It's Not Deaf Genocide, It's Evolution of Deaf Society
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Nesmuth
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Response to my thread
I find the response to be very interesting. Community seems to take a softer than expected tone toward evolution of society and I'm confident we wont be expecting quasi-terrorist actions from the ASL zealots over the CI issue.
Richard Roehm
I find the response to be very interesting. Community seems to take a softer than expected tone toward evolution of society and I'm confident we wont be expecting quasi-terrorist actions from the ASL zealots over the CI issue.
Richard Roehm
"Community seems to take a softer than expected tone toward evolution of society and I'm confident we wont be expecting quasi-terrorist actions from the ASL zealots over the CI issue."
Richard, what do you expect? Many of us are well aware that larger society have somewhat misunderstood views of deaf people or how we want to THROW out CI to preserve our culture. It isn't true. Not at all.
We just want the public to be aware of possible dangers for discouraging their deaf children to learn ASL. (In order to make CI devices work, one must undergo intensive trainings, especially in cases with prelinguistic deaf children.)
I like to consider myself having a black belt in using ASL, but I find it rather unhealthy to uphold militant attitude against the world. It's our job to educate people, not to blame them or work with them instead of against them.
If you honestly want stronger tone, be my guest and if I am right, it's highly likely that you'd receive less support by using that approach.
I like to think of in this way, we as a society are changing for better. Don't speak of us, join us.
Richard, what do you expect? Many of us are well aware that larger society have somewhat misunderstood views of deaf people or how we want to THROW out CI to preserve our culture. It isn't true. Not at all.
We just want the public to be aware of possible dangers for discouraging their deaf children to learn ASL. (In order to make CI devices work, one must undergo intensive trainings, especially in cases with prelinguistic deaf children.)
I like to consider myself having a black belt in using ASL, but I find it rather unhealthy to uphold militant attitude against the world. It's our job to educate people, not to blame them or work with them instead of against them.
If you honestly want stronger tone, be my guest and if I am right, it's highly likely that you'd receive less support by using that approach.
I like to think of in this way, we as a society are changing for better. Don't speak of us, join us.
Exactly!!!!!! I know that many hearing parents aren't nessarily anti-Deaf....they just want their child's first language to be spoken English. Many hearing parents are OK with their orally educated dhh kids learning ASL...there are some yuppie types or some parents who are still wallowing in despair over the fact that their child has a...OH NO...DISABILTY! But overall, many hearing parents who send their kids to oral schools aren't doing so b/c they want their kids to be oral deaf adults or b/c they see Sign as "not normal" but just b/c they want their kids to have English as a first language.
Megladon
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deafdyke said:
I cant argue with that, someday when i have children, i really hope they are born able to hear. If they are not, or become deaf, i would try to teach them spoken english, and they would for sure learn ASL. If spoken english just isnt a possiblity for whatever reason then i wouldnt push it. As far as a CI goes, that would be for me and mrs whomever i marry to decide after we talk about it and research the issue on side affects and other things.
Deaf Society is going thru changes
I am not necessarilly against CI, oral, Deafies or ASL but I am learning and yes, remain ignorant about some of the issues.
In my opinion, I am against putting CI in a young deaf child as I know a few who disgarded CIs when they got older. They are still deaf.
Having gone thru speech therapy and wearing phonic ears for years, I am pleased with the results for myself as they are worth it. I even learned sign language at a young age. My family are supportive.
Understand this, parents want the very best for their deaf children.
When the deaf or hoh children get older, they will make choices as individuals regarding their communication modes, hearing devices or their identities.
That can change over the years.
I was talking to a friend another day and he said that Gallaudet College is struggling to keep losing their federal funding by accpeing students with their reading and writing grade levels like for example, 5th grade, to keep the quota.
Oh goodness. I now wonder what will happen to Gallaudet if this trend continues. The reason why? More and more deaf and hoh are choosing to go to colleges near their home or other states.
We have to face the fact...the dynamics in deaf society are changing so we have to go with the flow. ASL will be still there but on a smaller scale. We don't know how fast that number will shrink. It is sad...but we can preserve ASL somehow.
There will be other choices for us as individuals-our right to communnicate in a way we want to, our right to pick our identity, and to decide what is right even if we think if it is not right.
Even I don't really go on well with oralists. I cannot lipread as I cannot see that well. I don't know if they want to use sign or write. Sigh...It is frustrating.
Change is alway part of our lives so we need to go with the flow.
blue120
I am not necessarilly against CI, oral, Deafies or ASL but I am learning and yes, remain ignorant about some of the issues.
