Resilient? Yes you are!

Hi my name is Tiffany Snow, Teacher of the Deaf and Developmental Specialist working in Early Intervention with Deaf and Hard of Hearing children and families since 2004. When I reflect on the years that I have had the pleasure of working with families with children recently identified as deaf or hard of hearing, something that always comes to mind is resilience.

Year after year I meet families and children who show extraordinary resilience. For each family resilience manifests differently. But one thing I know for sure is all families have it!

I’ve seen it in the new parent that never met a deaf or hard of hearing person in their life become fluent in American Sign Language, in the three years they are in Early Intervention. I’ve seen it in a family who felt heard and supported the most by the Family Two Family support they received early in their journey become a Parent-to-Parent Support in their state for all newly identified deaf and hard of hearing children’s families. I’ve seen it in a family who learned that their newly identified hard of hearing child will also become blind over the course of their life become a parent advocate for families who speak languages other than English to ensure they have the same access to resources and advocacy as they had. I’ve seen it in a parent with a newly identified deaf child lose a spouse and uproot their entire life to move closer to better school options with more access to deaf peers.

Yes, these are some big challenges and big positives that came out of a journey they did not know they were going to take. But mostly I see all families live their resilience in becoming their child’s life advocate.

They do this by learning what their child’s hearing difference is and how it affects their development.

They do this by being consistent in showing up in all areas of life, even when it’s hard.

They do this by asking more questions.

They do this by expecting more for their child.

They do this by never giving up!

YOU ARE RESILIENT, YES YOU ARE! 

Tiffany Snow MA 

Teacher of the Deaf 

Developmental Specialist

Early Interventionist