Jen Doods and Her Experience

KarissaMann05

KarissaMann05

Active Member
Premium Member
Joined
May 11, 2007
Messages
6,879
Reaction score
7
via Limping Chicken Site

Jen Dodds: Growing up in oral education

A new school year has just started and kids everywhere are going back to school – or just starting it, like my son and his friends. That, and Andy’s great post for parents of deaf kids, has got me thinking about my own (deaf) education.

I don’t mean to be negative, but er, it was a bit rubbish.

I went to a famous oral deaf boarding school. Opinions on this school are split. Those who loved it tend to either be able to hear quite a lot, or they just ignored the educational crap and spent all of their time there larking about with their friends. Those who have bad memories of the place either had a bad experience for their own reasons, or, like me, can’t hear at all, and found it difficult – or actually impossible – to follow lessons.
The irony of that isn’t lost on me.

Read more...
Click to expand...
 
Very good life story for people to learn from. Not so sure if I agree with her sentence of "If you can't understand someone, it is their fault, not yours." I agree as far as her school, but not life. Not like deaf or hoh wear a colored ribbon informing people of their difference. We appear to be normal, hearing, peoples.
I will share her story on facebook. Maybe more can understand then.
 
That was how it was for me being mainstreamed without the support of other deaf children. I was all alone and I had to do all the adapting to meet the hearing teachers' way of teaching. I had no idea what most of my teachers said during instruction time. I can just recall them moving their mouths, walking around the classroom, or having their backs to me. No memories of what they said from kindergarten to 12th grade.
 
shel90 said:
That was how it was for me being mainstreamed without the support of other deaf children. I was all alone and I had to do all the adapting to meet the hearing teachers' way of teaching. I had no idea what most of my teachers said during instruction time. I can just recall them moving their mouths, walking around the classroom, or having their backs to me. No memories of what they said from kindergarten to 12th grade.
Click to expand...

That's horrible. Not a way to learn or to be in school of all places! I was lucky I had teachers that signed and deaf classes in a hearing school.
 
I agree completely. To try to force a child who cannot hear to try to lipread their lessons or just simply guess is cruel. That is why oral deaf education today is so focused on HEARING. If a child is unable to understand spoken language through listening, oral deaf education is not appropriate for them.
 
some kids who have been in training for speaking and listening for years that would crush their self esteem when they learn that they are not suit for the oral deaf education and place in the Deaf school. I ve seen a lot of them. I keep assuring them not to feel bad and take a look at me that I do not speak well. Only if i want to make them feel better knowing that they are not alone. But I made it worse for them that they dont feel comfortable with their sign skill or social life with Deaf community. Sure I ve been insulted by oral people a lot. Thats ok
 
TODtobe said:
I agree completely. To try to force a child who cannot hear to try to lipread their lessons or just simply guess is cruel. That is why oral deaf education today is so focused on HEARING. If a child is unable to understand spoken language through listening, oral deaf education is not appropriate for them.
Click to expand...

Why do you think that a deaf child,whose weakness is HEARING should be forced to understand spoken language through listening? Oral deaf education does not make a deaf child hearing.....it makes them HARD of hearing...Remember the hard in hard of hearing.......HOH kids experiance the SAME stuff that deafer kids do........
 
