Chapter 36
The question this chapter starts out with "What do you call a deaf person who doesn't speak?" makes me chuckle. Umm, don't you just call them deaf? That's what the author suggests before offering a little history lesson. I learned that deaf people who couldn't speak used to be referred to as "deaf-and dumb." Excuse me, what? That is extremely offensive and totally inappropriate. "It is estimated that a congenitally, profoundly deaf child has, at most, a 5% chance of developing intelligible speech," does that make them dumb? Absolutely not! No one can imagine the challenges children must overcome to have intelligible speech. The can't even hear themselves, so how is it possible to speak proficiently? It's not like most of them don't try, so how can you say they are dumb? Furthermore, I definitely agree with the authors opinion that it is hogwash that if children learn ASL first, they will never develop coherent speech. I'm sorry, but seriously?! Okay, these children have NEVER heard themselves speak so therefore they DON'T know it is possible...how is a 2 year old supposed to communicate?! I will just reiterate the point of view I hold that literacy is far more important than speech training. So, I am definitely with Deaf-rights advocates! It should be the choice of the deaf individual to "speak or not to speak." I am interested to hear Marlee Matlin's Oscars speech! I feel like she could be such an inspiration to those deaf people who DO speak, but should NOT used against those who choose not to. Lastly, I agree that speech is a survival skill and that having some spoken vocabulary could potentially be beneficial, but that introduces only another issue. Which words are considered "helpful?"
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Chapter 34-35
Chapter 34
The excerpt "I find it hard to to believe that this culture and language is so prevalent around us around us, but, as a hearing person, I knew absolutely nothing about it" is very applicable to my life as well. Similar to Roger Mindel, before taking ASL I was never very aware of the depth of the deaf community, however I am taking steps to increase my awareness and knowledge. I think that it is so awesome that this manager took it upon himself to enroll in a basic ASL course in order to communicate with this employee! I totally agree that just by being in a basic ASL class, your eyes can be opened and you can become very interested!
This chapter yet again touched on speech training and it's importance. I feel like this is beginning to get somewhat repetitive, but I enjoyed how this chapter took a different approach touching on how deaf individuals feel about their voice. Again, I'll refer to the day I job shadowed at the local elementary school. Before I attended the speech session the teacher of the deaf informed me that the young girl I would be watching was slightly embarrassed about her voice. She told me that her mom had noticed her practicing using her voice in the mirror more often, but wouldn't practice around her family or any public setting. I can not imagine the humiliation they must feel, but I feel that it is the duty of SLP's, Audiologists, Teachers of the deaf, and families of deaf children to provide comforting feedback when they notice individuals practicing using their voice as well as encourage them if they CHOOSE to voice.
Chapter 35
This chapter continues to touch on deaf individuals talking."If you're deaf how come you can talk?" Everyone has the capability to talk, deaf or not, but does it mean that all people SHOULD talk? Certainly not. The authors inform us that all deaf people are different in the sense that they posses a wide range of speech skills. Depending on the deaf person's skill level or their personal preference sometimes depends on if they choose to voice or not.
I like how this chapter offers categories as far as communication mode. Although labels can be dangerous, the Deaf Community creates these categories to clarify individuals based on their communication abilities.
These categories include:
1. Deaf
2. "Deaf Speech"
3. "Hard-of-hearing"
4. "ex-hearing"
5. "oral"
6. "HH voice"
7. "hearing-impaired"
Before reading this chapter, I was unfamiliar with the terms "deaf-speech," "hard-of-hearing," and "ex-hearing."
After discussing the categories the authors describe that some hearing people don't use their voices when in the company of Deaf individuals. This reminds me so much of Stacey and her stories about dating a deaf guy and going out with her deaf friends. I think it is the most respectful norm and hopefully one day I'll have a group of deaf friends and be able to do this as well! I guess right now I'll stick to using ASL at DCE's! HA. I think it would be cool if a waiter thought I was deaf. Wouldn't it be a compliment if I was in a group of deaf individuals?
