NC or SC schools for the deaf??

That is great GrendelQ!!! I really wish I were closer to the school now. We try to go once a week to playgroup and there are some great deaf mentors and TOD's who are soooo patient with me and my lack of signing skills. They have been great about letting us visit the prek room (problem is my daughter doesn't ever want to leave.. it's heartwrenching she cries so much) We are trying to have her around ASL and the DS as much as possible. My husband has only been a few times but my oldes daughter and I are there as much as possible. We are planning to attend a family event as a family... all six of us are going and I can't wait. I'm amazed every day with her language and it's been awesome!! As I write this she is watching a DVD of some of the TOD's and Deaf Mentors signing stories. She loves it. I don't doubt that she will be just fine at age 3, I do plan to send her when she is 3. I guess I'll just keep praying that my husband jumps on board at some point without all of the hesitation.
 
I really have to say the only negative experience we have had is a Speech Pathologist who just blatantly told me to stop signing with her..... well I sent a scathing letter to her office and we won't be seeing her again. As a matter of fact, it prompted me to start sitting on parent panels to let professionals know how their bias actions affect families. My signing with my child isn't for her to decide. I was just floored... she just said my child was right on track and she didn't see a need for her to come back until her yearly visit but to stop doing what I was doing. Why would I stop when it is working? I'm super proud of my little gal ,
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Especially when it's a tool that has her thriving!
I wish TODs and speech therapists weren't so negative about hoh kids using ASL! I really don't think a lot of speech therapists understand how effing boring speech can be. Language therapy can be fun (in small doses of course) but why should a dhh kid have to live life as an eternal speech therapy session?
That is so awesome that your daughter wants to be a TOD.......a big part of the reason why I advocate for ASL usage (along with speech therapy) is b/c it can be fun for the whole family, and it can impact the whole family too......I know siblings of ASL using dhh kids who have become TODs, or 'terps or whatever.
 
Update

Update!!!! We did not choose NC or SC. We chose to stay right her in PA. It's been a busy year. I have learned soooo much. Long story short, our daughter who is now 3 years old is a student at WPSD:D She started two weeks ago and I am so happy we fought for it. She is happy and doing wonderful. I was very worried b/c she had started to drop alot of signs over the last year. Now she is right back on track and learned a few new signs as well. It is a good thing I'm still keeping up. I will do even better when I find someone to practice with. I know lots of "words" but conversationally I kinda stink.

So what have I learned... I have learned that just because your child is deaf/hoh does not ensure that they can attend a school for the deaf. Especially if they are not delayed in speech/language. So I fought!!! And I'm happy I did and maybe it will make a difference for the next family who does not choose mainstreaming. Not that I'm opposed and she will probably mainstream at some point but not until I feel she has the ASL skills required to effectively use an interpreter.

One fight down and probably many more to go. I couldn't be more pleased with our choice and look forward to watching her blossom. Hoping now that she is in school I will have more time to explore the forums and learn more.
 
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chastitydi said:
Update!!!! We did not choose NC or SC. We chose to stay right her in PA. It's been a busy year. I have learned soooo much. Long story short, our daughter who is now 3 years old is a student at WPSD:D She started two weeks ago and I am so happy we fought for it. She is happy and doing wonderful. I was very worried b/c she had started to drop alot of signs over the last year. Now she is right back on track and learned a few new signs as well. It is a good thing I'm still keeping up. I will do even better when I find someone to practice with. I know lots of "words" but conversationally I kinda stink.

So what have I learned... I have learned that just because your child is deaf/hoh does not ensure that they can attend a school for the deaf. Especially if they are not delayed in speech/language. So I fought!!! And I'm happy I did and maybe it will make a difference for the next family who does not choose mainstreaming. Not that I'm opposed and she will probably mainstream at some point but not until I feel she has the ASL skills required to effectively use an interpreter.

One fight down and probably many more to go. I couldn't be more pleased with our choice and look forward to watching her blossom. Hoping now that she is in school I will have more time to explore the forums and learn more.
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AWESOME!!!!! SO GLAD that she's got the placement....and I do think that deaf school/programs need to be open to ANY dhh kid, not just those with speech delays. HOH kids deserve to become fluent in ASL too!!! Not to mention that the speech services at Deaf Schools overall, tend to be a lot better then your neighborhood school. If I recall, you stated awhile back that the parents of the HOH kids in your EI group were tending towards WPSD....did a lot of them end up there?
I think a good idea would be to keep her at WSPD for preschool and kindergarten, and maybe even first grade. That way she'll have a solid base for mainstreaming. Do you know if there are regional dhh programs in your area? Those can be awesome for mainstreaming. That way she could take advantage of a hearing school that is familiar with how to educate dhh kids, as well as have a base of "other dhh kids" for peers, and so she won't be the "only" dhh kid in her class.
 
