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ok..
Parents sue to keep SD School for the Deaf open
- Thread starter Kalista
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ok..
I know my post may be going off track here, but I'd like to share my story about going to the Deaf School.
I've had hearing lost since birth, and had hearing aids in both ears since I was 3 years old. I've gone to pre school, and into the public school system.. I've been held back into kindergarten twice since I was having a hard time. I managed to get going on things after that until about 4th grade. Everythign was getting to be hard for me in lot of classes.. I did have a special Ed Teacher who worked with me much as she could. She did do a good job but I was "left out" since it was just me most of the time. The school did have an FM system for me to hear the teacher, but trying to hear the kid in the back was hard..
In 6th grade, my math teacher suggested I'd look into the deaf school. ( thinik he had a family member or someone go there) He felt that would be the best thing for me.. He saw how hard it was for me, and my social skills was very low with my peers.
I mention this to my parents, and my mom was freaking out about me "moving away from home", but felt it may be for the best. After meetings, tours, and I was off to MSD (Minnesota School for the Deaf, now Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf MSAD).
I did not know ASL other than the basic ABC's, they had ASL class for me, so I learned ASL in a short time, and started to get along with my classmates very well, it was great to know what's going on around you in the class room settings.. I was not feeling left out, missing what others has said or what they said when they asked questions.
Dorm life was great! I loved every minute of it.. We were all like brothers (I'm the only child) and yes, there were days that we didn't get along, but EVERYONE has those days. The staffs were great, and there were some who were really gong all out to be like Mom's or Dad's to us.
I went home almost every weekend the first year of school, then after the 2nd year, I went home every other weekend, and my parents were happy to see that I was happy. I was active in sports, students council and many other things.
After being at MSAD, I wished I've started earlier there, and I am very proud of that school.
19 years later, I still support that school, and I go back once a month to join the PTHAA meeting and If we ever have a child who is deaf or HOH, I will be happy to place him/her to the best school.
So, it's sad to see other states are closing down these deaf schools, and I feel really bad for the child who are forced to go back to this small town public school who has no same peer of deafness/hoh
I've had hearing lost since birth, and had hearing aids in both ears since I was 3 years old. I've gone to pre school, and into the public school system.. I've been held back into kindergarten twice since I was having a hard time. I managed to get going on things after that until about 4th grade. Everythign was getting to be hard for me in lot of classes.. I did have a special Ed Teacher who worked with me much as she could. She did do a good job but I was "left out" since it was just me most of the time. The school did have an FM system for me to hear the teacher, but trying to hear the kid in the back was hard..
In 6th grade, my math teacher suggested I'd look into the deaf school. ( thinik he had a family member or someone go there) He felt that would be the best thing for me.. He saw how hard it was for me, and my social skills was very low with my peers.
I mention this to my parents, and my mom was freaking out about me "moving away from home", but felt it may be for the best. After meetings, tours, and I was off to MSD (Minnesota School for the Deaf, now Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf MSAD).
I did not know ASL other than the basic ABC's, they had ASL class for me, so I learned ASL in a short time, and started to get along with my classmates very well, it was great to know what's going on around you in the class room settings.. I was not feeling left out, missing what others has said or what they said when they asked questions.
Dorm life was great! I loved every minute of it.. We were all like brothers (I'm the only child) and yes, there were days that we didn't get along, but EVERYONE has those days. The staffs were great, and there were some who were really gong all out to be like Mom's or Dad's to us.
I went home almost every weekend the first year of school, then after the 2nd year, I went home every other weekend, and my parents were happy to see that I was happy. I was active in sports, students council and many other things.
After being at MSAD, I wished I've started earlier there, and I am very proud of that school.
19 years later, I still support that school, and I go back once a month to join the PTHAA meeting and If we ever have a child who is deaf or HOH, I will be happy to place him/her to the best school.
So, it's sad to see other states are closing down these deaf schools, and I feel really bad for the child who are forced to go back to this small town public school who has no same peer of deafness/hoh
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Ditto here.
I wish the medical community and more parents would read stories like these and stop with trying to assimilate deaf children into the hearing world 24/7 without exposure to ASL or deaf peers.
Tousi
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Shel, you were right the first time. LEA's who give up on "uneducable" deaf students is when they don't mind sending them to the deaf school with a 10% price tag. This is why I think many schools for the deaf are just above warehouse standards. We need to get those students to the deaf schools when they are much, much younger.
Yeah, that's the one thing that bugs me is the medical community.. I know two person who had something like this.
-One of them who has been deaf all her life, and is very happy with her life, and has a wonderful family. The Dr. said she should get a CI... She wasn't even at the dr office for her hearing.. She said "No thanks, all is well with me!"
-A friend of ours who was going to adopt a 1 year boy who was deaf. They came to me asking questions and what not.. But something changed on the birth mother side, and she kept the boy. About a year or so later, something changed and they were able to adopt the boy.. When they went to pick up the boy, he had a CI done! From what they gather was the Dr. said the child must have a CI done to live a normal life. (WHAT!?) They were upset in a way to see this done to a child who had no say if he wanted it done or not.
YES exactly. I have to say that I think that Deaf AND Blind students need to start out at Deaf Schools/ formal (sizable) dhh/blind/lowvision programs) and THEN gradually transistion to the mainstream.
The thing is.............SO many of the kids who are doing well in the mainstream are the overachiever types who would have done really well no MATTER what their academic placement was. That doesn't negate the fact that the majority of kids are basicly just paddling around in the mainstream.
