Question

jillio, since original post included multicultural issues, while my hearing loss is new, I can relate in reference to my LD, to being bi, to being Jewish <why is it that only thing about Jewish is "victimization"/WW2?> as well as being female to an extent, although I think in my pre-college years that had turned enough that women were much better included than in generations past <in college I had many courses in womens' studies and the like>.
The history of many groups of people has been ignored and continues to be-
 
dogmom said:
, to being Jewish <why is it that only thing about Jewish is "victimization"/WW2?> a-
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Maybe a little off topic, but where do you get that idea?^^^^

Not a regular at temple, nor ever studied for Bat Mitzvah?
 
dogmom said:
jillio, since original post included multicultural issues, while my hearing loss is new, I can relate in reference to my LD, to being bi, to being Jewish <why is it that only thing about Jewish is "victimization"/WW2?> as well as being female to an extent, although I think in my pre-college years that had turned enough that women were much better included than in generations past <in college I had many courses in womens' studies and the like>.
The history of many groups of people has been ignored and continues to be-
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Agreed, dogmom.
 
Because I was the only deaf kid in my school- a lot of people didn't think I would amount to a whole lot. I often thought I would never be gainfully employed. Even my parents thought I wouldn't amount to the same as my hearing brother by trying to get me to enroll in to a 2 community college rather than a 4 year university. I guess they thought I wouldn't be able to finish a 4 year degree.

In the mainstream setting the only successful deaf person I ever learned about was Helen Keller and very little was said of her. The GT class was allowed to learn to fingerspell - they were ALL hearing students. Me being the deaf student and not in the Gifted/Talented program I wasn't allowed to learn to fingerspell. So I went to the county library across the street and checked out a book on signs and learned how to fingerspell on my own in the 4th grade.

For a while fingerspelling was considered 'cool' as they could 'talk' back and forth to each other w/o getting caught - until I caught them talking about me. I intercepted the conversation and said something like - "your just as much of a retard for putting another person down". Their eyes got big and they put their hands away. :giggle:

I knew I acted different from the hearing kids - the hearing kids knew I was different from them so we rarely interacted. I once had a hearing friend and we were best friends for a year then we stopped being friends - I think its because she might have found out I was deaf and from then on saw me as different.

Because I rarely socialized with anyone at my school, I have no intentions of attending a class reunion.

It was lonely and I felt like I was shortchanged on my education a bit because I wasn't provided the proper accommodations and support to ensure my success.
 
oooh, :Oops:Bott mom in hospital and am sorry missed you.....no, I was given a choice to attend any kind of Jewish or religious institution/schooling as a child which I did try and wasn't interested at that time so I didn't continue. My folks did not want me to resent being forced to go or to be "turned off" of Judaism and thought if I was not made to go, I would more likely become interested later, which I did, in college. But, no, I mean in general school, information presented to a "general" audience.
 
dogmom said:
oooh, :Oops:Bott mom in hospital and am sorry missed you.....no, I was given a choice to attend any kind of Jewish or religious institution/schooling as a child which I did try and wasn't interested at that time so I didn't continue. My folks did not want me to resent being forced to go or to be "turned off" of Judaism and thought if I was not made to go, I would more likely become interested later, which I did, in college. But, no, I mean in general school, information presented to a "general" audience.
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OIC I didn't understand your first post on the topic. Got it now.:wave:
 
Jillio, I am trying to understand the quote you make from A.C. Rich and give us a clear explaination of what we as children have been taught in the classroom. A lot of times I do not always understands what the teacher want us to know about their white culture and other people like Black people, Jewish people, Japanese people, and etc. The only lessons I could rely on is reading books and found out later that there are some history books or civil history books, not true like my Indian Heritage. We were made to be bad or terrible as monsters. It was like being brainwash into believing that the stories are true. I did not learn anything about my native history like someone who have Black history in the mainstream schools. After graduation, I learned from my Cree history books and other sources that taught me to appreciate my native history. Here in Canada, we have Aboriginal Day on June 21. That was a first time started about few years ago. Hurrah for that. I would be comfortable being with my own people, even being the only Deaf Native among them. Am I making myself clear on this subject that you were searching for? :hmm:
 
jillio said:
I was doing a presentation this evening on multicultural issues in counseling, and I used this quote:

