Acoustic Characteristics of the Speech of Young Cochlear Implant Users

vallee said:
I have a meeting in Nashville next Saturday with the League of Deaf and Hearing Loss. I have been out with the Deaf community at a church. I did find out about sign language course being offered. My daughter will go with me. I did one years ago.
Click to expand...

That's awesome! Hope u enjoy it. :)
 
jillio said:
**nodding agreement** I think we are about to get this thread back to a productive form of discussion.
Click to expand...

Yes, and it is nice to really debate and then come to mutual agreement without all the scarcastic comments, name-calling, and put downs.
 
vallee said:
I got up early to talk to my mom this morning. Not sure she likes to be awaken this early. Please read the whole thing first before posting.

We need to remember the time in history. I was born in 1968, I started school in 1974. There was not a lot of services available for a child with a mild-moderate hearing loss. Occurring to my mom, she did try and get me into a Deaf school. Yes, I did not meet the criteria at the time. She believes she tried other resources within the Deaf community. She was not sure why she did not use those services. it could be she was not assisted, welcomed, or she felt scare. She can't rememeber all the details. You have to remember from past post I said that the doctors and audies did not help her either. I went from doctor to doctor to find out what was "wrong" with me. I went 7 years without a HA. This is during the most important part of languge development. So now she made her choice.

My mom chose to raise me oral. She chose to help me to develop my language and speech skills. She did not turn her back on anything, she just chose to do it her way. Even when we moved from upstate New York(Kingston area) to rural Georgia, she kept her outlook. When I was fitted with my hearing aid she make sure that the teachers knew what to do. She made sure I was in the front of the room and I asked for help when needed. A little background - Mom was a single parent most of the time with 3 girls. We were lower income. Both of my older sisters are gifted(both test and placed in gifted programs.) Honestly school was not difficult except for spelling.

As my hearing took a turn in high school, she was not sure where to turn so she went to Voc Reh. They worked with me in my Senior year and college. Remember I'm not failing school, I was active in school and mainstreamed. I did not use an FM system or any accommodations. My teachers looked out for me, by giving me the notes from other students and just taking care of me. Even with a profound - severe hearing loss I took Spanish. My Spanish teacher would sit in front of me and make the words so I could understand. During her planning period she would take time to do this. I asked she did not question. I was raised with to accept my hearing loss and ask for help as needed.

I do not blame the Deaf Community or even the Hearing Community. My mom made her choice to raise me oral because of her experiences back 35 years ago. To me it does not matter if it was a hearing person at the Deaf School or a deaf person, my mom did not feel she got the services she needed for me. So she created what I needed.

I became a regular education teacher back 15 years ago for one simple reason, I wanted to make sure all children were treated with respect in my classroom and in my school. I wanted to make sure no child was placed in the back of the room, no child was treated differently because of what he wore to school, and parents felt welcome to ask questions and help from me. I changed to special ed so I could assist the all students more. I used my personal experience to make a change in the educational system.

Now as an adult that is completely deaf with these wonderful CIs, I did seek out the Deaf Community. My first stop is here! Now there are two conclusions - one the door can be shut on me or two I can be welcomed in with a vary of resources I need to assist my family and myself. At this point It can go either way.
Click to expand...

Hi Vallee,

Like you I was born in upstate New York and I ran into the same issues with doctors trying to figure out whats wrong with me. My mother did try to send me to a more specialize school for heard of hearing and deaf students which did not work out and I went back to a mainstream school because I was not challenged enough in the other school. I am a bit older and even in Rochester NY at the time there was not many good educational situations available. I graduated from High school with a regents diploma and decided to go to N.I.T.D. for my engineering degree. I am currently working on bridging the gap between the communications needs of heard of hearing and deaf communities in my state.
 
john57 said:
Hi Vallee,

Like you I was born in upstate New York and I ran into the same issues with doctors trying to figure out whats wrong with me. My mother did try to send me to a more specialize school for heard of hearing and deaf students which did not work out and I went back to a mainstream school because I was not challenged enough in the other school. I am a bit older and even in Rochester NY at the time there was not many good educational situations available. I graduated from High school with a regents diploma and decided to go to N.I.T.D. for my engineering degree. I am currently working on bridging the gap between the communications needs of heard of hearing and deaf communities in my state.
Click to expand...


