Colorado Families for Hands & Voices

Colorado Families for Hands and Voices is dedicated to supporting families with children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing without a bias around communication modes or methodology.

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You are here: Home / Archives for Brenda Elliott

Transition (ages 16 – 21)

April 22, 2022 by Brenda Elliott

From the moment you became aware your child had a hearing difference, you’ve spent years scheduling appointments, attending therapy sessions, supporting your student, advocating for supports and services at school, teaching them to advocate for themselves, and now, you are ready to guide them as they explore post-secondary education opportunities, technical schools, incentives for employers, scholarships, and tools for exploring career.

For more information, email astra @ co-hv.org.

Colorado: Secondary Transition | CDE (state.co.us)​

Accommodation and service example from Colorado College: Request for Accommodations and Services – DSV4-LionHead (accessiblelearning.com)

Common accommodations for colleges and technical schools:​

ADA Effective Communication information

Click here to view the list on the new ADA.gov website in another tab.

National Deaf Center (NDC):

Belief and High Expectations, Key to Success: https://www.nationaldeafcenter.org/sites/default/files/asset/document/Key2-Expectations.pdf​

Transition: https://www.nationaldeafcenter.org/topics/transition

Check out these tools to explore career possibilities that pique your interest and leverage your strengths!

50 Videos for Career Path Explorations | KQED

​Video Library | Videos | CareerOneStop​

O*NET OnLine (onetonline.org)​

Working in Colorado:

Employment First Fact (EFF) Sheet: EFAP Documents and Reports | Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (colorado.gov) 

This page is under construction

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: accessibility, accommodations, ada, careers, college, employer incentives, expectations, scholarships, trade school, transition

Upcoming Events

January 13, 2022 by Brenda Elliott

Past e-news editions. If you are not receiving our e-news, and you would like to do so please email us at info@co-hv.org

January & February 2023

November & December 2022

October 2022

September 2022

Come join us for our upcoming events for the calendar year 2023!
Have questions? Email us at GBYS@co-hv.org.
Please be sure to RSVP at least 5 days in advance if you need access services or accommodations.
To
RSVP to any of our events, please visit us at Tinyurl.com/2023EVENTSCOHV

Si desea alguno de estos en español, envíenos un correo electrónico a GBYS@co-hv.org.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Upcoming events

Pen-Pal and Zoom-Pal Project

June 8, 2020 by Brenda Elliott

Click here to sign up by June 19th!

Click here to sign up by June 19th!

Filed Under: Upcoming events

New to the Journey? Finding Your Way

June 8, 2020 by Brenda Elliott

New to the Journey?

Learn, Explore and Connect with other parents! These 45-minute Zoom sessions are led by Parent Guides to help parents connect with each other and learn more about raising a child who is deaf/hard of hearing. You don’t know what you don’t know – yet!

If you are new to the journey, this is your place. 

Questions? gbys@cohandsandvoices.org

RSVP for one or more sessions here:
https://forms.gle/JpeYMDDGoDzG9QCt9

Whether you have just welcomed a newborn, are figuring out toddler behavior, have a child who has additional needs, or have a late-identified child, you are welcome.
Grandparents and foster parents are, too!

