District files appeal against deaf student

[Tousi]

Like I said before, it's a school under the G.L.A.D. umbrella that favors the use of sign language interpreters over the other methods like CART used by the hard of hearing and the oral deaf.

Richard

Again, IF, she doesn't know sign language, what good is an interpreter? How about a really good note-taker?

 

[Nesmuth]

Again, IF, she doesn't know sign language, what good is an interpreter? How about a really good note-taker?

Thats for our lovely Richard Ray who's the Los Angeles area's Dept Of Disability director to answer when he asks the CAD members to re-elect him as CAD president this coming CAD conference.

Richard

 

[shel90]

Again, IF, she doesn't know sign language, what good is an interpreter? How about a really good note-taker?

That's the problem with many public schools..they dont act on the best interests on the deaf children sometimes. When I was in high school, I had an ASL interpreter even though I didnt know one sign in ASL and I refused to look at her cuz I was so embarrassed. It was a waste of her time and the school's money. That's why I am not surprised about this situation..it is nothing new.

 

[pek1]

How about a really good note-taker?

Providing the note taker spells words correctly and knows how to take really good notes.

 

[pek1]

Personally, I'm on the schools side. She doesn't have any problem understanding her -teachers- according to the article, just students and side conversations.. some districts hardly have money for text books, but tax money should go to spending 30 thousand dollars a year to make sure she can take part in class jokes? No. If the problem was understanding academic content, I would be okay with her requesting such a service.

I had to read the article again to understand where you're coming from, Aleser. Actually, any and all comments and questions that classmates say should be told to the student, regardless, by the teacher, what the comment was. Nothing is worse than not getting a comment or a joke and the person who can't hear is the only one not laughing.

Furthermore, if a hearing student was the only one among all other students who use asl and they are laughing, the hearing student would insist on knowing what the others are laughing or commenting about.

I side with the student.

 

[shel90]

Providing the note taker spells words correctly and knows how to take really good notes.

The question is...is the notetaker a professional or another student who will earn money taking notes for the student? There is a difference..like I said before, it is a tough situation.

Also, with a notetaker, the student wouldnt get the notes until after the lecture or class is finished meaning she would have missed out on being involved in classroom discussion while with a CART..they can type on who is saying what and the deaf student can decide right there to jump into the discussion. That can help her develop different skills rather than just sitting there and being a passive learner.

Growing up in an oral only approach and being the only deaf student in my whole school, I was unable to participate in classroom discussions due to my inablilty to follow the debate or whatever is being discussed. When I went to Gallaudet after becoming fluent in ASL, for the first time in my life, I could engage in classroom discussion and believe me, I learned so much from being involved rather than just sitting back and being a fly on the wall watching the other kids engage in the discussion.

 

[shel90]

I had to read the article again to understand where you're coming from, Aleser. Actually, any and all comments and questions that classmates say should be told to the student, regardless, by the teacher, what the comment was. Nothing is worse than not getting a comment or a joke and the person who can't hear is the only one not laughing.

Furthermore, if a hearing student was the only one among all other students who use asl and they are laughing, the hearing student would insist on knowing what the others are laughing or commenting about.

I side with the student.

 

[OhioGirl]

How come you did not say anything about not knowing ASL. How did they even provide an ASL interpreter for you? What a waste of money!

 

[shel90]

How come you did not say anything about not knowing ASL. How did they even provide an ASL interpreter for you? What a waste of money!

Oh gosh..it was 20 years ago...I don't remember if I protested or not. Besides I was just a kid who didn't know better about those kinds of issues.

 

[rockdrummer]

voice recognition software has come along ways since it first came out. Perhaps that could be something the school would look into. A computer sits there with a microphone attached and converts the spoken words into written words automatically and in real-time. Maybe they should give that a try.

 

[pek1]

The question is...is the notetaker a professional or another student who will earn money taking notes for the student? There is a difference..like I said before, it is a tough situation.

Also, with a notetaker, the student wouldnt get the notes until after the lecture or class is finished meaning she would have missed out on being involved in classroom discussion while with a CART..they can type on who is saying what and the deaf student can decide right there to jump into the discussion. That can help her develop different skills rather than just sitting there and being a passive learner.

Growing up in an oral only approach and being the only deaf student in my whole school, I was unable to participate in classroom discussions due to my inablilty to follow the debate or whatever is being discussed. When I went to Gallaudet after becoming fluent in ASL, for the first time in my life, I could engage in classroom discussion and believe me, I learned so much from being involved rather than just sitting back and being a fly on the wall watching the other kids engage in the discussion.

