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Hey everybody.
This video is basically going to be an open message
to hearing parents who are new to
having kids who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
Now there are a lot of parents out there right now,
who are freaking out and worrying that
their kids gonna have the hardest life now that he or she can't hear.
Let me just stop you right there.
Hearing or not,
we all face different challenges.
So don't freak out.
I mean if you freak out,
then we'll freak out,
and it will become one big freak out sesh
and it's just not going to be pretty.
And stop spending so much time worrying about us.
Instead spend that time helping us get involved in our Deaf community.
How can you help us do this?
Well here's 3 different ways you can.
Number 1- Learn sign language.
Now if you have a baby or a toddler,
learning sign language with them is going to be pretty
easy because you guys are both gonna be learning.
And you guys will both be able to develop that form of communication together.
However, if you have a teenager or a young adult, who has to deal with a hearing loss
later on in their life,
learning sign language with them, might be a little more difficult.
Keep in mind this is because the hearing world,
the world that they were so used to,
the world that they grew up in, is suddenly fading away from them.
Or maybe it's been taken away from them completely.
Now you don't just want to force them to take up sign language
and expect them to learn it.
Because you know, most people don't like feeling
like they're forced in to having to do something.
What you can do though, is you can take up sign language on your own,
and let your kid know that if they want to take it up too that's totally cool
if not, not pressure.
It's most likely that if they see you learning the language and they see you using it around
other Deaf and Hard of Hearing people to communicate,
they will be more open to learning the language with you.
Number 2 - Get involved in the Deaf community.
Yes, I said community!
Unlike a majority of hearing people, Deaf people have communities.
They stick together, they help each other out, they have a culture.
When a hearing person meets another hearing person for the first time, it’s usually
like, “Oh cool, whatever.”
But when a Deaf person meets another Deaf person for the first time,
it’s like instant friendship.
They start talking like they're already family.
So go out and meet them.
Get involved.
It might be hard at first.
Maybe your sign language won’t be as good.
Maybe someone would give you a hard time about it.
But don't take that personal.
Remember that whole reason why you are doing this is to become closer to your kid.
And that's the important part.
Number 3- Do your research.
Go find out what resources are offered out there for Deaf and Hard of Hearing people.
There are things out there that can make schools, doctor appointments, meetings, work places
more accessible for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing.
There are also Deaf rights that are extremely important that you should
read up on and become more aware of.
Unfortunately, no one's gonna hand you a pamphlet on these things.
You're gonna have to go and look them up yourself.
I'm 28 and I’m still learning about things that I never knew about,
because I never had anybody around to tell me about them.
Hopefully some of you guys found this video helpful and if you have any questions or anything,
just leave them in the comments below and I’ll check them out.
But most importantly,
just be there for your kid.
We're all gonna go through different challenges throughout our life.
But the best thing that you can do for them is
to give them reassurance and let them know
that you'll be there for them,
no matter what.