New Family Event COHV

Filed Under: Upcoming events

A Journey of Growth and Understanding

June 8, 2020 by Brenda Elliott

A Journey of Growth and Understanding
By Kelly Fernandez-Kroyer
I live with my husband Sean and our two sons, Ethan and Noah in the north Denver metro area. Both of our children decided to make their entrance into this world early at 32 weeks. After the premature birth of Ethan, we did our due diligence to determine why he had stopped growing in utero and what we needed to do to prevent this from happening in any future pregnancies. Fast forward two years later, we were ecstatic to make Ethan a big brother. This second pregnancy was eventful from the beginning. I had a new diagnosis– a blood clotting disorder–which doctors believe caused Ethan to stop growing. We learned that the best solution to prevent premature birth again was to start blood thinners at 8 weeks gestation. As the pregnancy continued, I was eventually transferred to Maternal-Fetal Medicine because the same symptoms were presenting again. At 29 weeks, I started hospital bedrest to give this son as long as possible in utero. We planned to name this little one Noah. Further interventions were unsuccessful and Noah was delivered at 32 weeks. Being premature, Noah was immediately transferred to the NICU where he would stay for the next 20 days.
When we received word that the NICU was getting ready to release Noah and that all we needed to complete was the carseat test, we were elated. I remember coming in that morning and seeing Noah’s hearing screen certificate saying he had passed. I thought nothing more of it because we knew that there was no history of hearing loss in either of our families.
A Quest For Answers
Because of Noah’s prematurity and at the suggestion of our pediatrician who noticed that Noah wasn’t meeting developmental milestones, we received a referral to Early Intervention. Hearing and vision were part of the battery of tests to be completed. I went with Noah to these evaluations thinking that hearing testing was just a formality because he had passed his hearing screening at birth. He was six-months-old when we got our first “refer” in his right ear during this OAE (otoacoustic emissions) testing. We were told that we should follow back up with them in 6 months to rescreen. We returned in 6 months and again received another refer. Now at a year old, we were informed we should follow up with an ENT to see if we could get further answers on Noah’s hearing. We went to that appointment where the doctor ran another OAE and again, received a refer result. The ENT scheduled us to see the audiologist the following week. His first test in the sound booth with an audiologist was not reliable and was incomplete because our one-year-old boy was not interested. We scheduled more exams, but finally scheduled a sedated ABR (auditory brainstem response) test to get better results. We would learn that Noah’s ABR showed that he had unilateral sensorineural hearing loss at a moderate level across all frequencies.
We thought we had finally received the answers we needed to take the necessary steps to ensure that Noah would be as successful as possible. We were not quite there. Because his previous tests had been so unreliable, his audiologist wanted to complete yet another booth test to ensure all of the results were in agreement with each other. For the next 6 months, Noah’s results seemed to fluctuate. He was responding to sounds that his ABR told us he shouldn’t hear. Being an 18-month-old boy, we also didn’t get cooperation from him at most appointments. Finally, it was decided we should schedule another ABR nine months after his first one had been completed.
We came into this appointment expecting that we would finally get confirmation that his results were similar to that first ABR. After the test had been completed, we were informed that Noah’s results now showed that he did have UHL but that this loss was only in the lower frequencies (500 Hz and 1000 Hz). The ABR showed that his results in the upper frequencies were within the normal range. We were informed that he had reverse-slope hearing loss and further that his hearing loss was not sensorineural but conductive, or related to his middle ear, instead. We were in shock but determined more than ever to do whatever needed to be done to ensure that he could be as successful as possible.
It has been four years since we received that diagnosis and subsequent hearing tests have aligned with his last full evaluation showing UHL. We made the decision to pursue amplification which has proved successful in assisting Noah to reach his full potential. I look back on the emotions that I first felt when we received Noah’s diagnosis. After the shock had worn off, which I admit took longer than I expected, I decided that his hearing loss was not going to affect the person he was going to become. Although we began receiving early intervention services later than we would have liked due to the length of time it took to confirm his results, I am thankful that we were able to provide him with the therapies he needed to assist him in his development. I made it a priority to become as informed as possible on what my son’s identification with UHL meant for him.
I immersed him in as many programs as I could possibly find to make sure that he knew that he wasn’t alone; that there were other children just like him. I have been involved in a UHL focus group and had the opportunity to attend quite a few events and workshops through CO H&V, and am excited that we have both a CO UHL page and a Facebook page through Hands & Voices HQ. I have met many incredible people along the way who have shown me that my son’s hearing loss is not going to prevent him from being the best he can be.
I am thankful that I can share the same hope that I was provided; that being deaf or hard of hearing doesn’t lessen a person’s chance of reaching their fullest potential and that there is a strong support network available for as long as needed. Through this journey, I have learned that success is something that Noah will define for himself. There are no limitations on what he is capable of achieving.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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Welcome!

CO Families for Hands & Voices is dedicated to supporting families with children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing without a bias around communication modes or methodology.  We’re a parent-driven, … Continue...

Mission Statement

Colorado Families for Hands & Voices is dedicated to supporting families with children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing without a bias around communication modes or methodology. We’re a … Continue...

Supporting Families Without Bias

In the early-1990s, the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., was preparing an exhibit called "Silent America." It was intended to raise positive awareness … Continue...

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