The Right of the Deaf Child to Grow Up Bilingual

Transcript:

Hi! I would like to share about the article written by Francois Grosjean who provided his perspective by researching Deaf children. The article mentioned that ASL should be the primary language of a Deaf child. Despite the use of various technological aids ( i.e. cochlear implants), sign language is mandatory period. Why? I will explain the reasons for you to think about it.

When hearing babies are born, they normally acquire language in the very first years of life that their parents communicate with them and that babies receive information by listening to surrounding sound environment such as T.V., radio, people having conversations, etc. Even some parents sign with their hearing babies making it more accessible. "Language in turn is an important means of establishing and solidifying social and personal ties between the child and his/her parents. What is true of the hearing child must also become true of the Deaf child."

It is crucial for Deaf children to see a visual, 100 percent accessible, natural signed language that they are able to completely comprehend the information as they grow up.
But is this really happening for all Deaf children? Unfortunately, no. Why? Organizations like AG Bell, AVT (Auditory Verbal Therapy), etc. think it is not necessary to include ASL but focus on listening and speaking ONLY. That only approach HURTS! I will explain to you why.

First of all, we don't know for sure if a Deaf baby will grasp information completely through auditory. All cochlear implant users don't pick up the information in the same way. We know that some hearing aid users have developed strong listening skills and some of them don't at all in spite of having the same decibel loss. Too often, people assume by exposing one language (oral) would do just fine until the moment they realize that this approach did not work. So what happens to that child? "He or she falls BEHIND in his/her development, be it linguistic, cognitive, social, or personal." It becomes TOO LATE!

This issue is disturbing to DBC that this oral only approach is GAMBLING the Deaf child's life away from academic development, social development, healthy emotional development, etc. We need to advocate more strongly on having both languages, ASL and English, for all Deaf children.

The responsibility, the duty and the goal of DBC are to make sure that ALL Deaf babies from the start have access to natural sign language that is acquired naturally as much as possible where two-way communication takes place. For a Deaf child to bridge to English (spoken English and/or written English), the most important part for academic success and future professional achievements is to master written English. Once a Deaf child is the ability to write well, he/she can do anything!

By using one language (oral) approach and excluding ASL with those who use listening assistive devices, is it a right way? No! We know that obviously oralism involves RISK! BET! GAMBLE!

Having the ability to develop cognitive/personal skills will be minimized when using oral only approach. Why limit the Deaf child's ability? He or she would have developed much more advanced in these areas (linguistic, cognitive, social and personal). Oral approach with most Deaf children is not perceived as communicating in a two-way street in a natural way. Research states that for a Deaf child to use oral only approach impedes communication and that the daunting effort to develop speech skills is consumed rather than focusing on developing cognitive skills. When using ASL, "it allows the young Deaf child and his/her parents to communicate early, and fully, on the condition that they acquire it quickly." ASL play an important role in the Deaf child's cognitive and social development and it will help him/her acquire knowledge about the world. They can express about anything that is much easier and clearer for them to communicate.

Hearing parents can learn signs and they need to get more support. What DBC wants to see happening out there is the establishment of ASL Therapy Centers. We don't even have one here in America but we always have numerous speech therapy centers even hotline phone numbers where immediate attention can be given. More fund is needed to establish such centers where support to facilitate hearing parents' signing skills will be much more possible in the future.

In the meantime, DBC has been sharing an important message that every Deaf baby has the right to sign. Why is this so important? There are numerous benefits and opportunities using ASL when a Deaf child grows up. In this case, opportunities are more of GUARANTEES.

BILINGUAL (ASL/ENGLISH) GUARANTEES A DEAF CHILD'S FUTURE!

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Deaf
• AGBell
• Oral
• Bilingual
• DBC
• cochlear
• implant
• hearing
• aid
• language
• English

[beyrus]

How long does it typically take for parents to realize their baby is deaf? Maybe all babies that can see should learn signing right from the start.