I hate to admit it . . . I assumed you were a hearie until I read this. You really put me on the spot and blew me away with your answer. Wow!!

 

[Barbaro]

I can understand what Samantha Solorzano went through. It can be extremely frustrated not knowing what's going on in these private conversations and class discussions. I even made a joke for myself I need another two pairs of eyes, one for writing notes and other for watching an interpreter.

I recall this female student in my class who had an inability to move her arms and hands (I don't know what her medical condition was). She had to ask any student in our class to volunteer to write notes for her. She even offered money, but nobody was willing to do it. I decided to help her by giving her copy of my notes. I always carry a tape recorder with me, in case a note-taker decides to ditch us. I also recall a teacher gave 2 hours lecture and a comatose and neglectful note-taker (he was a student, not a professional) wrote only two pages based on a lecture. Did he deserve $60 for writing two pages of the notes? Nope.

Note-takers are notorious for abridging notes, Note-taker is one of the communication tools, but not enough effective for deaf / HOH students. Personally, I think CART is probably far more effective than a note-taker. I've never had a CART before. I am looking forward to using a CART in the future.

Teachers are responsible to teach the important issues and give textbooks to the students, so they will memorize them all for future exams. Teachers also need to not to be intimidated to ask direct questions to deaf/ HOH students equally. Isn't that what the teachers do? Deaf / HOH students are visual people. I think it is also important for deaf / HOH students / interpreters to remind teachers constantly to write outlines and vocabularies on the board all the time. Some interpreters have hard time spelling long vocabularies and try to catch up with teachers' lectures! I know the teachers tend to ramble.

I was the only deaf ever to attend an out of country private high school (college prep level) for three years and it currently has neither deaf/HOH program, nor interpreters. Luckily, I had a tape recorder, a Merriam-Webster dictionary, Thesaurus and my friends writing notes for me. They helped me a great deal to catch up with studying, giving lectures at a science fair, participating in the drama production, and even discussing issues for youth UN three times. Unfortunately, I still missed out a lot.

 

[webexplorer]

When I was in my high school, I had an interpreter, had a tape recorder, and a note-taker in a history class with 40 hearing students. It was terrible boring for two hours every Monday morning. My mother helped me to write down the papers from listening the recorder. She cannot believe that I had two lousy teachers.

My note-taker was very nice, but her note was terrible. Sometimes, she writes outlines which wasn't helpful to me. I cannot complaint about it because she was the only one that volunteered to be a note-taker.

I hate my history teacher because he mumbled his lectures. He wasn't excited or motived teacher. I wrote many long essays thru the history classes. At the end of spring, my teacher tossed all students' essay papers in the trash. I stunned and wanted my papers for my college. I lost my interest to study in history because I worked so hard for many hours at every night - for nothing! Do you have the same situation?

 

[Silentwolfdog]

I hated note-takers I had all through college years. It's all because they are students that volunteered. I even asked to have a professional note-takers but they refused to provide me one. Go figures.

Not much choices so I ended up with notes that is...bleh and the same notes I had to study for exams.

So I hope that student win the case. She have a right to know what's going on in the classroom, and sometimes even classmates ask good question. She can miss out because she can't keep up with the class discussion.

 

[pek1]

{Mod Edit: Quote/Post was previously removed-- ~RR}


Pacman . . . I've already talked with shel90 regarding this and we've cleared the air. It is posted, I believe, on a thread I started in the health thread. I stated my apology publicly and I stand corrected by her.

 

[pek1]

{Mod Edit: Quote/Post was previously removed-- ~RR}


TFWFalcon,

Pacman didn't know that I cleared the air with shel90; perhaps I should have done it here so everyone could read it. Don't be too hard her, okay? No hard feelings and everything is fine between shel90 & myself.

 

[TFWFalcon]

allright no problem...thanks for clearly out.

 

[rick48]

Providing the note taker spells words correctly and knows how to take really good notes.

That's ususally the problem with note takers, they do not take really good notes and don't forget about handwriting either. they could be the best notes ever but if you cannot read them, they are worthless.

 

[pek1]

That's ususally the problem with note takers, they do not take really good notes and don't forget about handwriting either. they could be the best notes ever but if you cannot read them, they are worthless.

One summer class I had, there were three note takers that came forward; one wrote small, the other two good. I took one of the good writers. The instructor/professor AND the student need to screen the note taker to make sure the recipient can read the hand writing.

 

[deafdyke]

Well Nesmuth, if oral deaf and hoh folks learned Sign, then they could take advantage of 'terps.
That is why I am so hardcore about even "oral sucesses" learning sign........that way they could take advantage of 'terps and not have to sue in court for things like notetakers etc.