Deaf Bilingual Coalition Indiana Rally at Purdue University
Join this very important rally in support of ASL acquisition for Deaf Babies and Children outside of "The Indiana Conference on Listening and Spoken Language" at PU on Friday & Saturday, Nov. 30 - Dec 1, from 10am - 4pm.
Why? Deaf Infants and Children are being denied access to ASL at an alarming rate. Alexander Graham Bell Organization supports Auditory Verbal Therapy Programs all around the USA promoting listening and speech without the use of sign language. Please go to this link (copy and paste) and view the video:
http://deafprogressivism.blogspot.com/2007/07/it-is-no-crying-shame-to-be-in-protest.html
Where: Purdue University, Stewart Center West (adjacent to Grant Street Garage)
http://www.purdue.edu/parking/pdf/Parking_Map_05.pdf (copy and paste to view this link)
Meet at the Indianapolis Deaf Club at 8:30am on Friday and Saturday mornings or at Purdue in front of Stewart Center West at 10:00am.
Contact Person: Beatrice Pfaff at bmpfaff@tmail.com (Please contact Bea to let her know you will be joining this rally and for more details.)
More information on DBC is available at this website: http://deafbilingualcoalition.com/ (copy and paste to view this link)
53 comments:
HAND WAVES HAND WAVES!!! Am so happy you are taking the lead on this!!!!!!!!! I am so thrilled that the Indiana Deaf community is actively paying attention to this!!! The only REAL reason why they're against ASL is because oppressing ASL keeps them rich. Forcing AVT on young Deaf babies from 0-5 years of age helps their stock rise. If there were money in ASL in that age period, they'd support ASL. Anyway, promise to think of you all that weekend!!!!!! KEEP IT UP!!
DE
Jill,
I am so glad to see you on the Vlog and you've inspired me!
You got my full support and contact me for any help you need such as flyers, etc.
Bilingually yours,
John Egbert
Hi Jill! Nice to know there is still advocacy for these kinds of conferences and that the passion has not died out! Thanks you for sharing this information and for being willing to attend to give ASL an equal voice.
Hugs.
~ LaRonda
Hey Jill!
Good to see you! Wow, thank you sooo much for all great information, now I know what is going on with their schedule.
ASL is NOT included? Eh.. I am NOT surprised. That is so typical.
One of videos I did called Cochlear Implant the Only Option. It seems that anywhere we go whenever there is any kind of convention, ASL seems to be forgotten to include in any group to discuss, etc.
This is pretty sad. At least, it is good that you people will be there to rally. Only if I'm in the area, I would be there in a heartbeat. You have all of our supports.
Please keep us posted!
-SG
I earnestly hope that the superintendent and several teachers of Indiana School for the Deaf will attend the conference where they can ask
the keynote speakers why ASL, the birthright of deaf children, is not amongst the options. Is it
possible for someone to camrecord
the speeches by keynote speakers.
Maybe someone will volunteer to
do the transcript???
Pls make sure to contact the ISDAA (Alumnians) to be involve too! We do need their support, too.
Hello Jill -
Thank you so much for the video supporting the rally in behalf of DBC and the state of Indiana's Deaf babies!
I would like to suggest you to review or encourage others to buy "The Greatest Irony" for the in-depth understanding about the benefits of Baby Signs and AVT, and the irony of these two things.
One person from Purdue University purchased the video (according to my records), and I am not too sure what they will going to do with this video for the conference.
Please visit www.greatestirony.com
Good luck and my thoughts are with you!
Amy Cohen Efron
I am sure Mr. Geeslin (Super of ISD) know about that, but just wonder what did he think about that ASL is not included in this rally of DBC? because he graduated from PU to study in his major for liginiustis (excuse my misspelling). It surprised me that ASL is not included since ISD has a STRONG ASL plus bilingual. It should affect to that, but that doesn't,it was strange plus I was puzzled. anyway.. thanks for sharing this information.
Hi Jill,
Way to go! I agree 100% that it is very critical to include ASL in early baby lives.
Since you will be in conference, can you tell us an estimate of participant percentages? Such as a number of ASL signers, oral deaf, hearing parents or even deaf parents, audiologists, CI marketers, doctors? It may help giving us an idea where to educate in future.
Thank you for rolling up your sleeves!
Bob RRR
Hey Jill and (John!)
That is what I am waiting for you to post this vlog.
Guess what! Recently, over Thanksgiving, I met my sister-in-law's nephew (not my relate) who is three years old and hearing has a speech problem and cannot talk very well. The speech therapist advised the parents of a son to use sign lanugage to help him to communicate better.