[avbria]

Thanks to today's law, infant hearing screening are now mandatory right after the baby is born allowing to detect hearing loss. From that point, parents can pursue to learn American Sign Language to have their Deaf baby to acquire the language naturally with the support of Deaf community and professionals.

[mylittle1z]

I have 2 hearing impared children whom we focus mainly on spoken language due them both being infants. It is proven fact that a child must learn spoken language during infancy to be completly fluent. Although we choose to be in a Oral school we still use ASL but just focusing on language for now.

[avbria]

Actually, it is proven for babies, both hearing and Deaf, who use signs have more benefits than those who don't use signs. Children who are bilinguals have better cognitive skills than those who are monolinguals. I wanted to share you more about the resources which is much longer than this message but your email account is closed. Please contact me once again and I will be more than happy to reply.

[DeafMarilyn45]

isnt it irony that hearing children are encouraged to take ASL at their schools, while most hearing parents refuse the same privileges for their Deaf child/ren and most hope they learn how to speak with their mouths...really a very restrictive environment for Deaf kids... i totally agree with your comments - sigh...DBC --- do you have a model of the DBC by laws, or goals, etc. that our new society can borrow...thanks Marilyn

[avbria]

Yes, it is so ironic! Parents have been given the impression that using signs will impede spoken/written English skills but there is no empirical research proving that this is true. DBC is implementing bylaws, strategies, guidelines, etc. for interested local chapters. If you are interested to learn more about it please contact deafbilingual at gmail.

[bikerwidow69]

The only retarded thing here is your comment. Grow up you idiot. How is your comment relevant? I am sure if your children were Deaf, you wouldn't think them retarded. Go stalk a self help site for misguided losers, you might learn more about yourself and get the help you need.:)

[TheBigbear2029]

I am profoundly deaf but I'm also Bilingual. My mother was strict on me learning both Oral English as well as ASL. Now I have children of my own and 3 of them are also hard of hearing. I fully encourage and support bilingual learning for my children. I have tried to get my oldest daughter into a school that would encourage both but they told me that she will become "Dumb" if I enforce both. Really? Seriously? I'm profoundly Deaf and I am bilingual. I am, for sure, not DUMB.

[TearsBehindSmiles]

My grandmother is hard of hearing, with a lot of Deaf friends, so I grew up partially in the community until I was about five. I learned a lot of sign when I was little (forgot most of it when I wasn't around my grandmother as much) but I'm taking ASL in school now. I love it. I'm going to teach my children sign language when they're little. It's so helpful, even for hearing children, since the muscles in the hands develop faster than the muscles in the mouth. Easier to communicate younger. :)

[hopenchrist777]

Excellent video post! Thank you for posting the Transcript for those who do not know Sign Language. If most people knew and appreciated what happens in the life of a Deaf child as they grew up; living with the ignorance around them, then they would not be so quick to insist on trying to "fix" what is not broken. I am hearing but know the impact it has had on friends and family that are Deaf. I can only pray and live by example to support the Deaf Culture for all our sakes. Peace my friends.

[Hartmut1940]

@mylittle1z

too many children have suffered growing up in houses where no signing is used or forbidden. Deaf people need to speak out to protect deaf children. These are also our children, sociologically speaking, for they will seek the Deaf Community, once they become teenagers or adults. Many elderly parents entered my ASL classes to learn ASL, regretting having not learned it earlier. Their grandchildren regard them as bad parents, cuz they have victimized their parents.

[Hartmut1940]

@beyrus

you think too much in either or this, in black or white. The best option is always BOTH!

[Hartmut1940]

@mylittle1z

your "proven fact" applioes only to hearing babies, not deaf babies. It is proven that when a deaf child learns to sign first, then his language skills in both English and ASL are on the average better than English monolingually trained ones. Remember, ASL is also a language, you should not forget to focus on, too. I pity your two deaf children. I have encountered too many orally educated ODDIES who are socially inept in both deaf and hearing environments.

[truevoiceofsanity]

@oregonfan03 I hope this worked out and your kid caught up!!! Kids are smarter than we expect.