Thursday, July 1, 2010
Mark Drolsbaugh's take
As a guidance counselor for deaf and hard of hearing children and as an
author/guest speaker, I have met hundreds of kids who feel like they’re
hiding behind a mask every day. They go to speech therapy, wear their
hearing aids, get their cochlear implants mapped, and dutifully do
everything their parents want. After all, every child wants his or her
parents’ approval.
It’s very stressful. It’s hard work. And “hard work” is something you
should be doing at school or at your job. When you’re at home amongst
family and friends, that’s when you should be able to let go of “hard
work” and just be yourself. Unfortunately, this isn’t an option for many
deaf and hard of hearing children.
The long-term impact of this stressful lifestyle has been documented. Dr.
Samuel Trychin, a hard-of-hearing psychologist and author of several
books, has written and presented about the stresses deaf and hard of
hearing children face in the mainstream.
According to Dr. Trychin, the aforementioned stressors can cause
frustration, anger, depression, anxiety, guilt, embarrassment, shame,
muscle tension, fatigue, headaches, increased blood pressure, stomach
problems, decreased self-esteem/confidence, difficulty thinking clearly,
inability to concentrate, and more.
Another excellent resource is Dr. Gina Oliva’s book, "Alone in the
Mainstream", which documents the experiences of numerous deaf and hard of
hearing children in mainstream programs. Even though they may have
assistive devices such as the cochlear implant, many of these children are
under a significant amount of stress as they go through school without any
deaf peers or role models.
Deaf children with deaf parents often feel a sense of freedom to be
themselves in the presence of those who know what it means to be deaf. To
force (a deaf child) to have to wear their cochlear implants during all waking hours
and to threaten their ability to spend quality time with the deaf parent—-on
their own terms—-would be a grave injustice. And I would like to share a
personal story that reflects this:
One day when I was a teenager, I was walking on the boardwalk in Wildwood,
New Jersey. A group of girls looked at me and I smiled back at them. I
figured they were flirting and thought I would respond in kind. It
happened again a few seconds later and once more I smiled.
Eventually a third group cast me some strange looks. At that point I
started thinking maybe those weren’t admiring glances from the other
girls, after all. Instinctively, I turned around and gasped in horror. A
tram car was right behind me, its driver yelling at the top of his lungs.
A pre-recorded “Watch the tram car, please” message blared from the tram
car’s speakers. It was a very embarrassing moment. What else could I do
but laugh?
When I told this story to my hearing relatives, they reacted with despair.
They clearly were not amused and openly wondered if this incident could
have been prevented if I had worn my hearing aids or if I had a cochlear
implant. I made a mental note to never share any Famous Embarrassing Deaf
Moments with them again.
Soon afterwards I told the same story to my deaf relatives (my father’s
side of the family is deaf). They laughed and shared funny anecdotes of
their own, including the one about the deaf driver who had no idea why a
police officer had pulled him off the road (his horn was stuck). In this
environment I felt free to be who I really am. The message was clear that
it’s okay to be deaf. It was a load off my shoulders.
My story is not unique. As the author of three deaf-related books ("Deaf
Again", "Anything But Silent", and "On the Fence: The Hidden World of the
Hard of Hearing") I’ve had countless deaf and hard of hearing people come
up and say they felt validated when they read this material. They wish
they had that validation when they were younger, as opposed to when they
were in their 20’s and up.
In case this may seem trivial to those who are not familiar with the deaf
community, here’s a critical excerpt from an article titled "Deafness: An
Existential Interpretation" by Dr. Stanley Easton and Dr. Harry Krippner:
“If parents are not able to accept the fact that their child is deaf and
continue to deny the implications of the deafness, the resulting effects
on the child are to encourage his own denial and lack of authenticity.
Such a child is thus unable to accept himself and his capacity to emerge
or become a unique person is blocked. He lives an existential lie and
becomes unable to relate to himself and to other deaf individuals and to
the world in a genuine manner.”
The deaf community has often expressed concern that when the mainstream
world tries to do what’s best for deaf and hard of hearing children, it
often focuses on the ears while forgetting about the whole person. It is
my hope that this information has shed light onto Emma the Whole Person as
opposed to Emma the Girl with Two Cochlear Implants, and that you will
find the compassion to rule accordingly. Thank you for your time and
consideration.
Sincerely,
Mark Drolsbaugh
Edited to comply with a gag order
author/guest speaker, I have met hundreds of kids who feel like they’re
hiding behind a mask every day. They go to speech therapy, wear their
hearing aids, get their cochlear implants mapped, and dutifully do
everything their parents want. After all, every child wants his or her
parents’ approval.
