The quality of life for children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing (D/HH)
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The educational outcomes for D/HH kids through deaf education reform
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Educational advocacy efforts through parent/ professional training
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The national movement to get beyond the question of which communication philosophy is best for all D/HH infants, children and teens
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Delaware Families for Hands & Voices
"What ​works​ for your child is what makes the choice right"TM
We are a parent-driven nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to supporting families and their children who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as the professionals who serve them. We are a parent/professional collaborative group that is unbiased towards communication modes and methods.
We seek to improve:
What can Hands & Voices do for my family?
We provide connection, information, advocacy, and community.
Our Guide-By-Your-Side program matches families with parent guides trained to provide non-biased information and support for whatever path each family chooses.
We maintain a free lending library, produce a monthly e-newsletter, and send out the quarterly national newspaper The Communicator, all packed with resources specific to the needs of parents raising deaf and hard of hearing children.
We sponsor speakers and workshops to teach advocacy, safety, and other topics vital to our members.
We also host free social events to foster community and prevent isolation. Many parents of deaf and hard of hearing children report that they had never even met a deaf or hard of hearing person before they met their own child. Meeting other families overcoming similar challenges can be a powerful and affirming experience.
Guide-By-Your-Side? What is it and what do we do?
Guide-By-Your-Side is a Hands & Voices program that embodies the strong value of direct parent-to-parent and family-to-family connections. We provide emotional support and unbiased information from trained parent guides to families with deaf and hard of hearing children and to the systems and professionals that serve them. We promote self efficacy by offering parents role models and hands-on help with advocating for themselves and their children and alleviating the isolation that can accompany raising a child with special needs.
”This H&V chapter and its website may publish articles or commentaries from authors presenting their own perspectives. All contributed material is solely the viewpoint of the authors and may not reflect the viewpoint or indicate the sponsorship of Hands & Voices. It is intended for informational purposes only.”
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Delaware Hands & Voices is a subcontractor for Delaware's Department of Health and Social Services.
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