Raising a Deaf or Hard of Hearing Child

I vividly remember the day we learned our son was deaf.  New parents as we were, I remember being unsure of his future, feeling crushed by the decisions we faced, and feeling so incredibly alone.  But what slowly built up our strength in those early months, throughout his life, and even today is the reassurance that we are, in fact, NOT alone.  We learned that there are families all across Minnesota, all across the United States, and the world on the same journey.  And when we come together and start to share our experiences, the differences between our geography, our cultures, our choices and paths…fall away.  What is left is this common bond of loving our child so much and our need to reach out to each other for acceptance, wisdom, guidance, innovation, resilience, and even laughter.  Hands & Voices means my family and most importantly, my son has a positive, up-lifting community who sees the gifts he brings and together, celebrates them.

Candace Lindow-Davies