She and I talked about the sign language and she is grateful to have sign language to help her son to communicate better.
I told her and her husband that they should be grateful to have the "right" speech therapist.
Impressive, huh?
You have my full support. Jill, once you are in the conference, make sure you to give the people Amy Cohen Efron's greatest irony's internet address.
John, your'e the joker and I have enjoyed watching your jokes, sorry, I did not post your vlog but I like you, anyway. ;-) Be good!
White Ghost
Thank you all for your comments! Truly appreciate your support. In response to bobrrr, I have no idea how many will attend the conference. I believe mostly will be hearing parents, teachers of the deaf (oral educators) and medical professionals. I will know more once I attend the conference. Will keep you posted.
Thank you for keeping us in a loop and I am looking forward to seeing you in the next vlog for the upcoming news.
Did you check Carl's website about that?
Wonder if you would like to use my poetry about the children with CI and without knowing ASL. It's on my website. Do you think it will give the hearing parents something to think about? They can continue if they think it's best for their deaf baby but ASL will be the best tool for them whether CI or not.
Hello
I could help you spread ur word everyone in America and your states neighbor
Give me a call Vp 303 332 3536
asap
Cheers!
WTG Jill! I will try to go. If not, then will definitely get involve with the Milwaukee Rally this summer.
Hi Jill!
It is so good to see your caring face to stand up for what you believe about the importance for Deaf babies having access to ASL. I am impressed about your involvement to voice during the conference and organizating the rally. DBC is behind you all the way.
We, as a Deaf community, will never sleep again. You have set up an example to spread public awareness how ASL has proven to be beneficial in language development, social-emotional growth and IQ development in a much more effective pace than using oral-only approach.
I am not sure if you know about this newsletter about this woman, Gayla Hutsell, who is now Indiana's Early Intervention state coordnator. See IndianaHEAR newsletter for more information. It is scary to see that Hutsell who used to be a Chief Prgrams Officer with the AG Bell organization and clincial supervisor in speech pathology department is now grasping power in Early Hearing Dectection and Intervention Program (EHDI). She and her followers will have the firsthand contact with parents of Deaf babies and it is alarming that there are no balanced view about the benefits of bilingual education.
It is crucial for Deaf Community stakeholders to voice and challenge more than ever. This is in the now. The Indiana Deaf community's rally involvement will raise their eyebrows and influence some of the attendees to think twice about the inclusive approach to educating Deaf babies.
Be silent no more! Good luck at the rally and please don't hesitate to contact DBC for further support.
Can you please explain how anyone goes into this for the money? Believe me, they don't. Just as you believe your way is the best, they believe their way is the best. You have examples of successes and failures too, and so do they. At ASL conferences, do you fight so that the oral option is presented, too? Unfortunately for u, you won't be convincing anyone at this conference because they've already decided. These are people that are going to learn the HOW of hearing and speaking. You demand that they learn ASL, but you never tell them how, or even offer to help. To mentor. To do anything but be mean and nasty. By the time you figure this out, it will be too late. They'll all have implants and will be talking and singing, and if they decide to learn ASL, it will be because they heard it's easier than Spanish... just like the rest of the hearing kids.
DE's comment on trhe top I believe is harmful to the Deaf bilingual coaltion. We need to show them that we support their goals in giving the deaf (note the lower case d, they're not culturally deaf[yet]) better opportunities in the hearing world and to share our experiences that ASL does not impair a child from developing spoken language and listening skills. DE is a radical and for the moderates who are reading this VLOG, please do not categorize us all like the minority who accuse AGBell and the AVT supporters as those interested in money. I am saddened and embarrassed by some of my people.
My child has AVT five days a week and has a SEE interpreter in class and signs ASL in the home (Deaf family), he is doing beautifully with all aspects of communication. I am a strong supporter of AVT for CI kids as I have seen my son benefitting from AVT during speech therapy. WOW! I am a strong supporter for giving deaf babies access to a visual language (just in case) too!
Deaf radicals (they prefer to call themselves activists, sigh) is bad for DBC!
Be empathic, encouraging, and educatioal and "the Others" will be willing to work with us. Their intention is as true as ours. Thank you, Jill, for a good blog. I do not feel offended or duisappointed. Thank you, thank you.
anna s
anna s,
the dictionary definition of "radical" (see below).
rad·i·cal [rad-i-kuhl] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective
1. of or going to the root or origin; fundamental: a radical difference.
2. thoroughgoing or extreme, esp. as regards change from accepted or traditional forms: a radical change in the policy of a company.
