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Oxnard deaf woman asks parents to sign with children Ventura County Star Mobile
She was born hearing, but at 6 months a high fever took that away from Tailina Garcia.
Today, the 27-year-old from Oxnard is in the process of accepting her deafness as part of her identity.
“I’m still in a hearing world. It takes some time to understand who I really am,” she said.
With technological innovations such as the cochlear implant that allows the profoundly deaf to experience sound, the choice to learn American Sign Language or learn speech through therapy, deaf people and parents of deaf children are bombarded with options.
Some use ASL as their primary method of communication. But even though ASL is the third most used language in the country, it is common for hearing parents of deaf children to never learn it. And that can leave children feeling isolated.
Garcia, who is more comfortable using her hands to communicate, was raised in a household where her family spoke different languages than she did. Under a roof where Spanish and English prevailed, Garcia felt left out.
“Growing up, I felt like I was always alone,” she said. “There was no one to communicate with.”
Garcia talks to her family only through gestures, homemade signs and some speech.
In elementary school, she was enrolled in speech therapy classes where she eventually learned to read lips.
“I could read lips slowly, but not too fast, first in English, then in Spanish,” she said.
Garcia’s family thought speech therapy was the best way for her to adjust to her deafness. “The doctor told us she would be able to talk,” said her mother, Irma Garcia.
“It’s a false sense that parents believe their child will become hearing,” said Julie Lovejoy, an interpreting and ASL professor at Oxnard College. She said many parents deny their children’s deafness and look to speech therapy or cochlear implants, which can help transmit sound to the brain’s auditory nerve, to bridge the gap between the deaf and hearing world.
“They do mean well, but there’s a language barrier. They (deaf children) need more from their parents,” said Julianna Fjeld, regional director of Tri-County GLAD, an organization that advocates for and provides services to the deaf and hearing-impaired community in Ventura County.
Tailina Garcia said during a typical night at her house she would spend time in her room with the door closed because she couldn’t interact with her family. “It just wasn’t fair, I would see them talking and I was left out,” she said.
Her parents, who migrated from Mexico, primarily speak Spanish and know a little bit of English, but didn’t learn ASL.
“We should have motivated ourselves to learn,” Irma Garcia said.
Tailina Garcia said if they had, it would have been better for her growing up. “There was a lot of frustration and different emotions going on,” she said.
According to Lovejoy, English isn’t needed to learn sign language. “People can learn ASL without knowing English,” she said. “It can be done, but it requires a full immersion process.”
Tri-County GLAD encourages families to take a sign language class at their local community college and suggests auditing the class so there is no pressure to get a grade or pass tests.
“Please learn ASL,” Fjeld said. “Deaf children will be fine as long as you communicate with them.”
Tailina Garcia, currently in a four-year relationship with a hearing-impaired man, is now embracing deaf culture, based on the shared experiences of visual language as the main form of communication.
She credits the change to her boyfriend, Fernando Contreras, 24, who attends Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., the nation’s leading university for deaf and partially deaf students.
Contreras’ drive toward getting an education and nondefeatist attitude motivated Tailina Garcia to pursue a degree and embrace her deafness.
“I’m proud to be deaf. I use my hands,” she said.
Now a student at Oxnard College, she is majoring in psychology. She hopes to help Latino deaf people understand their identities.
“I don’t want to see the deaf kids suffer because their parents don’t communicate with them,” she said.
The mother of a 2-year-old hearing boy, she is teaching her son sign language.
“I don’t want to see him like me, I want to teach him about deaf culture,” she said. “If the parents take ASL and understand deaf culture, they can help their children be successful.”
She was born hearing, but at 6 months a high fever took that away from Tailina Garcia.
Today, the 27-year-old from Oxnard is in the process of accepting her deafness as part of her identity.
“I’m still in a hearing world. It takes some time to understand who I really am,” she said.
With technological innovations such as the cochlear implant that allows the profoundly deaf to experience sound, the choice to learn American Sign Language or learn speech through therapy, deaf people and parents of deaf children are bombarded with options.
Some use ASL as their primary method of communication. But even though ASL is the third most used language in the country, it is common for hearing parents of deaf children to never learn it. And that can leave children feeling isolated.
Garcia, who is more comfortable using her hands to communicate, was raised in a household where her family spoke different languages than she did. Under a roof where Spanish and English prevailed, Garcia felt left out.
“Growing up, I felt like I was always alone,” she said. “There was no one to communicate with.”
Garcia talks to her family only through gestures, homemade signs and some speech.
In elementary school, she was enrolled in speech therapy classes where she eventually learned to read lips.
“I could read lips slowly, but not too fast, first in English, then in Spanish,” she said.
Garcia’s family thought speech therapy was the best way for her to adjust to her deafness. “The doctor told us she would be able to talk,” said her mother, Irma Garcia.
“It’s a false sense that parents believe their child will become hearing,” said Julie Lovejoy, an interpreting and ASL professor at Oxnard College. She said many parents deny their children’s deafness and look to speech therapy or cochlear implants, which can help transmit sound to the brain’s auditory nerve, to bridge the gap between the deaf and hearing world.
“They do mean well, but there’s a language barrier. They (deaf children) need more from their parents,” said Julianna Fjeld, regional director of Tri-County GLAD, an organization that advocates for and provides services to the deaf and hearing-impaired community in Ventura County.
Tailina Garcia said during a typical night at her house she would spend time in her room with the door closed because she couldn’t interact with her family. “It just wasn’t fair, I would see them talking and I was left out,” she said.
Her parents, who migrated from Mexico, primarily speak Spanish and know a little bit of English, but didn’t learn ASL.
“We should have motivated ourselves to learn,” Irma Garcia said.
Tailina Garcia said if they had, it would have been better for her growing up. “There was a lot of frustration and different emotions going on,” she said.
According to Lovejoy, English isn’t needed to learn sign language. “People can learn ASL without knowing English,” she said. “It can be done, but it requires a full immersion process.”
Tri-County GLAD encourages families to take a sign language class at their local community college and suggests auditing the class so there is no pressure to get a grade or pass tests.
“Please learn ASL,” Fjeld said. “Deaf children will be fine as long as you communicate with them.”
Tailina Garcia, currently in a four-year relationship with a hearing-impaired man, is now embracing deaf culture, based on the shared experiences of visual language as the main form of communication.
She credits the change to her boyfriend, Fernando Contreras, 24, who attends Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., the nation’s leading university for deaf and partially deaf students.
Contreras’ drive toward getting an education and nondefeatist attitude motivated Tailina Garcia to pursue a degree and embrace her deafness.
“I’m proud to be deaf. I use my hands,” she said.
Now a student at Oxnard College, she is majoring in psychology. She hopes to help Latino deaf people understand their identities.
“I don’t want to see the deaf kids suffer because their parents don’t communicate with them,” she said.
The mother of a 2-year-old hearing boy, she is teaching her son sign language.
“I don’t want to see him like me, I want to teach him about deaf culture,” she said. “If the parents take ASL and understand deaf culture, they can help their children be successful.”