"Laugh out loud" at the conclusion to this chapter about the high school student. I would feel kind of silly.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Chapter 33
Chapter 33
This chapter made me think back to one of the very first weeks of ASL class. I recall Stacey having a miny class discussion concerning speech pathologists and why most SLP's aggravated her because of their inability to communicate with deaf children or patients through ASL. That was the first aggravation I developed towards SLP's. Up to that point I had never considered the severe need for SLP's to have some understanding of sign language because I never knew that deaf children went to speech therapy. The only experience I had with speech therapy was from working in my local elementary school where we had no deaf children. However, now that I am familiar with the deaf culture I feel that it is vital for speech therapists to be familiar with ASL, even if it is just basic sign. Again, reflecting on previous blog posts, I experienced a speech setting with a young deaf girl as I job shadowed. The SLP openly admitted that she knew no sign language what so ever besides some basic signs that the kids had taught her like "help," "good," "thank you," and "more." My mind was blown....how did she expect the kids to progress in SPEECH (which is clearly hard enough for them) if she can't even communicate with them? It was frustrating, so I can agree with the attitudes that deaf people may sometimes feel towards speech paths or any other professionals designed to HELP people, who in fact can't even communicate with them.
I don't believe that speech should be enforced upon the deaf, I feel as if literacy is more important. It is not like hearing people are forced to learn another language, so why should deaf people be forced to learn how to speak correctly? This chapter continues to touch on the concept of deaf individuals involved in speech training. Although, I adopt this point of view, I feel as if some of the comments made concerning SLP's and audiologists were a bit harsh. This is exactly why I am enrolled in ASL. I want to be the exception to these comments. I want to be an effective Audiologist who is able to communicate effectively with my deaf patients enabling that bridge between deaf and hearing to be crossed. It would break my heart to know I was entering a profession where I was unable to communicate with patients I could have who were deaf. I don't want to just be "the bearer of bad news." I want to respectively show that ASL is important in order to effectively connect our two cultures. The three stories presented in the chapter should be motivation for all professions, especially those in health care to make a difference. I will probably refer back to this chapter for inspiration throughout my career journey, so I am very appreciative for the author's perspective in chapter 33.
This chapter made me think back to one of the very first weeks of ASL class. I recall Stacey having a miny class discussion concerning speech pathologists and why most SLP's aggravated her because of their inability to communicate with deaf children or patients through ASL. That was the first aggravation I developed towards SLP's. Up to that point I had never considered the severe need for SLP's to have some understanding of sign language because I never knew that deaf children went to speech therapy. The only experience I had with speech therapy was from working in my local elementary school where we had no deaf children. However, now that I am familiar with the deaf culture I feel that it is vital for speech therapists to be familiar with ASL, even if it is just basic sign. Again, reflecting on previous blog posts, I experienced a speech setting with a young deaf girl as I job shadowed. The SLP openly admitted that she knew no sign language what so ever besides some basic signs that the kids had taught her like "help," "good," "thank you," and "more." My mind was blown....how did she expect the kids to progress in SPEECH (which is clearly hard enough for them) if she can't even communicate with them? It was frustrating, so I can agree with the attitudes that deaf people may sometimes feel towards speech paths or any other professionals designed to HELP people, who in fact can't even communicate with them.
I don't believe that speech should be enforced upon the deaf, I feel as if literacy is more important. It is not like hearing people are forced to learn another language, so why should deaf people be forced to learn how to speak correctly? This chapter continues to touch on the concept of deaf individuals involved in speech training. Although, I adopt this point of view, I feel as if some of the comments made concerning SLP's and audiologists were a bit harsh. This is exactly why I am enrolled in ASL. I want to be the exception to these comments. I want to be an effective Audiologist who is able to communicate effectively with my deaf patients enabling that bridge between deaf and hearing to be crossed. It would break my heart to know I was entering a profession where I was unable to communicate with patients I could have who were deaf. I don't want to just be "the bearer of bad news." I want to respectively show that ASL is important in order to effectively connect our two cultures. The three stories presented in the chapter should be motivation for all professions, especially those in health care to make a difference. I will probably refer back to this chapter for inspiration throughout my career journey, so I am very appreciative for the author's perspective in chapter 33.
Chapter 32
Chapters 32
As a hearing person, I understand how easy it is to just assume that it would be simple for deaf people to lip read. However, it's definitely not the first question I would ask a deaf person. I think that is kind of an embarrassing question to ask, practically saying "hey dude, you're deaf and if you can't read my lips, then sorry but I can not communicate with you." I'm pretty sure at that point, the deaf person wouldn't be a "nitwit"(pg 191), the hearing person would be. At a DCE back in October, I was talking to a deaf guy, Chaz (mentioned in my previous posts). As I was signing, I was obviously using my mouth. He was signing back, but I was shocked because it was like he knew exactly what I was saying and my ASL was NOT that proficient. I didn't have to ask, he quickly informed me that he could read my lips, and even more interesting that he could hear! Interesting.