3. favoring drastic political, economic, or social reforms: radical ideas; radical and anarchistic ideologues.
4. forming a basis or foundation.
5. existing inherently in a thing or person: radical defects of character.
6. Mathematics.
a. pertaining to or forming a root.
b. denoting or pertaining to the radical sign.
c. irrational (def. 5b).
7. Grammar. of or pertaining to a root.
8. Botany. of or arising from the root or the base of the stem.
–noun
9. a person who holds or follows strong convictions or extreme principles; extremist.
10. a person who advocates fundamental political, economic, and social reforms by direct and often uncompromising methods.
11. Mathematics.
a. a quantity expressed as a root of another quantity.
b. the set of elements of a ring, some power of which is contained in a given ideal.
c. radical sign.
12. Chemistry.
a. group (def. 3).
b. free radical.
13. Grammar. root (def. 11).
14. (in Chinese writing) one of 214 ideographic elements used in combination with phonetics to form thousands of different characters.
I'm all for CHANGES, and for ALL Deaf babies to have a GREAT LIFE and EDUCATION.
Thank you.
Baby ASL- communicate with your baby1-2 years earlier!
http://www.dawnsign.com/images/video/babysignpromo.mpg
Psychological and Emotional Benefits of Baby Sign Language
http://www.babies-and-sign-language.com/baby-sign-psychological-emotional-benefits.html
Good luck this Friday and Saturday! You have the support of many of us.
Jill,
Good to see you on vlog! :-)
Way to go! Deaf babies and children need to acquire their ASL from the beginning. AVT is forbidding them use ASL and oppress to teach them learn speech and listen sounds/words. ASL and Bilingual are very important to all of us in our language.
My heart goes out to Deaf babies and children, understand what they went with AVT and other thing. ASL give them joy and easy to adapt quickly.
You've our support as well.
Keep us post.
excellent! excellent! We need to continue this kind of push and spread our strong belief that the exposure of ASL will improve Deaf children's lives.
Anna S. - care to explain why Deaf Education is FORCED to include speech classes while AGB or others are NOT forced to include ASL classes? This is all about fair treatment.
Regardless what people say about DBC, we will just stick together and be heard!
Jill,
I am happy that you fight about American Sign Language for Deaf babies and children. You have my FULL SUPPORT. I will be thinking of you that weekend. Thanks for fighting for Deaf babies and children's right. I give all others my SUPPORT to those who do what DBC believes! WAY TO GO!
Shirley E
Joey,
Deaf Education is not forced to provide speech therapy. It is in the IEP team where speech is determined based on the child's areas of need. I did not force my son to receive AVT daily, I wanted him to reach his maximum potential in all aspects of being deaf/Deaf/CI wearer/of a Deaf family. He is doing well and is quite independent of interpreters in most settings other than in the classroom.
DE,
Installing the definition of the word, radical, in your comment does not help the cause. To the eyes of the majority of the deaf/hoh/Deaf community, the views of the specific group within the d/Deaf community are seen as inflexible, angry, and irrational.
That's a no win situation. The attitudes of the DEAF activists (DE, happy now? Smile.) is harmful for the Deaf Bilingual Coalition.
AVT proponents ARE NOT for the money, oh please! Speech are ARE NOT FORCED down deaf kids' throats, oh please!
Be rational, open minded, and flexible, and well prepared for the future which is happening now we will gain more allies for DBC!
Sorry, the comment above to DE and Joey is from me, Anna S.
Anna S, here's the problem, many supporters of AVT and those who are AVT professionls are advocating to the parents NOT to use ASL. This is where DBC comes in. What you are doing is good, you're exposing your child to all possible means and including language as well. AVT does not advocate that.
from the AG Bell Academy..
"Auditory-Verbal therapy must be conducted in adherence to all 10 Principles of Auditory-Verbal Therapy.
Principles of Auditory-Verbal Therapy
1. Promote early diagnosis of hearing loss in newborns, infants, toddlers, and young children, followed by immediate audiologic management and Auditory-Verbal therapy.
2. Recommend immediate assessment and use of appropriate, state-of-the-art hearing technology to obtain maximum benefits of auditory stimulation.
3. Guide and coach parents¹ to help their child use hearing as the primary sensory modality in developing spoken language without the use of sign language or emphasis on lipreading.
4. Guide and coach parents¹ to become the primary facilitators of their child's listening and spoken language development through active consistent participation in individualized Auditory-Verbal therapy.
5. Guide and coach parents¹ to create environments that support listening for the acquisition of spoken language throughout the child's daily activities.