There are two children from the playgroup that were placed also. One other child was not placed. It isn't WPSD not placing them. They are accepted into the program but unless the "home" school district agrees and places them it doesn't happen. As for programs within our schools there are absolutely none here. There is a floating itinerate, no audiologist, no peer group. She is the only child in the county under 5 who is dhh. I had a meeting with the supervisor and stated "why" we felt this was sooo important. I think what she realized was that I had done my homework and wasn't giving up without a fight. It is soooo important for parents to know their children's rights and I also took an advocate with me. I am in the process of looking at school districts closer to Pittsburgh that have mainstream programs. There is also a program that WPSD partners with a private school and I'm very interested in that. We will probably move in the next year. I'm just trying to figure out which school district will work best for her and my 13 and 11 year olds as well. They are use to small town schools and I'm trying to find a good fit for them as well. I will be happy to let her stay at WPSD as long as she wants to. Outside of being a school for the deaf the academic program and technology is stellar! My hearing kids love to visit:) My 13 y/o is very artistic and is making ASL theme artwork for the hallways. She texts me during the day to check on lil' sis to see how she is doing at school, it's soo sweet. On a side note, I have been looking for Mr. Chips aka rharryh. Haven't been able to locate him on any forums. If you run across him anywhere let him know I'm looking to "pick his brain" re: dhh kiddos.
 
Thaat's awesome!!! Also good that you're looking into schools with mainstream programs! Especially if she would have been the only kid in the county who was dhh?!?!? EEEEKKKK. That is a receipe for falling through the cracks! If she had been in your local school, it would have been one of those "fifteen minutues a week" with a TOD sort of set up. I am psyched that you reconize the need for more then something like that.
 
deafdyke said:
Thaat's awesome!!! Also good that you're looking into schools with mainstream programs! Especially if she would have been the only kid in the county who was dhh?!?!? EEEEKKKK. That is a receipe for falling through the cracks! If she had been in your local school, it would have been one of those "fifteen minutues a week" with a TOD sort of set up. I am psyched that you reconize the need for more then something like that.
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Ditto that. In my local school district, which is a VERY small, rural school, there are two dhh students - me, and a girl in the grade below me. (Actually, I think there is one dhh elem. kid, too.) You get NOTHING except preferred seating. If you REALLY push, you MIGHT be able to get a terp, but it's very hard. It's terrible, I'm telling you. I struggled through that all the way through grade school and middle school. In my cyber school, it's better in some ways, but worse in other ways.

I have to go back to the local school district next year. (I'll be a junior in high school next year.) We're currently trying to figure out what we'll do. I MIGHT be able to get a notetaker. We'll see what the school decides. (They are very hard to work with - down right bull-headed!) I'm technicaly a special education student, although I get little or no services and I am placed in "regular" courses. We looked into WPSD, which is where I REALLY want to go, but my parents don't like the idea of me going all the way to Pittsburgh, a two hour drive, for school all week long. Plus, since I don't really have many speech problems, since I've been forced to go through years of speech therapy (*shudders*), they think that I should do just fine at the local school. (Well, I DO have speech problems, actually, but...) We'll see how THAT goes...

Chastitydi, I hope that everything goes well with WPSD, from one PA girl to another :)
 
