- Joined
- Jul 20, 2011
- Messages
- 2,689
- Reaction score
- 0
I wanted to post this in another thread but that got locked...
There seems to be some discontent in the way that deaf children are being taught. I want to share my view point and see if others agree with me. I am postlingually deaf and brought up orally. Based on my experience I would have benefited from a natural language (ASL) as my first language. Some might argue that because I am postligually deaf my first language was spoken English. I have no memory of having good hearing or speaking at that time. My earliest memories of communicating "naturally" was with the other deaf kids before and after school. I didn't know it at the time but I was using ASL as naturally as if I was being taught it. I quickly forgot the ASL as I was progressively taught oral only. I was then mainstreamed to help me assimilate better with the hearing world.
I believe that nearly all deaf/Deaf people that learn ASL come to believe that ASL should be the first language every deaf child should learn before learning English. I know I am taking a very DEAF centric attitude, but I cannot discount my experiences and the experience of every deaf person I have every met. Am I off base or in line with what others think/feel here?
There seems to be some discontent in the way that deaf children are being taught. I want to share my view point and see if others agree with me. I am postlingually deaf and brought up orally. Based on my experience I would have benefited from a natural language (ASL) as my first language. Some might argue that because I am postligually deaf my first language was spoken English. I have no memory of having good hearing or speaking at that time. My earliest memories of communicating "naturally" was with the other deaf kids before and after school. I didn't know it at the time but I was using ASL as naturally as if I was being taught it. I quickly forgot the ASL as I was progressively taught oral only. I was then mainstreamed to help me assimilate better with the hearing world.
I believe that nearly all deaf/Deaf people that learn ASL come to believe that ASL should be the first language every deaf child should learn before learning English. I know I am taking a very DEAF centric attitude, but I cannot discount my experiences and the experience of every deaf person I have every met. Am I off base or in line with what others think/feel here?