If you're deciding on a CI or decided not to get one

jillio said:
Not the same situation in the States. Unless it is specifically requested by the parent, the student, or a member of the IEP team, the student does not have to be present. Sad, isn't it? All these decision being made about the student's future without input from the one it affects the most.
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I have always been going to PPT and IEP meetings since I was in 7th grade. I have a PPT meeting next week that I will be attending too.
 
jillio said:
Not the same situation in the States. Unless it is specifically requested by the parent, the student, or a member of the IEP team, the student does not have to be present. Sad, isn't it? All these decision being made about the student's future without input from the one it affects the most.
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It is sad and wrong
 
RonJaxon's post #197. Makes a lot of sense from a person's actual experience in trying to learn ASL WITHOUT a lot backup practice. Had similar observation way back in 1997 re trying to learn intro ASL. Almost 10 years before becoming Bilaterally deaf.

Is that the reason why so many late deafen persons DON'T LEARN ASL? Somewhere I have read the rate is only 25-30% doing so. Does having a Cochlear Implant have anything to do with this situation?

Implanted Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07
 
drphil said:
RonJaxon's post #197. Makes a lot of sense from a person's actual experience in trying to learn ASL WITHOUT a lot backup practice. Had similar observation way back in 1997 re trying to learn intro ASL. Almost 10 years before becoming Bilaterally deaf.

Is that the reason why so many late deafen persons DON'T LEARN ASL? Somewhere I have read the rate is only 25-30% doing so. Does having a Cochlear Implant have anything to do with this situation?
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What percentage of late-deafened have CIs?
 
drphil said:
RonJaxon's post #197. Makes a lot of sense from a person's actual experience in trying to learn ASL WITHOUT a lot backup practice. Had similar observation way back in 1997 re trying to learn intro ASL. Almost 10 years before becoming Bilaterally deaf.
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Did you invite family members or friends to learn ASL with you...knowing that you were going to be deaf in the near future?

Did you attempt to find others who knew ASL (I would guess your teacher would have provided resources for you)?

My daughter is taking ASL with me. Had I taken it when I first started wearing HAs (which I did consider doing), I would have had my husband and both daughters take the class with me.

Last night our instructor invited us to the school's Spirit Day which is today. Don't know if I'll make it after work or not since the evening activities are basketball games and I'm not "into" basketball.
 
I really don't think a CI really has anything to do with ASL or no ASL. For some it's simply a matter of what's accessible to them.

I found out I was HOH in about the fourth grade. A lip reading teacher was sent to my school and I took lessons in it one our a day (I loved it, got to leave class. LOL). AS some of you may know, the lessons where basically just practice sessions (They speak without sound and I try to repeat). Because I got hearing aids during this time the lip reading was basically just something that would hopefully be helpful at times (Which it was).

So over the next decade or so my hearing continued to decrease. I'd have to get new hearing aids every few years when the ones I had weren't strong enough. In a way I was lucky because HA technology made many advances during he time my hearing was decreasing.

By my teens it was evident that at this rate I would eventually be deaf. But, I already had my social life. None of my friends where deaf, I grew up hearing, hearing limitations but I could hear. It just slowly got harder and harder to hear voices, phone calls and music. But, it didn't happen over night. The people in my life went through it with me knowing that I had hearing "Limitations". So they knew I couldn't hear when I wasn't looking, they knew how to speak to me. It wasn't like "My friend, sibling, son, etc.. is now deaf and I need to learn ASL. We just dealt with it day by day.

During this time I learned ASL as much as I could from books and the few deaf people I knew that I only saw from time to time when we'd happen to be in the same place. Just acquaintances I'd bump into when out and about.On my business cards I had the ASL alphabet on the back of them and gave them to everyone I knew (IT was great to see them practice with each other with my card in their hand by the way. A real conversation piece). So the people I saw on a day to day basis mostly knew how to finger spell. Most weren't good at it but they'd struggle with spelling out a key word of what they are saying to me.

I didn't have the time or resources, let alone be able to get them all together at once to learn ASL. Remember, I had no connection to "Deaf culture". I didn't grow up with it. My life was already established as a hearing person. I didn't think about it every day but my issue on it wasn't "I want the world to understand deaf and deaf culture". I knew nothing about that. All I knew was that I use to be able to hear. Now I can't. I've got to learn to live with this. There's a huge difference between "Being deaf" and "loosing your hearing". I lost something I once had. I knew what it was like and what I was missing. So it creates a totally different POV on the issue. It's the old "Don't know what you got until its gone". But to those born deaf or grew up deaf it's more about, "Why would I miss what I've never had".

