Do you REALLY believe your Deaf child can succeed? Raising Deaf Children with Dreams, Success, and Confidence

“He’s not smart, he’s deaf.” – 5 year old brother

This comment made me realize what society teaches even when the family believes the opposite.
I began to actively teach the concept of “We Succeed Because We can” to all of my children, hearing and deaf.

“I’m preparing my students for middle school. They MUST learn to read and write.”
~ while neglecting the content curriculum ~

“Write about your dreams. I’m not talking about playing football kinds of dreams. 
I’m talking about college or what you want to do when you grow up.” 

~ paraphrased from a teacher’s instructions. ~

These comments and more were some of the reasons I brought my son home to home school him.

“You can’t … You’re deaf.” - classmate
“You want to be an _________? That’s impossible. You’re deaf!” 

~ Fill in the blank, almost every career or job has been found in such a sentence. ~
~ Many times spoken by teachers, parents, and specialists. ~

. . . And these comments were a huge concern for me when I put my son in a local mainstream classroom.

Would you know how he responded back?

 “I’m Deaf and I can do anything. 

Deaf and Hearing should be equal.” 

His brother, who had written a paper on his dream that Deaf and hearing people would be equal and have equal access to education, language, and careers was a support to him that day. He received permission to take his classmates and show them the paper which was hanging in the hall. He wasn’t the only one who knew it was OK to be deaf, and he wasn’t afraid to stand up for himself.
 

Bullying deaf children happens on a daily basis. Whether it’s society, their teacher, their parents, a hearing peer, or a neighbor. It doesn’t matter if it’s a deaf school or a public school. I’ve also come to see that it doesn’t matter so much if you use ASL, hearing aids, CI; talk or not. It’s an issue all deaf children, and even adults, face. For years, deafness has been seen as a disability. For years, deaf children have been told, or have just even felt, they can’t succeed.

I later asked my son, "What helped you respond so confidently to those kids? You knew they were wrong and weren't scared to tell them so. How did you know that?"

"That poster." He answered.

He's talking about a poster my husband made, "We Succeed Because We Can."

When my son was 5 and was asked this question: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" he answered, like every other 5 year old boy, “A fireman, or a cop.”  

 I was tempted to tell him, “That’s not possible because you can’t hear.” Luckily, I didn’t. I let him dream. He still loves firemen and policemen, though his ambitions have opened up to include construction, science, engineering, foresting, being a comedian and story teller, and more.

I am privileged to have married a dreamer. He knew the meaning of We Succeed Because We Can more than many and is sharing that very message. He introduced me to 48 successful Deaf adults of the 21^st century as he developed his poster. He taught my children about these same people, who have succeeded and thrived in careers never thought possible for a Deaf Person. It is their stories that gave my son the confidence to stand up for himself.

Seth Terkhorn, Fireman

Seth grew up and became a volunteer fire fighter during high school. He liked helping out, giving back. When he went to college at RIT, he applied to volunteer there. His first application was denied, but he went to the next town over.

"He drives the department’s rescue truck and responds to house fires, helping set up hoses outside the structures. He can lip read well and has even been more of an asset when deaf patients have been involved in car accidents—he asked in sign language whether the victims were hurt." 

And he's not alone. The article notes there are around 50 deaf firefighters nation wide.

Keith Nolan, Army ROTC.

"Nolan, 29 and deaf, has been trying for decades to join the U.S. military. While some of his persistence has paid off -- he's passed the first two levels of ROTC, joining the Bravo Company at California State University -- he's currently prohibited from moving on to level three." 

He is continuing the battle, working with legislatures to allow him to serve in the army. Over 80% of army jobs are noncombat, which deaf can qualify for. 

He says, "Each morning I get up and put on my uniform, I feel privileged," Nolan said, "It's truly an honor to wear that uniform."

Real People, Real Stories, Real Success

I heard one time that . . .
"True success lies in discovering what you love to do, and finding someone to pay you to do it."

 

So.. Let them dream.

Then give them the skills the need to achieve, 

no matter how long it takes;

 no matter what we have to fight for.

Get your own We Succeed Because We Can poster!