Moving on, I did learn some new information in this chapter! Speechreading: I wasn't familiar with this term before, but now I prefer this word over lip reading since it isn't exclusive to just how the mouth moves. Speech, like ASL is about the entire face, the expressions, the props, and the context in which the conversation is taking place. Therefore, speechreading is an entirely appropriate term! I can definitely understand how it could be exhausting to speechread, as I experience some of the same exhaustion as I try to learn ASL. I often have to concentrate on the way Stacey moves her face, her body, and what signs are included in the conversation. An frequent example I have of this is during our weekly quizzes. Sometimes I will not know a specific sign within one of her sentences, however if I consider the way she contorted her eybrows, moved her mouth, and implemented other signs to form the sentence, I can usually pinpoint the sign that I didn't know. I assume this is how it is for most speech readers as it requires specific attention. I agree with the authors, its always handy to have a piece of paper and a pen! :)
Last year, I worked in the speech program at my local elementary school. Day after day I would see kids struggle with the "p," "b," and "m" sounds since they all sound similar. Sometimes we would try to put a mirror in front of their face for them to distinguish the way the mouth looks when producing the speech in order for them to actually make the sound. I noticed that this was very complicated as well, since like the book states, they all look the same. I just thought that was a funny connection; if a hearing person can't distinguish the sound, it must be nearly impossible for a deaf person to speech read those letters.
Furthermore, I enjoyed the "Speechreading protocol: a few words of advice!" I'll keep that advice in mind to avoid "fatal first encounters."
As a hearing person, I understand how easy it is to just assume that it would be simple for deaf people to lip read. However, it's definitely not the first question I would ask a deaf person. I think that is kind of an embarrassing question to ask, practically saying "hey dude, you're deaf and if you can't read my lips, then sorry but I can not communicate with you." I'm pretty sure at that point, the deaf person wouldn't be a "nitwit"(pg 191), the hearing person would be. At a DCE back in October, I was talking to a deaf guy, Chaz (mentioned in my previous posts). As I was signing, I was obviously using my mouth. He was signing back, but I was shocked because it was like he knew exactly what I was saying and my ASL was NOT that proficient. I didn't have to ask, he quickly informed me that he could read my lips, and even more interesting that he could hear! Interesting.
Moving on, I did learn some new information in this chapter! Speechreading: I wasn't familiar with this term before, but now I prefer this word over lip reading since it isn't exclusive to just how the mouth moves. Speech, like ASL is about the entire face, the expressions, the props, and the context in which the conversation is taking place. Therefore, speechreading is an entirely appropriate term! I can definitely understand how it could be exhausting to speechread, as I experience some of the same exhaustion as I try to learn ASL. I often have to concentrate on the way Stacey moves her face, her body, and what signs are included in the conversation. An frequent example I have of this is during our weekly quizzes. Sometimes I will not know a specific sign within one of her sentences, however if I consider the way she contorted her eybrows, moved her mouth, and implemented other signs to form the sentence, I can usually pinpoint the sign that I didn't know. I assume this is how it is for most speech readers as it requires specific attention. I agree with the authors, its always handy to have a piece of paper and a pen! :)
Last year, I worked in the speech program at my local elementary school. Day after day I would see kids struggle with the "p," "b," and "m" sounds since they all sound similar. Sometimes we would try to put a mirror in front of their face for them to distinguish the way the mouth looks when producing the speech in order for them to actually make the sound. I noticed that this was very complicated as well, since like the book states, they all look the same. I just thought that was a funny connection; if a hearing person can't distinguish the sound, it must be nearly impossible for a deaf person to speech read those letters.
Furthermore, I enjoyed the "Speechreading protocol: a few words of advice!" I'll keep that advice in mind to avoid "fatal first encounters."
