Re: ASL Immersion Experience - long

[Guest guest]

I'm so glad you had a great experience - I have not been to ASL immersion

for a couple of years now but I remember it being an AWESOME experience.

See you in a couple weeks!

>

> My husband and I just returned from a 6 day full immersion program at

> the Washington State School for the Deaf in Vancouver, WA. From Tuesday

> until Sunday morning we did not use our voices to communicate - only

> ASL. And except for a few times when we forgot we were in " voice off "

> mode, we did not cheat - not even in our room.

>

> We were divided into five groups of students - the level of ASL skill

> ranged from beginner to almost interpreter level. Somehow I ended up

> with the most advanced students...so I was really challenged, but it was

> a great learning experience. Linden was in a different group and

> challenged as well. I joked that it was also a great experience for our

> marriage. Imagine almost a week of only non verbal communication with

> your spouse. Really, it was a good thing. A few students didn't know we

> were married so at the debriefing last meeting when my husband hugged

> and kissed me (trying to comfort me when I was so choked up by emotion I

> couldn't share my thoughts at the week's experience) a few thought that

> perhaps our relationship had developed during the program.

>

> The experience has left a heavy imprint on me on many different levels.

> During the debriefing experience everyone had the chance to share their

> observations about the week. It was an amazing experience. After 108

> hours of not using our voices we could finally use them. Many

> participants shared their thoughts through tears - my husband and I

> included. Being immersed in another culture for that many days was so

> intense. As the mother of a child with a hearing loss, it really hit me

> in my mother's heart - thinking about what Cameron may experience from

> people who can't understand him. It also gave me the chance to think

> about the frustration that Cameron has now when he can't be understood -

> even by his own family (me included).

>

> Part of our experience included going to a street fair and having to

> interact with three vendors using some non verbal form of communication

> - gestures, written, etc.). It was interesting to hear people talking

> about us - thinking we were completely deaf. Most people were kind and

> helpful. My husband heard one vendor comment, " I wonder if he can read "

> when considering handing him a printed brochure about their products.

>

> One evening we played a " game " where we had to collect stickers by

> communicating with different people for different services - employment,

> travel, medical needs, restaurant, lodging, etc. Every service provider

> used a different mode of communication - finger spelling, SEE, gestures,

> lip reading, tactile signing (deaf/blind). There was also an angel who

> would give us " money " when she felt sorry for us. There was also a

> sheriff who could throw us in jail if a service provider called him.

> Getting out of jail entailed bribing him. We had to figure out how the

> world operated and a few people got frustrated and gave up. That night I

> was able to see it as a game and just did what I could to figure things

> out. While I didn't get all of the parts, I did collect all the

> stickers. But the next morning I was struck with the deeper meaning of

> the game...imagine having to figure out different modes of communication

> every day - for real. Being deaf or hard of hearing you encounter many

> different kinds of people. Would you pick only those places that would

> be the easiest for you to deal with?

>

> We also had a lot of fun and laughed a lot. The staff were all deaf and

> shared their life experiences with us. They stressed how important it is

> for families to be involved in their deaf/hh child's life with

> communication. Most of the participants were studying to be interpreters

> or worked in education with deaf/hh students.

>

> There's more I can share but I'm still processing it. The biggest thing

> I learned is how important it is to be able to communicate to your child

> no matter what the method they need. I'm so grateful that we picked ASL

> for our son and that he uses it and is continuing to learn it. Now I

> need to step up and continue to improve my skills for his sake. For

> those who don't know much about our son. Cameron is 5, has a

> profound/severe

> conductive hearing loss, wears hearing aids, uses his voice and ASL to

> communicate. He was also born with a bilateral cleft lip/palate which

> also compromises his speech.

>

> Also, one of the teachers told us about a student she has at the school

> who has CHARGE. He is 6 years old. She was going to pass along our

> information to that family. Does anyone on this list know of that

> family? The school is in Vancouver, WA.

>

> We are going to the CHARGE conference later this month...I'm guessing it

> will be another emotional experience. (smile)

>

>

> Mom to Cameron, 5, CHaRGE and , 7

> Wife to Linden

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

OMG .

To have been there.. Now you have me wanting to find something like that around

here.

