Give The Deaf Child WHOLE

My strong support for ASL-English bilingualism is based on my experiences as a former student who grew up attending a Deaf school, as a life-long member of the Deaf community, and as a current teacher in the Deaf education system.

As a student, I grew up seeing many oral/CI/AVT "failures" being sent to my school severely delayed in their language and cognitive development because they had failed to develop speaking and listening skills. They sent those students to CSD to learn ASL as a last resort. Those Deaf students were traumatized by their upbringing as they were taught that they were not whole because of their inability to speak or hear. They were indoctrinated to believe that the only way to "better" themselves is to become as "hearing" as possible.

As a community member, I have met many Deaf adults who communicate in limited ASL and have no knowledge of English grammar (in other words, write in broken English). Those Deaf adults are products of oral education. Since those Deaf people had "failed" to develop speaking and listening skills, they never had access to any language while growing up. Those people usually discover ASL and Deaf community later in life, and say "ASL saved my life."

Unfortunately, there are many "oral-failures" who end up in the Deaf community (we see them all the time, and they are usually labeled "angry Deaf people" by the oral advocates). Of course, they are angry for being cheated out of good education and good life by the misconceptions imposed by the cochlear industry and oral educators. Of course, they want to fight stop oral education so future Deaf children would never have to suffer like they did. I fully support their right to be angry, because they shouldn't have to go through what they went through.

Now, as a teacher, I get to hear about parents' experiences with the process of receiving information about their Deaf children from ENT doctors. Their experiences were negative and traumatizing for them. The majority, if not all, of the parents I've talked to felt forced into choosing the oral method through scare tactics. "Every deaf child deserves a chance to fail at oralism" "If he learned sign language, he would be lost to the deaf world" "He can always learn to sign later if oralism doesn't work" "If you don't give your child cochlear implants, she will always struggle in life." If parents decided to give their child cochlear implants, the doctor and AVT therapists would refuse service unless the parents promise not to use sign language with their child. To me, that is oppressive and wrong.

I'm not okay with the false assumption that cochlear implants will make every Deaf child hearing. I'm not okay with not ensuring that Deaf children receive 100% access to language, information, and education. I'm not okay with waiting until Deaf children fail at developing speaking and listening skills BEFORE giving them access to sign language. Deaf children SHOULD be allowed to get cochlear implants, learn ASL & learn how to read, write, and speak English. Give Deaf children WHOLE, don't take anything away from them.

CSD is a dumping ground for oral failures. I've grown up seeing those students, and now I'm teaching those students. It is heartbreaking.