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Chapter 31
Chapter 31
How neat to hear of how a wife can help children at her job simply because her husband takes an ASL class! This is why I am sharing ASL with my family and friends; understanding any ASL can come in handy, you don't HAVE to be fluent. Anyways this chapter is great at responding to the man's needs by providing a great way to find helpful information. Amazon is my absolute favorite website so I was excited to see this little "tid bit" included. Amazon is actually where I purchased my FHPO book and while searching for this book I noticed they had numerous resources (books, videos, tapes) all including information about deafness or ASL. The authors again referred to the resources included in the last chapter, which reinforced how helpful they are! I like how the authors also focused on the area in which the man lived to help him pinpoint exactly where to search.
How neat to hear of how a wife can help children at her job simply because her husband takes an ASL class! This is why I am sharing ASL with my family and friends; understanding any ASL can come in handy, you don't HAVE to be fluent. Anyways this chapter is great at responding to the man's needs by providing a great way to find helpful information. Amazon is my absolute favorite website so I was excited to see this little "tid bit" included. Amazon is actually where I purchased my FHPO book and while searching for this book I noticed they had numerous resources (books, videos, tapes) all including information about deafness or ASL. The authors again referred to the resources included in the last chapter, which reinforced how helpful they are! I like how the authors also focused on the area in which the man lived to help him pinpoint exactly where to search.
Chapters 29-30 + Quiz
Chapter 29
I'll start off by saying I loved the letter sent in by Barb and John Boelter. I felt that it was very appropriate for them to defend themselves and other parents of deaf children as well. My favorite piece of the letter was when they spoke out regarding the comment previously made stating that " [it] is insulting to parents like us who have recognized from the beginning that our daughter needs the support and guidance of the Deaf community to grow and find her own identity. We have sought out and listened to the advice of deaf people in connection with every decision we have made." I have previously commented that this book continuously degrades hearing people and it gets quite obnoxious, therefore I was grateful for this response. I understand that not every parent of a deaf child is this concerned with the success of their child, however not all parents of hearing children are either! It is inevitable to avoid these types of relationships. I felt it was great to read of the steps this family is taking not only to ensure the best education for their daughter, but the best family setting as well.
Though it hasn't always been difficult to send your deaf child to a residential school, I think today it is much harder. Like the Boelter's said " ...parents today who do recognize the social, educational, and emotional needs of their deaf children should not be penalized for what parents did in the past." With struggles such as "difficulty attracting the best teachers, setting up the most stimulating curricula, and offering the highest-quality programs," it is no wonder parent's prefer to mainstream their children or send them to schools for the deaf which allow them to remain at home (such as Kentucky School for the Deaf). If you can not have full confidence in a residential school, why take the risk of stripping them out of a loving family environment?
Chapter 30
I had always just assumed I could visit my local or college library to gather information regarding deafness; or I could just surf the internet. However, I had never before heard of The Gallaudet Encylopedia of Deaf People and Deafness, Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, the mail order catalog provided by Bison Bookstore at Gallaudet, or ANY other of the resources provided. I was excited to learn of these as I am sure they will be extremely helpful in the future.
I'm honestly not sure about any local agencies that support the deaf in my hometown. If there were any I feel as if I would be aware of them, but I do know that the deaf population in my small town is just that, small! I've never met one deaf individual in my town and where I come from everybody knows everybody.
Quiz
I guess I am just pretty good with true/false questions, because before taking this quiz I certainly didn't think I would do as well as I did on the last one. I felt that the information provided in this unit was more in depth compared to the last unit. Also, I didn't find it as interesting. I didn't hate reading the chapters, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous unit. However, I obviously retained information based on the performance of my quiz. It is a good feeling knowing that each time I pick up this book I do learn something new. I really appreciate the quizzes at the end of the units because it allows me to reflect and reminds me that I now have new information that I didn't previously have!
I'll start off by saying I loved the letter sent in by Barb and John Boelter. I felt that it was very appropriate for them to defend themselves and other parents of deaf children as well. My favorite piece of the letter was when they spoke out regarding the comment previously made stating that " [it] is insulting to parents like us who have recognized from the beginning that our daughter needs the support and guidance of the Deaf community to grow and find her own identity. We have sought out and listened to the advice of deaf people in connection with every decision we have made." I have previously commented that this book continuously degrades hearing people and it gets quite obnoxious, therefore I was grateful for this response. I understand that not every parent of a deaf child is this concerned with the success of their child, however not all parents of hearing children are either! It is inevitable to avoid these types of relationships. I felt it was great to read of the steps this family is taking not only to ensure the best education for their daughter, but the best family setting as well.
