My Daughter's Story About Why I Decided to Keep Sign Language?

B

beesmom

New Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
As most of you are aware, doctors and medical professionals are urging parents to drop sign language all together when they are going to receive a cochlear implant. I didn't let these professionals influence my decision and stuck with my decision to keep sign language. She is currently in middle school and I feel that the sign language has helped her tremendously. Read the full story here: Why I Choose Not to Drop Sign Language for My Daughter Who Has a Cochlear Implant.
 
You know, I predict that ASL is going to be the Deaf community's Braille. Braille hasn't been popular for quite awhile. They pushed technology, meaning Books on Tape and large print and other non Braille education solutions. My friend Kevin even went to Perkins School for the Blind, and NEVER got to learn Braille. Guess what they found out? Those who are Braille literate are employed at a higher rate then those who use Books on Tape or whatever.....There's a push for Braille literacy through the Blind Schools now, but most people who attend Blind Schools are mentally handicapped...there's very few "just blind" kids.....and unfortunatly not a lot of "sight saving" (blind/low vision version of dhh program) programs. Blind/low vision kids are REALLY mainstreamed now :(
Bet you in five or ten years they'll be simliar findings with ASL. And I totally applaud you!!!!!
 
Rachel Coleman of Signing Time wrote a similar piece. Here's a quote from her article:
I have found that one of the BIGGEST misconceptions still floating around when it comes to choices in deafness is in thinking that sign language and cochlear implants are mutually exclusive. They are not. Actually it is our family’s experience that Leah’s success with her cochlear implant was because she was already fluent in American Sign Language* when she got her implant AND because we have continued to sign with her. We never stopped signing. (*She was also already fluent in written English by that time)
Click to expand...
and
The fear of signing is ridiculous and thinking that a child will not talk because they first signed is as preposterous as saying, “don’t let your child crawl or they will never learn to walk.” Babies crawl before they walk and they sign before they talk. If your child has the ability to deliver a spoken language, they will acquire that skill whether or not you sign with them. If they happen to have a speech delay or a disability that gets in the way of speaking, then thank heavens you are signing with them and giving them a way to be understood. If your child’s speech is delayed, it is not the signing that delays speech… it is something else entirely, because communication doesn’t delay communication.
Click to expand...

link: Rachel Coleman » Blog Archive » My Two Cents: Cochlear Implants
 
Back
Top