That is a wonderful goal to have. It seems that in those days, services werent as readily available as it is now. I hope things have improved in Rochester and upstate New York as far as giving support to the parents of newly diagnosed deaf children.
 
john57 said:
Hi Vallee,

Like you I was born in upstate New York and I ran into the same issues with doctors trying to figure out whats wrong with me. My mother did try to send me to a more specialize school for heard of hearing and deaf students which did not work out and I went back to a mainstream school because I was not challenged enough in the other school. I am a bit older and even in Rochester NY at the time there was not many good educational situations available. I graduated from High school with a regents diploma and decided to go to N.I.T.D. for my engineering degree. I am currently working on bridging the gap between the communications needs of heard of hearing and deaf communities in my state.
Click to expand...

That is an awesome goal. Those who are most effective are usually those that have been there, and can bring personal experience into the picture.
 
shel90 said:
The Deaf community is not known for attacking parents who come to them for help with ASL or learning more about deafness. It is when the parents tell the Deaf community that their child doesnt need to learn sign and is better off being around hearing children is when Deaf people feel insulted and belittled. That is discrimination right there. Maybe u dont see it but I see it happening all the time.
Click to expand...
\

You are so wrong not all the Deaf community but they do attack parents who choose to raise their deaf child in oral language only. I am not against ASL if that is the way parents want to raise their deaf child. If I want to raise my children only in oral language that is my choice not yours and not anybody's else MY CHILD MY CHOICE
 
shel90 said:
Ok..now going back to the parents. Parents usually have no experience nor possess the knowledge of how to meet a deaf child's needs in the educational setting so how is it that they have rights? My mom didnt know better and as a result, I suffered cuz she had more rights than I did regarding to how I was educated but was is me who lived with the education and emotional-well being for the rest of my life not her. That is where I base my views on.
Click to expand...

Shel This is why I am all about educating parents on their children rights. I can understand how you felt growing up with your teachers yelling at you for not paying attention. As you know general education teachers generally have no experience in deaf education. It is my job as a parent of 2 oral deaf teenagers to educate their teachers. I do this by many ways. First, I communicate with them before the start of the school year. And give them a run down on what to expect from my children and what they need to do for them. Then by the third week of school, I have already met all of their teachers in person to go over things. By the 6th week, I have observed my children in every single class. If I see anything that needs to be changed then I asked the teachers nicely how to make small changes. I feel it is my job to educate the teachers. I can tell you that all of my children's teachers respect me as I respect them and they know that they can communicate with any time. I am very clear with them that I understand that they probable have never had a deaf student in their class.
 
jackiesolorzano said:
Shel This is why I am all about educating parents on their children rights. I can understand how you felt growing up with your teachers yelling at you for not paying attention. As you know general education teachers generally have no experience in deaf education. It is my job as a parent of 2 oral deaf teenagers to educate their teachers. I do this by many ways. First, I communicate with them before the start of the school year. And give them a run down on what to expect from my children and what they need to do for them. Then by the third week of school, I have already met all of their teachers in person to go over things. By the 6th week, I have observed my children in every single class. If I see anything that needs to be changed then I asked the teachers nicely how to make small changes. I feel it is my job to educate the teachers. I can tell you that all of my children's teachers respect me as I respect them and they know that they can communicate with any time. I am very clear with them that I understand that they probable have never had a deaf student in their class.
Click to expand...

Your decision. I just believe in providing sign language and oral languages to all deaf/hoh children in all educational settings not just one or the other only.
 
jackiesolorzano said:
Shel This is why I am all about educating parents on their children rights. I can understand how you felt growing up with your teachers yelling at you for not paying attention. As you know general education teachers generally have no experience in deaf education. It is my job as a parent of 2 oral deaf teenagers to educate their teachers. I do this by many ways. First, I communicate with them before the start of the school year. And give them a run down on what to expect from my children and what they need to do for them. Then by the third week of school, I have already met all of their teachers in person to go over things. By the 6th week, I have observed my children in every single class. If I see anything that needs to be changed then I asked the teachers nicely how to make small changes. I feel it is my job to educate the teachers. I can tell you that all of my children's teachers respect me as I respect them and they know that they can communicate with any time. I am very clear with them that I understand that they probable have never had a deaf student in their class.
Click to expand...

