No interpreters for school system.

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iowaboy

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This is a large part of why we chose CI for our daughter. She needs every communication avenue that we can provide for her. This story hits close to home...

Full text: Is anybody listening?

Excerpts:

Kaufman said she was told by director of Special Services LuAnn Glaser there are no interpreters in the area.

"We advertised for interpreters, and I have made phone calls to different places," she said. "I have not been able to find people within a 90-mile radius who have their interpreter license. We have not had anyone contact us when we advertised because licensed interpreters are not out there."

"I don't feel that's my problem," Kaufman said. "That's her (problem). I told her I'd be willing to have a temporary interpreter with Jaycob, or I would plan to have one in the future, but I still got shot down. All they keep saying is Jaycob's main communication is going to be through speaking, and in all honesty, Jaycob's main way of communication is going to be through the way Jaycob feels comfortable speaking."

Kaufman said her goal is to get Jaycob an interpreter to help the learning process.

Glaser agreed there is a shortage of licensed interpreters in the area, but added the school district has been trying to look for one.
 
English voice is the most popular lang in America (almost every American that you would see day to day basics). But not everyday you would see a signer.
 
It's so sad when the child cannot get the resources it needs. The child is paying a terrible price.
When the only effective way to communicate is a visual language then society should step up and provide that. Often this is not the case. Reason for this is either lack of resources or lack of money.. or both..

Here in Norway it is relatively well organised with laws saying that every deaf person has the right to get his/her education in signlanguage.. But, in the middle of nowhere... there are no facilities, or no people to support the deaf person. In a town of 1000 people, it will be difficult to find a person that can be a rolemodel regarding sign-language..

For us, there were facilities and teachers available, but still, the setup is minimal. The community small, and still at a considerable distance from home...
Protecting a child from miles of traveling to school, friends far away from home is sometimes enough reason to choose CI..

Still. this was not a factor for us to choose CI for our daughter. That was purely based on the fact that all her immediate family is hearing and speaking Dutch, the society she lives in is hearing and speaking Norwegian, and in order for her to have to best possibilities to fully communicate, being able to hear was the way to go..
 
Great article!
Glaser also said the school district has fewer than 10 students who are hearing impaired; 700 students receive special education services.
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Again a downside that a lot of pro mainstreamers don't reconize is that most sped isn't experianced with dhh students.
I like how the mentioned the Deaf School as an option. I think Deaf School should be an option for EVERY and any dhh kid. They may not need it, but they should be able to opt for it.
 
Cloggy said:
It's so sad when the child cannot get the resources Here in Norway it is relatively well organised with laws saying that every deaf person has the right to get his/her education in signlanguage.. But, in the middle of nowhere... there are no facilities, or no people to support the deaf person. In a town of 1000 people, it will be difficult to find a person that can be a rolemodel regarding sign-language..

For us, there were facilities and teachers available, but still, the setup is minimal. The community small, and still at a considerable distance from home...
Protecting a child from miles of traveling to school, friends far away from home is sometimes enough reason to choose CI..

Still. this was not a factor for us to choose CI for our daughter. That was purely based on the fact that all her immediate family is hearing and speaking Dutch, the society she lives in is hearing and speaking Norwegian, and in order for her to have to best possibilities to fully communicate, being able to hear was the way to go..
Click to expand...
On the other hand, that assumes that CIs and hearing aids give 100% access to the hearing world. They don't. They give hard of hearing style hearing. There are still lots of kids who while they can hear and talk, still need to use 'terps in group situtions for example.
 
iowaboy said:
This is a large part of why we chose CI for our daughter. She needs every communication avenue that we can provide for her. This story hits close to home...

Full text: Is anybody listening?

Excerpts:

Kaufman said she was told by director of Special Services LuAnn Glaser there are no interpreters in the area.

"We advertised for interpreters, and I have made phone calls to different places," she said. "I have not been able to find people within a 90-mile radius who have their interpreter license. We have not had anyone contact us when we advertised because licensed interpreters are not out there."

"I don't feel that's my problem," Kaufman said. "That's her (problem). I told her I'd be willing to have a temporary interpreter with Jaycob, or I would plan to have one in the future, but I still got shot down. All they keep saying is Jaycob's main communication is going to be through speaking, and in all honesty, Jaycob's main way of communication is going to be through the way Jaycob feels comfortable speaking."

Kaufman said her goal is to get Jaycob an interpreter to help the learning process.

Glaser agreed there is a shortage of licensed interpreters in the area, but added the school district has been trying to look for one.
Click to expand...

Many children with CIs cant function without terps. What to do?
 
CI isn't going to help a deaf person accurately understand hearing people 100% while sign language is much more efficient way to communicate in classroom, at home or work (with deaf/hearing people who use sign language.
 
sequoias said:
CI isn't going to help a deaf person accurately understand hearing people 100% while sign language is much more efficient way to communicate in classroom, at home or work (with deaf/hearing people who use sign language.
Click to expand...

Sign language may be an efficient way... but my kid would be the only one in the school who could use it because of the lack of not only peers, but interpreters.

