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Cheetah

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I wanted to post this in another thread but that got locked...

There seems to be some discontent in the way that deaf children are being taught. I want to share my view point and see if others agree with me. I am postlingually deaf and brought up orally. Based on my experience I would have benefited from a natural language (ASL) as my first language. Some might argue that because I am postligually deaf my first language was spoken English. I have no memory of having good hearing or speaking at that time. My earliest memories of communicating "naturally" was with the other deaf kids before and after school. I didn't know it at the time but I was using ASL as naturally as if I was being taught it. I quickly forgot the ASL as I was progressively taught oral only. I was then mainstreamed to help me assimilate better with the hearing world.

I believe that nearly all deaf/Deaf people that learn ASL come to believe that ASL should be the first language every deaf child should learn before learning English. I know I am taking a very DEAF centric attitude, but I cannot discount my experiences and the experience of every deaf person I have every met. Am I off base or in line with what others think/feel here?
 
Only those with your experience would agree with you.
Count me as one of them. :wave:
 
Cheetah said:
I wanted to post this in another thread but that got locked...

There seems to be some discontent in the way that deaf children are being taught. I want to share my view point and see if others agree with me. I am postlingually deaf and brought up orally. Based on my experience I would have benefited from a natural language (ASL) as my first language. Some might argue that because I am postligually deaf my first language was spoken English. I have no memory of having good hearing or speaking at that time. My earliest memories of communicating "naturally" was with the other deaf kids before and after school. I didn't know it at the time but I was using ASL as naturally as if I was being taught it. I quickly forgot the ASL as I was progressively taught oral only. I was then mainstreamed to help me assimilate better with the hearing world.

I believe that nearly all deaf/Deaf people that learn ASL come to believe that ASL should be the first language every deaf child should learn before learning English. I know I am taking a very DEAF centric attitude, but I cannot discount my experiences and the experience of every deaf person I have every met. Am I off base or in line with what others think/feel here?
Click to expand...

Not at all...
 
Cheetah said:
I wanted to post this in another thread but that got locked...

There seems to be some discontent in the way that deaf children are being taught. I want to share my view point and see if others agree with me. I am postlingually deaf and brought up orally. Based on my experience I would have benefited from a natural language (ASL) as my first language. Some might argue that because I am postligually deaf my first language was spoken English. I have no memory of having good hearing or speaking at that time. My earliest memories of communicating "naturally" was with the other deaf kids before and after school. I didn't know it at the time but I was using ASL as naturally as if I was being taught it. I quickly forgot the ASL as I was progressively taught oral only. I was then mainstreamed to help me assimilate better with the hearing world.

I believe that nearly all deaf/Deaf people that learn ASL come to believe that ASL should be the first language every deaf child should learn before learning English. I know I am taking a very DEAF centric attitude, but I cannot discount my experiences and the experience of every deaf person I have every met. Am I off base or in line with what others think/feel here?
Click to expand...

What Beowulf said. You're not off base at all. Like you, grew up oral and mainstreamed and feel that I should have been taught ASL and allowed to be a part of the deaf community.
 
Hi Cheetah, we took that approach with our daughter: ASL was her first language, and the one that we've maintained immersion in and pursue active instruction in, and we followed with English via incidental acquisition and then via an auditory access program that lifts the "voices off" restrictions for her class of 5 kids with CIs for a part of each school day (she's at a bi-bi school where ASL is the primary language of instruction and interaction).

I've not regretted it yet, I think she's doing extremely well with this approach.
 
Cheetah said:
I wanted to post this in another thread but that got locked...

There seems to be some discontent in the way that deaf children are being taught. I want to share my view point and see if others agree with me. I am postlingually deaf and brought up orally. Based on my experience I would have benefited from a natural language (ASL) as my first language. Some might argue that because I am postligually deaf my first language was spoken English. I have no memory of having good hearing or speaking at that time. My earliest memories of communicating "naturally" was with the other deaf kids before and after school. I didn't know it at the time but I was using ASL as naturally as if I was being taught it. I quickly forgot the ASL as I was progressively taught oral only. I was then mainstreamed to help me assimilate better with the hearing world.