6. Guide and coach parents¹ to help their child integrate listening and spoken language into all aspects of the child's life.
7. Guide and coach parents¹ to use natural developmental patterns of audition, speech, language, cognition, and communication.
8. Guide and coach parents¹ to help their child self-monitor spoken language through listening.
9. Administer ongoing formal and informal diagnostic assessments to develop individualized Auditory-Verbal treatment plans, to monitor progress and to evaluate the effectiveness of the plans for the child and family.
10. Promote education in regular schools with peers who have typical hearing and with appropriate services from early childhood onwards.
*An Auditory-Verbal Practice requires all 10 principles.
¹The term "parents" also includes grandparents, relatives, guardians, and any caregivers who interact with the child.
(Adapted from the Principles originally developed by Doreen Pollack, 1970)
Adopted by the AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language®, July 26, 2007."
hmm...the above had the following emphases-
-"...without the use of sign language or emphasis on lipreading"
-"...parents to help their child use hearing as the primary sensory modality..."
-"...integrate listening/spoken lang. throughout the child's daily activities"
-"promote education in regular schools with peers who have typical hearing..."
-"the term 'parents' also includes grandparents, relatives, guardians, and any caregivers who interact with the child"
Hmmm... sounds to me a really fancy & misleading way to say-
NO TO ASL,
NO TO ANY FAMILY MEMBERS SIGNING,
NO TO SCHOOLS THAT USE ASL, and
NO TO DEAF BABIES SUCCEEDING THROUGH ASL AND ACCESSIBLE ENGLISH.
127 years of "NO" "NO" "NO" in our lives...
Again, HATS OFF to Indiana for addressing this and, in the process, turning all these NOs to YESs! :)
DE
DE,
You hit the nail on the head. Yes!
Oppressing ASL has been keeping some hearing people RICH! The largest percentage of hearies oppressing ASL for more than a century is in New York. The second largest in Mass. The third
is in Philadelphia. The fourth is
in Baltimore. All of them support
AGB for more than 100 years!!!!!
Anna S.,
C is right at this point. I must admit that I am very anti-AVT.
Reason: Many doctors have ALWAYS referred the parents of deaf babies to the speech therapists who are supporting the AVTs. That is where the AG Bell trains them not to tell the nation that there is including the sign language.
That is where AG Bell did not provide the training programs including the options on sign language to the CI doctors and the speech therapists.
That is what DBC is working on to provide the information to the nation and tell them that there are more options including the sign language.
White Ghost
I was born deaf and was raised in the hearing world orally.
I always regarded ASL as an inferior language until I went to Gallaudet and learned that inferior language and then realized that I was blind for 19 years about sign language.
I was once one, the similar thinkings of AGBell, AVT, hearing people, deaf people that was blind, unable to comprehend any data flow in sign language. I just know how naive they are because I was once a by-product of their "anti" sign language philosophy.
But here is the big problem, I would never be able to respect ASL until I had learned to be in the fluency level of ASL as the same fluency level verbally. I was able to see the speed of the data flow rate of communication.
I am now no longer blind when I see sign language as those people in AGBell, AVT, hearing and (d)eaf people that have no fluency with ASL at the rate of 180 wpm which hearing people have verbally.
These people just don't get it, as I did not before I learned ASL.
This is why DBC was born.
And I will never, ever be colonialized again to let those "blind" people have their way to destroy Deaf education and langauge as they have since 1880 Milan.
I admire DE and many others that have concern about Deaf babies.
John F. Egbert
DE,
Oh wow. Dang! I have an issue with number 3, which says ...."Guide and coach parents¹ to help their child use hearing as the primary sensory modality in developing spoken language without the use of sign language or emphasis on lipreading."
My boy gets AVT daily and is exposed to sign language (CASE intepreting in his classes. AVt is a powerful speech tool. My son is emotionally healthy maybe because he has it all which includes the ASL part where he knows who he is?
I don't know what to say at this point. DE, I understand you. Of course I always did. Well, parents have the final say. How do we help sway the parent's decision? By saying the AVT folks are money grubbers? By saying they force deaf babies to get speech therapy and capitalizing the D for Deaf babies while they have not been exposed to the Deaf culture, saying we are against CI, and aganist AVT, these are examples that make us appear unreasonable and scary to them and professionals in the CI/AVT industry. I am embarrassed by us.
CI is here to stay! AVT is here to stay! We need to redesign the coalition's message to appear that we are OK with CI, hearing aids, speech therapy, AVT (another form of speech therapy). To say ASL only, to say no speech, or to say we demand fair treatment (I don't understand this one),the DBC's true intention will backfire. We are making ourselves appear stupid.
