss, said they wanted their daughters to grow up learning and communicating with the spoken word, as they had. At 18 months, Lola and Ella underwent surgery for cochlear implants.
Many of the couple's deaf acquaintances and friends criticized them for the decision.
"Some deaf people think you should wait and let the children decide," Consacro said. "But we thought it was important to do it. We saw it as the best choice possible for the children."
The couple's son, Max, born two years later, received cochlear implants at 14 months.
After several years of raising their children to learn a type of communication among the deaf and hard of hearing known as Cued Speech, the couple was recently honored with the national Cueing Family Award at a ceremony at Flower Valley Elementary School in Rockville, where Consacro teaches.
The award, which recognizes dedicated parenting or support of youths who are deaf or hard of hearing using Cued Speech, was presented by the National Cued Speech Association in Bethesda, a nonprofit group that advocates use of the speech.
Cued Speech is a system that uses eight hand shapes in four positions near the face in combination with the mouth movements of speech. It makes the phonemes -- sound-based units of speech -- visible, according to the association's Web site.
The use of Cued Speech as an alternative to American Sign Language has been a controversial topic among members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, said the association's executive director, Amy Ruberl.
"Cued Speech is the new kid on the block," she said. "It's only been around for 45 years. Many people feel that it is not acknowledging the language of the deaf community and that it's too oral."
Melanie Metzger, a professor at Gallaudet University, said there has been "a rather long debate" on how best to communicate with deaf children.
Barry Scher, Steve's father and a former Gallaudet board member, said his grandchildren are advanced in their language and speech development with the use of Cued Speech.
In 2005, Rockville residents Steve Scher and Grace Consacro learned their twin daughters, Lola and Ella, were born with hearing losses.
The parents, who have hearing loss, said they wanted their daughters to grow up learning and communicating with the spoken word, as they had. At 18 months, Lola and Ella underwent surgery for cochlear implants.
Many of the couple's deaf acquaintances and friends criticized them for the decision.
"Some deaf people think you should wait and let the children decide," Consacro said. "But we thought it was important to do it. We saw it as the best choice possible for the children."
The couple's son, Max, born two years later, received cochlear implants at 14 months.
After several years of raising their children to learn a type of communication among the deaf and hard of hearing known as Cued Speech, the couple was recently honored with the national Cueing Family Award at a ceremony at Flower Valley Elementary School in Rockville, where Consacro teaches.
The award, which recognizes dedicated parenting or support of youths who are deaf or hard of hearing using Cued Speech, was presented by the National Cued Speech Association in Bethesda, a nonprofit group that advocates use of the speech.
Cued Speech is a system that uses eight hand shapes in four positions near the face in combination with the mouth movements of speech. It makes the phonemes -- sound-based units of speech -- visible, according to the association's Web site.
The use of Cued Speech as an alternative to American Sign Language has been a controversial topic among members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, said the association's executive director, Amy Ruberl.
"Cued Speech is the new kid on the block," she said. "It's only been around for 45 years. Many people feel that it is not acknowledging the language of the deaf community and that it's too oral."
Melanie Metzger, a professor at Gallaudet University, said there has been "a rather long debate" on how best to communicate with deaf children.
Barry Scher, Steve's father and a former Gallaudet board member, said his grandchildren are advanced in their language and speech development with the use of Cued Speech.
In 2005, Rockville residents Steve Scher and Grace Consacro learned their twin daughters, Lola and Ella, were born with hearing losses.
The parents, who have hearing loss, said they wanted their daughters to grow up learning and communicating with the spoken word, as they had. At 18 months, Lola and Ella underwent surgery for cochlear implants.
Many of the couple's deaf acquaintances and friends criticized them for the decision.
"Some deaf people think you should wait and let the children decide," Consacro said. "But we thought it was important to do it. We saw it as the best choice possible for the children."
The couple's son, Max, born two years later, received cochlear implants at 14 months.
After several years of raising their children to learn a type of communication among the deaf and hard of hearing known as Cued Speech, the couple was recently honored with the national Cueing Family Award at a ceremony at Flower Valley Elementary School in Rockville, where Consacro teaches.
The award, which recognizes dedicated parenting or support of youths who are deaf or hard of hearing using Cued Speech, was presented by the National Cued Speech Association in Bethesda, a nonprofit group that advocates use of the speech.
Cued Speech is a system that uses eight hand shapes in four positions near the face in combination with the mouth movements of speech. It makes the phonemes -- sound-based units of speech -- visible, according to the association's Web site.
The use of Cued Speech as an alternative to American Sign Language has been a controversial topic among members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, said the association's executive director, Amy Ruberl.
"Cued Speech is the new kid on the block," she said. "It's only been around for 45 years. Many people feel that it is not acknowledging the language of the deaf community and that it's too oral."
Melanie Metzger, a professor at Gallaudet University, said there has been "a rather long debate" on how best to communicate with deaf children.
Barry Scher, Steve's father and a former Gallaudet board member, said his grandchildren are advanced in their language and speech development with the use of Cued Speech.
"Most people would not even know they have a hearing impairment," he said.
Steve Scher said it was important for Lola and Ella, now 5, and Max, now 3, to learn Cued Speech so they would be able to build their vocabulary.
"We show them a word and show them how it looks on both the hands and the lips," Scher said. "We don't limit the vocabulary."
He tutored Lola and Ella in Cued Speech when they were toddlers and is tutoring Max.
"What we did was not special from what anybody else would do in our position, and what any parent would do for their children," Scher said.
"You do whatever it takes to make the kids successful," Consacro said.
In 2005, Rockville residents Steve Scher and Grace Consacro learned their twin daughters, Lola and Ella, were born with hearing losses.
