In my experience with working with parents of implanted children who have been referred to our school, I was told by them that the doctors werent nuetral about ASL. They told me how the doctors made it sound like if their children learn ASL, they will never be able to get full benefits from their CIs. Of course, I will believe them cuz they were devastated when their children fell so far behind and having to live with the regret of not exposing their children to a visual language when it was critical. If it is so true that ASL interferes with the child's ability to use it fully then why do I have a student with a CI who had been a student at our school since she was a baby who can easily go from spoken to sign languages? (not asking u but just that view is so incorrect).
The doctors need to stop giving that misconception about ASL. Heck even one parent told me that she was told it was either get a CI or go the ASL route. She was shocked to see that both can be done when her child first came to our school.
Shel,
This is why I say we as ASL users and with CI's need to get together and prove the doctors wrong. The only way we can do this is by somehow getting word out there to have like a meeting or a seminar or something where you could meet these new parents. Try to get the CI center to cooperate?
I really cant speak from a child perspective and from a CI learning Oral speech perspective.
I could however teach the benefits of knowing signs while having a CI.
Maybe it is something we need to really get together on and stand up for in each state.
As for the article stated above, there is another consideration to factor in. It seems like these parents did have knowledge of the whole deaf culture in their area.
The deaf community does not always put on the best face to invite others into it. For example, in some areas the deaf act like if you are not strongly connected to a full deaf family, then they dont wanna give you the time of day. In this type of community, they want to know your whole deaf ancestry and wanna see it. What the hell is that? That would turn alot of people off on joining the deaf community.
Then we have the ASLer's. Anyone that even wants to speak is outcasted by them. You have to support nothing but ASL or they wont talk to you. For someone like me who is oral and asl forget it. They dont take into account for us latened deaf.
Then we have some hardcore Cier's. NOT anyone here mind you. But I have seen it. Those types are like if you dont support the CI, then they want nothing to do with you. They dont want to try to understand that someone may be happy as they are. But at the same time whine because others are against the CI. Maybe their attitude is why. But they dont see that.
Then we have the anti Cier's. NOT anyone here mind you again. But this group refuses to accept anyone with a CI. If you were implanted, forget it dont wanna talk to you. You turned your back on the deaf community. So why dont you keep it that way? They refuse to see that not everyone fits into their nice little box.
Not to mention because we are a small community. The backstabbing, gossiping, and temper tantrums over the smallest thing is more apparent. You notice it more.
Now imagine you are a new parent, slung into a world you pretty much know nothing about. You do your research about the deaf community. You go meet some deaf at say a deaf club. You see all of this going on. What would you decide?
It's not always black and white. Sometimes people go for oral and hearing due to what they see in the deaf communities. They feel their children would be better off in the *majority* of the population because it is so large that the things that go on in our community is not so noticeable.
Also you have to factor in job discrimination. While many of us may have jobs and working. How many of us are in truly good paying jobs?
The hearing population mainly only sees us in jobs like walmart, stocking shelves. Mcdonalds, flipping burgers or cleaning. Many parents see that and worry that their child may be stuck in a dead end low paying job.
They dont really see that there are sucessful deaf adults. So, they feel give my child the ability to hear as much as possible and give them speech and they may not have to face that.
I can understand the concepts behind it. But that doesnt mean I feel they are right.
Maybe it is up to us to show our own community what we are showing others.