My visit to a family weekend

One of the privileges of working for NDCS is meeting the deaf children and families that we help. This was definitely the case at our recent Weekend for Families with Newly Identified Deaf Children in St Albans.

Eleven families attended who have a newly diagnosed deaf child. Most were still coming to terms with their child’s deafness. So when they arrived on the Friday night feeling tired and nervous, having dinner together provided a good opportunity for the families to begin to interact with one another.

On Saturday morning, well rested after a good night’s sleep, the children were taken to the crèche to be looked after. The parents gathered to share their family stories. There was a lot of raw emotion and tears – the amount of difficulty these families had been through was evident.

The parents were then split into two groups: mums in one and dads in the other. I attended the mums’ group, which was led by a volunteer who is the mother of a seven-year-old deaf girl. A variety of topics were covered, including ideas for keeping hearing aids in when children keep throwing them off.

After lunch an audiologist visited to explain more about how the ear works and the causes of deafness. He also answered any queries, so that the parents felt more confident in their understanding of their child’s diagnosis.

The final session of the day was given by an NDCS family officer who explained how she supports families. It was good to end the day with the message that whatever challenges you and your deaf child face, NDCS will be here to offer information and support every step of the way.

Sunday began with a group of speech and language therapists sharing tips for improving a deaf child’s communication and ways to fit learning into everyday routines.

This was followed by an uplifting session that began with a set of grandparents, who have two deaf grandsons, sharing their experiences. Then two deaf role models told their stories. Both had achieved an impressive amount – more than most hearing people. To see that the role models had accomplished so much and had independent, successful lives was a huge weight off the minds of these worried parents.

It is hard to sum up what you are giving to these families by supporting NDCS, but one mother commented with tears in her eyes ‘this has helped me more than you will ever know’.

Christal