"Good" Housekeeping - anti-Deaf bias!!!

[Bebonang]

Now the only question I find puzzling is that maybe her daughter has Down's Syndrome if that is what was referring to her daughter's eyes. If her daughter is a slow learner, she can functioned pretty good in the society but hard for her to understand what is going on around her when she could not make out what other said. Sound like her mother is like Annie Sullivan the teacher to Helen Keller. **shaking my head**

 

[ambrosia]

I read this article while I was waiting in line at Walmart tonight. I disagree with everything. First I don't see how you could possibly come to conclusion that they make it sound like there is no choice. She didn't get this as a child she got it as an adult, a married woman with 2 children. She's a biomedical engineer for NASA, she states in the article that she was always glad that the technology of CI was there if she ever needed it, but her hearing aids worked well for her until one of her pregnancies. She had further hearing loss and decided to go ahead and get implanted. The mother certainly didn't sound like a helicopter mom and the woman grew up to marry have children and become a biomedical engineer for freaking NASA for pete sakes, how could anyone think she didn't grow up to be independent. The article did make a point of the mothers decision to mainstream her children, there are 3 of them with hearing loss while the woman the article is about has the most sever loss, anyway it the mothers feelings of the importance of giving her children access to spoken language and not be limited to communication with only deaf people. it also made a point of how much the mother fought for accommodations for her children in school, how that makes her a hoverer and not just a diligent parent I have no idea. Also she didn't take notes for throughout her entire time at college just for a period of time when she didn't have a note taker, apparently they had to fight for that for a bit, and no one knew that she was her mother they were just told that she was the daughters aide. Sheesh, what an awful mom.:roll:

 

[deafdyke]

Also she didn't take notes for throughout her entire time at college just for a period of time when she didn't have a note taker, apparently they had to fight for that for a bit, and no one knew that she was her mother they were just told that she was the daughters aide.

There is something VERY fishy about that.
Notetakers are pretty much deriger (sp?) in virtually ALL college classes for dhh folks. Even LD students very often get notetakers. I'm just wondering if the mom decided that the notetakers weren't good enough, and so decided that if they weren't good enough, SHE would do it......and heck, why the heck couldn't they do a private pay thing or something? That and the fact that they were resistant to Sign, just points to her being a helicopter "MY child will be a high achieveing person, with all the trappings that entails."
I think you most likely are not familiar with helicopter/ the type of parent who DEMANDS high achiever/designer kids.

 

[ambrosia]

There is something VERY fishy about that.
Notetakers are pretty much deriger (sp?) in virtually ALL college classes for dhh folks. Even LD students very often get notetakers. I'm just wondering if the mom decided that the notetakers weren't good enough, and so decided that if they weren't good enough, SHE would do it......and heck, why the heck couldn't they do a private pay thing or something? That and the fact that they were resistant to Sign, just points to her being a helicopter "MY child will be a high achieveing person, with all the trappings that entails."
I think you most likely are not familiar with helicopter/ the type of parent who DEMANDS high achiever/designer kids.

The article didn't get into the why of it, just that there was a period of "a few months" that she didn't have a note taker so she did it herself. The woman was in her 30's, wasn't that the norm back then? Luckily people learn, society learns, but bitching and moaning about stance that was taken 20 years ago doesn't do anyone any good today. The woman was grateful to her mother for fighting for her rights and giving her opportunities she wouldn't have had otherwise. There was nothing in the article to indicate that mother pushed her to hard, she sounded like a very happy woman, mother and wife. I'm having a hard time seeing this article from your viewpoint. I think there is most definitely bias going on......just not sure if it's from the article.

 

[Jolie77]

While I was in the waiting room at my kid's pediatrics earlier today, The magazine was there on the table. I grabbed the chance to read it. After reading it, I can completely understand why the OP was outraged.

One of the excerpt from the article states -

"Shon (Kelly's mother) had decided against focusing on sign language, worried that it would limit her kids to interacting mostly with other deaf children. She wanted them to be mainstreamed, so she chose the "auditory-oral" approach - having them learn how to listen and talk."

