Throughout the quarter, I have focused my blog entries on Deafness and how parents and families are affected by diagnosis. I chose to focus my blogging on this topic because my dreams are to some day become an intrepreter and teacher at the deaf school here in Cincinnati; St. Rita’s School of the Deaf. My interests in this topic began back in 2009, when I was a sophomore in college. I was trying to find free electives and stumbled upon the course Beginning American Sign Language 1, from there my passion grew. I completed my Deaf Studies Certificate this year during the winter quarter. I have learned a great deal of knowledge through the certificate program, however, I never learned about the effects the disability has on parents and families. I felt this was an important topic to research and was appropriate to use in my blogging.
It can be a very overwhelming experience for parents, especially in the early stage of diagnosis for any given disability. Feelings of anger, denial, sadness, and curosity are most often found in the families of all people who have a child with disabilities. Our community; both hearing and deaf, have many perspectives on the disability of deafness. Some people view deafness as a "problem" that needs to be "fixed". Other individuals believe that deafness is an enriching life experience in which you can become involved in a culture and community with beautiful language; American Sign Language. Some people who are deaf do not define deafness as a disability but as an inconvience.
It is very difficult to make a decision for your child that will make an impact on your child’s life. However, parents and families are the biggest advocates for children with disabilities, and they are responsible for making these decisions. As a teacher, I feel it is essential to understand the complexity of emotions and the obstacles faced by parents of children with disabilities. We need to provide a partnership with parents in support, and reassure them that their education will be the fullest.
I inquired many questions regarding the affects deafness has on families and especially parents. Through my research, I learned that there are many resources available to families, but it is important to seek out this information. Parents feel alone, especially during the diagnosis process, and with the resource support they may be able to seek out a family who can guide them through the process. I learned that official diagnosis is a timely process and involves multiple testing throughout the early stages of infancy. Once the official diagnosis is given, parents are given multiple options. Some options include; speech therapy, cochlear implants, hearing aids, and the learning of sign language. Many controversies surround the treatment, or non treatment of deafness. It is the parent’s ultimate decision when children are young.
Once diagnosised and treatment or non treatment has occurred, and decisions have been made, parents are faced with yet another decision; schooling. There are two options when parents are faced with the decision of schooling; mainstreamed or residential. I found through research that more and more deaf students are being mainstreamed, which means put in public schools. However, in history it was most common that students went to a specialized school of the deaf or residental school.
Parents with children whom are deaf have a lot of decisions to make, as of any parent or familiy with a child who has disabilities. I find that it is essential to continue research, not only on deafness but on other disabilities as I continue my education and career of teaching. It is important that parents and educators establish relationships and partnerships throughout the education of children. Through further research of various disabilities, teachers will be able to provide support and resources to make the lives of these families a little less difficult.
