Far From the Tree: Chapter 2-Deaf -Tony Kavalauskas SPED854

Far From the Tree: Chapter 2-Deaf Historical Events

Some Important Historical Events Reverend Thomas Gaudellet became interested in educating people who were deaf and founded the American Asylum for the Education and Instruction of the Deaf in Hartford Connecticut in 1817 (Solomon, 2012). American Sign Language (ASL) was formed from American signs and French sign language (Solomon, 2012). In 1857, the Gallaudet College was founded, which provided an advanced education for people who were deaf (Solomon, 2012).

Some Important Historical Events Alexander Graham Bell opposed people who were deaf; he wanted people who were deaf to learn speech and not to use Sign; he promoted the sterilization of people who were deaf (Solomon, 2012). Thomas Edison supported having people who were deaf learn speech as opposed to Sign (Solomon, 2012). By the early 1900’s 80% of people who were deaf were educated without Sign (Solomon, 2012).

Far From the Tree: Chapter 2-Deaf Deaf Culture

Deaf Culture Many deaf people hold the belief that only deaf people can understand a deaf person. Many people who are deaf prefer not to hear (Solomon, 2012). Students who participated in a school newspaper poll were asked whether they would take a pill that would restore their hearing, and most students responded that they would not; they were proud of who they were (Solomon, 2012). This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Deaf Culture People who are deaf, strongly believe in their language (ASL): “To reject ASL is to reject the deaf person” (Solomon, 2012). Some people who are deaf and learned oral speech are sometimes seen as outcasts in the deaf community (Solomon, 2012). Miriam was a daughter of parents who opted for an oral education for her. She was not allowed to use Sign. She was a participant in the Deaf Olympics and was humiliated because everyone but her was signing (Solomon, 2012). This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Far From the Tree: Chapter 2-Deaf Parent/Child Relationship

Parent/Child Relationships Parents want desperately for their child to be able to hear and speak. Raising a child who is deaf can place stress upon the family unit due to the communication barrier and meeting the child’s needs. Parents are faced with difficult decisions for their child who is deaf. They face decisions such as how their child will receive an education, or how do they provide them access to the hearing world? The Montan’s family was faced with these questions. They chose to learn ASL so that they could learn their son’s language and culture. They also had him take speech therapy so that he could communicate with people who did not sign. He became fluent in ASL and written English (Solomon, 2012). This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

Parent/Child Relationships “While it may be difficult for deaf people to learn speech, it is also difficult for parents to learn Sign – not because they are lazy or smug, but because their own brains are organized around verbal expression, and by the time they are of parenting age, they have lost considerable neural plasticity,” (Solomon, 2012). Parents may fear losing an emotional bond with their child because there is a limit to what they can learn. Parents are faced with navigating the difficult situation of giving their child a say in making decisions such as the type of education they want to receive and whether to utilize technology such as cochlear implants. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

Far From the Tree: Chapter 2-Deaf Education and Cochlear Implant Technology

Educating People Who Are Deaf Many parents of children who are deaf struggle with how best to provide for their child’s education. Mainstream education requires the child to learn to either lip-read or rely on a translator to sign. As a result, the child often struggles in school. Students who attend deaf school have a better chance of succeeding because they are being taught by instructors who fluently sign, and they are socializing with students who are, like them, deaf. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

Cochlear Implants They do not restore full hearing; it is not a cure for deafness. They provide, “course or degraded versions of sound.” (Solomon, 2012). Parents seek this solution because they expect that their child will hear and therefore do not need any type of deaf education because they will develop oral language. Many in the deaf community see these implants as a threat to their culture and way of life. “Deaf activists contend that cochlear implants are part of a genocidal attempt to destroy and eliminate the Deaf community.” (Solomon, 2012). This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

References

References Solomon, A. (2012). Disability. In Far from the tree : parents, children and the search for identity. New York, NY: Scribner (p. 49-114). This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC