I'm working on a school project. The topic is simple. What do you do if you have a deaf child, and your a hearing parent? What would you do when it came time for them to go to school? Would you send them to a deaf school or a public school? What if you were deaf and you had hearing kids? How would you teach them to speak? Where would you send them for school? I need to know your opinions please! If you have children in your kids classes at school that are deaf, or you know anyone who is deaf or has a deaf child, let me know of their story. I need to figure out how to present information without slaughtering the topic! Thanks!!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
I Need HELP!
Posted by LIS G at 8:03 PM
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9 comments:
Well my personal opinion is if I had a deaf child I would immediately learn sign language so I could teach it to my child instead of having someone else do it and I would also have my other kids learn too escpecially if you have both hearing and deaf kids it is important not to make either of them feel differant so you teach them both, I also am an advocate of public schools instead of deaf schools. I am sure a deaf school would be great but that teaches them to interact in the deaf community and I would want my kid to learn how to interact in the hearing community because that is where I and my family are. All just opinions with pretty much no basis but there you go.
amen to what Janelle said except for one thing- I would supplement her schooling with a deaf group namely because it's a similar experience for the deaf community to be like the one black kid in school, they need to have connections to their deaf community as well. I wouldn't think that as strongly until I went to church right before the deaf ward would meet and I was amazed to see how happy and animated this group was just to see eachother every Sunday, it was like a reunion every Sunday. Imagine living in a world where it seems that NO ONE is like you, not even your family- and then you get to hang out with people who are. What a relief to know you aren't alone and also learn tips that other deaf people have learned to accomodate to the hearing community. We had a enrichment night once about typical things that hearing people do and how maddening it is to deaf people. I wasn't surprised by some of it because I worked at the developmental center for so long but some of it was really surprising to me.
I would definitely google something like "hearing parent, deaf child" and see what sites come up. You're sure to find some support groups that would have all sorts of information for families in this situation. Good luck!!
Good comments already, I don't have much to add, except that as a parent, if I had a deaf child I think it would depend much on the personality of the child. If it was like my 7 yr old, I would send her to public school, where she would "teach" everyone else sign language just because she would assume they just didn't know it yet and she was helping them. But, a shyer less confident child would surely need to be in a deaf school, but involved often with a public school setting... to allow them to interact well and feel confident in the world they are a part of. And like Janelle, teach sign language to everyone I could, so the child would have a greater depth of contacts. But, I would definitely have my deaf child interacting on a regular basis with others in the deaf community, as I feel it would enhance their confidence and strength of who they are as a meaningful part of the world, even when many in the world are different. So, conversely, if I were deaf with a hearing child I would enroll that child in a public school and because of the nature of our family, my child would learn sign language and the culture I came from, having interactions with those I am friends with and most hopefully, making friends with other deaf children as well. I think that would make for a very lucky child. It reminds me of the English as a second language families here, lots of children go to english speaking schools and translate for their parents, they seem confident and self assured when speaking with many different people and especially adults, because they get to practice so often.
So, that is what I am thinking today. Good luck.
If I had a deaf child I would become fluent in sign language. We would insist that everyone in our home used it too. It is not as if the child could learn to hear! I would also push for a public school unless we lived close to a deaf school. Learning to interact with hearing people is important. Learning to use an interpreter, a note-taker, etc is important. I would push as hard as a mother could for sign language to be taught in the school as an elective. Our school had me teach sign language to all the kids in elementary, but in middle school, they refused to work with me and the mom didn't insist. Finally, his senior year, I taught a sign class - the kids loved it!
Also, I would make sure there was an interpreter in church. I would make sure my child interacted with deaf people so he can feel proud of who he is. I agree with Becca, it is vital to have the connection with who you are.
My problem with deaf schools is they have a reputation, deserved or not, of not pushing kids as hard, not expecting as much. I would really check into the school, and be very involved to make sure they weren't allowing my child to slide cause he is deaf. However, that can also happen in hearing schools. The parents need to be massively involved.
