According to statistics, 2 to 3 out of 1,000 children in the United States are born with a hearing disability. This has been one of the reasons that pushed No Limits to go out of their way and make the world a better place for deaf children.
In an interview we had with Dr. Michelle Christie, a recently selected CNN hero, she shared the vision of No Limits for Deaf Children to teach underserved deaf kids and their families to succeed in school and in life in general.
Get to know No Limits for Deaf Children
No Limits for Deaf Children was founded in 1996 by Dr. Christie when she was a teacher of deaf kids. At that time, she met a boy named John who had very limited language skills. While part of her job was to work with him on speech therapy, John would not say a word when he got inside the speech room. It was then that Dr. Christie thought she had to strategize. She went out of her way to talk to John’s mother and learned that John actually liked music and that Michael Jackson was his favorite. So, Dr. Christie brought one of Michael Jackson’s CD and encouraged John to gain confidence by dancing to his favorite beat!
That summer, Dr.Christie thought they needed to have something for the kids so they came up with an activity to keep their language learning going. They wrote a play to give deaf children the opportunity to build their self-confidence and start believing in themselves. Because these services are something not readily available for low income families, they came up with an after school program to fill in the gaps and provide children with the tools they need to realize their dreams.
When asked about what’s next for No Limits, Dr. Christie talked about the fundraising activities and events they have in place to continually support hearing-impaired children from low income families. Some of the things they have include the Derby Day, the big gala this coming October and a lot more! Because there are still a lot of families in California who cannot afford hearing aids for their children, and many insurance companies don’t cover it, No Limits is supporting the initiative “Let the California Kids Hear”.
Ultimately, the goal of No Limits for Deaf Children is to help deaf kids enjoy being a kid and help them connect with their families; that more people would look at these children’s abilities rather than their disabilities and have a brighter future for these kids with the aid of technology.
When asked about any positive news she wants to leave everyone, Dr. Christie said
“I am just really excited about the future for our children. I feel like if more people are involved, if more people learn about the capabilities of these children and not the disabilities, we’re really going to change the landscape for them in educating them in their lives.”
Indeed, not everyone is blessed to live the normal life we do. But thanks to organizations like No Limits and people like Dr. Michelle Christie, children with hearing loss have a better world to live in.
We may not belong to an organization or have the means to really help out in huge ways, but we all can make a difference. Even the tiniest act of kindness can go a long way.
For more positive and inspiring news and stories, please feel free to visit Global Positive News Network.
