Importance of Wendell's family

Wendell's family is a symbol of what Iris wishes her family was like. Both of Wendell's parents have changed their lives to suit Wendell's Deafness, with his mother going so far as to become a teacher for Deaf children at the school Wendell attends. This stands in sharp contrast to Iris's parents, especially her father, who has never been particularly good at sign language and has a lot of trouble communicating meaningfully with his daughter.