Chapter 48 :)

Falling while pregnant causing Deafness! 

This is one claim that I have never herd before but is completely ridiculous. I can see how everyone wants to attribute differences and such to some concrete cause but I definitely don't see this being true. As the book describes, deafness is usually expressed through a gene. I think that this would deeply sadden the mother and cause her to believe that she has done something to cause their child to be deaf.  

 On a lighter note I am really glad that falling does not cause deafness because my mother is one of the clumsiest people I know.

Chapter 47 :)

"Do deaf parents breed deaf children" 

Ummm... WOW! I was so shocked to read that "unsuitable parents would be discouraged, even prevented, from having "inferior quality children." I think this relates back to chapter 39 where it is made pretty clear that deafness is not a disability. These proposals seem very ignorant, especially the sterilization of American deaf children!

I agree that the "facts speak for themselves" 90% of all deaf people have hearing parents, and 90% of all deaf parents have hearing children. The book says it best by saying "anyone who wants to prevent deaf babies from being born should prevent hearing people from breeding." 

A perfect example is my friend Charlie... Both of his grandparents are deaf and his mom and all of her (7) siblings are hearing. And the only reason Charlie's sister is deaf is because she had meningitis as a child! But families with Deaf relatives are the transmitters of Sign Language!

Deaf Awareness Quiz! Chapters 31-46

I found this quiz to be overall very easy.  These answers seem to be very straight forward, I do think these quizzes are a good way refresh myself and make sure I am comprehending what I am reading.

Chapter 46 :)

Parents of Deaf Children 

This chapter was a lot for me to take in. I have so many different thoughts and opinions, but when it comes down to it, I do not know what I would ultimately do if I had a Deaf child. It is a scary reality that for some parents "their child is the first deaf person they've ever met." This is terrifying and what I think is one major reason that many parents may rush and choose cochlear implants.

I thought it was an awakening statement that often "high quality day or magnet school school programs" are only available in a few select cities. Many parents can not pick up and move to a new city and find a new job. This is why I agree with the statement that "some parents can no find any satisfactory option."

I can definitely see that many parents could commit  to ASL at first and make the commitment to learn it, then quickly get discouraged and make a rash decision to choose other approaches like oral ism, and cochlear-implants.

"there is, of course, no one right way" this very true and I think this scares many parents because their decisions early on will affect their child for the rest of their life!!

Chapter 45 :)

I found chapter 45 to be very interesting!! As a future speech-language pathologist it is interesting to think about hearing children who have deaf parents not having god speech models and therefore in need of speech therapy once they enter school. I would love to be able to interact with these children because I think it is amazing when children are bilingual and there are so many benefits to them.

I think that deaf parents raise a hearing child better than the latter because the deaf parents can immerse their children from birth, the "children are given a native language". It may not be spoken language, but nevertheless ASL is a rich language, while hearing parents of deaf children are not usually immediately immersed in a language that they can understand. I am a firm believer that Speech Models are VERY IMPORTANT!

I feel strongly that the experience CODAs get is one of a kind, and as the book supports, they are given a perspective on life that is so different from hearing children of hearing parents. these children also have great perspective job opportunities like being an interpreters, or ASL teachers.

Chapter 44 :)

Deaf Parents 

This chapter was completely new to me. I knew that not many Deaf parents had Deaf children and vice verse, but I did not think that it was that big of a deal. I thought that the phrase "to see if the baby's 'one of them' or not" was a little harsh, my thought is that if the child's parents are Deaf then they will adapt that culture. I would think that the baby's health would be more important than whether it was hearing or not. 

Something mentioned in this chapter that I found to be really interesting is that there is a strong cultural affiliation between deaf children and adults, and I see how some hearing parents could resent that. When parents have this child they expect to have this strong everlasting bond with them, and yes I do think that there would be some what of a wall between a hearing parent who does not know much ASL or understand Deaf culture and the Deaf child that is immersed in this sort of thing. I can see how this would be some what heartbreaking, however the hearing parents should try to learn ASL and try all day everyday to make a point of being in their child's life. 