Kelly is the main person in the article. She also has 2 other siblings with hearing loss. Kelly's hearing is severe as compared to her siblings. As gifted as she is, working as a biomedical engineer at NASA, the article was focusing on the picture of how Cochlear Implant is a "blessing" to her to be able to hear just about almost everything. Kelly, herself said that at times she has her own frustration on trying to understand everything that's being said. I was a bit taken back when the article said that the C.I. reduces the stress of reading lips. Maybe it helps a bit with the sounds but, you'd still have to read lips, regardless.

With that, it is my perspective that the article failed to recognize Cochlear Implant as a tool in a sense. It did state that C.I. helps with the hearing but it was more like the article percived it as a miraculous thing to have without the recognization of how Kelly was able to acquire the language without these tools.

 

[whatdidyousay!]

I hope you will keep your anger to yourself and not pass it on to your child.
She may be 'perfect' to you now but if she start acting angry like you she may end not having many hearing friends. People will see your child as 'perfect' if she is full of anger. You need to get a hold of yourself.

 

[ambrosia]

While I was in the waiting room at my kid's pediatrics earlier today, The magazine was there on the table. I grabbed the chance to read it. After reading it, I can completely understand why the OP was outraged.

One of the excerpt from the article states -

"Shon (Kelly's mother) had decided against focusing on sign language, worried that it would limit her kids to interacting mostly with other deaf children. She wanted them to be mainstreamed, so she chose the "auditory-oral" approach - having them learn how to listen and talk."

Kelly is the main person in the article. She also has 2 other siblings with hearing loss. Kelly's hearing is severe as compared to her siblings. As gifted as she is, working as a biomedical engineer at NASA, the article was focusing on the picture of how Cochlear Implant is a "blessing" to her to be able to hear just about almost everything. Kelly, herself said that at times she has her own frustration on trying to understand everything that's being said. I was a bit taken back when the article said that the C.I. reduces the stress of reading lips. Maybe it helps a bit with the sounds but, you'd still have to read lips, regardless.

With that, it is my perspective that the article failed to recognize Cochlear Implant as a tool in a sense. It did state that C.I. helps with the hearing but it was more like the article percived it as a miraculous thing to have without the recognization of how Kelly was able to acquire the language without these tools.

I'm not quite following your reasoning in your last sentence. For one thing you already stated that you could understand the OP's anger of over the mother's choice to focus on spoken language, and the article delved quite a bit into the mother's fight to have all the accommodations her children needed to succeed in school. This was all before she was implanted, so I'd have to disagree with your opinion that the article didn't recognize that was able to acquire language with just her hearing aids. She didn't even decide to get the implant until her hearing deteriorated more, to the point wear hearing aids didn't help anymore. I guess it's all how you look at it, if your hearing loss has gotten to the point where hearing aids don't give you access to speech any longer, a CI does indeed seem a bit miraculous if it will. Kind of like getting to the end of the rope and having a life preserver thrown to you

 

[shel90]

While I was in the waiting room at my kid's pediatrics earlier today, The magazine was there on the table. I grabbed the chance to read it. After reading it, I can completely understand why the OP was outraged.

One of the excerpt from the article states -

"Shon (Kelly's mother) had decided against focusing on sign language, worried that it would limit her kids to interacting mostly with other deaf children. She wanted them to be mainstreamed, so she chose the "auditory-oral" approach - having them learn how to listen and talk."

Kelly is the main person in the article. She also has 2 other siblings with hearing loss. Kelly's hearing is severe as compared to her siblings. As gifted as she is, working as a biomedical engineer at NASA, the article was focusing on the picture of how Cochlear Implant is a "blessing" to her to be able to hear just about almost everything. Kelly, herself said that at times she has her own frustration on trying to understand everything that's being said. I was a bit taken back when the article said that the C.I. reduces the stress of reading lips. Maybe it helps a bit with the sounds but, you'd still have to read lips, regardless.

With that, it is my perspective that the article failed to recognize Cochlear Implant as a tool in a sense. It did state that C.I. helps with the hearing but it was more like the article percived it as a miraculous thing to have without the recognization of how Kelly was able to acquire the language without these tools.

