Tips for visiting Santa at Christmas
It’s that time of the year when kids write their letters to Santa Claus and want to meet him personally. But it’s not that easy when you have deaf children.
Pre-planning is the best advice I can give to a family who wants to bring a child with hearing loss to Santa. It’s so important to get the visit right. A Santa visit is a very special and memorable event. Some ‘Signing Santas,’ but not all of them are accessible.
Our local children’s deaf society has been very fortunate to have a Signing Santa who, for the past two years, has taken the time to sign with the children using British Sign language and to teach sign language to the families of those children who do not. It’s important to note that this is not the case for all deaf children.
Santas at department stores and malls have become increasingly commercialized, so it is difficult to avoid shopping on your way to Santa’s Grotto!
Other Santa experiences are expensive and not accessible to deaf kids. The best Santa experiences for deaf kids have been those organized by charities. A local brain injury charity hosts a “meet-and-greet” with Santa, where kids with disabilities are welcome to come and spend the night with their families. For a small fee, there are fun, festive activities and a 20-30-minute slot to meet Santa. Santa took the time to listen to a long list, sing a melody, and learn sign language.
Santa’s mustache and beard are a ‘hazard to deaf kids’! It can be very difficult for deaf children to lip-read what Santa says. Having more time with Santa can help your child improve their communication.
I have found that the best events are those run by charities, as they raise funds for the charity and give the deaf children a magical experience with Santa.
In the past, I’ve told an elf that my daughter was deaf. Could Santa sign thank you? Santa was able to sign ‘I love’ after the elf told him. It was one of those moments that were totally unexpected and made a huge difference to our daughter.
With a bit of planning, you can make any Santa visit accessible to deaf children!
