What type of School???

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kelgf

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I would like to know everyones thoughts or if there is proof about deaf and schooling.

What type of school do you feel a deaf child should go to, public, mainstream, deaf? Why? Are you hearing, hoh, or deaf.

What were your own experiences?

Thank you to all that are willing to help me with this project, it is greatly appreciated!
 
Whats this project for?

I'm severe to profoundly hard of hearing. It was diagnosed when I was 13 (how they missed it is beyond me). Being diagnosed so late, of course I was in a normal public school situation.

I dont have children yet, but should my future children have a hearing loss similar to mine, then I will probably keep them mainstreamed while in school. However, I would be sending them to deaf camps during the summer and other events throughout the year. Heck, I plan to do this even if my child doesn't have a hearing loss! If my child were completely deaf though, I'm not sure. I would like to do the same thing but I would make a greater effort to make sure that my child had enough social contacts to make it a smooth transition. Likely by making sure at least one or two friends in the class could sign. I think that if a child is included early on- the other students will learn to sign. Inclusion and equality is best if taught as a normal process at an early age.
 
Me--hearing parent
Daughter--oral deaf with mod. to severe hearing loss--now learning sign

Schooling--oral deaf preschool--mainstream with resources--deaf/hh program in public school--now wants to go to a deaf school for high school

Camps/Conferences--met a few deaf kids like herself through these over the years but NOTHING compares to having deaf friends at school who see each other every day and can build REAL friendships(the reason my daughter wants to go to a deaf school for high school--lifelong friendships with deaf people her age)

Academically--she kept up with things in the mainstream fairly well with help from resource teachers

Socially--when younger, kids were fairly accepting--in the teen years, being "different" has meant being isolated and "all alone in the mainstream"

Summary:

oral preschool was a good experience for her: lots of language learning in a fun environment with other kids "just like her"

mainstreaming in elementary school with resource teachers helping her: good and bad, some years better than others, family life was quite "normal"(went to school with her brother and lived at home--played with neighborhood kids): accepted when younger and became more isolated when older

deaf/hh program: only 3 other deaf/hh students(1 girl, 2 boys): spends most time in mainstream classes: has a great TOD and interpreter working with her and teaching her sign language: still feels lonely and isolated since there isn't a large group of other deaf/hh students like herself

deaf school for high school: may mean being a boarding student during the week(but home every weekend!): hopes to do well academically with lots of teachers who truly understand her needs(all TODs!): wants to keep learning signs and become fluent in ASL: REALLY looking forward to making LOTS of deaf friends "just like her": eager to participate in sports and other activities without being "the only deaf girl on the team/in the group": feels that her chances of graduating from high school and going on to college(maybe C-SUN or Gallaudet?) are MUCH more likely for her at a deaf school than at a big regular mainstreamed high school(thought she would be lost in the crowd): now is looking forward to high school in what she feels is "her ideal environment" instead of fearing it in a place where she did not "fit in".

That's my daughter's experiences so far--we have learned a lot, tried different things, and made changes when things were no longer working for her. Maybe the key to educating a deaf child is: FLEXIBILTY. What works for one child may or may not work for another--AND what works for one child at one stage in life may not work as well for another stage. Be willing to make those changes so kids can get what they need during each stage of the educational process. Their needs are ever-changing: we may need to make lots of changes in their IEPs to reflect those changes.
 
Wow, this website is truly wonderful! What quick positive responses. Thank you both so very much!

1st to answer Laungel - I am a 2nd year ASL student, sorry I didn't explain that here, I wrote a lot on the introduction page, and should have put more here. It is require that 2nd year students do a sign presentation on anything relating to deaf. I have a strong interest in knowing why parents chose the schools they do for their deaf children. Thank you for your time.

2nd I have several questions for Deborah if you are will to take the time to answer, and I don't want to intrude - you may have to put me in my place, if I get to personal. I'm that cat that curiousity killed! You say that you put your daughter into oral deaf preschool, to clarify what oral deaf school is, is that lipreading? Why did you make the decision to put her in that type of preschool as opposed to another type of school? What made you change schools at the elementary level? Thank you so very much for your time, it is so greatly appreciated!
 
im raise Kansas School for the Deaf and im graduate 2000 but i love that deaf school than public school!

but i didnt teach ASL when i grew-up
 
kelgf said:
I would like to know everyones thoughts or if there is proof about deaf and schooling.

What type of school do you feel a deaf child should go to, public, mainstream, deaf? Why? Are you hearing, hoh, or deaf.

What were your own experiences?

Thank you to all that are willing to help me with this project, it is greatly appreciated!
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My daughter is also Deaf and I am hearing. My daughter was born hearing but quickly lost it. She got hearing aids at 20 months. We began using ASL with her. We have also always attempted to help her learn spoken language, but she has had very little interest until now.
Miss Kat is now 5 and she has lost almost all of her hearing and now has a cochlear implant. She is now learning to speak with ease that she never had with hearing aids. Miss Kat attends a bi-bi school for the Deaf. We believe that ASL is her natural first language and we want her to be able to access all information in her classroom, and the only way to do that is through ASL. Vision is her strength and hearing is her weakness so we believe that her education should not rely on her deficit.
We may eventually mainstream her, but we don't know. We want her to get the best education she can, and our Deaf school can't offer that, so we will have to see what happens down the road.
 
I strongly feel that parents need to be very openminded as to academic placement. They need to do a split placement until the kid is old enough to give feedback as to what placement is most sucessful for them. I see TOO MANY hearing parents automaticly assuming that a mainstream placement is the best in the world. So much of the time they spend all their engery dealing with teachers and professonals who HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE how to educate kids like us. As a result, if we don't respond well to minimal accomondations, we get lumped in with the "ummmm who's President so-and-so types" who are LEGION in sped!
 