On the subject of Deaf parents having hearing children... My best friend Charlie (I have talked about him in these blog posts before) has 2 deaf grandparents, a Deaf sister, and his mom teaches at the Indiana School for The Deaf, is going through a bit of a crisis. He is fluent in Sign Language and has strong ties to the culture, well about 2 weeks ago he woke up and had very fuzzy vision... well by the end of the day his vision in his right eye was almost completely gone, the next day the same thing happened to his left eye. He has has 3973468 tests done over the last couple of weeks and the doctors are almost positive that he has a rare (irreversible) genetic disease called Leber Hereditaty Optic Neuropathy, it causes sudden blindness in men in their mid 20's (he is 23). Anyway he and his family is at a loss for what to do, they are used to Deafness, and blindness is in a way opposite.

Chapter 43 :)

Deaf people against universal infant hearing screening? 

This chapter came as a complete surprise to me!! I had no idea that people were against universal health screening, I am such an advocate for early intervention that this thought never occurred to me. My mom performs hearing screenings on newborn babies at a major hospital in Louisville and I have herd her say over and over again how surprised she is at the number of Deaf and hard of hearing babies that are born! (My mother is not an audiologist, therefore she does not do any follow up on the children)

After reading this chapter I now understand a little more why some people are against infant screenings, but I still think the screenings should be in place. It is the follow up information that needs to be mandated, information should be given to the parents on ASL and schools for the Deaf. They should be given the opportunity to explore options, and not be scared into expensive hearing aids and permanent implants.

 It think that it is sad that the cochlear-implant industry has to "play on the hopes and fears of parents." Cochlear implants are a risky seemingly permanent "solution" to what is not really a problem. 

I think that more audiologists should be better educated on the benefits of ASL, the the public in general needs to be more informed about Deafness and try to understand that it is not a death sentence, it is a minor difference.

Chapter 42 :)

"Is is possible to have the best of both worlds?"

I do not agree with the FDA's decision to allow parents to implant children with a cochlear-implant without their consent. This is a huge decision that will have a massive impact  on the rest of the child's life. I do not think children as well as parents will have the drive to learn ASL and immerse themselves into Deaf culture of they have a cochlear-implant. I have read about children who are bilingual and the proven benefits this knowledge provides. While I am not completely against cochlear implants, I do believe that children should be taught ASL and given the chance to make their own decision about whether to go through with a cochlear implant or not.
A very surprising yet saddening thing I read in this chapter is that "medical professionals have been advising parents of Deaf  children that they must never, ever use Sign Language." I do not think that it will interfere with a child's speech, if anything I think it will improve it because it gives the child a true language with structure and format that they can understand.
It really scares me that cochlear implants are such a huge procedure to implant and there is not significant longitudinal research done that supports benefits or explains side effects of this major procedure.
If I had a child who was born profoundly deaf I think that I would immediately begin signing to them and let them consider the possibility of an implant much more later in life. 

Chapter 41 :)

"Do all Deaf people benefit from hearing aids?"

Being a Communication Disorders major the concept of hearing aids and cochlear implants are very interesting for me. A question I have always wondered about is whether hearing aids will really help Deaf people, because it seems to me that no amount of amplification could help. After weighing the pros and cons I think that hearing aids would only be annoying and possibly detrimental to the small amount of hearing someone may have.  The only major pro I can justify for hearing aids is that they can "make them more aware of what's going on." 

I could not believe that even newborns could be fitted with hearing aids, I was even more appalled to read that most of the time the decision about hearing aids is made by educators, parents, and audiologists, and that the children often have little or no say in the matter. HELLOOO... the children are the ones who have to wear these annoying contraptions, learning Sign Language would help the child actually learn a language and develop better skills than insufficient hearing aids. I think the children should be introduced to Sign Language ASAP while still be given the option to use hearing aids in the future when they can decide for themselves. 

