deaf children

[terribm]

Hello,

I would love any info you can give me on traveling with deaf children. What kind of services would be available for them and is there a customer service area that could assist with my trip planning?

Thanks,
Terri

 

[Talking Hands]

Check your email

 

[noritake1]

Hi I would also like info for traveling with 2 deaf children. thanks in advance Jill

 

[Talking Hands]

Jill check your email

 

[hockeymom7691]

I just have to say that as a parent of a hearing impaired child, I was a little disappointed with WDW and their items for deaf/hearing impaired.

We tried the caption box (I'm not sure what the official name is) which you put down a $100 deposit that if refundable at the end of the day. This was absolutely useless for my DS. He is able to hear some and the caption was so far off of what was going on that he just became frustrated. Perhaps it would work better for a totally deaf person, I'm not sure.

We also tried the infrared captioning. This was better but we still ran into some problems with it (trying to get the stand situated right so that he could see what was going on during the show and seeing the captions). He did use this at the shows that offered it so I would say this was the better option.

My son still had a wonderful time and so did I! We just hope that as technology gets better, they'll come up with a way to upgrade to something that works better too.

 

[Talking Hands]

Yes the PDA can be off but I did not find it that troublesome. This may be because I am an adult. I am hard of hearing not fully deaf and do hear some of the dialog although not all. Personally I prefer that reflective captioning but you do have to adjust it and not accept what the CM set it at. I am very short and really have to do it myself to have it in a satisfactory position.
I do enjoy the interpreters. They are very skilled. For me they add a lot to the enjoyment of the shows since it is difficult to speech read from a distance and I really don't care to wear my aids on vacation. They are a must for my jobs as a substitute teacher and sign language interpreter.

 

[hockeymom7691]

Talking Hands,

Unfortunately my son doesn't read sign language. I think part of the problem with his was that he gets very frustrated when "attention" is on him. He did have to adjust the reflective captioning himself.

Here's a question for you. Have you ever heard of Dogs for The Deaf?

Thanks!

 

[Talking Hands]

Yes I have. My friend has one that is both a guide dog for the blind and a dog for the deaf. They are taught to alert to specific sounds such as someone calling their owners name, phone, door, fire alarm, etc
I understand they are wonderful if you do not want to outfit your house with all the flashing lights and other equipment that many deaf use.
My friend finds the flashers are not usable for her now. Her dog even alerts for the baby. Actually 2yo now. Also the dog is a wonderful companion. She is on her second dog now.

 

[hockeymom7691]

Would you ask your friend for some info for me? Even though my son is not totally deaf I am concerned leaving him alone. He is going to be 13 this year and I do leave him alone for a few hours at a time. My biggest fear is leaving him alone when he is sleeping. I was thinking about buying a dog and seeing if I could get him trained.

Thanks,
Annette

 

[Talking Hands]

I would contact one of the groups that provide hearing dogs. Since her dog is a guide dog as well it was provided by Southeast Guide Dogs and later trained for hearing. I don't know if they choose the dogs or you can just train them yourself.
Also you might ask and see if any local dog trainers could help you. The trainer we had for my daughter's dogs alsohad trained dogs for assisting various types of handicapped persons including hearing dogs.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by hockeymom7691
Would you ask your friend for some info for me? Even though my son is not totally deaf I am concerned leaving him alone. He is going to be 13 this year and I do leave him alone for a few hours at a time. My biggest fear is leaving him alone when he is sleeping. I was thinking about buying a dog and seeing if I could get him trained.

Thanks,
Annette

You might want to take a peek at this link. http://www.dogsforthedeaf.org/

 

[Talking Hands]

Thank you for the website. I did not have that one. I wll add it to my deaf resources.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by Talking Hands
Thank you for the website. I did not have that one. I wll add it to my deaf resources.

You are quite welcome. It was the first one that came up when I typed in "dogs for the deaf" in my browser. There are, btw, many more. I like this one because not only does it help a person, they save dogs.

 

[SueM in MN]

you might also want to do searches for "service dog" or "helper dog" and see if there are any organizations in your part of the country. If they don't train dogs for the deaf, they might know who does. Or check with organizations related to services for the deaf in your area.

 

[signtalker]

In england we call them "hearing dogs for the deaf", and they are invaluable in their work, as my Dh has one.

im also an interpreteur for the deaf here in england.Stick to this site, and ask as many questions as you need to.
Jules

 

[Talking Hands]

Signtalker what does your avatar mean. I am not familiar with BSL unfortunately. Also do you know of any websites that I could learn the BSL alphabet? Thanks

 

[hockeymom7691]

Originally posted by GAIL HAYDEN
You might want to take a peek at this link. http://www.dogsforthedeaf.org/

Gail,

Thanks for the website. I did take a look at the site and I am planning on contacting them. It seems that my son is "stuck in the middle" around our area as he is not totally deaf. Erie PA does not have a large hearing impaired community so it's hard to come by info.

Thanks again!

Annette

 

[signtalker]

Lisa the sign means "Follow", as in follow me.

Will sort you out some links once i get home .
Jules