A new program for preschool children is a "great victory for the deaf community"

Preschool children in Regina and Saskatoon who are deaf and hard of hearing will have access to a new early learning program this fall.

"This is considered a great victory for the deaf community," said Nairn Gillies, executive director of Saskatchewan Seaf and Hard of Hearing Services. It is a complete integration for deaf and hard of hearing children, regardless of their hearing loss.

The program is funded by the Canada-Saskatchewan Agreement on Early Learning and Child Care, which provides nearly $ 41 million for early learning and child care programs. young children. The goal is to improve the quality of early learning for children three and four years old.

For All Children

Gillies' group is working with Regina Public Schools on the pilot program, which is not limited to deaf or hearing children. Siblings, cousins ​​and friends can also apply

. [Traduction] – Nairn Gillies, Executive Director of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Saskatchewan

Gillies says she has access to sign language at an early age can make a huge difference for all children.

"Many children learn visually, so if a child learns visually and opens the door to sign language, well before their hearing. [ability improves] they already have a logic and a reason and can spell words in sign language.

Early Intervention

For hearing impaired children, it is essential to diagnose early disability.

have made great strides in the right direction this spring by introducing universal screening for hearing impairment in infants in the 2018 budget.

Gillies says that it can be difficult to know that a child has a hearing loss without formal screening: "There are all kinds of things that can hide the fact that the child can not hear.

Before the introduction of the screening program, According to Gillies, hearing loss was not sometimes diagnosed only when the child was two or three years old, then it took 16 to 18 months to see an audiologist.

"They are almost five years old and the tongue has not crossed their lobe front yet, which is a huge detriment to their development," Gillies said.

Breaking the Barriers

Katrina Mitchell did not receive any diagnosis of hearing loss until she was in first grade. She used hearing aids and an FM system when she was a child, and received a cochlear implant in adulthood

. be an obstacle at times and think that a program like this could make a difference.

"Much of the world is focused on audio and this can complicate access for the hearing impaired," she said. "Those who do not have hearing loss are often struggling to build relationships and often do poor work to make sure the hearing impaired understand them.

"This can be a significant barrier to socialization and sometimes to learning." Awareness of how to manage these hearing impairments can be really good for children. "

High Hearing Costs

However, there are still challenges for people who are deaf or hard of hearing in Saskatchewan.

Gillies He says he has heard adults who have trouble paying for hearing aids now that they are no longer covered by the province.

"It does not make sense to see how something as simple as a hearing aid can still cost thousands of dollars when I have a cell phone in my pocket, I can see my house from the space.

The Government of Saskatchewan cut funding for its hearing aid plan in 2017. Adults are no longer covered, but children are temporarily covered

Low-income people are still supported and Cochlear implants – like Mitchell's – are also covered.