Introduction and History
Our Guide By Your Side (GBYS) program began in 2010 with the purpose to match new families with one-on-one trained parents called, Parent Guides. The Guide By Your Side program connects families across the state and works with parents of children ages birth-21 years.
Each year we are able to extend our supports further with the ongoing commitment of our volunteers, state funding partners and donations. We are an organization made up of parents, professionals and community members like you. We welcome any contribution you can offer to assist us reaching our shared vision.
Our Mission
Washington State Hands & Voices is dedicated to supporting families with children who are deaf, deaf-blind, or hard of hearing without a bias towards communication mode. We are a parent-driven, non-profit organization, providing families with resources, networks, and information needed to improve communication and educational outcomes for their children.
In Our State
Each year approximately 160 infants are identified with hearing loss according to statistics collected by Washington State Department of Health’s Early Hearing-loss Detection, Diagnosis and Intervention (EHDDI) program. Furthermore, data gathered by Washington State Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth (CDHY), Washington’s varied regions are home to 289 deaf, hard of hearing and deaf-blind babies between the ages of birth and 2, with an additional 4,150 students ages 3-21 years who are currently receiving special education services in our state’s public school setting.
National statistics also report that 99% of babies identified with hearing loss are born to families with no prior understanding or knowledge of deafness. Therefore, families must find resources to discover next steps for their child. This can be a daunting and very confusing time for families, as communication with their child is essential for typical child development. It is crucial that families be connected with professionals and best-practice services that specialize in working with families of children who are deaf, deaf-blind and hard of hearing.
For some of us this this is brand new and there is much to learn. As a parent-driven organization we understand first-hand the value that comes with learning up to date information, having guidance by experienced parents, and making connections with other families and community members regardless of communication mode.
Our Philosophy – Supporting Families without Bias
Our work as a state chapter is to uphold and maintain the Hands & Voices philosophy, which is to provide unbiased support to families of children who are deaf, deafblind, deaf plus or hard of hearing. Unbiased support means that as an organization we strive on a daily basis to sustain the rich diversity of the Deaf and hard of hearing community while focusing efforts to remain neutral to controversial matters. As an organization we strive to fulfill this goal by learning from every experience, and constantly working to improve our ability and awareness to support families without bias. This philosophy is reflected in our mission and within our chapter Board of Directors as well as our Guide By Your Side program.
Our Washington State Hands & Voices Board of Directors is comprised of mostly parents/caregivers in addition to professionals who serve families. Community members who are deaf or hard of hearing can also be a part of our chapter as a committee member or board member. As our Washington State Hands & Voices chapter grows, so does our vision to increase the diversity of our state chapter committee members, volunteers, staff, and board members. Those seeking positions on our board or paid staff must go through an application process and vetting process in order to maintain our support to families without bias.
