Education

Today we had a great discussion. I enjoyed it tremendously. Thank you for participating and sharing your thoughts, feelings, and opinions. These add to our learning experience and make the class so much more then I could lecture alone. This is the information that I said that I would send to you.

What is happening across the United States with the cutbacks and strict budgeting is affecting everyone. Education is feeling the brunt of these budget cuts. The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is alarmed by a growing trend among some state governments seeking to cut costs by underfunding or closing state schools for the deaf across the country. Stateschools are a sacred and treasured part of Deaf Culture. Some Deaf people will agree that these school are the "Mecca" of Deaf culture and without them the culture will diminish. National Association of the Deaf (NAD) has sent out a alert and is asking for support.

Before I continue, let me explain what NAD is.

Established in 1880, the NAD was shaped by deaf leaders who believed in the right of the American deaf community to use sign language, to congregate on issues important to them, and to have its interests represented at the national level. These beliefs remain true to this day, with American Sign Language as a core value.

The advocacy scope of the NAD is broad, covering a lifetime and impacting future generations in the areas of early intervention, education, employment, health care, technology, telecommunications, youth leadership, and more – improving the lives of millions of deaf and hard of hearing Americans. The NAD also carries out its federal advocacy work through coalition efforts with specialized national deaf and hard of hearing organizations, as well as coalitions representing national cross-disability organizations.

On the international front, the NAD represents the United States of America to the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), an international human rights organization.

Individual and organizational membership makes it possible for the NAD to ensure that the collective interests of the American deaf and hard of community are seen and represented among our nation’s policy makers and opinion leaders at the federal level.

The NAD is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by the generosity of individual and organizational donors, including corporations and foundations.
The National Association of the Deaf embraces core, legal, and community values, as follows:

Core Values

Language. We value the acquisition, usage, and preservation of American Sign Language.
Culture. We value the right of deaf and hard of hearing Americans to share similar beliefs, sense of belonging, and experiences as a signing community.
Legal Values

Civil Rights. We believe in equality, dignity, and justice for all deaf and hard of hearing Americans.
Human Rights. We believe that acquisition and use of American Sign Language is an essential human right.
Linguistic Rights. We believe that American Sign Language must be preserved, protected, and promoted.
Community Values

Diversity. We value deaf and hard of hearing Americans with diverse perspectives, experiences, and abilities. We are committed to the elimination of audism, linguicism, racism, and other forms of discrimination.
People. We value advocates and allies as the builders of the American deaf community.


I
NAD Action Alert: Preserve State Schools for the Deaf

Submitted By Admin On Wed, 02/16/2011 - 17:19
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is alarmed by a growing trend among some state governments seeking to cut costs by underfunding or closing state schools for the deaf across the country. These proposals by state government officials and legislators are often based on the following factors:

drastically underestimating the financial costs of sending students to mainstream schools;
lack of understanding of deaf and hard of hearing students’ needs;
lack of understanding about required support services and resources for deaf and hard of hearing students such as teachers for the deaf and qualified interpreters;
lack of understanding of the availability of such resources and support services for deaf and hard of hearing students at their local school district.
These proposals by state government officials and legislators do not comply with the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law that protects students who are deaf and hard of hearing. IDEA requires that every deaf and hard of hearing student receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). For more information click on the NAD Position Statement on Schools for the Deaf.

The NAD urges its members and supporters in states where schools for the deaf are threatened to contact their state legislators and Governors to advocate against closing or underfunding their state schools for the deaf. State legislators and Governors must be told that that such short term savings will not translate into long term savings and children who are deaf and hard of hearing will suffer tremendously as a result of the system’s failure to meet their educational needs.

The state schools currently known to be in jeopardy by facing drastic budget cuts or closure are:

Cleary School for the Deaf (NY)
Kansas School for the Deaf
Lexington School for the Deaf (NY)
Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf (NY)
New York School for the Deaf – Fanwood (NY)
Oklahoma School for the Deaf
Rochester School for the Deaf (NY)
St. Francis De Sales School for the Deaf (NY)
St. Joseph’s School for the Deaf (NY)
St. Mary’s School for the Deaf (NY)
Texas School for the Deaf
The known schools for the deaf that appeared to have survived threatened underfunding or closure are:

South Dakota School for the Deaf
Utah School for the Deaf
The NAD will attend the following rallies in support of state schools for the deaf:

Kansas School for the Deaf
March 2, 2011
10:00 am—1:00 pm
Kansas State Capitol Complex
SW corner of 9th and Harrison Street
Topeka, KS

Texas School for the Deaf
March 9, 2011
2:00 - 5:00 pm
South Steps of the State Capital
Austin, TX

New York Schools for the Deaf
March 10, 2011
10:00 am
The Well
State Capital Building
198 State Street
Albany, NY 12210
http://www.deafnyaction.org/?page_id=11

Preserving state schools for the deaf is the best option for deaf and hard of hearing children for the following reasons:

