When we first confirmed my son was deaf, I had several communication choices presented to me by his Early Intervention coordinator. I had never heard of cued speech, and at first I was ready to dismiss it solely because it was not the dominant form of communication among Deaf people. But when an advocate of…
Category: Education
The Problem of Speaking
I’ve adopted a saying lately: “Nothing is without weight.” I say this to myself in my mind as I go through my day, as my meanderings are halted with the shock of seeing speaking in front of me when I had barely become accustomed to the relief and comfort of visual communication (on what the world deems…
A Guide to the Maternal Reflective Method
Often, deaf children learn to sign so that they can communicate their needs and also learn in schools for the deaf. However, signing is not the only method of communication. In schools today, there is a Maternal Reflective Method, sometimes called Oral Reflective Method, which teaches partially or fully deaf children how to learn and…
Disability – It’s Time for a New Word
Last week, I received paperwork from the local school district to fill out for my son. “Preschoolers with Disabilities” was written at the top. This caught me off guard for two reasons: first, I can’t believe my baby is ready for preschool already! But more importantly, “Disabilities?!” I’ve spent the last two years trying to…
Raising a Deaf Child
I once asked my toddler’s teacher for help: “how do you discipline a deaf child?” Her answer? “The same as any other child.” The simplicity of this answer shows just how little some people know of the hardships of being a hearing parent of a deaf child. Certainly I understand her point that you treat…
Deaf Education: Numbering Our Flaws
This is an article about numbers. It does not purport to be anything else. I will delineate numbers that varying researchers spent quite a bit of time gathering, and then I will discuss them briefly and draw connections to the potential political consequences of having the numbers listed define our reality. It is my personal…
Barking Up The Deaf Tree
My uncle forwarded me this New York Times article about young John Cave Jr., a deaf student, who wanted to bring his service dog, Simba, to school. There is a cute picture of a Simba, a yellow Labrador, in the article. To summarize: the Nassau County school said no to the Cave family, “concluding that having…
Davila, The Pride Of Gallaudet…And RIT/NTID, Too!
Time to wind up the good ol’ RIT vs. Gallaudet rivalry again. Except that, this time, distinguished Gallaudet President Dr. Davila, not a bunch of drunk, obscene adolescents at a pep rally, started it. I refer to this video clip from the September 6th Town Hall meeting posted on Gallaudet’s website. It’s a rousing speech, a call to…
Cued Speech: Your Unasked Questions Answered
Lately, there has been discussion about Cued Speech in the deaf blogosphere. I have refrained from commenting mostly because trying to explain the facts and correct the misinformation being perpetuated would have resulted in a blog-lengthy post. So, instead, I’m here to explain some major myths and facts. Before I delve into this blog, let…
Who’s On First?
Five years ago and half a world away, I was part of the cast of “Rustle of a Star,” an original play at NTID’s Panara Theatre. I was pleased to, along with my colleague, to re-enact the timeless Abbott and Costello routine, “Who’s On First?” A heavily condensed version follows: A: Who’s on first?C: That’s…