Getting Books in the Hands of Kids

By Nicole Nelson, South Dakota H&V

We want all children who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) in our state to be able to read and write. We know that mastery may vary, but the goal is the same. If you are looking for the magical three steps to proficient reading, you are reading the wrong article – but if we get there, I will gladly share those steps with the world. An important first step is getting books within the proper reading level in front of each child. Our hope as a Chapter is that parents will sit down and read books with their children, showing that books can be shared in a loving and calm environment. 

When we became a Chapter in December 2019, we were just starting off and had to find a way to navigate through COVID. We knew, as parents ourselves, that times were tough and patience was running thin as parents were trying to work, be teachers, entertainers, providers, and keep calm in very unpredictable times. We put together a “camp-in-a-box” inspired by the Kentucky Chapter.  Our boxes have always included books with ASL guides for common words and activities related to the book. Our dream was to bring the books to life for each child, expanding their knowledge and vocabulary. We provided everything in that basket free of charge hoping that families would find the books and activities as a fun thing to do together, whether they needed to stay in or could venture out when they were able.

We still provide a camp-in-a-box for our cold winter months, but we want to do more. We also offered parents a book to read featuring a parent on a similar journey. We ordered Through the Fog by Valli Gideons, who is also the parent of two teens who are D/HH. Parents who get “caught” reading by their kids are modeling the message that reading is an important life skill. (These kinds of books are also a nice way to reflect on where a parent is in their journey and how far one has come.)

This summer we offered a summer boredom buster book that is about or has reference to a child that is deaf or hard of hearing. We provided a list of books, and each family could pick one book for each child that was deaf or hard of hearing in their family. It was a lot of fun coming up with the list of books and we had 68 kids who received books. These are the books that parents chose for their children: (pictured)

All the Ways I Hear You by Stephanie Marrufo

Diary of a Hard of Hearing Kid by Isaiah John Baier 

El Deafo by Cece Bell

Farts Make Noise (Duke the Deaf Dog ASL Series) by Kelly Brakenhoff 

Signs of Survival: A Memoir of the Holocaust by Renee Hartman 

The Complete Guide to Baby Sign Language: 200+ Signs for You and Baby to Learn Together by Lane Rebelo

Our feedback? Parents enjoyed reading these books and would join in such a program again! We know that a parent sharing a book with a child uses far different vocabulary than when not reading. Sharing books together as parent and child provides a host of benefits in promoting thinking skills, language, building attachment and memories, improving concentration, and developing imagination, along with cultivating a lifelong love of reading. Yes, we’ll continue to provide opportunities to encourage children who are deaf/hard of hearing to read.  ~