ladybug

Im an Interpreter currently going to school to improve my skills. One of my assignments is to study the differences between going to a residential school and being mainstreamed.

I would aprreciate any personal experiences and opinions about either residental schools or mainstreaming. In Salt Lake City there are very few (i think only one) residential schools and so i dont have much experience with them.

Unfortunately i have worked in the K-12 setting and so i know a little more about how unsuccessful mainstreaming can be.

Deafness

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ladybug

so far i have noticed that mainstreaming is motsly unsuccessful in relation to residential schooling. Even though they say that putting a deaf child in a mainstreamed classromm is more beneficial academically, many students dont get the language skills needed to be an accomplished student in the first place.

In my research, ive noted that even though academically speaking residential school arent the same as mainstream schools, students tend to excell faster and be happier more well rounded individuals. Is this true?

angelstar819

is your question geared towards only those that use sign language as their primary mode of communication or not?

if not, i'll share you my own experiences..so i was raised oral and for the first six years of my life, i went to an oral deaf school where they taught me to listen and speak..and from kindergarden to third grade, i was mainstreamed in the mornings and then returned to my oral deaf school for therapy and such in the afternoon..then fourth grade and thereafter, i returned to my neighborhood school where i was fully mainstreamed..

in my opinion, i honestly believe that mainstreaming results in more success in terms of your education compared to residential schools..when mainstreamed, you're in a class with hearing kids, and you perform up to your peers..whereas in residential schools, the deaf students there are usually slow and very behind, especially since the average high school graduate deaf student only reads up to third/fourth grade level..and the only college they can attend after graduating from their residential school is gallaudet or community college..n the remaining go to the work force..very few actually go on to 4 year colleges..

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"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."

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ladybug

RE: is your question geared towards only those that use sign language as their primary mode of communication or not?

THis question is for anyone who wants to answer it. I am really interested in all aspects of Deaf education and all opinions are welcomed. Your responce was exactly what im looking for! THank you!

I have alwayse heard that academically students are behind in the residential schools, but the social benefits are far worth it. Of course this has mostly been the opinion of my teachers and research papers ive read.

ladybug

RE: is your question geared towards only those that use sign language as their primary mode of communication or not?

THis question is for anyone who wants to answer it. I am really interested in all aspects of Deaf education and all opinions are welcomed. Your responce was exactly what im looking for! THank you!

I have alwayse heard that academically students are behind in the residential schools, but the social benefits are far worth it. Of course this has mostly been the opinion of my teachers and research papers ive read.

robbielyn

It seems to me if you have hearing fluent ASL teachers and the curriculum involves heavy english and speech therapy along with ASL as the main language, then deaf should do just as well as mainstreamed hearing kids. There must be something wrong with the philosophies of those in charge of residential schools. These schools should cater to deaf and their culture but should fully equip them for the hearing world at the same time. Deaf doesn't mean stupid. My deaf friend switched to mainstream because her intellectual capacity far outweighed the education she was getting at st augustine and she was born deaf. She doesn't mind deaf culture at all but she felt strongly she was being held back. That is truly sad. Because I believe deaf should have their own schools for the comraderie and also focused attention on how to teach them in a way they can learn which is different than hearing schools. One may have a hearing disability but that doesnt mean they act in a disabled way. They can be just as successful as a hearing person given the appropriate skills to live in the hearing world while at the same time maintaining their beautiful deaf culture. I am so sorry to all you deafies out there for the way hearing people treat you. It is due to ignorance and fear to say the least but if they would take a decent interest in the deaf culture, they would see they have all kinds of misperceptions of the deaf. They would instead embrace the deaf world as it is so beautiful. Parents have really got to stop looking at their deaf child as disabled and look at them as normal kids with a different way of learning and communicating. I am hearing and I am so not embarassed to sign. I think it is so beautiful to sign. It is the only language that is manual and not verbal how cool is that? I love deaf culture and I embrace it wholeheartedly. Robbielyn

jillio

I'm confused. What do you mean by "mainstreaming their deaf culture"? (Oh, just a small correction: it's Deaf culture. Small d is used for medical designation of deafness, D is used to designate cultural definition.) Anyway, to my way of framing the issue, the very act of mainstreaming inherently dilutes and invalidates the culture. Mainstreaming is just another euphism for assimilation.