Though it hasn't always been difficult to send your deaf child to a residential school, I think today it is much harder. Like the Boelter's said " ...parents today who do recognize the social, educational, and emotional needs of their deaf children should not be penalized for what parents did in the past." With struggles such as "difficulty attracting the best teachers, setting up the most stimulating curricula, and offering the highest-quality programs," it is no wonder parent's prefer to mainstream their children or send them to schools for the deaf which allow them to remain at home (such as Kentucky School for the Deaf). If you can not have full confidence in a residential school, why take the risk of stripping them out of a loving family environment?
Chapter 30
I had always just assumed I could visit my local or college library to gather information regarding deafness; or I could just surf the internet. However, I had never before heard of The Gallaudet Encylopedia of Deaf People and Deafness, Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, the mail order catalog provided by Bison Bookstore at Gallaudet, or ANY other of the resources provided. I was excited to learn of these as I am sure they will be extremely helpful in the future.
I'm honestly not sure about any local agencies that support the deaf in my hometown. If there were any I feel as if I would be aware of them, but I do know that the deaf population in my small town is just that, small! I've never met one deaf individual in my town and where I come from everybody knows everybody.
Quiz
I guess I am just pretty good with true/false questions, because before taking this quiz I certainly didn't think I would do as well as I did on the last one. I felt that the information provided in this unit was more in depth compared to the last unit. Also, I didn't find it as interesting. I didn't hate reading the chapters, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous unit. However, I obviously retained information based on the performance of my quiz. It is a good feeling knowing that each time I pick up this book I do learn something new. I really appreciate the quizzes at the end of the units because it allows me to reflect and reminds me that I now have new information that I didn't previously have!
Friday, November 23, 2012
Chapters 25-28
Chapter 25
This chapter mentions "the lucky ones whose parents are fluent in ASL and start school already knowing a language." Chapter 25 reminded me of a scenario I found myself in a few weeks ago when I went to job shadow a local teacher of the deaf. Immediately when I walked into the classroom, I was introduced to an amazing young man. He had a cochlear implant and could communicate fairly well, but was also very fluent in ASL. He was so outgoing, signing and jibber-jabbering away! It was absolutely astounding! A few moments later, we were joined by a, completely deaf, young girl. She timidly took her seat at the table and when the teacher started the lesson she appeared very confused and even with one on one attention couldn't grasp the content of the story they were reading. I wondered to myself how I could be in the middle of two children with similar conditions, however on extremely different levels of communication. After the kids returned to their classrooms, the teacher explained to me that the boy came from a very involved family who took all the steps necessary to make communication a possibility (as soon as they learned of his condition.) However, the girl wasn't so lucky. Her parents did not know ASL and never committed to learning the language. The only exposure she was consistently having was what she learned at school. No wonder she was having such a difficult time. I kept hearing Stacey refer to how she constantly encounters parents of deaf children who know very little to no sign language at all. No wonder so many children have language delays, parents are not educated enough nor motivated to put the effort into developing communication with their children. A solution to the literacy gap would be hard to accomplish, but I feel as if it should start in the home. Creating more programs for parents and raising awareness for the importance of ASL communication beginning as early as the English language would be an ideal start. Also by encouraging parents to take notice in the development of their children who weren't born deaf and not to ignore warning signs, earlier detection could aid in the process of breaching the literacy gap by enabling programs to be implemented as soon as possible. By putting ourselves in the shoes of a deaf child, with no previous language experience, walking into our first day of school, letting go of our parents hands we can all be inspired to help reach a common goal: communication for everyone.
Chapter 26
The reasons provided for why deaf people don't like to read were pretty obvious to me. One did stick out to me that I would like to touch on: "It was long considered more important for children to acquire good speech articulation than good reading and writing skills." Okay, I get that ASL has no traditional written form and that makes grasping literacy skills a bit more complicated. On the other hand, wouldn't speech development for a deaf person be on a whole new level of difficulty?!
