"Hearing Impaired" = offensive?

jazzy said:
I agree with you, I was raised oral first and I am stuck with poor English skills forever than those who learned ASL first in their early years.
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Some oral people have excellent writing skills, as do some ASL users. Why do you assume that if you had been raised another way it would have changed the outcome?
 
faire_jour said:
Some oral people have excellent writing skills, as do some ASL users. Why do you assume that if you had been raised another way it would have changed the outcome?
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Because by having both, at least she would have a certain answer to know why she struggles with writing. Because she was only exposed to one tool, she would never know if by having ASL would have made a difference. Why should anyone be put at those risks by having only one tool approach? Just because others have good skills because of oralism doesn't mean jazzy failed like you implied. The oral-only program she was in apparently failed her.
 
shel90 said:
Because by having both, at least she would have a certain answer to know why she struggles with writing. Because she was only exposed to one tool, she would never know if by having ASL would have made a difference. Why should anyone be put at those risks by having only one tool approach? Just because others have good skills because of oralism doesn't mean jazzy failed like you implied. The oral-only program she was in apparently failed her.
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There are people who grew up orally with great writing skills.

There are people who grew up orally with poor writing skills.

There are people who grew up with ASL with great writing skills.

There are people who grew up with ASL with poor writing skills.



Isn't it possible that there are reasons other than oral vs ASL that are factors?
 
faire_jour said:
There are people who grew up orally with great writing skills.

There are people who grew up orally with poor writing skills.

There are people who grew up with ASL with great writing skills.

There are people who grew up with ASL with poor writing skills.



Isn't it possible that there are reasons other than oral vs ASL that are factors?
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Yes . I think the common denominator in those poorly writing groups is parents who have low involvement.
 
Every child is unique. Thus every child's needs in terms of language, communication mode, and learning styles are going to be unique.

Applying a one-size-fit-all mentality when it comes to a deaf child's language and communication needs is simply dumb.

Do what's best for the child. Check the politics at the door.

As for the OP's question, is the term HI offensive? Life's too short to get hell-bent over a word. It used to bother me, but now I'm not going to dwell on it. I'll simply ask folks to call me "deaf" instead, and so far everyone's honored my request. If anything, hearing people are deaf-impaired. ;)
 
faire_jour said:
There are people who grew up orally with great writing skills.

There are people who grew up orally with poor writing skills.

There are people who grew up with ASL with great writing skills.

There are people who grew up with ASL with poor writing skills.



Isn't it possible that there are reasons other than oral vs ASL that are factors?
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I have stated that parent involvment is also a key factor in other threads and you have disagreed with me stating that it was the school's responsibility. :hmm:
 
no, pointing and gesturing and just being visual is their first language - but only if you are born deaf. They don't hear until they have Hearing aids (older generation). as far as what I read, babies are like sponge with their hearing in the womb so that's why I think born deaf people will always be visual. Hearing babies are sooth by their mother's voice, at least my son did when he was born. As soon as he heard my voice, he stopped crying and looked at me.
 
Wirelessly posted

All children point, gesture, and are visual at the start ( if they have the facility to move and to see) and those with hearing (and many without) babble -- but that's not language. It seems that if we're basing it on #s of deaf childen raised with local sign language vs spoken/written language, most deaf kids in the US do have English as their primary language.

Not that this is ideal: I'm a big proponent of ASL immersion where possible and it's my child's L1 with spoken English as L2. But I think it's a fantasy to imagine that deaf kids come pre-programmed with ASL.
 
GrendelQ said:
Wirelessly posted

All children point, gesture, and are visual at the start ( if they have the facility to move and to see) and those with hearing (and many without) babble -- but that's not language. It seems that if we're basing it on #s of deaf childen raised with local sign language vs spoken/written language, most deaf kids in the US do have English as their primary language.

Not that this is ideal: I'm a big proponent of ASL immersion where possible and it's my child's L1 with spoken English as L2. But I think it's a fantasy to imagine that deaf kids come pre-programmed with ASL.
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I never said they were preprogrammed with ASL .... I was talking about being visual because of no access to sounds. ASL is a visual language to enhance that visual communication (gesture and pointing) . As English is to enhance spoken communication (babble and crying).
 
HHIssues said:
That's not "how I see it". English is indeed the first language among SOME of the deaf.
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Sometimes it is much better not to delegate oneself as the spokesperson for the whole community.

For you, you may feel English is your first language. It is great for you, I applaud you for knowing your first language and I caution you about speaking for other people and their preferred choice of language.

It is disprespectful to do so and crosses cultural boundaries when one states so boldly without asking so. I would not speak for my husband's first language and I will only speak for my own first language which is ASL.
 
Mrs Bucket said:
Sometimes it is much better not to delegate oneself as the spokesperson for the whole community.

For you, you may feel English is your first language. It is great for you, I applaud you for knowing your first language and I caution you about speaking for other people and their preferred choice of language.

It is disprespectful to do so and crosses cultural boundaries when one states so boldly without asking so. I would not speak for my husband's first language and I will only speak for my own first language which is ASL.
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Nicely said Buckets :) How have you been?
 
Wirelessly posted

I'm really very curious about this, I'd always been under the impression that deaf children being raised with ASL as a first language, like mine and several others here, were a minority, not just historically, but even by today's standards with an increase in bi-bi educational opps.

Are you suggesting that there are many more deaf children raised with ASL as a first language than are in oral/aural/non-signing learning environments?
 
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GrendelQ said:
Wirelessly posted

I'm really very curious about this, I'd always been under the impression that deaf children being raised with ASL as a first language, like mine and several others here, were a minority, not just historically, but even by today's standards with an increase in bi-bi educational opps.

Are you suggesting that there are many more deaf children raised with ASL as a first language than in oral/aural/non-signing learning environments
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I am not suggesting that at all. I think its actually short. I also think the hearing children should know sign language as well :)
 
Wirelessly posted

deafbajagal said:
Every child is unique. Thus every child's needs in terms of language, communication mode, and learning styles are going to be unique.

Applying a one-size-fit-all mentality when it comes to a deaf child's language and communication needs is simply dumb.

Do what's best for the child. Check the politics at the door.

As for the OP's question, is the term HI offensive? Life's too short to get hell-bent over a word. It used to bother me, but now I'm not going to dwell on it. I'll simply ask folks to call me "deaf" instead, and so far everyone's honored my request. If anything, hearing people are deaf-impaired. ;)
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i love this!
 
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