Comments on: Fernandes Blasts Gallaudet’s New Bilingual Policy

By: To Paotie

To Paotie — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 04:35:27 +0000

The papers were written for academic scholars, not for the average person. No dumping down of his papers occured.

By: Jean Boutcher

Jean Boutcher — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 21:58:44 +0000

Paotie Says in #60:
“Ladd himself states he had to dumb down his papers for Deaf people.”

Paotie:
From what source?

By: Mishka Zena

Mishka Zena — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 20:14:09 +0000

Literacy and comptency of written English wasn’t emphasized during Jordan and Fernandes Administration. When Davila took over, he immediately started working on increasing academic rigors.

The emphasis of written English among the whole curriculum is the focus this fall. Literacy of the deaf people depends on their educational and communication upbringing and their motivation to improve their English skills. Sadly the deaf education system in this country is abysmal failure due to lack of exposure to a real language during their critical period of language development. It’s unfairly to place the blame on the deaf people when deaf education and hearing parents failed to meet their language needs during their growth. If we examine deaf children of deaf parents, they fare much better.

By: geez

geez — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 07:11:59 +0000

Gallaudet environment must “speak” ASL in order to communicate with anyone on-site. How do they communicate each other if they “speak” English? Think about this again. Should everyone else be taught or greeted orally (lipreading, etc.)? Should they use telephone without relay services or interpreters?

There we go. ASL is a communication mode to be used in many settings on campus. Problem solved?

By: Peter

Peter — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 18:07:27 +0000

to Paotie, Mishka, Xtreme, if you can show me proofs that reading a book is “hearing” among deaf kids, I like to know. Were there ever a deaf honor rolls nationwide in Silent News? No. We need to emphasized reading books is good to improve the written English language. Our “spoken” (signing) language is any form of sign language.

By: Peter

Peter — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 18:04:20 +0000

Hello. I work in a hearing company. I read the reports written in English. And I write in English. At Gallaudet, bi-bi doesn’t mean that the books there have to be written in ASL. It doesn’t make sense for the Deaf Radicals to ask for ASL books. Universities are the last places where deaf students can ask for reasonable accommoations. Once in class at Gallaudet in the 1980s, a student asked the teacher to interpret in ASL the written English test questions. No-no-no. And those deaf students, deaf staff and deaf faculty members who are very skilled at ASL and love ASL need to teach those who have limited knowledge of ASL. Notice how mnay Gallaudet students transferred the last 2-3 years. And CSUN and NTID recruiters are using their work-related success stories (writen English) to recruit.

By: Deep Ears

Deep Ears — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 15:12:59 +0000

Paotie,

Your bigotry and distorted logic is very, very, very obvious!

Deaf people are involved in an epic struggle to take control of their own destiny and make improvements at Gallaudet and in deaf education, yet *you* try to turn everything inside out.

You confuse cause and effect. The cause of education problems in the deaf community is the ineffective methods that were imposed on deaf people by oralists since the 1880 Milan conference.

By: Oscar Serna

Oscar Serna — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 15:00:08 +0000

I think we have a brother of Richard Roehm here *sarcastic*. Nothing more needed to be added .

Other than that, obviously, written English is needed to get along in this country. However to demand spoken English from Deaf people is the very definition of A-U-D-I-S-M. Sorry you can’t see it since you are in so much a denial that it aches my brain.

Oh before you ask why I seemingly am ruthless here. It is because of your disrespect to Deaf in general and to their success in particular. Fair is fair.

Enuff said.

By: Paotie

Paotie — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:51:32 +0000

Xtreme -

I agree with you – “bilingualism” is code for ASL. Mishka herself supported your claim with the statement that Gally raised its English standards recently.

And round and round we go!
)

Paotie

By: Paotie

Paotie — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:49:16 +0000

Mishka ..

English is the language that is required to function in the United States. ASL is NOT the cause of illiteracy rates among Deaf people. Poor education is the leading cause, although many Deaf people have delayed language acquistion.

Why defeat your logic by blaming everything and everyone else but the Deaf people themselves? Look at the blogs in which Deaf people write. Many don’t know how to think critically. Many don’t know how to write a decent argument in English. Many can’t even read a paragrah of a higher-ordered English.

Ladd himself states he had to dumb down his papers for Deaf people.

So, you want to promote people as being “Deaf and Dumb” and blame everyone, including Fernandes?

The fact that Gally had to “upgrade” its English demands very directly acknowledges that Gally has had a poor English focus in the past. At the very least, the English demands in the past were weak and now, apparently, need to be raised.

And yet, you don’t blame Gally at all?

)

Paotie