I was thinking today there are a lot of deaf resources and information you can find in the internet. You can search things like how to learn ASL to medical information and assisted technology for the deaf and hard of hearing.
Do you know other than Facebook groups (most of the people being outside of your location) and some organizations that meet once maybe once a month (and maybe not on a "newbie" level) or so there are not many mentoring programs. What I mean by mentoring is having one person assigned to a newbie for 6 months making sure they are encouraged, supported, giving good quality information about deaf products and culture, and working through healing process. It would have to be someone who has been through the experience themselves. Here are some of the things the mentor would share:
- Captioning - Captioning on phone, TV, computer, etc
- Facebook Groups to join
- Daily Thought Journal - help them express their feelings
- Referrals - to doctors or audiologist (if need be)
- Teach Sign Language
I believe we need to start something. I remember when I woke up one morning and my hearing was completely gone and I was scared. I thought it was a cold but to find out it was more than that. I received help from a few good people during my time of sadness and now educated to assist others in need.
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