I live in a house with 3 HH people.. all from different reasons.. from

CHARGE,

Dawn from who knows what other than something she was born with, and Dave from

his job.

We use ASL around here, mostly Dawn and I as the guys don't want to even try.

knows it and uses it receptively but not expressively.

I am so glad you found it life enlighting.

Casey

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[Guest guest]

,

What an amazing, emotional, enlightening experience to have had,

especially over the course of six big days. Immersion is the right word.

Your story is beautiful.

I can't think of any experience I've ever had remotely like that. It must

have

really been something unforgettable.

;-)

in Ma.

************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

[Guest guest]

victoria, did jason go away to hs or just after? thinking about looking into

different school for tim--it is only an hour away, but they have a residential

program m-thurs nights and I think even in jr high he may want to just to have

friends he can do things with.

maria

Re: ASL Immersion Experience - long

,

Such a wonderful experience for you and your hubby. I myself had a

unfounded fear of loosing to the deaf culture once he matured

and started to socialize within the deaf world. Through the process

of working to see become part of an adult community I realized

how important it was for him to have an enviorment of freely being

able to epress himself. I could look at it as loosing him or do

everything within my power to stay a part of his world.

It wasn't until I started working with other adults who were deaf

that I realized how inexperience I really was. While It seemed to me

that I was able to sign quite well with I soon found out that

he was adjusting his sign down to accommedate with me. One of the

people I worked with in developing 's home was a college

professor who was deaf. She headed the interpreting program at a

local college. She was a big supporter of immersion concept. I

attended a few of her immersion get togethers and boy did I finally

get it. How fustrating it had to be for . Having to dumb his

sign down to be able to communicate with his own family.

I am no means an expert or even close in signing today but I have

greatly improved. Now that is living away from us he and I

spend at least one day a week together. I don't voice when he and I

are alone together and I can see that enjoys conversations with

me and isn't having to dumb down as much. It appears old dogs can

learn new tricks. LOL

mom to (31)

In CHARGE , wrote:

>

> My husband and I just returned from a 6 day full immersion program

at

> the Washington State School for the Deaf in Vancouver, WA. From

Tuesday

> until Sunday morning we did not use our voices to communicate -

only

> ASL. And except for a few times when we forgot we were in " voice

off "

> mode, we did not cheat - not even in our room.

>

> We were divided into five groups of students - the level of ASL

skill

> ranged from beginner to almost interpreter level. Somehow I ended

up

> with the most advanced students...so I was really challenged, but

it was

> a great learning experience. Linden was in a different group and

> challenged as well. I joked that it was also a great experience for

our

> marriage. Imagine almost a week of only non verbal communication

with

> your spouse. Really, it was a good thing. A few students didn't

know we

> were married so at the debriefing last meeting when my husband

hugged

> and kissed me (trying to comfort me when I was so choked up by

emotion I

> couldn't share my thoughts at the week's experience) a few thought

that

> perhaps our relationship had developed during the program.

>

> The experience has left a heavy imprint on me on many different

levels.

> During the debriefing experience everyone had the chance to share

their

> observations about the week. It was an amazing experience. After

108

> hours of not using our voices we could finally use them. Many

> participants shared their thoughts through tears - my husband and I

> included. Being immersed in another culture for that many days was

so

> intense. As the mother of a child with a hearing loss, it really

hit me

> in my mother's heart - thinking about what Cameron may experience

from

> people who can't understand him. It also gave me the chance to

think

> about the frustration that Cameron has now when he can't be

understood -

> even by his own family (me included).

>

> Part of our experience included going to a street fair and having

to

> interact with three vendors using some non verbal form of

communication

> - gestures, written, etc.). It was interesting to hear people

talking

> about us - thinking we were completely deaf. Most people were kind

and

> helpful. My husband heard one vendor comment, " I wonder if he can

read "

> when considering handing him a printed brochure about their

products.

>

> One evening we played a " game " where we had to collect stickers by

> communicating with different people for different services -

employment,

> travel, medical needs, restaurant, lodging, etc. Every service

provider

> used a different mode of communication - finger spelling, SEE,

gestures,

> lip reading, tactile signing (deaf/blind). There was also an angel

who

> would give us " money " when she felt sorry for us. There was also a

> sheriff who could throw us in jail if a service provider called

him.

