Deafinitely Communicating

We'd like to take a moment to spotlight our Gold Sponsor — Happy Ears Hearing Center ()! We are so grateful for their support as we prepare for Mission Possible: Full Bloom this July! 🌱

Happy Ears is a family-owned audiology practice that has been serving the Valley since 2014. They provide expert, personalized care for hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, and related conditions through comprehensive evaluations and advanced hearing technology to rehabilitative services. Their mission is simple: Helping people hear better and live happier. 💛

Thank you, Happy Ears, for investing in Deaf and hard of hearing children and families in the East Valley this summer. 🌸

Camp is really happening this year, friends, and the details are falling into place one by one. If you couldn't already tell, we are SO excited!

We wanted to share just a few exciting updates as we near the 1 month countdown to the start of this year's camp, Mission Possible: Full Bloom.
✅ Our t-shirt vendor is secured.
✅ Our designer is secured.
✅ The design? Confirmed.
(We absolutely love it for a number of reasons.) You'll see why soon. 👀

We are nearing the end of our camp registration window and have just a few more spots left. Thanks to the generosity of our camp sponsors, we also have a few scholarships available for families facing financial hardship.

Registration closes this Friday, June 12th! Secure your child's spot before it's gone 😬.

Stay tuned... There's more to come. A behind-the-scenes peek is on the way, and we think you're going to love what's blooming. 🌸 (Did you catch what we did there? 😏)

[ID: A square social media post with a yellow textured paper background. A white torn-edge panel is centered on top, secured at each corner with coral/salmon washi tape, giving it a scrapbook/bulletin board feel.
The panel features "CAMP UPDATE" in large bold block letters at the top, followed by three green-checkmark bullet points confirming the t-shirt vendor, designer, and design are all locked in. Below that, a bell emoji flags that camper registration closes Friday, June 12th, and a cursive oval callout reads "Stay Tuned!" with a note that a behind-the-scenes peek is coming soon. A cutout photo of a Black woman in a denim jacket — hands raised, visibly excited — overlaps the bottom right corner of the panel, adding energy and dimension to the graphic.]

Communication can be stressful for communicators both young and old whether they communicate using a signed or spoken language. Asking too many questions can heighten feelings of anxiety, nervousness, and increase stress for communicators of all ages and abilities. Communication should feel more like a conversation and less like an interrogation.

💡Instead of asking a series of questions, try this:
👉🏾 Comment
👉🏾 Model self-talk (talk about what you are doing/thinking)
👉🏾 Model parallel-talk (talk about what your communication partner is doing)
👉🏾 Expand on what your partner has said, sharing your own experiences/connection to the topic.
👉🏾 Be quiet. Observe, participate in a shared activity, and just be present 🙂.

[ID: A Black mother and father smile and laugh with their baby against a bright green background. A large yellow speech bubble above them reads: "Communication should feel more like a conversation and less like an interrogation." Blue quotation marks and the word "conversation" in blue cursive accent the text.]

This summer, we've decided to try something a little different. 👇

Every Sunday, all summer long, we'll be sharing one small, research-backed tip to help you connect, communicate, and build language with your Deaf or Hard of Hearing child during everyday moments.

We're calling it the Sunday Signing Series. 🤟
12 Sundays. 12 tips. All grounded in real research, practical, and immediately applicable to your everyday interactions.

The goal: Support families in identifying and making the most of the everyday moments. Why? These small moments are where language actually grows.

This series is for everyone - parents, grandparents, caregivers, extended family members, and professionals who work with DHH children and their families.

Starting next Sunday, June 14th. Save this and share it with a family who needs it. Let's do this together. 🤍

[ID: A bright yellow graphic with bold blue block, white-outlined letters reading "Sunday Signing Series." A joyful young girl with curly hair laughs and raises her hand. Text reads: "Join us for… 12 Sundays. Research-backed tips. June 14." Deafinitely Communicating logo (waving hand inside of a black chat bubble) in the bottom right corner.]

🎶"Summer, summer, summertime. Time to sit back and unwind." 🎶

This song randomly came to mind the other day and I felt it needed a little remix 😏😎

Summer is one of the best times to practice signing as a family. If you're like me, the busyness of the school year rush is gone, the mornings are slower, and you have more moments when you're actually looking at one another. These moments are perfect for sign language and connection.

Whether your child wears hearing aids, a cochlear implant, both, or neither, seize this summer to get more hands up practice as a family and simultaneously support your child's language development, access, belonging, and connection.

🌞😎 Drop your favorite summer emoji in the comments and let us know how the summer's been for you so far.

