Get Inspired
Sarah is a mum living in Melbourne with two kids, one of whom has severe bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. This is the story of her journey from new mum to parent mentor.
My name is Sarah and I live in Melbourne with my husband and two kids. Before my daughter was born, I didn’t know anyone who was Deaf and my exposure to Auslan was limited to fingerspelling the alphabet. The last ten years have been a whirlwind of appointments, advocacy and growing connection with the Deaf community.
Our journey started when my daughter was a day old with a failed newborn hearing screening test. The clinician doing the test was convinced the machine was broken or not properly charged and rushed out of the room. Thus began the struggle to get straight answers when we, as parents, already suspected that our daughter could not hear everything happening in the world around her. The next two weeks were frustrating with two more failed hearing screenings required before we were eventually referred for an Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) test. By this stage we were grateful to finally have a confirmed diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss but bemused by the audiologist’s reticence to break the news to us. We didn’t see our daughter’s hearing loss as the problem it was presented to us, rather as just part of who she was.
Medical professionals continued to paint our daughter’s hearing loss in such a negative light until we met our wonderful paediatric audiologist at Hearing Australia who just got it. She talked us through options and possibilities and encourage us to walk our own path combining all the things we thought would help our daughter.
We embraced Auslan alongside hearing aid technology trying to give our daughter the best of both worlds. We did our best to incorporate signing into our daily routine, as an outdoorsy family it was not surprising that our daughter’s first sign was bird. We loved experimenting with her bright green hearing aids matching them with different coloured moulds every few months, building up a collection of colours over the years that have encouraged her to wear her aids proudly as she has gotten older.
There have been many struggles over the years accessing services and ensuring our daughter can fully participate in all the activities she wants to. Dealing with these challenges has made me a better mum and advocate for my daughter. She now speaks and signs with ever increasing self-confidence, choosing her own path between the Deaf and hearing worlds.
Over the years I have been grateful for the connections and conversations I have had with other parents walking their own similar but individual paths. From the early days at early intervention group sessions, where we were all learning how to keep hearing aids and cochlear implants on tiny moving ears, to the serious discussions at kinder drop-offs about different school and therapy options. Over time I have learned how important it is for families to find their people and support system. When you are dealing a mountain of new information and emotions, talking to someone who has already walked this path provides a level of reassurance that no internet search can match.
Becoming a Parent Mentor at Deaf Children Australia is an incredible opportunity to share my support and experience with other families just starting their own journey. There is so much power in simply being listened to, validated and understood. As a parent mentor, my goal is to walk alongside other parents through the highs and lows, supporting and encouraging them as they build their own path.