It’s very stressful. It’s hard work. And “hard work” is something you
should be doing at school or at your job. When you’re at home amongst
family and friends, that’s when you should be able to let go of “hard
work” and just be yourself. Unfortunately, this isn’t an option for many
deaf and hard of hearing children.
The long-term impact of this stressful lifestyle has been documented. Dr.
Samuel Trychin, a hard-of-hearing psychologist and author of several
books, has written and presented about the stresses deaf and hard of
hearing children face in the mainstream.
According to Dr. Trychin, the aforementioned stressors can cause
frustration, anger, depression, anxiety, guilt, embarrassment, shame,
muscle tension, fatigue, headaches, increased blood pressure, stomach
problems, decreased self-esteem/confidence, difficulty thinking clearly,
inability to concentrate, and more.
Another excellent resource is Dr. Gina Oliva’s book, "Alone in the
Mainstream", which documents the experiences of numerous deaf and hard of
hearing children in mainstream programs. Even though they may have
assistive devices such as the cochlear implant, many of these children are
under a significant amount of stress as they go through school without any
deaf peers or role models.
Deaf children with deaf parents often feel a sense of freedom to be
themselves in the presence of those who know what it means to be deaf. To
force (a deaf child) to have to wear their cochlear implants during all waking hours
and to threaten their ability to spend quality time with the deaf parent—-on
their own terms—-would be a grave injustice. And I would like to share a
personal story that reflects this:
One day when I was a teenager, I was walking on the boardwalk in Wildwood,
New Jersey. A group of girls looked at me and I smiled back at them. I
figured they were flirting and thought I would respond in kind. It
happened again a few seconds later and once more I smiled.
Eventually a third group cast me some strange looks. At that point I
started thinking maybe those weren’t admiring glances from the other
girls, after all. Instinctively, I turned around and gasped in horror. A
tram car was right behind me, its driver yelling at the top of his lungs.
A pre-recorded “Watch the tram car, please” message blared from the tram
car’s speakers. It was a very embarrassing moment. What else could I do
but laugh?
When I told this story to my hearing relatives, they reacted with despair.
They clearly were not amused and openly wondered if this incident could
have been prevented if I had worn my hearing aids or if I had a cochlear
implant. I made a mental note to never share any Famous Embarrassing Deaf
Moments with them again.
Soon afterwards I told the same story to my deaf relatives (my father’s
side of the family is deaf). They laughed and shared funny anecdotes of
their own, including the one about the deaf driver who had no idea why a
police officer had pulled him off the road (his horn was stuck). In this
environment I felt free to be who I really am. The message was clear that
it’s okay to be deaf. It was a load off my shoulders.
My story is not unique. As the author of three deaf-related books ("Deaf
Again", "Anything But Silent", and "On the Fence: The Hidden World of the
Hard of Hearing") I’ve had countless deaf and hard of hearing people come
up and say they felt validated when they read this material. They wish
they had that validation when they were younger, as opposed to when they
were in their 20’s and up.
In case this may seem trivial to those who are not familiar with the deaf
community, here’s a critical excerpt from an article titled "Deafness: An
Existential Interpretation" by Dr. Stanley Easton and Dr. Harry Krippner:
“If parents are not able to accept the fact that their child is deaf and
continue to deny the implications of the deafness, the resulting effects
on the child are to encourage his own denial and lack of authenticity.
Such a child is thus unable to accept himself and his capacity to emerge
or become a unique person is blocked. He lives an existential lie and
becomes unable to relate to himself and to other deaf individuals and to
the world in a genuine manner.”
The deaf community has often expressed concern that when the mainstream
world tries to do what’s best for deaf and hard of hearing children, it
often focuses on the ears while forgetting about the whole person. It is
my hope that this information has shed light onto Emma the Whole Person as
opposed to Emma the Girl with Two Cochlear Implants, and that you will
find the compassion to rule accordingly. Thank you for your time and
consideration.
