Comments

Comments on other blogs

 

Natasha: Will printed books disappear? PrintisHeretoStay.blogspot.co.nz 

This is a good start, but I personally find all the stats a bit hard to read and maybe you could argue your point more by finding examples and reason of how holding a book is different and more enjoyable than e-readers. Maybe you could touch on what would happen if books did stop getting printed? What about all those books from 100s of years ago that have survived for future generations to look at and value as a part of our history.

Matthew: artistic works should not be subjected to censorship. http://msaminiwrite.blogspot.co.nz

This is a great topic and I think that it's something that should be addressed, as our world is becoming very PC which doesn't really lead to people being able to express what they need to. Throughout history art has influenced change and if it is censored then there is a risk of this happening. I agree maybe you need to pick one artistic form and if needed and possible make references to others where appropriate. I look forward to more posts.

Ronal: Should the voting age in NZ be lowered? http://nzeducationsystem.blogspot.co.nz/

This is a great topic. Instead of just saying that 16yr olds are too young to vote, i don't think you are addressing the issue fully as 16yrs could indeed vote and be interested in politics if they were educated more on the issue which would also in theory increase the voting by the 18-27 age group. I think with so much social media and the internet that young people are far more cued up on what is going on in the world and they should be given the option to vote. As it is the young who are inheriting the world, so having all the decisions made by those who are older is really not acceptable. Maybe if youth had the chance to vote and be more involved in politics then the issues that really effect them such as the environment would get more attention and long term solutions would come about.
In short to make your argument stronger I think you need to look at what would be the effect on the country if youth did vote and if you disagree then have supporting examples to support it.

Ana: Deaf people should have better (improved? full?) access to emergency information. http://thebananatalks.blogspot.co.nz/

Hi Ana
This is looking good. Are there examples from overseas which you could use as a case study that NZ should aim to match? Maybe having the news interpreted into NZSL could help start addressing Deaf access to information especially emergency info?

Jenette: "Success for All - Every School, Every Child".  The reality for Deaf children?  http://jwbrief2.blogspot.co.nz/

Looking good. Maybe if you find arguments saying that NZ is doing the best it can and that it has limited resources you could suggest online learning in the classroom with NZSL interpreters or teachers of the Deaf - I think there is a bit of it around, maybe in other countries. I think if your focus is that there should be more options then focus on that

Also from my understanding one of the things NZ thinks is acceptable is having teacher aids for Deaf students, however the teacher aid may have only been signing for 1-2 years and is at University - hardly qualified to be in the position of teaching a Deaf child. So like you said the options they have available to them are not acceptable.

There might be something written about that somewhere or at least info on teacher aids - maybe MOE?

references

References 

Dardiner, S. (2013). The Deaf Culture vs. Oral Only debate. Retrieved from

http://2ears2hear.kiwi.nz/2013/03/22/the- deaf-culture-vs-oral-only-debate/

Deaf Aotearoa. (n.d.). NZ Sign Language history. Retrieved from http://deaf.org.nz/nz-sign-language/about-     sign-language/history

The New Zealand Herald. (2011). Making Sense in a hearing world. Taylor, C. Retrieved from.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=107738781

 Patient.co.uk.(2012). Cochlear Implants. Retried from http://www.cite.auckland.ac.nz/index.php?p=quickcite

The Hearing House. (n.d). Parent Participatation. Retrieved from http://www.hearinghouse.co.nz/information+for+parents/auditory-verbal+therapy/parent+participation

All links used

http://www.deaf.co.nz/for-you/deaf-community/deaf-culture-history 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/cochelar/search/results.cfm?kw1=cochelar&kw2=&st=gsa 

http://2ears2hear.kiwi.nz/2013/03/22/the-deaf-culture-vs-oral-only-debate/ 

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/asl.aspx#6

http://www.ehwhathuh.com/2011/01/why-some-families-dont-choose-sign.html

http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/special_education/scoping-support-for-new-zealand-sign-language-users-accessing-the-curriculum-part-i-an-international-literature-review/5.-teaching-in-nzsl

http://www.deafed.net/publisheddocs/sub/970415y.htm
http://hearingpocket.wordpress.com/2007/07/10/myth-3-cochlear-implants-cure-deafness/
http://www.cochlear.com/files/assets/what_children_with_ci_need_school.pdf

http://www.ndcs.org.uk/about_us/position_statements/mental_health.html

http://www.ndcs.org.uk/about_us/ndcs/index.html

http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Cochlear-Implants.htm

http://www.babycenter.com/400_what-is-the-right-age-to-teach-sign-language_8956844_684.bc

http://www.odi.govt.nz/documents/nzds/nzsl-bill.pdf

http://www.examiner.com/article/an-argument-for-the-continued-teaching-of-asl-to-deaf-children

