Supporting Families of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children Through a Language-First Approach
Helping parents navigate diagnosis, communication choices, and advocacy with lived experience, practical guidance, and compassionate peer support.
The things you want to know right now
How I Support Families
I provide peer support for parents of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children, including:
Understanding Diagnosis
Support in processing diagnosis and understanding what it means for your family.
Communication Guidance
Helping parents navigate communication and language development choices.
Advocacy Support
Practical guidance for navigating schools, services, medical professionals, and appointments.
Lived Experience Perspective
Sharing personal insight to help families better understand Deaf lived experience and identity.
Emotional Support
Providing a safe space for parents to ask questions, reflect, and feel supported.
The Language First Approach
Language comes first. Before speech. Before pressure. Before expectations to fit in.
When children have strong access to communication that works for them, they are better positioned to build confidence, relationships, identity, and independence.
My approach focuses on helping families prioritise communication, connection, and informed decision-making throughout their parenting journey.
About me
I was born hearing and began losing my hearing at around three years old. By the end of my first year of school, I was profoundly Deaf with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. Growing up with hearing parents in a mainstream, oral-focused system, I was guided toward hearing aids, speech therapy, and integration-based approaches. Exposure to the medical model of deafness, alongside limited access to language and information at a young age, deeply shaped my sense of self and the way I understood the world around me.
My parents were thrown in the deep end and did the best they could with the information available to them at the time. However, much of that guidance came from hearing-centric specialists who viewed deafness through a deficit-based lens. Those experiences, along with my appreciation for my parents and their journey, continue to shape my work in Deaf advocacy, accessible information, and social justice today.
Guest Speaker
I deliver talks that help parents, professionals, and organisations understand what Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children actually need to thrive.
My work focuses on:
language access
communication equity
real-world impact of inaccessible systems
I combine lived experience with professional expertise in accessible information to provide clear, practical, and honest insights.
Why Peer Support Matters
Sometimes the most valuable guidance comes from someone who has lived it.
Peer support offers families the opportunity to learn from lived experience, ask honest questions, and gain reassurance from someone who understands the realities of navigating Deafness beyond clinical advice.
My goal is not to tell parents what decisions to make.
My goal is to empower families with the confidence, understanding, and support they need to make informed choices for their child.
You don't have to navigate this alone
Raising a Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing child comes with unique questions and challenges, but you do not have to figure it all out by yourself.
Whether you are newly navigating diagnosis or looking for ongoing support, I am here to help.