One commenter in my last post asked for better examples of how Deaf parents had their parental rights overridden or violated. Well, here are some, from a source whom I shall keep anonymous:
a) “In Holland, I was told by deaf parents that their child would be placed in a mental institution if CI is not given to him. This occurred in 2009. ”
b) “I know of a family of two deaf children being threatened by the state social worker to take away their children for refusing to enroll them in a public school as they wished to put their children in Fanwood, New York in 2004″
“We had a hard time to enroll our daughter who is hard of hearing in Montessori Children’s House because the school district didn’t agree with the curriculum for our daughter. It took us almost one year after enrolling her there to get the school district off our back. A lot of papers sent “fro and back” … Totally unnecessary.” This was in 1990.
“Oregon School for the Deaf is not permitted by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to deal with deaf children under the age of 5. They are referred to their own school districts, and the parents are educated about various modes of communication. There is absolutely no ASL specialists in these school districts. ODE prides in the fact that they know nothing about ASL. There’s no one in this state department who is well honed in the language and culture of the Deaf.”
Even as I type, I am getting more examples of Deaf parents’ rights to make decisions for their Deaf children being trampled.
Readers, if you have further examples, you are welcome to leave them here.
My point here is: that decisions like producing and voting on AB-2072, should NOT be done WITHOUT the input of those affected, which happen to be us… the Deaf community, especially Deaf children in this generation and future generations. Remember the rallying cry of the Blacks during Civil Rights Movement: “Not about us, without us!”