10 Ways Deaf Parents Are Awesome!

This week, in honor of Deaf Awareness Week, we are highlighting the ways that Deaf people make fantastic parents!

1. Long goodbyes- mean more playing time with friends!

[Image Description: A three piece comic strip is shown Called “That deaf guy” by Matt and Kay Diagle. The first scene depicts two males in a swimming pool looking at a man signing “Cedric please dry off.. It’s time to go!” In the second scene the two boys are in the background out of the pool. One is saying “Bummer you have to leave now?” and the other responds, "Not really.. My dad is saying good-bye to his deaf friend and..” . The last scene shows the boys back in the swimming pool saying “ A ‘Deaf good-bye’ typically means i have another 45 minutes!” The scene depicts the father in the background chatting with a friend by the table.] — Photo via That Deaf Guy [1]

2. Signing deaf parents create bilingual or multilingual families! Exposure to language broadens your knowledge, makes you more creative, and gives you a lot to ‘talk’ about! Learn more about linguistic development here.

3. Technology- from TTY’s to pagers, smartphones and video apps- we’ve grown up with the coolest technology in our homes/lives! Learn more about deaf community technology here.

[Image Description: A three piece photo is placed together comprised of three different pieces of technology. In the upper left hand photo an image of a TTY holding a phone in the cradle. The display screen shows the phrase “This is sam please GA”. The photo on the left shows a hand holding an IPhone displaying various apps. A RIM Wyntell pager occupies the bottom left photo.] — Photo via PicStitch [2]

4. Part of a tight knit community that while small, spans the globe. It’s almost like we have “extended family” wherever you go.

[Image Description: Two hands side by side palms up with an image of the world and its continents and oceans “painted” on.] — Photo via Vallee Photos [3]

5. Access to different cultures. Exposure to different perspectives, sensitive to new experiences.

6. Watching TV with closed captioning means you don’t miss anything!

[Image Description: A cartoon scene depicts a cat standing in a room in front of a window and next to a table that holds a bowl and vase. The bowl appears to hold yellow fruits or vegetables. On the bottom end of the screen there are captions that read “Good work, Goldie. Keep it up!” ] — Photo via Wikimedia [4]

7. Deep tradition of storytelling and exposure to incredible performers. Nothing like watching old school greats like Bernard Bragg and CJ Jones. Sites like D-PAN and performers on YouTube encourage various types of language play!

[Image Description: An African American male stands with his mouth open/singing in front of a musical instrument and a microphone on a stand with his fist pumped in the air and drumsticks in his other hand.} — Photo via See What I’m Saying [5]

8. Sign language is a super power, allowing us to communicate across great distances and through barriers no matter how loud it is! We can even have private conversations in public without anyone knowing what is going on!

9. Being in tune with behavior and body language, means that we are much better at reading the moods of the people around us. Learn more about the advantages to being multilingual here.

[Image description: Four bust sculptures of white middle aged men are displaying various emotions. The first on on the left bust depicts a man with his mouth slightly ajar. The second figure shows a man displaying a laugh, while the last two busts shows the emotions of anger and sadness.] — Photo via Wikimedia [6]

10. Because they love us so much. Because Deaf-Koda families are awesome, unique, the best and always a blast time!

Photo Credits:

[1] That Deaf Guy

[2] TTY, Wyndtell, IPhone (PicStitch)

[3] Vallee Photos

[4] Wikimedia

[5] See What I’m Saying

[6] Wikimedia