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TEN COMMON MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS SURROUNDING DEAFNESS. DEAF PEOPLE CAN’T HEAR ANYTHING. Most deaf people hear something – very few have a corner audiogram The type of loss and the age of onset determine how a person can use their hearing
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DEAF PEOPLE CAN’T HEAR ANYTHING • Most deaf people hear something – very few have a corner audiogram • The type of loss and the age of onset determine how a person can use their hearing • Categories of loss include: mild, moderate, severe, and profound
CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES • When you see deaf printed in the literature with a lower case “d” it refers to an audiological definition -- Degree of hearing loss • When you see Deaf printed in the literature with a capital “D” it refers to Deaf Culture
CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS • Deaf people are one of the few disability groups (perhaps the only one who value their deafness and consider it a positive attribute). • Culturally Deaf People • Don’t want to be fixed • Value their Deaf heritage • Share a common language
ALL DEAF PEOPLE CAN READ LIPS • 40% - 50% of speech sounds are not visible on the lips • e, g, h, i, a, k remain hidden • There are only 16 mouth movements that are distinguishable in the English language
You must have an extensive English vocabulary and be familiar with the syntax of the language to speech read • Phrases such as: • I love you • I’ll have two look exactly the same
ALL DEAF CHILDREN HAVE DEAF PARENTS • 9 out of every 10 deaf children are born to parents who can hear • Deaf children having 2 deaf parents comprise only 3-4% of the general population • 90% of hearing parents who have deaf children DO NOT rely on signed communication to interact with their deaf child
IMPACT OF COMMUNICATION ON LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT • Most children are born with an innate ability and desire to learn to communicate • Normal language development follows a predetermined sequence that is similar across most cultures • The language development of deaf or hard of hearing children also follows a predetermined sequence
Delays in language development can occur in deaf/hard of hearing students because of: • Their inability to process auditory input • Or a lack of sufficient exposure to visually encoded language
As a consequence, the most debilitating aspect of deafness if NOT the hearing loss but the lack of language that results from insufficient VISUAL or AUDITORY input • Although in the past there was a belief that speech was language, we now know that speech is simply a tool or mode of transmission and is distinct from the cognitive system that underlies language.
Children who are deaf and hard of hearing do not have easy access to spoken communication • Language development relies on exposure and exchanges that occur in one’s environment
HEARING INDIVIDUALS • Hearing individuals are constantly bombarded with language from the environment • Radio • Friends • Siblings • Community • Mall
Deaf/Hard of Hearing Individuals • Deaf and hard of hearing individuals have limited exposure to spoken language in the environment – • Those who rely on signed communication are limited to others who share the same language • Captioned TV • Information provided in print
ALL DEAF PEOPLE KNOW SIGN LANGUAGE • In the US approximately 82% of deaf/hard of hearing students receive all or part of their education in regular education classrooms. • In 95% of these classrooms a form of sign communication is used
AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE, SIGN SYSTEMS &CUED SPEECH • American Sign Language (ASL) unlike English is a spatial, time-oriented language, based on visual perception and visual conveyance of ideas, information and feeling concepts • ASL has its own: • Prosody • Syntax • Grammatical structure
ASL STRUCTURE • Topic/ comment statements are common in ASL • Adjectives can occur before or after the noun • Pronouns are gender neutral and number specific
ASL • Is not a universal language – each country has their own sign language • ASL is comprised of fingerspelling and signs • It has been developed by and for the Deaf community
ENGLISH SIGN SYSTEMS • Several Sign Systems have been developed to apply signs following English word order. • These systems are not languages and include: SEE I, SEE II, Signed English CASE, etc.
A COMPARISON OF ENGLISH AND ASL • In English we would say: • “ I have got to really study for my SPEC 2000 test that Dr. Hull is giving next week because she said it would be a bear.” • In Signed English it would look like this – • In ASL it would look like this --
ASL EXAMPLE • Next week Dr. Hull (reference) give SPEC 2000 test • Me, Study must • Why (rhetorical question) • Reference • Announce tough!
