You are correct, Clearsky, in that the deaf educational programs are intended to provide a child with what they need to function in the wider society. However, it takes more than learning to read and write to be able to fundtion in the wider society. It takes providing a child with an environment that allows them to pass through the developmental stages on schedule, to become comfortable with their own identity and their own deafness, to develop a healthy self image through exposure to others that share their characteristics and to adult role models who have "been there", and therefore, being able to transfer those skills into carry over into being able to travel between cultures...both hearing and deaf. That is where the social experience comes in. That is where developing relationships with deaf families and deaf individuals comes in. It is not something we can just stick a child into at school and expect that all problems will be solved. It is something that we need to do as families. A parent telling a deaf child that they love and accept them just the way they are doesn't mean much to that child if the hearing parent doesn't demonstrate it. A hearing parent that has not taken the time to develop even one friendship with a deaf person is not demonstrating accceptance to that child, and the child will most definately see the difference between what they are being told, and what the parent demonstrates by their own actions.
