Introduction
There is research to show that early language exposure is important to any child's language development. This is easy enough when a hearing child is born to a hearing family and they are exposed to language and sounds around them from birth. However when a deaf child is born to hearing parents the situation is different, as often the parents don't know Sign Language. More and more evidence is showing that Sign Language is the natural and preferred language of those who are deaf. So why don't parents learn and use Sign Language with their deaf children? The argument is complex and there are many reasons. One option is for the child to receive a cochlear implant which is seen as "cure" to deafness, which is not true. With the varying degrees of success with cochlear implants, relying solely on a cochlear implant and not exposing a child to sign language can have negative effects on family relationships and the education success of deaf children. In these blog posts I will discuss with supporting evidence why all deaf children should be encouraged to learn Sign Language.
Early access to language
Research shows that the sooner a child is exposed to language and starts to learn a language, the better the child's communication skills will become. Even the early months are important.
Hearing children born to hearing parents are exposed to language from birth as they are surrounded by verbal language. However 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents and the situation is different, as not being able to hear means they are unable to access the spoken language around then. Children are screened at birth to assess if they are hearing or not. This means that parents who have a deaf child should have access to information about communication options so they can start their child's language development.
Unfortunately the reality is is often parents are told by doctors that they need to look into
having a cochlear implant, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
However it seems parents are not encouraged to use Sign Language with the child who is deaf. And in this 'success story' from The Hearing House, "spent the first nineteen months of her life unable to hear and unable to develop language." Children can learn to sign before they can talk (this applies to deaf and hearing children) thus saying that Ali was unable to develop language is false. If her parents has been informed about using Sign Language with Ali then she would learn Sign Language which is in fact the third official language of New Zealand. Thus, Ali missed out on nineteen months of language development.
Francois Grosjean states one of the reasons that deaf children need to learn Sign Language is because
"It is crucial for Deaf children to see a visual, 100 percent accessible, natural signed language, that they are able to completely comprehend the information as they grow up."
Hi there
ReplyDeleteI think you need to consider using more "hedging" language as the title sounds very strong eg "All Deaf children should learn Sign Language" maybe try "All Deaf children should be encouraged to learn Sign Language".
The first sentence begs the question, "Is it?" because it makes a strong claim, without any supporting link to stats etc.
I don't get a clear idea from your post as to what exactly your topic is, other than from the title. The 3rd paragraph hints at it, but maybe there's a problem with the quote as it is too vague - what is "the information"? I also wonder if your 4th paragraph would sit better as your 1st?
However, "Even those who have cochlear implants and can speak well still find Sign Language is their preferred language. As with cochlear implants or hearing aids though the Deaf person can hear some sound on varying degrees, although they cannot hear every single word and often rely on lip reading when in a one-on-one conversation. However, this means they cannot always participate in a group conversation or in a noisy room." I got lost reading these sentences - not sure if you need to rework the punctuation or just what?
Also, in the 2nd paragraph, that word "amended" - Maybe I'm wrong, but I associate it with fixing a document or a law, rather than a human disability?
Re your references, try using the "link" icon to import the web addresses into your document as hyperlinks. Sing out in the lab if you need a hand.
Hi Nicola!
ReplyDeleteI echo what Jenette has said about needing to use more links to back up the statements you're making, but I'm sure this is something you're planning to do when you go into more detail in future posts.
I know that you have extensive experience in the Deaf community and that you've formed strong opinions as a result, and it's great that you're so passionate. I think now the key is just to find links to things which back up what you've been told anecdotally for the purpose of the brief so that you're able to put forward a strong argument to those who haven't had that exposure to real life examples. I know it can be challenging as there is often limited statistics, but from my own research there does seem to be just enough out there to back up an argument! And I suppose maybe you can also use the fact that there are limited statistics as an example in your argument as to why more hasn't been done already to ensure all Deaf children have access to NZSL?
Either way, I'm confident that you'll find what you need (feel free to have a look through the links post I made to see if anything is useful to back up the points you want to make).
Good luck with the rest of your posts, I'm sure they'll be great!
Julia
This introduction almost reads like a summary of the blog. You could almost just flesh out each section and you've finished the brief.
ReplyDeleteYour first sentence comes across like a claim; is this your own view, in which case you need to substantiate it. If it's a conclusion to a report or an article, it'd probably help if you explained this or included a link to the relevant research. Starting with Grosjean's quote -- it strikes me as the main/significant support for your stand that all deaf children should learn sign language -- and then writing a summary of the arguments that support it to follow could be a possible approach to introducing your topic. (I'm assuming you'll format the quote properly later with the hyperlink embedded into the text.)
Including the Hearing House this early on feels a little bit like a red herring or, at least, a bit of a sideways step; I can imagine you felt the same disbelief (horrified incredulity) that I did when you read their website. You could include it in a (later) section on opposing views? As it is, I got the impression -- though I may be wrong -- that they are a relatively minor presence.
Hey Nicola , i enjoyed reading this topic and how strong you are towards the encouragement of sign language. However like the comments above i believe it is more summary like than a conclusion
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for great feedback, will work those comments into future posts
ReplyDeleteThis is looking great, Nic. I like the wallpaper. Your example re Ali is good support for your stand:)
ReplyDeleteLook out for those minor grammar issues
Hi Nicola, I like your topic as it is original and one that is not that common. Great to see you taking a big interest in it. I like how your blog gives off a positive vibe with the colours and picture of all the children and things like that. You seem to know a lot about the subject which shows with the magnitude of information you have provided.
ReplyDeleteHi Nicola,
ReplyDeleteI've read your blog and honestly I'm very impressed! You've provided hyperlinks to back up almost everything you've stated and you've commanded your language well to clearly and professionally, state your understanding of the issue. It's hard to find a fault!
However, I have found some very minor ones. Firstly, in your mention of Ali's story, I would suggest including Ali's name in the hyperlinked quote, as currently that quote is missing a subject and it reads a bit strangely. Secondly, there is a typo in the second to last paragraph. ("If her parents has been informed about using Sign Language with Ali..." here, 'has' should be 'had'.)
Clearly these are just superficial issues, however.
I have to say, you really have me convinced. Not knowing a single deaf person, this is not an issue that I have ever given much thought to as I simply am not usually exposed to it. Honestly, I was actually surprised that deaf children are not all taught sign language! I definitely think that they should be taught sign language in order to empower them as literate, communicative people and to give them a sense of identity as a deaf person (I believe identity, particularly for minorities, is such an important thing). Your example in your second post about the mother asking the deaf teacher to explain menstruation to her deaf daughter was a very strong, moving choice of example. It created an emotional connection to the issue, making it seem more real and relevant to the reader without being an appeal to pity.