Legislative Agenda #1 (Easiest)
As mentioned in my previous post, I will be suggesting some laws that we can work on trying to get passed in our states. If we can succeed in doing so, I visualize the effects of these laws having a positive effect on how Deaf people are treated and educated in our society. This first one is relatively easy to do, in my opinion, and this is what I think is a first step toward accomplishing our goals of achieving full linguistic, educational and social rights.
CloverGal said,
June 14, 2008 @ 8:11 am
No states law about deaf babies. Doctors are always telling hearing parents about CI CI CI CI CI CI CI CI. How can you prevent them???? Doctors are contacting people who are teachers about CI CI CI CI CI. They never contacted people about ASL/non-speech. They think CI are cure for deaf babies. It’s sad!!!!!
DrDonG said,
June 14, 2008 @ 1:29 pm
You’re right, CloverGal. This is my point. We need a counter-discourse that parents have immediate access to so they are not just getting a one-sided message.
Jeff said,
June 15, 2008 @ 5:02 pm
Hi - interesting discourse here. Here in the UK there are neonatal screenings and the charity NDCS has been advocating for deaf adults to be involved in post diagnosis consultations. This is not enshrined in law or put in any regulatory or good practice documents as such but many hospitals have subscribed this code and deaf adults are involved.
Great? Not really as the definition of ‘deaf adults’ in itself has resulted in some cases deaf adults who are promoting a cause such as CIs or Oralism or the like. Some promote monolingualism rather than bilingualism. The main problem here is that the deaf adult is not regulated by anyone and accountable to nobody with regard to the nature of information that they provide.
Back to square one? Not if we have printed information outlining the options and contact points in the information pack handed out to parents incorporating success stories of deaf adults of every persuasion under the sun(!), especially those who WERE born deaf - I have added the emphasis here as it automatically excludes those who became deaf at a later age as their experiences are skewed to say the least. This will ensure that parents have a clear and non-biased set of information and may encourage them to get in touch with us.
DrDonG said,
June 15, 2008 @ 5:30 pm
Jeff,
Thanks for your feedback. That is an issue we would need to address — just what DO we mean or want by “Deaf adult”? I agree that not all “Deaf adults” are created equal in terms of what they would represent to the parents or general public.