Like it or not, AG Bell is indeed a Public Enemy #1!I would like to respond to Miss Kat's blog. I saw your blog. I can understand how naive you can be. I grew up in oral envrionment until I saw sign language. I had gone to many presentations for oral school. They made a lot of money using me in their presentations. I was on television, in newspapers, magazines and lecture circuit from 1956 to 1967. I was told not to use ASL and I was "brainwashed" into believing oralism works. I can remember how those people ask me to practice saying stuff before speaking to the public audiences. I viewed it as part of biased promotion. Suffice to say, I told them after the last presentation that I did not want to do any more presentations for the school or anyone from the school. I am sorry to say it did not work. Oralism is a false facade for audism.
If you can walk a mile in my shoes, all those comments in your blog and others will be different and be more perspective in understanding how the system is affecting everyone. I do not mind people making choices. It is the false advertising that bothers us. We know the truth and we want to have the system that is on equal terms. We have been oppressed for centuries so it is time to say, "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!" We would like to have equal access to communication. So we need to tell AG Bell and its cronies to stop oppressing us and stop spreading lies about us. Please do not kid yourself on this subject as it is a serious matter that needs to be addressed.
I know I am not alone. I read about every blog that goes on and on. I see both sides.
As for Robert's comments about me, he does not know me enough to make such comments. I do not know him, but I will let him be.
The words I collected were from Deafhood website. If you can look at it at www.deafhood.us., this is how I learned.
Spending more than 40 years in community services, I have seen scores and scores of dumped children (with C.I.) and mainstreamed kids going to state deaf schools or ASL programs. I dealt with over 240 mainstreamed kids and it was a very difficult as the majority of them became obsolete. The society did not want them when they finished school. Where do they go? They collect social security. They stay home. They go on addiction. Most have mental health problems.
The success rate among those so-called teacher's pets (those who kiss up to audists and stubborn people who are anti-ASL) are smaller and it seems that they forgot to look at the failures of the program. It is that the audists are busy sweeping the failures under the carpet and elsewhere.
This is why A.F.A. has a good argument that we do need to know the truth and we can be free to move on.
It is very obvious from September 11, 1880 to now. I have already threaded the stories of deaf people from September 12, 1880 to today. The common denominator among the deaf the last 129 years show audism occurred in every phase of programs.
It is ironic how many parents have died and left them alone. I have seen so many families breaking up over issues of "who is the boss now?" "who gets this or that in the house?" "who gets what" there are many stories about how many siblings change after parents passing.
The halos disappear fast once a parent dies. The hearing siblings will ignore the deaf sibling and grab up what is there for them. I know about a guy who got desperate when his family got more income and more opportunities. What did he do and he wanted to have same opportunity. He resorted to robbing a bank to get the money. The outcome was not pleasant as he broke the federal law so it is stiffer penalty for him.
Deaf siblings in many families are always left out! Not very many will respect the deaf siblings'needs or do more.
Audism does run in families so what you do today will affect tomorrow's challenges.
If AG Bell was never born, the deaf world would be in perfect place and there would be more harmony.
It is a shame that more than 53% of AGBAD is involved in medical profession. It is a simple case of quackery at its best when they pursue $$$ to fatten their financial portfolios. This is like slavery and taking advantage of unsuspecting parents and the public.
April 4, 2009