"The Cochlear-Implant Controversy"

This is a topic that I really struggle with. It takes major surgery and "drilling hole in the skill," this sounds like a huge risk to be taken for something that isn't guaranteed to work. Last semester I was totally against Cochlear-Implants especially in children, I had an experience over Christmas break that slightly swayed my opinion. I was at University of Louisville Hospital observing the Speech-Language Pathologist, I had the most amazing experience. There was a 7 year old girl who had just been implanted with a cochlear implant and I was able to be there after her surgery to witness her hearing her parents voices for the first time. I know that she will need lots of therapy and rehabilitation but it was so amazing to witness this little girl hear the world for the first time that it is hard for me to be completely against them. 

I do think that parents and educators should wait until the child is old enough to decide for themselves, but this amazing experience has changed my outlook on implants.

Chapter 40 :)

"Hearing" "Hearie" "Hearo"

Chapter 40 discussed the term hearing, which I found helpful because at first this was an odd concept to me as well. One very interesting point brought up in the beginning of chapter 40 is the idea that the minority sees themselves as insiders, and has its own terms for outsiders. I had never thought much about majority and minority groups having different names they use for outsiders.  (especially straight to their face!) I never think of myself as hearing because it is normal to me to hear, and as the book mentions, I definitely thing it is something I take for granted.

I had never been called HEARING until taking an ASL class, I have been around Deaf people before but never had herd this term. I do not think it is offensive as some minority names are, it is just different.

A bit of a "WOW" moment I experienced when reading this chapter was towards the bottom of the first paragraph on page 254. Deaf people have been labeled by things that they can't do and have been called things like "deaf-and-dumb" and "deaf-mute." the only label us hearing people have is hearing or hearings, I do not understand how people can feel uncomfortable about this term when Deaf people have been called far worse for their entire lives.

The term hearie is a new one to me, I have never seen the sign or seen it finger spelled. the book says that it is signed like the word hearing, when I read this my first thought was..." well then how do I know the difference between hearing and hearie??" 

Another term that was new to me in this chapter is the word hearo , I have never seen this signed but I am not sure that I would think of it as being insulting. In my opinion every group has their own labels for themselves as well as other groups. These labels are not always insulting, they may just distinguish differences between people. 

Chapter 39 :)

"When I use the word "handicapped," my deaf friends get angry. Why is that?"

I do not see deafness as a physical disability or a handicap. Where I start to trip over my words is when I tell people I am a "Communication Disorders" major. Yes, many communication disorders professionals work with Deaf children yet I do not see deaf people as having a... "disorder." I really like the quote by Dr. I. King Jordan that says "Deaf people can do anything.. except hear." I also like how the chapter goes on to talk about what a disability really is. I think it is a very good point to be made that "some hearing people can't dance, some have no artistic skill whatsoever; some have lousy coordination" yet these people would not consider themselves handicapped. This part of the chapter really gave me a new perspective on this matter, no one con do everything perfectly! 

I was unaware that the Federal Government considered Deafness as a disability/ handicap. While I have never experienced any decision like this before I think I would have to agree that Deafness is not a disability, there is a whole rich culture and community. The book says it perfectly "'handicapped' has acquired a negative connotation. It suggests social inferiority, poverty, hopelessness; it solicits pity not respect." Deaf children should get special help in schools and receive services to make sure they are receiving an equal opportunity for education but I think Deaf people life "fulfilling lives" and are not disabled.