Sincerely,
Mark Drolsbaugh
Edited to comply with a gag order
How to contribute to Audism Idaho
Contributing
payee phone number: 509-442-3518
address: Mountain West Bank, P.O. Box 107, Ione, WA 99139
Payee name: Audism Idaho
Write "Audism Idaho for deposit only "on the back of the check as well as the front.
or below through Pay Pal
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Contributing
For Bill Pay you will need:
payee phone number: 509-442-3518
address: Mountain West Bank, P.O. Box 107, Ione, WA 99139
Payee name: Audism Idaho
Write "Audism Idaho for deposit only "on the back of the check as well as the front.
payee phone number: 509-442-3518
address: Mountain West Bank, P.O. Box 107, Ione, WA 99139
Payee name: Audism Idaho
Write "Audism Idaho for deposit only "on the back of the check as well as the front.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Excellent letter from ASL Literacy Consultant
My name is Amanda Ranger. I am an ASL/Literacy Consultant in Ontario, Canada. I work with Deaf children and their families. I teach those families ASL while educating them on their Deaf child's language development related to ASL. Some of the children I work with have cochlear implants so I have had some experience in working with children with cochlear implants. I also am a Deaf adult who wore hearing aids throughout most of my childhood so I am able to explain my experience as well.
Children with cochlear implants must not be required to wear them at all times because they may suffer from a few things such as auditory overload, tinnitus, and self identity issues. This happens when the child becomes extremely sensitive to the sounds around them. The sounds become too loud for them to handle and they cannot tell the difference between the speaker and the noise around them. This is torture for them if they are not allowed to take it off. Tinnitus is very common in people who are Deaf. When a person uses hearing aids or cochlear implants, it is very possible that they contribute to tinnitus. It had been suggested that wearing hearing aids help with it but there have been arguments that the opposite is actually true.
My personal experience with tinnitus is hearing aids made it worse. At the age of twelve, I decided to stop wearing hearing aids and never looked back. It was a personal choice and the best choice for me. Now, it is not a life or death situation that requires the child to wear cochlear implants at all times. It is supposed to give a child a tool to learn how to hear and speak IF they choose to. The child I work with who has cochlear implants is allowed to take it off when he chooses to. His parents have told me that when he seems to have an auditory overload, he takes them off and is not forced to put them back on.
As for the self identity issue, the child is Deaf and always will be. She has her father to look up to as a Deaf person and it is obvious she looks up to her father. Being a Deaf person is not a negative thing because they belong to a community that is rich in language, culture and traditions. American Sign Language is the language of the Deaf community and the language her father uses. American Sign Language has been recognized by linguistics as far as fifty years ago as a true language with its own grammar rules separate from English. ASL has been proven to be a wonderful foundation for language development not only in Deaf children but in Hearing children also. The only difference is Hearing children are allowed to use Sign Language while Deaf children are forced to learn how to hear and speak and have minimum exposure to Sign Language. When this happens, a child’s self esteem will be compromised and it will affect them in the long run because they will always be Deaf no matter how well they speak and have a right to be a part of a wonderful community with other people who share the same beautiful language. Her father is able to share the beautiful language with her and should be allowed to do so without struggling to make her wear her cochlear implants every time he sees her.
Edited down to comply with gag order.
Thank you,
Amanda Ranger
Children with cochlear implants must not be required to wear them at all times because they may suffer from a few things such as auditory overload, tinnitus, and self identity issues. This happens when the child becomes extremely sensitive to the sounds around them. The sounds become too loud for them to handle and they cannot tell the difference between the speaker and the noise around them. This is torture for them if they are not allowed to take it off. Tinnitus is very common in people who are Deaf. When a person uses hearing aids or cochlear implants, it is very possible that they contribute to tinnitus. It had been suggested that wearing hearing aids help with it but there have been arguments that the opposite is actually true.
My personal experience with tinnitus is hearing aids made it worse. At the age of twelve, I decided to stop wearing hearing aids and never looked back. It was a personal choice and the best choice for me. Now, it is not a life or death situation that requires the child to wear cochlear implants at all times. It is supposed to give a child a tool to learn how to hear and speak IF they choose to. The child I work with who has cochlear implants is allowed to take it off when he chooses to. His parents have told me that when he seems to have an auditory overload, he takes them off and is not forced to put them back on.
As for the self identity issue, the child is Deaf and always will be. She has her father to look up to as a Deaf person and it is obvious she looks up to her father. Being a Deaf person is not a negative thing because they belong to a community that is rich in language, culture and traditions. American Sign Language is the language of the Deaf community and the language her father uses. American Sign Language has been recognized by linguistics as far as fifty years ago as a true language with its own grammar rules separate from English. ASL has been proven to be a wonderful foundation for language development not only in Deaf children but in Hearing children also. The only difference is Hearing children are allowed to use Sign Language while Deaf children are forced to learn how to hear and speak and have minimum exposure to Sign Language. When this happens, a child’s self esteem will be compromised and it will affect them in the long run because they will always be Deaf no matter how well they speak and have a right to be a part of a wonderful community with other people who share the same beautiful language. Her father is able to share the beautiful language with her and should be allowed to do so without struggling to make her wear her cochlear implants every time he sees her.
