[beasley1022]

I am a special education teacher and some of the students that I work with are deaf. There are varying degrees of hearing loss amongst them. One thing that I have learned in the time that we have had the deaf program at our school is that I knew absolutely nothing about the deaf community. The earlier post was very strong and many people in the deaf community feel very strong pride in their community. Just learn what it is and why it is, just like learning about Guatemala.
One thing to know is that if the surgery that you are referring to is for a Cochlear implant, there are many in the deaf community that do not approve of this "treatment" (for lack of another word). That may be one thing to consider.
I would like to share with you the story of one of my students. Three years ago, during teacher work week, we had a county wide meeting of all the special education teachers, guidance counselors, school pyschologists, and social workers. The place was packed. They showed a video of a mother talking about her deaf son. He did have the implant surgery (though I am not trying to sway you)when he was two years old. She was describing what it was like two weeks after the surgery. She talked about how he was discovering what noise was nad the cause and effect relationship of noise and how great that was for her and for him. Then, one night, he gets out of bed in the middle of the night, signing that he hears something. So, off they go. They look everywhere to find what it is that he is hearing. She even checked the air conditioner to make sure that it wasn't that that was keeping her son up. Finally, he walks over to the window and puts his hand on the glass. It was raining outside. Her sone was hearing the rain for the first time.
This story that the mother told to us that day is going to help pay for his college education. Duracell bought the story and has made a commercial out of it. The commercial is much shorter and I personally think that it loses some of the emotionality because of that. I also don't like that my student is African American and the little boy on TV is white. Anyway.
This child is so extraordinary that despite his hearing loss, he is an excellent dancer. So good, in fact, that there are New York Dance troops scouting him here in Virginia.
Good luck with your very special boy!!!

[BrandyHagz]

Edited the OP to include a note about checking the Original Posting date - as I know this thread has been bumped in the past and Desi has responded.

[beasley1022]

After my extensively long post, I realized that I may be a little late.

[Caroleeeee]

I read your note about adopting a partially deaf child. I have just come home from Guatemala with a beaautiful 11 month old girl. During her checkup today (as I susepected when I picked her up) she has severe hearing problems. Wondering how your situation turned out and if you have any words of wisdom for me. My agency has offered to place the child but I can't bear to part with her.

carole

Caroleeeee@aol.com

[MichelleYumiko]

Hi This is Michelle , I am deaf and I married to my high sweetheart also is deaf , yesterday its our 10th annivesary and We have beauitful 2 kids, Daughter is 2 and son is 4 . I read your note about your son.


Your son look healthy and beauitful baby. I want to tell my husband is lab manager of Lenscrafters. So I used to be modeling and now I am housewife to spend time with my kids. They are wonderful. My son is very intgellent and he might be gifted so I will find out this fall so about your son has one deaf ear and My suggest you is to buy hearing aid instead of surgery for cochlear implant , I have few freinds who have cohchler implant and they are not happy with it .

I m hoping that you should not give up your beauitful son , There are nothing expensive for deaf children , only one is expensive is Hearing aid that all .. the imporant is the good and best deaf education but you said your son have one ear can hear so it no problem for him to go to hearing school becuase I am sure he can hear anything with one ear unless he is using hearing aid then he might be hard of hearing or more like hearing person becuase I am fully deaf and I cannot hear any words but My husband can hear better without hearing aid if he use hearing aid then he will be hard of hearing but My opinion your son is more like hearing than hard of hearing . please give up on your son .. mabye you could research about deaf and you know there have many many differnt kind deaf culture even some deaf people do invented some techology and also history about deaf people , I am sure you will learn and more interseting about deaf culture and deaf history .

I can send you the picture of us "family picture"


Thank you ,
Michelle

[desilu1991]

hi, Michelle,

thanks for your comments... a lot has happened since I started this post...Our little boy, Luke, came home from Guatemala in April of 05 and after extensive testing, he was found to have hearing in all the normal ranges. They are continuing to monitor him once a year for several years but so far he's done great and he's going for his third eval. in a couple of weeks. It's August 2007 now.

We never considered giving him up; we just needed information to help us know how to best help him, if he was indeed deaf. We prayed that God would heal his ears if that was His will, and our prayers were answered.

He is a beautiful, smart, gifted, affectionate, funny, busy little boy and we love him with all our hearts. I am confident that if he were deaf, he would still be this same perfect little boy that he is today. We are so blessed to have this angel in our home and not a day goes by that I don't thank God for allowing us to be his parents.

I do appreciate your thoughts and perhaps someone else searching for information on deaf children can benefit from post. I think it's amazing how much you have accomplished in your own life and that of your family and you should be very proud. Good luck with your son and thanks again for your comments. I'd love to see your family picture! Here's a recent picture of my sweet baby (not much of a baby anymore at 36 lbs and 3 years, but he still is to me) Luke. His middle name is Josias, which means, 'Jehovah has healed' and we truly believe He did.

Take care,
Judy