Grendel’s Kitchen

In Massachusetts, until they are 3, deaf infants and toddlers get assigned to a deaf advocate and early intervention programs (EI), which provide information and access to a whole range of resources that are often covered by a family’s health insurance. Early Intervention programs are often fraught with frustrating paperwork and other hurdles, but we have had only positive experiences with ours!Li-Li “suffering” through her speech class last night with Laurie, one of two amazing SLPs (speech language pathologists) we work with on aural rehabilitation (and our main EI representative):Our EI provider really is wonderful: Even though we’re breaking new ground with our particular needs, not only have they never balked at the wacky arrangement we’ve come up with for bilingual / bicultural education, but they have been very proactive at researching and offering services that support our decisions.Laurie has been working closely with Children’s Hospital and The Learning Center for the Deaf in Framingham (an hour away) to coordinate an integrated program, even though it’s outside our region. Had we not opted for a bi-bi learning and language acquisition methodology, it would have been much easier for Enable to work with the Clarke School, practically in our backyard. But working together, our superstar advocate RosaLee Gallimore, Enable and TLC have hooked us up with:

• the parent-infant program at TLC (PIP): an ASL-based play / discussion group for parents and their deaf children that meets twice weekly for 2 hours — led by the first ever Deaf director of such a program, Nancy, who is a truly lovely beacon of inspiration — and includes a wonderful group of counselors and teachers, fantastic SLPs (Christine and Claire), caring aides (like our dear Susan), our great translators, and so many deaf and hearing volunteers
• Family sign language lessons with the wonderful Anna, who also works at TLC and has introduced us to Deaf culture and welcomes us into her home: weekly 2-hour-long ASL lessons in our home on the weekend for the whole family, and anyone else who wants to join us
• our amazing day care provider: the staff child care program at TLC that opened its doors to us to provide a loving environment with dual immersion in ASL and spoken language with a mixed group of deaf, HOH, CI, hearing and CODAs (children of deaf adults); led by Mary Jane, whom we adore, and including amazing teaching staff like Jenn, Karen, Nancy, and Kelly as well as the fantastic high school kids who come over every afternoon to play and sign with the kids, and give them great deaf role models.