Deaf adults, parents, and professionals share the real stories and lived experience no one hands you when you first find out, so you can raise your child with connection and confidence.
You're doing everything you can.
You're showing up to appointments. You're researching late into the night. You're taking in advice from doctors, audiologists, therapists, teachers, and anyone else who seems to have answers.
You love your child deeply, and you're making the best decisions you can with the information you have.
But somewhere along the way, every person started to have a different opinion, and every decision started to carry the weight of your child's future.
And maybe someone told you sign language isn't necessary, and you still wonder if you're missing something important.
There is more here for you.
I gathered them into one place so you don't have to spend years finding them one by one.
Most parents are handed plenty of information about technology and therapy, and not a single Deaf adult. Here you meet Deaf adults who were once the kid in your arms, living full lives as actors, educators, authors, realtors, and parents. That picture changes what you believe is possible.
Watch in any order. During nap time, after bedtime, or from the sidelines of a therapy appointment. Every interview is captioned and transcribed, so you can watch with the sound off or read along.
This is your chance to learn from Deaf adults, parents, educators, advocates, and Deaf creators sharing the lived experience and practical guidance many families never receive in those early days.
Deaf adults on how identity forms, what a full Deaf life looks like, and what they wish hearing parents had known from the very beginning.
Deaf adults, parents, and professionals on language access, starting to sign before you feel ready, and what real access looks like at home.
School, accommodations, community, and self-advocacy. The long game: who your child becomes as an adult and what they'll know to ask for.
You don't need someone telling you what decisions to make.
You need the perspectives, experiences, and conversations that help you see what's possible.
You need to learn from people who have actually lived it.
Two pre-recorded, hands-on ASL workshops taught by Deaf instructors, plus a downloadable workbook that keeps every interview's biggest takeaways in one place.
with Shawn Ribaudo, Owner of The Signing Room
Shawn grew up in a third-generation Deaf family, and he teaches this for a living. He signs a whole story from start to finish, his own playful twist on Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and has you sign the key words right along with him.
No experience needed. The message running through the whole workshop: trying beats waiting until it's perfect. Your child needs to see you putting in the effort.
with Chantal Noseworthy, Deaf ASL Instructor
This isn't a vocabulary list. Chantal teaches practical signs for the everyday moments you already share with your child: getting up in the morning, eating together, playing and transitions, and the bedtime routine.
She's warm, funny, and loves teaching parents who are starting from zero. She also designed our logo.
The biggest takeaways from every interview in one document you can search, print, or scroll through on your phone whenever you have a moment.
It's how you remember what landed six months from now. It's also what you hand your partner, or your mom, when they want to help and have no idea where to start.
I'm a hearing mom raising my Deaf son, Jayden, bilingually in ASL and English.
When we found out Jayden was Deaf at 18 months old, and he later received a cochlear implant at age two, I was told I didn't need to learn sign language right away. Like many parents, I wanted to do everything right. I followed the recommendations, worked hard, and trusted the experts around me.
But underneath it all, something didn't feel complete. I couldn't fully understand my own child, and I couldn't shake the feeling that there had to be more to the story.
So we started learning sign language. Everything began to change.
What started as a search for better communication opened the door to an entire community, a richer understanding of Deaf culture, and a completely different vision for what my son's future could look like.
Since 2020, I've been on a journey of my own. What began as learning how to better support my son became a much deeper path of personal growth and healing. Along the way, I became a certified group facilitator, learned how to hold space for women in circles, and committed to the kind of inner work that helps us move through fear instead of being controlled by it.
That taught me that information matters, but feeling seen, understood, and connected matters too.
As Co-Chair of the Parent Council at Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf, I've seen firsthand how powerful connection, language access, and community can be.
I created Growing Up Deaf Conversations because it's the resource I wish someone had handed me the day we found out. Now it's yours, whenever you're ready for it.
