Saturday, October 28, 2006
Dissatisfied Hearing Graduate Student
Tonight at the ASL dinner, a hearing person who had been a graduate student at Gallaudet, told me how she was unhappy with her experience there. She said she did not feel challenged enough. As an undergraduate, she said, the quality of her work on one assignment would have gotten an F, but at Gallaudet in graduate school, it got her an A. Her dissatisfaction led her to change her major in graduate school, and she did get a graduate degree but the experience left a rather bitter taste in her mouth.
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7 comments:
So? How is it related with the protest?
This is the problem with the Deaf Community today! They are not challenged enough! They are screaming for it, however, not at the expense of their heritage. I have seen deaf ed teachers; pass out pieces of paper for them to color, while, they are out of the class room and asking the aide to tend the classroom. Yes, granted they "might" have other business to tend, but my understanding is; they have an hour during the day for their break, but the STUDENTS are first and IT IS their hour and our TAX Dollars! I agree with the Deaf Culture/Deaf hood. WE ARE A component and we welcome the new comers like JF to feel a part of something, she says as missing. I do feel for their oppression in their days but things are CHANGING and not the way JF wants them to. Just an option.
The main issue is "deaf" education mentality. It is widespread. the alumni associations has to do their part in demand that the standards be raised, moving away from "deaf" education. Too much emphasis on speech, life skills (including vocational training that doesn't pay well), etc and not enough on academics.
Fortunately for me I had very good DEAF teachers in middle school and high school who go around challenging me and my fellow classmates to do much much more. And one of classmates is none other than Paul Singelton.
It's the nature of the challenge that's the real issue. A need for deaf people to acquire all the skills and education as possible they can get,to make their way in what is a mainly hearing environment. There is considerable doubt the deaf take this issue seriously, and quite content to develop a 'Deaf' alternative instead, pro-Deaf protests tend to be seen as anti-hearing/oral,and anti 'deaf' ones.
Surveys still show that given a choice between improving the deaf to deaf social aspect and attaining the skills needed, the skills, and the education have always taken second place. Obviously socializing is very important, but so is education and literacy. There doesn't need to be a straight choice made between the two aspects, but ASl users take it that way.
It appears they are seeing Fernandez as making the choice more towards inclusion and education as a priority,is this so wrong ? Let's be honest you have to be a VERY strong person to tell this to a University where ASL has ruled for so long. There has always been friction between the purists of sign language and other deaf.HI this needs addressing, maybe Fernandez won't be allowed to address it, but it has to be done. We can't have a hierarchy of deaf people.
I'd suggest it isn't really fair to make judgments and make speculations on this one student's experience without knowing more. She doesn't say just exactly why she wasn't satisfied. "Quality" and "challenge" can signify a number of reasons.
It is an interesting anecdote, and I would certainly like to debate on this. Still, speculation about Gallaudet education as a whole based on one person saying the quality wasn't up to par is too risky, IMO.
Need to look at history, there were lot of deaf professions back in old time until Oralism started. deaf's quality of education has fallen because of keeping the speech on top priority and put their education on hold which I believe is very wrong! Just use right tools for them that they would use best. For example, you try to get people with no hands to play piano. Speech would not get you smarter only UNDERSTANDING would! We need to focus on tools. speech is not for every deaf. I know a deaf person who wasted 3 years on education because the doctor told his parent not to allow the person to learn sign language. Consequently, the speech therapist told the parent that this person has learning disability. Then the parent decided to send the person to deaf school. He has got bloomed and achieved very high in school and college.
We should encourage whatever works in the best of interest of individuals! not parent nor doctor!
I think there is still issue. It's acknowledged in 'total immersion' system e.g. (All deaf students and teachers sign), then improvement is real and rapid,it's what comes AFTER is the issue, when you are out in mainstream and that cosy support and back up isn't there, and you find it tough going, and then get resentful mainstream is nothing like a deaf world ! Deaf schools have inward-based systems they cannot succeed in defeating isolation for deaf people. An alternative isn't integrational.
You can get over reliant and confident when it isn't really equipping you for life outside. There is a VITAL need for deaf and hearing to work together, to ease your passage afterwards, to gain skills that will help you when no terp is around, no teacher to talk with, no employer who has the patience with you , no..... it goes on doesn't it ?
Deaf schools never were up to the job, a deaf university isn't either. It's just not focused in succeeding outside the deaf area. Oralism gets lot of flack presumably teaching deaf to speak is wrong, whatever the debate there, the fact is other deaf DO speak, and there is antagonism toward them too. The Deaf world is in a total mess and polarized, and the battles we are seeing is to find out who gets to top 'top of the heap' deaf-wise.
There seems no answer does there without inclusive and cooperative polices as a norm, with NO single mode or system dominating, to reflect...... US. What Fernandez suggested really... OK she is hard to work with, and she isn't a 'people person' (Is it a popualrity contest or what ?), so long as she can get THAT job done (Inclusion and education), working properly I'd take the devil as president. Uni is a few years, deafness is usually for life... and we all have to grow up sometime.
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