What a bitch.

Like deaf people arent good enough for her. Good riddance to her and her audist views.

 

[ambrosia]

What a bitch.

Like deaf people arent good enough for her. Good riddance to her and her audist views.

*sigh* no that's not why. How many deaf people are there vs hearing people? If a person can only communicate with ASL they can only communicate with a very small percentage of people. it's limiting

I'm not saying that her view is correct, that she should have only focused oral communication, it would be better to have both, but the woman made this decision over 30 years ago. I'm only saying this because you view of this woman's motivations are incorrect. Your using your own bias and prejudices to misinterpret her motivations.

 

[shel90]

*sigh* no that's not why. How many deaf people are there vs hearing people? If a person can only communicate with ASL they can only communicate with a very small percentage of people. it's limiting

I'm not saying that her view is correct, that she should have only focused oral communication, it would be better to have both, but the woman made this decision over 30 years ago. I'm only saying this because you view of this woman's motivations are incorrect. Your using your own bias and prejudices to misinterpret her motivations.

I can say whatever I feel. I am tired of people who treat signing deaf people as 2nd class citizens. It is my right to express how I feel. You dont have to like it.

 

[ambrosia]

I can say whatever I feel. I am tired of people who treat signing deaf people as 2nd class citizens. It is my right to express how I feel. You dont have to like it.

You can say whatever you want, that's true, and I didn't say you couldn't. Just because you can say what you want that doesn't make you say right though.

And no I don't have to like, but it's my right to point out your own biased views, and I don't particularly care if you like it or not

 

[KarissaMann05]

You can say whatever you want, that's true, and I didn't say you couldn't. Just because you can say what you want that doesn't make you say right though.

And no I don't have to like, but it's my right to point out your own biased views, and I don't particularly care if you like it or not

Do you realize deaf people could be audists, right? Her opinion is not invalid or valid because you don't like hers, anyway. Your opinion is not "superior" to hers.

You may think speaking is much more important because of the larger percent of speakers... but, that doesn't change the fact of how you think of any sign language simply because the small one. I don't care if you're upset because I stood up to signers. :roll:

 

[shel90]

You can say whatever you want, that's true, and I didn't say you couldn't. Just because you can say what you want that doesn't make you say right though.

And no I don't have to like, but it's my right to point out your own biased views, and I don't particularly care if you like it or not

Fine, if it works for you, then I am happy for you.

It still doesnt change the fact that this woman is audist.

 

[Frisky Feline]

While I was in the waiting room at my kid's pediatrics earlier today, The magazine was there on the table. I grabbed the chance to read it. After reading it, I can completely understand why the OP was outraged.

One of the excerpt from the article states -

"Shon (Kelly's mother) had decided against focusing on sign language, worried that it would limit her kids to interacting mostly with other deaf children. She wanted them to be mainstreamed, so she chose the "auditory-oral" approach - having them learn how to listen and talk."

Kelly is the main person in the article. She also has 2 other siblings with hearing loss. Kelly's hearing is severe as compared to her siblings. As gifted as she is, working as a biomedical engineer at NASA, the article was focusing on the picture of how Cochlear Implant is a "blessing" to her to be able to hear just about almost everything. Kelly, herself said that at times she has her own frustration on trying to understand everything that's being said. I was a bit taken back when the article said that the C.I. reduces the stress of reading lips. Maybe it helps a bit with the sounds but, you'd still have to read lips, regardless.

With that, it is my perspective that the article failed to recognize Cochlear Implant as a tool in a sense. It did state that C.I. helps with the hearing but it was more like the article percived it as a miraculous thing to have without the recognization of how Kelly was able to acquire the language without these tools.

What a bitch.

Like deaf people arent good enough for her. Good riddance to her and her audist views.

I haven't read the magazine. Whatever it is in the case, i agree what the bold sentence as above. *smh*

 

[Lau2046]

Fine, if it works for you, then I am happy for you.

It still doesnt change the fact that this woman is audist.

Why should anyone on this forum even care how a woman chooses to raise her family? Her child, her family, her decision. I don't understand why people get so heated up over an article. She wanted something for her daughter, she saw CI as being a miracle and she wanted to focus on speech to give her all the advantages she could. What is she the only one in the country that wanted this? I consider hearing aids a miracle in my life, including my parents. It's like no one is allowed to read anything and have an independent thought. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion.

Laura

 

[ambrosia]

Why should anyone on this forum even care how a woman chooses to raise her family? Her child, her family, her decision. I don't understand why people get so heated up over an article. She wanted something for her daughter, she saw CI as being a miracle and she wanted to focus on speech to give her all the advantages she could. What is she the only one in the country that wanted this? I consider hearing aids a miracle in my life, including my parents. It's like no one is allowed to read anything and have an independent thought. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion.

Laura

I totally agree.

Thing is though, the woman in the article that got the CI, she didn't get it until she was in her 30's. It was her decision after she lost more hearing during her pregnancy and hearing aids no longer helped her.

The mother in the article certainly took an audist view by deciding against any ASL at all. But from my understanding that was a pretty common view 30 years ago. I'm certainly not approving in that decision.... I just sometimes see people projecting when it comes to the reasons behind a decision like that.

it doesn't make me upset, just because I respond to something doesn't mean I'm worked up. But the hypocrisy of spouting about the is prejudices against deaf people while someone is harboring their own obvious prejudices against hearing people does make me smh a bit.

 

[whatdidyousay!]

I totally agree.

Thing is though, the woman in the article that got the CI, she didn't get it until she was in her 30's. It was her decision after she lost more hearing during her pregnancy and hearing aids no longer helped her.

The mother in the article certainly took an audist view by deciding against any ASL at all. But from my understanding that was a pretty common view 30 years ago. I'm certainly not approving in that decision.... I just sometimes see people projecting when it comes to the reasons behind a decision like that.

it doesn't make me upset, just because I respond to something doesn't mean I'm worked up. But the hypocrisy of spouting about the is prejudices against deaf people while someone is harboring their own obvious prejudices against hearing people does make me smh a bit.

Kids where labeled retarded or mentally ill 60 + years ago when they where HOH or deaf. I was not allowed to play with kids in my neighborhood as the parents thought I was retarded , my older sister told me that kids where telling her that I was a retard. I did not wear two HA until I was in my late 20's or early 30's , it took this long for people in the medical field to realize that we had two ears!

 

[CSign]

I totally agree.

Thing is though, the woman in the article that got the CI, she didn't get it until she was in her 30's. It was her decision after she lost more hearing during her pregnancy and hearing aids no longer helped her.

The mother in the article certainly took an audist view by deciding against any ASL at all. But from my understanding that was a pretty common view 30 years ago. I'm certainly not approving in that decision.... I just sometimes see people projecting when it comes to the reasons behind a decision like that.

it doesn't make me upset, just because I respond to something doesn't mean I'm worked up. But the hypocrisy of spouting about the is prejudices against deaf people while someone is harboring their own obvious prejudices against hearing people does make me smh a bit.

You make very good points Ambrosia. 20-30 years ago it was much more of an either or approach. Either you used sign language, or you took the strictly oral approach. The use of signed and spoken language in conjunction with each other was not as common or acceptable. Fortunately nowadays children are not always limited to one or the other.

 

[shel90]

I haven't read the magazine. Whatever it is in the case, i agree what the bold sentence as above. *smh*

Now, I can understand how the OP feels. It came across as anti-Deaf.

 

[deafdyke]

Kids where labeled retarded or mentally ill 60 + years ago when they where HOH or deaf. I was not allowed to play with kids in my neighborhood as the parents thought I was retarded , my older sister told me that kids where telling her that I was a retard. I did not wear two HA until I was in my late 20's or early 30's , it took this long for people in the medical field to realize that we had two ears!

Did you know that as recently as the '70's kids with mild losses were thought to be retarded?They discovered that a bunch of kids who had been previously dx as MR, were in fact HOH.
But on the other hand 20 years ago, people thought I was MR b/c of the way I spoke. (deaf voice)