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I have been mainstreamed all my life until graduated. I've had some good memories and also bad memories.
Being an oralist was the most hardest part, however in my case not alot of teachers realized there's a deaf student in the classroom, sometimes they intend to forget. the teacher turned her/his back and talked then I couldn't read the teacher's lips. There are times I've also may tried figured out which word the teacher had said. I would fall behind on school work because I spend so much time focus on the lip-reading than writing. I've felt that I wasn't getting the equal education as those other hearing students. those hearing students who can listen with their ears, I would have to listen with my eyes. It's not the same.
I personally prefer the choice of both (sign and speech) When I got into high school I was mainsteamed in Total Communication, those years have been the best years of my life. I was understood for the first time ever, I eventually had the time to write because I would be caught up with the interpter's signs better I didn't even miss a lot of information than I did with the teachers I had back when I was mainstreamed in oral program. I found this method more effective for me. I wish I had Total Communication from the start, but it did not happen that way.
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