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:) Deafdyke that is exactly what they were suggesting at the local school district. They said she would at most get 30 min. a week with a hearing support teacher to check her hearing aids and make sure there were no problems in the classroom. My mouth dropped to the floor. They went on to say that she was not delayed and they really didn't see any reason to continue services any more than that. So bottom line... " your child speaks well and seems to function well here at home in her best listening environment, let's throw her in a class of 20-30 kids in an extroardinarily loud classroom with teachers, staff and students who have no ASL and no knowledge of dhh and the education of dhh children." I hope a day comes when the way placement, evaluations and educating our dhh kiddos is done in a way that puts the childs needs first and they stop treating every dhh as though they are all alike. There are such a range of needs and circumstances and they see everything so black and white. Not every solution works for every child.
MintyOreo: My heart aches for you. It's so unfair that because of where you are born or live determines whether or not you get a fair shake with your education. Cyber school is a tricky deal. My oldest(hearing) cyberschooled 10-12th grade and it was wonderful for her educationally. She did however feel a little left out on all the social things that went along with school and senior year. But still agrees that in the end the education was more important. She is very sociable and has tons of friends. It is a tradeoff either wayhearing or dhh. I know the struggle with the distance. I drive my daughter 3 days a week and it's an hour and 15 min. drive one way. It's exhausting and I hope we can move soon. But totally worth it. Its a tough thing and I also think my daughter would do fine (later on) mainstreaming but sometimes it's not about education and services. We as parents also have to take into consideration (especially us hearing parents) it also has a huge emotional, social and cultural effect. That is something mainstreaming in a rural area and I can't provide her with ever. I had the option of putting my daughter in the English (speech), or Sign support English and chose the Sign support. There are staff that don't necessarily agree with that choice but are supporting it. So even in an environment that is as wonderful as WPSD there will be those who don't always agree with each parents approach. The good thing is the Sign Support teacher was very enthusiastic and encouraging with updates on her. We will see how it plays out. I'm not opposed to switching gears when something isn't working but my instincts have brought me this far with her and I'm a pretty attentive parent. Good luck with your Junior year and I wish you the best.
 
Interesting! I am sure WPSD had changed alot. I have not set my foot there since 1986 ad yes I am WPSD alumni and class of 84 graduate as well. I have seen changes though website. My co-worker was also from WPSD, he graduated 2007. He told me a lot changes that I never knew until now. It sounded that they have improved a lot which is good.
 
Diehardbiker, WPSD is becoming a REALLY good Deaf School!

We as parents also have to take into consideration (especially us hearing parents) it also has a huge emotional, social and cultural effect. That is something mainstreaming in a rural area and I can't provide her with ever. I had the option of putting my daughter in the English (speech), or Sign support English and chose the Sign support. There are staff that don't necessarily agree with that choice but are supporting it.
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*sitting here nodding and grinning* You get it!!!! You totally get it! Heck, she wouldn't even have been in an "Easter Seals (whole bunch of different disabilties grouped togehter) style preschool or kindergarten.
One thing that pro mainstreamers and inclusionists do not understand is that even special ed teachers don't always get training in how to teach kids with low incidence disabilties/differences.....and that school isn't just about learning...it's also about things like learning about realtionships and incidental learning. That is not something you can generally get in a mainstream very minimal accomondations classroom at ALL!
So they have an oral class at WPSD? Not too surprising....From what I understand MANY deaf schools are getting oral classes......I think you made the right decision to place her in the sign supported class......she already gets plenty of exposure to spoken language....if she needs more support with spoken language, you can put it in her IEP...now's the time to concentrate on giving her a big base in signed language. She will thank you for that for years to come!
 
They said she would at most get 30 min. a week with a hearing support teacher to check her hearing aids and make sure there were no problems in the classroom. My mouth dropped to the floor. They went on to say that she was not delayed and they really didn't see any reason to continue services any more than that. So bottom line... " your child speaks well and seems to function well here at home in her best listening environment, let's throw her in a class of 20-30 kids in an extroardinarily loud classroom with teachers, staff and students who have no ASL and no knowledge of dhh and the education of dhh children." I hope a day comes when the way placement, evaluations and educating our dhh kiddos is done in a way that puts the childs needs first and they stop treating every dhh as though they are all alike. There are such a range of needs and circumstances and they see everything so black and white. Not every solution works for every child.
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That is horrifing. Yes, she doesn't have spoken language delays, (which is AWESOME. I know even with early intervention HOH kids can still have language issues......and I mean most kids still need more support then a minimal hearing support teacher.....especially as things get harder. Let me guess, you currently live in a school district where they would tell you " Your kid really isn't deaf" or scream and holler over front row seating or a notetaker or moan and groan about the cost of an FM device.
Ah jeez, with school districts like this, no wonder there are still deaf schools out there!
 
deafdyke said:
That is horrifing. Yes, she doesn't have spoken language delays, (which is AWESOME. I know even with early intervention HOH kids can still have language issues......and I mean most kids still need more support then a minimal hearing support teacher.....especially as things get harder. Let me guess, you currently live in a school district where they would tell you " Your kid really isn't deaf" or scream and holler over front row seating or a notetaker or moan and groan about the cost of an FM device.
Ah jeez, with school districts like this, no wonder there are still deaf schools out there!
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Hey, that sounds like MY local school district! They didn't even want to give me front-row seating in elem. school - said it was giving me "an unfair advantage". Yeah, right. :roll: And they wouldn't give me a notetaker in middle school, because they thought that I'd give the notes to other students - again "an unfair advantage". And again, :roll:.