PS Most deaf people I know send their children to hearing schools. They teach them to speak by using relatives, having the radio on, television, etc. Some of my sign teachers were CODAs (children of deaf adults) and their aunts, uncles, grandparents etc were very involved in their lives.
Sorry for all this, but I have a lot of experience with this. The child I worked with for 11 years, his mom knew some sign, his siblings knew less, and his step dad knew almost none. He would get very angry when the family would talk and laugh and he was left out. At school some of the kids really would work to sign to him and that was good. The family loved him very much, but they just didn't understand the need to be very involved in the school, to insist that he got what he needed. They just didn't see him as deaf person, he was a hearing person that couldn't hear. They were strongly encouraged to send him to a deaf school, but they felt he would feel unloved if sent away. They tried to get him to go to a summer deaf camp and he just refused! Finally his mom just took him and said, "You are going!" He loved it, no one had told him there would be girls! These are good people, but somehow the advisor they had got on their bad side and after that they didn't really listen to her advise. He was a law unto himself for a long time, and there was a long time that I, as the interpreter, was the only one who could get him to do anything. But that was just because I was the only one who really took the time to talk to him and to pay attention, and to give him what-for when he deserved it.
tintin...didnt think you had much to add...holy crap!! if that isnt much I would hate to see much.
I aggree..they needs socialization amongst those most like them...but we dont want them to feel 'handicapped' to the point they become a burden on their families or society. They are no different than the rest of us in any way that can really hinder them in society (unless they are taught to believe such). Thus they can function as well as or better than most of us (if Darwin Awards is any clue).
Now of course I speak only of those who are ONLY deaf..not those with multiple handicaps of which deafness is one.
Again I echo what has been said already..and cause I'm at work will not expound further. (unlike tintin who tells us she has litte to add...and goes on for 6 hrs) LOL
ok, I just got through my special education class, where we went through this very debate... it's a hard question, either way. being the deaf parent of hearing kids, your kids would natrually learn sign language. I assume you would need to make an effort to bring them around those who were at least partially hearing and could talk in a normal manner, or that child will have a more difficult time learning to speak as a hearing person. As for a hearing parent with a deaf child, the best thing seems to be to have the whole family involved in learning sign language so that the child will never feel left out. Of course, it must be understood that "deaf" includes people with slight hearing problems to complete loss of hearing. I'm not sure what class you are in, but mine obviously centered on being the hearing teacher of a deaf child in a public situation. I know many in the deaf community feel that deaf children should be in deaf schools because of the community they can then be part of. it really is a personal choice between you and your child.
also, there are things that deaf people can do to hear, and it is the most interesting thing to watch the debate in the deaf community about those who choose to use such devices. I guess you could compare it to a community of dwarves who are very opinionated about people trying to do things to make themselves appear taller so they can fit in with REGULAR society. I guess this is where the big debate ensues. Yes, the world is generally hearing, but we should never assume that just because we can hear means that those who can't, want to. Actually, those who have used the hearing devices and who had a complete hearing loss to begin with can't continue using the device because it is so distracting to try and tune out the background noises, like a computer running, keys typing, air conditioner, etc. They find it extremely hard to try and concentrate on what it is that they NEED to hear, not the other sounds around them. Hearing people learn this as children, to tune out the unneeded noises. Needless to say, it's a big debate. I say just do what you and your child feel is best for them.
The deaf culture is very different. Not that i got to experience it that much. But i do know that they are just as normal as anyone else. I think i would send them to a deaf school. I do not have children and i may change my mind. I think that i would do my best to learn sign again. whether our deaf child would be the oldest or youngest would depend on how hard i would try to teach my other children. We would sign at home to include everyone, but i feel that deaf people cant avoid the hearing people so they will learn that culture as well. i know this doesnt make much sense. I just know how important it is to feel included and i would feel horrible to keep them in the hearing world and not much contact to with the deaf culture.
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