The Hands & Voices Story :
In the early 1990s the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., was preparing an exhibit called Silent America. It was intended to raise positive awareness of the Deaf Community, highlighting cultural and linguistic (ASL) aspects of the Deaf experience. Meanwhile, a number of people who were deaf or hard of hearing, but who were not living with those aspects of the Deaf experience, had a problem with the exhibit. From their perspective, it did not represent who they were-specifically, listening/oral communicators. They resented what they perceived to be the exclusionary nature of Silent America's point of view. Controversy rolled across the land. Both camps fired off angry letters towards each other, and the Smithsonian exhibit planners. In the end, the Smithsonian scrapped the whole project. Regardless of what side any one was on, we all lost that battle. As individuals who are in so many ways connected to each other through deafness or hearing loss professionally, parentally, or otherwise we'd had an opportunity to rally around the things that unite us and really show the whole world, but instead we burned ourselves out in the same old heated arguments over communication methodology. When a child is diagnosed as deaf or hard-of-hearing, not only does the family have to deal with finding out their child has a disability, they have to choose how their child will learn and communicate. Will we use sign language, and if so which form? Will our child benefit from hearing aids, or does their level of hearing loss warrant a cochlear implant? Should we use the auditory/verbal approach or can we use a combination of all of these approaches? Does my community have the resources to support our decisions? What are our rights to a free and appropriate education for our child? These questions are just a few among many that this family will have to explore. “Parents were asked about their contacts with other parents and with adults who were deaf. The results indicated that parents who had many contacts with other parents of children who were deaf or hard of hearing and with deaf adults reported less isolation and showed greater emotional bonds with their child and improved responsiveness during interactions.” Hintermair (2000) “...studies suggest that parent-to-parent support encourages parents and provides parents with role models as they discover their capabilities as parents and families with a deaf/hard of hearing child.” (Eleweke & Rodda, 2000; Jackson, Becker, & Schmitendorf, 2002) “We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone...and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something. “ Sandra Day O-Connor
Communication is at the heart of everything human beings do; it defines and gives meaning to our emotions, beliefs, hopes, creativity, and life experiences. Without communication, a child is lost. The effective development, understanding, and expression of language are fundamental to any educational experience and are particularly crucial for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. (The CA Deaf Education Report, 1999)
Areas of Focus Include: