Buffalo

Then I proposed that they change from State School for the Deaf to National School for the Deaf. Let's keep American School for the Deaf in Hartford out of our respect to Laurent Clerc. Maybe a second one in the west so the kids don't have to fly so far to get to the school.

I just hate to see deaf kids suffer education-wise when they are mainstreamed, especially if they don't get a good interpreter/tutor.

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shel90

There are probably no interpreters in the rural areas. The more I think about it, the more I think no deaf schools should close.

I dont think having one deaf school for each side of the country would work because who is going to send their kids to another state just to go to a deaf school?

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faire_jour

This is not my experience at all. I found that the local schools want to send the kids to the Deaf school, and if the parents want otherwise, they generally have to give up having an IEP at all.

Maybe it is just this way were I live.

faire_jour

The point people are missing is that kids aren't going to Deaf schools, because parents don't want them to. The parents don't want their kids to attend the school for many reasons:

1. They don't want to send them to live in dorms, or on a bus for hours and hours everyday starting at age 3.
2. Deaf schools often do not have a good trach record educationally. Often the test scores are much lower than typical schools.
3. Founded or unfounded, parents worry about abuse.
4. 95% of parents want their children to learn to listen and speak. They may want sign as well, but the fact remains that almost all parents want their children to learn to use spoken language fluently. Bi-Bi schools NEVER say that they will make sure a child can do that. They say "Maybe they can, maybe they can't, that isn't what matters to us." And parents don't want to accept that.

flip

It's interesting to see the similarity between the systems in US and countries in europe. This happens in europe, too. Public schools and counties want to keep the money themselves. The sad part is that it's those children who pay the bill in a stressing learning and shitty social environment.

Laws, we need laws. Those children needs to be better protected from "informed choices" and cost effective administrators that do not know anything about deaf people.

flip

That can happen, especially if the deaf child is taking too much resources(classic case of deaf school used as waste dump) or parents demand so much the school realize it's getting too expensive. But it's a trend public schools in the western world try rely on the CI and take the money themselves.

shel90

I guess the west coast policies seem very different from the east coast policies. I will ask my friends who live on the west coast about how things work over there.

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shel90

#1...I can understand.

#2...why do u think that is? Most kids come from the mainstreamed programs so far behind so they get sent to Deaf schools as a last resort. I am a teacher, not a magican but I do try my best to get the kids caught up.

#3. I can understand but it happens at public schools too. Teacher sex scandals, anyone?

4. Learn to listen and speak..HMMM... Is it about meeting the parents' needs or the childrens' needs?

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Cheri

I don't, not because it's a deaf school, I mean any residential or boarding schools. I can't imagine being away from my boys and only see them weekends and holidays.

I'm sure deaf children are getting the better education at a deaf school than they would at a public school, but it really depends on which schools. I know all deaf schools aren't so bad either are public schools.

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shel90

That I can fully understand.

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dreama

What's wrong with residentual schooling?

I think people idolize the family unit.

Some parents argue all the time and it's not a healthy atmosphere for the kids, or they let the kids run wild, or abuse them.
Or in the case of the deaf they just haven't a clue how to talk to the kids in their language.

With some kids, being away from it all is just what they need.

I wish I had gone to a residentual deaf school.

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shel90

I couldnt part with my kids and only see them on weekends BUT I do agree with you there. There are many deaf children who go home to homes where they dont have a sense of belonging. Too many that I know of...

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deafdyke

dreama....ditto.........I think people overidealize the family unit. What about kids from really bad ghettos or really poor families or families that are dysfunctional? Heck.......specialized schools can be a refuge from REALLY horrible generic "Stepford Wives" style schools.
Maybe a good idea might be to offer cheap/subsidized rent or deals on houses in the area for families who have dhh or blind/low vision kids.

shel90

It is a great idea but the problem is what if the parents have good jobs where they live and dont want to commute 3 hours each way? There are just too many factors but it would be nice to have that option available. The schools could start a partnership with the local companies and housing units. However, the problem is that the schools are under the state (or most of them anyway) and usually mountains of red tape would be needed before that happens. Unfortunately politics always have to play a role in many decisions the administrators at the deaf schools make. Sometimes, the designed purpose can get lost through all the mess. So frustrating sometimes.

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Cheri

What about sexual abuse at a residential school? Is that a healthy atmosphere for the kids? There were many allegations of sexual abuse where former students had experienced sexual and physical abuse while at residential school, just because many of those allegations happened so long ago doesn't mean it won't happen again.

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deafdyke

Sigh.....Under that logic, they should have closed my mainstream jr high due to sexual abuse by the gym teacher.
Thing is, what YOU don't understand is that, back then sexual abuse was considered quite (relatively) common. They didn't have the safety mechanicisms set in to prevent it. Now they do.

shel90

The usual stereotyping...it never ends. If deaf schools are so terrible cuz of sexual abuse then fine, public schools are terrible too. I should keep my children away from public schools as well!

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Cheri

Did I say deaf school? I sure did not. From the get and go I said any residential and boarding schools... Read my first post before you try to twisted my post the other way around.

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shel90

Where did I say that you said deaf schools? I was talking in general whenever people out there say stuff like that about deaf schools. I was adding on what Deafdyke said because she said they should have closed her mainstream jr high school. Many people out there tend to scream sex abuse whenever they think deaf schools so I was using her logic..if they do that, then I can scream sex abuse whenever I think of public schools. Being sarcastic but honestly, it wasnt directed at you. Hope that clears it up...

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faire_jour

I'm not saying that the reasons are right or wrong, they are just true. If you want parents to send their children to a Deaf school, these are the FACTS about why they aren't. They don't want to hear that their concerns are "wrong", they want to see that the needs they have are getting met, right or wrong.

shel90

ok..

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Mayguy

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

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jillio

Thanks for sharing that wonderful story. It sounds as if you got off to a rocky start in the mainstream, but made up for it once you reached the deaf school.

shel90

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.

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Tousi

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.

Mayguy

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.

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deafdyke

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 ****ing 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.

dreama

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.

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dreama

Thanks for sharing.

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CJB

Sexual abuse happens in families and at day schools too. Personally I find that to be a weak argument.