Before deciding on being a Communication Disorders major I contemplated being a special education teacher. This chapter really opened my eyes and made me think about labels and spreading the word to other teachers/ professionals as well as children about not labeling people by their difference or disabilty but to look beyond that and get to know the person not the "disability"

Chapter 38 :)

"Can 'Deaf' be used as a noun (as in the Deaf') or should it be used only as an adjective?"                                                                                                                             

My first reaction to this chapter was 'WOW! how cool... there is such thing as a library service to the Deaf community,' my next thought was, 'wait a minute, the last chapter just told me to write Deaf.. as in the Deaf Community with a capital "D." Any how I really liked this chapter, and it was much shorter than the last which is a plus.
One concept mentioned is that "a number of individuals don't want to be designated as "deaf artist" or "deaf writer." Rather they are "writers who happen to be deaf." I really like this philosophy, I know in special education we are taught to always put the person before the disability, for example a child with a disability not a disabled child.
It was a little odd for me at first too to be called "hearing" and the title "hearings" sounds even more different but as the book mentions "one gets used to it."

I found the story by Richard Nowell to be very interesting. It was very polite for the man to let him know his mistake and explain why some people might take his work choices the wrong way. This is very important in all aspects of life I believe, because most of the time people don't mean to offend others they just don't know. Mr. Nowell puts this concept perfectly when he says "there is a right way and a wrong way to teach dumb hearing people like me this kind of lesson*"
I attached a link to a funny story I read having to do with ASL and football fans who simply didn't know what they were signaling.

 Oregon Ducks and Sign Language Story- New York Times

Chapter 37 :)

 "Is it OK to use the term "deaf-mute" in reference to a deaf person who can't talk?"

Chapter 37 was FULL of information that was new to me. While it was very long, it did address some very important points what I was unaware of. The book mentions early on in the chapter that "being deaf, they cannot hear themselves talk, and thus, can not easily modulate their voices." I can relate to this in a way when I have an ear infection, I get them quite frequently and when the fluid builds up behind my eardrum sounds become very muffled. Because my hearing is impaired, my ability to control the loudness of my voice is as well. If it is difficult for me who has been hearing for 20 years to modulate my voice with just an ear infection I can't imagine how difficult it is for someone who is Deaf.

"Why isn't deaf and dumb" an acceptable term?" I feel as if this concern should not even need to be addressed. It is a very outdated phrase and people should now know that it is not an acceptable term. Something I did learn from this section of the chapter is that "The American School for the Deaf was first called "The Connecticut Asylum, at Hartford, for the education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons." I can not believe that the words "asylum" and "deaf and dumb" were included in the title of the school! This really puts into perspective for me how times and rhetoric have changed! I have never herd anyone use this phrase, but if they did I would be sure to correct them or write a letter to the editor. At the end of this chapter there are examples of time magazine using the phrase "deaf-mute," once the public saw this phrase they wrote to the editor and actually got an explanation and an apology from Time! 
Another "historical reference" that caught my attention was that Deaf leaders preferred to continue calling them selves "deaf-mutes!" It is hard for me to get over the fact that phrases like "deaf and dumb" and "deaf-mute" were acceptable and even preferred terms at one time.

Another thing I found to be surprising is that Deaf people do not like the term "hearing impaired," I am studying speech-language pathology currently at WKU and I have seen "hearing impaired in text books and websites many times. At first I did not understand the negative connotation accompanying this word, but after reading the reasons Deaf people do not like the term I now understand. In the future I will be sure to use the terms "hard of hearing" or simply Deaf.

I really enjoyed the story on page 223 about the women gong out to lunch and one being a hearing interpreter and the other ladies being deaf. I thought it was very bold of them to respond to the rude women making remarks about their signing and calling them "dummy's." This is such a negative word to use to describe someone. I have never been in a situation like this but I hope that if I ever am, I will have the courage to stand up for my self and others around me because stereotypes like this need to be stopped.

A point made in this chapter that really made a good distinction for me was the difference in "Deaf" and "deaf" I have been confused as to whether to capitalize the word or not. I think it does make sense though that Deaf with a capital "D" means Deaf culture and community. I actually included the word deaf on an important paper recently and was told by The Writing Center that it was not to be capitalized, so now I know the correct rules!

I marked so much in this chapter that it is hard to point out all the insightful and thought provoking points. This is definitely a chapter I will keep marked and refer to in the future for clarification.
:)