Miss-Delectable
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Deaf Community Responds To Reading Level Comment - Jackson News Story - WAPT Jackson
WAPT News was flooded with feedback after airing a story on sign language interpreter Greg Goldman.
Goldman was highly visible during Gov. Haley Barbour’s news conferences on Hurricane Gustav.
However, some members of the deaf community said they were upset about a statistic he quoted about their average reading level.
Goldman told WAPT that his job is extremely important because many deaf people have a fourth-or fifth-grade reading level.
The comment sparked outrage among the deaf community who said that many deaf people have higher reading levels.
Experts said that reading can be a difficult challenge for deaf students.
A teacher with the Mississippi School for the Deaf, Amanda Parker, said that it’s a struggle that each of her students tackles.
"Being bilingual, knowing how to sign and speak is the best thing for that child. I didn't grow up using sign language. I struggled and my confidence was not the same as it is today," Parker said.
Parker said that too often, deaf students are placed in public schools and fall behind.
"By the time they arrive to MSD, they may be 10, 11-years-old, so it's our responsibility to catch them up. For all these years, they've been sitting in a classroom not being served," parker said.
Gallaudet University is the world's only university where all programs and services are designed to accommodate deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
According to a Gallaudet study, 17 and 18-year-old deaf students read at an average fourth-grade level.
To combat those statistics, Parker said parents of deaf children should focus on early stimulation and one-on-one attention to make up for what they can't hear.
"When that baby is born, and the doctor tells you your baby is deaf, the first thing you do, learn to sign. Communicate with that child," Parker said.
Close to 20,000 people in Mississippi are deaf. The MSD serves 130 students and provides an individual education plan for each child.
I wish all doctor would tell parents to learn sign language so they can communicate with the baby.
WAPT News was flooded with feedback after airing a story on sign language interpreter Greg Goldman.
Goldman was highly visible during Gov. Haley Barbour’s news conferences on Hurricane Gustav.
However, some members of the deaf community said they were upset about a statistic he quoted about their average reading level.
Goldman told WAPT that his job is extremely important because many deaf people have a fourth-or fifth-grade reading level.
The comment sparked outrage among the deaf community who said that many deaf people have higher reading levels.
Experts said that reading can be a difficult challenge for deaf students.
A teacher with the Mississippi School for the Deaf, Amanda Parker, said that it’s a struggle that each of her students tackles.
"Being bilingual, knowing how to sign and speak is the best thing for that child. I didn't grow up using sign language. I struggled and my confidence was not the same as it is today," Parker said.
Parker said that too often, deaf students are placed in public schools and fall behind.
"By the time they arrive to MSD, they may be 10, 11-years-old, so it's our responsibility to catch them up. For all these years, they've been sitting in a classroom not being served," parker said.
Gallaudet University is the world's only university where all programs and services are designed to accommodate deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
According to a Gallaudet study, 17 and 18-year-old deaf students read at an average fourth-grade level.
To combat those statistics, Parker said parents of deaf children should focus on early stimulation and one-on-one attention to make up for what they can't hear.
"When that baby is born, and the doctor tells you your baby is deaf, the first thing you do, learn to sign. Communicate with that child," Parker said.
Close to 20,000 people in Mississippi are deaf. The MSD serves 130 students and provides an individual education plan for each child.
I wish all doctor would tell parents to learn sign language so they can communicate with the baby.