My Personal Experiences of Deaf Education

Transcription

1 My Personal Experiences of Deaf Education Speaker: William Stavert

2 2 Please watch the slides

3 Deaf History

4 Sign Language in 16 th Century

5 1521 Rudolf Agricola, a Dutch humanist, believed that the Deaf could communicate via writing Geronimo Cardano, a physician of Padua, northern Italy, proclaimed that deaf people could learn and understand as well as the ability to reason via signed communication and writing. Rather earlier the way was prepared by the teachings of Jerome Cardano ( ), who rebelled against the current acceptance of Aristotle's teaching, that connected thought was impossible without speech.

6 Abbe Charles Michel de L'Epee Abbe Charles Michel de L'Epee of Paris founded the first public school for deaf people in 1760.

7 Tomas Braidwood Founded Braidwood Academy for the Deaf and dumb in United Kingdom

8 Thomas Gallaudet Thomas Gallaudet founded Gallaudet University for Deaf people in America. He was a very powerful and influential man in the world.

9 Deaf People achievements even more Deaf Lawyer good Jobs Deaf Architect Deaf Teacher Deaf Accountant Deaf Surgeon

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11 Milan 1880 International Congress on Education of the Deaf in Milan, Italy September 1880

12 Sign versus Oral Charles-Michel de l'épée s Sign Language method Samuel Heinicke s Oral method

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14 Thomas Gallaudet On arriving in Italy, Thomas was too late to use his expertise and influence

15 Samuel Heinicke won the Vote Favoured Oral method Education Discouraged Sign language Deaf Teachers were kicked out. Hearing teachers appointed to use oral communication method in education.

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17 Oralism Method

18 Over the next 100 years since Milan 1880

19 The achievements of Deaf People have gone backwards.

20 Over 70% of UK Deaf children left school with a reading age of 7 years or below and few had qualifications and social skills.

21 Hearing parents were told not to use signs and only use speech / lipreading with their deaf children.

22 Paternalism and poor attitudes towards deaf children grew.

23 Deaf people were robbed of their right to use Sign Language and were failed by the education system in the 1960 s

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25 William Stavert was born in July 1959 and diagnosed profound deaf

26 My Personal Experiences of Deaf Education Speaker: William Stavert

27 27 Be prepared!

28 28 Archie Archie is a Hearing Dog for the Deaf and a Registered Assistance Dog and I take him everywhere! - including all workplaces. I have Archie with me as I cannot not hear such sounds as doorbells, telephones ringing, alarm clocks, smoke alarms or cooking timers. Archie alerts me to these sounds

29 29 My Deaf education and social experience.

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31 31 William Stavert I was born deaf and was diagnosed as Profoundly Deaf when I was about 10 months old. I was the only Deaf child within my hearing family of 5. I have been wearing hearings aids all of my life. Now my first language is BSL, but I use my speech and English language as my second language.

32 32 Born At the age of about 10 months I was diagnosed as being Profoundly Deaf My mother took me to London Ear Nose Throat specialist to find if any cure to restore my hearing. Doctor told my mother it best for me to taken away to boarding school and forget me!

33 Nursery / Primary School 33 I started school aged two and half initially, being taken forcibly, by social services and the police, from my parents and put into a boarding school in Martley, Worcester. After fighting very hard, my parents eventually overturned this decision; I then attended Summerfield School for Deaf Children, in Malvern, as a day pupil. My parents fought very hard for me to attend day school, instead of residential. The local authority preferred Deaf children to stay in residential schools.

34 34 Nursery / Primary School Summerfield School for Deaf Children had a designated oral approach ; sign language was not permitted; hands were caned if children were caught and hands must then be sat upon. They also used an oral approach to teaching methods regarding Deaf education, with a significant focus on listening and speaking. This reduced the level of general curriculum access and, therefore, educational potential and achievement.

35 35 Reflections of Nursery / Primary School At home and socially, I was frustrated and had loads of tantrums as I could not communicate with my family. They were talking to each other and I could not follow their conversation or join in. I could not follow the television and only watch the gesture and visual images. I went out to play football with hearing boys but they were bullies and teased me and told me to go away.

36 36 Secondary School I passed my 11+ examination entrance and attended one of best deaf schools in the United Kingdom: Burwood Park School. Burwood Park school is a boarding school located in Surrey. However, I was still taught using the oral approach teaching method. I left school aged 17 years with 4 O levels. My ambition was to be a draughtsman in the Ministry of Defence.

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38 38 Summary of my education experience Misunderstandings and being told to use my lipreading skills Repeated speech articulation practice Listening skills were a waste of time Lipreading can be very tiring and involves lots of guesswork Physical/verbal abuse was rife Confusion as to my identity Do I belong to the Deaf or Hearing world?

