Tag-Archive for » early childhood intervention «

06
Mar

Parental Choice: Truth or Illusion?

Interesting.  I just viewed the three-part blog series “The Right to Be…Deaf” at Patti Durr’s People of the Eye.  This series reminded me of the v/blog posts I created last May on the subject of neutrality. The question raised in my two posts was whether the information being given to parents of newly-diagnosed Deaf babies and children was neutral or not.  Here are the titles which you can click to view (Neutrality: Does It Exist? and Got Neutrality? )

In Patti’s blog series, she raises the question on whether parents were given choices without undue pressure to go for a specific option.   Part II of Durr’s series describes what ensues at hospitals soon after babies are born (with infant hearing screenings).  That particular post brought a flashback of  my experience at an audiology clinic with my second eldest infant son.

Before I go into details about that experience, I must let you know that I am a Deaf mother of 5 Hearing boys.  Despite the fact that my babies were found to be hearing, I still encountered audism during one of my boys’ testings.  My eldest was born in a hospital.  Two weeks later, I brought him to an audiology clinic to find out if he was hearing or deaf.  My suspicion that he was Hearing was confirmed.

My third son, who was born at home rather than at a hospital, never took an official hearing screen test.   My husband and I decided to skip the infant hearing screen because it was so obvious that the baby was Hearing.  Our home-made hearing test came in the form of our two older sons, aged 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 or 3 years old.  The noise they produced kept startling the baby.  That cheap home-made hearing test sure saved the government oodles of dollars that time!

My youngest, the twins, were born in the hospital rather than in the home due to the fact that twin pregnancies are automatically considered high risk.   The morning after the boys were born, they each received an on-site hearing screening test.  The results were that they were hearing.  Technology have clearly improved to the point that there was no need for drugs to sedate them (unlike the situations described in the comments section of Patti’s Part III blog).

My experience with my second eldest son was different from that of my other boys.  He was born at home, so that meant I had to take him to the audiology clinic a couple or so weeks later.  It was eleven and a half years ago, but the memory is still fresh in my mind.  I had to nurse him to sleep so the ABR test could be performed.  Halfway through the test, I had to switch him to the other breast so his other ear could be tested.  While nursing him to sleep, I inadvertently fell asleep as well.  I must have been tired that day!

After a few minutes, I woke up just as the test was completed.  The audiologist was looking at her computer and machines when suddenly she seemed disturbed. I could perceive a look of alarm on her face. That caused me to think that something was up.  She looked back at us then at the screen and back with anxiety in her body language and on her face.   I looked down at my sleeping infant and noticed that one of the wires fell off his scalp.  I brought the audiologist’s attention to that fact.  She administered the test on that ear once more.  Once the results were in, there was an obvious look of relief on her face.

“He is hearing.”

Supposing the results were like this: One ear was Hearing, but the other ear was deaf.  She would likely still have that look of alarm on her face and tension in her body.  That would give me a clear message right there.  Supposing my boy were hard of hearing, what kind of message would her body and words impart?  I don’t know, but her alarm and body language were indelibly marked in my memory.  I will never forget that.

Patti Durr’s description of the type of pressures American parents face in hospitals, regardless of whether these parents were Deaf or Hearing.  When babies are diagnosed Deaf, audism run rampant in hospitals.  Buzz phrases like ” your baby failed the hearing test” are used and impart negative messages to the parents.   Pamphlets on cochlear implants are given out to parents soon after the Deaf babies are diagnosed.   Deaf parents of Deaf babies experience and react to audism in the approaches used by medical professionals in dealing with them. (See comments section here.)

The combination of  infant hearing screening tests, cochlear implant pamphlets and “neutral” websites cause me to question whether parents were given true choices.

Are parents given TRUE choices?

Remember: I am a Deaf parent.  I have witnessed the negative facial and body language of that audiologist.  I cannot help but conclude that if my child were diagnosed to hard of hearing, I would have received a negative message.   Of that, I have no doubt.

Supposing that I were a Hearing mother with a newly diagnosed Deaf baby, and saw that alarmed facial expression and body language, what would my reaction be?  I would have been taken aback, confused and upset .  To make matters worse, I would be regretfully told, “Your child has failed the hearing test.”  Shock, dismay and grief would follow that statement, especially when combined with the negative message given with that type of body language.

