Funny how you say that since I've been a member on Ad, I encounter some deaf people like yourself who thinks that the majority generation of deaf people had failed in fact on another thread which was locked and I did not have a chance to reply to one of your post that you felt that I was offended on what Jillio stated that she had never met any deaf who had done better on communication and litacty.
And that is far from it. You don't know the majority of deaf people's experences because NO deaf is the same as another deaf their hearing loss, their residental hearing. It was so wrong to placed your judgement on them and say that children today had better or done better than the rest of the majority of the deaf in the past did. There are some deaf who had sucessful and some who did not. I applause the generation of deaf people who had went out and did their best. But you on the other hand judged those deaf poorly because of that you compared them all to the deaf children today in the bi bi program.
From what I remembered during the 1700 when ASL was taught in school they did well, but the only problem was 84 percent of those deaf had NO spoken language, all those deaf children back then were raised using ASL would enter oral education, they did not have any spoken language and oral did fail them.
Those who was never use ASL as their primary language, in most cases oral had sucess for them because they had natural spoken language at the start, than those who exposed to ASL at the begin, do you see the differences?
Bottom line is that everyone's experience is valuable as yours, not just yours alone from only from your view.
I have met a lot of deaf people who are different from each others, some of them had poorly education where a method of communication did not match them. Some of them have culture views who was raised in the Deaf Culture, on the other hand there were deaf people who had experienced with the hearing and deaf world which is an advantage that not many people have.
For instance there is no similar route that the majority of deaf people should go with.
Some deaf people have no regrets no grudge but there are some that do. We should never be ashamed of who we are and what we have become, everyone's experiences were different from each others, but no deaf is better than another deaf person.
Its time to stop comparing and judging those generation of deaf people.
My goal is to make deaf education better for all future deaf kids so no deaf child is left behind. What's wrong with wanting that? I thought that was my job as a teacher. Isnt that what teachers are supposed to do?
I was always emphasizing in my experience. Never said that in everyone else's experiences.
I applaud the past generation of deaf people for overcoming their obstacles and I dont judge them. I am talking about the failure of the educational system not the deaf people themselves. If u dont understand the difference, then I am sorry. I dont accept less when it comes to the education for deaf children so that is why I want to give all deaf children all access to education and language.
Geez, my topic was about how some parents have stated they prefer their kids to interact with hearing children or oral deaf only not the signing deaf kids. I think that is awful cuz signing deaf children are people too. Is that a bad thing to want those parents to meet signing deaf people too?
No, I dont know the majority of deaf people's experience but I have learned a lot in the past 10 years about educational practices. Big difference.
Again, I have always stated that U and others dont have to agree with the BiBi philosophy and I wont hold it against u so I dont understand what is the problem here. I am talking about MY opinions based on what I have seen.
If it means getting those kids to achieve the highest literacy rates as possible, u bet I will do it. I am not going to hold anyone back because others didnt have the same opportunity. So what if they end up with better literacy skills than any of us? This is about the kids not about us. Any deaf adult now has the power to improve their literacy skills cuz they are responsilbe for themselves but me as a teacher, I am responsible for those kids" literacy skills so I am going to do what it takes to give them that opportunity that myself and others didnt have.
Like I told u, I am happy that the TC program worked for u.
One last thing...I NEVER EVER say that deaf people have failed...I always say that the EDUCATIONAL system failed them. BIG difference. Pls dont twist my words.
U need to stop telling me what I have or have not experience or what I know nor dont know. U can ask but dont tell me just like I never will tell u what or what u dont experience. Just like u assumed that I never been in a mainstreamed program when I explained my experiences being in a TC program at the public school. Instead of asking u said "For sure, U weren....." I really didnt appreciate that.
If I see a program that gives everything to all deaf children regardless of the degree of their hearing loss, I will believe in it more thant the other approaches. It is up to the parents but for me, it is about the kids' needs first.
U keep saying that deaf people who learn ASL first have poorer oral skills than those who learned oral. Fine, that's your experience and I will take your word for it. In my experience, I have met many ASL users who were able to develop oral language. Nope, not all but the same with those who were placed in oral only programs were unable to develop oral language.
Last of all, I have never said that any deaf is better than another. I am talking about
better deaf education for the future generation of kids. If that enables them to have higher literacy skills than many of us, so what? I would be happy for them. If u dont like it, that's your opinion.
Now, I am off to go teach and I will continue to feel good about myself about my job. Nobody is gonna make me feel shitty about my job. I only care about the students when I am on the job.
Have a good day.