Victoria Perez (pictured above) was two years old when her parents recognized she was experiencing hearing loss. Pablo and Zihara, both native Puerto Ricans, immediately bought Victoria hearing aids and started researching Puerto Rican services for families with partially hearing children. They were committed to enabling their daughter to realize her full potential. Eventually, they discovered Puerto Rico had very little accommodations for the deaf.
If they are financially able, Puerto Rican families with deaf or partially hearing children often move to the United States to procure quality education for their kids. Pablo and Zihara, however, longed to stay in their home country.
Reaching out for support, Zihara started a Facebook page called Grupo Apoyo de Victoria to share with other parents what her and Pablo were learning about hearing loss and deafness. When Victoria turned three, they began learning sign language at their local church in order to form better communication.
It was during a sign language class that they met Diane Robinette, founder of Emmanuel Academy of the Deaf. At the time, however, the academy was a dream for the future.
Diane shared with the Perez family her vision of starting a Christian school for deaf students in Puerto Rico. She explained the goals for early intervention services and plans to open Emmanuel. Diane showed them pictures of the school in Carolina, which was offering classroom space for the deaf children.
As Zihara realized her daughter would have the accommodations she needed in their home country, comprehension dawned on her face, and tears suddenly came to her eyes.
“So we’re not going to have to move!” she exclaimed.
Her realization spoke volumes, because it revealed the lack of educational services for deaf children in Puerto Rico. The Emmanuel Academy of the Deaf has been able to step into that need. Specifically, Emmanuel gave the Perez family hope for their daughter’s future.
To learn more about Emmanuel and hear other stories like Victoria’s, check out Emmanuel's website through the button below.
