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ange26s

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My family finally did it! We sold our hm in NC & moved to Ca so my daughter could attend Riverside School of Deaf :) Its been a looong road and still on it.. we have been waiting & waiting for all the referals to the school. They said she has to be accepted as a good fit. She was implanted at 18 months, attented a total communication class until now & absolutely 100% prefers ASL & that is the language she uses to communicate & we support her 100%. So we're frustrated she hasnt started school yet but Im really hoping she has a great experience. She'll be 11 yrs old & such a loving fun girl. My husband & I said we want her to have choices and when she makes the choice its HER choice, and she chooses her quiet world and says " i hate the fake voices" so we dont make her wear her processor which the audiologist & speech therapist hate & made me cry a few times..so we left it all in NC.. If anyone has any input or advice I would greatly appreciate it :)
 
I can't believe the audiologist and speech therapist would do that to someone. I'm hard of hearing I'm currently taking sign language courses at the college here in Northern California. I know some basic signs.
 
Congrats on the start of your new path. CSD-R is a good school. Hopefully she will be accepted soon so she doesn't miss too much. That is fantastic that you are giving your daughter make her own communication choices - that seem so rare. It is not surprising to me that the audi was pushing the speech and listening path - that is the core of their profession. It is good that you made your own decisions.
 
ange26s said:
My family finally did it! We sold our hm in NC & moved to Ca so my daughter could attend Riverside School of Deaf :) Its been a looong road and still on it.. we have been waiting & waiting for all the referals to the school. They said she has to be accepted as a good fit. She was implanted at 18 months, attented a total communication class until now & absolutely 100% prefers ASL & that is the language she uses to communicate & we support her 100%. So we're frustrated she hasnt started school yet but Im really hoping she has a great experience. She'll be 11 yrs old & such a loving fun girl. My husband & I said we want her to have choices and when she makes the choice its HER choice, and she chooses her quiet world and says " i hate the fake voices" so we dont make her wear her processor which the audiologist & speech therapist hate & made me cry a few times..so we left it all in NC.. If anyone has any input or advice I would greatly appreciate it :)
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A lot of times audiologists and speech therapists are among the ideology that being deaf is something that needs to be fixed. It's understandable in the sense that they are doctors and more singularly focused on being able to "help" and not sticking to their recommendations would decrease what they see as progress. But sometimes it's important to take that step back and see the whole picture, and listen to multiple sources. I think it's great that your supporting your daughter's decision that she prefers being without her processor, and as long as you as her parents teach her that the sky is the limit, then she will do amazing!
I seen a deaf couple on YouTube not long ago talking about the unnecessary trauma that the hospital staff caused because their child was born deaf. The parents were thrilled, but the hospital staff made it into a negative like something was wrong rather than allowing the parents to celebrate the birth of their healthy child.
Don't get me wrong, CI's are great for the people that choose them. But there is so little information out there about the whole picture that people are being scared into making a decision that they might not otherwise. I'm so sorry that people tried to guilt you into something that wasn't in your daughter's best interest.
Keep up the good work!
Btw, there's a great documentary on multiple perspectives called Sound and Fury. It's from 2000, so some of the information might be outdated, but it's worth a watch.
 
Thank you everyone, so we are still waiting for her to start! They have all the paperwork & all the referals have been made, her IEP has been updated.. :/ hopefully any day now.. Im just anxious & excited for her to have friends & an entire school campus she can be herself & relate to. When we first moved here she didnt want sign in public, she said people stared at her, i told her so let them look! They think its cool & thats why they look at us lol, I dont want her feeling that way, it breaks my heart. Although she was in a class that was total communication in NC, she was one of the very few children that primarily signed. So although her teachers were AMAZING, she still didnt have the total peer support. Im expecting a phone call very soon :)
 
AWESOME!!!!!! Yes I've noticed that Sign only kids seem to be unusal except in large programs. I think she will LOVE CSD-R and thrive!
 
It makes me happy that you are doing this with/for your daughter. I really wish something like this was possible for me, or would've been. :) Best of luck!
 
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