So I think this is more of the reason more late deaf don't become fluent in ASL. It's not our primary focus. Solutions to the obstacles the loss of our hearing is our focus. In that case ASL isn't always a feasible option. It's been proven that learning a new language is harder for adults then a young child. Kids pick it up very quickly. But adults are already wired for their language. Since I was in my late teens and early 20's when I became deaf. Most of the people in my life where my own age or older.

A perfect example is one of my best friends. I mean I was even in his wedding. He took ASL classes in college and became pretty good at it. But since he got married we don't hang out all that much anymore. Just life changes is all, we're still great friends. But we hung out a few months ago and he had a hard time remembering how to sign.

So again, any language is basically useless if only one person in a conversation knows the language. I do think it's great that they are teaching it to kids in school more these days though. That might boost it so that more of the population at least knows a little of the basics like finger spelling.

Ron Jaxon
 
LoveBlue: No idea of the number of late deafens who can use a Cochlear Implant. Given the huge increase over the last 20? years.

I have mentioned this before: I knew I would eventually become bilaterally deaf in 1992. That was the year I lost all hearing in right ear. That is why I tried to learn ASL back then. I didn't invite either of my sons to learn ASL- they weren't living with me-(married in the 30s) Neither teacher suggested your idea. Being widowed for the last 15 years eliminates the other possibility.

I had every reason to believe I would be "suitable for an Implant" from multiple classes/discussions at Cdn Hearing Society/Toronto- which in fact was correct. Also given that situation -why learn ASL? An Implant would 'give back hearing" which I had before. Which did happened.
I had assembled a lot of information on Cochlear Implants before the actual date of December 20, 2006-becoming bilaterally deaf. I triggered the process which led to the operation July 12, 2007.

Implanted Advanced Bionics Harmony activated Aug/07
 
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drphil said:
LoveBlue: No idea of the number of late deafens who can use a Cochlear Implant. Given the huge increase over the last 20? years.
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So why bring up CI in your post...I'm sure the number of late-deafened w/o CIs is much higher than the number w/CIs. So CIs would have not significant bearing on whether late-deafened would learn ASL or not.

I have mentioned this before: I knew I would eventually become bilaterally deaf in 1992. That was the year I lost all hearing in right ear. That is why I tried to learn ASL back then. I didn't invite either of my sons to learn ASL- they weren't living with me-(married in the 30s) Neither teacher suggested your idea. Being widowed for the last 15 years eliminates the other possibility.
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So you didn't try to find people to use ASL with. I have no problem with that. But don't use "no one to practice with" as an excuse because you didn't make the effort.
And yes, we've heard your story over and over and over.....
 
Love Blue:If you heard my story before-why ask? I didn't know any person PERSONALLY AND STILL DON'T within the social context of my life that knew/knows ASL.
Why is it important that I personally know ASL? Any more than learning another language-say Chinese, Spanish whatever IF I UNABLE TO USE in any social setting?

That is the import of what Ron Jaxon keyed above.

As to whether you personally agree with my situation-again why is it your concern? Amazing: I took 3 separate ASL classes BEFORE ARRIVING AT THE CONCLUSION -THE UTTER FUTILITY. Again my choice! i DIDN'T ASK ANYONE HERE whether they approved-should I? Check the date I joined aLLDEAF.COM.

Is another instance of "deaf respect"?

Implanted Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07
 
drphil said:
Love Blue:If you heard my story before-why ask? I didn't know any person PERSONALLY AND STILL DON'T within the social context of my life that knew/knows ASL.
Why is it important that I personally know ASL? Any more than learning another language-say Chinese, Spanish whatever IF I UNABLE TO USE in any social setting?

That is the import of what Ron Jaxon keyed above.

As to whether you personally agree with my situation-again why is it your concern? Amazing: I took 3 separate ASL classes BEFORE ARRIVING AT THE CONCLUSION -THE UTTER FUTILITY. Again my choice! i DIDN'T ASK ANYONE HERE whether they approved-should I? Check the date I joined aLLDEAF.COM.

Is another instance of "deaf respect"?
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I didn't ask for your story. Just asked if you had made any attempt to find people to converse with in ASL. Why bother taking the class if you knew you wouldn't have anyone to talk to. Just like, why take Chinese if you don't have anyone to converse in Chinese with?

It's not important for you to know ASL. It is imporatant that you don't bring up ASL (and your futile attempts at it) whenever someone suggests to others to that ASL would be beneficial.

I don't care what you do...that's why I'm tired of reading your stories, hearing about your "real" work - deaf swimming - whatever that may be, etc.

