camerachick26

I met with my counselor today to discuss options with college and such. I want to go to Gallaudet for teaching and specializing with deaf students. My counselor said that sign language isn't really "in style" anymore and nobody uses sign language. She even said that she doesn't see a point in learning sign language when deaf students lip read nowadays. Is this true? I thought that deaf students were taught in sign language?

Deafness

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Frisky Feline

I still use my interpreter. It is still useful. TELL COUNSelor " you are DEAD WRONG! (i am trying to be nice). OK ASL is alive for a long long long long time.

LoveBlue

Sign language is NOT going out of style. Your counselor doesn't know what she's talking about.

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Severe-to-profound hearing loss in both ears.
SD @ 100db L-88% / R-96% - unaided
Phonak Naida IX UPs

Reba

Your counselor is waaaaaay off base. ASL is not "going out of style." If anything, more schools are teaching it.

Contact Gallaudet directly for more information. Your counselor is clueless.

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Frisky Feline

i suggest you to try to socialize with Deaf people and you will decide if you want to continue by learning ASL.. So good luck!

LoveBlue

Delaware now allows ASL to be taken as a "foreign" language in high schools. Unfortunately, UDel does not yet accept it as a "foreign" language (for incoming freshmen). Don't know how many schools actually are teaching it because it was just in the last year or two that it was allowed.

__________________
Severe-to-profound hearing loss in both ears.
SD @ 100db L-88% / R-96% - unaided
Phonak Naida IX UPs

Tousi

Maybe your counselor said that to save State money by having you "further your education" locally?

Jiro

is it possible that you may have misunderstood her? or maybe she misspoke?

It's a possibility that your counselor may be saying that in this time and state of economy, it's not a good idea to pursue in what you're interested in because jobs are scarce and pay rate is terrible.

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Anij

Wirelessly posted (Blackberry Bold )

It sounds like the counseler is just very ignorant regarding not only Deaf Education, but also ASL.

Honeslty I'd contact Gally ans as if they can send some information to your school conselor directly as well as to yourself.

Everything I've seen indicated that ASL usage is actually on the rise.

Many people don't realise that while CIs have made huge advances in the last 10years, they are also only suitable for a small percentage of those who are Hoh or deaf (less than 10%) - and even then CIs don't "cure" deafness.

ASL will continue to be alive and well for at least as long as anyone who is alive currently lives.

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Hoh/Deaf ~ +120db deaf right , mild/mod flux left & APD
English & ASL ...PAH!!


Ignorance is NOT Bliss

camerachick26

Are jobs still scare when you hit the highly populated deaf areas?

camerachick26

Also, I don't really know that my counselor understands the situation. I'm one of three HOH students in my high school (out of 800 students). A school just down the road from mine is starting an ASL program in the fall, so I know that schools are starting to teach it as a foreign language now. I was sure that ASL usage wasn't decreasing, but I just wanted to be sure. I thought it was kinda weird that she thought people just lip read. Glad she thinks so, because there is no way I could depend on lip reading...

Tousi

Well, since you seem to be getting confirmation of stuff, etc, what do you now suppose is the real motive of your counselor?

TXgolfer

The counselor is wrong. Obviously. ASL is widely used.

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Ps 109:8 let his days be few,and let another take his office -KJV-

MintyOreo

Hmm. This reminds me of eariler this year, when my school counselor told me that I can't go to nursing school, because I'm deaf. (At that time, I wanted to be either an RN or an occupational therapist. Now I really want to be an OT.) I just rolled my eyes at her e-mail, and I went on the internet, found a bunch of stuff about Deaf professionals, including Deaf doctors, and e-mailed the links to the counselor.

THAT shut her up.

My point is, if you want to be able to get anywhere with your counselor, you're going to need to find LOTS of information that proves that ASL is NOT going out. In fact, all I see is ASL gaining more popularity - not going out. If I were you, I'd contact Gallaudet yourself, and get some more information information about your chosen major.

Your counselor is pretty inept in this area - trying to convince you that deaf students lip-read instead of sign, PFFT. I'd skip her and try to get information yourself if I were you.

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“The past does not have to be your prison. You have a voice in your destiny. You have a say in your life. You have a choice in the path you take.” ~ Max Lucado

“Knowing that we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest of people.” ~ Fred Rogers

“Even though you may not understand how God works, you know he does.” ~ Max Lucado

TXgolfer

I might add that high school counselors Have a pretty tough job and MANY people fall through the cracks.....not just deaf students. It is great that you questioned this enough to seek answers. I tell kids I come across to email colleges for these types of answers rather than relying on the high school counselor.

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Ps 109:8 let his days be few,and let another take his office -KJV-

camerachick26

What do you mean? The motive of my counselor?

CSign

At first I thought this was an old thread, as the story is eerily similar to one posted within the last year.

You have a goofy counselor. I wouldn't waste your time with them
Anymore. Hopefully there is another counselor for you to talk to.
TXgolfer's idea was good too...

Tousi

The REAL reason why your counselor told you that is what I mean. Uneducated?
Other reasons? I suggest you contact or go into the offices of your local Vocational Rehabilitation agency. How big is your city? What State are you in?

camerachick26

I don't know. I think that she is uneducated. She mentioned that she worked with deaf kids like 20 years ago, and none of them used sign language.

I live in Michigan, USA. My city isn't terribly big and not a lot of deaf people around that I know.

Tousi

I see....ok, well, it would behoove you to find "Vocational Rehabilitation" which is a State agency; maybe in your city, maybe not but it would be worth your while, I am pretty sure. If you get hooked up with a VR counselor, you may get much of your Gallaudet University education paid for, depending on a number of things too complicated to go into here but....get ahold of a VR counselor ASAP......don't wait as these things take time. Best wishes.....

Reba

Deaf Education - College of Education - Michigan State University

Reba

Undergraduate Programs | Department of Special Education | College of Education | Eastern Michigan University - Education First

deafdyke

And in addition, the performance of CIs varies hugely. Just as with hearing aids!
ASL is not going out of style. It's just that overall little kids no longer have severe spoken language issues. Like it may be rare for a kid to start out learning ASL, from the get go. HOH kids benifit strongly from ASL. There are still many kids in oral programs who actually NEED the specialized programming offered. I think a lot of those kids will disocver ASL as a second language and then BOOM!

CrazyPaul

ASL is fading away? IMPOSSIBLE!

riobravo

Your counselor is an idiot.

Tousi

Hey, let's not sugar-coat this, ok?

Moondancer

tell your counselor she is DEAD WRONG!!!

authentic

When you see your counselor again, tell her to see her supervisor to pick up a pink-slip. She probably doesn't know what pink slip is all about and went for it.

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stephaniep21

High school guidance counselors seem to be perpetually stupid....

Babyblue

Wirelessly posted

That is like saying English is going out of style.