Feelings about the diagnosis of hearing loss in a child varied among the parents. Based on their backgrounds and their circumstances parents were either excited about the
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diagnosis or somewhat saddened. No parent reported the overwhelming feeling of grief that has been reported in other studies (i.e. Kurtzer‐White & Luterman, 2003). The parents reported that they felt they wanted to know what the next best step to take for their child. Jessica Miller was the parent who appeared to struggle the most with the diagnosis. She did seek counseling after David was born. However, her son is the most medically complex child of the parents who were interviewed, and it is likely that these feelings were complicated by his other diagnoses.
E.2. Their Support Network
Every family has a different level of support, but each family has built their own network based upon what they feel will best serve their child who is deaf or hard of hearing as well as the other members of their family. For example, Jessica Miller did not feel she had a very expansive support network, whereas Olivia Davis felt quite supported by both her family and the Deaf community. Their support networks provide them with information and emotional support when needed. These family members, friends, and other groups are a source of strength for these families. As William James explained:
We ask my [family member]. She's been a great resource. And then my father being a physician, then we get his side of the medical. So those are the kind of things that we use. Those techniques are still very clinical in preparing. The Care Project allows us to see how other people to prepare emotionally.
E.3. Goals
All families expressed that the goals they have set for their families and their children who are deaf or hard of hearing will help them in their overall goals of raising
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happy, independent adults. The parents feel that their goals are achievable, and that what they are doing now with and for their children will help them in attaining their long-term goals. This can be seen in the quote shared by Jessica Miller, “I guess for my family I like for our goals, it sounds stupid, but like for us all to continue... You know how we I think we've been doing okay.”
E.4. The Care Project
The families differed in how they felt about The Care Project, however, their experience levels with The Care Project at the time of the interviews were different. Two of the four families, the Miller and Brown family, expressed that The Care Project has been very beneficial in helping them manage their child’s diagnosis of hearing loss. The James family was still unsure exactly how The Care Project would fit in with their existing support network. Olivia Davis shared that she wished there was more interaction between the parents. She explained, “The vibe is different than I expected. I'm the only Deaf individual here, Deaf parent. So, it was different. So hopefully they will be more comfortable with me later on.” For the James and Davis families, the interviews were performed before the end of their first retreat, so it is not surprising that their opinions about how The Care Project could assist them were still being formed.
E.5. Family Stress
All of the parents experienced stress about their current situation: whether it be the stress of raising a two to three-year old child, the stress of the diagnostic and
intervention appointments, the stress of meeting the communication needs of their child, the inherent stress in family daily life, or of being in a culture that doesn’t fully recognize
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your own the parents shared that they experience stress daily. These stressors can lead them to feel frustrated with their situation at times. For example, Olivia Davis
emphasized that she constantly has to educate people, “If [I] want to go to a drive through I have to park, go in, and then I'd say you know can we wright back and forth I need paper and pen. … So, you know just having to get a paper and pen they’re in the back.” However, most of the parents have a sufficiently supportive network that when they do experience those strong feelings of stress and frustration, they can access someone to help alleviate those feelings. For example, Charlotte Brown disclosed that will either call on her husband or other members of her support network and “remind each other where we are and what we're doing.”
E.6. Family Resilience
The parents felt the concept of resilience was important to consider when discussing families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing. They expressed that they are resilient and have been able to meet and manage the challenges they have been faced with in their lives. As Jessica Miller explained, “Well you just keep on pushing through and like just does nothing going to get us down”. The William James spoke of resilience in terms of perspective, “What’s the expression the grass always looks greener? So, depending on your perspective you're depending on your experience you may see something a maybe debilitating to you but then another person may disagree.”