Positively Speaking, PLLC

04/04/2026

Most people wait 10 years between first noticing a problem with their hearing and getting help. There is a direct link between hearing loss and dementia. Don't let the people you love wait. Get your hearing checked today.

04/04/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EKCfj6K2k/

02/21/2026

Calling all Girl Scouts! The Big Smile is in the market for cookies, and lots of them! We'll buy 3 boxes of cookies for each Girl Scout that comes to our office and takes a photo with our team. It's easy!

1️⃣ Send us a message by March 13 with your troop number, what level scouts you have in your troop, and how many scouts will be joining us
2️⃣ Our team will help coordinate a date and time for your troop to come into our office
3️⃣ Join us for a photo and complete the cookie exchange!

Tag your favorite troop leaders below and help us spread the word!

02/14/2026

I've been asked to share my experience with requesting accommodations and accessibility options for my kids who have hearing loss, now that they are both attending college.

Most of what was needed was done long before the day they committed to their prospective universities.

For parents, it is all of the things you'll do from K-12, that will pay the huge dividends.

Make your advocacy sturdy and solid. Make sure to model it for your child.

Leading up to college, we worked with our audiologist to create a list of things we asked the universities to provide.

Here is a snap shot of some of the accommodations we requested:

•Access to classrooms with appropriate acoustical modifications to minimize background noise;

•Access to priority registration as needed to ensure placement in appropriate classrooms with appropriate instructors;

•Access to preferential seating in instructional classes;

We designed a You can get a Digital Resource Guide with a list of accommodations here:

https://www.mybattlecall.com/shop/p/accommodation-digital-worksheet-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-college-students
•••••

My kids worked directly with their college disability services coordinators to fine-tune the list.

They requested more than they might need (because it is easier to take things away than to add them).

Throughout the journey, I recommend parents slowly pass the torch to your kids in increments, encouraging them to use their voice to ask for what they need.

I encourage parents to lay the groundwork now (no matter the grade level) in their IEP's & 504s. Those will serve as your future guides.

I cannot stress enough how important it is for your kids to watch you model what advocacy looks like. Work as a team with those who are involved in providing their accommodations. These people are on your team!

Rest assured, I am a typical mom, who is worried about the typical things: Will they get along with their roommates, will they get enough sleep, what will happen when they get sick.

Sure, they might have equipment issues and parts that malfunction, but at the end of the day, I mostly feel like they're typical kids--who with proper accommodations-- are set up to thrive!

©️Valli Gideons on My Battle Call

02/14/2026

Autism Friendly Easter Event in Southfield, MI

01/19/2026

National Stuttering Association Lansing Chapter will be holding its January meeting this Wednesday January 21, from 5:30 - 7:00 over Zoom. This is a relaxed supportive space where we can stutter openly, share how our holiday went, or simply enjoy each other's company. Reply here, and I'll send you the link, or put you in touch with the organizer.

Send a message to learn more

10/20/2025

Lego’s MRI scanner play sets, which launched in 2023, are significantly reducing anxiety and the use of sedation in children, the company said. cnb.cx/4h9YyXW

09/09/2025

Kids ask Why questions, and Vermont Public Radio answers!

08/27/2025

A local, pay-what-you-can conference for people who stutter and their families!

08/11/2025

04/07/2025

Last summer (2024), LittleGuide Detroit featured '10 Themed Playgrounds in the Metro Detroit Area,' and our Playful Dragon Pocket Park made the list: "Orion Township’s pocket park along the Baldwin corridor is called the Playful Dragon because the giant green dragon has a long red tongue that kids can slide down and wings that are perfect for climbing all over. In addition to the dragon, you can also walk the short storybook path."

This year, the Playful Dragon shares a corridor as Orion Township Parks & Recreation's and Great Lakes Athletic Club--all of which are connected via safety paths and roundabouts--Baldwin walking/biking adventure soon, anyone?

https://littleguidedetroit.com/10-cool-themed-playgrounds-in-metro-detroit/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaaritLBo5WBj7q4ioPzRMyzCtmv5WYWvE_cMwr7MX6ciUGMJKm-0VWkynE_aem_tDwbMLYnaYI7GptmbwENnQ