A discussion vlog: Carl Schroeder reacts to Barb Digi's vlog on DBC on Early Hearing Detection and Intervention by making a distinction between American Sign Language (ASL) and deafness. ASL is language and culture that is acquired for knowledge and communication. Deafness falls under a negative denotation that includes failure and disease. We would be better off by criticizing the use of negative terms to define our people and by demanding that ASL be recognized as our form of speech that is inalienable and, therefore, unabridged.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
Yes, it's unfortunate that the EHDI system was placed under the CDC. Hopefully this is something that can be changed in the long-term future. Remember that Barb signed: "That's their perspective" in the video, referring to the medical establishment's view.
BR,
Yes, it's unfortunate that CDC is addressing our deafness. I think it's even more unfortunate that DBC chose to approach the EHDI system and fight audism there.
AFA (Audism Free America) should have been encouraged to confront CDC/EHDI so that DBC could focus its energies on the existing law, Bilingual Education Act (BEA).
DBC can articulate bilingual education for Deaf babies through BEA, not already-biased organizations such as CDC and its EHDI, and receive federal grants to train hospitals and teaching hospitals to address American Sign Language (ASL) as early a learning stage as possible.
We have BEA. Use it to support Deaf babies!
Unfortunately, the Bilingual Education Act (BEA) was canceled during the time of the George W. Bush administration as part of the new "No Child Left Behind" law.
The Office of Bilingual and Minority Language Education under the US Dept of Education was closed down and a new department was created called: "Office English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students (OELA)"
Maybe Obama will work to restore the Office of Bilingual and Minority Language Education.
I forgot the word "of" in the title. The new office is called:
"Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students (OELA)"
Carl and Brian,
Yes, it is very true that not only has BEA been cancelled, but it has been an utter fiasco! When I was assigned for my teaching practicum by New York University to observe the School of Language Arts in the upper Manhattan, I was shocked, aggravated, and upset that two teachers from Hunter College applied a wrong BE approach when teaching to Hispanic hearing students. Very matter, my NYU professor was equally upset after I complained about the wrong approach. True enough, two years later or thereafter, more and more schools discontinued the BE approach. If my memory serves me correctly, some educator at Berkeley (California) wrote an article, criticising the approach which was one of complaints that resulted in ending the BEA.
Some teachers for the deaf also do not know how to apply the bilingual approach either.
Carl,
Thank you for bringing this up as I am happy to see a follow-up dialogue on this topic. I totally understand your view that it is erroneous for EHDI that serves thousands of families of Deaf babies to be classified under CDC. It is outrageous and degrading that Deaf people are tied to CDC indeed, however, the ugly system is there. It is crucial for Deaf-centric people to be actively involved and say, "Hey, we are here and let us tell you why using a bilingual approach is strongly recommended for families of Deaf babies." From my experience, they sat and listened but the only complaint I got was that there was not enough opportunity for conference attendees to have this kind of exposure of topics in workshops. How are we expected to make changes if we don't make frequent appearances and contact?
In the DBC conference last year, Dr. Barbara Kanappel discussed about the history of oppression when struggling to get a law passed to recognize bilingual instruction for Deaf children. It wasn't an easy fight for the Spanish children either but they had been making more advances since they are not medically oppressed and viewed like Deaf people are so we are dealing with double trouble.
The bottom line is that I do agree that this kind of fight needs to revisited. In fact, DBC has already discussed about this before and certainly would want to make a collaboration in this area. It makes sense to spread Deaf-centric views to organizations/agencies serving Deaf babies/children as much as possible and challenge the views by re-framing concepts such as hearing loss vs. language loss which is one of the examples that DBC wants to see it happen.
It is all about being proactive stakeholders to educate the EHDI people that we, the Deaf, are successful and happy having ASL as a first language. Unfortunately, I have witnessed how some of the participants and even people outside actually saying that it is irrelevant to include the Deaf community and we are here to challenge this audistic view.
"Parents of Deaf children are the key adults in the child's life and Deaf adults are the promise of what these children can become."
Deaf Bilingual BiCultural Education
Gibson, Small, Mason (1997)
Hi everyone,
That's WHY I urged the deaf community including the DBC to oppose the re-authorization of the EDHI until we could work out some issues and make the EDHI referrals to be non-biased and other more.
We could use the re-authorization of the EDHI bill to force the AGBell into having open dialogues with the AFA.
We must do the hardball tactics whenver we have to! No buts!
RLM
Carl and all,
DBC and Barb can be actively involved in EHDI while we (like you and others to develop a "seed money" grant proposal with the help from TS Writing). When the program (k-12 ASL education curriculum) is ready then Barb can put the little wood board in the pipe (EHDI) to redirect the water flow toward to this "right" program which was not new concept. It has been there since 1817 and we rediscover the long lost jewel which we cherish the most...
ASL
The time is on our side, BUT (sorry Amy) in a very limited window.
What's more... this program with the children who will prove the society that they are also their important assets, not liability.
Ecnarb
When the newly-founded DBC had its first conferene, the EHDI system was the topic on which the NAD president Bobba Beth Scoggins focussed. We would have to search for DBC's 2008 videoclips to see what Dr. Scoggins had discussed at the Milwaukee Conference.
Post a Comment