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.