The audiologist would follow up with a reassuring “Don’t worry.  There are cochlear implants and speech therapy available to help your child become more like us.  The Infant Hearing Program will help you with this. “  Pamphlets are given to the beleaguered mother who is overwhelmed with what has to be done to rehabilitate her child.

Supposing that parent is told: “Don’t worry. I have a Deaf mentor available to support you.  Your Deaf child is fortunate to be able to develop two languages–English and ASL–and grow up in two cultures. This will be a wonderful experience for you”?  That would be great, but that has not happened.  To date, I have not heard of any audiologists or other medical professional say that, ever.  It’s usually ”Sorry, your baby failed the hearing screening test.”

Now, that’s BIAS for you! Usually, information about ASL is not shared (or at least mentioned briefly).  Pamphlets on CIs are available to be given out, with alacrity. ”

“and we get the news – it is delivered to us with concerned looks, wringing of hands, and glossy pamphlets, DVDs, and display models of what CAN be DONE to overcome what IS

yes, instead of another basket of goodies and words of congratulations on your wee things Deafhood, we are whacked on the head with ….. the A word folks.  And no it is not spelled with a “v” (ask the NAD they know how to spell it correctly)

we see the news and we sigh – just what we wanted “A healthy baby and we knew s/he was healthy all along” – healthy for us means Deaf or Hearing -  y nada mas importa

but wait despite our joy and relief – they “the specialists” are still frowning – they is VERY worried now

they start selling their wares – they start tooting the scope of their practice ”

(Durr. People of the Eye blog. March 5)

Is that giving out neutral information?  Can you say websites like this give out neutral and balanced information? Can you say that parents are given complete unbiased information with which to make their decisions? No, you cannot. (That particular website doesn’t even mention ASL. You have to make an effort to look for it in a link there somewhere.) There is CLEAR BIAS here in favour of making Deaf children hear rather than allow them to be Deaf bilinguals, exposed to ASL and ASL Deaf culture as well as English.

Back to my question…

Are parents of newly diagnosed babies given true choice in raising their Deaf children?  Are they being given the chance to make a  true choice without undue influence or pressure from audistic medical professionals and biased pamphlets and websites? Without subtle and subliminal messages that it is not a good thing for a child to be Deaf?

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Have parents of  Deaf babies able to exercise TRUE choice in the first place?  Or is “True Choice” an illusion?

 

ADDENDUM: Here is another vlog (captioned) by Dr. Donald Grushkin for your viewing pleasure on the same issue.

Category: Audism, Bilingualism, Deaf, Family  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  7 Comments
10
Sep

It’s a Hearing World, After All…

It’s a Hearing world, did you know that?  Yessireebob! Sure enough!  This came up at Patti’s blog where the debate continues to rage on the issue of cochlear implants.  A commenter there just reminded us that it’s a hearing world that we live in.  Yet another politically incorrect statement if I ever saw one!

It’s a man’s world, after all.  This has been said to women who dared challenge male-dominated bastions of business, government, and elsewhere..  Women were told to remember their place in society.  Today, women are in positions of power in different areas of society.

It’s a White man’s world.  Said to Aboriginals, African-American and other non-WASP upstarts who were reminded to stay in their place.  Civil Rights Movement happened in USA.   Canadian aboriginals got an apology from our Prime Minister.  We got First Nations people in government.  We have Minister of Health Leona Aglukkaq (First Inuk from the Northwest Territories and Nunavut to obtain such an august position). Oh,  and let’s not forget Barack Obama, President of the USA.

It’s a Straight world.  Said to the Gay people who were once told they suffered from mental deviancy.  We got gay politicians in both USA and Canadian governments.

Once, members from each minority group had to “pass” in order to succeed.

For the African Americans, it was the “high yellow” folk who made it in the White man’s world.

For the Native Americans, they had to conform to white values (at the expense of their  own cultural values) to make it in the White Man’s world. .

Women once had to submerge their feminity to make it in the man’s world.

Gay people have had to remain in the closet to make it in the Straight world, though more and more are coming out.

NOW you tell us Deaf that it’s a Hearing world, and we have to conform, and lose our Deaf nature and be surgically altered so we can hear to make it?  It’d make our lives easier?

Has conforming to WASP man’s world make the lives of women, nonwhite folk, Gays easier ?   At what cost to their identities, souls?  Has history shown that it is better to adhere to the values imposed upon others by the group in power? Nope.

Quite the opposite, in fact.  ALL the aforementioned groups REBELLED.

