It’s pretty exhausting as a parent of a deaf child…

It’s pretty exhausting as a parent of a deaf child…

To have others constantly make assumptions about them and their ability, based on literally nothing of substance 🤷🏻‍♀️

I mean, we didn’t come down in the last shower.

We see the stares.
We see the averting eyes.
We see the “pity” faces.
We see the bias decision making.
We see you put our kid in the “too hard” basket.
We see it all.

And yet, all WE see - is this brilliant, capable, wonderful, worthy kid who is simply craving what every kid does: connection and understanding ❤️

We need to do better.
We MUST do better x

Recently, I had a client reach out for advice, as she had been trying to get her deaf child into an early learning program. She had sent out 10 applications to centres around her area in the hope of getting a spot before the new year. 

But here's what she did 👇

On eight of those applications she informed the centre that her child was deaf. In the other two, she did not.

A few weeks later, she started receiving responses. Out of the 10 applications, 8 cam back with unavailability, 2 came back offering her a spot.

Take a wild guess which 2?

Sure, we could put it down to coincidence that the only centres she didn't inform about her child's deafness, were the ones that offered her a spot.

Or we could out it down to something else.

Whether you're making decisions behind closed doors or telling someone that decision in person - the bias and prejudice of your actions falls under the same banner.

Discrimination.

It's often said that we've come a "long way" in the inclusion of children with a difference or disability. And to some extent, I don't disagree.

But when we have parents of deaf kids facing this scenario time and time again; Parents who are still at the mercy of decisions made on the basis of convenience and a lack of awareness?

There's still work to be done.