Edited down to comply with gag order.
Thank you,
Amanda Ranger
Thursday, May 6, 2010
A Poem: DEAF
Deaf
author unknown
What is it like to be deaf?
People have asked me.
Deaf? Oh, hmmm, how do I explain that?
Simply, I can't hear.
Nooo, it is much more than that.
It is similar to a goldfish in a bowl
Always observing things going on.
People talking all the time.
It is being a man on his own island
Among foreigners.
Isolation is not a stranger to me.
Relatives say hi and bye.
But I sit for five hours among them.
Talking great pleasure at amusing babies.
Reading books, resting, helping out with food.
Natural curiosty perks up
Upon seeing great laughter, crying, upsetness.
Inquire only to meet with "Never mind",
"Oh, it is not important,"
Getting such a summarized statement of whole story.
Supposed to smile to show the happiness.
Little do they know how truly miserable I am.
People are in control of language usage,
I am at loss and real uncomfortable!
Always feeling of being an outsider
Among the hearing people
Even if it was not their intention.
Always assume that I am part of them
By my physical presence, not understanding
The importance of communication.
Facing the choice between the Deaf Camping
Weekend and Family Reunion.
Facing the choice between the family commitment
And Deaf friends,
I must make the choice constantly,
Any wonder why I choose Deaf friends???
I get such great pleasure at Deaf Clubs,
Before I realized, it is already 2 a.m.,
Whereas I anxiously look at the clock
Every few minutes in the family reunion.
With Deaf people, I am so normal,
Our communication flows back and forth,
Catching up with little trivals, our daily life,
Our frustration in the bigger world,
Seeking the mutual understanding,
Contented smiles, and laughing are musical.
So magical to me
So attuned to each other's feelings.
Truly happiness so important.
I feel more at home with Deaf people
Of various colors, religions, short or tall,
Than I do among my own hearing relatives.
And wonder why?
Our language is common.
We understand each other.
Being at loss in control
Of environment, that is communication,
People panic and retreat to avoidance,
Deaf people are like plague.
But Deaf people are still human beings
With dreams, desires and needs
Of belong just like everyone else.
author unknown
What is it like to be deaf?
People have asked me.
Deaf? Oh, hmmm, how do I explain that?
Simply, I can't hear.
Nooo, it is much more than that.
It is similar to a goldfish in a bowl
Always observing things going on.
People talking all the time.
It is being a man on his own island
Among foreigners.
Isolation is not a stranger to me.
Relatives say hi and bye.
But I sit for five hours among them.
Talking great pleasure at amusing babies.
Reading books, resting, helping out with food.
Natural curiosty perks up
Upon seeing great laughter, crying, upsetness.
Inquire only to meet with "Never mind",
"Oh, it is not important,"
Getting such a summarized statement of whole story.
Supposed to smile to show the happiness.
Little do they know how truly miserable I am.
People are in control of language usage,
I am at loss and real uncomfortable!
Always feeling of being an outsider
Among the hearing people
Even if it was not their intention.
Always assume that I am part of them
By my physical presence, not understanding
The importance of communication.
Facing the choice between the Deaf Camping
Weekend and Family Reunion.
Facing the choice between the family commitment
And Deaf friends,
I must make the choice constantly,
Any wonder why I choose Deaf friends???
I get such great pleasure at Deaf Clubs,
Before I realized, it is already 2 a.m.,
Whereas I anxiously look at the clock
Every few minutes in the family reunion.
With Deaf people, I am so normal,
Our communication flows back and forth,
Catching up with little trivals, our daily life,
Our frustration in the bigger world,
Seeking the mutual understanding,
Contented smiles, and laughing are musical.
So magical to me
So attuned to each other's feelings.
Truly happiness so important.
I feel more at home with Deaf people
Of various colors, religions, short or tall,
Than I do among my own hearing relatives.
And wonder why?
Our language is common.
We understand each other.
Being at loss in control
Of environment, that is communication,
People panic and retreat to avoidance,
Deaf people are like plague.
But Deaf people are still human beings
With dreams, desires and needs
Of belong just like everyone else.
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