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I am so sick and tired of all this stupid fight. I have a daughter who has ASL as her first laguage but now uses listening and spoken language. She hears through a CI.
JMS has great teachers and a lot a community support. They also have an uphill battle. It is very difficult for a person to learn to read and write a language that is completely foreign to them, as English is to an ASL user. It is a totally different language, that is why there is a struggle. Phonics is impossible for someone who doesn't hear, therefore reading must be learned through memorization, which is another hugely daunting task.
And, in my personal opinion, ASL DID affect the acqusition of English for my daughter. ASL is not English, and she "spoke in ASL". She struggles with grammar and the word order of English. Also, having a delay in learning phonics has affected her reading skills.
But, I completely disagree that USD has a great LSL program! Perhaps in PIP and preschool, but our experience in Elementary school lead to moving 2000 miles away to get a real program!
The truth is that there are very successful adults in BOTH camps. The key is involved parents. It is flatly untrue that all these oral kids are going to grow up and join the Deaf community. The truth is that less than 1% of people with hearing loss sign!
CIs have truly changed the face of deafness. Our kids hearing within the normal range and are able to understand ALL sounds in spoken language without lipreading, this was NEVER possible in the past. Don't believe us? Ask the kids implanted as toddlers in the 80's, they are all grown up now!
So, in conclusion, STOP THE WAR!
10 comments:
I agree with you. It is frustrating to me to see all of this "war" because this is not the reason the UDE was set up in Utah. We came together because we were concerned about how Noyce manages the school.
Read what Jodi Kinner posted on her facebook page--this is a collective response to the article that the committee made. This letter outlines the reasons we met in the first place to ensure Steve Noyce's contract is not renewed.
On a different note: perhaps people should know that Noyce was NOT even one of the top five canidates nominated for the superitendent position by the interviewing committee two years ago. For some reason, the Utah Board of Education decided to hire Noyce over the five canidates that WERE nominated by the interviewing committee.
It is frustrating that people are using LSL vs ASL as the reason for this action taken by the Deaf community.
I'm equally frustrated with the "CIs and oralism is bad" rants as the "ASL means you can't read and have bad grammar" rants.
It's as simple as - it can be both. It doesn't have to be either or. And while there are many successful kids without CIs there are also many successful kids with CIs and there are many successful kids who are bilingual with CIs.
However, I will say that I have met a lot of kids with implants who end up getting sent to a school for the deaf in the first, second, or third grade with language and literacy delays. One girl did have good spoken English skills (expressive and receptive) but in the beginning of the third grade still could not read. Those children are often sent to the deaf school as a "fix" (the 'they can always learn ASL later mindset - when in fact it's too late and there will be delays) and when the child is still struggling ASL and the school is blamed. That makes no sense.
I've also noticed that many people aren't aware of or they ignore the history of deaf ed and how that has impacted deaf children and adults.
I wish there was less "my way or the highway" and less of the blame game, stereotypes, and assumptions. The kids would be much better off for it.
Much of the energy in this neverending battle comes from the "oralists and politicians are trying to do away with ASL schools" and "Deaf militants are trying to kill oralism." Where are the people advocating for both systems in ALL schools for the deaf? Deaf children deserve a full toolbox.
I'm just curious, where are you getting the facts to support your argument? Where is the facts stated about "less than 1% of people with hearing loss sign" and does that refer to congenital Deafness or hearing loss due to old age? Can you define what hearing in normal range is for a CI child and how do they test to know they can hear like the rest of the hearing world?
There are 36 million people with hearing loss in the US, there are 250,000- 500,000 ASL users (and that includes CODAs). That is around 1%. (Those numbers are from Gallaudet.)
The normal range of hearing is defined as less than 20 db across all frequencies.
U've got the right idea, Dianarez. This is actually exactly what the UDE in Utah is trying to do. However, the superitendent there has painted the UDE to be "ASL Militants" and actively met with parents that chose the oral path and poisoned (for lack of a better word) them against the ideas put forth by the UDE. It's a really sad thing that has happened.
Steve Noyce ran the school budget amok--the school is 600,000 dollars in the red. Noyce has also given more attention to the LSL program and ignored the needs of teh blind program and the ASL program. He has also actively changed the PIP program, which was pretty highly regarded, to one that is very biased, negative, and controversial.
Noyce has also alienated anyone that believes in ASL and bilingual education and has told parents, the Deaf community, and students that ASL will never survive. With this philosophy in mind, he has ignored Section 504 proceedings, refused to change IEPs or placements for Deaf students.
The Blind program has had so many problems under Noyce's not yet two year term. There have been lawsuits filed and a lot of greviances filed by parents in the blind program.
There have been greviances and lawsuits filed against Noyce and USDB by BOTH the LSL program and the ASL/Bilingual program.
Common sense says that Noyce needs to go. He should NEVEr have been hired in the first place.
Sadly, he has seen to it that this issue has become one about LSL vs ASL.
You say below:
There are 36 million people with hearing loss in the US, there are 250,000- 500,000 ASL users (and that includes CODAs). That is around 1%. (Those numbers are from Gallaudet.)
Would you please provide the links for above or type citations?
Thanks in advance.
Jean Boutcher
I disagree. ASL is not the reason. Pls dont blame ASL. It sounds like you want to do away with ASL and Deaf culture. That is still engaging in the war that you complain of.
Anon, just how in the world did you arrive at that conclusion when MKM has said precisely the opposite?
It's not true that oral adults grow up to join the signing Deaf community?!?! Then how come there are so few dhh as kids adults involved in organizations like HLAA or AG Bell? You're assuming they magically assimulateinto the hearing world. Sorry honey, it doesn't work that way. Hasn't worked in the past, hasn't worked in the present. If you go to reunions of CID/Clarke and other oral schools, you will see a HELL o f a lot of kids signing. Even at AG Bell conferences it's not that unsual to see 'terps. WHERE are you getting that? The fact of the matter is that MOST hearing loss is late deafened hearing loss or HOH style loss. I think something like 10% is pedatric hearing loss. Most of that number is audilogically HOH. (who sadly have been pushed to ONLY fit into into the hearing world, and told that there's not a place for them in Deaf culture/ASL. Why is it that SO MANY HOH as kids (meaning functionally and audilogically) HOH folks are drawn to ASL like cats to tuna? Just b/c a kid can hear and speak well it doesn't mean that they can automaticly fit into the Hearing world. Trust me I know.
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