3 minute read
Non-Profit Spotlight
TEXAS HANDS & VOICES
Texas Hands & Voices (TXHV) is a parent-led nonprofit organization providing resources, peer support, and advocacy in an unbiased manner to families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Their outreach activities, parent/professional/community collaborations, and advocacy efforts focus on enabling children who are deaf and hard of hearing to reach their highest potential.
Every year, three in every 1,000 babies born are identified as deaf or hard of hearing (d/hh), increasing to approximately five in every 1,000 babies by the time children reach the age of five. Consider for a moment the impact that learning your child is deaf/hard of hearing might have on your journey as a parent or family when 90% of children who are deaf/hh are born to typically hearing parents.
Who would you reach out to for guidance? How will you communicate with your child? Will they make friends easily and succeed in school? Most parents reach out to neighbors, friends, family, or other new parents when they have questions about their child. For families that have children that are deaf/hh, there isn’t easy access to a roadmap for this unexpected journey.
While these families are about to embark on a path that is often enriching, it’s not without challenges, and it can feel very isolating. Finding support from families who have had similar experiences and creating opportunities for children who are deaf/hh to connect with other children and adults who are deaf/hh is critical to their future.
Established in Texas in 2009, TXHV utilizes many methods and platforms to support families with the resources, networks, and information they need to improve communication access and educational outcomes for their children who are deaf/hh.
Families with children who are deaf/hh can find community and support through chapter membership, active and resourceful online communities, attending events, and the Guide By Your Side (GBYS) program. GBYS is a free family support program offered in English and Spanish that matches parents with specially trained parents of children who are deaf/hh. In addition, families can request support from Deaf/Hard of Hearing Guides who are deaf or hard of hearing adults who share their unique perspective growing up and living as a person who is DHH.
Strong and supported families create powerful, thriving communities enriched by each person’s unique contributions. Join us in our vision of a world where children who are deaf and hard of hearing have every opportunity to achieve their full potential.
