Maxine* moved into the home of her grandparents when she was three-years-old. Like many grandparents who become primary caregivers when their children are unable to raise their own children, Sue and Bill were not prepared for this unexpected life change. They especially were unprepared to care for a child who could not hear or speak with them. Maxine’s mother, who lived almost constantly under the influence of alcohol, had known her daughter was Deaf, but had not sought services for her. Feeling embarrassed about the situation and fearing that any services would be more than they could pay, Sue and Bill decided to wait until Maxine started school.

When kindergarten began, Maxine’s teacher assumed her behavior and lack of participation resulted from not attending preschool. With many challenging students, she was not able to explore the issue further. Later in the school year, a routine hearing test, revealed the problem. The school nurse referred Sue and Bill to a local health clinic for a doctor and to Family & Children Services for support services.

After an initial consultation, one of the agency’s social workers who specializes in working with children and adults who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and their families came for the first home visit.

“When the social worker came we must have had 100 questions for her. ‘How can we tell her this?’ ‘What does she mean when she does this?’ ‘What do we do now?’ All of the stress and worry that we had felt came to the surface,” said Sue. “She calmed us down and explained how she would help us learn to communicate and build a real relationship with our granddaughter. She gave us hope that we could deal with this and that the challenges were not so huge.”

Now 9, Maxine continues to meet with her therapist at Family & Children Services.  Using sign language, which she learned through a referral to a specialist, Maxine is able to address her feelings about her early years, discuss things that trouble her, and strengthen her self-esteem. They also work on her social skills, something she did not learn earlier as most children because of the communication gap. She is doing much better in school and at home. Through her therapist, the family has connected with other families with children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and they have built a supportive network of families and friends.

“This is not the life I expected for my retirement years. I admit that. Raising children was hard enough when I was young. Without Family & Children Services, I don’t know what we would have done. The staff introduced us to the Deaf community, taught Sue and I about deafness and the Deaf culture, and connected us with so many resources. We’re enjoying our new life with Maxine. I feel enriched every day watching her grow,” said Bill.

Learn more about services for children and adults who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.

* Names have been changed to protect client confidentiality.