I enjoyed the variety of speakers. I also enjoyed how this was NOT focused on IEPs. I am so tired of hearing about IEPs. Our kids are so much more than this packet of papers! I loved seeing WHO these people are, not WHAT their IEP was. Thank you!
For me, [this] was well timed. I was becoming discouraged. This gave me a fresh wind to keep going, and that the daily persistence in learning is enough to meet my child where she is and let her know she is seen and valued.
This is powerful! First of all I am an individual who grew up deaf and hard of hearing. I was told by a HS counselor I'd never be able to go to college. Well I did and today I have my doctorate in Education and teach students how to become Deaf Educators at a University. How we frame hearing loss matters! I am so thankful I believed in myself when others didn't. Parents need to watch this video. Thank you Michelle for sharing your emotional journey. We need to educate and support parents that their child is not broken and that they have an exciting journey ahead with their child!
My favorite part was hearing from members of the deaf community and expanding my perspectives. Feeling more hopeful for my child and motivated as a parent.
[Michelle Hu's interview] gave me space to accept my own journey as a parent and feel more confident in how to show up for him. Thank you so much for sharing your journey and thoughtful words of encouragement.
The biggest one is I don't have to know it all right now, and just the daily effort is enough for my child to feel seen and supported.
Mama Hu and Jill Lestina. Both had very concrete reassurances or ways to shift perspective that, despite being 1.5 years into our journey with his CIs and feeling like I had gotten a grip on things and have accepted our reality, still reminded me what I can do to show up without having to overthink.
The advocacy steps from Leah are the biggest, and the touchstone quote of “Just because (a child) can cope with (an accessibility) barrier, doesn't mean it's acceptable.”
I liked Andrea's story. Her story resonated as my daughter is adopted from Haiti and the Caribbean culture has some similar aspects.
I also liked parents sharing their stories because I felt the same way when my child was first diagnosed.
The honesty and lived experiences of those being interviewed, from individuals with different levels of deafness. I learned so much from their experiences and will use some of their tips for myself.
Dive right in today.
Questions? Email summit@krisdaria.com
Growing Up Deaf Conversations centers the experiences that are so often missing from those first conversations.
Many parents receive plenty of information about technology, therapies, and medical options.
Far fewer are introduced to Deaf adults. Far fewer receive honest stories from families who have already walked this path. Far fewer are invited into Deaf culture and community early enough to understand the opportunities those connections can create.
This collection was built to change that.
Every interview is captioned and transcribed, because accessibility isn't a bonus feature here. It's part of the foundation.
Instead of telling you what decisions to make, these conversations help you see a wider range of possibilities so you can make choices that fit your family's values, goals, and needs.
Find the people, perspectives, and resources that help you move forward with confidence. Start with one conversation.
Watch free for 24 hoursIf you're a hearing parent, caregiver, or family member raising a deaf or hard-of-hearing child, these conversations were created with you in mind.
Much of it is especially relevant for families with younger children who are early in this journey, but anyone looking for a deeper understanding of Deaf culture, language access, communication, and family connection is welcome.
This isn't about telling you what path to choose. It's about helping you see more of the options, perspectives, and experiences available so you can make informed decisions for your family.
Enter your name and email above. Your access link lands in your inbox right away, and you'll have 24 hours to watch as much as you like, in any order.
Yes. Every interview includes captions and transcripts. Many interviews also include ASL interpretation, though not all. Interviews with Deaf presenters who sign are voiced in English by an interpreter, and some interviews are in spoken English only.
Both workshops are ASL interpreted.
If there's anything additional we can do to help you take part fully, email summit@krisdaria.com.
No. Most parents who watch are starting from zero, or close to it. The interviews assume nothing, and both workshops are built for beginners.
Our logo was designed by Chantal Noseworthy, a Deaf ASL teacher. The handshapes woven into it aren't decoration, they carry meaning, which felt exactly right for something built around Deaf language and identity. Chantal teaches the ASL Basics workshop included here.
Email summit@krisdaria.com and I'll get back to you within 1-2 business days.