The article was well worded, and in many instances I agree with her. One of the things I am thankful for, and yet at the same time frustrated with, is my early education placements. When my parents found out I was deaf they packed up their bags and moved to the LA area.. I was 1 year old. From that time, I started JTC. I was aided and learned to use my voice.
My mom thankfully wanted to try everything to get me to understand. after talking with friends and family on the east coast, she decided, against JTC's wishes, that at home we would use multiple forms of communication. She learned ASL, and took me to ASL events. My mom also recognized that ASL was different from English, and she wanted me to also have natural exposure to English, not just through my hearing aids. She learned Cued Speech as well. She would read me a story in ASL, then again using CS. While at school, the focus was on my ears, not my eyes, at home, it was on my eyes and hands.
I am thankful because it allows me to use my voice, and interact with people on a direct level, After JTC, Echo helped me learn what it would be like in the mainstream, but still be able to be around other kids who were like me. My mom taught me most of what I learned until the middle of 3rd grade, because I wasn't able to understand most of what was being said at school. It was hard, it was frustrating... but I've also learned that is real life. Finally in 3rd grade, Echo told my parents I wasn't succeeding, and we had all tried hard. They referred me to a mainstream program, where I was in the neighborhood school and had interpreters. I could finally learn.. but was alone in being deaf.
Granted, when I was 9, right after switching to from Echo to the mainstream schools, parents decided to implant my left ear. The first 2 years with my Auria were very annoying, and the only thing that helped me was the use of visual language or visual coding at school and at home. I feel for kids who didn't get what I got, the visual aspect of language, ASL and CS.
 
H.Davis said:
The article was well worded, and in many instances I agree with her. One of the things I am thankful for, and yet at the same time frustrated with, is my early education placements. When my parents found out I was deaf they packed up their bags and moved to the LA area.. I was 1 year old. From that time, I started JTC. I was aided and learned to use my voice.
My mom thankfully wanted to try everything to get me to understand. after talking with friends and family on the east coast, she decided, against JTC's wishes, that at home we would use multiple forms of communication. She learned ASL, and took me to ASL events. My mom also recognized that ASL was different from English, and she wanted me to also have natural exposure to English, not just through my hearing aids. She learned Cued Speech as well. She would read me a story in ASL, then again using CS. While at school, the focus was on my ears, not my eyes, at home, it was on my eyes and hands.
I am thankful because it allows me to use my voice, and interact with people on a direct level, After JTC, Echo helped me learn what it would be like in the mainstream, but still be able to be around other kids who were like me. My mom taught me most of what I learned until the middle of 3rd grade, because I wasn't able to understand most of what was being said at school. It was hard, it was frustrating... but I've also learned that is real life. Finally in 3rd grade, Echo told my parents I wasn't succeeding, and we had all tried hard. They referred me to a mainstream program, where I was in the neighborhood school and had interpreters. I could finally learn.. but was alone in being deaf.
Granted, when I was 9, right after switching to from Echo to the mainstream schools, parents decided to implant my left ear. The first 2 years with my Auria were very annoying, and the only thing that helped me was the use of visual language or visual coding at school and at home. I feel for kids who didn't get what I got, the visual aspect of language, ASL and CS.
Click to expand...

Wow.............sounds like you got a lot of good accomondations/placements.....Too bad Maryland School or Texas School for the Deaf weren't as good as they are now,or you didn't attend a magnet/regional program........
 
deafdyke said:
Wow.............sounds like you got a lot of good accomondations/placements.....Too bad Maryland School or Texas School for the Deaf weren't as good as they are now,or you didn't attend a magnet/regional program........
Click to expand...

I did have very good accommodations thankfully. Echo is semi-similar to a regional program, although it is Oral Only. It has a 90% hearing population and a 10% deaf population, for maximum exposure to language and a good introduction to what mainstream life will be, but without being isolated.

My parents and I had to fight for my accommodations, more specifically the CLT's I have had for English, but it has been worth it.
 
H.Davis said:
I did have very good accommodations thankfully. Echo is semi-similar to a regional program, although it is Oral Only. It has a 90% hearing population and a 10% deaf population, for maximum exposure to language and a good introduction to what mainstream life will be, but without being isolated.

My parents and I had to fight for my accommodations, more specifically the CLT's I have had for English, but it has been worth it.
Click to expand...

One good thing about formal oral programs is that at least they group the other dhh kids together......so much better then inclusion......But yes..you're of the last generation that had formal oral schools as a big part of their schooling.......a lot of the deaf schools were still TC or didn't have good oral supplemental services back then. Things are different now and kids don't need an either or enviorment to develop oral abilty...............heck Maryland School for the Deaf has voice on periods for their oral kids to work on something like that...............and they get ASL TOO!
 
Back
Top