The spotlight turns on an Austin-area family in the new A&E documentary “Deaf Out Loud.” The show follows three predominantly deaf families as they raise their children in a hearing world.
The Garcias live near Georgetown and met when April was called to interpret for Paco. After experiencing a pair of miscarriages, the couple pursued adoption to grow their family. Some of the Garcia children are hearing and some are deaf. Their first child was a 10-year-old hearing girl who knew American Sign Language.
Later, three deaf children were adopted through hard work by the Garcias. “Due to HIPPA laws, Children’s Services is unable to identify children based on disability,” says April. “We searched through thousands of children’s profiles, looking for keywords like ‘lack of speech.’”
The family grew even larger when April and Paco discovered the infertility doctors were wrong. They welcomed two biological children into the family, which now includes six children. Prompted by the limited supports they saw in place for deaf children in foster care, the Garcias founded Hope’s Lighthouse, a nonprofit that provides advocacy, support and education services for adoptive families and foster children. “Deaf Out Loud” will air on Sept. 12 on A&E.
