Support for Parents of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children in Florida
Most parents of a child with hearing loss have never met another family in the same situation. HLAA connects you with parents who have, and points you to Florida programs that help pay for hearing aids.
Where to start
If your child was just identified with hearing loss, you have two immediate needs: good information and other parents. For information, your child's audiologist and Florida's Early Steps program (for children under three) are the first stops. For other parents, HLAA's Hear Together group meets online every month during the school year and is free. HLAA-FL can also connect you with Florida families through our chapters.
Hear Together: HLAA's parent support group
Hear Together is HLAA national's online support group for parents and caregivers of children with hearing loss. It meets on Zoom from 8 to 9 p.m. Eastern on the third Wednesday of each month during the school year, with breaks in summer and winter. Meetings are led by a speech-language pathologist and an audiologist, and they are captioned.
Parents talk about school accommodations, hearing aids and cochlear implants, communication choices, and what it is like to raise a child who hears differently. There is no cost and no membership requirement.
Learn more and register for Hear TogetherFlorida's Children's Hearing Aid Program (CHAP)
Hearing aids for children are expensive and often not fully covered by insurance. Florida's Children's Hearing Aid Program, administered by the Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida, helps families pay for them.
Who qualifies: Florida children from birth through age 18 whose family income is at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level and who are not eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Families apply through the Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida. Your child's audiologist can usually help with the application.
Other Florida resources for families
Early Steps
Florida's early intervention program for children from birth to 36 months with developmental delays or conditions, including hearing loss. Services are provided in the home and community.
School accommodations
Children with hearing loss may qualify for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a Section 504 plan. Common accommodations include FM or remote microphone systems, preferential seating, captioned media and a note taker.
Florida Coordinating Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
The state council that advises Florida on services for people with hearing loss. HLAA-FL works to keep people with hearing loss represented on it.
Teens and young adults
Teens with hearing loss often want to talk to other teens, not their parents' support group. HLAA national runs programs and convention events for young adults with hearing loss, and HLAA-FL chapters welcome teens and college students at meetings. Ask us and we will point you to what is current.
Common questions
What is the 90% rule in deaf culture?
About 90 percent of deaf and hard of hearing children are born to hearing parents. That means most parents are learning about hearing loss for the first time, with no family experience to draw on. It is why parent support groups like Hear Together matter so much: the parents who have been through it become the experience you did not have.
Are there hearing aid assistance programs for children in Florida?
Yes. Florida's Children's Hearing Aid Program, run by the Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida, helps families of children from birth to 18 whose income is at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level and who are not eligible for Medicaid or CHIP. Florida Medicaid covers hearing aids for eligible children. Our financial assistance page lists more options.
Should my child learn sign language or spoken language?
Families choose different paths, and many use more than one: spoken language with hearing aids or cochlear implants, American Sign Language, cued speech, or a combination. The right choice depends on your child, your family and the support available where you live. HLAA supports families who choose spoken language and respects every family's decision. Talk to your child's audiologist, early intervention team and other parents.
Can my child come to an HLAA chapter meeting?
Yes. Florida chapters welcome families, and it helps children to see adults living full lives with hearing loss. Most chapter meetings are adult-focused, so a parent group like Hear Together may be a better fit for regular support. Email the chapter ahead of time and they will tell you what to expect.
Talk to a Florida parent who has been there
HLAA-FL can connect you with families in our chapters and with the national Hear Together group.