The Rogersons And Their Deaf Child

Meet Lucia and Jon Rogerson, parents of three-year-old Heath, who is deaf. This is their story.
Learn more:
NyleDiMarcoFoundation: www.nyledimarco...
LEADK: www.lead-k.org/
Credits:
LEAD-K Film Project Director: Julie Rems-Smario, LEAD-K Public Relations
Producer: Sheri Ann Farinha, LEAD-K Campaign Director
Co-Funders: LEAD-K and Nyle DiMarco Foundation
Film Director: Jules Dameron
Editor: Jules Dameron
Sounds: ShakahJamal
Interpreter: Leah Bartell
Family: Heath, Presley, Lucia, and Jon Rogerson
Full text transcript and image description is available in the comments below.

[@sararocca9658]

Omg! This is a really touching video. I'm not deaf, but I have friends who are deaf. I wish people could get to know them better, because they are amazing people! Thanks for sharing this story ;)

[@thenyledimarcofoundation344]

Image description and transcript The video opens with red and black graphic that says Love & Language. At the left of the words, is an abstract design that looks like an adult holding a child, both bodies shaped like a heart. The word, “LOVE” and the child are in red. It changes to a black background with white letters: “95% of Deaf children are born to parents who hear.” 00:14 Then the video focuses on a white couple, one female presenting and one male presenting, seated on a gray couch. In the background is s stair rail. The woman says, “We have now just a different way of communicating with our child.” 00:19 The video changes back to a black background with white letters” “The medical system now aggressively encourages parents not to use signed languages with their Deaf children and withhold information about American Sign Language.” 00:29 The video switches back to the couple seated on the couch. The woman says, “But it’s the easiest for him. It’s the hardest for us. I think it’s probably the hardest thing we’ve ever done, to learn a new language ... to get to know new people, a new culture, people very different from us ... and different from who we are, um ... But why not? People say, “why would you?” I ask, “Why wouldn’t you?” The video switches to a black background with white letters: “This family boldly and bravely chose American Sign Language and English as the languages of their homes.” 00:59 The video changes to a scene of backyard with patio furniture with blue cushions surrounding the firepit. The woman (mother) is seated on the patio sofa at the left. A little girl with a white dress with a pattern of black hearts is seated in a chair with a cup of popcorn with her back facing the camera. At the right is a little boy with black polo shirt, gray shorts, and black sandals. He is also holding a cup of popcorn. The mother signs in ASL, “You just hose it down with water.” The boy says in ASL, “Yeah. Clean up the entire floor with lots of water everywhere.” White letters appear at the lower right corner: The Rogerson Family Presley, 6 years Heath 3 years A man (father) enters the patio and sits in one of the patio chairs at the woman’s left in front of the fire pit. The little boy, Heath, continues to sign, “But that’s hot. Because it’s hot. The fire is why it’s hot.” The father signs in agreement, “Yes. That’s right. Don’t touch that. It’ll hurt. The mother signs to Heath, “Close the --hey. Close that.” Heath walks to the sliding door and closes it while looking at the camera and says, “They’re okay? They’ll be fine. They’re fine.” Then he walks back to his family surrounding the firepit. 1:28 The scenario changes to the mother seated in a patio chair with the patio area in the background. The firepit is clearly visible behind her. “My name is Lucia Rogerson, and we are a family of four.”I’m married to Jon Rogerson and I have two children. Um, a girl who is 5 or, 6 now. And a little boy who is three and half, and he is Deaf,” said Lucia in spoken English. 1:49 The scenario changes to the kitchen with Lucia setting up the popcorn machine while Presley and Heath watch. 2:00 The scenario switches back to Lucia talking. “We wanted to educate ourselves on every aspect that was available to him, and I think the medical community unfortunately just gives you a few papers ... and a few packets, and you know, lists out some of the options as far as communication. Um, they don’t really hook you up with like anyone from the Deaf community, or you know, anyone who’s Deaf themselves. It’s all of these individuals who are making decisions for this child who have no experience in either being Deaf or being around people who are, you know, culturally Deaf. So .. I knew that I had to do the research myself because the medical community doesn’t give you-- they don’t give you the research ... they don’t give you all the aspects that are available. All they give you is what their particular preference is,” says Lucia. 2:53 The video switches back to the kitchen scenario with Lucia and her two children. The children are excitedly jumping up and down in response to the popcorn machine popping. Heath points at the popcorn machine. Lucia asks in ASL, “What is it?” “Pop, pop popcorn!” signs Heath. “Pop, pop, pop, what?” asks Lucia. “Pop, pop, popcorn,” signs Presley. Both children start to jump more intensely while laughing with joy. 3:06 The video goes back to Lucia at the patio. “So at that point I went to a play group at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont. We were really nervous, because you know there’s all these people signing like crazy ... and we didn’t understand a word they were saying, and we just never thought... we would even remotely understand what was going on. But we took a tour of the school, my husband and I together, we took a tour of the school. That day... and we saw this little boy in the preschool. I’m gonna cry for a minute.” Lucia becomes emotional and tries to contain her tears. 