And Mayguy...I envy you a LOT! I wish someone had told my parents about Deaf School and ASL as an option. I have absolutly ZERO connection to my high school/school system b/c it was so fucking SNOTTY! ANd yes....you're away from your parents, but on the other hand.......its easier then ever to keep in touch now (aim and facebook) and you DID see them on weekends.
What about sexual abuse at mainstream school? Or at special day schools? That does happen too you know. At one mainstream school the abuse got so bad that I had to leave and go to another school.
Socially things were better there as there were other deaf kids.
Academically, not so good as it operated an oral only system which meant teachers expected the PHU to solve everything and not bother to write on the blackboard like they did at the school I went to before.
They also did everything they could to try and split us up into our year groups, but we still hung together during dinner breaks and waiting for our taxis to go home. The bullying was not quite so bad as it was at the school I went to before.
Thanks for sharing.
Sexual abuse happens in families and at day schools too. Personally I find that to be a weak argument.
I think Deaf schools can be good at helping Deaf/Hh students realize their potential. It can be really isolating to be the only Deaf/HH around. At the same time if someone goes to a Deaf school their whole school career, they may not learn how to live among hearing people, or understand the larger hearing culture having only been exposed to Deaf culture.
I know students at Deaf schools have exposure to hearing culture. Of course it's not that black and white. I have just heard so many stories of Deaf people feeling left out and isolated among hearing family and friends and dreaming of going back to their Deaf world. There's something to be said about being mainstreamed and developing the social skills needed for that situation that happens over and over again: being the only Deaf/HH person in the room.
Bebonang
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That is very true about being isolation and feeling left out from hearing family and friends. Deaf people would rather be in a Deaf communities than in the hearing communities. The hearing Audists can not force us to be in the hearing world except if we have to work in the hearing environment for jobs. I was not alone as I had 8 deaf students when we were in mainstream schools (both elementary and high school). There were no sign language allowed and no special accommodations like ASL interpreters and notetakers back then. After graduation, we were pretty much comfortable being in a Deaf communities as it is our Deaf world. I can understand how you feel being an only deaf students among all the hearing population of students. You need to be in a Deaf peers and Deaf environment too. I feel for you.
That is very true about being isolation and feeling left out from hearing family and friends. Deaf people would rather be in a Deaf communities than in the hearing communities. The hearing Audists can not force us to be in the hearing world except if we have to work in the hearing environment for jobs. I was not alone as I had 8 deaf students when we were in mainstream schools (both elementary and high school). There were no sign language allowed and no special accommodations like ASL interpreters and notetakers back then. After graduation, we were pretty much comfortable being in a Deaf communities as it is our Deaf world. I can understand how you feel being an only deaf students among all the hearing population of students. You need to be in a Deaf peers and Deaf environment too. I feel for you.
I don't understand why a school would admit Deaf students and then not provide terps and notetakers. I know, A. G. Bell oral philosophy, but it still makes no sense to me! :roll:
Where I live it's hard to find Deaf people cause there isn't a big Deaf community. The Deaf school in my state is really far from here. So far I have found one Deaf person 20 minutes drive from here (through the Internet
) and one hearing person who signs. Also I'm worried about being left out of the Deaf community as Deafblind person. What if they won't have the energy to tactile sign what's going on visually or what other people are saying? 
Lighthouse77
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sexually abused occur more in the family than anywhere else. Just about every sexual abused I heard... it is usually from a uncle, cousin, father, etc.
Very rarely, in schools and churches, although it does happen everywhere. Even in nursing homes. Which why I've always felt we should hire MORE people (the chances of these people being caught will be higher, and chances of people trying to abuse will be lower)
Shel is right, being the only deaf in school is isolating. I'm severe HOH since birth (totally deaf without my hearing aids.. it about 80 db range in both ears) , and I've attended to mainstreamed from prek to 12th grade. They will put you to LD class, they did with me... well, just LD English class. All my other subjects are mainstreamed regular classes . They kept me in LD English class from 7th to 10th grade. Then they pulled me out and send me to a regular English class with the others so I could have a regular dipolma, which I did. They did the same thing with the other students (hearing students) as well. They made sure I take studyhall with them so they can check my work (again, same thing with the other students who are hearing), but I have a feel that these classes had lower standard for me so they let me pass anyway.
They provided me very little accommodations (no terps or anything. I never learned ASL anyway) . I think because they wanted me to keep practicing my listening skills in my other subjects. I'm sorry but making sure I have good listening skills should never usurp to make sure I'm learning math, science, history, etc. that's just not right. heck, colleges are better at providing accommodations than high schools.
some kids feel it is unfair that a deaf can get a copy of the teacher notes and they have to write it. So he have to write it down on the projector or board (smart board these days) and yet, I think it is unfair that I have to look down alot to write when I should be looking up to read his lips.
but anyway, it is isolating.... no one really want to deal with a deaf person. Too much effort in their part.
Lighthouse77
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I disagree with it too, in fact after you went to school with hearing people, then you graduate, you no longer around hearing peers. In fact, you are more isolated than ever. It get harder and harder to make new friends (hearing friends, that is). Jobs are not that great either because they all expect you to have telephone skills. Again, you are forced to take an isolating job.
I stayed home with my family. My mom have 5 kids , we share rooms... with all that, I still feel isolated because my siblings don't take the time to communicate. They get frustrated with me instead.
jillio
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I don't think that occurs because of a lack of social skills in kids attending Deaf schools, but more just a personal comfort level and preference. Studies have shown that kids attending Deaf schools have greater psycho-social adjustment and better social skills than those who are isolated in the mainstream.