If you happen to have a deaf child in future, which school setting would you send your kid to:?

Question

If you happen to have a deaf child in future, which school setting would you send your kid to; a Deaf residential school, a public school with mainstream program (in an all-deaf classroom), or a public school with an interpreter

Answer 1

One with a mix of deaf and normally abled kids so they have a chance to mix with normally abled kids which will help them when they're older to deal with the rest of the world. Plus it's always good to have different kinds of friends. Of course there'd have to be support for deaf kids at that school.

I went to a mixed school, Glad I did because if I went to a school catering to disabled kids only then I'd have been cut off from the outside world and not learn the same social lessons as everyone else and if I had gone to a normal school that doesn't cater to disabled kids then I wouldn't have had the right support I needed. I'm disabled not deaf but deaf kids went to my mixed school and I know they were thankful for it.

Just make sure the teachers (in mixed schools) stick to what they promise because some places say anything to get your disabled child to go there just for the extra money the government will give them for teaching disabled children.

Answer 2

I have thought about this a lot because I come from a Deaf family and I have a slight hearing loss, so there is a chance I will have at least one Deaf child since deafness is so prevelant in my family. I am also in Deaf education, so perhaps that makes me biased. I don't know.

I would definitely send my child to a bilingual-bicultural program, which is typically in a Deaf institute - but that doesn't necessarily mean that it needs to include the residential component. I would want to be seeing my child at home everyday, so I would want to live close enough so my child would be commuting. I know what works because I have seen it work - a strong foundation in a first language (namely ASL) provides the best success for learning English as a second language. So I feel this is very important, especially early on because the teachers are trained to use ASL to teach English. If I felt the secondary level programming wasn't challenging enough, I would be open to mainstreaming for some or all classes with an interpreter... but developing a social life with Deaf peers is very important as well.

Answer 3

I used to be against residential schools and couldn't understand why any parent would want to send their child away. However, after many years of my best friend pounding into me that this is the best option - I finally got it. He went to a residential school but he didn't reside there. His parents lived close enough that he went there in the morning and came home every evening. In the residential school, ASL - the center of Deaf Culture - is focused upon. This is paramount on a Deaf child's success.

Yes, as one person indicated, there can be horror stories at boarding schools (look at Oprah's school) - but there are also horror stories at public schools (how many teachers have been arrested for doing inappropriate things with their students in the last 10 years?). The key is parental involvement.

I still do not think I could send my child away to a residential school where I only got to see him/her on the weekends or holidays. If I had a Deaf child, I would move into an area where a residential school existed so that we could have the best of both worlds -- he/she could be where I think they'd get the best education for them combined with learning Deaf Culture -- and we could still be a family.

Orchid of the Bayou is a WONDERFUL book and the one that changed my mind about residential schools. Kitty Fischer was born deaf. Had her aunt not intervened and convinced her father to allow her to go to a nearby residential school - her development, based upon the way her life was going - would have been non-existent. Today, she is a graduate of Galluadet University and an author. She has made an impacting contribution to this world and the Deaf Community and we have a residential school to thank.

Answer 4

Depends on the exact hearing loss...are you talking mildly deaf (which is called hard of hearing) or are you talking profoundly deaf (where the child can hear NOTHING)? The type of hearing loss really indicates which academic placement is best.

My run-down is...(and I'm a Teacher of the Deaf):

Mild loss: public school mainstream setting with an IEP and Teacher of the Deaf consult 3-5 times a week

Moderate loss: public school mainstream setting with an IEP, Teacher of the Deaf direct service to boost missed language and vocabulary in academic lessons 4-5 times a week

Severe loss: EITHER a public school setting with an IEP and full support from a Teacher of the Deaf all day daily OR Deaf residential school

Profound loss: Deaf residential setting

Also....this all depends on what amplification equipment the student has....do they have digital hearing aids, analog hearing aids or a cochlear implant? The type of loss and type of amplification the student needs is so very highly dependent on their placement...

...and then you get into academic testing....and that is a huge factor as well....

So, your question was general in nature, but a good one.

Answer 5

After 30 years teaching Deaf and Hard of Hearing....I still can't say! There is no one program that fits all kids. I have worked in good and bad programs and seen kids thrive in both a "hearing" setting and an all Deaf setting just as I have seen kids grow up and wish they had had the experience of whichever setting they were not in!
In looking at the program I want to see qualified teachers, a community which supports and encourages all children and a form of instruction which utilizes tons of visual information, no matter if oral/auditory or ASL. I would pack and move to a Bi-Bischool.
http://www.deaflinx.com/DeafEd/OptionsGuide/BiBi.html
It can be very lonely if you are the only D/HH kid in a school, yet I have had students who didn't seem to care. Others were so social that they craved the social interaction of an all ASL environment. So the kids personality ought to play into the decision as they get older.

Answer 6

To me, it would depend on the severity of the deafness. My husband is 50%, but 80% when wearing his hearing aids. This question is a possible reality for us when we have kids.

If the child were completely deaf, I would probably choose to send them to an all deaf school, but socialize him or her with hearing children outside of school, after all, that is the real world where they would be forced out to eventually.

If the child was partially deaf, like my husband, I would send them to public school. My husband didn't have too hard a time fitting in, and prides himself on the number of friends he has. Any prejudice they face in school is what they would face in the real world. I don't believe in sheltering kids from a lot of things. They are smarter then we like to realize.

Answer 7

Either mainstream with interpreter or Deaf school/classroom (NOT residential school, there are HORROR STORIES). On one hand, Deaf culture is a thriving and active culture that I value and would appreciate my child being apart of. On the other hand, it's an isolating culture and might limit my child socially in the future (getting jobs, communication in the "outside" world), and I'd need to consider that.

Honestly I would probably lean towards the deaf classroom.

Answer 8

It depends on the child. If the child is good with lip reading, then a public school with interpreter is fine. If not, then a deaf residential school.

Answer 9

I think I would try to have my child evaluated for hearing aids and/or a cochlear implant as soon as possible. In the mean time, I would start to use signs and verbal language to communicate with my child. Ideally, I would want them to try a special oral-based preschool for deaf children. If the child seems to be benefitting, they could eventually be placed in a mainstream setting with extra services as needed. However, I would still try to maintain some of the Deaf Culture by introducing my child to other Deaf children, encouraging signs, and participating in Deaf events.

Answer 10

I would say mains tream and use interpreter but instead of interpreter being "private" have him/her stand next to teacher that way all the kids are learning American Sign Language(ASL) and the deaf student is not feeling singled out,Robin