Second Match in Heaven- Conclusion

I write in Home and School Mosaics posted recently about a story that shows how God pays attention to every little detail in our lives. One of my favorite verses came to life for me as God blessed us with Nala, so I had to share the story with all of my Home and School Mosaics readers, my blog readers, and Facebook friends and family. We have an awesomely loving God who cares for us so deeply that He loves to be in the midst of everything we do. All we have to do is ask. When we allow God to be a the focus of our lives, He provides not only blessings, but rich lessons that teach us more about Him and draw us closer. I have seen this again so brilliantly clear as I asked God to choose the best partner for me to guide me and love me. Please let me share it with you now.

http://homeschoolmosaics.com/2nd-match-made-in-heaven-part-3/

Read Full Post »

DeafBlind Culture: Finding Our Identity by Touch

This month on Home and School Mosaics I talk about culture. Most people know that there is a Deaf culture with that capital “D”, but many ask if there is such as thing as DeafBlind culture. I have always said no because there aren’t that many of us, and we seldom meet. A random happening on my Facebook newsfeed got me wondering if that is changing. We all search for our identities. For some, it is easy to find. For others, we go through life not quite fitting in anywhere. For the DeafBlind like me, we seem to be building something new, our own identity. It is a lifestyle based on touch. It is being called Pro-tactile. Come explore with me.

http://homeschoolmosaics.com/deafblind-culture-finding-our-identity-by-touch/

Read Full Post »

Training with Nala

My monthly post is live today on Homeschool Mosaics​. After losing my father just a week and a half before, Nala, my new guide dog, appeared at my door to brighten my world with her sweet personality. Find out about her home training experience which was new to me, but worked out perfectly. God always knows what is in store for us and has the perfect plan! Don’t you just love that about Him? He loves us so much.

http://homeschoolmosaics.com/second-match-made-in-heaven-part-2-training/

Read Full Post »

Don’t Throw Out the Baby with ASL!

I had an article go live on my Home and School Mosaics magazine on Dec. 29. Well, I was still on Christmas break, so I couldn’t post it. Today, it is back to work, so it is my first task of the day to post this article. Getting back to work after the break isn’t easy, but I hope you enjoy my article about babies learning ASL making your first days back to a normal a little better. It seems many parents teach their babies ASL signs as well as Spanish or French numbers, colors, and basic words. I recently saw another story about a celebrity teaching her child ASL starting shortly after birth. It seems to be the thing to do. I got confused, though, when I met or consulted online with hearing parents with Deaf or DeafBlind children who were now afraid to teach their child ASL. The reasons were varied. I wanted to know if the reasons were valid or based on fear, so I did some research. This post is about what I learned and now want to recommend to all parents. Let me know what you think.

Don’t Throw Out the Baby with ASL 

http://homeschoolmosaics.com/dont-throw-out-the-baby-with-asl/

Read Full Post »

My Favorite Things

Today on Home and School Mosaics, I share some of my favorite things. These are things that have helped me to be more independent or confident in the Dark Silence. These are things that have just helped me do and feel more like a normal person from day to day. You might be surprised to find out that you can use some of these things, too, even if you aren’t deaf and blind. Some are just plain cool for anyone to use and love!

http://homeschoolmosaics.com/my-favorite-things/

Read Full Post »

DeafBlind Hiking: Who would have thought it?

Well, the winter hibernation is about over. Just before Spring arrived, we took a little hike on one of the first warm days at the very end of February to clear the cobwebs out of our brains and stretch the stiff muscles that were beginning to petrify. I had so much fun that I thought I would share it with my readers here and at Homes and School Mosaics for April’s post. Yes, that is April. I know I missed January, February, and March. I will be posting them in the coming days. I had some technical difficulties with my technology and thought posts were made, I couldn’t find them with my braille display to share them everywhere. Apple did some updates that seem to cause a slight problem, but they have since fixed it. So, I can now find things on the internet again. Life can be a bit treacherous for travel at times if you are DeafBlind and the internet world is no different really. I do hope you learn a bit about how a DeafBlind person can love to go out in the woods and do so safely. That is better exercise and more fun than a treadmill I can tell you!

http://homeschoolmosaics.com/hiking-through-the-dark-silence-2/

Read Full Post »

The Wedding Day!

My purpose in posting this on Homeschool Mosaics was not to just brag about my younger son’s wedding day (which you know we, parents like to do) because if you aren’t involved in the wedding it can be boring hearing about it in great detail, but I wanted to give people a glimpse into my way of experiencing a memorable event, the hard work that tactile ASL interpreters have to do, and the importance of SSPs, interpreters, and people willing to understand the needs of the DeafBlind. I am sharing it now with you, my friends, in the hopes that you will enjoy it, too. Everybody told me they cried, which wasn’t my intent LOL, but I will give you fair warning that some say you might need tissues handy.http://homeschoolmosaics.com/the-wedding/

Read Full Post »

Airport Horror Stories

I have a new post live today on Homeschool Mosaics. This month I share my nightmare story that has been awakened by news stories of late. So read my Airport Horror Story here: http://homeschoolmosaics.com/airport-stories/

Read Full Post »

Cochlear Implants: The Good and The Bad

This month at Homeschool Mosaics I begin a three-part series on Cochlear Implants. I try to tell you the Good, the Bad, and the ugly of it all. I worked hard researching all the facts again to allow everyone to make their own choice. It doesn’t matter if you are Deaf, deaf, hard of hearing, DeafBlind, hearing and sighted. The more you know about things the better we can support one another when it comes to this controversial topic. Check it out! http://homeschoolmosaics.com/cochlear-implants-the-good-the-bad/

Read Full Post »

Interpreters: A Special Kind of Hero

Today, I write about ASL interpreters, the heroes to me and many other Deaf and DeafBlind individuals. They train to provide the best interpretation of information in the form of words to the beautiful images found only on the hands and in the minds of those who understand the language of the hands. There are many kinds of heroes in this world. I share how ASL interpreters are true heroes to me. I hope you will read today’s post on Homeschool Mosaics and understand just how special these hard-working people are and how they contribute so much to many. http://homeschoolmosaics.com/interpreters-a-special-kind-of-hero/

Read Full Post »