On Saturday afternoon, we took Kay to the Nevada Hands & Voices Trick or Treat and Resource Fair for Deaf and Hard of Hearing families, and I’m glad we decided to go.
Truthfully, this was the first time I’ve taken Kay to an event specifically centered around the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. Nevada Hands & Voices is a parent and professional organization that supports families of children who are Deaf or hard of hearing through education, advocacy, resources, and community events. They also support all communication choices, which I really appreciate.
The event was held at Opportunity Village, a local nonprofit that provides programs and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout Southern Nevada. Their work includes things like day services, employment and workforce development, housing, advocacy, and arts and recreation.
The event itself was simple, but really nice. There were lots of vendor tables with helpful information and pamphlets, fun stickers and, of course, candy. It was a good opportunity to walk around, learn about resources we may not have known about, and just be around other families in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community.
One of my favorite parts was the story time at the end. A teacher from our school district who is hard of hearing read a book and signed it for everyone while the pages were displayed on a projector so she could easily follow along. I thought that was such a cool way to make story time accessible and inclusive for everyone there.
And, of course, this was also the first time Kay got to wear her Halloween costume this year, so that made the afternoon even more fun.
It may have been a simple little event, but I left feeling glad that we went. As we continue navigate Kay’s hearing loss and finding our way through that part of her journey, I think experiences like this are going to become more important. It was nice to see resources, meet people, and give Kay the chance to be in a space where her hearing differences were simply part of the community around her.
A great first DHH event for our girl.