Mainstreaming in education of deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) students has become a way for everyone to benefit. The improvements of the Individual with Disability Education Act (IDEA) have led to a better understanding of D/HH inclusion. The 1970s IDEA’s main focus for D/HH students was to integrate them into classrooms with their hearing peers so that they could “learn” to hear (Rosen). The problem with this notion is obvious though; a person with a hearing loss cannot “learn” to hear. Since the 1970s inclusion has been slow to change. It wasn’t until the late 1990s that Congress realized that schools were not facilitating communication well with D/HH students. This led to IDEA mandating that all Individualized Education Plans (IEP) for D/HH students need to address communication difficulties between the student and his or her hearing peers and teachers (Rosen). Even though communication supports are now mandated, D/HH students who have been placed in mainstream schooling still face many problems, including being ostracized by peers and unaccommodated by teachers. However, when the students, teachers and school system are open to creating a D/HH inclusive classroom, everyone is presented with a new environment from which they can learn. While being mainstreamed in school students that are D/HH often face some kind of stigmatization by their hearing peers. Stigmatization has always been a strategy that people in the majority group have used to make themselves feel more powerful and in turn, demean the minority group (Brown 149). A study, done by Gina Oliva of D/HH adults looking back on their time in a mainstream school, revealed that a quarter of participants felt that they were targeted and discriminated against by their peers.... ... middle of paper ... ...hearing perspective: All individuals would be enriched by becoming a bit more Deaf. By that we mean society would do well to become more acutely aware of the nuances of communication, more engaged in eye contact and tactile relations, more fluent in a language rich in embodied metaphor, more aware of the role of being a member of close-knit communities, and if nothing else more appreciative of human diversity, so that we [are] constantly reminded that the bedrock of reality may be just as diaphanous as any other social construction. (Bauman and Murray 255) If more people looked at the world from a deaf point of view there would be much to gain. That is why it is so important to have D/HH inclusive classrooms. If students are taught from a young age to view the world as a deaf person would, then these benefits would come more naturally to them throughout their lives.
I learned a lot about Deaf people, ASL, and/or Deaf Culture after reading this book. Deaf people are normal just like anybody else and they should not be treated any differently. Some people treat Deafness as a disease that needs to be cured, but it's not. If a parent comes to learn that their child is deaf they react very crazily and act like their child is dying and that deafness is some fatal disease. Deaf people should be treated just like anyone else and no differently. They are not disabled and can do great things in this world.
In the following chapters, there is an extensive amount of knowledge to learn about how Deaf culture is involved in our modern world. The pages assigned give us an outlook of how Deaf people are treated in our daily life, and how we should learn from it. Its gives a clear line between what are myths and what are facts, to those who are curious about the Deaf community or have specific questions. This book has definitely taught me new things that I could put to good use in the near future. In specific chapters, my mind really opened up to new ideas and made me think hard about questions, like “why don’t some Deaf people trust hearing people,” or “do we need another ‘Deaf president now’ revolution?” I realized many new things in the course of reading this book, and have recommended this to my family.
While the benefits for the hearing are great, there are better benefits for those who are Deaf. Jarashow stated that it was essentially frowned upon if a Deaf child was using sign instead of trying to use what ability they had to hear. This seems counterproductive and if they emphasized more on teaching Deaf children ASL, there would be better outcomes for them in the future. Instead of focusing on trying to make everyone the same, they should focus on giving these children the best opportunity possible despite their
There are many important issues mentioned in the the book Deaf Again. The book talked about things beyond disabilities. People tend to judge others who are not similar to them or their ideal image of normal. The overall need for communication is the major topic that is stressed in the text. The foundation of a relationship is built off of the strength of communication, so being able to communicate with all is a very important aspect of life.
My response to this question is two-fold. Firstly, I believe that (for the most part), Deaf people actually like being deaf. While observing my neighbor (who happens to be deaf), I realize, he is never unpleasant, he keeps an unceasing smile on his face, is eager to help us hearing neighbors whenever applicable, and in general, he always looks for the silver lining in the clouds. I don’t think that I could ever work up the nerve to ask him if he’d desired the ability to hear. I’ve never seen him preoccupied with his inability to hear, so why should I. His deafness is a part of who he is. In our book, it mentions that being Deaf is a part of the individuals’ personality, an attribute just as important to a person that is right or left-handed. Why would Deaf people want to be hearing? If a person is born deaf, such as my neighbor, they don’t find themselves missing what they never experienced. Our book lends to us the illustration of someone who is
...t is also nice to see that people are no longer ashamed to be deaf, but instead they are proud of who they are and are willing to stand up to any one who attempts to make them feel lesser. The Deaf Culture has become a lot stronger, but we still have a long wase to go.