39 39 Sign Language After I left school, I started to pick up British Sign Language (BSL) at my local Deaf Club. Until this time, I had never been allowed to use signs of any sort and had received no real access to BSL as a language. My Deaf friends at school and I had used our own secret sign language whenever the headmaster and teachers were not looking at us! This opened up a whole new world to me and my confidence grew.

40 40 College life I began a 4 year Apprenticeship in Mechanical Engineering, with the Ministry of Defence. I attended Worcester College; studying City and Guilds in Mechanical Engineering. It was a huge shock for me to be in an educational hearing environment and hearing culture; I had been brought up within Deaf education and with only Deaf peers!

41 College life 41 The tutors did not have any understanding of the impact of my Deafness on my learning. There were no Teachers of the Deaf to support me at all throughout this time. The tutors also had no understanding of my first language - BSL For example: I wrote an essay and submitted it but the tutor threw it back at me saying that my English was very bad and that I had to write it again.

42 College life continued For the next 4 years I struggled to lip-read both tutors and peers; consequently finding it difficult to learn; mostly copying notes from students sat beside me and failing my theory exams 3 times, before eventually passing! I began studies in HNC Engineering, still struggling with communication and access; making the course extremely difficult to comprehend I eventually gave up. My boss recognised my ability: forcing me to go back to continue my studies. I persevered and struggled on for two years - passing my HNC. Phew! 42

43 Going back to College I decided to return to College to achieve a BTEC Electrical and Electronics course. Again, the tutors did not understand my deafness and related issues. I struggled very hard to lipread and to complete my work tasks. Assignments were given to me and I often didn t comprehend the question through written English language; I would ask my tutor for help. His response was that he couldn t help me to understand what was being asked - without me losing marks for receiving help! 43

44 Going back to College One morning, I arrived at my first lesson. The tutor was talking to the class; nothing was written on board. All the students began to open up their work and started writing; I did not know what it was going on. My long-term frustration spilled over! I stood up and slammed my folder shut and told tutor I m off. He responded Bye bye not seeming at all bothered for me. I stormed off and cried. I was very distressed and cried for someone to help me. My sister contacted Social Services and things began to change for me.. 44

45 Going back to College 45 A Teacher of the Deaf in Further Education, from Worcester s Sensory Impairment Team, came to see me and advised me to attend a different college where they were more focused on practical work than theory. I started the course all over again on day release and within a different college. I was provided with a Communication Support Worker who signed to me and translated whenever the tutors or students were talking.

46 46 Going back to College I felt much happier and continued my studies for two years - but of course I still found it very tiring, after all, I began at 9.00am and finished at 8.30pm! I then completed my examinations - I passed with flying colours!

47 47 Negative Attitudes in my early years experience Doctors and Medical Services attitudes to deafness Social Services had fixed ideas Oral method Education system in school Teacher attitudes to deafness. No professional support for my family regarding my deafness.

48 48 but. Integrate Specialist Support Services - Hearing Impaired ISSS H.I Children s Services Worcestershire County Council

49 49 Integrated Specialist Support Services Early Diagnosis Newborn Hearing screen immediate referral from Acute Audiology to our service when a baby is diagnosed with a hearing loss. Family Support Ongoing liaison and support for the deaf child and his family from point of diagnosis and throughout their school career. Educational Audiologist Ongoing assessment & reports on Deaf child s hearing loss and how it impacts on learning.

50 50 Integrated Specialist Support Services Teachers of Deaf /Hearing impaired Team Visit homes, schools and colleges Liaise with classroom teachers and recommend interventions, classroom strategies and best practice in mainstream schools for deaf children. Deaf Role model / Communication Skills Advisor Deaf Identity / Sign language/ Communication modes New Technology Cochlear Implants, Digital Hearing aids, Radio aids. all give much better access to sound.

51 51 Future

52 52 Future change Government changes in education strategies Academy schools Core funding may devolve the budget for SEN from the Government directly to schools not via Local Authority.

53 53 SENco Future You need to encourage your Special Education Needs Co-ordinator (SENco) to be more DEAF AWARE And to help change the future for Deaf Children so that they can have the same educational opportunities as their hearing peers and better outcomes. INSET & training very important.

54 Integrated Services Specialist Support Useful information Resources Website BSL Zone player History of Deaf Education 1 (Part One) History of Deaf Education 2 (Part Two) Google Search Milan 1880 Deaf History Book Innocents of Oppression ISBN

55 Integrated Services Specialist Support 55 National Deaf Children Society (NDCS) British Assoication of Teachers of the Deaf (BATOD)

56 56 Thank you Thank you for listening to my presentation and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.