[ID: 4 slides in a carousel
Slide 1: An illustrated young Black boy in a striped shirt and sideways navy baseball cap grins with his arms crossed against a pink background. Bold orange and green text reads "SUMMER."

Slide 2: An illustrated young child with blonde hair holds a giant slice of watermelon up to their face, eyes peeking over the top, wearing a pink gingham dress against a pink background. Bold orange and green text reads "SUMMER."

Slide 3: Five illustrated children of different ethnicities stand together smiling, wearing colorful swimsuits and snorkel gear, arms around each other against a pink background. Bold orange and green text reads "SUMMERtime..."

Slide 4: Illustrated hands of diverse skin tones reach upward against a pink background, with one large hand in the center making the ILY handshape in ASL. Cursive and bold orange text reads "Time to sit back and JUST SIGN."]

🚨 We're almost full and the deadline is almost here 😬.

Registration for Mission Possible: Full Bloom closes next Friday, June 12th. Families of deaf and hard of hearing children, PreK through 6th grade, join us for a 5-day, bilingual, ASL/English Deaf day camp in Mesa, AZ.

If you or someone you know has a Deaf or hard of hearing child in Arizona's East Valley, please share this. Tag them! One week of belonging can change the way a child sees themselves. Let's make sure they're in the room

Register through the link in our bio.

[ID: A bright yellow graphic with bold dark green text reading "1 Week Left to Register." In the center is the camp flyer for East Valley Deaf Camp "Mission Possible: Full Bloom," showing camp details for July 13–17, 2026, 9AM–12PM, PreK–6th grade, open to Deaf, hard of hearing, CODAs, and SODAs. To the right, bold text calls out 8 spots remaining, scholarships available, and a registration deadline of Friday, June 12th.]

Supporting your child's language doesn't have to feel like extra work. If it does, I invite you to take a step back and take inventory of what you're already doing each day. Ask yourself, "What am I already doing?". Then, add language to it!
Everyday moments are natural opportunities to keep signing rich and consistent during a break. Make the most of these moments by connecting intentionally even in the "little" moments.

You've got this ❤

[ID: Image 1 (Cover slide): A young Black girl in a yellow floral tank top shades her eyes with one hand and looks up toward a bright blue sky, smiling. Bold text reads: "3 ways to Sign Through the Summer and increase connection!"

Image 2 (Sign at Mealtime)
A white plate of golden chicken nuggets with two dipping sauces — ketchup and ranch — on a bright blue background. Text reads: "Sign at Mealtime — Name what's on the table. Sign the food, drinks, and utensils. Fingerspell the names of people and identify their roles."

Image 3 (Sign on a Walk)
A Black family of three — a mom, young daughter, and two men — walk together down a gravel path surrounded by evergreen trees on a cloudy day. Text reads: "Sign on a Walk — Complete a nature hunt. Find 5–10 things to look for. Spot it, sign/say it."

Image 4 (Sign During Routines)
A light blue background with cutout images of pink sneakers, denim shorts, a young Black boy brushing his teeth, and two open hands illustrating the sign WANT. Text reads: "Sign During Routines — Sign while getting dressed in the morning. Let your child sign back what they need rather than reaching or pointing."]

In honor of (do people still do that? 🤷🏾‍♀️), let's talk about where Deaf Camp first began!

In the summer of 2023, a group of curious and creative kids became the very first Mission Possible detectives. 🗂 The week was about building an ASL-immersive space where Deaf and hard of hearing children could connect, communicate, and create memories with their peers while their families did the same. It wasn't perfect, but it was purposed.

At the end of the week, families gathered for a parent seminar focused on promoting communication in the home and the beautifully complex, incredibly meaningful journey of parenting a child who is Deaf or hard of hearing. The seminar was led by 2 Deaf adults and something that many families still reflect on today.

That first camp planted a seed. And now, three years later, Mission Possible: Full Bloom is almost here. Camp is a little over a month away and lots of behind the scenes work is being done to ensure an accessible, fun, and language-rich camp experience for all - volunteers, campers, and families.

Registration is open until Friday, June 12th. 8 tickets remain!

🔗 Link in comments to register + support the mission.
Image description in comments.

Today is Word Hearing Day 🌎👂

Hearing health and Deaf identity are not opposing ideas. We can champion both access to hearing technology and advocate for signed languages. We can encourage people to pursue medical care and simultaneously recognize and celebrate identity. We should do both.

Every child deserves access to it all.

Do you have thoughts on World Hearing Day? Let's continue the conversation in the comments.