Can Deaf Children Complete Their Education?

It is clearly understood that the academic level of deaf children is lower than the level of hearing children. Some parents may not realize how important it is for their deaf children to meet the requirements of a good education and to complete it. They could assume that their children's inability to hear could affect their ability to learn. However, some parents put a lot of faith in their children's ability to learn.

Academic Freedom

The story Academic Freedom in the Deaf Culture website focused on the type of teachers with an ability to change one version of teaching into another easier version. This is one way students can improve their cognitive skills to complete their education. On a darker note, not every deaf child is fortunate to have teachers with an open mind.

One of the problems with deaf education is for many years, the opinion of deaf children was not valued. Most of these children endured a "sit down" and "shut up" mentality. This article was originally published by a deaf author Mark Drolsbaugh of Anything But Silent.

Deaf Children can Succeed

Realistically, deaf children have a smaller chance to complete their education, and to further their education. However, some deaf children were able to succeed. Helen Keller: The First Deaf-Blind College Graduate was an inspired story of a young woman who proved that deaf children can succeed collaborated by the team of Start American Sign Language website.

As a child, Helen Keller's parents put in so much effort to make sure she got the education she needed. She was able to write her own book, The Story of My Life, before she graduated from college in 1904.

The Story of a Deaf Actress

If Helen Keller's story isn't convincing enough to give hope to parents of deaf children, then maybe the story of Marlee Matlin can help shed some light of her life. Marlee Matlin is a deaf actress, and her accomplishment has given new hope to the parents.

She graduated from high school, and had some college experience. Her education may not have gone beyond every parent's expectation. However, she won an Academy Award for her first film, Children of Lesser God in 1986. Her success had led her to perform many more films.

 Success takes Time

Parents should be able to put in a lot of effort to give their children what they need. It is also essential to keep their expectations of their children's future low; it is not a good idea to push them beyond their limit. This may require a lot of patience, but it is necessary for parents raising deaf children.

References:

 Mark Drolsbaugh (2012). Academic Freedom. Originally published in Anything But Silent (Handwave Publications, 2004). Retrieved from http://www.deaf-culture-online.com/academic-freedom.html

Start ASL (2008-2012). Start Learning American Sign Language. Retrieved from http://www.start-american-sign-language.com/

Helen Keller (1904). Story of My Life. "Historical Context." Nonfiction Classics for Students. Vol. 2. Gale Cengage, . eNotes.com. 19 Apr, 2012 http://www.enotes.com/story-life/

 Marlee (2011). Biography. Retrieved from http://www.marleematlinsite.com/bio.html

Mark Medoff (2012) Children of a Lesser God. "Introduction." Drama for Students. Vol. 4. Gale Cengage, . eNotes.com. 19 Apr, 2012 http://www.enotes.com/children-lesser/