Resources for Families
Raising a child who is deaf of hard of hearing is no simple task, but with the right team assembled it can be easier. Beginnings SC is here to help parents do just that; build their child’s best team and ensure that team works together to achieve the best possible outcomes for their children. We are a unique organization that uses expertise and experience to drive our work with families and their communities.
We start by joining you on your journey at the time a referral is made, and we stand/stay with you through your child's 21st birthday. By providing emotional support and unbiased education Beginnings SC works with you to create an individualized plan specific to your child’s needs. We then help connect you with quality resources throughout your community that will add to the value of your child’s team and promote their success. As the needs of your child change, Beginnings will be there to help you revisit your individualized goals, and support you and your team as you work to achieve them. Knowing that each child is impacted differently by hearing loss, we also work with your team to increase their understanding of your child’s specific diagnosis and enhance the services they provide.
While you’re focused on building and working with your team, Beginnings also implements changes at a broader level. Working with childcare centers to screen, identify, and connect families to professional resources we venture to lessen the number of deaf or hard of hearing children that go unserved in South Carolina. Attending and hosting professional development workshops and trainings, we provide knowledge about hearing loss and how to effectively serve those who are diagnosed. We also serve on committees and travel throughout the state to ensure that those who are building South Carolina’s future do so in a way that promotes inclusion and access for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
At Beginnings SC believe that every child who is deaf or hard of hearing in South Carolina has the right and the ability to reach the stars, and we’re here to help you build a team that does too!
FAQ
While SC, and the nation, have tremendously improved identification of children through the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program, the incidence of babies born with hearing loss is only 1 in every 1,000 births. However, when we look at children aged 1-6 the incidence increases to 6 in 1,000 and then increases again for school-aged children to 10 per 100. There are many reasons for these increases. One is that some types of hearing loss are progressive and are not present at birth; many syndromes cause progressive loss. Another cause is an injury causing hearing loss, an illness such as meningitis, or even chronic otitis media. Many states are incorporating more frequent hearing screenings, such as at each well visit between birth and age 5, and recognizing that this allows for more children to be identified at earlier ages.
They are everywhere! We would love to help you connect with other families who have a child who is deaf or hard of hearing. We estimate there are more than 12,000 school-aged children with hearing loss in South Carolina. This can certainly feel like an isolating situation to find oneself in, but we can help you meet other families who undoubtedly have shared similar experiences and can offer ideas, or just listen to your concerns.
From the American Foundation for the Blind - Braille is a system of raised dots that can be read with the fingers by people who are blind or who have low vision. Teachers, parents, and others who are not visually impaired ordinarily read braille with their eyes. Braille is not a language. Rather, it is a code by which many languages—such as English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and dozens of others—may be written and read. Braille is used by thousands of people all over the world in their native languages, and provides a means of literacy for all.
While there are many people who are deaf or hard of hearing who also have vision impairment and may use Braille, this is a system utilized people with visual impairment and not hearing loss alone.
Incidental language is the language learning that happens when we aren’t thinking about anything. It makes up ninety percent of what a child knows by the time they get to Kindergarten. It occurs in all the situations when people are in a room talking about life, food, church, school, their work day/school day/weekend adventures. It teaches our children concepts and foundations that we often aren’t even aware of. It is how so many children understand how to