To gain more allies, more supporters, and the attention from professionals and parents nationwide, we need to deliver a better message.
anna s
Anna S.
DBC have never said that they are against CI, oral, or whatever.
Their mission is to have deaf babies to start learning sign langauge from birth because babies are not able to have any speech til around 18 to 24 months. Thousands of hearing babies have progress much better after they started learning sign language(ASL) around the age of 6 months. Why can't Deaf babies learn some form of communication when they are unable to learn speech but can with sign language?...bias?
Ana is so right. Your defensive attitude will get you nowhere. You still do not tell hearing parents HOW they're supposed to learn to sign. You just scream at them and demand that they do it. And oh yeah, teach your kid. Well, how??? Those baby sign videos do not teach LANGUAGE. They teach some limited vocabulary. And then what?
And John Egbert, you lose all credibility when you can't even get your most basic facts straight. Any textbook on language development, or even an uneducated hearing parent will tell you that babies start to say their first words, on average, at 12 months. Not 18 months. Not 2 years.
Anna S.,
I have a critical question for you. What are the decibel numbers your son have BEFORE he got his CI?
I was born deaf and was raised orally.
My decibel number for both ears are 120 db which are both profoundly deaf. At this point, the AVT would not work for me if I have my both ears with 120 DBs.
If I was trained with AVT, I would have struggled to comprehend the sounds such as Hot vs. Hat, Bat vs. Mat, and so forth.....The BIG reason why the AVT does not help ANY people who are profoundly deaf.
White Ghost
To Anonymous,
Where is your credibility?
These other commenters that have a name do have credibility.
You are a coward for having no name and attack deaf people in the middle of night with no light.
Barry
White Ghost,
My boy was born with 110 dB HL bilaterally. He is of the present generation, not of the earlier ones. What I am saying is that he has cochlear implants. He is no longer profoundly deaf. He is hard of hearing when he has his CIs on. 20 dB across ALL frequencies in both ears.
Ther is a HUGE HUGE difference between a profoundly deaf child WITHOUT cochlear implants (or even HA if they give functional hearing in the mildrange) and a profoundly deaf child WITH cochlear implants (implanted E A R L Y and with the right tools from the get go).
Oral kids nowadays are DIFFERENT than oral kids of yesteryear. Keep this in mind. Saying I was raised orally and am profoundly deafand hated every minute of my childhood is a moot point. Parents and professions would say the statement I mentioned in thefirst sentence of this paragraph.
There is NO comparison between the orally trained profoundly deaf child of your generation and those of the current CI generation generally speaking.
It hurts me to think how you and the others survived those years back then as oral deaf kids hearing little or none at all. I will never be able to understand, but I empathize with you and others.
John Egbert,
Maybe the Deaf community is getting mixed messages about the coalition. Maybe they are giving each other mixed messages further dividing the community and at the end sabotaging the coalition's true message.
My impression now is that DBC's message is to encourage baby ASL sign vocabulary for deaf babies whose parents choose the auditory/oral or auditory/verbal avenue with cochlear implants.
And to include bilingual education as an additional option on the AGBELL's website and all of their media. Then it would make sense to the mainstream audience.
A DBC ally,
anna s
Anna S.,
Thanks for updating us about your son's situation.
What are your pros and cons when you remove your son's CIs before going to take a bath, bedtime and some extreme activities?
How can the CIs run in a long term?
I wish I could have known the status along with the pros and cons in the long run from the CI'ers who have lived with CIs for over 20+ years.
White Ghost
best wishes with the demonstration
pls keep us posted on how it went
in the future could further demonstrations all be linked up together? so a clear goal and method is established?
while i am uncomfortable with Anna characterization of Deaf activists as being radical, militant, hotheads etc
i am thankful to see the outlandish stereotyping has stopped
i dont think many folks in the speech / audiology profession go into it for the money but there is a BUSINESS part of CI and AVT / AGBell Academy that needs to be examined
so even if folks r not going into this business for $ motives but instead do so out of benevolence - there are some pitfalls and dangers there (see Mask of Benevolence by Lane)
i have been struck when browsing a few hearing parents with deaf children websites about how many EXTENSIVE services are being provided to their children but never see the words ASL therapist / specialist
this again goes to the $ factor
Deaf parents who want ASL in their Deaf children's IEPs often have to fight for it; meanwhile, speech, audiology, and music are often mandatory
anna raises a very good point - in our advocacy for Deaf children to have the right to a bilingual education - how are we approaching parents????
this is a VERY important question
are we approaching them with love and with kindness and with the desire to understand and appreciate them?
