Comments on: For Jack Barr and Other Oral Survivors From A Different Era

By: judy

judy — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:41:07 +0000

Yeah sorry about Jack’s bad experienced at school
not only him many of us like that…I am toooooo
mad at school in wisconsin…that the teachers
refused me to learn like knit, sew, skillful to
use hands such as painting, drawing, make crafts,
writing even signing were forbid for me because
I was brat at that time when i was little often
punishments such as no movies, no outing, no fun,
stay in bench all day, if move give me more hours
to stay remain at night too..i fell sleep on bench
then someone woke me up and told me not to sleep
keep my body straight not laying at all.so now
look at me i do not have any skillfully with my
hands, only use signings i am use of course, but
where is my talents like others do have…that
school pissed me off….thank you

By: Mac

Mac — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 07:44:57 +0000

Dianrez, I really appreciated reading your comment about your experience. I wonder if the way that students with better oral skills were favored at the schools explains some deaf adult’s resentment toward deaf adults who speak with hearing people, even if they use sign language with deaf people.

I know that so many people are resentful of the experiences in the oral deaf schools. I listen to the stories about St Joseph’s and other oral deaf schools, and I wonder if I would have preferred an oral deaf school to being alone as the only deaf in a public school until 7th grade. Because I wish I got to go to school with other deaf people when I was young.

Maybe the grass is always greener everywhere else!

By: Michelle

Michelle — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:48:53 +0000

I am the mother of a 17 y.o. who has been deaf from birth. She has excellent oral skills as well as ASL. We recently moved to a school district in Missouri and were horrified to learn that the “hearing impaired services” they provide are oral only. They don’t even have anyone in the district that signs. As horrified as I was, my daughter was very angry and offended. I have begun the daunting task of trying to convince the board of education that they need to be teaching the children sign from the earliest possible moment, but it is really tough. Not only do they not know sign, they don’t have any contact the larger deaf community around them. We are looking for people who were oral educated to share their stories with us. We don’t believe there is any abuse going on here, just a severe lack of education and research. Our hope is that by seeing actual examples of what will happen to these children when they turn them out into the real world as adults, experiences of how they are received by the hearing and deaf cultures, they will revamp their system. My daughter has agreed to go before the school board and speak and we have a young man who is now in college that was from an oral only background that had to put off college 6 months to learn sign who is willing to share his story with them. We have contacted the Missouri Commission for the Deaf as well as the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (who have asked to be advocates in this area) for help. Anyone willing to share their story would be greatly appreciated. My email is shell_anders@yahoo.com.

By: Stanelle

Stanelle — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:14:57 +0000

Some children,..who were not successful under the pre-1970′s oral systems of education,..were put into mental institutions and institutions for the mentally retarded. What happened to those then children,..and now adults,..still thirty years later,..give me horrible nightmares!

I was their teacher in the mental institution of Apple Creek Ohio and the mental institution of Massillon State hospital. I bear human bite marks on my arms and hands as evidence of those horrible days as I tried to teach uneducated deaf and non-hearing children how to use basic communication in sign language. I was looked down on by other teachers because I was trying to teach so called “retarded” kids…(I would have said NEGLECTED KIDS..by no means retarded!!)…victims of the old oral system!

How can I explain such happenings to you as educated and free Deaf people of today?

I STILL am having nightmares about the horrors of those days!!

Some other workers and myself DID manage to save a few of those individuals. But i don’t know what happened to the rest of those poor children. deaf,..not retarded,..not crazy,..sentenced to a lifetime of the STIGMA of mental illness and thorazine…..

By: Lisa C.

Lisa C. — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:13:36 +0000

I had tried to get some oral survivors from the Edna Davis School in Spokane, Washington together to discus about the abuses we had gone thru by the teacher, Miss Elizabeth Anderson in the early 1970’s BUT they refused because I understand they had some fears to speak out. Miss Anderson had grabbed and shook our chins repeatly and she repeatly yelled at us for what we had done in the classroom. My mom spoke to the principal Richard Reames about what Miss Anderson had done to me and one of my classmates who lived a block from my home but he told her that she was a good teacher. My mom bluntly said that he was supposed to be in her classroom to witness. I changed school afterward.

By: exwisconsianite

exwisconsianite — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:52:54 +0000

hi,

I used to live in Wisconsin. Jack is one of the good guy. I will vouch for him. His story is horrible to watch and reminded me of my own public school experience.

Jack will come out real strong after this vlogs and I do admire him for fighting for a mighty cause.

He did a fabulous job in expressing himself that I would probably struggle of what to say.

Jack thank you for coming out and apologizing and moving on slowly to heal.

You are a great warrior of Wisconsinites and the Deaf community in whole.

By: AL

AL — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:39:48 +0000

MZ, my eyes also filled with tears while watching Jack Barr’s vlog. I have heard of many other deaf people from his era enduring physical abuse due to their inability to hear. I agree with you that all of these stories should be shared so that we as a community can ensure that the school system does not repeat the mistakes of the past. These stories were not only confined to oral schools, many deaf schools at that time were oral-only and many deaf students depended on their hard of hearing classmates to survive. These painful memories are an important part of our collective deaf history.

By: Mishka Zena

Mishka Zena — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:19:36 +0000

Again I request that no current communication methods be discussed here. This is about the physical abuses the oral survivors underwent decades ago.

Thank you

By: OldLady

OldLady — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:38:59 +0000

I forget add one more time okay..Who deaf ppls been bother brain old past…Who hearing teacher or parent or who did hurt deaf ppls..They forget about god watch and feel sad ready go punishment to them when they dies go heaven face to face to god..Let god will show pics what they doing to deaf ppls hurt sure who hearing ppls feel shock bigger gulity cry not mean to deaf ppls..Ready god will judge say to them… Dont worry…Sure god love deaf ppls are innocent feel filled hurt for enought and god be happy give peace go home be forget happen old past..Thansk again..

By: OldLady

OldLady — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:29:36 +0000

Hi mishka
Thanks show jack,s vlogs.I just been watch this his story,I feel so shock,feel heart tore,I say oh whoa how much he been pain bother think old past happen he little boy,he been experience oral shcool..His who,s teacher very so mean bad person does to him..Same me before old pubic shcool my teacher were teach me speech,When sound not right..Teacher easy mad..I feel inside hurt-tired keep dicisiple keep practice speech yes hard time..Jack better forget old past carry show his brain keep carry past make he feel inside come boil angry..I feel still need fight how all deaf ppls experience,Need help all deaf ppls must show to court or counsler or soemthing special succus trying need tell STOP abuse,control to deaf children can suffer or pain like us was old past who teacher been mean..Need STOP don’t need force must deaf children speech keep struggle right sound can speak or know some words..Who child,s family full deaf how can speak good well??..About hearing family who chid deaf..Need tell them pls just teach speech don’t abuse or so mean..Be nice teach to kids will be more undy give time practice than force not good idea do that…Need all who ppls are deaf need help fight good idea something protect against hearing teacher or person teach speech don’t abuse or force and things worse hurt deaf child NEED STOP..Thansk your sharing.Bigger smile