I'm NOT looking forward to going back to that hell-hole next year...
 
MintyOreo said:
Hey, that sounds like MY local school district! They didn't even want to give me front-row seating in elem. school - said it was giving me "an unfair advantage". Yeah, right. :roll: And they wouldn't give me a notetaker in middle school, because they thought that I'd give the notes to other students - again "an unfair advantage". And again, :roll:.

I'm NOT looking forward to going back to that hell-hole next year...
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Are you aware that there are federal laws in place that require school
Districts and educational agencies to make it accessible (i.e. note takers, CART, if you use sign an interpreter, preferential seating, FM system etc)?

You should probably start doing some research so you can advocate for yourself. Educational agencies cannot unilaterally determine supports and services.
 
CSign said:
Are you aware that there are federal laws in place that require school
Districts and educational agencies to make it accessible (i.e. note takers, CART, if you use sign an interpreter, preferential seating, FM system etc)?

You should probably start doing some research so you can advocate for yourself. Educational agencies cannot unilaterally determine supports and services.
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Good point, Csign. MintyOreo, you may want to call an IEP meeting right now, before the summer break, and put appropriate accommodations in your IEP.
 
CSign said:
Are you aware that there are federal laws in place that require school
Districts and educational agencies to make it accessible (i.e. note takers, CART, if you use sign an interpreter, preferential seating, FM system etc)?

You should probably start doing some research so you can advocate for yourself. Educational agencies cannot unilaterally determine supports and services.
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Yes, I know that. :) We are trying to work with the school to figure out a solution. It is a pretty small school (AKA less than 300 students in grades 6-12), and since they don't have very many dhh students, or any special ed. students at all, they are, shall I say, kind of leery of accommodating me. If that makes any sense at all... Like, I can say that I need an interpreter, but they have no clue where to find one. (Even though I directed them to the IU in my area...) They don't know what CART is, even though I've tried to explain it to them. And so on. They don't think that I need accomodations for some reason - even though I do. They are FINALLY starting to get a clue. They have suggested trying a notetaker and front-row seating for now, and see how I do and what else I might need. (I'd prefer to try CART, but I guess a notetaker and front-row seating is a start...)

In elem. and middle school, when there were other people running the school, they refused to accommodate me in any way, shape or form. I'm happy to say that those boneheads have since been fired! :D
 
Minty it doesn't surprise me. I know Grendel has very little experiance with how mainstream schools like to try to get away with a minimal accomondations approach....and that's with suburban schools (that tend to have more experiance with dhh or other low incidence kids) Any chance you could attend a school that has a regional dhh program? Hell maybe the two hour drive or even living in the dorms would be SO much easier then dealing with your current school distirct.
 
deafdyke said:
Minty it doesn't surprise me. I know Grendel has very little experiance with how mainstream schools like to try to get away with a minimal accomondations approach....and that's with suburban schools (that tend to have more experiance with dhh or other low incidence kids) Any chance you could attend a school that has a regional dhh program? Hell maybe the two hour drive or even living in the dorms would be SO much easier then dealing with your current school distirct.
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I think DeafDyke has me confused with someone else, we haven't met.

Your IEP can drive accommodations and services in your local school or even affect your placement options -- and since you've been 12 (in most states) you've had the right to participate fully in determining what goes into it -- you can make changes happen and your school will be bound by law to address your needs immediately.
 
GrendelQ said:
I think DeafDyke has me confused with someone else, we haven't met.

Your IEP can drive accommodations and services in your local school or even affect your placement options -- and since you've been 12 (in most states) you've had the right to participate fully in determining what goes into it -- you can make changes happen and your school will be bound by law to address your needs immediately.
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:gpost:

It doesn't matter how large or small, or how much experience a school district has with DHH students. They are still bound by federal regulations, some of which have the link provided above.

If they don't have as much experience with DHH students, that just requires people to put forth a bit more effort and educate them. That doesn't work, you file a compliance complaint or for due process.

Size of the district does not absolve them of their federal obligations.
 
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