The parents, who have hearing loss, said they wanted their daughters to grow up learning and communicating with the spoken word, as they had. At 18 months, Lola and Ella underwent surgery for cochlear implants.
Many of the couple's deaf acquaintances and friends criticized them for the decision.
"Some deaf people think you should wait and let the children decide," Consacro said. "But we thought it was important to do it. We saw it as the best choice possible for the children."
The couple's son, Max, born two years later, received cochlear implants at 14 months.
After several years of raising their children to learn a type of communication among the deaf and hard of hearing known as Cued Speech, the couple was recently honored with the national Cueing Family Award at a ceremony at Flower Valley Elementary School in Rockville, where Consacro teaches.
The award, which recognizes dedicated parenting or support of youths who are deaf or hard of hearing using Cued Speech, was presented by the National Cued Speech Association in Bethesda, a nonprofit group that advocates use of the speech.
Cued Speech is a system that uses eight hand shapes in four positions near the face in combination with the mouth movements of speech. It makes the phonemes -- sound-based units of speech -- visible, according to the association's Web site.
The use of Cued Speech as an alternative to American Sign Language has been a controversial topic among members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, said the association's executive director, Amy Ruberl.
"Cued Speech is the new kid on the block," she said. "It's only been around for 45 years. Many people feel that it is not acknowledging the language of the deaf community and that it's too oral."
Melanie Metzger, a professor at Gallaudet University, said there has been "a rather long debate" on how best to communicate with deaf children.
Barry Scher, Steve's father and a former Gallaudet board member, said his grandchildren are advanced in their language and speech development with the use of Cued Speech.
In 2005, Rockville residents Steve Scher and Grace Consacro learned their twin daughters, Lola and Ella, were born with hearing losses.
The parents, who have hearing loss, said they wanted their daughters to grow up learning and communicating with the spoken word, as they had. At 18 months, Lola and Ella underwent surgery for cochlear implants.
Many of the couple's deaf acquaintances and friends criticized them for the decision.
"Some deaf people think you should wait and let the children decide," Consacro said. "But we thought it was important to do it. We saw it as the best choice possible for the children."
The couple's son, Max, born two years later, received cochlear implants at 14 months.
After several years of raising their children to learn a type of communication among the deaf and hard of hearing known as Cued Speech, the couple was recently honored with the national Cueing Family Award at a ceremony at Flower Valley Elementary School in Rockville, where Consacro teaches.
The award, which recognizes dedicated parenting or support of youths who are deaf or hard of hearing using Cued Speech, was presented by the National Cued Speech Association in Bethesda, a nonprofit group that advocates use of the speech.
Cued Speech is a system that uses eight hand shapes in four positions near the face in combination with the mouth movements of speech. It makes the phonemes -- sound-based units of speech -- visible, according to the association's Web site.
The use of Cued Speech as an alternative to American Sign Language has been a controversial topic among members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, said the association's executive director, Amy Ruberl.
"Cued Speech is the new kid on the block," she said. "It's only been around for 45 years. Many people feel that it is not acknowledging the language of the deaf community and that it's too oral."
Melanie Metzger, a professor at Gallaudet University, said there has been "a rather long debate" on how best to communicate with deaf children.
Barry Scher, Steve's father and a former Gallaudet board member, said his grandchildren are advanced in their language and speech development with the use of Cued Speech.
In 2005, Rockville residents Steve Scher and Grace Consacro learned their twin daughters, Lola and Ella, were born with hearing losses.
The parents, who have hearing loss, said they wanted their daughters to grow up learning and communicating with the spoken word, as they had. At 18 months, Lola and Ella underwent surgery for cochlear implants.
Many of the couple's deaf acquaintances and friends criticized them for the decision.
"Some deaf people think you should wait and let the children decide," Consacro said. "But we thought it was important to do it. We saw it as the best choice possible for the children."
The couple's son, Max, born two years later, received cochlear implants at 14 months.
After several years of raising their children to learn a type of communication among the deaf and hard of hearing known as Cued Speech, the couple was recently honored with the national Cueing Family Award at a ceremony at Flower Valley Elementary School in Rockville, where Consacro teaches.
The award, which recognizes dedicated parenting or support of youths who are deaf or hard of hearing using Cued Speech, was presented by the National Cued Speech Association in Bethesda, a nonprofit group that advocates use of the speech.
Cued Speech is a system that uses eight hand shapes in four positions near the face in combination with the mouth movements of speech. It makes the phonemes -- sound-based units of speech -- visible, according to the association's Web site.
The use of Cued Speech as an alternative to American Sign Language has been a controversial topic among members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, said the association's executive director, Amy Ruberl.
"Cued Speech is the new kid on the block," she said. "It's only been around for 45 years. Many people feel that it is not acknowledging the language of the deaf community and that it's too oral."
Melanie Metzger, a professor at Gallaudet University, said there has been "a rather long debate" on how best to communicate with deaf children.
Barry Scher, Steve's father and a former Gallaudet board member, said his grandchildren are advanced in their language and speech development with the use of Cued Speech.
"Most people would not even know they have a hearing impairment," he said.
Steve Scher said it was important for Lola and Ella, now 5, and Max, now 3, to learn Cued Speech so they would be able to build their vocabulary.
"We show them a word and show them how it looks on both the hands and the lips," Scher said. "We don't limit the vocabulary."
He tutored Lola and Ella in Cued Speech when they were toddlers and is tutoring Max.
"What we did was not special from what anybody else would do in our position, and what any parent would do for their children," Scher said.
"You do whatever it takes to make the kids successful," Consacro said.