Audism at its peak in deaf school

deafbajagal

deafbajagal

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The deaf school I work at is having audism at its peak.

The hearing teachers are REFUSING to sign in the presence of deaf teachers, even when prompted by our administrators to sign at all times. They think it's okay to talk in front of students when they don't want the kids to know what they are saying. I find this to be borderline abuse, and contridicts what the school is supposed to be about - providing 24/7 access to language. We have embarrassing signs all over campus reminding others to sign at all times, and no one heeds to them. It is really gotten out of hand. When I brought this up to our supt, the supt said he will form a committee to look at the communication policy. *rme*

At our workshops, hearing teachers talk without signing unless they want something from us. It's pissing me off.

WHAT CAN WE DO? ANY IDEAS? How can I show the supt and his so-called committee why it is so important (and respectful) that the hearing teachers and staff continue to sign in presence of deaf people.
 
My work has that problem too with some hearing staff. Luckily, most of the younger hearing staff are much more respectful than the older ones so we are just waiting for them all to retire because they have done it for 20 plus years and nothing has changed. That's why they are shunned by the deaf staff. We just figured that they know that they do it and they have to live with themselves. Some of us go up to them right in front of the students and say, "What are you all talking about..we would like to know." We just keep putting them on the spot. Try that?
 
They need to give these kids some dignity.

If you can hear, you could interpret what the teachers are saying. Tell them that if it was hearing kids, they wouldn't be doing this... so you are making sure their voice is visual.
 
If possible, film the "talking teachers" when they least expect them and show them to the superintendent.

You do want to have evidence to support your claim of audism.

If you could have a tape recorder to record the conversations too as well, this will help substantiate your claims for equal accessibility of ASL for all; Deaf and hearing.

Take pictures of those signs reminding others to use ASL.

Evidence, evidence and evidence.
 
deafbajagal said:
Really? Do your admin care about it, or just shrugs like mine do?
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They shrug like yours too. They need to go. They have been reported numerous of time. We need young and a newer generation of administrators. The old school administrators need to go. They hold the TC philosophy big time.
 
Mrs Bucket said:
If possible, film the "talking teachers" when they least expect them and show them to the superintendent.

You do want to have evidence to support your claim of audism.

If you could have a tape recorder to record the conversations too as well, this will help substantiate your claims for equal accessibility of ASL for all; Deaf and hearing.

Take pictures of those signs reminding others to use ASL.

Evidence, evidence and evidence.
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Good idea! I will bring that up with the deaf staff at my work too. :hmm: Most of the time we are all so busy to really be creative. Sometimes, it takes an outside perspective to bring in a new idea. Great one, Mrs. Bucket!
 
Light, you're right...it's about dignity. I'm deaf myself so wouldn't be much of an interpreter...but I don't tolerate it if I see it...of course I get blacklisted for saying anything.
 
deafbajagal said:
We do TC, too. *GAG* There's nothing "total" about it.

Bos, good idea!
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TC is awful for deaf ed..

Luckily at my work , it is just only about 4 or 5 staff that do that. The younger hearing staff are much much more respectful when it comes to this issue.

Funny, we had a deaf girl who was an aide and she had a CI and she would pull the same dirty shit and she got blacklisted too. She left because she was shunned for doing that.
 
the local tc deaf school is now going ORAL ONLY and the sign only staff are LOSING their jobs
 
inmate23 said:
the local tc deaf school is now going ORAL ONLY and the sign only staff are LOSING their jobs
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Really? That is So FUCKED UP!!! I hate the oral-only philosophy. It just continues to oppress deaf people again and again. Ugh!
 
