I had a meeting this week with people at Harper's school to discuss Harper and her hearing aids for the upcoming school year. We put together a 504 plan. I will admit, I have been nervous about how school mostly because I'm nervous about how Harper will adjust to a bigger classroom and school and different environments with her hearing aids and how her loss might affect school. I'm not worried about kids making fun of her because she has a great self esteem and knows how to explain them to kids and we have talked so much about what to do if kids aren't nice to you. I know she can hold her own there.
I felt so much better after our meeting and feel like things are going to be just fine but I feel like I'm navigating totally new waters and have no one really to swim along with me.
I'm curious, if any of you moms of hard of hearing kids have advice for me as far as school goes? Is there anything you found helpful for your child or something you didn't think about before but learned as time went on that was beneficial for your child? I'm not asking for me but for anyone reading how might have a child with hearing loss.
Mostly I want Harper to be just as normal as every other kid.
Do y'all have the Time Hop app? I just installed it (and love it) - it searches your social media and shows you what you were up to exactly 1 year, 2 years even 6 years ago on this day. So fun. I loved that exactly one year ago today Harper was being tested by our audiologist. It was slightly ironic that a little after that I got an email from our audiologist that Harper was approved for new hearing aids and we are going in a few weeks to get them! I'm SOOO thrilled about this.
I shared this on IG and someone asked if we had thought about donating her old hearing aids. Which is something Scott and I have discussed many times about how we would like to get involved with an organization that helps kids both in the U.S. and also in 3rd world countries get hearing aids. They are SO unbelievably expensive and insurance doesn't cover them (which is nuts). There are sources of help but it can be a stretch for a lot of families. Also for speech therapy. And I think about tons of kids all over the world in impoverished countries who have no access to good medical care much less hearing aids and how their world could be completely changed with just one small thing. If you have old hearing aids or your child does, I hope you will think about donating to www.HearingAidDonations.org or we have been following http://www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org who help to get people all over the world hearing aids.
Or you may know of another organization similar. I'd love to hear about them! I would love to try and get involved.
And finally, a girl who reads my blog, Haley, has been diagnosed with a rare cancer and her family is selling shirts to try and help with her medical expenses. If you would like a t-shirt, please look here.
http://inktothepeople.com/marketplace/ink-detail/38153
