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Transcription: [00:35:20]

{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Like all girls in love, I told my father "Oh, li-- like Elaine said, it's no big deal if I have deaf children. I'll know what to do." And I must admit, I had to eat my words.

[00:35:38]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Now when my boy was born and I found out that he was deaf, we had so many choices, so many options--

[00:35:48]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
--to choose from: send him to an oral school, send him to a school that supports sign language, a mainstream program, so many of the options to choose from, it was a difficult period for us.

[00:36:02]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
But, we agreed on one important thing. That is, teach the child the concept, teach him all the concepts, I don't care if it's through speech, through finger-spelling, through signs, but get the concepts of things across.

[00:36:20]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Be exposed to all the various kinds of languages, signing, speaking, whatever. And really my children were exposed to all kinds of communication.

[00:36:30]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
So, to-- boils down to one thing: exposure, as much as possible, keep the communication lines open, and love.

[00:36:42]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Show the child you care because deaf - or hearing - children, it's the same. They both have the same needs.

[00:36:50]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Both need your attention. And so that's what we do with our deaf children.

[[clapping]]

[00:36:59]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Thank you.

[00:37:01]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 2"}
Barbara Cannenfeld [Kannapel]l] [[??]] is one of the founders of a very important organization in Washington, called Deaf Pride Incorporated. I'd like to ask her to tell you a little bit about it because she's dealt with a lot of misconceptions that hearing parents may have about their deaf children. Perhaps you could tell us a bit about those misconceptions, as well as about Deaf Pride.

[00:37:25]