I believe that nearly all deaf/Deaf people that learn ASL come to believe that ASL should be the first language every deaf child should learn before learning English. I know I am taking a very DEAF centric attitude, but I cannot discount my experiences and the experience of every deaf person I have every met. Am I off base or in line with what others think/feel here?
Click to expand...

I am hearing, but in 25 years of working with and associating with the deaf population on several different levels, I agree with your statement completely. Your story is one that is echoed time and time again by D/deaf adults. It is truly a shame that few who need to appear to be listening.
 
I totally agree Cheetah. I wish I had been given the opportunity to learn ASL and to know about deaf community while growing up.
 
I wish that I had learned ASL as a child. Not only would it have helped me when I lost my hearing, it would have helped me communicate with deaf family members while I was hearing. As it was, family members became increasingly isolated. I never communicated with them the way that I wanted to. An opportunity lost.
 
sallylou said:
I wish that I had learned ASL as a child. Not only would it have helped me when I lost my hearing, it would have helped me communicate with deaf family members while I was hearing. As it was, family members became increasingly isolated. I never communicated with them the way that I wanted to. An opportunity lost.
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I'm sorry to hear that.
 
Wirelessly posted

sallylou said:
I wish that I had learned ASL as a child. Not only would it have helped me when I lost my hearing, it would have helped me communicate with deaf family members while I was hearing. As it was, family members became increasingly isolated. I never communicated with them the way that I wanted to. An opportunity lost.
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Do u have a better relationsahip with them now?
 
My grandpa is dead. I don't communicate with my mom at all. I've got my only family now so I focus on my kids.
 
I think that all deaf children/ teenagers should have the choice to learn about their culture to have that experience

As for myself growing up mainstreemed with all hearing children I thought i was the only HOH child in the world it shows to me today how nieeve to the whole thing i was not really thinking about it but I wish i could of experience school life with some kids like me and learned ASL because now I have to learn it for my son who doesnt talk we started ASL after attempting many other ways and it works and I really think that alot of preschools should use it for even the hearing kids because statistics say it teaches them to read and talk better ... ASL taught my daughter how to talk (sounds weird) but she says more now in the 3 months she was in a deaf school than she did before going
 
AandEMomma said:
I think that all deaf children/ teenagers should have the choice to learn about their culture to have that experience

As for myself growing up mainstreemed with all hearing children I thought i was the only HOH child in the world it shows to me today how nieeve to the whole thing i was not really thinking about it but I wish i could of experience school life with some kids like me and learned ASL because now I have to learn it for my son who doesnt talk we started ASL after attempting many other ways and it works and I really think that alot of preschools should use it for even the hearing kids because statistics say it teaches them to read and talk better ... ASL taught my daughter how to talk (sounds weird) but she says more now in the 3 months she was in a deaf school than she did before going
Click to expand...

I know some preschools that are starting to teach, at least some basic words in ASL to all the kids. It really depends more on the teacher and if they have the ability to teach ASL, or the desire to learn it.

I agree with you. I also grew up mainstreamed, was raised completely orally... I wasn't allowed to interact with any one who was Deaf, or used sign language. My parents were told that it would cause me to stop speaking, that I would become Deaf and it would make my hearing go away faster... well guess what... my hearing is still going away... and I am Deaf... no turning back now :lol: I wish I had the chance to learn ASL as a child... it was what would have been better for me, and I know that... and my mom is starting to realize that. I am now learning ASL, and getting to know people like me. I am using my voice less and less... but that isn't because I'm learning ASL and "forgetting", as they told my mom I would, how to speak... but because speaking has never been natural for me, and ASL feels so much better. I still use my voice when I have to... but it is becoming less frequent, and I am becoming a happier person!
 