Women’s suffrage movements were born in both USA and Canada. “Extremists” like Susan B. Anthony and Nellie McClung respectively led those movements.

Martin Luther King Jr. (arguably an extremist) led the Civil Rights Movement, along with the more “extremist” Malcolm X.

First Nations people also revolted. Lawsuits ensued.  MPP Elijah Harper  singlehandedly killed the Meech Lake Accord in Canada and damaged the image of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney with a single eagle’s feather. The First Nations People also won an apology from our Prime Minister.

The Gay people in Canada won legal protection against discrimination in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and  Ontario Human Rights Code.  Bill C-250 accorded Gays the same legal rights as straight people.

NOW you’re telling us, the Deaf, that it’s a Hearing world and we MUST conform? We must hear in order to make our lives better?

Right now, we are rebelling against that.  Where’s the proof of that rebellion?

  1. Deaf President Now Movement in the USA, 1988.
  2. Deaf Ontario Now movement 1988 led by Gary Malkowski, who went on to become the first Deaf (federal) MP (Member of Parliament) in Canada. He was one of the key people who got Ontario gov’t to recognize ASL as a language of instruction that may be taught in schools in Ontario (google Bill 4 that was passed in Ontario Provincial Parliament in July 2007) today.
  3. Gallaudet Unity protests (2006)
  4. Vancouver ICED 2010′s repudiation of the Milan 1880 Resolution and the authoring of the New Era Document by the BC Deaf community committee and ICED 2010 Committee… which had Deaf members!  The New Era Document calls upon all nations and educational systems to respect all sign languages of the world and to involve the Deaf in every level of decision making especially when it affects the Deaf.
  5. Most recently: CDNIAS’ opposition of AB2072 as pushed by Mendoza in California the last few months.

And  we are still being told  to remain in our place and accept modifications because it’s a Hearing world lest our self-esteem suffer?

Category: Audism, Bilingualism, Deaf  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  4 Comments
10
Sep

ASL-Only Myth Debunking Time!

After reading the heated debate over at Patti Durr’s blog on the cochlear implant issue, I saw red  (well… more of pink since I’m normally a calm individual) and typed out two comments, which I will show in two different posts.  One has to do with the myth of damaging a Deaf child’s esteem if parents chose the “ASL only” road with their child. That is one myth I will proceed to dismantle here in this very post.

I’m taking an excerpt from one commenter’s long comment here:

“I felt it would be more damaging for her self esteem to grow up ASL only, than to have the implant and the ability to communicate verbally. I also felt that since the majority of the world is hearing, that things would be easier for her, as an adult if she also had the ability to hear.”

I’m focusing on the first sentence here.  (I will dissect the second sentence in the next post.)  Before I continue, I want to make clear that I know that commenter did not say the above with the intention of offending anyone.  The individual doesn’t realize just how politically incorrect her statements are.

Here’s my response to her… edited for this post since I spotted some sections that needed editing for further clarity:

No Deaf child has grown up with ASL only. That is a myth!

Each Deaf child, regardless of the decibel level as measured on audiograms, is required by law to learn English…at least in North America (both USA and Anglophone Canada).  ALL Deaf children have had to learn English through whatever strategies, methods, or modes foisted upon them by the educational system which is heavily dependent on the prescriptive model rather than the cultural model.

You see before you… a Deaf adult who grew up with “ASL only”.  Oops.  I meant bilingual.  Last I checked, my self esteem is pretty intact, thank you very much. I know of MANY Deaf children and adults who grew up BILINGUAL ( again, there’s no such a thing as ASL ONLY).  So far, self esteem has not been an issue.

My mother  (bless her sturdy soul!) told me that she had to buck the audist system… yes, audist… who repeatedly told her that I had to fit in with society. She could easily have caved in and gone the oral method, but she didn’t!  In fact, she told the professionals that THEY had to change to fit ME when I was small.  I remember her telling me when I was 20 years old that when she was at that old crossroads (oral VS manual)… “I decided to raise you normal and sign”.  THAT was a profound statement, which still resonates with me even now.

Another thing, when the CI prototype came up in the 80’s, Mom faced enormous pressure to implant me.  She was told by professionals that I was smart and therefore would benefit from the CI.  She resisted and told them that the decision was mine solely, and not hers, and that she’d support it whatever it may be.  I recall her asking me only ONCE when I was approximately 11 or so if I wanted a CI.  I had no idea what that was.  Once that was explained to me, I said (according to Mom), “Why? I am fine the way I am.  I don’t need to hear.”  That was the end of that.  Never again did she raise that subject.  I completely forgot about that conversation until last year when Mom came to visit me and told me.  It’s still a vague memory, though.

