I have discovered, in ASL, that
many deaf people ask lots of questions. They don’t mean to offend anyone but
they ask out of plain curiosity. If deaf people meet other deaf parents who
have a new baby I don’t find it odd that they would ask if the baby was deaf or
hearing. “Deaf identity is of prime importance in their lives” (pg. 275). I
love how accepting deaf adults are portrayed to be to other deaf children. They
share more than a language, they share a culture. “Deaf adults feel an
immediate bond, a deep empathy, with all deaf children” (pg. 276).
As for the hearing parents of a
deaf child, I think the best way to help your child would be by exposing them
to the deaf community and also to emerge yourself into the deaf culture. The
authors say that it is best when the hearing parents “make positive efforts to
establish their own link to the Deaf community. Instead of ‘surrendering’ their
children to this community, they become part of it” (pg.276).
“More often, it’s an affirmation of
their empathy with other deaf people. To them, being Deaf is something
positive, something to be cherished- and celebrated” (pg.277). So of course a
deaf person might ask if a baby is deaf or hearing. They are trying to make
personal connections just like hearing people do when they meet someone.
Ch. 45:
This chapter was really interesting
because it discusses hearing children raised by deaf parents. “Their children
often don’t pick up good speech patterns- clear articulation, intonation,
modulation of volume, and expression” (pg. 279). It must be really hard for a
hearing child to learn to speak without having what the book would call “speech
models”. I never realized how much I depended on my parents to teach me to
speak and correct me when I was younger.
I found it sad to read that these
children “are often labeled ‘language-deficient’ because ASL, not English, is
their first language” (pg. 280). It must be challenging to grow up being bilingual.
It would be hard to be expected to communicate clearly in English just because
they are hearing. I thought it was very clever for deaf parents to have their
hearing children associate with hearing people “to give them practice in
listening and articulation skills” (pg. 280). That way the child is exposed to
both ASL and English which will help benefit them in the future.
These kids are said to be “sensitized
to the need for accessible communication” (pg. 281). Since they were exposed to
two different languages all growing up, they see how important it is to be
plugged into both cultures. “Their childhood experience… gives them a unique
and valuable perspective. Many interpreters. Others become teachers (ASL being
a popular specialty), administrators, linguists, researchers, social workers,
service providers, performers, or writers” (pg. 281). It is really cool that
these hearing kids continue to be part of the deaf culture and use their
experience to help mend the culture gap.
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