Parents seek to go right by their children first and foremost. how can we communicate - we know you are seeking to do BEST by your child - do u know the value of baby signs for hearing children? do u know the value of baby signs for Deaf children?
how can we help and support u and ur family as u see the BEST and bilingualism for ur child?
how do we show we r not foes but rather friends?
it seems to me many of the parents are feeling on the defenses and feeling they are being accused of being bad parents. I imagine this is VERY painful for them and sends them running in the opposite direction all the more
peace
patti durr
White Ghost,
I cannot say for my son as I am Deaf and we sign when he is not wearing his CI in the home. I have no choice but sign as I have no oral abilities.
But I know of some of my son's CI friends whose parents learn some signs to communicate with their children minimally when in the pool, bathtub, and when in bed. ASL does come in handy!
20 year old CI is of single channel. Not as advanced as the 120 channels type. The technoloy is so better now than in the 80's.
Well, anyway . . .
anna s.,
first of all, thank you for always including your name to your comments. I respect you for doing that, as opposed to those anonymous who attack other Deaf without using their names.
FACTS, NOT OPINIONS:
second, I want to clarify a few things. You accused the DBC of being against CIs, accosting parents, sending mixed messages, and splitting the community. While you have the right to your opinions, I want to share the truth.
Not once has DBC declared an anti-CI or ant-speech stance. Since Day One, DBC is all about promoting ASL for all Deaf babies, regardless of whatever situation they are in. Please show us evidence of DBC's supposed "anti-isms". Thank you.
Additionally, please bring direct and specific evidence that parents have been rudely approached and mishandled. I have been with DBC since the first protest in Arlington, VA- and I can assure you that John Egbert, Barb DiGi, Aidan Mack, Shirley Egbert, Jeanine Weisblatt, Raychelle Harris, etc. etc. were the most courteous people at Marriott.
Unfortunately, we were still physically attacked just because we were Deaf and standing up to the status quo. Not once did I see any of the DBC activists lose their cool or retaliate. We kept smiling and handing out flyers to the AVT certification participants. I even sat down with one AVT attendee, and had a long but pleasant dialogue with her.
I don't know where you get the impression that parents were ambushed, or the like, since parents were not at the AVT conference in Arlington or at the Colorado conference. Professionals were in attendance.
Please separate rumor/innuendo from fact and reality.
As for your perception that DBC is sending mixed messages and upsetting the Deaf community-- that is subjective but I respect your perception. However, I want to inform you that many MANY people are also inspired by DBC. Even today I got two comments from people from other states stating how DBC has inspired them to CREATE A BETTER WORLD FOR DEAF BABIES. That's what DBC is all about.
You play an important role in that "segment" of the community you claim to represent- you can help bring people together. People & parents who are not sure about ASL or Deaf Education will listen to you. You can be an important "bridge-builder" and bring people together to work for Deaf babies' success and happiness.
DBC sincerely wants ALL Deaf babies, including your son, to succeed in life. That's all that matters.
Thank you,
DE
Jill -- I am wondering if the conference would provide sign language interpreters for you to attend since it is or will be for the hearing people who support hearing and speech for deaf and HOH. I am curious if you requested sign language interpreters for those workshops and keynotes, and what is thier response?
Keep us posted!
Judy
What a great discussion here and I am so glad DE made his points. Like I said in my first comment above, it is all about fair treatment.
Anna S. - thanks for your response. While I understand your argument that its an IEP team who will make a such requirement of speech class for certain students. That is not the case in this country. Many students were "forced" to have speech classes because the district have audiologist(s) and speech teacher(s) that they need to keep them busy. Also, too many parents are misinformed and misguided with
the information that ASL will interfer with speech development.
I can go on here and I know you can go on with your view as well. The most important question here - are ALL of our Deaf children getting fair treatment? If NCLB said we cant leave a child behind, we should be doing the same for our Deaf children!
Anna S - care to tell us more about yourself? Full name? To increase your credibility? smile.
Anna S -
One more thing, I want to mention that I am happy for your son who seems to benefit so much from the support services you provide for him.
Well, I have been in Deaf Education system for 41 years and from what I see, your son is probably in top 5% of Deaf children in the country.
Well, DBC are talking the other 95%that we need to save! May it be 90%, 85% or 80%, they neeeeeed DBC to save them! They were already clear from Day one and I am grateful for DBC who stuck to the principles in how they form themselves against that big elephant in our room.
