Wits Education Campus. St Andrews Road, Parktown 2000 info@hihopes.co.za +27 (0)11 717 3750

Deaf Mentor

The Deaf Mentor Programme is an integral part of the services we offer families.

Deaf Mentors are successful Deaf adults, hand-picked from the Deaf community. They undergo intense initial and in-service training to be able to work with families of deaf or hard of hearing babies.

Deaf Mentors provide families with language instruction, information about Deaf Culture and a link to the Deaf community. They also act as a role model, showing and teaching the family the best ways to interact with their child.

Because HI HOPES is not biased toward any means of communication, we have Deaf Mentors who can provide support in Sign Language, Total Communication, Bi-Bi, Cued Speech and Oralism. The focus is on following the natural tendencies of the child and the choices of the family.

Families have commented on the fact that the Deaf Mentor has literally changed their lives. They show the family that being Deaf is okay. That there is a future for their child, and this is why the Deaf Mentor Programme is such an important and exciting part of HI HOPES.