I love working with the families: Karen’s story

What is your volunteer role?

I’m a volunteer presenter at National Deaf Children’s Society events for families of newly identified deaf children. I have presented the Supporting Early Communication, Supporting Early Learning sessions, and the Happy Parent, Happy Baby and Choosing Childcare sessions.

I have volunteered for around five years, with the odd event prior to that too. I have presented at events all over the UK including Manchester, London and remotely from home, generally around once or twice a year. I also did a few of the coffee mornings and online sessions during the pandemic.

The process is positive and involves preparing the presentation and liaising with the team. They are great at following up and checking if I need anything, as well as providing helpful information about things like the presentation process and travel arrangements.

What inspired you to become a volunteer?

I really enjoy working with the parents of little ones who have recently been identified with a hearing loss, offering practical guidance and support.

I wanted to support parents at the newly diagnosed events and to share my experience with families. I think it’s helpful for parents to have guest presenters who are specialists in their field. I hope that’s reassuring for them too.

What do you enjoy about your role?

I love working with the families. I enjoy presenting the National Deaf Children’s Society materials (such as Supporting Early Communication) during the day. I like adding anecdotes to share other families’ experiences and practical suggestions.

It’s great to have opportunities (like at lunch time) to meet the parents informally and talk to them, or offer individual advice where appropriate. I always value how great it is for parents to meet one another at these events. It’s lovely to work alongside the National Deaf Children’s Society team too.

How does your volunteering benefit deaf children, young people and their families?

By giving parents information about how children develop their early communication and how supporting early learning is so beneficial. Understanding the challenges their children may face and learning about strategies to help them learn to communicate is so helpful. This information reinforces the advice and support from their local team, but having the whole day to think and talk about it is beneficial. Practical ideas to take away and an opportunity to ask questions is also helpful.

What have you gained from volunteering?

The experience is very rewarding. Parents are brilliant teachers and I learn so much from them at these events. Understanding more about their concerns, priorities and questions helps me in my work as an Advisory Teacher of the Deaf and an Auditory Verbal Therapist.

What would you tell someone who is thinking about volunteering?

I would encourage others to volunteer – it’s very rewarding. Volunteers are an important part of the team contributing to the excellent work done by the National Deaf Children’s Society to support families.