Originally Posted by shel90

One other ADer stated that because we lived such unhappy lives being mainstreamed, it doesnt mean that others lived unhappy lives as well.

However, all I can see is the influx of deaf newcomers to AD who have such eearily similiar experiences with mainstreaming as I did.

That says a LOT...

Those hearing parents just keep trying to ignore that. Whatever.

Originally Posted by DeafRaptor

Thanks deafdyke. It is very comforting knowing that, while I may have had bad experiences (that I wouldn't wish on anyone) because of how people reacted to my deafness, (even though I thought so at one time) I am not alone.

One other thing I wanted to mention. Even letting go of the frustration that mainstreaming brought me, what really frustrates me was that I was mainstreamed at a small religious elementary and high school (my graduating class in high school had 12 people and 2 of those were my sister and me). It was a small school that had never had a deaf or hoh student in its entire history and as far as I know hasn't had one since and did not have any teachers who had been trained/educated in educating children with deafness or even special ed in general, but the school was somehow going to provide me what I needed to learn. All I got was hearing aids and an occasional interruption during class for speech therapy. Even though I was at a small school with a larger teacher to student ratio than most schools, I never had any individual help/instruction from the teachers. What were they seriously thinking? Were they praying that I would learn the same as the other students and relying solely on a miracle from God rather than on the knowledge and skills God gave them and the rest of mankind so we can better ourselves (ie knowledge and skills that formed the language of ASL, deaf Ed, anything else, etc)?

One other thing that I am curious about. I was able to read and study enough to do well in school, but I feel like I only retained some of the most basic of knowledge and not all of that (I still don't know left from right). It felt like I couldn't hold onto any of that knowledge past that semester (I had reached the capacity of my memory or something). Whatever was needed for the next course was basically taught again, so it was hard to know for sure. Has anyone else experienced this, do hearing people that are paying attention in school and in a proper setting retain more of this knowledge, or am I only thinking that I should know/remember more than I do?

Originally Posted by moggy

Is it any different/ better in mainstream schools today for deaf/hoh children???

.

Originally Posted by moggy

Is it any different/ better in mainstream schools today for deaf/hoh children???

I was talking to someone earlier this evening about my experience and my parents ignorance at my deafness. Now we are talking 60's and 70's here. She reminded me that they did not have the professional services for people with disabilities like ours in those days and they were brought up by Victorian era parents too our parents. They may have been ignorant but there was also no help for them either to educate themeselves, society also is to blame and as my mother put it so eloquently "disability is a dirty word". (To acknowledge that something is wrong with your child.) So therfore is was better to be seen to be normal and brought up oral and mainstream school than the other way by families.

I do not know if i have worded this right but this was the best i could do.

Originally Posted by Babyblue

I went to mainstream school, and I am not traumatized by it. I later went to a Deaf school in high school.

It is what shaped me what I am today.

I did miss out on some things in mainstream school, but I am not traumatized by it.

Originally Posted by VacationGuy234

I went to mainstream school and I can tell you it was rough, but you get a lot out of it that helps you in life, certainly wouldn't dismiss it.

I think you have to gauge the person being put through it, I went to school with a kid that had severe seeing issues, he was almost blind. I wouldn't have sent him to mainstream school because I think it was more harm than good. I'm sure the emotional scares haven't healed yet for him.

I think the solution is hybrid, some mainstream and some deaf school.

The problem with mainstream is it is usually not all mainstream. It's usually part SPED classes and part mainstream. Because of this, you get stigmatized my the mainstream students. In my case, my junior high SPED classes were so good that when I got to high school the special classes there were too low for me so I was total mainstream by that point.

Yes, no question, you can get damaged from it and it takes a long time to heal, but, in the end, the goal is to help you succeed in life. I don't think you'll get that through just one school. You can learn it later, but it is harder at that point.

I'd like life to be one big freakin fairy tale, but that's not reality.

Originally Posted by VacationGuy234

I think you have to gauge the person being put through it, I went to school with a kid that had severe seeing issues, he was almost blind. I wouldn't have sent him to mainstream school because I think it was more harm than good. I'm sure the emotional scares haven't healed yet for him.

.

Originally Posted by deafdyke

Actually did you know that blind schools have a very high percentage of multihandicapped kids? There are a handful of just blind kids (especially at Overbrooke School for the Blind, Florida School for the Deaf and Blind and Texas School for the Blind) but damn......blind and low vision kids are even more solotaire mainstreamed then dhh kids are!

Originally Posted by shel90

One other ADer stated that because we lived such unhappy lives being mainstreamed, it doesnt mean that others lived unhappy lives as well.

However, all I can see is the influx of deaf newcomers to AD who have such eearily similiar experiences with mainstreaming as I did.

That says a LOT...