I agree, general education teachers, and even special education teachers not only have little, if any experience in teaching deaf children. Likewise, they have no training in the methods that are effective and specific to a deaf child's educational needs. So why to adminsitrators and some edcuators, as well as so many parents, continue to insist that such an environment is the best placement for a deaf child?
 
shel90 said:
Your decision. I just believe in providing sign language and oral languages to all deaf/hoh children in all educational settings not just one or the other only.
Click to expand...

Agreed. And if this mainstream setting does not have the education or the experience to address a deaf child's needs, how is it that this is the least restrictive environment? Seems to me the least restrictive environment would be one in which the educators actually have experience with deaf children, and training in the most effective methodologies. I would rather my child not be the first one encountered and practiced on.:dunno2:
 
jillio said:
I agree, general education teachers, and even special education teachers not only have little, if any experience in teaching deaf children. Likewise, they have no training in the methods that are effective and specific to a deaf child's educational needs. So why to adminsitrators and some edcuators, as well as so many parents, continue to insist that such an environment is the best placement for a deaf child?
Click to expand...

Because it is my choice. My daughter was at a high school that has a TC program. She was mainstream but I saw what low expectations the general education teachers had for their deaf students.
I moved her to our local high school and I have seen such a huge jump academically in my daughter's progress especially since she has had CART. I have seen her advocate for herself now, which she never did when she was at the high school with the TC program because the interpreters did everything for her. It was the best move that I have made and if you ask her she will agree with me.
 
jackiesolorzano said:
Because it is my choice. My daughter was at a high school that has a TC program. She was mainstream but I saw what low expectations the general education teachers had for their deaf students.
I moved her to our local high school and I have seen such a huge jump academically in my daughter's progress especially since she has had CART. I have seen her advocate for herself now, which she never did when she was at the high school with the TC program because the interpreters did everything for her. It was the best move that I have made and if you ask her she will agree with me.
Click to expand...

Yep, its your choice.

If terps were doing everything for her, they were way overstepping their bounds.

Most TC programs don't use terps. They use TODs that are fluent in sign.

And you don't find those low expectations in an environment that has trainign and experience in deaf edcuation. It is only those who don't have a clue that have lowered expectation. Which is why children should be placed where they are not subjected to those lowered expectations and then provided the skills necessary to live up to the higher expectations.
 
jackiesolorzano said:
Because it is my choice. My daughter was at a high school that has a TC program. She was mainstream but I saw what low expectations the general education teachers had for their deaf students.
I moved her to our local high school and I have seen such a huge jump academically in my daughter's progress especially since she has had CART. I have seen her advocate for herself now, which she never did when she was at the high school with the TC program because the interpreters did everything for her. It was the best move that I have made and if you ask her she will agree with me.
Click to expand...

The key word is "general education teachers". U said that they had low expectations for these children and it is a tragedy just because the children rely on sign language, because they are expected to perform lower? I cant believe this view! That is what Jillo and I are trying to tell u. Those teachers have no idea what to do with deaf children so why arent u taking action to change the program to make it better for those children?

Maybe, we shoudl keep all children at the Deaf schools where they are placed with educators who specialize in the education of the deaf in the least restrictive environment?
 
jillio said:
Yep, its your choice.

If terps were doing everything for her, they were way overstepping their bounds.

Most TC programs don't use terps. They use TODs that are fluent in sign.
Click to expand...

That's what I have seen in the mainstreamed program in AZ..the terps were doing everything for their students and not allowing them to make mistakes. They were definitely overstepping their boundaries. No wonder kids leave school with no knowledge of how to advocate for themselves. Geez!
 
shel90 said:
That's what I have seen in the mainstreamed program in AZ..the terps were doing everything for their students and not allowing them to make mistakes. They were definitely overstepping their boundaries. No wonder kids leave school with no knowledge of how to advocate for themselves. Geez!
Click to expand...

Yep, I see it in many of my students that came fromthe mainstream as well. But these aren't TC programs. These are just self contained or inclusive placement that uses terps and regular classroom teachers.
 
You know, shel.....you see it in your younger students and I see it in my students at the college level. I'd say that is pretty consistent evidence of the problems, and that they continue throughout that child's lifetime, wouldn't you?
 
jillio said:
You know, shel.....you see it in your younger students and I see it in my students at the college level. I'd say that is pretty consistent evidence of the problems, and that they continue throughout that child's lifetime, wouldn't you?
Click to expand...

I just get the feeling that some people here look down on deaf signing kids. I really do feel that way, I dont know why.
 
Back
Top