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Takniyan Debbie Dachi, who currently resides in Nigeria, is one of the best examples of turning lemons into lemonade. Takniyan’s 13 year old son, Ezra, was diagnosed with a profound hearing loss at age 3. In fact, she never met someone with hearing loss till her son received his diagnosis. Takniyan has faced many challenges and has been inspired in supporting her son with his experiences that she created her own organization, The Rise Project, which supports young individuals with hearing loss in Nigeria.
3:00: Around 13 months Ezra was not reading or using key sounds. Takniyan reached out to a Speech and Language therapist who conducted a home visit. This therapist found it strange that Ezra did not react when the TV was turned off and this was an initial sign that something was wrong.
6:00: Once diagnosed, Ezra was placed in a deaf school. Although Takniyan initially placed him on the oral track, the school’s staff found that Ezra prefered communicating through Makaton, which is a gestural and visual form of sign language. As a hearing mother it was difficult not knowing what was best for Ezra and it is important to honor and validate a child’s experience as their own.
9:30: The cause of Ezra’s hearing loss has still not been discovered. Even though Ezra’s case has been tough on Takniyan’s family, they have developed a beautiful frame of mind and constantly encourage him.
11:30: There are some parallels with the story that Laura Prestasi shared in an upcoming episode.
12:30: Though she is of Nigerian heritage, Takniyan was born in London. In 2017, when she visited Ghana for a second time, she eventually decided to move to Nigeria. She was surprised that there was limited educational support in Nigeria that supported deaf and hard of hearing children and families and she felt that more needed to be done in her country of heritage.
16:00: Due to seeing the lack of support, Takniyan founded The Rise Project. The mission includes advocating for deaf Nigerians and ensuring that deaf children are supported by both the educational institutions as well as through the family unit. There is a large focus on having fun and social development. They even offer sign language courses for parents whose child/ren have a hearing diagnosis.
22:00: Takniyan also has two daughters. Both of her daughters realize the importance of communicating with Ezra through BSL (British Sign Language) in order to strengthen their sibling bonds. Parents should ensure that a deaf or hard of hearing child is part of the family community and is included in all aspects of their family life in order to be a validated member.
22:25: It is crucial to remember to be inclusive and to find ways to include the deaf community especially through your platform and specific roles that you hold. Universal design is becoming more popular and should be implemented whenever possible.
31:00: Bonus voice notes that took place after the interview
For more resources and research visit:
@theriseprojectng
[email protected]
Mentioned In this episode:
Laura Prestasi, who will be a guest on an upcoming episode. Stay tuned!
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