English is an interesting language. English is comprised of many different words from different languages all mashed up and mixed together. English is a very hard language to learn, especially if you can’t hear it. How easy would it be to confuse a “B” with a “P”, they sound similar and when trying to lip read how can you tell the difference? I feel that young Deaf /hard of hearing students being taught by a Deaf teacher or a child of a Deaf adult (C.O.D.A) teacher is very important because ASL is the first step to learning English and becoming bilingual. According to the article Why Schools for Deaf Children Should Hire Deaf Teachers: A Preschool Issue By Courtney Shantie and Robert Hoffmeister, the authors state “This paper will focus on
Societies could also come together so that it can enable D/deaf individuals to bond with and show hearing people how to communicate accurately and fluently. This will allow D/deaf individuals to feel like they belong in their community, which will make them feel a sense of security and also enables them to feel less isolated.
Deaf and hearing impaired individuals are know longer an out cast group. They now have there own deaf community. Deaf individuals do not consider themselves having an impairment, handicap, or any type of disability. They believe that through the use of sign language, other communication skills, and technology that there deafness is the way they are supposed to be. Many people who have perfect hearing can not understand deaf people and why they embrace there deafness instead of trying to receive hearing and get rid of there handicap. However not all deaf people have th...
The documentary of “Through Deaf Eyes” has open my eyes to the deaf culture. The movie has made it “click” that deaf people are just that people and individuals like me. Deaf community has its struggles just like everyone else. They struggle with growing into who they are as a person, harmful situations, and feeling a sense of belonging. They just speak a different language like Italians and Hispanics. Communicating with a different language does not make them lesser than a hearing person. When able to learn to communicate, the deaf are able to learn and gain knowledge just like a hearing person. The only difference is they have to learn more and work harder to achieve their goals and gain knowledge, which a hearing person learns just by hearing their surroundings.
The deaf community does not see their hearing impairment as a disability but as a culture which includes a history of discrimination, racial prejudice, and segregation. According to an online transcript,“Through Deaf Eyes” (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007) there are thirty-five million Americans that are hard of hearing. Out of the thirty-five million an estimated 300,000 people are completely deaf. There are ninety percent of deaf people who have hearing parents (Halpern, C., 1996). Also, most deaf parents have hearing children. With this being the exemplification, deaf people communicate on a more intimate and significant level with hearing people all their lives. “Deaf people can be found in every ethnic group, every region, and every economic class” (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007). The deaf culture and hard of hearing have plenty of arguments and divisions with living in a hearing world without sound however, that absence will be a starting point of an identity within their culture as well as the hearing culture (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007).
In mainstream American society, we tend to approach deafness as a defect. Helen Keller is alleged to have said, "Blindness cuts people off from things; deafness cuts people off from people." (rnib.org) This seems a very accurate description of what Keller's world must have been. We as hearing people tend to pity deaf people, or, if they succeed in the hearing world, admire them for overcoming a severe handicap. We tend to look at signing as an inferior substitute for "real" communication. We assume that all deaf people will try to lip-read and we applaud deaf people who use their voices to show us how far they have come from the grips of their disability. Given this climate, many hearing people are surprised, as I was at first, to learn of the existence of Deaf culture. To me deafness is not a defect but a source of connection. Imagine yourself deaf, growing up with a beautiful language, visual literature, humor, and theater. Imagine taking pride in your identity without any desire to become a member of the majority culture. For many deaf people, their community is a comforting relief from the isolation and condescension of the hearing world. However the Deaf community is far more than a support group for people who share a physical characteristic. Members of the Deaf community may have hearing levels that range from profoundly deaf to slightly hard-of-hearing. But no members of the Deaf community are "hearing impaired." Inside this community, deaf people become Deaf, proudly capitalizing their culture. Hearing people suddenly find that they are handicapped: "Deaf-impaired."
History unfolds the advantages of residential schools for students who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH). While some DHH students are placed in other educational settings depending on their circumstances, majority of those who have experienced residential schools cannot help but express how glad they are of the experience.
Today’s society consists of numerous individuals who are diagnosed with disabilities that prevent them from partaking in their everyday tasks. Not everyone gets the chance to live a normal life because they might have a problem or sickness that they have to overcome. Deafness is a disability that enables people to hear. All deafness is not alike; it can range in many different forms. Some people like Gauvin, can be helped with a hearing aid, but some can’t because of their situation and health reasons. In society, hearing individuals consider deafness a disability, while the deaf themselves see it as a cultural significance. In the article “Victims from Birth”, appearing in ifemnists.com, Founding Editor Wendy McElroy, provides the story of
The United States Department of Education has published the Deaf Students Education Services Policy Guidance to provide state and local education agencies with guidance in providing appropriate educational services to students who are deaf as mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Discussed below are the major areas of the policy guidance.