> Getting out of jail entailed bribing him. We had to figure out how

the

> world operated and a few people got frustrated and gave up. That

night I

> was able to see it as a game and just did what I could to figure

things

> out. While I didn't get all of the parts, I did collect all the

> stickers. But the next morning I was struck with the deeper meaning

of

> the game...imagine having to figure out different modes of

communication

> every day - for real. Being deaf or hard of hearing you encounter

many

> different kinds of people. Would you pick only those places that

would

> be the easiest for you to deal with?

>

> We also had a lot of fun and laughed a lot. The staff were all deaf

and

> shared their life experiences with us. They stressed how important

it is

> for families to be involved in their deaf/hh child's life with

> communication. Most of the participants were studying to be

interpreters

> or worked in education with deaf/hh students.

>

> There's more I can share but I'm still processing it. The biggest

thing

> I learned is how important it is to be able to communicate to your

child

> no matter what the method they need. I'm so grateful that we picked

ASL

> for our son and that he uses it and is continuing to learn it. Now

I

> need to step up and continue to improve my skills for his sake. For

> those who don't know much about our son. Cameron is 5, has a

> profound/severe

> conductive hearing loss, wears hearing aids, uses his voice and ASL

to

> communicate. He was also born with a bilateral cleft lip/palate

which

> also compromises his speech.

>

> Also, one of the teachers told us about a student she has at the

school

> who has CHARGE. He is 6 years old. She was going to pass along our

> information to that family. Does anyone on this list know of that

> family? The school is in Vancouver, WA.

>

> We are going to the CHARGE conference later this month...I'm

guessing it

> will be another emotional experience. (smile)

>

>

> Mom to Cameron, 5, CHaRGE and , 7

> Wife to Linden

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

I loved reading your post. My son Mark is 23 and I just can't

picture him ever living away from home. I know it is wise to start things going

in that direction but it is just so hard. He is SO dependent on us for

everything and he is also MR and deaf. He is non verbal and would also need 24/7

supervision. I am a nurse and just have not seen a lot of positives with the

group

home population I have encountered. I know we are not getting any younger and

he only has one sibling who needs to work and support herself. Keep me posted

on his situation.

**************************************

Get a

sneak peak of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour

[Guest guest]

,

went to a Hearing Impairment Program in a public school until

the age of 17 (through 8th grade). It was in a school district about 1/2

hour from our house. At 17 he chose to attend the Scranton School for

Deaf which was 1 hour from home. Scranton had a dorm setting and

whated to stay over to socialize with other deaf kids. He left Monday

mornings and came home Friday afternoons. He was home for hoildays and

summer. He was very happy in the dorm setting during High School and I

am so glad he had that experience. After school he attended Helen Kellen

in New York for 11 months. He was home with us again for the five years

it took to get funding and set up his house where he is living now.

and his friends all had a MR diagnosis so they were all eligable

for waiver funding. Myself and a group of people who were mostly deaf

set the home up. (Convincing the Stat Department of Welfare to break

funding lose and at the same time allow us control of developing the

home is what took 5 years.) lives with 2 others right now who have

varying degrees of MR and are all deaf. They are friends and knew each

other before living together. The house is staffed 24/7 with all deaf

individuals. The concept of their house is strongly based on Self

Determination.

mom to (31)

>

> victoria, did jason go away to hs or just after? thinking about

looking into different school for tim--it is only an hour away, but they

have a residential program m-thurs nights and I think even in jr high he

may want to just to have friends he can do things with.

>

> maria

> Re: ASL Immersion Experience - long

>

>

[Guest guest]

thanks for the info glad he had a good experience.

maria

Re: ASL Immersion Experience - long

>

>

[Guest guest]

-

This sounds just amazing! May I forward your post to some colleagues and

friends at the IL School for the Deaf? I'm sure they've heard of this kind

of program, but I'd love to share your review with them. Sounds like

something worth doing here.

Michele W

Aubrie's mom

[Guest guest]

-

This sounds just amazing! May I forward your post to some colleagues and

friends at the IL School for the Deaf? I'm sure they've heard of this kind

of program, but I'd love to share your review with them. Sounds like

something worth doing here.

Michele W

Aubrie's mom