I don't know. It's kind of a double edged sword. It is wrong when deaf kids are prohibited from signing because you are depriving them of their natural language but yet when the tables are turned it's ok to deprive hearing people of their natural language. Seems like this may be a double standard to me. My personal belief is that nobody should be deprived of using their natural language be it sign or spoken language. How is telling hearing people they can't use their natural spoken language any different than telling deaf people they can use their natural sign language? :confused:
 
rockdrummer said:
I don't know. It's kind of a double edged sword. It is wrong when deaf kids are prohibited from signing because you are depriving them of their natural language but yet when the tables are turned it's ok to deprive hearing people of their natural language. Seems like this may be a double standard to me. My personal belief is that nobody should be deprived of using their natural language be it sign or spoken language. How is telling hearing people they can't use their natural spoken language any different than telling deaf people they can use their natural sign language? :confused:
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I don't see this as a matter of depriving hearing people of the right to speak. It's about open access, and treating deaf faculty and students with respect.

I work in a (hearing) school. Many of us are bilingual, but we don't all speak the same language. I would not switch into Russian to talk about non-Russian speaking students or co-workers in their presence. That would be disrespectful. I don't think that behavior that's rude in a hearing school suddenly becomes OK because it's a deaf school.

Imagine that a group of your co-workers came up with a special language that you don't understand so that they could talk about you. Then they walked around using the special language right in front of you. What kind of atmosphere would that create?
 
ms_redcat said:
I don't see this as a matter of depriving hearing people of the right to speak. It's about open access, and treating deaf faculty and students with respect.

I work in a (hearing) school. Many of us are bilingual, but we don't all speak the same language. I would not switch into Russian to talk about non-Russian speaking students or co-workers in their presence. That would be disrespectful. I don't think that behavior that's rude in a hearing school suddenly becomes OK because it's a deaf school.

Imagine that a group of your co-workers came up with a special language that you don't understand so that they could talk about you. Then they walked around using the special language right in front of you. What kind of atmosphere would that create?
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Well said.
 
ms_redcat said:
I don't see this as a matter of depriving hearing people of the right to speak. It's about open access, and treating deaf faculty and students with respect.

I work in a (hearing) school. Many of us are bilingual, but we don't all speak the same language. I would not switch into Russian to talk about non-Russian speaking students or co-workers in their presence. That would be disrespectful. I don't think that behavior that's rude in a hearing school suddenly becomes OK because it's a deaf school.

Imagine that a group of your co-workers came up with a special language that you don't understand so that they could talk about you. Then they walked around using the special language right in front of you. What kind of atmosphere would that create?
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In nursing homes, even the person who is comatose had more respect and dignity than how hearing teachers of deaf school treat their students. Our policy require it.
 
rockdrummer said:
I don't know. It's kind of a double edged sword. It is wrong when deaf kids are prohibited from signing because you are depriving them of their natural language but yet when the tables are turned it's ok to deprive hearing people of their natural language. Seems like this may be a double standard to me. My personal belief is that nobody should be deprived of using their natural language be it sign or spoken language. How is telling hearing people they can't use their natural spoken language any different than telling deaf people they can use their natural sign language? :confused:
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The hearing staff are fluent in ASL and if deaf people are chatting in ASL, those hearing staff have access to it but when they chat in spoken language, deaf people dont have access it. It is disrespectful especially at a deaf school.
 
ms_redcat said:
I don't see this as a matter of depriving hearing people of the right to speak. It's about open access, and treating deaf faculty and students with respect.

I work in a (hearing) school. Many of us are bilingual, but we don't all speak the same language. I would not switch into Russian to talk about non-Russian speaking students or co-workers in their presence. That would be disrespectful. I don't think that behavior that's rude in a hearing school suddenly becomes OK because it's a deaf school.

Imagine that a group of your co-workers came up with a special language that you don't understand so that they could talk about you. Then they walked around using the special language right in front of you. What kind of atmosphere would that create?
Click to expand...

That's the whole point and very well said.
 
ms_redcat said:
...................Imagine that a group of your co-workers came up with a special language that you don't understand so that they could talk about you. Then they walked around using the special language right in front of you. What kind of atmosphere would that create?
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this happens all the time and I don't feel disrespected nor do I feel they are talking about me. I work in a highly diverse workplace where we do have many people from different cultures and several of them use their native langage and switch between that and English and personally I don't see a problem with it.
 
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