Chance's dad was walking with some co-workers to a meeting when one of them started talking about his daughter and her introductory sign language class in a charter elementary school. This was not a co-worker who Chance's dad knew real well and so he mentioned that he had a deaf son. (What are the odds that as you're telling people about your daughter's sign language class, you happen to be talking to someone with a deaf child?)

The co-worker then asked Chance's dad if used sign language with Chance.

Chance's dad replied "No" and before he could explain any more about it, the co-worker said," Well you should!"

His daughter has an introduction to sign language, along with a couple of other languages, and told her dad about it and now he feels he should tell us what our son needs. This disturbed me when I first heard the story.

Chance's dad did not let this comment go. He proceeded to explain Chance's capabilities and abilities, and to educate that there are various communication methodologies and approaches for deaf children, and that deaf children can in fact learn to hear and speak and do very well.

We feel that there is no need to be mean or rude to anyone, but there is also no need to let people go uneducated about deaf kids being able to hear like our son. Maybe this man is one of those people who would have given his opinion on what you should do if you were talking about your child staying out too late or anything else for that matter.
I think our family will continually be educating people about deaf children speaking simply because so few people know anything about it. We didn't know anything about deafness or the option of deaf children learning to hear.
I think the moral of the story here is that one should not proceed to tell a parent how to speak to their deaf child after hearing second hand reports about a first year sign language class;)