It had been a really fun Saturday. Beach, coffee, sunshine, salt water. We changed things up and went to a more popular beach area, and we parked in a parking garage. After rinsing pounds of sand off the girls & changing them into dry clothes, we decided to go grab an Acai bowl (smoothie bowl) to share.
The girls fought over who got to push the button for the elevator, per usual, and one floor down we were joined by a group of three “older” adults. (I use the term “older” because honestly, who’s to say how old they are…. but they had gray hair so let’s go with that.) A few seconds after their arrival into the elevator, the woman exclaimed, “her ears are lighting up green!” in response to seeing Sutton’s Cochlear Implant processors lighting up, indicating that they are connected correctly, and allowing her to take in sounds from her environment. Meaning, she could hear the woman commenting on her disability.
In about a millisecond my brain went 1,000 places about how to respond. From the ‘no $h*t, sherlock’ to the ‘smile and nod’.. to the ‘would you say “you’re in a wheelchair!!” to someone in a wheel chair?’ I felt surprised, I felt a little upset, I felt defensive, I felt confused. It was time to make a choice….
We took the kind approach, and Dave & I explained to the woman that her ears were
“lighting up green” because she is deaf & uses cochlear implants. Another opportunity to educate & advocate. We encounter these opportunities often. As I reflected on this educational experience on the elevator, I realized we won’t always be around to speak up for Sutton. Just the other day on the playground after swim lessons, I noticed an older girl motioning to her ears, likely asking what is on the side of her head. I don’t know how Sutton responded, as I was too far away to hear…but I hope she is learning, just as I am, that using a stranger’s curiosity to educate and advocate is the way to make lasting change.
I don’t know if that woman will remember what we taught her about cochlear implants, or if she honestly even realized that her exclamation was actually kind of rude. But, I do know when we left that elevator, I felt proud of the way we responded to an awkward social interaction, knowing that my deaf daughter is watching, learning, and will be advocating for herself soon.
Find You Here 