In my opinion, I am against putting CI in a young deaf child as I know a few who disgarded CIs when they got older. They are still deaf.
Having gone thru speech therapy and wearing phonic ears for years, I am pleased with the results for myself as they are worth it. I even learned sign language at a young age. My family are supportive.
Understand this, parents want the very best for their deaf children.
When the deaf or hoh children get older, they will make choices as individuals regarding their communication modes, hearing devices or their identities.
That can change over the years.
I was talking to a friend another day and he said that Gallaudet College is struggling to keep losing their federal funding by accpeing students with their reading and writing grade levels like for example, 5th grade, to keep the quota.
Oh goodness. I now wonder what will happen to Gallaudet if this trend continues. The reason why? More and more deaf and hoh are choosing to go to colleges near their home or other states.
We have to face the fact...the dynamics in deaf society are changing so we have to go with the flow. ASL will be still there but on a smaller scale. We don't know how fast that number will shrink. It is sad...but we can preserve ASL somehow.
There will be other choices for us as individuals-our right to communnicate in a way we want to, our right to pick our identity, and to decide what is right even if we think if it is not right.
Even I don't really go on well with oralists. I cannot lipread as I cannot see that well. I don't know if they want to use sign or write. Sigh...It is frustrating.
Change is alway part of our lives so we need to go with the flow.
blue120
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Hardliners
Sometimes I meet deaf people who want to be "left alone" by the hearing. Yet they want every benefit that comes form tax dollars.
When people say "CI can be paid for" they forget it is tax money from everyone, hearing or deaf that is used.
I don't know if the CI and big business part is true, but I do know that you do not have to hate or mistreat the hearing just to maintain deaf culture, nor do you have to prevent the deaf from hearing.
There is something very unique about growing up D/deaf which I'm sure I may never understand, but I try.
Sometimes, it seems people who are deaf only want to be around other deaf people to avoid communications problems.
However, isolation is not the answer. And isolation will happen for as long as Deaf and Hearing don't try to communicate.
Go teach a hearie ASL today.
Sometimes I meet deaf people who want to be "left alone" by the hearing. Yet they want every benefit that comes form tax dollars.
When people say "CI can be paid for" they forget it is tax money from everyone, hearing or deaf that is used.
I don't know if the CI and big business part is true, but I do know that you do not have to hate or mistreat the hearing just to maintain deaf culture, nor do you have to prevent the deaf from hearing.
There is something very unique about growing up D/deaf which I'm sure I may never understand, but I try.
Sometimes, it seems people who are deaf only want to be around other deaf people to avoid communications problems.
However, isolation is not the answer. And isolation will happen for as long as Deaf and Hearing don't try to communicate.
Go teach a hearie ASL today.
PrincessTabu
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Youens said:
So well said! NOBODY learns from criticism. I understand the frustration that Deaf people feel, because as a parent of a deaf child I too feel frustrated that parents really receive NO information about the Deaf Community or Deaf Culture when their child is diagnosed. Because the Deaf Community is not well known, parents have no idea. They're going by what they're told by professionals who ALSO don't know or don't want to know. So, rather than criticize, I've become active. I advocate, I network, I help, I talk, I listen. I've gotten a lot more positive results than I'd ever get by going on the attack. Sometimes you have to be forceful, but it's always a last resort.
Even with CIs only about 30% of deafies receive an oral education.
That is only about 20% higher then it was when we were young. Oral deaf education has been around for hundreds of years and yet we Deafies are STILL here and living and growing!!!!!
Youens said:
Actually, it's around 24 channels, not over 200 channels that they need to hear normally.
Clarion II has a built in technology that supports 16 direct channels but with special software, can create 31 channels by making intermediate electrodes become virtual channels. It is not known if it will work. CII holds a lot of potential for future software upgrades.
CII HiResolution mapping proved to be superior since it stimulates the nerves extremely fast in a very detailed resolution (thus called HiResolution). The most that an average implantee can recognize simple melody with older implants is 20% which is just a guess but with HiRes, it increased from 20% to 40% so it really shows that there's a lot of potential. By tapping the 31 virtual channels mapping, it may improve their recognition of complex music melody.
I have a prelingually deaf friend who got CII and he didn't do well with the old program for a year. When he got HiRes mapping, he no longer use TTY for the past two years since he can talk on phone fluently and listen to radio. I was stunned but I am EXTREMELY THRILLED FOR HIM! He's an exception, tho.
-jeff
