Guest guest Posted July 14, 2000 Report Share Posted July 14, 2000 Hi Vicki, my name is Chip and I'm 21 years old. I also have Charge Syndrome just like your son, . I know some stuff about the deaf community, since I'm hearing-impaired, and have some deaf/hearing-impaired friends. I used to join in a Deaf/Sign Talk Club back in high school. Now, this is my 2nd or 3rd year in college. If you have anymore question to ask or something, please feel free to contact me at: chip0616@... Talk to you later! Chip > >Reply-To: CHARGEegroups >To: CHARGEegroups >Subject: Re: for Lucy, re: EE & ASL >Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2000 14:41:30 -0400 > >Hi everyone, > I have been catching up on my email and this topic of ASL and SEE >caught >my attention. > Sally you are 100% correct in your responses. With being 24 I >have >been all over the controversy and back again. ASL is a separate language >and >structured quite differently from oral english. Ex: SEE- " I like cats. >EX: ASL-Cats I like. > began his education in the public school system which taught >SEE. >At the age of 17 then choose to attend a PA State School for the >Deaf. >At the age of 17 began to learn ASL. For the transition came >easily and now he can switch back and forth, Since I learned SEE from the >beginning I am finding it quite difficult to learn ASL because of my firm >grip on SEE. If you reach the point of being able to sign SEE, keeping up >with your oral speech without having to put allot of thought into the >signing you are going to have a hard time teaching yourself ASL. It would >be >better to learn ASL before you acquire too firm a skill in SEE. > Most deaf adults that I have come into contact with believe that deaf >children born to hearing parents would be better off spending their early >years relocated to the deaf community. Though I don't agree with this >belief >I can see and understand the deaf community's reasoning for this. Something >most of you will encounter as your children get older is what the deaf >refer >to as big D deaf and little d deaf. Among the deaf culture big D deaf are >those who sign ASL and choose to immerse themselves totally into the deaf >culture. Little d deaf are those who use voice, SEE, and prefer to >associate >with hearing more than deaf. Also as your children become older and whether >you become involved yourselves into the deaf community be prepared for >allot >of controversy on the topic of cochlear implants. The deaf community is >very >much against the implants and feel that hearing parents opt for this >surgery >because they are prejudiced against deafness and cannot accept their >children as they were born, deaf. > Though I do not agree with allot of the beliefs of the deaf population >I >personally have witnessed enough atrocities directed by hearing towards >deaf >that I can understand some of their segregating away from the hearing >world. >I can also understand some of why a deaf child with other challenges may >not >be entirely accepted by the deaf culture. In the past deaf where referred >to >as deaf and dumb. For to many years deaf people where thought to have MR >because of their deafness. It's no wonder that today a deaf child with MR >would have trouble being accepted in the deaf culture. It's not the child >or >MR but the stigma that has created the problem. > In the final analysis my experience has been that the deaf population >will accept a hearing parent of a deaf child if you approach them with an >open mind and heart. You don't have to agree but be willing to understand >where their beliefs were rooted. Even now with the ADA laws you will find >yourselves faced with issues of who is responsible to pay for interpreters. >I have seen a young deaf woman denied eye and dentist appointments because >of issues of interpreters and who will pay for them. Many times I've had to >call PA Protection Advocacy to explain ADA laws to doctors, dentists or >others who provide public services. For deaf it has long been a never >ending battle just to recieve fair and just treatment in having basic needs >met. > Couldn't resist sharing my experiences with the deaf community of >Northeast PA. > >) Vicki mom to (24) > >Lucy wrote: > > > At 06:33 PM 7/10/00, you wrote: > > >Lucy, > > >I read your response to Ruth & found it interesting-you brought up > > >things I'd forgotten to mention. Below is my response to Ruth's > > >message-please tell me what you think of my opinion that ASL combined > > >w/ some signs from SEE (prepositions, articles, endings, etc.) could > > >be conceptually accurate & teach English grammar & sentence structure > > >at the same time-giving children better literacy skills. > > >Thanks, Lori Brittell: mom2cheye@... > > > > Lori (and others), > > > > I guess the misconception is that ASL is just signs. It isn't. It is a > > language. You can't say " ASL combined w/ some signs from SEE " > > and still have ASL. That is what SEE is supposed to be--ASL signs, > > plus additional signs that ASL doesn't have (because it uses other > > parts of the language like facial expression and spatial relationships) > > and signed in English word order. > > > > To truly be ASL, you must use the grammar, which includes the > > " non-manuals " like facial grammar, spatial relationships, etc. > > > > The problem is: It is extremely hard to sign true EXACT English, > > because you have to add an extra movement for past tense, for > > plural, for " ing " , for " ly " --you get the picture. Imagine speaking > > and remembering to spell each ending you use, so you would > > say, " The dog S are play ING outdoor S and run ING over the > > flower S " Can you think that fast in a second language and > > remember to do that with each sign that needs the ending added? > > > > I am not saying that I don't use some of the English signs and > > sign in English word order when I am interpreting. It depends > > on the subject, even with adult deaf SEE users--if someone > > is just talking about what happened to them yesterday, I > > tend to use more ASL-type signing, without adding the endings > > because it is just casual conversation. If we are in English > > class--those endings get added during the lesson, but not > > when the teacher begins " chasing rabbits " and talks about > > how terrible her morning was. Everything is still in English > > word order (mostly), but without the endings until they > > become more important. > > > > However, I find myself OFTEN > > having to " pair " a Signed English sentence with an ASL > > translation when working with school-agers. They need > > the ASL to understand what the English means, then > > they can learn the English better. I also tutor > > occasionally, and use an ASL rule to compare how English > > does the same thing--for instance, tenses. ASL sets up > > the time at the beginning of the story, then everything is > > assumed to have happened at the same time until a > > different time is names, eliminating the need for tense > > endings. I explain that in English, each verb needs the > > tense ending, and it seems clearer to the student if > > I show that the sign for " PAST " or " YESTERDAY " needs > > to have the " ed " added to verbs (action words) in English, > > and the " TOMORROW " or " FUTURE " signs need a > > helping verb and " ing " added to verbs in English. > > > > I believe the same thing is seen in other bi-lingual > > programs--here in South Texas we have a lot of > > Spanish-speaking children. The trend seems to be > > to have them learn content classes in their native > > language until they are more competent in English, > > and then use native Spanish speakers to help them > > in English class by comparing how Spanish and > > English do the same tasks--using rules they know > > either formally or informally (depending on age, older > > and already had some schooling in Spanish or younger > > but having an innate understanding of the rule) to > > teach the rule in English. > > > > I know this is a very long response to a short question, > > but I believe even many teachers of the deaf have > > little understanding that they really don't use either > > ASL or Exact English, but a pidgin that never gives > > a child a chance to learn either language. > > > > I'll get off my soapbox unless you ask me other questions-- > > then WATCH OUT!!! <grin> > > > > Lucy > > lucy@... > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > Get a NextCard Visa, in 30 seconds! > > 1. Fill in the brief application > > 2. Receive approval decision within 30 seconds > > 3. Get rates as low as 2.9% Intro or 9.9% Fixed APR > > http://click./1/6628/2/_/22564/_/963282697/ > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > For information about the CHARGE Syndrome > > Foundation or to become a member please > > contact marion@... or visit > > the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation web page > > at http://www.chargesyndrome.org ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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