AllDeaf.com - View Single Post - Mainstreamed deaf people do you remember your childhood that well?

Grummer · 02-05-2008, 07:42 PM

Hi All, thanks for some bumping and sharing its great. Hmmm, well, ok some childhood memories said to be good, but i wanted something abit more substantial to point out at just how difficult has it been. I mean like, if we all keep saying our mainstreamed childhood wasnt so bad, and yet 'we against mainstream' we would be weakening the arguement - this is what i want us to avoid. Put formal education aside, yes it is a struggle, what about the personal, social side of life, the nitty gritty bit that is supposed to be about inclusion as a person (and personhood in growth?)
What about the real impact on social learning, the alienation? (deaf kids experience it alot on a daily basis but because the environment, (family, teachers, even some 'kind' classmates all contribute to deny the existence of the alienation. I think most of us had been powerless for a long time, perhaps so much that we dont even know that we were.

Some of you might think I am suggesting we're been indoctrinated to be 'normal' even felt normal, until say which a turning point might be when you were 17 or 21 years old, or even 30! to 'finally' noticed you were truely dont fit in the hearing world (nor even the deaf world, as part of the side effects, or directs effects from deafism, even audism). I trying to hope to extract some fresh comments, for instance I very much like the choice of words such as Deafskeptic's 'endless thread mill' and would like some elaboration on that. Buffulo said it was a feeling, yes indeed, lets spell out our real feelings, and trying not to be harsh here, I really really appreciated anyfeedbacks, better than none at all. Saying mainstream wasnt so bad doesnt help out causes (even if it was true), and perhap some of us might have own ideas of how mainstreaming might be reconstructed, these suggestions are welcome too, just though all im saying try avoid to unwittingly condone what the hearing people systems did to us. Accounts of experiences are are not exactly what I'm hoping for, but description and some hard reckoning.

Once again though, thanks !!!

02-05-2008, 07:42 PM	#9 (permalink)
Grummer Burn fat off your soul Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: North Island in the South Posts: 1,042	Hi All, thanks for some bumping and sharing its great. Hmmm, well, ok some childhood memories said to be good, but i wanted something abit more substantial to point out at just how difficult has it been. I mean like, if we all keep saying our mainstreamed childhood wasnt so bad, and yet 'we against mainstream' we would be weakening the arguement - this is what i want us to avoid. Put formal education aside, yes it is a struggle, what about the personal, social side of life, the nitty gritty bit that is supposed to be about inclusion as a person (and personhood in growth?) What about the real impact on social learning, the alienation? (deaf kids experience it alot on a daily basis but because the environment, (family, teachers, even some 'kind' classmates all contribute to deny the existence of the alienation. I think most of us had been powerless for a long time, perhaps so much that we dont even know that we were. Some of you might think I am suggesting we're been indoctrinated to be 'normal' even felt normal, until say which a turning point might be when you were 17 or 21 years old, or even 30! to 'finally' noticed you were truely dont fit in the hearing world (nor even the deaf world, as part of the side effects, or directs effects from deafism, even audism). I trying to hope to extract some fresh comments, for instance I very much like the choice of words such as Deafskeptic's 'endless thread mill' and would like some elaboration on that. Buffulo said it was a feeling, yes indeed, lets spell out our real feelings, and trying not to be harsh here, I really really appreciated anyfeedbacks, better than none at all. Saying mainstream wasnt so bad doesnt help out causes (even if it was true), and perhap some of us might have own ideas of how mainstreaming might be reconstructed, these suggestions are welcome too, just though all im saying try avoid to unwittingly condone what the hearing people systems did to us. Accounts of experiences are are not exactly what I'm hoping for, but description and some hard reckoning. Once again though, thanks !!!