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlear_implant
http://www.cochlearwar.com/myths_and_facts.html#mf10
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10773878
http://www.hearinghouse.co.nz/information+for+parents/auditory-verbal+therapy/parent+participation
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/soundandfury/cochlear/debate4.html
http://2ears2hear.kiwi.nz/2013/03/22/the-deaf-culture-vs-oral-only-debate/
http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/special_education/scoping-support-for-new-zealand-sign-language-users-accessing-the-curriculum-part-i-an-international-literature-review/5.-teaching-in-nzsl
http://www.cochlear.com/files/assets/what_children_with_ci_need_school.pdf
http://deafness.about.com/cs/communication/a/bilingual.htm
http://www.ehwhathuh.com/2011/01/why-some-families-dont-choose-sign.html
http://deafness.about.com/od/newtodeafness/a/nonsigningpars.htm
http://books.google.co.nz/books?id=YnRKJ3phPdkC&pg=PA91&lpg=PA91&dq=growing+up+deaf+in+a+hearing+family&source=bl&ots=iTxVie9QOB&sig=oQ5bq8YwC__zkuB_2hgHbj4KvD0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=OouIUf22N4uiigfb7IHACQ&ved=0CGwQ6AEwBjgK#v=onepage&q=growing%20up%20deaf%20in%20a%20hearing%20family&f=false
http://deafness.about.com/cs/parentingarticles/a/familyholidays.htm
http://www.deafculturecentre.ca/public/default.aspx?i=294&n=deaf+culture
http://www.deaf.co.nz/for-you/deaf-community/deaf-social-life
http://www.deaf.co.nz/for-you/useful-info/facts-about-deaf/
http://www.deaf.co.nz/for-you/useful-info/facts-about-deaf/
http://2ears2hear.kiwi.nz/2013/03/22/the-deaf-culture-vs-oral-only-debate/
http://www.deaf.co.nz/nz-sign-language/about-sign-language
http://www.deaf.org.nz/for-you/deaf-community/deaf-culture-history
http://www.deaf.co.nz/nz-sign-language/about-sign-language/history
http://www.deaf.co.nz/for-you/useful-info/facts-about-deaf/
http://www.deafculturecentre.ca/public/default.aspx?i=294&n=deaf+culture
http://www.deaf.co.nz/for-you/deaf-community/deaf-social-life
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02614360902951690#.UY3GNMqwBRp
http://jdsde.oxfordjournals.org/content/10/1/63.short
 

Impacts of learning Sing Language

Cochlear implants

One option for children who are born deaf is to get a cochlear implant and it is popular opinion that this makes them hearing.  There are many benefits to having a cochlear implant and there are many success stories.  However a cochlear implant is often hard work for the child and the family, and has varying degrees of success.  For many years it has been said that using Sign Language with your child who has a cochlear implant will have a negative effect on your child's success with learning to talk. However, recent research shows that is not the case and it can in reality help with learning English, supporting the argument that deaf children should be encouraged to learn Sign Language.

Education

One reason for children to get a cochlear implant is so that the deaf child can succeed in education.  However even with a cochlear implant a deaf child will often still need support and still may not have total access to the information that is being taught.  There is now research that shows that Sign Language is the natural language of deaf children and a bilingual - bicultural approach is being used to teach deaf children, which means that deaf children are taught in Sign Language with English taught as a second language.  Bilingual education only works when a child has age-appropriate acquisition of the first language. There is research from Sweden showing the success of a bilingual program.

Growing up deaf in a hearing family

Parents may have their own reasons not to learn Sign Language but lack of communication between child and parents has been known to have a negative effect on the deaf child's family relationships and education.  There are stories of hearing parents asking a deaf education teacher "explain to my daughter why she started bleeding last night."  There is also research to show that a mismatch in language between mother and child can lead to an increased risk of mental health issues in deaf children.

If a child does not have exposure to language for their early years then often there is not an effective way of communicating within the family.  Thus, someone growing up deaf in a hearing family can feel isolated with the limited communication, missing out on having in-depth conversations with family members, and feeling left out at family gatherings.

Deaf boy signs I love you

Deaf identity 

When a deaf child starts to learn sign and become part of the Deaf community they feel like they have found a community they belong to, and they can fully participate in social situations and not feel isolated.

Sign Language is one key way to become part of the Deaf community.  Often, once a deaf person learns Sign Language they develop a Deaf identity, shifting from seeing themselves as someone with a medical hearing loss to someone who is part of a community which has it's own language, culture and history.  Thus, if a child had early access to Sign Language then they would become part of this community at a earlier age, which is important as the feeling of been isolated would be minimised as they could interact with people who know what it feels like to "respond to things visually".


Conclusion

All deaf children should be encouraged to learn Sign language as it is something they can be exposed to from birth, unlike sound from a cochlear implant.  This enhances language development, and if they do get a cochlear implant later in life Sign Language enhances access to education. Sign Language is key to becoming part of the Deaf community, which is an active community that provides a sense of belonging to a child who feels isolated and alone in a hearing world.