I am deaf/hard of hearing myself. One day a mom started crying when she saw I was engaged. I asked what was causing her tears and she stated "This means that my son will be able to be loved, that he'll be able to get married." It broke my heart but also motivated me because it shows how much education and awareness we need to teach around disabilities. We need to UN-teach audism and ableism. We (DHH communities) are not broken, we have unique circumstances and have much richness to add to the world.
I represent Ear Science Institute Australia who run the Lions Hearing Clinics. This is a quote from audiologist Selina Moyle who often visits remote communities with the Healthy Hearing Outback initiative: “One of the most memorable experiences I’ve had in pediatric audiology was during a visit my first visit to Jigalong, where we turned ear care into a fun and educational experience. We let the children see their own ear canals using video otoscopy, which sparked their curiosity and made them more engaged. This experience shaped my approach to working with children by reinforcing the importance of making ear health interactive and educational. When kids are involved and curious, they are more open to the care they need, and that’s something I bring into every clinic visit today.”