California - education options for UHL?

True. The deaf schools try not to refer the students to other programs because it's sticky icky in terms of legal guidelines and liability issues...they don't want to get in trouble for appearing to deny the students services or predetermining placement, etc.
 
kazuko19 said:
Wow. Things have gotten a little crazy in here.


To clarify some points - as far as I could tell from reading their website, it seems that it is not uncommon for students, especially entering K or 1st to not be fluent in ASL. While my son is not fluent by any means, he is willing to learn. If he wasn't, or if I thought he or we would have trouble learning ASL, then I would not consider sending him to an ASL school since they say all instruction is done in ASL with speech breakouts. I did read about the "probation period" and I did not know what that entailed. Thank you to the poster that clarified that. It does not seem quite so scary when put that way (making sure they are able to learn ASL).

What makes this the hardest is trying to figure this all out from another state. What I do know is that the public schools in the area we are moving to are awful (West Contra Costa Unified School District). So, we are pretty much looking at CSD or private school, which adds a whole other layer since private schools are not required to accomodate my son in any way shape or form.


Best case scenario? He goes to CSD, learns ASL, is able to gain acceptance into an awesome community, has no further deterioration and is now bilingual and can comfortably live in both worlds.

Worst case scenario? He goes to CSD, learns ASL, is able to gain acceptance into an awesome community, and either his hearing does deteriorate, or he becomes self conscious about his voice quality issues and chooses to communicate using only ASL.

Personally, I can live with either scenario, and I want him to be prepared for both. Because the true worst case scenario is that the latter happens and he is not prepared.

Stepping away from the rant now. :)

Anyhow, thank you to all of you that have posted. I will update you when I know more.
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Oooooooo......just wanted to point out to the lurkers and the "mainstream is ALWAYS better" brigade that mainstream schools can be really bad too.
I also think kazuko is a awesome parent for looking into a Deaf School placement for their hoh kid......
 
Thank you deafdyke :)

As an update. CSD reviewed my sons audiogram and has not disqualified him based on that alone. So, now we get to wade through all of the school district stuff to get his IEP to direct him there, and who knows if that will happen or not. But, for those that were wondering, UHL alone did not disqualify him from admission.

Thanks again for everyone that has been so kind and helpful in this thread. :)
 
kazuko19 said:
Thank you deafdyke :)

As an update. CSD reviewed my sons audiogram and has not disqualified him based on that alone. So, now we get to wade through all of the school district stuff to get his IEP to direct him there, and who knows if that will happen or not. But, for those that were wondering, UHL alone did not disqualify him from admission.

Thanks again for everyone that has been so kind and helpful in this thread. :)
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I'm glad the ball is rolling. Hopefully you'll be able to get it figured out soon. When do you anticipate moving? Will he be in preschool, or kindergarten?
 
Hopefully we will move in the spring, although it breaks my heart that he may not get to complete this year at his school, but it may be necessary to get him started off right. He will be starting Kindergarten Fall '12.
 
kazuko19 said:
Hopefully we will move in the spring, although it breaks my heart that he may not get to complete this year at his school, but it may be necessary to get him started off right. He will be starting Kindergarten Fall '12.
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Really!! sorry hear you hard your tough! I hope be your switch on back up on something!
 
kazuko19 said:
Hopefully we will move in the spring, although it breaks my heart that he may not get to complete this year at his school, but it may be necessary to get him started off right. He will be starting Kindergarten Fall '12.
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So you're looking for a preschool placement for him? What kind of placement is he in now? CSDF has a preschool program which uses ASL, and CEID in Berkeley uses a Total Communication approach with SEE. I've heard great things about both programs.
 
Slightly off topic, but I wonder if a way to increase enrollment in Deaf Schools might be to create a program ...sort of a Deafco (like the Metco busing program here in MA) for kids who are from really crappy school districts or inner city schools? One of the things that annoys me to NO END about pro mainstreamers is the assumption that ALL parents have access to good suburban schools, and that the teachers are all well trained in teaching dhh kids. The thing is......mainstreaming WAS innovative even as recently as thirty years ago. It's not now. And yet the education that mainstreamed kids get SUCKS! It's a simple fact of the matter that dhh (and blind/low vision, and other low incidence disabled kids) tend to rank at the bottom of the totem pole, especially if they don't respond well to minimal accomodnations. Mainstream special ed really is a joke.
 
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