I think ( this is in my mind) that deaf people that use ASL surround their self around their "type" of people and using your voice is optional for some its not like the other deafie that your talking to is going to hear you and its pointless to use both for that person now if your somewhere that you need to use your voice USE IT but using ASL to people that do not know it is like talking chineese to english speaking people lol
 
AandEMomma said:
I think ( this is in my mind) that deaf people that use ASL surround their self around their "type" of people and using your voice is optional for some its not like the other deafie that your talking to is going to hear you and its pointless to use both for that person now if your somewhere that you need to use your voice USE IT but using ASL to people that do not know it is like talking chineese to english speaking people lol
Click to expand...

I agree.

It is only natural that deaf want to spend time with other deaf. Especially when deaf can relax and not work so hard at communicating. It's one of the reason I think education of the deaf should be only with ASL. Why should I work extra hard to understand the teacher? Lets use the best mode of communication so I can expend my brain cells on more important things like learning. On the other hand, I did learn that my own imagination is far more interesting that whatever the oral teacher was saying. :) :deaf: :wave:
 
ash345 said:
I know some preschools that are starting to teach, at least some basic words in ASL to all the kids. It really depends more on the teacher and if they have the ability to teach ASL, or the desire to learn it.

I agree with you. I also grew up mainstreamed, was raised completely orally... I wasn't allowed to interact with any one who was Deaf, or used sign language. My parents were told that it would cause me to stop speaking, that I would become Deaf and it would make my hearing go away faster... well guess what... my hearing is still going away... and I am Deaf... no turning back now :lol: I wish I had the chance to learn ASL as a child... it was what would have been better for me, and I know that... and my mom is starting to realize that. I am now learning ASL, and getting to know people like me. I am using my voice less and less... but that isn't because I'm learning ASL and "forgetting", as they told my mom I would, how to speak... but because speaking has never been natural for me, and ASL feels so much better. I still use my voice when I have to... but it is becoming less frequent, and I am becoming a happier person!
Click to expand...

That makes me think...

I wonder if there were any attempts to have a total ASL class room with mixed deaf and hearing students. At least in the early grades like k - 3? I bet in such a situation you would find that not only are the hearing students matching the performance of hearing students in "regular" classrooms, but I bet the deaf students will keep on par with the hearing students.

Just something to think about.
 
My story and feeling are the same as all of you. I was raised orally and I never found happiness until I learned ASL and got involved with the Deaf community at 25 years old.
 
AandEMomma said:
I think that all deaf children/ teenagers should have the choice to learn about their culture to have that experience

As for myself growing up mainstreemed with all hearing children I thought i was the only HOH child in the world it shows to me today how nieeve to the whole thing i was not really thinking about it but I wish i could of experience school life with some kids like me and learned ASL because now I have to learn it for my son who doesnt talk we started ASL after attempting many other ways and it works and I really think that alot of preschools should use it for even the hearing kids because statistics say it teaches them to read and talk better ... ASL taught my daughter how to talk (sounds weird) but she says more now in the 3 months she was in a deaf school than she did before going
Click to expand...

Exactly! Oral skills are awesome......but yet time and time again we get hundreds if not thousands of raised hh kids posting here, saying that they wish they'd learned ASL and gotten Deaf Ed while growing up. The ONLY reason why there's a debate is b/c those dumbassed AG Bad "experts" view ASL as something that's only for kids who can't speak very well. Why not give dhh kids both languages? Yes, oral kids can hear and speak, but they can't function WITHOUT their hearng aids/CIs. Whereas a bi bi trained kid could function both with and without hearing aids/CIs.
 
If you where born in the 40's you may not been taught how to sign. I did not know any about sign language until I was older and did not take lessons until I was in my 20's but only used it once to talk to a deaf child and she was too fast for me!
 
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