PIDGIN SIGNED ENGLISH • Because ASL is a foreign language and English is a foreign language a pidgin has been developed to facilitate communication between deaf and hearing individuals. • Pidgins take pieces from both languages so communication can occur
AN EXAMPLE OF THE SAME SENTENCE USING PSE • I must really study for SPEC 2000 test • Week because Dr. Hull say tough. • Pidgins work on a continuum – they can be more ASL or more English in nature
DEAF CHILDREN/DEAF PARENTS • 10% of deaf children have deaf parents • From infancy Deaf mothers use strategies to support the learning of a visual language • They will sign near an object with which the child is playing or wave a hand to draw the child’s attention to them • They use exaggerated facial expressions
Communication is visual • They use visual motherese to facilitate language growth • Greater time is allowed to process language input • Signs are modified – they are presented in a fluent, rich manner
Comparisons of Language in Deaf and Hearing Children • DC exposed to sign language from birth parallel hearing children • They being to sign at 9 months of age • (Hearing babies say their first word at 12 months of age) • Between 12 & 18 months language development is parallel
DC/HP compared with HC/HP • According to Carey the speaking vocabulary of a hearing six year old ranges from 8,000 to 14,000 words • Research indicates that DC/HP at age six, where no form of sign communication is used only posses about 500 – 700 words
Because DC/HP may not be exposed to language caregivers frequently assume that their children do not have the language needed to engage in dialogues. • Therefore, communication exchanges become monologues from a hearing perspective
DEAF CHILDREN CAN’T READ • Language development of lack of therefore has a significant impact on the ability to read. • Because of the language delays due to problems in communication only 10% of 18 year old deaf students read above the 8th grade level.
DEAF CHILDREN ARE NOT AS INTELLIGENT AS HEARING CHILDREN • On standardized intelligence tests the average IQ is 100 • For deaf students the average IQ is 96.89, only slightly lower than hearing children. • Speech and language are often confused with intelligence but they are not related
DEAF PEOPLE CAN’T TALK • Babies who are born deaf or lose their hearing before speech and language are developed may have a difficult time mastering speech. • They can talk but may have been made fun of, or their speech may not be clear
HEARING AIDS ENABLE DEAF PEOPLE TO HEAR SPEECH • Hearing aids amplify sounds • They do not clarify • There are many types of hearing aids including cochlear implants – these do not cure hearing – they are an implantable hearing aid
DEAF PEOPLE CAN’T DRIVE • Deaf people can and do drive • 97% of the warning signals that reach the driver are gained through a visual channel • 41/49 states rank deaf drivers as good or better than hearing drivers
ALL DEAF PEOPLE WISH THEY COULD HEAR • Culturally Deaf people do not want to hear • They value their culture and see no reason to be “fixed” • They have established a tight network that affords them social opportunities and a rich language
INTERPRETERS AND SIGNERS • Communication between deaf and hearing individuals is often accomplished between an interpreter • An Interpreter: • Highly skilled professional • Bound by a Code of Ethics • Can both interpret and transliterate
Signers • These individuals have taken some classes in sign language • They sign to express what they want to say • They are not interpreters and should not be used in that capacity
Technology and Deafness • Technology plays a vital role in deafness: • Light signaling devices (telephone, door bells, baby cry systems) • TTY/TDD, Sidekicks, and computers • Hearing dogs for the Deaf
Hard of Hearing People • A few words • These individuals can have a harder time with communication because hearing individuals assume they hear more than they do based on their speech • Speech cannot be equated with hearing loss • Speech cannot be equated with language • Speech cannot be equated with literacy or intelligence
PARTING WORDS • Deaf people when given the access to communication can do anything hearing people can do based on their individual capabilities. • Deaf people cannot be stereotyped – they are as different as you and me and want to be viewed as such