Again, I'll reflect on the experience I had at the elementary school a few weeks ago. I shadowed a different girl first in her regular class with the deaf educator, then I followed her to her speech session. Huh? Didn't even know that completely deaf children saw speech pathologists. Anyways, when we went to speech the SLP explained to me a system for developing speech articulation in deaf children. It was extremely confusing and you could tell that the SLP wasn't very found of it. Basically, it was a chart of sounds with a picture by them resembling the mouth shape formed when you make the sound. This is how deaf children learned to make sounds and put them together. I was completely beside myself as the girl formed a few words. She was 100% deaf and I never even knew that this could happen. As awesome as it seemed to me, she was anything but happy. She struggled and you could just see the embarrassment on her face, she did not want to be talking. Getting to my point, I feel that it IS important for the deaf to grasp speech articulation, especially words like "stop" or anything that you might use on a daily basis. However, I do not feel that the value of speech articulation should be placed over the value of literacy. Reading and writing are things that you can have with you forever. It is not guaranteed that a deaf person will ever be able to speak, but being able to read and write could take the place of that! It is something that they can enjoy, communicate through, and even (not being stereotypical) escape through. It can be a replacement for hearing. By grasping the concepts of literacy they can learn so much and even experience comedy, romance, action, or even thrills.
The story on page 161 makes me sad. I assume this is point on to what deaf kids experience at some point throughout schooling. I do agree with the man, it would be great if actual deaf people TAUGHT! It's even more sad that the amount of deaf individuals who know enough English literacy to pass is on is very small. Imagine the impact actual deaf teachers would have on the development of deaf education! This is why we should be motivated to enhance the availability and quality of reading and writing training to the deaf, looking for innovative ways to make learning appealing, and recruiting more trained deaf educators. You have to start somewhere and only hope that it lights a spark.
Chapter 27
I'll be the first to admit it, I HATE, HATE, HATE subtitles!! They are so confusing and such a distraction. Whenever I watch a movie with subtitles, I focus more on them than I do the actual movie. The most annoying part of the subtitles is that they are usually so far behind the pace of the show, but if they were any fast they would be nearly impossible to catch. One time at church I saw live captioning as an ASL interpreter interpreted the songs and message. Even then, I focused more on the interpreter than the service. As a hearing person without knowledge or respect for the deaf community, I would be totally against interpreters on every TV channel. "How dare they cut out a block from the screen where I can't see?" BUT, now that I have a deep respect and love for this culture, I feel that it would only be fair to have interpreters on every channel. It would definitely be something to get used to, but we have this awesome ability called "sensory adaptation." This will enable us strange creatures to eventually, well get over it/used to it, and able to ignore a small section being taken up by an interpreter for the benefit of the deaf. Or how about this, let's create a deaf channel where TV series and movies are recorded with an interpreter or ASL styled subtitles?! Completely deaf friendly without murdering the views and ratings. As far as movies in theaters are concerned, alternatives like 3D are already offered, why not offer movies with interpreters on certain dates? This gives deaf people a great opportunity to participate in normal activities without discouraging "hearing movie go-ers."
Chapter 28
"is it possible to go back in time? No." This quote was incorporated into the final paragraph before discussing "The Charter School Option." Darn, that's discouraging. The beginning of this chapter painted a picturesque history of the earliest schools for the deaf. It states that the educators" taught, making themselves understandable to their students, using the simplest, most basic equipment, and their knowledge, experience, empathy, and drive." Wouldn't it be nice to get back to this way of schooling? Since this isn't exactly realistic, as we were so bluntly informed, I suppose that choosing the most suitable path of education for your own deaf child would be difficult.
If I were to have a deaf child, this is the plan of action I would most likely take: Putting my child's needs first and foremost, I would research the best options available near the area we were residing in. If in fact there happened to be an accredited/highly noted deaf school nearby (not residential) or charter school I would prefer for he or she to be enrolled there. Even if it were a commute or my family had to relocate I would feel that it would be necessary. This is due to my thoughts that children with issues such as being deaf should be around those most similar to them. In this case, they can grow up in an environment which enables them to make connections and established relationships. Also, deaf schools often have sports teams and extra curricular activities just like other schools do. By participating in these activities with other people who are similar it would be easier for my child to develop personal skills and be comfortable. Furthermore I feel that actual deaf schools offer the best option as far as educational success. Employees at deaf schools (I would hope) are there for the sole purpose of helping the deaf learn. Their career should extend beyond just a degree, they should have a passion for what they do. Lastly,the benefits of a charter school include parent involvement. By taking advantage of this education opportunity I, as a parent, would be surrounded by other parents who actually care about the progress of their child and don't just put the responsibility on the teachers alone. The opportunity for the highest level of education possible, comfort, and involvement for my child would specifically lead me to take the necessary steps to enroll them in a school for the deaf or charter school.
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