Deaf Infusion: Kentucky Hands & Voices
introduces D/HH Hero program
By Sarah Roof
In 2019, Kentucky Hands & Voices was brainstorming ways in which they could encourage connections and interactions between families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing and deaf adults. The “D/HH Hero” program was developed and now includes more than 20 deaf adults of various ages, backgrounds, experiences, and communication modalities.
Because 90% of children who are deaf or hard of hearing are born to hearing parents, it is important to provide opportunities to meet deaf adults and learn from their experiences. As part of this volunteer role, the deaf adults agree to attend outreach events throughout the year that are hosted by Kentucky Hands & Voices.
Each D/HH Hero receives a t-shirt so he or she can easily be identified by families. When attending the events, each Hero has his or her own “superhero trading card” that highlights hobbies, education background, career and an inspirational quote. The Heroes choose their own superhero name as well as their superpower, which is typically based on something they are interested in or skilled at. The children enjoy collecting the trading cards and getting the Heroes’ signatures, while families appreciate the opportunity to meet and learn from deaf adults in a relaxed atmosphere.
The cards are empowering, showing young children that you can be deaf and grow up to seek a variety of opportunities!
“I have used the cards as a basis for conversations with parents of my students who are scared about their children’s futures,” said Kelly McMaine, a Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Kentucky Hands & Voices Board Member. “The use of these cards brought a lot of credibility to my usual statements about all the successful DHH adults I know because the parents and students could put FACES and REAL PEOPLE with the SUCCESS stories. I think this set of cards is one of the most significant teaching materials I’ve ever come across.”
The program was introduced at the organization’s annual SuperHEARo 5k fundraiser in May 2019.
In addition to the 5K, D/HH Heroes have also attended baseball game outings and the annual Deaf Awareness Day at the Louisville Zoo. At the zoo, they participated in story time, in which they told various animal-themed stories using spoken language as well as American Sign Language.
Kentucky Hands & Voices is currently working on developing a strengths-based curriculum for teachers to use with their students who are deaf or hard of hearing.