Those parents just keep trying to ignore that. Whatever.

Originally Posted by deafskeptic

You're one of the fortunate ones.

Originally Posted by deafbajagal

I hear the stories from students as well. Heartbreaking. And they all ring the same bell...so many different people from all walks of life, sharing one common experience of being stuck in a foreign world.

Originally Posted by deafbajagal

I know I've mentioned this several times across this board, but of all of my horrible life experiences (trust me, I've had some traumatic events in my life) - being mainstreamed has caused the most damage. I'm dealing with it, with grace, but it still affects me even today. I do not understand how some parents simply discount that experience by telling me that not all kids have my kind of experience...when it is so obvious that a large number of deaf people do.

Originally Posted by dotcomkari

I was mainstreamed all my life. I have mixed feelings on it. I wish I had learned sign language, and I was not raised oral. I do love my friends I made in a "regular " school.. and I love having equal chances as everyone else.. I was very invovled in drama club, in newspaper, in color guard.. on the swim team. And I was on the honor roll and such.
I was raised completly oral though.. and I struggled. .. it was not an easy journey at all.. and I hate my parents for that. I always had to sit in the front of the class.. struggle to keep up. Taking notes was a night mare. I always felt like I was falling behind. A lot of teachers did not understand.. nor took the time to understand.
My hearing loss went from ok to BAD in high school and it was a hard time for me.. and it seemed like no one around me understood.
My parents were not very understanding at all.. and well.. it was not a happy mix. I was very depressed to say the least.

if I could go back and do it over again..
I would choose.. both mainstream and deaf school mix.. so I could be part of both worlds? I love being oral, don't get me wrong. Most people don't even know I am DEAF, till I tell them, I speak quite good.. and I love that for work.. and for being out with my family. But I wish I could sign.. wish I had more deaf friends.. wish that I could have gotten more help in school and had poeple who understood my feelings and needs more.

Originally Posted by serendipity8719

I agree that social development in younger years is important, but it's never too late to get involved in it at a later age..no matter how painfully shy you are or socially awkward. I am both of those things....I like to think of it as being "late bloomers". As lame as that sounds, it is true. But think of being mainstreamed and going to Gallaudet as a great experience--getting the best of both worlds.

Originally Posted by shel90

That is what many of us believe in. Giving every deaf child exposure to BOTH.


ENOUGH with the oralism only philosophy! It needs to be banned. Seriously.

Originally Posted by serendipity8719

I went through the same thing you did as well as my best friend. We were both the only deaf in the entire county that went to high end mainstreamed schools--both of us had a variety of communication bridges. She had an interpreter whereas I, like you, was so embarassed by my Deafness I chose to not have any support but my own hearing aids.
Again, like you, I went off to Gallaudet and I found my identity there and all of my best friends are from there. I don't believe mainstreaming ruined our lives, we basically got the best of both worlds. its never too late to develop ourselves--i'm in the process of developing myself right now, with my hearing loss, and well...it's a part of life.

I agree that social development in younger years is important, but it's never too late to get involved in it at a later age..no matter how painfully shy you are or socially awkward. I am both of those things....I like to think of it as being "late bloomers". As lame as that sounds, it is true. But think of being mainstreamed and going to Gallaudet as a great experience--getting the best of both worlds.

Originally Posted by Jiro

My life wasn't ruined by mainstream schools. I was in mainstream schools all my life. I've had good times. Teachers were great. My childhood life was pretty good.

Bad Part? I felt left out or felt like a third wheel even though I was involved in many activities and friend gatherings because I don't know what they were saying. I can't keep up.

Few years ago - I learned ASL and met many deaf people. Could not believe how much I was missing out in group social conversations. Now I know what people are really talking about and my life just got more interesting

Originally Posted by shel90

for some deaf people it become too late...


they get involved with drugs, prostituation, alcoholism, anexoria/blumina, and get themselves into abusive relationships and get killed before they get involved at a later age.

Nope, accepting that deaf people are "late bloomers" at the sake of oralism or mainstreaming shoud NEVER be accepted.

Originally Posted by sheila022

Ditto!!! That makes two of us (although I changed a lot more schools than you). I didn't have horrible mainstreaming experience and I was already way ahead of my peers academically in middle and high school. But as for my social life....yeah, it's okay, but could be better. But hey, my social life now pretty much exploded left and right since I left high school. ^_^

I had very good, caring special education/deaf teachers in elementary school who oversaw my language + academic development, and they were the ones who also helped me to start reading a lot of books in first grade. I guess I was very lucky to have those teachers.

Originally Posted by deafdyke

Yes, but weren't you a minimal accomondations kid? You prolly would have done well orally and mainstreamed even in the 40's or 50's or 60's. And yet you also mention severe social issues....damn that really says something!