Idaho Hands & Voices Inc

We are a chapter of Hands & Voices, a national non-profit, parent-driven organization dedicated to supporting families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. We are non-biased about communication methodologies and believe that families will make the best choices for their child if they have access to good information and support. We value diversity and honor the role of parents and family as the single greatest factor in raising a well-adjusted, successful kid.  Hands & Voices is a safe place to explore options, learn from one another and share what we have in common.  Our membership includes families who communicate manually and/or orally, families of children with all degrees of hearing loss and families who have chosen a wide range of educational options.

 

Why We're Here...

 

Our common interests are more important to us than our different approaches to raising a child with hearing loss.  We recognize that we’ve embarked on a journey of discovery with many possible routes and no clear road map; families may find themselves modifying or switching their mode of communication to match their child’s needs, and Hands & Voices will stay with them!   Our rallying points include the following values:

We all want the best for our children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

 

We deserve respect and honor for our role as parents/families.

We require a beneficial, successful educational experience for our kids.

We need information from a wide  variety of sources.

We want to know about opportunities and resources.

We need training & support to become effective advocates for our kids.

We are stronger united by our common interests than divided by differing communication choices.

We must lend our organized support to all kinds of efforts that promote our common interests--strength in numbers!

What we do....

We have established several projects to promote communication and networking between Idaho families.  Most areas of the state have one or more Parent Consultants who have experience raising a deaf or hard of hearing child and training in how to support families without bias.  

We send out a state newsletter approximately every two months, and are able to distribute the highly informative national Hands & Voices newsletter four times a year.

In some areas of the state we have reached a “critical mass” large enough to organize family and parent gatherings.  These are whatever families in a given area want, usually just informal get-togethers that allow families a chance to meet and talk.

We were able to organize a Family Camp for families from all parts of the state in 2013, are planning our 2014 Camp, and hope to make this an annual event.

As a relatively new and growing organization, we welcome volunteers to help sustain what we’ve started and move us forward.