My name is Margarita Vazquez, and I’m the mom of Dariel — a smart, sensitive, and resilient Deaf teenager who finally found a place where he feels seen.

Before coming to the Marie Katzenbach School for the Deaf (MKSD), Dariel struggled deeply.

He hated school. He felt invisible. Our local school district failed him. There were no Deaf peers. No sign language. No access. He began sinking into dangerous depression because he had no way to fully express himself or connect with others.

Everything changed when he got into MKSD and moved into the dorms.

The dorm gave him more than a place to sleep — it gave him language, community, and belonging. For the first time, he made friends who signed. He joined sports. He stayed after school. He smiled again. He felt seen — not because someone gave him a voice, but because someone finally understood his.

Now, the New Jersey Board of Education is trying to shut the dorms down.

If that happens, Dariel — and many other children — will lose everything that helps them thrive. We live an hour annd an half away, and our district refuses to provide a late bus. Without the dorm, Dariel can’t participate in after-school activities, sports, or any part of student life. He would return to the same emotional and social isolation that once broke him.

But this isn’t just about my son.

Most of these Deaf children are the only Deaf child in their family. Some come from Spanish-speaking homes where parents not only don’t sign — they often don’t speak English either. These dorms are lifelines.

Dorms are not a luxury — they’re essential for communication, development, and mental health.

Taking them away isn’t just inconvenient — it’s cruel.

It creates language deprivation, isolation, and puts these children at serious emotional risk.

We are asking the New Jersey Board of Education to:

✅ Keep the dorms open at MKSD

✅ Protect Deaf students’ access to community, language, and safe connection

✅ Save our children from losing the only environment where they can thrive

Deaf children deserve more — not less.

Please sign this petition and share it widely. Help us speak for the kids who are being overlooked and unheard.

📣 #SaveOurDorms #HandsForDariel #DeafKidsDeserveMore

📬 Follow: @MomWithAVoiceNJ | Let’s raise our voices together.