2023.08.02
Source:https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E8%81%BD%E6%90%8D%E5%85%92%E5%AA%BD%E5%AA%BD%E5%89%B5%E4%BD%9Cline%E8%B2%
The Children’s Hearing Foundation (referred to as CHF) has been providing long-term assistance to children with hearing loss in learning to listen and speak. This year, they have invited the mother of Chen En, who is also a professional illustrator named Irma, to collaborate on publishing Line stickers featuring illustrations of children with hearing loss. The aim is to encourage all families with children with hearing loss not to give up.
▲Children’s Hearing Foundation invited Chen En’s mother, Irma, to collaborate on publishing Line stickers featuring illustrations of children with hearing loss. Image source: CHF
About a year ago, the family of Chen En, a child with hearing loss, decided to conclude their program at CHF. Due to the extremely rare hearing condition that Chen En was born with, he faced challenges in developing spoken language. “During the time Chen En attended classes at CHF to learn listening and speaking, he saw other children with hearing loss working hard in their classes. This not only made him realize that he was not alone but also ignited his motivation to learn. Later, leaving was a way to provide resources to other families who needed them more,” Chen En’s mother Irma said.
Even though Chen En faced limitations in developing spoken language due to his rare congenital condition, he never gave up expressing himself. For example, before going to sleep, he would make a loving gesture to his parents, forming a complete set of love signs: a hand in the shape of a heart, a small heart on his cheek, and a heart on the top of his head. This way, his parents could understand how much he loved them.
The initial purpose of Irma creating stickers is not only to give back to early intervention services but also to inspire other children with hearing loss who may have congenital conditions even more challenging than Chen En’s. She hopes they can be encouraged to, like Chen En, overcome various obstacles in learning and life without giving up, expressing the love in their hearts together!
Not giving up is halfway to winning
Chen En is about to enter first grade this year. Despite his hearing loss, it doesn’t dampen his enthusiasm for learning. In fact, he is determined to overcome any challenges he faces. Particularly in a peer environment, when he sees others dancing, he wants to keep up with the beat. He also demonstrates a keen understanding of symbols. He can now take his mother’s iPad to draw, adjust brush strokes, colors, thickness, and more. His active learning drive has become his developmental advantage.
“Outsiders might set a specific learning schedule for early intervention, but parents spare no effort or time for their children. In a society where many people give up, if your child learns not to give up during their growth, they’ve already won half the battle,” says Irma. She believes that going that extra mile in early intervention, extending the time, incurring more expenses, and having greater patience in raising a child are essential in establishing good learning habits and all very much worth it.
“Love is a magical thing.”
Parents will eventually leave their children, so Irma wants to leave her child with a healthy and brave heart. This is the best legacy parents can leave on their children. As long as the child remembers that they were unconditionally loved by their parents, they will also understand how to love others unconditionally in the future.
The mother says that even though Chen En had difficulty hearing and speaking from a young age, she hopes he will be fluent in expressing love. “So, from a young age, I expressed my love to Chen En in various ways, through art, through actions, and through words, constantly telling him, ‘Mom loves you so much.’ You can choose to ignore other things, but when someone expresses love to you, you should know it’s a magical moment because love is a magical thing.”
“If someone can’t express the love in their heart to another person, it’s an uncomfortable feeling. That’s why I incorporate elements of love into the stickers, hoping to create a set of stickers that are not only popular, cute, and in line with the image of the Children’s Hearing Foundation but can also support children with hearing loss,” said Irma.
The new version of Line stickers from the Children’s Hearing Foundation is now available. We invite everyone to support the collaborative creation of little ones with hearing loss and to express love loudly together!https://line.me/S/sticker/23833165