I would rather my deaf kid go to mainstream school.

I was mainstreamed when I was growing up. It allowed me the opportunity to be educated at the same level as every other hearing student. :)
 
VamPyroX said:
I would rather my deaf kid go to mainstream school.

I was mainstreamed when I was growing up. It allowed me the opportunity to be educated at the same level as every other hearing student. :)
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Choose higher education over anything, I mean overall, doth the trick? I'm not so sure about that. Sure, we already discussed a lot on that issue before. Did you realize then?

I wouldn't send my deaf kid to a mainstream unless there is no choice to do so, geographically speaking. Deaf school offers much more than just a tad higher education, the better.
 
i'm severely/profoundly deaf diagnosed at 9 months and I attended a deaf school from 3-11 years old then went onto to a mainstream school with a hearing impaired unit from 11-16 years. i was in mainstream for all classes with a 'terp and spent time in the HIU learning new vocabulary and going over work making sure we understood.


If i had kids and they were deaf i would send them to the deaf school I attended then send them to a mainstream school for secondary education .
 
Can you please share with me why you feel it is important to start at a deaf school? And if you are happy at the deaf school why do you move to mainstream? I guess that is where I am confused is that several people say they start at deaf school, then move to mainstream, why??? Thank you for your time in helping me to understand.
 
kelgf said:
Can you please share with me why you feel it is important to start at a deaf school? And if you are happy at the deaf school why do you move to mainstream? I guess that is where I am confused is that several people say they start at deaf school, then move to mainstream, why??? Thank you for your time in helping me to understand.
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We aare doing that because we believe my daughter needs a strong language base to succeed and a Deaf school is the best place to get that. Also, she will make great friends who are just like her.
But the problem becomes the number of childre at the school. My daughter's school has about 80 students, with 7 in her class. So, when she gets older, if she is really great at math there is nothing they can do for her. She will have to be in the same math class as everyone else. If we send her to a big school she can get everything she needs.
 
web730 said:
Choose higher education over anything, I mean overall, doth the trick? I'm not so sure about that. Sure, we already discussed a lot on that issue before. Did you realize then?

I wouldn't send my deaf kid to a mainstream unless there is no choice to do so, geographically speaking. Deaf school offers much more than just a tad higher education, the better.
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My question regarding the "better education at a mainstream school" is always, "What good does a better level of education in the mainstream do for the deaf child when the deaf child is not provided the necessary services for accessing that better level of education?" Just because you stick them in a school that supposedly has higher standards doesn't mean they can get the benefits of those higher standards.
 
Wow, great reply. I live in a community where I don't really know of deaf children. I'm fairly active in my childrens school and I don't know of any hard of hearing or deaf. I know I don't have any deaf schools in my neighborhood. So if I were to have a deaf child, what would I do? Move? Trust that my child would be ok in public school, with help or an interpreter? I give so much credit to you parents that have had to deal with this situation, it can't be easy. Where do you go to find the answers? Who assist you? If you are deaf and have had to deal with these schooling issues my heart goes out to you (I'm not saying I feel sorry for you) I'm saying you deal with a lot of issues that hearing people don't even think about in a lifetime, and I praise you for it! The deaf are truly inspirational to me.
 
kelgf said:
Wow, great reply. I live in a community where I don't really know of deaf children. I'm fairly active in my childrens school and I don't know of any hard of hearing or deaf. I know I don't have any deaf schools in my neighborhood. So if I were to have a deaf child, what would I do? Move? Trust that my child would be ok in public school, with help or an interpreter? I give so much credit to you parents that have had to deal with this situation, it can't be easy. Where do you go to find the answers? Who assist you? If you are deaf and have had to deal with these schooling issues my heart goes out to you (I'm not saying I feel sorry for you) I'm saying you deal with a lot of issues that hearing people don't even think about in a lifetime, and I praise you for it! The deaf are truly inspirational to me.
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Later you will know us better.
 
kelgf said:
Wow, great reply. I live in a community where I don't really know of deaf children. I'm fairly active in my childrens school and I don't know of any hard of hearing or deaf. I know I don't have any deaf schools in my neighborhood. So if I were to have a deaf child, what would I do? Move? Trust that my child would be ok in public school, with help or an interpreter? I give so much credit to you parents that have had to deal with this situation, it can't be easy. Where do you go to find the answers? Who assist you? If you are deaf and have had to deal with these schooling issues my heart goes out to you (I'm not saying I feel sorry for you) I'm saying you deal with a lot of issues that hearing people don't even think about in a lifetime, and I praise you for it! The deaf are truly inspirational to me.
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Well, I went to the Deaf community for answers. Only they could tell me realistically what it was like to be a deaf child. I then spent a great deal of time educating myself on methodologies and the cognitive processes of deaf children. And then, I moved to be closer to a Deaf school that had an excellent reputation.
 
I think deaf schools are better because the teachers are specialised in deaf children and theres less children. there was 7 other kids in my class, and I think i got the best education!
 
Deafteen90 said:
I think deaf schools are better because the teachers are specialised in deaf children and theres less children. there was 7 other kids in my class, and I think i got the best education!
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I agree with you...
 
deaf chukdren have three options: the local nerighborhood school where there are no services often; the mainstream school where there are services or the local deaf schools. I was mainstreamed. Some deaf schools are still abuvie (physical, mentally, sexually, etc).
 
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