Deaf Child Area

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betht

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I have a question. My son, almost 4, is profoundly deaf. My mother, without my consent, looked into having 2 Deaf Child Area signs posted on the street right near our house. I have mixed feelings about this. I am working very hard on street safety with him, but, if he does run into the street he won't hear me call to him. I think it is a good thing from a safety standpoint. But, I feel very strongly that I want to bring him up to not see himself as a disabled person. Also, it looks almost identical to the Dead End sign. When he starts reading is he going to make a weird association. I really want the opinion of other Deaf people. How would that have made you feel as a child?
 
I'm torn with this, if it saves him from an accident, a driver is more aware, then it is worth it. If he feels it makes him different it could be good or bad. I think it depends where you live, where I grew up it would have been a good thing. Where I live now, probably not.
 
Kids either hearing or deaf don't have that much hazard awareness. If you get him the signs, he will probably live to grow up to have these thoughts you speak of.

Dead end and Deaf Child Playing, by the way look nothing alike to me.
 
I grew up with these signs near my house. It didn't bother me.

Just my 2 cents.
 
How about a children playing caution sign? Hearing kids don't pay attention to traffic either.
 
my mother had one installed and its been there for 30 years. They finally took it down recently. I could understand her feelings as my folks home is at bottom of hill, right on corner of a forked road in country. I really don't think the sign helped me- they still have to slow down and come to a stop at the forked road, but many drivers still don't care and drive fast. I think at the most helped clam my mother fears, I do know that if I do ever get hit, she could use the sign as excuse to chew out a driver.....:roll:

When I was from 5-12yrs old, it didnt register to me on how it would affect my feelings or whatever. When I was in highschool and driving- I felt like a retard since I felt "normal" doing "normal stuff" but seeing/knowing the sign is there just made me uggh! (you know- teenager stuff) :cool2:

Now I am a parent with kids, I would want the sign there for awhile during elementary years, perhaps middle school. I'd would play it cool for awhile and see how it affects your family. Chances are it's no biggie unless you are in a snob area and getting too many looks/stares....:shock:
 
Think it's a good idea. If you don't have a fenced in yard for ur child to play in and secure the gate so he cannot figure out how to open it. Even locking the doors in ur house from the inside at all times is important, making sure he cannot unlock them to get outside.

Even my hearing son, at age 6, was prone to run right into the street without looking....so I always kept a firm grip on his hand and arm, until he fully understod the dangers....but I've also seen many adults who are either "day dreaming" and not paying attention, walk right into traffic!

Whenever I see the signs myself, I slow down and look both ways....As for right now, at age 4, his safety is foremost....
 
I'd vote for the signs, too. Safety over philosophy at this point. There is such a sign in the next neighborhood to ours which has been there for years. I suspect the deaf child has long since grown up, but I think it's fine that the sign is still there. That particular street is often used as a cut- through between two busy roads, and large trucks sometimes come down there. If anything at all is helpful in getting those trucks to slow down, I'm all for it.

(The neighborhood is actually working to make that section a "No Thru Trucks" area, but that's another story.)

Anyway - we have a "Watch out - Children Playing" sign at the very entrance to the hill that leads up to both subdivisions, then off to the left, on this cut-through street, is the "Deaf Child Area" sign. As a driver, it does make me a bit more cautious, and aware that I can't just lay on my horn if I see a child headed toward the street, which I might otherwise think would be enough of a warning. So I'm in favor of the sign, for public safety awareness reasons.
 
Thank you

Thank you everyone for your positive replies. I like the idea of keeping it up for now and perhaps removing it when he is a little older and road wise. By that time I will probably even be able to ask him.

As far as the sign looking like the other sign, if you actually saw them, you might agree... both yellow diamonds starting with DEA...or it might be my lack of observing visual detail... that is my son's department!
 
But that's good to have the signs be the same shape and color. Any yellow sign of that shape automatically means to a driver "Watch Out!" even before the driver is close enough to read the words. It's not a bad thing.
 
betht said:
I have a question. My son, almost 4, is profoundly deaf. My mother, without my consent, looked into having 2 Deaf Child Area signs posted on the street right near our house. I have mixed feelings about this. I am working very hard on street safety with him, but, if he does run into the street he won't hear me call to him. I think it is a good thing from a safety standpoint. But, I feel very strongly that I want to bring him up to not see himself as a disabled person. Also, it looks almost identical to the Dead End sign. When he starts reading is he going to make a weird association. I really want the opinion of other Deaf people. How would that have made you feel as a child?
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I had the same signs posted in my neighborhood when my son was growing up. He certainly, at the age of 24, doesn't see himself as disabled. It actually made the street safer for ALL the kids. People drove slower.
 
jillio said:
I had the same signs posted in my neighborhood when my son was growing up. He certainly, at the age of 24, doesn't see himself as disabled. It actually made the street safer for ALL the kids. People drove slower.
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You're old enough to be my mom?
 
StSapphire said:
Somewhat. I thought you had a young child, not a son who was only a year younger than me. :P
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Didn't intend to mislead, lol. Actually, I consider myself to have signing kids of various ages, given counseling for the deaf and educational advocacy are my areas of expertise.:giggle:
 
jillio said:
Didn't intend to mislead, lol. Actually, I consider myself to have signing kids of various ages, given counseling for the deaf and educational advocacy are my areas of expertise.:giggle:
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You didn't mislead, I just made faulty assumptions because when I see people talking about having children and showing general concern from them, they typically tend to be parents of younger children.

Or at least, that's my default assumption, right or wrong. :)

So is your son a member, or is he too cool to be a member of the same websites as his mom?
 
StSapphire said:
You didn't mislead, I just made faulty assumptions because when I see people talking about having children and showing general concern from them, they typically tend to be parents of younger children.

Or at least, that's my default assumption, right or wrong. :)

So is your son a member, or is he too cool to be a member of the same websites as his mom?
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He lurks from time to time, but he is in grad school, so his time is mostly spoken for.

He thinks his mom is way cool, lol.
 
jillio said:
He lurks from time to time, but he is in grad school, so his time is mostly spoken for.
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Oh, pft. I was in college for 5 years or so. There's always time for the internet. Always.

jillio said:
He thinks his mom is way cool, lol.
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Haha, well that's good. I'm worried that my little brother won't grow up. Took me until leaving for college and then coming back home to mature similarly.
 
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