Deafskeptic, you are right, language is and should be the goal for all deaf kids. I appreciate your experience and honesty in the CI debate. I know that signing is very natural for our son, he "gets" it. As much as he likes hearing (sometimes, he has already learned to chuck it when he is sneaking off to get into his sister's stuff), signing is a much easier way for him to communicate.
The unfortunate thing about this debate is that for the parents that need to hear this message, the one's who's kids are struggling because the parents think that it is some "magic cure", and that they aren't deaf anymore, and that are language delayed, aren't going to hear this message. That is the true shame in this on this board. I think that those parents, and I have talked to some who's kids don't know a single sign, and are struggling in the mainstream environment, really need to see that sign can be helpful for some CI kids, aren't going to even hear this side because they are convinced that their kids are fine. I don't know how, other than through example in our small world, that we help those kids. I think that just by thinking through and reading these posts, any parent should be looking at themselves a little and making sure that they are doing the best they can for their kids. Whether it is portraying a very anti-CI attitude, or a strictly "oral only" attitude.
