Soon on my blog will be post about my life grow up hardof hearing check it soon:

http://growinguphardofhearing.blogspot.com/

Smile*

Danielle

I just came across this blog entry. Thank you for sharing your story! I think I remember you from YSP ‘91. If you could E-mail me, that would be great.

*HUGS* for your wonderful, heartwarming, and inspiring story. I am sure you have many more to share (and please do so!)

Your experiences are yours alone, and by sharing these you’re giving us the honor and privilege to have rare glimpses into your personal life. Thank you.

You’re also a gentle and caring soul, who cares deeply about D/deaf children.

Our focus, I agree, needs to be on nurturance of that “spirit” within, in all ways possible. This is precisely where our energies need to be focused, on the positives all around.

*HUGS*

Please share with the world what you have seen on your blog. I am not the only one who encourage you to have your own blog. Having a blog is a wonderful opportunity for you to share your thoughts through your own “voice” (ASL, words, pictures, and etc.) and you will be heard by many, many people.

Good luck,
Amy

You were not clear in the first place what you meant by today’s technology. You mentioned about today’s technology right after you talked about CI so I thought you were referring to CI only as today’s technology.

I am shaming you for lying to the public that it is okay for kids to have CI and you do not care about it. You are a school psychologist working with Deaf children and I believe that you have seen many CI kids failed in education and other issues. (I said many…not all of them). It is my and others fault for not speaking out or doing something when CI was invented. We were sleeping for a long time. NAD did not care about it and many other organizations too. I feel that it is our moral responsibility to get the truth message out to the public as much as we can about CI since we have access to do that today.

I learned there are some people are doing something productive to give better hope for all Deaf children. The plan won’t be perfect but it will be good. I always feel that if all deaf people are united and fight against AGB all the way it will work. Look at Jewish community as they have very strong unity. They got their nation back in 1948. They did it however we do not have this kind of unity in our community. Sad.

It is imperative to talk about the importance of ASL and Literacy for all Deaf children which you shared that too but I still feel that as a responsible citizen like you and me we must tell the truth about CI and other issues. I am sure you have heard or read this poem by Pastor Martin Niemoller. He wrote:

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

Kids are being fixed, forced, and humiliated to get CI and we did not speak out for them. What will we experience in future that no one will speak out for us including CI kids when they become adults? It can happen to us. We can’t foresee in future but it is possible. Scary.

Penny –

Amy and I are the same boat. I have to make an amendment with Amy’s comment#27 and #28.

Whether they are oral or not, does not matter if they are CIs or not, they are truly grateful to have such wonderful today’s technology, including the equipments.

We cannot afford to reject any of them if we have the today’s technology. We cannot, could not, would not afford to reject any of them.

Look, I feel bad for Helen Keller and her timeframe. Helen Keller and others did not have everything like we have today. Think about it, Penny.

Ok, I honestly feel bad that many people with no insurances could not get any of those equipments nor services.

Take a hard look at Africa with several wars (Congo, Darfur and Somalia), they need some help. I feel bad for them as well. They do not everything.

From personal experience, I know how lonely and isolating it is to be the only deaf kid in a hearing school. My mom was like yours, she took me to the library every week and I brought home big stacks of books. Books were my friends and taught me about the world what I couldn’t get from hearing. Like yours, my mom is very easy to lipread. I thank my family that they always talked to me about anything and never “dumbed down” their conversation, and patiently repeated themselves until I understood. Now that my family all has Internet, our communication is effortless and frequent!

Unlike yours, my folks never promoted oralism, praised my speech, or put down sign language or other deaf people. I was the only deaf child I or my parents knew, and trying to immerse in the hearing world of the 60s and 70s was all that we knew what to do. None of us knew a thing about sign language or the deaf community.

Technology has opened up the whole world, hearing and deaf. We can all read each others’ words and consider and respond to their thoughts. Parents and kids today have the power of knowledge and the tools of technology at their fingertips. They have so many more options. Like you, knowing ASL and being a part of the deaf community has been a boon and a blessing in my life. I would wish that all deaf babies and their parents have opportunity to learn this language too, as it will help them and not prevent them from developing speech, if that is their wish.

love ya!
Patty