| Robin Pavel |
Hi. I'm Robin Pavel and I serve as the President and Executive Director of
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Resource Center for Families. After learning
that our son was deaf, we were completely overwhelmed by the advice
given to us by the medical professionals and experts on deafness. In
retrospect, I now realize that not all options regarding communication
modes or educational choices were shared with us. More specifically, it
was strongly suggested that our son be educated in an oral environment
without the option of sign language because we were told, "he needs to
adapt to a hearing society". We diligently tried the suggested avenues but
soon realized they were not conducive to developing a relationship with
our son. I knew there had to be a better way.
In a daring move, we enrolled him in a public school deaf education
program that utilized sign language. Immediately, he began expressing
himself with his hands. Because we were eager to get to know him, our
entire family participated in learning sign language and we succeeded at
developing a basic understanding of this foreign language. Although our
limited signing skills were not enough to fulfill our yearnings to
understand him and his needs completely, this new language was a
beginning of a new life for us all.
Nevertheless, we were personally experiencing the lack of tangible
resources available for our deaf son as well as for ourselves as hearing
parents. Although we gained a basic knowledge of sign language, we did
not gain a basic understanding of a culture to which he would belong. To
have the support of other new parents of deaf sons and daughters, to
know of educational options, to have access to mental health services, and
to have had an understanding of Deaf culture would have been very
helpful.
As our son continued to develop a foundation of language, his self-identity
became our next hurdle. As a result and in another daring move, the
decision was made to enroll him at Texas School for the Deaf in Austin,
Texas. This decision was tough because the school was not local and it
geographically separated our family. However, my son's enrollment at
this school gave him an opportunity to live in and identify with the Deaf
community where acceptance was finally available.
During his tenure at this school I realized that, although he was learning
and adapting socially, his education was not improving to acceptable
levels. We were faced with the question of what to do: which weighted
more importance - one's social aptitude or a quality education? At this
moment, all the feelings of frustration I had experienced as a hearing
mother of a deaf child yielded themselves to ideas that could be developed
to help other hearing families with deaf members. These ideas matured
into the birth and establishment of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Resource
Center for Families.
It is my deepest desire to develop and launch programs that will enable
families to access tangible resources which will, in turn, encourage full
acceptance and understanding of deaf family members.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Resource Center for Families. After learning
that our son was deaf, we were completely overwhelmed by the advice
given to us by the medical professionals and experts on deafness. In
retrospect, I now realize that not all options regarding communication
modes or educational choices were shared with us. More specifically, it
was strongly suggested that our son be educated in an oral environment
without the option of sign language because we were told, "he needs to
adapt to a hearing society". We diligently tried the suggested avenues but
soon realized they were not conducive to developing a relationship with
our son. I knew there had to be a better way.
In a daring move, we enrolled him in a public school deaf education
program that utilized sign language. Immediately, he began expressing
himself with his hands. Because we were eager to get to know him, our
entire family participated in learning sign language and we succeeded at
developing a basic understanding of this foreign language. Although our
limited signing skills were not enough to fulfill our yearnings to
understand him and his needs completely, this new language was a
beginning of a new life for us all.
Nevertheless, we were personally experiencing the lack of tangible
resources available for our deaf son as well as for ourselves as hearing
parents. Although we gained a basic knowledge of sign language, we did
not gain a basic understanding of a culture to which he would belong. To
have the support of other new parents of deaf sons and daughters, to
know of educational options, to have access to mental health services, and
to have had an understanding of Deaf culture would have been very
helpful.
As our son continued to develop a foundation of language, his self-identity
became our next hurdle. As a result and in another daring move, the
decision was made to enroll him at Texas School for the Deaf in Austin,
Texas. This decision was tough because the school was not local and it
geographically separated our family. However, my son's enrollment at
this school gave him an opportunity to live in and identify with the Deaf
community where acceptance was finally available.
During his tenure at this school I realized that, although he was learning
and adapting socially, his education was not improving to acceptable
levels. We were faced with the question of what to do: which weighted
more importance - one's social aptitude or a quality education? At this
moment, all the feelings of frustration I had experienced as a hearing
mother of a deaf child yielded themselves to ideas that could be developed
to help other hearing families with deaf members. These ideas matured
into the birth and establishment of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Resource
Center for Families.
It is my deepest desire to develop and launch programs that will enable
families to access tangible resources which will, in turn, encourage full
acceptance and understanding of deaf family members.
| Copyright 2007 Deaf and Hard of Hearing Resource Center for Families, Inc. All rights reserved |
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| President Executive Director |