As for God being wrong… No. I agree that He doesn’t make mistakes.

I was born Deaf and Mom told me that God made me that way for a reason.  She saw that as a gift from God.

DEAF…A gift horse that Hearing society incessantly look in the mouth and curse. A gift horse that they try to modify into what they want. In that, one COULD argue that the CI industry, the audiologist and surgeons are all playing God and second-guessing Him.

Small wonder the world is so screwed up… what with tinkering with what God has wondrously and fearfully created in so many ways, INCLUDING the Deaf  people! All in the name of progress. Progress towards what?  The fully normal HUMAN ideal being? What’s that anyway? More importantly, according to whom?

See you in the next post.  I’m in a debunking mood! ;)

Category: Audism, Bilingualism, Deaf, Family  Tags: , , , , , , , , ,  8 Comments
23
May

Got Neutrality?

A commenter in my previous blog  referred me to a glossy website, Communicate With Your Child with the claim that this  website provided unbiased information from many various organizations.  She suggested that I click on “My baby has a hearing loss” section, which leads the viewer to various states that we could research.  She stated “Neutrality is now in the works. It still exists.”  

Is this commenter correct? Does this website actually provide unbiased information from many various organizations?  Has it got neutrality?

 Let’s analyze this website:

1. Count the number of times the words “hearing” and “hear” have been used on the homepage alone.  Total: 11!

2. Count the number of times ASL as a term is used on that same homepage. Total: ZERO

Talk about subliminal messages!

Now, let’s use this checklist to dissect the contents further:

a) Is t bilingual? Check! (English with Spanish translation)

b) Is it trilingual? Mais non.  Nowhere on this website do I see ASL translation.  
c) It has audio for those who may have reading issues: Is it accessible for the Hearing? Check!
d) FOCUS: the ability to hear words and songs. Check!
e) FOCUS: the ability to see ASL words and poetry. Where? Zilch and nada!

I checked “My Baby has a hearing loss” and clicked on states as instructed. This is what I found:

 The number of hearing loss professional organizations like AGBADHH, NICDC, Hearing Association, Let them Hear Foundation, etc etc far outweigh the number of Deaf-centered, or at least ASL-friendly organizations.

 I also clicked on http://www.raisingdeafkids.org which is on the list for any of the states you click on: Go to Communication choices, then you will see:

- Auditory-Oral, (Emphasis: Hearing/speaking)
-Auditory-Verbal (Emphasis: Hearing/Speaking)
-Bilingual-Bicultural- ASL and English (Emphasis: Bilingual Language Development)
-Cued Speech (Emphasis: Hearing/speaking)
-Total Communication (signing and talking with voice simultaneously… Emphasis: still hear and speak)

Consider the evidence submitted above.  One cannot help but reach the following conclusion:

 There’s an overwhelming emphasis on hearing and speaking, and little focus on ASL.  Therefore, this website is NOT unbiased.  It’s in fact heavily biased in favour of the hear-and speak ideology.  It’s got NO neutrality.

 But it’s sure got audism.

Category: Audism  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,  6 Comments
18
Apr

Imbalance in the Advocacy of Parental Rights re: AB2072

Sigh… I wasn’t planning to blog on the AB2072 issue that was raised lately; however, I was a little disturbed by the lack of balance in this blogger’s post.  This blogger and her commenters were all het up on the behalf of Hearing parents of Deaf children at the possibility of having the mythical ASL-only option foisted upon them.  She mentioned two scenarios, and I quote:

(1.) The Deaf parents of a deaf infant recently screened for hearing loss have been told by the state that they must have their deaf child undergo surgery for a cochlear implant at 6 months and employ only speech therapy  in English for the child’s language development, no other options are allowed.  How would the Deaf parents feel upon learning that they have no choice on how to raise and communicate with their child?  Of course, resentment and anger.

(2.)  The hearing parents of a deaf infant recently screened for hearing loss have been told by the state that they must implement ASL only to begin the child’s language development.   How would the hearing parents feel upon learning that they have no choice on how to raise and communicate with their child?  Of course, resentment and anger.

Then she spent the entire rest of her post defending the Hearing parents’ right to NOT have ASL foisted upon them by the state against their wishes.  Fair enough,  I agree that the state should not infringe upon the rights of the parents.