"When those that have the power to name and socially construct reality choose not to see you or hear you, whether you are dark skinned, old, disabled, female, or speak with a different accent or dialect than theirs, when someone with the authority of say, a teacher, describes the world and you are not in it, there is a moment of psychic disequilibrium, as if you looked into a mirror and saw nothing." A.C. Rich, 1986

I think that quote goes a long way toward explaining the reason that deaf children in the mainstream experience some of the psyco-social problems that so many of you have described. I can just picture a young deaf child sitting in a mainstream classroom, during yet another history lesson, during which the entire lesson is focused on the history of hearing people. That child cannot see his place in the world, because he is shown no one before him that has been deaf and found their place in the world.

Do you agree with this? Is it similar to the feelings you had?
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This is a very thought provoking question. I can't be much of a help since I don't have a lot of experience of being exposed in a mainstream setting except for those 2 months in my junior year of high school.

I've been in a deaf school all these years and I have always found my place there among with many others but to my experience, I can say that much for the psycho-social problems which were incorporated in this because when I was temporarily in the mainstream setting; I felt like I was dislodged and could not place myself in the process while learning a lesson that was presented in the class. It was like saying you had no part of this when the history or any courses really does.

Whereas at the deaf school - It is entirely different because I was actually appraised to know that there is part of us in a piece of anything that was being said in the classroom or whatanot. There were roles for all of us to be part of it and there was no sense of being dislodged at all.
 
Bebonang said:
Jillio, I am trying to understand the quote you make from A.C. Rich and give us a clear explaination of what we as children have been taught in the classroom. A lot of times I do not always understands what the teacher want us to know about their white culture and other people like Black people, Jewish people, Japanese people, and etc. The only lessons I could rely on is reading books and found out later that there are some history books or civil history books, not true like my Indian Heritage. We were made to be bad or terrible as monsters. It was like being brainwash into believing that the stories are true. I did not learn anything about my native history like someone who have Black history in the mainstream schools. After graduation, I learned from my Cree history books and other sources that taught me to appreciate my native history. Here in Canada, we have Aboriginal Day on June 21. That was a first time started about few years ago. Hurrah for that. I would be comfortable being with my own people, even being the only Deaf Native among them. Am I making myself clear on this subject that you were searching for? :hmm:
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Yes, Bebonang. You made yourself perfectly clear, and what you have posted is exactly what I was referring to with the quote.
 
Jolie77 said:
This is a very thought provoking question. I can't be much of a help since I don't have a lot of experience of being exposed in a mainstream setting except for those 2 months in my junior year of high school.

I've been in a deaf school all these years and I have always found my place there among with many others but to my experience, I can say that much for the psycho-social problems which were incorporated in this because when I was temporarily in the mainstream setting; I felt like I was dislodged and could not place myself in the process while learning a lesson that was presented in the class. It was like saying you had no part of this when the history or any courses really does.

Whereas at the deaf school - It is entirely different because I was actually appraised to know that there is part of us in a piece of anything that was being said in the classroom or whatanot. There were roles for all of us to be part of it and there was no sense of being dislodged at all.
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That says it well, Jolie. I like the way you phrased it as "being dislodged." As if you were there, but truly had no place there.
 
Bebonang, I was thinking about the festival here called Indian Summer <big pow wow I enjoy> and was looking on the calendar and saw the First Nations Day you mention now. :wave:

I think Native and Deaf very similar in that the cultures/languages have been stripped away by <some/many>white and hearing people. Traditional history texts have done terrible disservice to Deaf/First Nations!
 
It is a hard time for those with a hearing problem, it is not just school but all society. The worst thing is as some of you have experienced; society gives us no place and we feel lost. It is painful, but let us be honest, sometimes when we do not understand, we are more likely to reject; it is a sad but mean fact of life unfortunately. Through my experience, I have learned that we must do our best to be seen in the mirror. One thing I am glad to see though; at least where I am, people are more understanding these days and will not be so quick to shun us.

Be proud of who you are always :)
 
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