This post is for hearing parents of deaf children, interpreters, hearing ASL students, etc

I would like to have feedback from you about how the website could be improved better with informations that could benefit parents of deaf children and other people that want to learn more about the Deaf Culture and American Sign Language.

Please visit
http://www.deafchildrenandsigning.com/index.html

Here are some of the hearing parent’s feedback,

In the Mindfield discussion project, the section on Deaf Children was very helpful and informative. As a new parent of a deaf child who is searching to become more informed and knowledgeable, it was a way to find references to resources quickly. One of the quotes that would be beneficial to parents found within the Hearing Deafness section was, . . . deafness can initially be a mystery, but it is a mystery that can be understood over time.

In the Learning Sign Language section under Other Options there was some confusion. It states that there are forms of communication other than sign language for a deaf child, they include: oral means, auditory ˆ verb means, and cued speech. As a parent of a deaf child, what are these alternative forms of communication? The website was unclear in defining there means and the time commitment for each in comparison to sign language.

After viewing the website an understanding was reached that the deaf community is a culture. This social group has its own people, language and customs. It was comforting to know that there is a large circle of support, acceptance and pride in the lifestyle of the deaf community.

This website provided many other links to sites and resources for more information on educating a deaf child. Some of them are: Deafsoftware.com, girlsandboystown.org, DeafEd.net, and the Gallaudet University’s Signs of Literacy Project. The technology of today provides parents many ways of accessing material on raising a deaf child.

On a scale of one to five, the site rates a five. Visiting the site without any prior knowledge of the deaf community, it gives quick and concise information. You can quickly learn the history, medical diagnosis, and access other resources. As a parent of a baby who is deaf, we found the Mindfield website most helpful and informative.

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As a parent of a deaf child this website would be very comforting. It informs people that being deaf or hard of hearing is not uncommon. There are many ways that people communicate to make hearing not be a necessity in everyday living. The most informative section was ‘Learning to Sign’ because it gives people hope. The thought of learning sign language can seem overwhelming but this section lets you know it is achievable and even if you can’t learn right away there are other alternatives.

One confusing aspect was that the sign language that we are learning is for the United States only. The thought of other languages using other gestures for the same objects or actions is confusing.

The great thing is how many resources there are out there for parents and children. The most popular medium seems to be the internet because there are many interactive websites that help in a fun and entertaining way for children. There is one that seemed particularly interesting because it would be appealing to a parent who wanted to read a children’s book to their young child. It is GirlsandBoysTown.org and has a “Read with Me” video series which goes along with popular storybooks in sign language. Overall rating this website an eight out of ten seems right.

I would recommend this site to other parents and teachers looking to learn more about the deaf culture. It is important to realize that being deaf does not have to change your quality of life. It was great how they informed readers about teaching a baby to sign and explaining how that part of their mind develops even before they have the muscles needed to speak. It was helpful that the site explained how there are many tools available for students too such as a note taker and many more amazing services to help make learning easier. The only thing that this site did not discuss in full is how a deaf or hard of hearing person does things once out of school. It doesn’t explain how doctors’ appointments work, or the process of going to an interview for a job. This all would come to the mind of a parent with a deaf child.

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We liked the how informative the website was in regards to the deaf community and deaf children of hearing parents. The heading topics were great and the bolded topics in the sentences were also an awesome feature to the website. The bolded topics will encourage the readers of the website to remember the topics better.

Natalie found the baby sign language section of the site especially useful because she plans to communicate to her child when he/she are still unable to speak. Amanda also liked the baby sign language section because she finds that communicating with a child so young is fascinating.

The things that we thought was confusing are that the website might want to elaborate more on the topics that he brings up. He touches briefly on the topic, and then he moves onto another. Also, maybe he could add more other resources to his page so we could look up what he talked briefly about if we are interested any further. Another thing that we thought he could touch more on is examples and resources on how hearing parents can communicate more to their deaf children.

Good links for this site would be <http://www.deafvision.com/>www.deafvision.com and <http://www.hearmore.com/>www.hearmore.com. Deafvision is a Minnesota association for the deaf and hard of hearing community. There are several good resources included on the page. Hearmore.com is an online store where parents of deaf children can buy useful tools to fit their child‚s unique needs.

We both thought the website was good but it still could use some fine tuning. On a scale from 1 to 10, we agreed to rate it a 7. There is some very good information on the site.

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You can make your comment here or contact me through the website’s contact me page.

Thank you,

John F. Egbert

Posted on June 26th, 2007 by egbertpress
Filed under: Uncategorized