Upward we go!
JABParris,
I requested an interpreter last week. I received a response but am awaiting a confirmation. I should know more later today.
Joey --
I want to know if you are making the clarification about having Anna S' son probably would be in the top 5% of the deaf children who are in CIs along with the sign language in this country. Is that what you are talking about?
Anna S., I am truly happy for you the way you have provided some needs for your son, you can help and encourage other hearing parents of the deaf babies not to afraid of the sign language and there is a handy!
Cochlear Implants have the 120 channels? Really? I wonder if the CIs can run in a long term without any damages.
White Ghost
Where were you when we need your inspiration? Smile, I am glad to see you again on VLOG with something exciting going on (well, the conference may not be a good news but someone is speaking out from the ASL culture).
Keep us posted on how the conference went and we are with you all the way!
All hearing babies tend to begin with making up their gestures that mean communication by moving their hands publicly: therefore, they haven’t started talking yet.
All Deaf babies and all hearing parents should take ASL lessons in the same class anywhere they can. Consider whether ASL will be free or whether there will be a charge for teaching both deaf baby and hearing parents.
“Terri Stewart, of Manlius, learned about the technique on the news while she was pregnant with her first child. She used sign language with all her children, now ages 8, 6 and 3. Once they caught on, everyone was happier.”
"I noticed that there was less crying because they were able to communicate some basic needs to me," Stewart says.”
I haven’t seen that all CI Deaf babies are crying less after he /she are reaching the success of their oral/aural.
http://www.newhouse.com/teaching-your-baby-sign-language-3.html
What’s that article is good information that has a huge amount of influence over readers who are willing to open their mind to recognize and open their ears to eavesdrop.
“My impression now is that DBC's message is to encourage baby ASL sign vocabulary for deaf babies whose parents choose the auditory/oral or auditory/verbal avenue with cochlear implants.”
She is right. In the present time, all CI babies and all hearing parents should become within reach of ASL because they are already CI in their ears.
DE
I am now reading your comments, which have good reasons and points in your post to Ann S.
Congratulations, you don’t give up.
Floridagirl
This is from me, Anna S.
joey and de,
Thanks for your input. I have been in Deaf education mostly in the mainstreamed setting as long as four decades too. Yes, Deaf education in most settings is unsatisfactory.
The more hearing and speech a child has, the less need for visual intervention. But I am not saying sign language or ASL is not necessary for them. There are a lot more hoh kids (including CI kids who are functionmlly HOH) than deaf/Deaf kids. I wonder where did the numbers 95% and 5% come from.
Good luck to all of us with the crusade to get the hearing society realize the Greatest Irony, but with a handshake rather than a slap in their face.
All the best!
anna s
This is for Amy Efron Cohen. Thanks for the great idea to spread the word about your DVD. I certainly hope you will donate some money to DBC if DBC help and spread the word about your DVD. In my view, its a win-win situation. Good luck!
Hi Jill
Remember me Ellen Marshall, ex Indianaian, Now I live in Las Vegas.
your story in e-mail inspired me. I wish you good luck on the rally in Indpls and at Purdue University this Friday and Saturday. I wish I could fly to Purdue Univ. and join you at the rally.
I remember about 20 years ago Gary Olsen was leader for IAD in Indianapolis where the conference was held without ASL. We held rally at Indiana Convention Center (RCA Center).
Again this year they still do without ASL program. Nothing change since 20 years ago. I am angry. the organization of conference are still stubborn.
We need to be more powerful to educate hearing people.
I start to subscript to your vlog.
United We Stand,
Ellen M.
Fying hands! ~RIGHT ON!
Hi Jill, you've got me in your corner. I grant my full support on ASL exposure, unfortunately I am unable to attend the Rally due to a prior commitment. Your statements conjured up old experiences & memories. You do stand "corrected" in the fact that ASL is pertinent to knowledgeable educational understanding as a child grows up. Hand in hand ASL makes life easier and bearable inspite of the "division" of deaf and hearing whether in a hearing school/environment or deaf world. Accummulation of learning is enhanced to a depth that without ASL alongside the mult-tasking abilities of a deaf individual, it becomes the missing element most hearing are not aware of and dont understand either. It takes one to know one...I'm quite the example of such only I don't have cochlear implants. I excelled with ASL among all hearing cultivated abilities except the ability of word discrimination thru hearing aids.
May the Rally be empowered to reach the vast majority and educate an awareness that needs attention!