Why don't you stick to posting about what you DO know about...YOUR CI expereince....but not all the nitty details.
 
LoveBlue said:
I didn't ask for your story. Just asked if you had made any attempt to find people to converse with in ASL. Why bother taking the class if you knew you wouldn't have anyone to talk to. Just like, why take Chinese if you don't have anyone to converse in Chinese with?

It's not important for you to know ASL. It is imporatant that you don't bring up ASL (and your futile attempts at it) whenever someone suggests to others to that ASL would be beneficial.

I don't care what you do...that's why I'm tired of reading your stories, hearing about your "real" work - deaf swimming - whatever that may be, etc.

Why don't you stick to posting about what you DO know about...YOUR CI expereince....but not all the nitty details.
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You can opt to ignore someone -- either using the 'ignore' function available or just by skipping posts from a person who irritates you, whose information you've heard one time too many, or whose mind you doubt you can change. While reading DrPhil's posts may trouble you, there are others on this forum who find that he provides just another deaf perspective, one as valid as any other, and at times more entertaining than many others.

You may not realize it, LoveBlue, but you've asked him direct questions with nearly every post and then chastised him for answering each question you've posed to him.
 
GrendelQ said:
You can opt to ignore someone -- either using the 'ignore' function available or just by skipping posts from a person who irritates you, whose information you've heard one time too many, or whose mind you doubt you can change. While reading DrPhil's posts may trouble you, there are others on this forum who find that he provides just another deaf perspective, one as valid as any other, and at times more entertaining than many others.

You may not realize it, LoveBlue, but you've asked him direct questions with nearly every post and then chastised him for answering each question you've posed to him.
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You can opt to ignore someone -- either using the ignore function or skipping the posts......

You may not realize it, Grendel, you've been following too much posts. ;)
 
posts from hell said:
You can opt to ignore someone -- either using the ignore function or skipping the posts......

You may not realize it, Grendel, you've been following too much posts. ;)
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:) I love all posts equally. :hmm: Not really, but I try...
 
GrendelQ said:
You can opt to ignore someone -- either using the 'ignore' function available or just by skipping posts from a person who irritates you, whose information you've heard one time too many, or whose mind you doubt you can change. While reading DrPhil's posts may trouble you, there are others on this forum who find that he provides just another deaf perspective, one as valid as any other, and at times more entertaining than many others.

You may not realize it, LoveBlue, but you've asked him direct questions with nearly every post and then chastised him for answering each question you've posed to him.
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Go Grendel! Dr. Phil forever!!
 
Remember, I had no connection to "Deaf culture". I didn't grow up with it. My life was already established as a hearing person. I didn't think about it every day but my issue on it wasn't "I want the world to understand deaf and deaf culture". I knew nothing about that. All I knew was that I use to be able to hear. Now I can't. I've got to learn to live with this. There's a huge difference between "Being deaf" and "loosing your hearing". I lost something I once had. I knew what it was like and what I was missing. So it creates a totally different POV on the issue. It's the old "Don't know what you got until its gone". But to those born deaf or grew up deaf it's more about, "Why would I miss what I've never had".

So I think this is more of the reason more late deaf don't become fluent in ASL. It's not our primary focus. Solutions to the obstacles the loss of our hearing is our focus. In that case ASL isn't always a feasible option. It's been proven that learning a new language is harder for adults then a young child.
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Ron, agreed. I do think that's the difference between a postlingal kid and a prelingal kid. Some postlingal kids might benifit from being put in a school that has decent dhh programming. Every kid is different, and every school is different in what sped accomondations and options they offer. ANd yes....late deafened people do have more of a focus on Hearing Health 101.
 
jillio said:
This young man seriously needs to learn how to advocate for his own needs. But he has to know what those needs are and how they can best be met first.
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Remmy that many of us who grew up orally never learned to advocate for ourselves.
 
bbaseballboy123 said:
I have always been going to PPT and IEP meetings since I was in 7th grade. I have a PPT meeting next week that I will be attending too.
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Like I said in the post you responded to: "unless it is requested..." I always insist that students attend the IEP meetings. But that doesn't make it the norm.
 
shel90 said:
Remmy that many of us who grew up orally never learned to advocate for ourselves.
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True. Which is why high schools need to include transition services. I see kids coming from the mainstream all the time that have no idea what to request, what is available, or even that they have to request services. Most think that all they need to do is register with disability services, and the accommodations will automatically be provided just as they were in high school according to the IEP. College students don't fall under an IEP, but they have never been taught that. It really is a shame how many kids have no idea how to advocate for themselves. And the mainstream is supposed to empower them to get along in a hearing world! Riiiight.:roll:
 
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