3:46 The scenario switches to the patio scenario with the Rogerson family surrounding the firepit. “You’re swimming?” asks John in ASL. Heath nods his head with a smile and signs, “Today? Yes!” “No swimming today. It’s cleaning day,” says Lucia. “But we’ll play, clean and swim?” signs Heath. 3:57 The video changes to only Lucia speaking at the patio. “So when we saw the little boy signing in the classroom and he was just reading a book by himself in the corner... we just knew we could actually do this. There was this little boy who washappy and he was enjoying himself in his class and that was the turning point when we felt like, “Alright, this is doable for us.” The video switches back to the family scenario with the firepit. “You’re licensed now?” Lucia asks Jon in ASL while Heath and Presley are busy eating their popcorn. “Yep, licensed now,” Jon responds in ASL. “Okay. Good,” says Lucia. “Yeah. We just gotta go to the DMV first,” clarifies Jon in ASL. 4:27 The video switches back to Lucia in the patio outdoors. It is starting to get dark and the flame in the firepit is brighter. “I was really shocked, because my perceptions of Deaf people, honestly... was not a positive one, and I had thought that people who were in the Deaf community ... were uneducated. I felt they were individuals who lived off of, um ... the government, to be honest, and then I met these (Deaf) women and they were highly educated. You know, master’s degrees and PhDs, and I was shocked. Really, really shocked. And so I just started to kind of involve myself a little bit more ... in getting to know who they were and understanding what they were really about. And it was a real big turning point for us. I have to say that if we didn’t have the Deaf community, I don’t know... if we actually would be where we are today, to be honest, because they are very inclusive. 5:24 The video switches back to the patio scene with the family surrounding the firepit with flames. Heath and Presley are busy eating their popcorn. “My class saved it,” signs Jon. Lucia points at Jon. “It was good,” responds Jon in ASL. The scenario switches back to Lucia. It seems to become darker outdoors. “What’s best for the child might not be what’s best for you as a parent ... but they didn’t ask to be brought into this world, and so we have to do our best to give them all the opportunities available to them, and if that means implanting then that’s what that means for you and your family, but if you haven’t explored the opportunity for your child to get to know a Deaf person ... and have an individual who’s part of the Deaf community be a part of that child’s life, I don’t think that it’s appropriate for people to make their decisions without knowing that part of it.” 6:13 The scenario changes to a black background with white letters: “It is not a risk for a Deaf child to grow up with American Sign Language. It’s a gamble for a Deaf child to grow up without sign language.” -Barbara Wingfield. 6:24 The video changes back to the kitchen scenario with the popcorn machine. “Is the popcorn hot?” asks Heath. 6:34 The video goes back to the scenario with Lucia and Jon seated in their couch. “He is on this kick about wanting a cat and a dog... and so he asked me the other day ‘Can we get a cat?’ and I said, ‘No.’ He says, ‘Well, then how about a dog?’ and I said ‘No, because we have to potty train these animals ... and they go to the bathroom all over the carpet in the beginning and they’re babies... and then we have to take them outside to go use the potty.’ And he says, ‘Well, why don’t we just one that’s already potty-trained,’“ said Lucia (both Lucia and Jon laugh) Lucia continues, “And I was like every time we have these moments, I cry, because I’m like, Oh, he’s thinking like he is just your average 3-year old child who’s like, ‘well duh, get one that’s already potty-trained.’” Lucia and Jon laugh together. Jon adds, “Go ‘Why don’t we get one that’s already potty-trained. That makes a a lot of sense.’ The couple continue to laugh. 7:30 The video changes to a black background with white letters. “Sign language is a human right, not an option.” - Dr. Roz Rosen The scenario goes back to the gray couch with Lucia and Jon. This time they have both children with them, Heath on Lucia’s lap and Presley on Jon’s lap. The children are giving funny faces. Then the whole family participate in a group hug. Lastly, there is a picture of the familial group hug with everyone smiling and signing ILYs. #LEADK and Nyle DiMarco logos #LEADK has an underline that says Language Equality and Acquisition for Deaf Kids. The Nyle DiMarco Foundation logo showing ASL sign for partnership.

[@or-ren]

The Nyle DiMarco Foundation wowwww

[@cassandra.complex]

"Why don't we get one that's already potty-trained?" 😂 That's a smart, funny kid! Can you make another video with more of the kid in it? ;)

[@AESDance]

Love this!

[@dickmelanson5577]

I m proud of you all. I'm Deaf. \lii/

[@Julia-zm2wz]

❤❤❤

[@melannycotto1997]

I’m well deaf, i wanted to say that these doctor are wrong. They shouldn’t have a right to talk to parent like that, because parent have a right to learn sign language to uses communicate with deaf child, that’s what parent have to do their best for kids, to make them happy & be successful is important part of a life.