Hi all, first let me introduce myself. I am Gail, a student at Purdue University. I am majoring in Elementary Special Education and I would like to teach deaf children and or children with communication/language delays. I have been married 14 years. I am a mom of 3 boys they are 11, 9 and 7 when they were babies my husband and I taught them some sign.
I wanted to share my excitement about the Rally to support the use of ASL by deaf children (people) on Friday and Saturday at Purdue University. I went both days and had a great time. I loved being able to show my support for the use of ASL for the deaf community. It was great to meet people in the deaf community. They all were so very nice. They knew they needed to sign slower for me, so whenever they were signing to me (or they knew I was part of the conversation) they would sign slower so I would understand. When they were signing to each other or for the video camera they would sign at the normal deaf speed, and I was left behind reminding myself that I still have a long way to go to be fluent in ASL. I am sure I could have asked what is that sign etc but I did not want to interrupt them or slow things down, because I felt all this was for them, and not for me. Also they would check with me to be sure I understood what they signed, and would resign or respell for me as needed. I met many people. When I met one guy he signed his name as Nhoj, like I said they would have to resign sometimes for me. So I asked him sign it again, he did, I thought ok I am still confused so I signed his name back to him Nhoj, he signed yes. I signed that is a weird name, he signed yes weird name. Then later I realized he tricked me and signed his name backward, he was John. LOL a funny joke to play on someone. I asked him later if he could help with an assignment I have in my ASL 202 class it is a presentation we have coming up and he was very kind as he helped me and gave me suggestions to improve my presentation. He was offered a treat by another deaf person at the event while he was helping me and he said no, I am helping her now. Like I said they were all very kind.
Saturday I brought along my 3 boys. We taught our boys sign when they were babies and they each know some sign but not a lot, they know the manual alphabet pretty well and can sign maybe a dozen or two dozen other signs. They knew more when they were younger but they have not used it so they have forgotten it. My husband and I thought it would be a good experience for them to attend this Deaf rally. When I told the boys about it they were excited and wanted to come. We were there for about 2 hours on Saturday. The boys got to meet many members of the deaf community, some were deaf, and some had deaf members in their family. They got to show off a bit of their sign language, getting to introduce their selves to others etc. They meet many people, some were a 12 year old girl who is deaf and her parents (hearing), a mom (hearing) of a deaf girl who is attending Gallaudet, Ray (my ASL 101,102 instructor) Jill (my ASL 201 instructor) John (Jill’s husband who is also deaf) and many more. I think at one point I counted 28 people attending the rally, it was great to see that they came but I wish more people were there to support the rally specifically hearing people. I was disappointed that more of the ASL students did not attend. I asked the boys if they liked the event as we were on the way home and they all said they did, that they loved it and had a great time. I think they were a bit nervous and worried as they signed to the others there because I know they all know the signs better and can sign them faster than they did today.
I had the same problem even though I have gotten all A’s in my ASL classes so far. I kinda worried and would forget a sign or use the wrong sign, when I KNOW better, like I signed paper when I meant school and I know better and one time I completely forgot the sign for ‘deaf’. I think it was just I was nervous as I was signing and having so many deaf people watching me, not that I thought they were judging me, but I still felt nervous. Maybe because I did not feel like I know ASL well enough, maybe because I know they all really know ASL very well but I am not as fluent as they are and for good reason. I just use sign in classes or for fun, with our boys on occasion etc, they (the others in the deaf community) use sign all the time, so I know I would not be as good as they are. I also kinda worried that my poor signing ability and being nervous messing up, forgetting a sign or using the wrong sign would look bad on Ray, Jill and Robin. They have all been great instructors and nice people. I worried the others (of the deaf community) would think, this gal (meaning me) does not know sign very well, she makes silly mistakes and does not know simple signs, and then think it was either because I was not smart or because they (the ASL instructors) were not good instructors. I hope they realize neither is the case that it just was I was silly and nervous and would forget or just use the wrong sign on accident, that I do know better.
Anyway, I really enjoyed participating in the Deaf Rally. I hope to be able to help support the deaf community again.
Gail Marie
isleepwhenican@yahoo.com
Some people asked if we could take pictures or video record the event. I did bring mine along and recorded and took pictures, so did some others. I am sure theirs is a better quality. I can post mine later. This week and next week are super busy for me. If any of you want to see the video and or pictures I have and/or the pictures I have let me know. I will try to post them here and/or on my blog and/or my website.
Myblog is http://isleepwhenican.blogspot.com/
my website is
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~ghuff/
Feel free to e-mail me
isleepwhenican@yahoo.com
Gail Marie
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