To help parents find the best program, they should ask themselves, "What can I do about my child's education?" Parents should be able to list all the needs their children will acquire. Creating a list of needs should include service, education, and community. Parents should have guidelines to find what their children need.
Parents can find services for their children
1. List what type of services their children need:
- Find deaf services in the area, such as Disability of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services and Texas Education Agency.
- Facilitate communication among school staff and deaf students.
- Find out if the school has a support system for families.
- Interpreting service in public school that provides RID certified sign language interpreters.
- Teachers with credentials in deaf education.
- Teachers of the state schools for the deaf must be skilled in sign language.
Parents should focus on their children's educational levels development
2. List of what area in their children's education should they focus on:
- Focus more on promoting reading levels. Note: Parents teaching their children high English vocabularies increase their ability to read.
- Focus on speech, language, reading and writing.
- Use math, science, and technology to develop skills.
Parents should consider the requirements to meet their children's need
3. List the requirements in education their children need:
- List the schools that have deaf programs.
- See if the school has a Communication Specialist Program for parents to learn communication skills with their children.
- Find out what curriculum these schools provide.
Joining the deaf communities will benefit the parents and their children
4. List of ways for them and their children to join a deaf community. This is a good way for deaf children to learn social and communication skills with the others:
- Do some research on deaf community and its activities.
- Ask someone at school if there is a deaf community in the area.
- Ask DARS or other deaf services for more information on deaf community.
- For churchgoers, find one that has service for the deaf.
- Find a volunteering program that helps deaf children, such as tutoring, after school programs, and social activities.
Hey, I enjoy how informative your posts are. I was wondering if you could do a first hand experience of learning without a hearing ability. Either an interview, or your own. Because as an outsider looking in, sometimes knowing your experiences helps me understand you better.
ReplyDeleteHi,
DeleteWhen my mother found out I was deaf, she made sure I attended school that had deaf programs. It was not a school for the deaf, it was a public school. I started learning sign language at 3 years old, and my hearing was better than it is now. I was diagnosed with bilateral to profound hearing loss. However, I was still able to communicate with others without sign language. My mother still wanted me to be part of the deaf culture, and she always felt deaf children and defective children are God's special gifts to parents. Unfortunately, some parents think it's a bad thing, and treated their children like they're handicapped. I think the parents' intentions are good, but they just don't understand the potential their children have. It has a lot to do with the history when deaf people were put in the asylums, and they were treated like they were mentally disabled. It all starts with communication. Think back 200 years ago; when deaf people are trying to say something, they use body languages. Using body language can give wrong impressions to others, because they could be expressing in such emotion and frustration for not being heard. Also, because they did not learn how to communicate, they were labeled as deaf and dumb. This misperception of the deaf people was because nobody understood why or how people were born deaf. Some became deaf later on due to severe ear infection. Their way of using body language was all they know to get people's attention. Hearing people often thought it was deaf people's way of attacking them. Thanks to the French Deaf Educator who moved to America in 1816. He established institutions for the deaf. However, deaf children were forced to use oral communication and lip reading to integrate into the hearing culture. The benefit of learning continued to be an issue until sign language was invented.
First off, great post. I am glad you justified why parents should take steps to prepare their children for the academic world. If I had to add something to the list, I think it would be that children -- all human beings for that matter -- are social creatures. I think putting kids in programs that brings them together with other deaf children makes it easier for them to learn. I am not deaf nor have I ever known anyone that was. However, I notice that I retain information better when I am with people that I can relate with. If a child is interested in computers or programming, for example, perhaps it would be beneficial to find a deaf community catering to that specific niche. Either way, I think you presented a well-written guide.
ReplyDelete- Dagmawi
Hi,
DeleteYes, you are right. It is crucial for children to develop social skills with the others. I may be deaf, but my social life is pretty good. I have seen others who are outsiders. They didn't understand how important it was to socialize. Most deaf children have hearing parents who have a social life, and the children tend to feel left out. They don't understand what their parents and other are talking about, and the parents forget how important for their children to be part of the conversation. This is where parents should develop communication skills in order to teach their children how to communicate. Without learning how to communicate, how will these children develop their academic skills? Communication is the key to learning.
You have expressed a good point about the resources necessary for a child's education. Even without a disability, it can be difficult for children to adapt to social situations without parental guidance. So parents need as much information about the kinds of education there is to choose from and having a disability myself, I can understand how much of a privilege DARS can be for going through school and eventually picking out a career. Sometimes people need help in order to progress through life, some people may believe that they have everything under control with their lives, but in some cases, life can be stressful. With that in mind, I thank you for making this post and wish you luck on the other posts.
ReplyDeleteHi Richard,
ReplyDeleteI didn't recognize you posted a comment here. I really appreciate your thoughts on this. I have learned with being a mother and a student, life its hard. It is worth it. I also learned that I have degenerative disc disease and stenosis causing nerve pain down to my arm. However; I don't let that or my hearing impairment get in the way of completing my education. Besides; my kids look up to me, and they are hearing.