As far as the deaf school in Iowa, it is 280 miles away. I know people who put their 10 year old on a bus every Sunday night and send him off to school not to see him again until Friday night. That is no life for my kid.
 
iowaboy said:
Sign language may be an efficient way... but my kid would be the only one in the school who could use it because of the lack of not only peers, but interpreters.

As far as the deaf school in Iowa, it is 280 miles away. I know people who put their 10 year old on a bus every Sunday night and send him off to school not to see him again until Friday night. That is no life for my kid.
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With Lotte it would be "Lack of peers."
.. and 280 miles from home... for 5 days... terrible.
 
Cloggy said:
It's so sad when the child cannot get the resources it needs. The child is paying a terrible price.
When the only effective way to communicate is a visual language then society should step up and provide that. Often this is not the case. Reason for this is either lack of resources or lack of money.. or both..

Here in Norway it is relatively well organised with laws saying that every deaf person has the right to get his/her education in signlanguage.. But, in the middle of nowhere... there are no facilities, or no people to support the deaf person. In a town of 1000 people, it will be difficult to find a person that can be a rolemodel regarding sign-language..

For us, there were facilities and teachers available, but still, the setup is minimal. The community small, and still at a considerable distance from home...
Protecting a child from miles of traveling to school, friends far away from home is sometimes enough reason to choose CI..

Still. this was not a factor for us to choose CI for our daughter. That was purely based on the fact that all her immediate family is hearing and speaking Dutch, the society she lives in is hearing and speaking Norwegian, and in order for her to have to best possibilities to fully communicate, being able to hear was the way to go..
Click to expand...

Completely understood.

when Lotte gets older, what happens then? Can she still catch up and be on par with her CI alone?

(no I'm not gonna beat my drum and scream for sign language :lol: but I'm just curious to what other possibilities that may be available later on)
 
This isn't an uncommon predicament though, sadly. I'm an oralist, so I didn't learn sign language, and on my college campus, because I don't sign, my difficulty understanding spoken language isn't "actively visible". I walked into the student services office and asked for either an oral interpreter or a CART system and was denied both because: "my grades were too good and therefore I couldn't possibly be deaf".

Now, my college is a private one, so they can make up the rules as they go along, but in this article, and if I were that parent, and the school was public, I'd press the issue and threaten a lawsuit, because, well, what that school is doing is illegal.
 
mpinsky said:
This isn't an uncommon predicament though, sadly. I'm an oralist, so I didn't learn sign language, and on my college campus, because I don't sign, my difficulty understanding spoken language isn't "actively visible". I walked into the student services office and asked for either an oral interpreter or a CART system and was denied both because: "my grades were too good and therefore I couldn't possibly be deaf".

Now, my college is a private one, so they can make up the rules as they go along, but in this article, and if I were that parent, and the school was public, I'd press the issue and threaten a lawsuit, because, well, what that school is doing is illegal.
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it does not matter if the school is private or public - what they did is illegal and they're in violation of several federal laws.
 
True, but a private school is harder to get in a position with funding and it's much more of a hassle to file a lawsuit with because the laws aren't always clear cut, plus they can easily discriminate on your admission (hence, why I didn't press the issue with mine—I just silently suffered in my class with claw marks down my face from the frustration). A public school has no admission, hence it's easier to pursue a lawsuit with them.
 
mpinsky said:
true, but a private school is harder to get in a position with funding and it's much more of a hassle to file a lawsuit with because the laws aren't always clear cut, plus they can easily discriminate on your admission (hence, why i didn't press the issue with mine—i just silently suffered in my class with claw marks down my face from the frustration). A public school has no admission, hence it's easier to pursue a lawsuit with them.
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o_o
 
A public college has no admission???
 
mpinsky said:
Now, my college is a private one, so they can make up the rules as they go along, but in this article, and if I were that parent, and the school was public, I'd press the issue and threaten a lawsuit, because, well, what that school is doing is illegal.
Click to expand...

Interestingly, the hospital in our town has not had an ASL interpreter available for 8 years, because they say there just aren't any to be had. But then again they tell us it has never come up, and they never used the terp they had way back when.

Kind of makes me want to go back to school...
 
Public colleges do have admission, but because they're state-operated...well, see above. Private is usually operated in conjunction with a church or board members. I'm not saying it's not possible to get what you want with a private school/college, but it's much, much more difficult.

A public primary/secondary school doesn't have admission. Sorry for not making that clear earlier.
 
mpinsky said:
Public colleges do have admission, but because they're state-operated...well, see above. Private is usually operated in conjunction with a church or board members. I'm not saying it's not possible to get what you want with a private school/college, but it's much, much more difficult.
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yes it is difficult and you have to go thru hell and back to get it but it is illegal to deny you of service simply because they think you don't need it since your grades are good enough.
 
mpinsky said:
Public colleges do have admission, but because they're state-operated...well, see above. Private is usually operated in conjunction with a church or board members. I'm not saying it's not possible to get what you want with a private school/college, but it's much, much more difficult.

A public primary/secondary school doesn't have admission. Sorry for not making that clear earlier.
Click to expand...
Just being a private college doesn't exempt it from the ADA. If it's private AND strictly a religious school, then it could be exempt.

Public (state) colleges have board members also.

I thought you were posting about your college.
 
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