Saskatchewan Deaf Association Reacts to School for the Deaf Closure

[Miss-Delectable]

VOCM.COM|Saskatchewan Deaf Association Reacts to School for the Deaf Closure | Article

The announcement of the School for the Deaf closure has made its way to Saskatchewan. Education Minister Darin King says students from the school will be integrated into the public school system, and government is committed to offering the best possible educational opportunities available. However, there are those concerned that once in the mainstream, students will not get the support they need to thrive.

Twenty years ago, Saskatchewan closed their School for the Deaf. The province witnessed the fallout first hand and now the Saskatchewan Deaf Association is speaking out. The SDA says the minister of education in 1991 made all the same promises that Minister King is making now. Excellent programs for students were guaranteed, yet in two decades, that guarantee has failed to materialize, much to the detriment of the students. President of the SDA, Allard Thomas, says it's time the rest of Canada learned from them. He says he's concerned that deaf and hard of hearing education in Newfoundland will never recover from the devastating loss.

 

[deafdyke]

Exactly!!! Some dhh kids can do very well in a regular classes with minimal accomondations approach. But many can't. The thing that a lot of parents and experts are missing is that mainstream edcuation is TOO "one size fits all"
The thinking is that "put them in the mainstream and they'll automaticly get a good education." Nope. Just b/c you're in the same classroom as hearing kids, it doesn't mean that we get an equal education. Very often we get sent to the back of the bus and forgotten. Hell, even special ed programs aren't equiptted to deal with us!

 

[Royale]

Here's a copy of their full press release that they sent to concerned people including me:

SASKATCHEWAN DEAF ASSOCIATION - PRESS RELEASE

The Saskatchewan Deaf Association wishes to respond to the slated closure of the Newfoundland School for the Deaf by reminding parents and educators of the drastic results of the closure of the R.J.D. Williams Provincial School for the Deaf in 1991 for similar reasons.

Declining enrollments, the cost of maintaining facilities and programming and the focus on educating deaf and hard of hearing students (D/HH students) in local communities have all been cited as the reasons for closing the Saskatchewan school for the deaf.

It’s been nearly twenty years since the school closed and the Saskatchewan Deaf Association has witnessed first hand, the demise of many D/HH children who are “oral failures”. Roger Carver, executive director of Saskatchewan Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services says, “We don’t have strong supports and networks for these children and their families as the oralist agenda is exclusively promoted by the first point of contact for parents, namely SPARC, Saskatchewan Preschool Auditory Rehabilitation Centre and its twin, the aggressive cochlear implant program manned by the same staff belonging to SPARC.” Furthermore, when it becomes clear that a child is not benefiting from his or her cochlear implant or isn’t able to benefit from auditory verbal therapy, there are no referral mechanisms or alternative resources for parents, especially for those who live in remote communities.

Joanne Weber, the only Deaf teacher of D/HH students in Saskatchewan adds, “we desperately need to assess the state of affairs here in Saskatchewan. There are many cries for help and support from all corners of the province.” The Saskatchewan Deaf Association (SDA) has established a committee that is currently engaged in a series of meetings with the Ministry of Education. The mission of SDA is to alert the Ministry to the plight of these D/HH children who cannot meet the goals of the oralist agenda and to insist that the Ministry exercise leadership in establishing ALL options for children with a hearing loss.

“On a national level, educators of D/HH children are increasingly cognizant that technology of the very best kind cannot always convert a deaf child into a hearing child, and it is time that Saskatchewan falls in with other provinces in providing all options in communication and educational placements for D/HH children”, Joanne Weber says. “We don’t want to see Newfoundland lagging behind either.”

Allard Thomas, president of SDA says, “ We, in Saskatchewan, have remained silent about our demise, and it is time that the rest of Canada learned from us. The price is too heavy and the road is very long toward rebuilding what was thoughtlessly tossed out in the first place. I am very concerned that D/HH education in Newfoundland will never recover from this most devastating decision. Indeed, it remains to be seen whether the province of Saskatchewan can indeed rebuild D/HH education to the point where we can confidently and proudly offer ALL options for D/HH children and their families.”

In reference to the assurance made by Darin King, the Minister of Education in Newfoundland and Labrador, that deaf and hard of hearing students can expect to receive a “quality education" in the future Thomas notes, “it’s only an empty promise made by a politician. Our minister of education promised in 1991 that ‘excellent programs’ for deaf and hard of hearing students are ‘absolutely guaranteed’ for the future. Twenty years have passed, and this ‘guarantee’ has failed to materialize, much to the detriment of these students.”

For further information, please contact:

Allard Thomas, Saskatchewan Deaf Association
Roger Carver, Saskatchewan Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services,