Yet, I see NO one on that post, either on the blogger’s or the commenters’ part, stand up for the Deaf parents of Deaf children who had their rights forcibly infringed upon in the name of the hear-and-speak ideology.  The blogger implies that Scenario 1 has not happened yet.  I submit that this is inaccurate information.   To wit:

The Deaf Sherlock’s post

Implanting against Legal Parents’ Wishes at Deafness.about.com

Parental Rights at Deafness.about.com

I have not seen much if any outrage re: Scenario 1 on the part of these people, and yet Scenario 2 causes them to blame Deaf ASL activists for the possibility of Hearing parents’ rights to decide for their Deaf children being infringed upon.   Why is this the case?

Category: Audism  Tags: , , , , ,  38 Comments
11
Jan

Resistance is Futile: Part Two

This posting is in response to a commenter in my last posting, Resistance is Futile: You will be Assimilated, who stated that he did not see that much resistance from the Deaf community in relation to the cochlear implant, and that the cochlear implant industry did not use force whereas the Borg did.

I wasn’t referring solely to the cochlear implant in my last posting. In actuality, I was referring to the entire orchestrated attempts at a systemic level to assimilate Deaf children into the Hearing society, and to mold them into the ideal “Hearing” image or at least a facsimile thereof.

I agree with the other commenters that there IS resistance against the CI. I would qualify that sentence, and reiterate there is plenty of resistance, especially against the tactics employed by the oralist establishment.

Perhaps you aren’t working in a field that works directly with children or survivors of assimilationist attempts to get them to “listen and speak”? Many who are in the front lines working with these survivors will tell you horror stories of delayed language acquisition and related consequences due to the desire of the majority to get them to “listen and speak”.

Speaking for myself, I am against the IDEOLOGY behind the cochlear implant (and AVT) industry, which perpetuates the myth that Deaf children DO NOT need ASL because it hinders speech development. This is another attempt at linguistic genocide, and that is what gets my dander up.

Many parents want their children implanted “to give them the best in life that they can.” That is how many parents see the cochlear implant. Many do not understand the necessity for children to have VISIBLE access to language, and that is ASL.

Since the system is already implanting children OVER THE OBJECTIONS of the Deaf community, I used the term BORG to describe the oralist system. This establishment is a juggernaut… which steamrolls whether people object, get hurt or not.

As for the use of force:

“Borg uses force to assimilate other people (and destroy people that it considers obsolete) while the technology of cochlear implant does not use force itself on people.”

I beg to differ. Force comes in many different forms. One is obvious: Physical coercion and subjugation. There are more subtle and insidious forms, such as rejection, which can be emotional as well as physical. Indoctrination, and emotional/mental coercion, and especially fear, are other forms. These forms of force CAN be done with such finesse that people won’t see them coming until too late. Many AVT therapists have threatened to cross families off their clientele list if they signed with their Deaf children.

When implanted children do not show that they benefit from AVT programs, they get “weeded out”. This phrasing was coined by the mother of a certain blogger that no longer comes to DeafRead.com. These children are considered obsolete and swept under the rug while “successful” AVT children are showcased.

If those weeded-out children did not have access to ASL while attending AVT therapy, their optimal potential has been damaged if not outright destroyed in some cases. Language acquisition then becomes a race against time.

Now, I see cochlear implants as astronomically expensive and invasive hearing aids. However, there are quite a number of parents who get their children implanted, and STILL want their babies to acquire ASL. As long as the children DO actually grow up bilingual with a strong start for language acquisition…

My primary concern is that children have access to ASL, and are NOT hindered in their acquisition of visible, accessible language, and for me that means ASL, as well as another language, whatever that is.

As for your contention that we have not truly seen how the technology of cochlear implant will affect the Deaf Culture and ASL, the impact is ALREADY being felt in the front lines as I mentioned earlier. The cochlear implant is only ONE tool in the entire Oralist apparatus in its goal to eliminate ASL and make us forget that we are Deaf.

THAT is Borg assimilation in all its glory, with finesse added.

Postscript (Jan 11 at 7:15 p.m.):

REMINDER TO COMMENTERS:

You are all welcome to comment here, but I request that from now on, please address the topic at hand and refrain from attacking or labelling people personally when you disagree with a viewpoint that is being brought up.

Thank you.

Category: Audism  Tags: , , , , , , , , ,  10 Comments