State schools for the deaf are a centralized resource of qualified teachers and staff with the necessary skills to be able to communicate effectively with deaf and hard of hearing children. The vast majority of school districts do not have any staff knowledgeable about educating, or communicating with deaf and hard of hearing children.
Closure of any state school for the deaf will force deaf and hard of hearing students to be served by their local school districts where they will be denied full access to the educational curriculum and to peers with whom they can communicate. The lack of direct access to the educational curriculum will set deaf and hard of hearing students way behind their hearing peers.
Closing a state school for the deaf is not a cost-saving measure. The cost to adequately serve each deaf and hard of hearing child in the child’s respective school district far exceeds the cost to send that child to a state school for the deaf.
Closing state schools for the deaf eliminates a continuum option that is federally mandated under the IDEA and that is often the only educational placement appropriate for many deaf and hard of hearing children in each state. Litigation against the school districts for failure to provide FAPE under the IDEA would wipe out any perceived savings.
Closure is not the only threat. Cuts in funding to state schools for the deaf require the schools to make severe cuts that compromise the educational needs of students.
Deaf and hard of hearing children need to be assessed by qualified educational staff with experience and training in specific assessment tools and techniques required for deaf and hard of hearing students as mandated by law. Most school districts do not have staff qualified to assess deaf and hard of hearing students. .
School districts are already facing financial cutbacks yet are expected to provide the resources to serve deaf and hard of hearing students who would attend school in those districts. Such financial pressures will lead to inappropriate and lacking educational services to deaf and hard of hearing children.
Many state schools for the deaf were created in the early years of this country, and enjoy a long history of developing educated and productive deaf and hard of hearing citizens. State schools for the deaf are a smart financial investment for the state and required by law. Closure or underfunding of state schools for the deaf would not save states money but conversely would be extremely costly in the long run and significantly devastate education for deaf and hard of hearing children. This will also reverse the progress that deaf and hard of hearing children have made in the last 100 years.

Keep our state schools for the deaf open and fully funded!

Information taken from:
http://www.nad.org/news/2011/2/nad-action-alert-preserve-state-schools-deaf


Now that you know what is currently happening and the threat to state schools, lets read why Deaf people may be so passionate about this. Below I have provided you with an excellent website with a wealth of information about Deaf people and their culture.


Deaf Linx
Fighting Audism Through Empowerment and Education
Information from:

http://www.deaflinx.com/DeafEd/OptionsGuide/LearningEnvironments.html

Residential Schools for the Deaf:

Traditionally, residential schools have had a long and venerable history in this country. They are well known for being bastions of Deaf Culture and most deaf kids who attend them eventually learn ASL. Residential school enrollment has decreased due to two major factors. Since mainstreaming became an option for many children, parents began sending their children to local schools. “At the schools for the deaf, everyone is amazed. Mainstreaming caught them completely off-guard. …They never expected to face losing students to the public schools.”113 Also, the population of deaf children has decreased due to vaccinations like the Rubella vaccination. As a result, a number of schools have closed. For the most part, the schools that remain open have opened Day School programs. In addition, many of these schools have needed to take in children with multiple handicaps in order to keep their doors open. “Enrollment showed a slight decline in the seventies…Then suddenly, mainstreaming got serious, and there wasn’t much money…Suddenly, the school began looking for kids in the really closed institutions, like the Rome Developmental Center.”114
There are real advantages to residential schools. The schools are designed with the needs of deaf students in mind. Some of the schools have excellent programs. The opportunity for peer interaction is available, as are extracurricular activities like boy scouts and after school clubs. “ The students are involved in student government, peer study-groups, volunteer activities in the community at large, sports …all kinds of extra-curricular activities.”115 A child who lives in a locality where he is the only deaf person for miles in any direction is able to meet other deaf children. Deaf kids have adult Deaf role models. “Educators and parents who advocate for the availability option point out that the presence of deaf adults who are well-educated and fluent in sign language has a significant long-term impact on young deaf children’s educational and personal well-being.”116 In many cases, friendships are made that last a lifetime. The children are exposed to the cultural values of the Deaf community and to the language of the Deaf, ASL.

There are some real disadvantages as well. Many families are not comfortable sending young children away to school. Some families feel that the home and family is the best environment for any child. ‘I do not recommend for deaf students to stay at residential schools for a number of reasons. These deaf children need to be with their family where there is love, discipline and nurturing. The residential supervisors’ are not capable of meeting every deaf child’s needs (emotionally and physically).117 Many parents feel that the act of sending their child to residential school isolates the child from the family. Finally, there is the issue of the quality of the education itself. Education quality varies from school to school. “One suggestion for finding out if a residential school has a good program [is to] ask around and see how many of the students there have deaf parents. The deaf community is pretty close-knit, and word travels fast on the grapevine. If a certain residential school is significantly good, many deaf families actually uproot and move into that school’s neighborhood. Also, deaf children with deaf parents experience no language barriers at home…and thus many of them have age-appropriate language and communication skills. The schools that these children attend usually have a curriculum which reflects this.”118

There are three oral residential schools in this country: Clarke School, The Central Institute for the Deaf and St. Joseph’s Institute for the Deaf. They serve the oral deaf extremely well. One young lady had this to say: “ I went to the Clarke School for the Deaf for seven years. It was an awesome experience. I learned to be confident and to be a leader at an early age.”119


This is going to be a very hard question, but I would like you to discuss what you would do if you had a child that was 5 years old and ready to go to school? You do not live near the stateschool so you will only see your child on weekends, holidays, and break.

Keep in mind your opinions are respected here. This is a safe place. Be sure to provide three reasons why you believe whatever you choose to be the best option. You must provide support and documentation for your decision. For example if you say the education is better, provide proof.